Adjusting mechanical elements of cargo transportation units

• US 10,906,545 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 02/02/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Seaman, Conrad Delbert, West, Stephen, Spriggs, Kristian Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US15/388,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20180178797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2300/125 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/10 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/20 Tyre data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/22 : Suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/223 : Stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 : Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 : Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 : Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18009 : related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 : associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0219 : ensuring the processing of the whole working surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 : Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

In some examples, a controller includes at least one processor configured to receive information regarding a condition associated with a cargo transportation unit (CTU), the received information regarding the condition including information of an environment around the CTU at a location of the CTU, and adjust an adjustable mechanical element of the CTU in response to the received information.

Claims

1. A controller comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive information regarding a condition associated with a cargo transportation unit (CTU), the received information regarding the condition comprising information of an environment around the CTU at a predicted future location of the CTU, and a weight of a cargo carried by the CTU as measured by a weight sensor;

determine, based on measurement data from a further sensor of the CTU, a type of the cargo that is based on a fragility of the cargo;

determine whether the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor is consistent with a representation of a weight included in cargo load information provided at a time that the cargo is loaded into the CTU; and

cause adjustment of a suspension of the CTU in response to the type of the cargo based on the fragility of the cargo, and cause adjustment of a tire pressure of the CTU based on the type of the cargo based on the fragility of the cargo and the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to compute the predicted future location of the CTU based on a route of the CTU.

3. The controller of claim 1, wherein the information of the environment comprises one or more selected from among weather information, vehicle traffic information, information of a road type or road condition, and information of safety at the predicted future location of the CTU.

4. The controller of claim 1, wherein the received information further comprises information from a door status sensor on the CTU, the door status sensor to determine an open/close status of a door of the CTU.

5. The controller of claim 1, wherein the CTU is a first CTU, and wherein the received information comprises information from a sensor on a second CTU regarding the environment around the first CTU at the predicted future location of the first CTU.

6. The controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to adjust a door lock and a seal of the CTU in response to the received information.

7. The controller of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to further output an alert in response to determining that the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor is not consistent with the representation of the weight.

8. The controller of claim 1, where the further sensor that detects the type of the cargo comprises a barcode reader.

9. A method comprising:

hauling, using a driverless vehicle, a cargo transportation unit (CTU) that carries cargo;

receiving, by a controller, information regarding a condition associated with the CTU, the received information regarding the condition comprising information of an environment around the CTU at a predicted future location of the CTU;

determining, by the controller based on measurement data from a sensor of the CTU, a type of the cargo based on a fragility of the cargo;

causing, by the controller, adjustment of a suspension of the CTU in response to the determined type of the cargo based on the fragility of the cargo; and

causing, by the controller, adjustment of a tire pressure of a tire of the CTU in response to the determined type of the cargo based on the fragility of the cargo.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising causing, by the controller, adjustment of an adjustable mechanical element of the CTU in an absence of any human at the CTU, wherein the causing adjustment of the adjustable mechanical element is responsive to the received information and comprises one or more selected from among locking or unlocking a door of the CTU, opening or closing the door of the CTU, and adjusting a seal of the CTU.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising measuring a weight of the cargo carried by the CTU using a weight sensor, wherein the causing adjustment of the tire pressure is further in response to the weight of the cargo carried by the CTU as measured by the weight sensor.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the controller is part of the CTU.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the controller is part of a remote system that is separate from the CTU, the remote system in communication with the CTU over a network.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the controller is part of the driverless vehicle that hauls the CTU.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the CTU is a first CTU, and wherein the information of the environment around the first CTU at the predicted future location of the first CTU is received over a network from a sensor of a second CTU that has passed through the predicted future location.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the information regarding the condition associated with the CTU further comprises a weight of the cargo carried by the CTU as measured by a weight sensor, the method further comprising:

determining whether the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor is consistent with a representation of a weight included in cargo load information provided at a time that the cargo is loaded into the CTU;

outputting an alert in response to determining that the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor is not consistent with the representation of the,

wherein the causing adjustment of the tire pressure of the tire of the CTU is further based on the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the causing the adjustment of the pressure of the tire of the CTU comprises varying the pressure of the tire to different pressures for different weights of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that upon execution cause a controller to:

receive information regarding a condition associated with a cargo transportation unit (CTU) that carries cargo, the received information regarding the condition comprising information of an environment around the CTU at a predicted future location of the CTU;

cause adjustment of an adjustable mechanical element of the CTU in response to the received information, wherein the adjustment of the adjustable mechanical element comprises one or more selected from among locking or unlocking a door of the CTU, opening or closing the door of the CTU, and adjusting a seal of the CTU;

determine a type of the cargo based on measurement data from a sensor of the CTU, the type of the cargo based on a fragility of the cargo;

cause adjustment of a suspension of the CTU in response to the determined type of the cargo based on the fragility of the cargo; and

cause adjustment of a tire pressure of a tire of the CTU in response to the determined type of the cargo based on the fragility of the cargo.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the CTU is a first CTU, and wherein the information of the environment around the first CTU at the predicted future location of the first CTU is received over a network from a second CTU that has a sensor that acquired the information of the environment at the predicted future location when the second CTU passed through the predicted future location.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the information regarding the condition associated with the CTU further comprises a weight of the cargo carried by the CTU as measured by a weight sensor, wherein the instructions upon execution cause the controller to:

determine whether the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor is consistent with a representation of a weight included in cargo load information provided at a time that the cargo is loaded into the CTU;

output an alert in response to determining that the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor is not consistent with the representation of the weight,

wherein the causing adjustment of the pressure of the tire of the CTU is further based on the weight of the cargo as measured by the weight sensor.