System and method for determining weight of freight units and baggage

• US 10,139,265 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Airbus SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE), Airbus SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Fuss, Tim, Alonso-Tabares, Diego
• Primary Examiner(s): Huls, Natalie
• Application Number:
  US15/230,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20170045394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/20 specially adapted for freight
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/368 Arrangements or installations for routing, distributing or loading baggage
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/00 Apparatus for or methods of weighing material of special form or property determining weight by measuring volume G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

This relates to a System and a method for determining weight of freight units and baggage. Such a system comprises a Unit Load Device (ULD), an internal system of the Unit Load Device (ULD) and a digital memory unit, wherein the internal system is configured for retrieving individual identification and weight data of items within the Unit Load Device (ULD), for calculating a gross weight of the Unit Load Device (ULD) by summing the individual weight data of the items together with empty weight data of the Unit Load Device (ULD) and for storing a list of all identified items based on the identification data as well as the calculated gross weight of the Unit Load Device (ULD) in the digital memory unit.

Claims

1. A system for determining weight of freight units and baggage, the system comprising:

a Unit Load Device configured to be supplied with power from an infrastructure of an aircraft, the Unit Load Device comprising an RFID reader to read RFID tags of items within the Unit Load Device;

an internal system of the Unit Load Device, wherein the internal system is configured to receive trigger signals to activate and deactivate the RFID reader, wherein the infrastructure of the aircraft comprises an induction system to supply the Unit Load Device with power, and wherein the induction system is configured to transmit the trigger signals; and

a digital memory unit;

wherein the internal system is configured for

retrieving individual identification and weight data of items within the Unit Load Device,

calculating a gross weight of the Unit Load Device by summing the individual weight data of the items together with empty weight data of the Unit Load Device, and

storing a list of all identified items based on the identification data as well as the calculated gross weight of the Unit Load Device in the digital memory unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the internal system is configured for tracking a location of each of the items within the Unit Load Device.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the internal system is configured for transmitting the position of each of the items within the Unit Load Device to another device via a digital interface.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the internal system is configured for transmitting the calculated gross weight to another device via a digital interface.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the Unit Load Device comprises an RFID tag and a microprocessor unit.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the Unit Load Device comprises a specific antenna system.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the Unit Load Device comprises a barcode reader.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the Unit Load Device comprises a communication unit for querying databases.

9. A method for determining weight of freight and baggage comprising the steps of:

providing a system according to claim 1;

supplying power to the Unit Load Device through the induction system;

transmitting a trigger signal to the Unit Load Device;

retrieving individual identification and weight data of items within a Unit Load Device by using an internal system of the Unit Load Device;

calculating a gross weight of the Unit Load Device by summing the individual weight data of the items together with empty weight data of the Unit Load Device by using the internal system; and

storing a list of all identified items based on the identification data as well as the calculated gross weight of the Unit Load Device in a digital memory unit of the system by using the internal system.

10. A system for determining weight of freight and baggage, the system comprising an aircraft cargo hold, an internal system of the aircraft cargo hold, and a digital memory unit,

wherein the internal system is configured for

retrieving individual identification data and weight data of items within the aircraft cargo hold,

calculating a gross weight of the items within the aircraft cargo hold by summing the individual weight data of the items, and

storing the calculated gross weight of the items within the aircraft cargo hold in the digital memory unit,

wherein an infrastructure of the aircraft comprises an induction system for supplying power, and

wherein the induction system is configured to transmit RFID reader trigger signals to activate and deactivate the retrieving of individual identification data and weight data of items within the aircraft cargo hold.

11. A method for determining weight of freight and baggage comprising the steps of:

providing a system according to claim 10;

supplying power from the induction system;

transmitting an RFID reader trigger signal from the induction system;

retrieving individual identification data and weight data of items within an aircraft cargo hold by using an internal system;

calculating a gross weight of the items within the aircraft cargo hold by summing the individual weight data of the items by using the internal system; and

storing the calculated gross weight of the items within the aircraft cargo hold in the digital memory unit by using the internal system.