System and method for controlling load on vehicle

• US 7,499,802 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Mobiling Limited (Marubeni Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Mobiling Limited (Marubeni Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Mishima, Masahiro, Deguchi, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/546,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/1, 701/124, 701/2, 340/991, 340/993, 340/539.13, 340/539.26, 340/539.1, 705/6, 705/13
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A vehicle load control system, in which information on the cargo loading condition of a moving vehicle is obtained through communication between the moving vehicle and a control center via a communication network to provide centralized control of efficient cargo loading operation. A vehicle load control system provides centralized control of efficient cargo loading operation through communication between a moving vehicle (100) and a control center (120) via a communication network (110). The moving vehicle (100) includes a radio section (101) for receiving a load data acquisition request signal and transmitting measured load data determined by at least one distance sensor (105) in the luggage compartment and location data of the vehicle. The control center (120) includes a storage (124) for storing the measured load data and the location data of the moving vehicle (100) received from the vehicle, a communication control terminal (125) for transmitting the load data acquisition request signal to the radio section (101) and storing the measured load data received from the vehicle (100) in the storage (124), and a control terminal (122) for analyzing the measured load data stored in the storage (124) and determining the loading condition of the vehicle (100) based on the analyzed data.

Claims

1. A vehicle load control system in which information on the cargo loading condition of a moving vehicle is obtained through communication between the moving vehicle and a control center via a communication network to provide centralized control of efficient cargo loading operation, wherein:

the moving vehicle includes a radio section for receiving a load data acquisition request signal and transmitting via the communication network measured load data determined based on the volume of the luggage compartment of the moving vehicle using at least one distance sensor placed in the luggage compartment and location data indicating the location of the moving vehicle; and

the control center includes;

a storage for storing the measured load data and the location data of the moving vehicle received from the moving vehicle;

a communication control terminal for performing control to transmit the load data acquisition request signal to the radio section and store the measured load data received from the moving vehicle in the storage; and

a control terminal for analyzing the measured load data stored in the storage and determining the loading condition of the moving vehicle based on the analyzed data.

2. A vehicle load control system according to claim 1, wherein the moving vehicle includes:

a measurement device for instructing the distance sensor to make a measurement;

a global positioning system (GPS) for obtaining the location data of the moving vehicle; and

a controller for controlling the overall operation of the measurement device, the GPS, and the radio section.

3. A vehicle load control system according to claim 2, wherein:

the distance sensor is an ultrasonic sensor;

the measurement device controls the ultrasonic sensor to emit an ultrasonic wave toward cargo loaded in the moving vehicle;

the controller controls the measurement device to count the time from when the ultrasonic wave is emitted to when the ultrasonic wave reflected from the cargo is received, obtains the time data as measured load data, and transmits the measured load data and the location data of the moving vehicle to the control center.

4. A vehicle load control system according to claim 3, wherein the measurement device calculates an average measured value, the maximum measured value, and the minimum measured value during a predetermined measurement period of time.

5. A vehicle load control system according to claim 3, wherein the control center receives the measured load data and the location data from the controller, obtains from the location data event information indicating departure for or arrival at the delivery location of the moving vehicle, and transmits the load data acquisition request signal to the controller.

6. A vehicle load control system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, based on the measured load data stored in the storage, the control terminal calculates, as the loading rate, the rate of the volume of cargo to the volume of the entire space of the luggage compartment from the position of the ultrasonic sensor to the floor of the luggage compartment to detect empty space in the luggage compartment.

7. A vehicle load control system according to claim 6, wherein when palletized cargo is transported, the control terminal analyzes the palletized cargo based on the predetermined height of a loading platform.

8. A vehicle load control system according to claim 6, wherein the control terminal analyzes the measured load data by rearranging the measured load data according to delivery services, a vehicle, and a date.

9. A vehicle load control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance sensor is a sensor using laser beams or infrared rays.

10. A vehicle load control method in which information on the cargo loading condition of a moving vehicle is obtained through communication between the moving vehicle and a control center via a communication network to provide centralized control of cargo loading operation, the method comprising:

a first step of transmitting a load data acquisition request signal to the moving vehicle;

a second step of receiving the load data acquisition request signal from the control center;

a third step of determining measured load data with respect to the volume of the luggage compartment of the moving vehicle using at least one distance sensor;

a fourth step of transmitting the measured load data and location data indicating the location of the moving vehicle via the communication network to the control center;

a fifth step of receiving and storing in a storage the measured load data and the location data; and

a sixth step of analyzing the measured load data stored in the storage and determining the loading condition of the moving vehicle based on the analyzed data.

11. A vehicle load control method according to claim 10, wherein:

in the third step, an ultrasonic sensor is used as the distance sensor;

the third step includes the steps of;

emitting an ultrasonic wave toward cargo loaded in the moving vehicle; and

counting the time from when the ultrasonic wave is emitted to when the ultrasonic wave reflected from the cargo is received; and

the fourth step includes the step of transmitting the time data as measured load data to the control center.

12. A vehicle load control method according to claim 11, wherein the third step further includes the step of calculating an average measured value, the maximum measured value, and the minimum measured value during a predetermined measurement period of time.

13. A vehicle load control method according to claim 10, wherein the fifth step further includes the steps of:

obtaining event information indicating departure for or arrival at the delivery location of the moving vehicle based on the location data; and

storing the event information in the storage.

14. A vehicle load control method according to claim 13, wherein the sixth step further includes the step of calculating as the loading rate, based on the measured load data stored in the storage, the rate of the volume of cargo to the volume of the entire space of the luggage compartment from the position of the ultrasonic sensor to the floor of the luggage compartment to detect empty space in the luggage compartment.

15. A vehicle load control method according to claim 13, wherein the sixth step further includes the step of analyzing, when palletized cargo is transported, the palletized cargo based on the predetermined height of a loading platform.

16. A vehicle load control method according to claim 10, wherein the sixth step further includes the step of analyzing the measured load data by rearranging the measured load data according to delivery services, a vehicle, and a date.