Method and system for monitoring opening for loading / unloading goods

Abstract

A method for monitoring an opening (200) for a freight vehicle (300) includes: arranging a radar system (110) at the opening (200) for accessing a cargo loading / unloading station (210) by the freight vehicle (300); by means of the radar system (110), two detection zones (112a, 112b) in the area in front of the opening (200) or in the opening (200) are monitored, the two detection zones being: an upper zone (112a) at a height such that a human target standing on the floor cannot intrude into the upper zone; and a lower region (112b) comprising at least one main portion located below the upper region (112a). When a target is detected only in the lower zone (112b), an opening alarm is generated that indicates that the target is not authorized to access the opening (200). When a target is detected in the upper region (112a), generation of the opening alarm is suppressed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of safety technology in work environments, specifically, work environments used for loading / unloading goods from vehicles such as trucks and forklifts. Background Technology

[0002] In logistics facilities, various types of goods are stored and are periodically loaded and unloaded by specialized transport vehicles. For this purpose, logistics facilities are equipped with loading / unloading areas, which are loading / unloading stations for goods from trucks or truck trailers, and have appropriately sized openings facing the exterior of the building.

[0003] Within logistics facilities, at other types of loading / unloading stations, goods are loaded and unloaded by forklifts.

[0004] Both types of stations can be partially or fully automated, for example, by using a vertical moving platform to align with the height of the vehicle rack and / or the load to be processed, and by using automated components to grab, transport and release the load, thereby preventing the load from accumulating in a disorderly manner.

[0005] Sometimes, the level of automation can enable the automatic activation of loading and unloading components when it is recognized that a cargo vehicle has approached appropriately.

[0006] Such platforms or automated components can be dangerous to people who get too close to them while the device or platform is in motion. Therefore, safety measures are needed to detect and signal human approach to prevent the opening from opening, or to prevent the dangerous parts from moving, or at least to provide an immediate warning of the danger. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to automatically monitor the area of ​​an opening for vehicles to enter or exit a cargo loading / unloading station, so as to easily distinguish between normal situations (such as a vehicle approaching the opening) and dangerous situations (such as a person approaching the opening).

[0008] According to any one of the appended claims, a method and apparatus for monitoring openings for loading / unloading goods achieve the above and other objectives.

[0009] According to the invention, the radar system is located at the entrance / exit opening of the loading / unloading station. The radar system monitors two detection zones in the area in front of or within the opening: an upper zone, positioned at a height that prevents a human target standing on the floor from entering; and a lower zone. An opening alarm is generated only when a target is detected in the lower zone, indicating that the target is not authorized to enter or exit the opening. Conversely, if a target is detected in the upper zone and a previous opening alarm has not yet been activated, the generation of the opening alarm is suppressed, and thus the target can reach the opening and pass through the lower zone without triggering the opening alarm.

[0010] Advantageously, in the event of a dangerous situation, an alarm is triggered only when a human operator is detected approaching the opening in the lower area. On the other hand, cargo vehicles (such as trucks, truck trailers, and forklifts) are also tall enough to intrude into the upper area and thus can reach the opening without triggering an alarm. In other words, this radar system makes it possible to distinguish between operators and vehicles based on whether the area has been intruded upon.

[0011] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To better understand the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings illustrate some embodiments of the invention, in which:

[0013] - Figure 1 A perspective view is shown of an opening for access to a station for loading / unloading goods from a truck, according to an embodiment of the invention. The opening is equipped with a system for monitoring the opening.

[0014] - Figure 2 and Figure 3 A perspective view of an opening for a forklift to enter or exit a station for loading / unloading goods, according to another embodiment of the invention, is shown, the opening being equipped with a system for monitoring the opening. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The accompanying drawings illustrate examples of a system for monitoring openings for loading / unloading cargo according to some embodiments of the invention, the system being generally indicated by the number 100.

[0016] In a known manner, opening 200 is an opening for the entry and exit of freight vehicle 300 into cargo loading / unloading station 210. In one embodiment, such as Figure 1As shown, loading / unloading station 210 is a loading and unloading area, and opening 200 is an opening formed through the exterior wall of the building. More specifically, opening 200 has a shape and size that substantially corresponds to the shape and size of the rear of a vehicle 300 (such as a truck (or truck trailer)) used for transporting goods, such that their edges can overlap.

[0017] In another embodiment, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, loading / unloading station 210 is a loading / unloading station for vehicle 300 (such as a forklift). In the illustrated example, opening 200 is not an opening in the wall, but an opening between two posts spaced approximately equal to the width of the forklift. On the other hand, in this case, opening 200 is not demarcated at the top.

[0018] System 100 includes a radar system 110 disposed at opening 200. Radar system 110 may include one or more radar devices 111. In the illustrated embodiment, radar system 110 includes a single radar device 111.

[0019] In some embodiments, such as in Figure 1 In this configuration, at least one radar device 111 is located on the top portion of the opening 200, for example, mounted to a beam that delineates the opening 200 at its top. In some embodiments, such as in... Figure 2 and Figure 3 In this configuration, at least one radar device 111 is located on the floor that defines the opening 200 at its bottom, or in any case on a support at the floor level. However, embodiments in which the radar device 111 is mounted on a lateral post of the opening 200 or on another support independent of and close to the opening 200 are not excluded.

[0020] Radar system 110 is configured to: monitor as in Figure 1 In the area in front of the opening 200 or as at least in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The presence of a target in two detection zones 112a and 112b within the opening 200. Preferably, a single radar device 111 is configured to simultaneously monitor both zones 112a and 112b.

[0021] Preferably, the radar system 110 is a stereo radar system configured to determine three spatial coordinates for each target. These coordinates may be, for example, the distance (radius), azimuth, and elevation from the radar device 111.

[0022] More preferably, the two detection zones 112a and 112b are in the form of cuboids (i.e., parallelepipeds).

[0023] Each detection zone 112a, 112b is defined by multiple boundary regions or virtual surfaces that separate the interior of the detection zones 112a, 112b from their exterior, wherein targets are detected and considered within the detection zones for control logic purposes, while targets are not detected or ignored outside the detection zones. In the case of a parallelepiped, for example, there are six boundary regions: a front boundary region located away from and in front of the opening 200; a rear boundary region located near or behind the opening 200; an upper boundary region located away from the floor; a lower boundary region located near the floor; and two lateral boundary regions.

[0024] The two zones 112a and 112b are the upper zone 112a and the lower zone 112b. The height of the upper zone 112a ensures that a human target standing on the floor cannot intrude into it. This is important because, as will be seen from the control logic described below, information about whether the upper zone 112a has been intruded into allows the system to assume whether the target is human. Preferably, the upper zone 112a is positioned such that it is not intruded into by a human target, providing a safety margin to avoid impact, for example, when a human target raises their arm.

[0025] Therefore, preferably, the height of the upper region 112a is at least 2.5m, preferably at least 3m. In other words, the height of the lower boundary region of the upper region is at least 2.5m, for example, 3m.

[0026] Conversely, the height of the upper region 112a above the floor allows for access by freight vehicles 300 (such as trucks, truck trailers, and / or forklifts). These vehicles 300 typically have components that reach a height greater than three meters above the floor. Therefore, preferably, the lower boundary region is located at a height not exceeding 3.5 meters.

[0027] The lower region 112b includes at least a main portion located below the upper region 112a, thus extending between the upper region 112a and the floor. Preferably, the main portion substantially occupies the entire height between the upper region 112a and the floor. Therefore, the height to which the main portion extends causes a human target standing on the floor to intrude upon the main portion.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the lower region 112b is separated from the upper region 112a. For example, the lower region 112b may overlap with its main portion. More preferably, there is no free space between the upper region 112a and the lower region 112b, that is, the lower boundary region of the upper region 112a at least partially overlaps with the upper boundary region of the lower region 112b.

[0029] However, as long as a human target standing on the floor cannot intrude into the upper zone 112a, the operational logic described below, in its simplest form, can also operate with partial penetration between the lower zone 112b and the upper zone 112a.

[0030] The two detection zones 112a and 112b may have the same shape and size in the plan view. Even if their shapes are different in the plan view, for the purposes of the logic to be described, preferably, the front boundary region of the lower zone 112b is located at a distance from the opening 200 in the entrance direction of the opening 200, a distance less than or equal to the distance between the opening 200 and the front boundary region of the upper zone 112a in the same entrance direction. Therefore, it is envisioned that a target approaching the opening 200 has a height sufficient to intrude into the upper zone 112a, but the target will not intrude into the lower zone 112b before the upper zone 112a.

[0031] "Entrance direction" refers to the direction intersecting with opening 200, preferably perpendicular to opening 200, along which vehicle 300 is expected to approach opening 200.

[0032] The radar system 110 is configured to generate a status signal in its output indicating the presence or absence of a target in each of the two detection zones 112a and 112b. This status signal then includes a set of Boolean logic variables, where a first logic variable can be assumed to have two values ​​corresponding to the presence and absence of a target detected in the upper zone 112a, and a second logic variable can be assumed to have two values ​​corresponding to the presence and absence of a target detected in the lower zone 112b, respectively.

[0033] The processing system (not shown) communicates with the radar system 110 to receive the status signal. The processing system may also communicate with one or more visual and / or audible alarm devices, and with one or more automated processing components of the loading / unloading station 210.

[0034] The processing system is configured to generate (or not generate) an opening alarm based on the status signal, namely the presence or absence of a target in the first zone 112a and the second zone 112b, and the temporal sequence in which a target may be detected in the first zone 112a and the second zone 112b.

[0035] The opening alarm can be understood as a signal, specifically a Boolean variable with a predetermined value, which the processing system outputs to another device. The opening alarm indicates that a detected target is not authorized to enter or exit opening 200. Therefore, the relevant variable can be assumed to have a first value corresponding to the presence of the alarm and a second value corresponding to the absence of the alarm.

[0036] If the device receiving the opening alarm is a visual alarm device and / or an audible alarm device, the opening alarm may trigger both visual and / or audible alarms. If the device receiving the opening alarm is the control system of the automatic processing component of station 210, the opening alarm may cause a change in the behavior of the processing component, such as deceleration, stopping, or moving to a safe position.

[0037] Specifically, the processing system is configured to generate the opening alarm only when a target is detected in the lower zone 112b. Therefore, the opening alarm is triggered by a state signal simultaneously indicating that there is no target in the upper zone 112a and a target is present in the lower zone 112b. This could effectively mean that a human target is approaching the opening 200, thus creating a dangerous situation.

[0038] Instead, the processing system is configured to suppress the generation of an opening alarm when a target is detected in the upper zone 112a if a previous opening alarm has not yet been activated. Therefore, neither a status signal indicating the presence of a target in the upper zone 112a nor the absence of a target in the lower zone 112b, nor a status signal indicating the presence of a target in both the upper and lower zones 112b, will trigger the opening alarm. In fact, it is assumed that the target intruding into the upper zone 112a is not a human target and is therefore a target authorized to enter and exit the opening as a cargo transport vehicle 300.

[0039] Therefore, a target that first intrudes into the upper region 112a and then into the lower region 112b does not trigger the opening alarm. Similarly, a target that simultaneously intrudes into both the upper and lower regions 112a and 112b does not trigger the opening alarm. Preferably, to correctly assess situations where simultaneity is not ideal, the opening alarm is only triggered if the target condition present only in the lower region 112b is maintained for at least a predetermined threshold time (preferably less than one second).

[0040] Therefore, as expected, the front boundary regions of the upper region 112a and the lower region 112b can be equidistant from the opening 200. In this way, it is assumed that the freight vehicle 300 enters the upper region 112a and the lower region 112b substantially simultaneously. Alternatively, the distance of the front boundary region of the upper region 112a from the opening 200 can be greater than the distance of the front boundary region of the lower region 112b from the opening. In this way, it is assumed that the freight vehicle 300 enters the upper region 112a first, and then enters the lower region 112b.

[0041] Preferably, in embodiments where the radar system 110 is located at floor level, such as in Figure 2 and Figure 3In this embodiment, the front boundary regions of the upper region 112a and the lower region 112b are not equidistant from the opening 200. In practice, a target simultaneously intruding into both regions 112a and 112b can project a signal shadow onto the upper region 112a, thus being unexpectedly detected only in the lower region 112b, triggering an unnecessary opening alarm. This situation is avoided by setting the distance between the front boundary region of the upper region 112a and the opening 200 to be greater than the distance between the front boundary region of the lower region 112b and the opening, thus achieving a sufficient distance difference.

[0042] Conversely, if the radar system 110 is located on the top part of the opening 200, the distance between the front boundary region of the upper region 112a and the opening 200 can be set to be greater than or equal to the distance between the front boundary region of the lower region 112b and the opening.

[0043] Obviously, those skilled in the art will be able to make many equivalent modifications to the above variations without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an opening (200) for a freight vehicle (300), the method comprising: - A radar system (110) is arranged at an opening (200) for cargo loading / unloading station (210) to be accessed by freight vehicles (300). - The radar system (110) monitors two detection zones (112a, 112b) in the area in front of or within the opening (200), the two detection zones being: an upper zone (112a) at a height such that a human target standing on the floor cannot intrude into the upper zone; and a lower zone (112b) comprising at least one main portion located below the upper zone (112a). - When a target is detected only in the lower region (112b), an opening alarm is generated, indicating that the target is not authorized to enter or exit the opening (200). - When a target is detected in the upper region (112a), the generation of the opening alarm is suppressed so that the opening alarm is not generated even when a target is detected in the lower region (112b).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lower region (112b) is separate from the upper region (112a), and the lower region extends between the upper region (112a) and the floor.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the upper zone (112a) is such that freight vehicles (300), specifically trucks, truck trailers and / or forklifts, intrude into the upper zone, the height preferably being at least 2.5 m above the height of the upper zone.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the two detection regions (112a, 112b) have corresponding front boundary regions away from the opening (200) and located in front of the opening (200), wherein the distance of the front boundary region of the lower region (112b) from the opening (200) in the direction of the entrance of the opening (200) is less than or equal to the distance of the front boundary region of the upper region (112a) from the opening (200) in the direction of the entrance.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the radar system (110) is located on the top portion of the opening (200), and the distance of the front boundary region of the lower region (112b) from the opening (200) in the entrance direction is substantially equal to the distance of the front boundary region of the upper region (112a) from the opening (200) in the entrance direction.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the radar system (110) is substantially at floor level, and the distance of the front boundary region of the lower region (112b) from the opening (200) in the entrance direction is less than the distance of the front boundary region of the upper region (112a) from the opening (200) in the entrance direction.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the radar system (110) is a stereo radar system (110), and the two detection zones (112a, 112b) are in the form of parallelepipeds.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the radar system (110) comprises a single radar device configured to simultaneously monitor the two detection zones (112a, 112b).

9. A system (100) for monitoring an opening (200) for loading / unloading (210) of cargo, the system comprising: - Radar system (110), which is adapted to be arranged at an opening (200) for cargo loading / unloading station (210) to be accessed by freight vehicles (300). The radar system (110) is configured to monitor two detection zones (112a, 112b) in the area in front of or within the opening (200), the two detection zones being: an upper zone (112a) at a height such that a human target standing on the floor cannot intrude into the upper zone; and a lower zone (112b) comprising at least one main portion located below the upper zone (112a). The radar system (110) is configured to generate a status signal in its output, the status signal indicating whether a target is present or absent in each of the two detection zones (112a, 112b). - A processing system that communicates with the radar system (110) to receive the status signal, the processing system being configured to: - When a target is detected only in the lower region (112b), an opening alarm is generated, indicating that the target is not authorized to enter or exit the opening (200), and - When a target is detected in the upper region (112a), the generation of the opening alarm is suppressed so that the opening alarm is not generated even when a target is detected in the lower region (112b).

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