Cargo vehicle loading control

• US 10,005,456 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2016
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Evelyn R., Bender, Michael, Boone, Michael, Childress, Rhonda L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/173,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20170349166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 7/06 Securing of load vehicle retainers B60P3/073
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability

Abstract

A method, system, and/or computer program product controls positioning of cargo being loaded onto a cargo vehicle based on sensor readings from another cargo vehicle. One or more processors receive output from a cargo sensor and a camera, on a first cargo vehicle, that describe an amount of movement of first cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle. The processor(s) then transmit instructions to a loader of second cargo being loaded onto a second cargo vehicle to adjust a positioning of the second cargo while being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle, where the positioning of the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle is different from a positioning of the first cargo on the first cargo vehicle, in order to minimize damage exposure to the second cargo.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, output from a cargo sensor and a camera on a first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the cargo sensor and the camera describe an amount of movement of first cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle;

determining, by one or more processors, an amount of cargo shifting that the first cargo has experienced based on an analysis of sensor readings from the cargo sensor and pictures from the cargo camera;

determining, by one or more processors, that the first cargo has shifted beyond a predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the output from the cargo sensor and the pictures from the cargo camera;

receiving, by one or more processors, output from vehicle sensors on the first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the vehicle sensors describes a movement of the first cargo vehicle;

determining, by one or more processors, that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle; and

transmitting, by one or more processors, instructions to a robotic cargo loader of second cargo being loaded onto a second cargo vehicle to adjust a positioning of the second cargo while being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle based on the movement of the first cargo vehicle and the first cargo shifting beyond the predetermined amount, wherein the positioning of the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle is different from a positioning of the first cargo on the first cargo vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions to the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo instruct the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo to reposition the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle based on a value of each subunit of the second cargo being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions to the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo instruct the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo to reposition the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle based on a weight of each subunit of the second cargo being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions to the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo instruct the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo to reposition the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle based on a physical size of each subunit of the second cargo being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions to the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo instruct the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo to limit a volume of the second cargo being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dividing, by one or more processors, the second cargo into multiple subsets of second cargo; and

loading, by the robotic cargo loader, each of the multiple subsets of second cargo into a separate cargo vehicle for transport.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions to the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo direct the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo to load the second cargo onto the second cargo vehicle based on the risk/reward of damage to the second cargo, a cost of the second cargo, and a cost of delayed delivery of the second cargo based on simulations of multiple loading permutations of the second cargo.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same type of cargo vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the robotic cargo loader of the cargo being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle includes an on-board electronic controller, and wherein the instructions are transmitted to the on-board electronic controller of the robotic cargo loader.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, by one or more processors, a first structure of the first cargo vehicle to a second structure of the second cargo vehicle; and

further modifying, by one or more processors, the positioning of the second cargo on the second cargo vehicle based on a comparison of first structure of the first cargo vehicle to the second structure of the second cargo vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo sensor is from a group consisting of a microphone, a camera, a mechanical vibration sensor, and a chemical sensor.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle was taking a first route when the first cargo shifted beyond the predetermined amount, wherein the second cargo vehicle is scheduled to travel on the first route, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self driving vehicle (SDV), and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, by one or more processors and based on the movement of the first cargo vehicle, that the first route has roadway surface conditions that caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount;

in response to determining that the first route has roadway surface conditions that caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount, redirecting, by one or more processors, the SDV to take a second route that is different from the first route.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo sensor is a light sensor, wherein the first cargo includes a container, wherein the first cargo vehicle has an opaque soft wall that is capable of being punctured by the container when the container shifts beyond the predetermined amount, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the light sensor, light coming in through the opaque soft wall;

in response to detecting the light coming in through the opaque soft wall, determining, by one or more processors, that the container has broken through the opaque soft wall in response to the movement of the first cargo vehicle causing the container to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle; and

in response to determining that the container has broken through the opaque soft wall, further determining, by one or more processors, that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo sensor is a gyroscope, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the gyroscope, that the first cargo vehicle traveled on an incline that caused the first cargo to shift; and

in response to determining that the first cargo vehicle traveled on the incline that caused the first cargo to shift, further determining, by one or more processors, that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the incline that caused the first cargo to shift.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, that a container that is part of the first cargo has fallen over when the first cargo shifted beyond the predetermined amount; and

in response to determining that the container has fallen over, activating, by one or more processors, an electromechanical device on the first cargo vehicle to reposition the container into an upright position.

12. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to receive output from a cargo sensor and a camera on a first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the cargo sensor and the camera describe an amount of movement of first cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle;

program instructions to determine an amount of cargo shifting that the first cargo has experienced based on an analysis of sensor readings from the cargo sensor and pictures from the cargo camera;

program instructions to determine that the first cargo has shifted beyond a predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the output from the cargo sensor and the pictures from the cargo camera;

program instructions to receive output from vehicle sensors on the first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the vehicle sensors describes a movement of the first cargo vehicle;

program instructions to determine that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle; and

program instructions to transmit instructions to a robotic cargo loader of second cargo being loaded onto a second cargo vehicle to adjust a positioning of the second cargo while being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle based on the movement of the first cargo vehicle and the first cargo shifting beyond the predetermined amount, wherein the positioning of the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle is different from a positioning of the first cargo on the first cargo vehicle.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the instructions to the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo instruct the robotic cargo loader of the second cargo to limit a volume of the second cargo being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

program instructions to compare a first structure of the first cargo vehicle to a second structure of the second cargo vehicle; and

program instructions to further modify the positioning of the second cargo on the second cargo vehicle based on a comparison of the first structure of the first cargo vehicle to the second structure of the second cargo vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the cargo sensor is from a group consisting of a microphone, a camera, a mechanical vibration sensor, and a chemical sensor.

20. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

program instructions to receive output from a cargo sensor and a camera on a first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the cargo sensor and the camera describe an amount of movement of first cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle;

program instructions to determine an amount of cargo shifting that the first cargo has experienced based on an analysis of sensor readings from the cargo sensor and pictures from the cargo camera;

program instructions to determine that the first cargo has shifted beyond a predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the output from the cargo sensor and the pictures from the cargo camera;

program instructions to receive output from vehicle sensors on the first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the vehicle sensors describes a movement of the first cargo vehicle;

program instructions to determine that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle; and

program instructions to transmit instructions to a robotic cargo loader of second cargo being loaded onto a second cargo vehicle to adjust a positioning of the second cargo while being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle based on the movement of the first cargo vehicle and the first cargo shifting beyond the predetermined amount, wherein the positioning of the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle is different from a positioning of the first cargo on the first cargo vehicle.