Method and apparatus of automated optical container code recognition with positional identification for a transfer container crane

• US 7,961,911 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HKI Systems and Service LLC
• Original Assignee: Paceco Corporation (Tsuneishi Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Takehara, Toru, Chung, Chingyel, King, Maxwell W.
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US12/001,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095405A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/108, 382/113, 382/140, 382/142, 382/151, 382/170, 382/177, 382/180, 382/181, 382/184, 382/193, 382/203, 382/206, 382/232, 382/255, 382/274, 382/287, 382/291, 382/305, 382312-318, 221/10, 221/11, 414/785, 414/803, 700/215, 700/217, 340/539.13, 340/10.32, 212/270
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/007 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/62 Text, e.g. of license plates, overlay texts or captions on TV images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition

Abstract

A method and system providing a transfer container crane with container code recognition of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system is disclosed. The system and method are capable of performing these tasks without the use of non-standard container tagging.

Claims

1. A method comprising the step of:

providing recognition from a transfer container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, with said transfer container crane being a rubber tire gantry crane configured to travel over at least two stacks of said containers while manipulating said container in a container storage area of a container shipping yard, comprising the steps of;

recognizing said container code based upon at least one device mechanically coupled to a leg of said transfer container crane;

generating on said transfer container crane a positional identification of said container,

with said positional identification based upon at least one of a loading-operation designation, a storage-location designation, and a terminal location, each for said container,

with said loading-operation designation based upon at least one of a locking indication and a container hoist position based upon sensing at least one of a gray-coded hoist shaft and an ultrasonic transponder, and

with said locking indication from at least one of a programmable logic controller and a relay network, each within said transfer container crane; and

sending said recognition of said container code and said positional identification of said container from said transfer container crane to said container inventory management system to track a movement of said container in said container shipping yard.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the step generating on said transfer container crane said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:

generating said loading-operation designation for said container;

generating said storage-location designation for said container; and

generating said terminal location for said transfer container crane.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:

receiving said locking indication from said programmable logic controller within said transfer container crane; and

determining said locking indication from said relay network within said transfer 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 said container hoist position based upon sensing said gray-coded hoist shaft in said transfer container crane; and

determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an said 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.

4. The method of claim 2,

wherein the step generating said storage-location designation is further comprised the step of:

deriving said storage-location designation for said container at least in part from said terminal location for said transfer container crane; and

wherein the step generating said terminal location for said transfer container crane is further comprised of the step of;

receiving a location reading from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver to create at least in part said terminal location for said transfer container crane;

wherein said GPS receiver is mechanically coupled with said transfer container crane.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the step sending said recognition 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 transfer 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.

6. The method of claim 5,

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

writing said recognition 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.

7. A memory accessibly coupled to a computer for coupling to said transfer container crane and embodied with a program system implementing the method of claim 1 by controlling said computer through a collection of program steps.

8. The memory of claim 7, wherein said program system further comprises at least one member of the collection of program steps consisting of:

generating said recognition of said container code based upon said at least one device mechanically coupled to said transfer container crane;

generating said positional identification of said container; and

sending said recognition of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system.

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

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for providing said recognition from said transfer container crane of said container identified by said container code to said container inventory management system, comprising

means for generating on said transfer container crane said recognition of said container code based upon said at least one device mechanically coupled to said transfer container crane;

means for generating on said transfer container crane said positional identification of said container; and

means for sending said recognition of said container code and said positional identification of said container from said transfer container crane to said container inventory management system.

11. The container inventory management system, comprising:

means for tracking at least one of said container being handled by a container handler within said container shipping yard, with said container handler being one of a quay crane and said transfer crane, further comprising;

means for receiving said container code identifying said container and said positional identification of said container resulting from the method of claim 1 to track said movement of said container within said container shipping yard.

12. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for tracking further includes means for tracking said container with respect to said container'"'"'s history.

13. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for tracking further includes means for tracking said container with respect to damage to said container.

14. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for tracking further includes means for tracking a current location with respect to said container.

15. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for tracking further includes means for tracking a use with respect to said container.

16. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for tracking further includes means for reducing container inventory errors.

17. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for tracking further includes means for increasing overall terminal efficiency.

18. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said container stacking yard is a stack storage yard.

19. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said means for receiving further comprises means for receiving via a wireless physical transport.

20. The container inventory management system of claim 11 is a marine shipping inventory management system.

21. The container inventory management system of claim 11 is a rail yard inventory management system.

22. The container inventory management system of claim 11, further including a computer communicatively coupled with a database and coupled to a memory including a program system managing at least a container inventory using a container code recognition of said container identified by said container code.

23. The container inventory management system of claim 11, wherein said container stacking yard is a wheeled storage yard.