Determining available capacity in a transportation mechanism

• US 9,463,808 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: VanBlon, Russell Speight, Mese, John Carl, Peterson, Nathan J., Waltermann, Rod D., Weksler, Arnold S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): EVANS, GARRETT F
• Application Number:
  US14/643,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20160264149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/28 electrical detecting excessive speed B66B5/04 ; control of electrical motor H02P
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3476 Load weighing or car passenger counting devices B66B5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, systems, and program products are described for determining available capacity in a transportation mechanism. An object module identifies one or more objects within a transportation mechanism based on input received from a sensor. A capacity module determines an available capacity of the transportation mechanism as a function of the one or more identified objects. A service module services a call request in response to the available capacity satisfying a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor;

a processor communicatively coupled to the sensor;

a memory that stores code executable by the processor, the code comprising;

code that identifies one or more objects within a transportation mechanism based on input received from the sensor;

code that determines an amount of capacity within the transportation mechanism that is utilized by each of the one of more objects;

code that determines a buffer area for each of the one or more identified objects, the buffer area comprising an additional amount of capacity utilized by each of the one or more objects;

code that determines an available capacity of the transportation mechanism as a function of the utilized capacity and the buffer area for each of the one or more identified objects; and

code that services a call request in response to the available capacity satisfying a predetermined threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that ignores the call request in response to the available capacity not satisfying the predetermined threshold.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that determines an amount of capacity that each object of the one or more identified objects utilizes, the amount of utilized capacity comprising an amount of utilized floor space.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein determining the available capacity of the transportation mechanism comprises determining an available amount of floor space in the transportation mechanism as a function of the determined amount of floor space utilized by the one or more objects within the transportation mechanism.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the buffer area comprises an additional amount of utilized floor space for each identified object.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the buffer area for an identified object is determined as a function of a weather condition.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the buffer area for an identified object is determined as a function of one or more of a type and a size of the identified object.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the identified object comprises a person, and the buffer area for the person is determined as a function of an identity of the person.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the buffer area for an identified object is determined as a function of a position of the identified object within the transportation mechanism.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that determines one or more predefined characteristics for an identified object, the one or more characteristics being selected from the group consisting of a location of the object and a predetermined capacity utilization of the object.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising code that tracks usage patterns associated with an identified object, wherein the available capacity is determined as a function of the usage patterns.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a camera, a proximity sensor, a motion sensor, an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, an occupancy sensor, a pressure sensor, and an acoustic sensor.

13. A method comprising:

identifying, by use of a processor, one or more objects within a transportation mechanism based on input received from a sensor;

determining an amount of capacity within the transportation mechanism that is utilized by each of the one of more objects;

determining a buffer area for each of the one or more identified objects, the buffer area comprising an additional amount of capacity utilized by each of the one or more objects;

determining an available capacity of the transportation mechanism as a function of the utilized capacity and the buffer area for each of the one or more identified objects; and

servicing a call request in response to the available capacity satisfying a predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising ignoring the call request in response to the available capacity not satisfying the predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining an amount of capacity that each object of the one or more identified objects utilizes, the amount of utilized capacity comprising an amount of utilized floor space.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the available capacity of the transportation mechanism comprises determining an available amount of floor space in the transportation mechanism as a function of the determined amount of floor space utilized by the one or more objects within the transportation mechanism.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the buffer area comprises an additional amount of utilized floor space for each identified object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the buffer area for an identified object is determined as a function of one or more of:

a weather condition;

a type of the identified object;

a size of the identified object;

a position of the identified object within the transportation mechanism; and

an identity of a person, in response to the identified object comprising a person.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising tracking usage patterns associated with an identified object, wherein the available capacity is determined as a function of the usage patterns.

20. A program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores code executable by a processor, the executable code comprising code to perform:

identifying one or more objects within a transportation mechanism based on input received from a sensor;

determining an amount of capacity within the transportation mechanism that is utilized by each of the one of more objects;

determining a buffer area for each of the one or more identified objects, the buffer area comprising an additional amount of capacity utilized by each of the one or more objects;

determining an available capacity of the transportation mechanism as a function of the utilized capacity and the buffer area for each of the one or more identified objects; and

servicing a call request in response to the available capacity satisfying a predetermined threshold.