Safety equipment for freight loading and unloading docks

• US 7,999,680 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glomot-Penot Systemes
• Original Assignee: Glomot-Penot Systemes
• Inventors: Penot, Etienne
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US12/453,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20090267744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/674, 340/686.6, 340/988
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 69/005 the means engaging at least one wheel of the vehicle

Abstract

To inform warehousemen that a vehicle that has arrived at a dock is situated so as to allow loading or unloading operations, the dock is equipped with a series of radio identification tags placed in succession along an access lane to the dock and it is verified by appropriate devices associated with the dock whether a locating device placed in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle and carrying readers of radio identification tags is or is not arranged at a position with respect to a given direction in relation to the succession of tags along the access lane to the dock. The locating device is advantageously implemented in the form of a restraint chock for the wheels of the vehicle or in the form of any other means for immobilizing the latter at the dock.

Claims

1. Safety equipment for a dock for loading and unloading freight to and from vehicles brought to the dock, the safety equipment comprising:

radio identification tags arranged in a series along an access lane to the dock for vehicles transporting freight that are to be loaded or unloaded, the radio identification tags emitting a signal carrying an identification information characteristic of the order of succession of the radio identification tags in the series;

a mobile locating device to be removably placed in a given position with respect to a vehicle brought to the dock, the mobile locating device carrying at least two radiowave transmitter readers which are capable of sensing the signals emitted by two different radio identification tags of the series so as to relay the signals to an analysis system for the signals carrying tag identification information unique to each of the radio identification tags and of reader attribute information that distinguishes the two readers from each other; and

processing means at the analysis system for processing, from the radio identification tag information and the reader attribute information, a placement of the mobile locating device in the given position in respect to a predefined direction between the two readers relative to the order of succession of the radio identification tags in the series.

2. The safety equipment according to claim 1, wherein the mobile locating device contains a proximity detector that transmits to the analysis system information representative of a proximity of the locating device with respect to the vehicle.

3. The safety equipment according to claim 1, wherein the mobile locating device contains a movement detector that transmits to the analysis system an information representative of a movement of the mobile locating device.

4. The safety equipment according to claim 1, wherein at the dock, a locating device support is connected to a power supply and an electrical recharging device for the locating device.

5. The safety equipment according to claim 4, wherein the locating device support includes a presence detector that is capable of transmitting an information representative of the presence or absence of the mobile locating device on the locating device support to the analysis system.

6. The safety equipment according to claim 4, wherein the locating device support includes means for reading identification information carried by the mobile locating device and means for transmitting the identification information to the analysis system, and the analysis system performs a pairing of the mobile locating device with the support device.

7. The safety equipment according to claim 1, wherein the mobile locating device is conformed as a chock to be placed against a vehicle tire.

8. The safety equipment according to claim 1, further comprising:

a presence detector that, in an absence of the mobile locating device in a locating device support, transmits to the analysis system information about the absence of the mobile locating device, wherein the analysis system commands a display means to indicate that a warehouse operation may be undertaken when;

the analysis system receives in a predefined period of time, information transmitted by a proximity detector that is representative of a proximity of the locating device with respect to a vehicle, and

the processing means of the analysis system validates the placement of the mobile locating device with respect to the predefined direction between the two readers relative to the order of succession of radio identification tags in the series.

9. The safety equipment according to claim 8, wherein when the display means has been commanded by the analysis system, and when the warehouse operations have been achieved, the analysis system commands the display means to indicate that the mobile locating device may be used again for another vehicle when:

the analysis system receives movement information of the mobile locating device, transmitted by a movement detector,

there is an absence of proximity information of the mobile locating device and the vehicle, and

the analysis system receives in a period of predefined time, the predefined time starting at the moment of reception of the movement signal, information about the presence of the mobile locating device on the locating device support.

10. The safety equipment according to claim 2, wherein the mobile locating device has the shape of a chock to be placed against a vehicle tire and said proximity detector is sensitive to the proximity of a tire carcass.

11. The safety equipment according to claim 3, wherein the mobile locating device has the shape of a chock to be placed against a vehicle tire.

12. The safety equipment according to claim 4, wherein the mobile locating device has the shape of a chock to be placed against a vehicle tire.

13. The safety equipment according to claim 5, wherein the mobile locating device has the shape of a chock to be placed against a vehicle tire.

14. The safety equipment according to claim 6, wherein the mobile locating device has the shape of a chock to be placed against a vehicle tire.

15. The safety equipment according to claim 4, wherein the locating device support includes means for reading identification information carried by the mobile locating device and means for transmitting the identification information to the analysis system, and the analysis system performs a pairing of the mobile locating device with the support device.

16. The safety equipment according to claim 5, wherein the locating device support includes means for reading identification information carried by the mobile locating device and means for transmitting the identification information to the analysis system, and the analysis system performs a pairing of the mobile locating device with the support device.