Method and apparatus for quay container crane-based automated optical container code recognition with positional identification

• US 7,181,312 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HKI Systems and Service LLC
• Original Assignee: Paceco Corporation (Tsuneishi Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Takehara, Toru, King, Maxwell W., Chung, Chingyei
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/192,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20030191555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 700/214, 700/213, 414/803, 414/137.1, 414/139.4, 414/140.3, 414/140.4, 414/141.3, 414/141.4
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 63/004 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

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.

Claims

1. 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:

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.

2. The method of claim 1,

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.

3. The method of claim 1,

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.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:

writing said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to a removable non-volatile memory;

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a file contained in said removable non-volatile memory; and

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a record contained in said removable non-volatile memory.

5. A program system implementing the method of claim 1 by controlling a computer through a collection of program steps implementing the steps of claim 1,

wherein said program steps reside in a memory accessibly coupled with said computer.

6. A system implementing the method of claim 1, comprising a means implementing each of the steps of claim 1.

7. The system of claim 6,

wherein at least one of said means of claim 6 is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising:

an instruction processor, an inferential processor, a finite state machine, and a memory;

wherein said instruction processor includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

a Single Instruction Single Datapath (SISD) processor, a Single Instruction Multiple Datapath (SIMD) processor, a Multiple Instruction Single Datapath (MISD) processor, a Multiple Instruction Multiple Datapath (MIMD) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC), a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) and a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) computer;

wherein said inferential processor includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

a rule-based inferential processor, a constraint-based inferential processor, and a fuzzy logic engine;

wherein said finite state machine includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

at least part of a programmable logic device, at least part of an application specific integrated circuit;

wherein said programmable logic device includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA), a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), a Complex Programmable Logic Array (CPLA);

wherein said memory includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory;

wherein said non-volatile memory includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

a writeable non-volatile memory and a Read Only Memory (ROM);

wherein said writeable non-volatile memory includes at least one member of the collection comprising;

an electro-magnetically interfaced non-volatile memory and an optically interfaced non-volatile memory.

8. 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 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

processing said first container code image to create said container code image.

9. The apparatus of claim 8,

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.

10. The apparatus of claim 9,

wherein the program step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:

writing said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to a removable non-volatile memory;

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a file contained in said removable non-volatile memory; and

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a record contained in said removable non-volatile memory.