Methods and apparatus for monitoring and managing the operation of loading docks and equipment

Abstract

Monitor and manage the operation of loading docks and equipment. [Solution] A method and apparatus for monitoring and managing loading docks and equipment operations, the apparatus comprising a data analyzer that monitors first data indicating whether a truck trailer is present in a dock of material handling equipment, and second data different from the first data indicating conditions associated with a door in the dock, and further comprising a notification generator that generates notifications based on the first and second data.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the operation of material handling equipment, A database that stores video streams captured by cameras monitoring the area of ​​the material handling equipment, At least one processor circuit, Equipped with, The at least one processor circuit is, Analyze the video segments of the aforementioned video stream with respect to visually-based events. In response to the detection of the aforementioned visually-based event, update the event log. A device that executes machine-readable instructions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned visually-based event is a safety event.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the safety event is a collision between the first material handling device and a person or at least one of the second material handling devices.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the safety event is a near miss between the first material handling device and a person or at least one of the second material handling devices.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the near miss corresponds to the first material handling device entering within a threshold inch of a person or at least one of the second material handling devices without collision.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the safety event corresponds to the irregular behavior of the forklift.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned visually-based event corresponds to at least one of the loss of a pallet or the misplacement of a pallet.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits analyze the video segment to identify a person in the video segment.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the person is identified based on facial recognition.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits analyze the video segment in response to a trigger event detected by a sensor different from the camera.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one or more of the at least one processor circuits extract the video segment from the video stream in response to a determination that the trigger event is associated with a video capture event, and the video segment spans a time window before and after the time of the trigger event.

12. A computer-readable medium containing instructions, wherein the instructions are provided to at least one processor circuit, The video stream captured by cameras monitoring the area of ​​the material handling equipment is stored in a database. The video segments of the video stream are analyzed in relation to visually-based events. In response to the detection of the aforementioned visually-based event, the event log is updated. Computer-readable media.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the visually-based event is a safety event.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the safety event is a collision between the first material handling device and a person or at least one of the second material handling devices.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 14, wherein the safety event is a near miss between the first material handling device and a person or at least one of the second material handling devices.

16. The computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the instruction causes one or more of the at least one processor circuits to analyze the video segment to identify a person in the video segment.

17. A method for monitoring the operation of material handling equipment, The steps include storing a video stream captured by a camera monitoring the area of ​​the material handling equipment in a database, A step of analyzing the video segments of the video stream with respect to a visually-based event, The steps include updating the event log in response to the detection of the aforementioned visually-based event, A method that includes this.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the step of analyzing the video segment includes the step of identifying a person in the video segment.

19. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 18, comprising the step of initiating the step of analyzing the video segment in response to a trigger event detected by a sensor different from the camera.

20. The method according to claim 19, comprising the step of extracting the video segment from the video stream in response to a determination that the trigger event is associated with a video capture event, wherein the video segment spans a time window before and after the time of the trigger event.

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