Cargo-based vehicle control

• US 10,054,953 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2018
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• 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): Soofi, Yazan
• Application Number:
  US15/865,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 224 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method, system, and/or computer program product controls operations of a vehicle based on a condition of cargo being transported. One or more processors receive output from vehicle sensors on a first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the vehicle sensors describes a movement of the first cargo vehicle. The processor(s) determine that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused cargo in the first cargo vehicle to shift beyond a predetermined amount, and instruct a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, output from vehicle sensors on a 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 cargo in the first cargo vehicle to shift beyond a predetermined amount; and

transmitting, by one or more processors, instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, where in an amount of cargo shifting is determined by comparing different point in time photos of the cargo.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle sensors capture cargo vibration during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, where the vehicle sensors capture inclines of the cargo during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same cargo vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the same cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the same cargo vehicle to reposition the cargo in the same cargo vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the second cargo vehicle to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle is taking a first route, wherein the second cargo vehicle is taking a second route that is different from the first route, and wherein the method further comprises:

collecting, from sensors within the first cargo vehicle, data about road conditions and characteristics for the first route;

collecting, from sensors within the second cargo vehicle, data about road conditions and characteristics for the second route; and

receiving, by a vehicle controller, the data about the road conditions and characteristics for the first route and the second route.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the second cargo vehicle to take a different route than a route taken by the first cargo vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same cargo vehicle, wherein the same cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the same cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the first cargo vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to send instructions to self-driving vehicle vehicular physical control mechanisms on the self-driving vehicle to take a different route than a route taken by the first cargo vehicle.

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 vehicle sensors on a 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 cargo in the first cargo vehicle to shift beyond a predetermined amount; and

program instructions to transmit instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein an amount of cargo shifting is determined by comparing different point in time photos of the cargo.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the vehicle sensors capture cargo vibration during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, where the vehicle sensors capture inclines of the cargo during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the second cargo vehicle to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same cargo vehicle, wherein the same cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the same cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the first cargo vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to send instructions to self-driving vehicle vehicular physical control mechanisms on the self-driving vehicle to take a different route than a route taken by the first cargo vehicle.

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 vehicle sensors on a 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 cargo in the first cargo vehicle to shift beyond a predetermined amount; and

program instructions to transmit instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.