Autonomous Cargo Handling System with Sensing Agents
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional aircraft cargo handling systems require significant human intervention for safe and efficient movement of cargo, which can be labor-intensive and prone to errors, especially in complex environments like aircraft cargo compartments.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous cargo handling system equipped with sensing agents that use a combination of sensors (such as cameras, LiDAR, and weight sensors) and a system controller to monitor and control the movement of unit load devices (ULDs) and non-ULD objects, enabling location-based control and collision detection, thereby reducing the need for manual operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If human operators manually control cargo handling, then safety can be ensured through visual tracking and manual control, but labor intensity increases and human error may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service operation through autonomous sensing agents that automatically detect, track, and control cargo movement without human intervention. The sensing agents independently perform monitoring and control functions, eliminating the need for human operators to manually track and control each cargo item while maintaining safety through automated collision detection and response mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated sensing and control system. Sensors, processors, and actuators form an electronic control loop that substitutes human operators' visual tracking and manual control actions, thereby reducing labor intensity while maintaining or improving safety through more precise and consistent automated monitoring.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and sensing agents are deployed for autonomous monitoring, then collision detection and real-time data accuracy improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the cargo handling environment into multiple sensing zones, each monitored by dedicated sensing agents. This segmentation allows distributed monitoring with multiple sensors focused on specific areas, improving overall measurement precision without requiring a single complex centralized system. Each sensing agent independently processes data from its zone, reducing the complexity burden on any single component.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing agents are designed as multi-functional units that perform multiple tasks: detecting cargo position, monitoring for collisions, tracking movement, and providing real-time data to the control system. This universality reduces overall system complexity by using standardized multi-purpose components rather than separate specialized devices for each function.
Data Source
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AI summary
An autonomous cargo handling system is provided. The autonomous cargo handling system may comprise one or more sensing agents (110) in electronic communication with each other. One or more of the sensing agents (110) may be configured to monitor a sensing zone (118) in a cargo deck (12) to detect objects traveling through the sensing zone (118). In response to detecting an object, one or more sensing agents (110) may determine an object property based on the detected object. One or more sensing agents (110) may generate an object model based on the determined object properties. The sensing agents may also determine whether the detected object is a unit load device (ULD) or a non-ULD object based on the object property and/or the object model.