Method and apparatus for quay container crane-based automated optical container code recognition with positional idenfication
First Claim
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1. An optical characteristic system providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising:
- a computer communicatively coupled to at least two video imaging devices and controlled by a program system comprising program steps residing in a memory accessibly coupled to said computer;
said video imaging device is mechanically coupled to said quay container crane, for each of said video imaging devices;
wherein said program system is further comprised of the program steps of;
generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one of said video imaging devices;
generating a positional identification of said container; and
sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;
wherein the program step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device;
applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;
acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and
compressing said first container code image to create said container code image;
wherein each of said video imaging devices belongs to a collection comprising at least a video camera, a digital video camera, and a charged coupled array;
wherein the program step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
generating a loading-operation designation for said container;
generating a storage-location designation for said container; and
generating a terminal location for said quay container crane;
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
receiving a locking indication from a programmable logic controller within said quay container crane; and
determining said locking indication from a relay network within said quay container crane;
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
determining a container hoist position based upon sensing a gray-coded hoist shaft in said quay container crane; and
determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an ultrasonic transponder; and
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of the program step of;
generating said loading-operation designation based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said locking signal indication and said container hoist position;
wherein the program step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of the program steps of;
sending a packet from a network to create a received packet; and
creating said packet from at least part of at least one member of a sending-data collection;
wherein said sending-data collection is comprised of said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container;
wherein said network employs at least one member of a physical transport collection in communicating from said quay container crane to container inventory management system;
wherein said physical transport collection is comprised of at least one wireline physical transport layer and at least one wireless physical transport layer.
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Abstract
A method and system for a quay container crane with container code recognition of a container identified by a container code with container positional identification is disclosed. The system and method are capable of performing these tasks without the use of non-standard container tagging.
21 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An optical characteristic system providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising:
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a computer communicatively coupled to at least two video imaging devices and controlled by a program system comprising program steps residing in a memory accessibly coupled to said computer;
said video imaging device is mechanically coupled to said quay container crane, for each of said video imaging devices;
wherein said program system is further comprised of the program steps of;
generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one of said video imaging devices;
generating a positional identification of said container; and
sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;
wherein the program step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device;
applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;
acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and
compressing said first container code image to create said container code image;
wherein each of said video imaging devices belongs to a collection comprising at least a video camera, a digital video camera, and a charged coupled array;
wherein the program step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
generating a loading-operation designation for said container;
generating a storage-location designation for said container; and
generating a terminal location for said quay container crane;
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
receiving a locking indication from a programmable logic controller within said quay container crane; and
determining said locking indication from a relay network within said quay container crane;
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
determining a container hoist position based upon sensing a gray-coded hoist shaft in said quay container crane; and
determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an ultrasonic transponder; and
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of the program step of;
generating said loading-operation designation based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said locking signal indication and said container hoist position;
wherein the program step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of the program steps of;
sending a packet from a network to create a received packet; and
creating said packet from at least part of at least one member of a sending-data collection;
wherein said sending-data collection is comprised of said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container;
wherein said network employs at least one member of a physical transport collection in communicating from said quay container crane to container inventory management system;
wherein said physical transport collection is comprised of at least one wireline physical transport layer and at least one wireless physical transport layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising the steps of:
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generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one video imaging device mechanically coupled to said quay container crane;
generating a positional identification of said container; and
sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;
wherein the step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of the steps of;
acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device; and
applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;
acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and
compressing said first container code image to create said container code image;
wherein said video imaging device belongs to a collection comprising at least a video camera, a digital video camera, and a charged coupled array;
wherein the step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of;
generating a loading-operation designation for said container;
generating a storage-location designation for said container; and
generating a terminal location for said quay container crane;
wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of;
receiving a locking indication from a programmable logic controller within said quay container crane; and
determining said locking indication from a relay network within said quay container crane;
wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of;
determining a container hoist position based upon sensing a gray-coded hoist shaft in said quay container crane; and
determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an ultrasonic transponder; and
wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of the step of;
generating said loading-operation designation based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said locking signal indication and said container hoist position. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An optical characteristic system providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising:
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a computer communicatively coupled to at least one video imaging device and controlled by a program system comprising program steps residing in a memory accessibly coupled to said computer;
said video imaging device is mechanically coupled to said quay container crane, for each of said video imaging devices;
wherein said program system is further comprised of the program steps of;
generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one of said video imaging devices;
generating a positional identification of said container; and
sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;
wherein the program step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device;
applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;
acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and
compressing said first container code image to create said container code image;
wherein said video imaging device belongs to a collection comprising at least a video camera, a digital video camera, and a charged coupled array;
wherein the program step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
generating a loading-operation designation for said container;
generating a storage-location designation for said container; and
generating a terminal location for said quay container crane;
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
receiving a locking indication from a programmable logic controller within said quay container crane; and
determining said locking indication from a relay network within said quay container crane;
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of;
determining a container hoist position based upon sensing a gray-coded hoist shaft in said quay container crane; and
determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an ultrasonic transponder; and
wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of the program step of;
generating said loading-operation designation based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said locking signal indication and said container hoist position. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising the steps of:
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generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least two video imaging devices mechanically coupled to said quay container crane;
generating a positional identification of said container; and
sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;
wherein the step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of the steps of;
acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device; and
applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;
acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and
compressing said first container code image to create said container code image;
wherein each of said video imaging devices belongs to a collection comprising at least a video camera, a digital video camera, and a charged coupled array;
wherein the step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of;
generating a loading-operation designation for said container;
generating a storage-location designation for said container; and
generating a terminal location for said quay container crane;
wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of;
receiving a locking indication from a programmable logic controller within said quay container crane; and
determining said locking indication from a relay network within said quay container crane;
wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of;
determining a container hoist position based upon sensing a gray-coded hoist shaft in said quay container crane; and
determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an ultrasonic transponder; and
wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of the step of;
generating said loading-operation designation based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said locking signal indication and said container hoist position;
wherein the step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of the steps of;
sending a packet from a network to create a received packet; and
creating said packet from at least part of at least one member of a sending-data collection;
wherein said sending-data collection is comprised of said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container;
wherein said network employs at least one member of a physical transport collection in communicating from said quay container crane to container inventory management system;
wherein said physical transport collection is comprised of at least one wireline physical transport layer and at least one wireless physical transport layer. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification