Cargo-based vehicle control

• US 10,152,063 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2018
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• 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 A
• Application Number:
  US15/966,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20180246527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 225 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, where 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 transmit instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust initial cargo loading operations on 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 initial cargo loading operations on 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, further comprising:

transmitting, by one or more processors, instructions to a robotic cargo loader to adjust the initial cargo loading operations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by repositioning the multiple boxes such that they are stacked closer together.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes that are secured by straps, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by increasing a tension in the straps.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by placing padding between two or more of the multiple boxes.

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

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

8. A computer program product for adjusting cargo loading operations, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage non-transitory medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the program instructions are executed by a computer to perform a method comprising:

receiving 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 that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused cargo in the first cargo vehicle to shift beyond a predetermined amount; and

transmitting instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust initial cargo loading operations on 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.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting instructions to a robotic cargo loader to adjust the initial cargo loading operations.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by repositioning the multiple boxes such that they are stacked closer together.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes that are secured by straps, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by increasing a tension in the straps.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by placing padding between two or more of the multiple boxes.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the vehicle sensors capture cargo vibration during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, where the vehicle sensors capture inclines of the cargo during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

15. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer readable 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 initial cargo loading operations on 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.

16. The computer system of claim 15, further comprising:

program instructions to transmit instructions to a robotic cargo loader to adjust the initial cargo loading operations.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by repositioning the multiple boxes such that they are stacked closer together.

18. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the cargo comprises multiple boxes that are secured by straps, and wherein the initial cargo loading operations are adjusted by increasing a tension in the straps.

19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle sensors capture cargo vibration during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

20. The computer system of claim 15, where the vehicle sensors capture inclines of the cargo during transport by the first cargo vehicle.