Camera-Based Storage Area Measurement for Loading Status
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to efficiently determine the loading status of storage areas, leading to increased turn-around time in transportation and commercial enterprises due to passengers and workers' difficulty in finding available storage space, resulting in delayed departures and inefficient loading processes.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system using cameras and processing modules to capture images or video of storage areas, determine unoccupied volume, and provide output data to indicate loading status, optimizing storage arrangements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual inspection is used to determine storage area loading status, then no additional equipment is needed, but it is difficult to accurately determine available space and increases turn-around time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with an automated camera-based measurement system. Cameras capture images of storage areas, and processing modules automatically calculate unoccupied volume by identifying storage area boundaries and object positions in the images. This substitution of mechanical/visual inspection with automated optical measurement systems resolves the contradiction by providing both high measurement precision and rapid results without manual intervention.
2Productivity
If automated camera systems are deployed to monitor storage areas, then loading status can be determined efficiently, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses camera systems to create optical copies (images) of the physical storage areas. Instead of complex physical sensors throughout the storage volume, the system captures 2D image representations and processes them to derive 3D spatial information. This copying approach enables automated monitoring and loading status determination while keeping the physical hardware relatively simple - primarily cameras and processing modules.
3Loss of time
If passengers and workers search for available storage areas without real-time information, then no communication infrastructure is needed, but loading time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where camera modules continuously monitor storage areas, calculate unoccupied volume, and provide real-time loading status information to users via display modules or mobile devices. This feedback loop enables passengers and workers to immediately identify available storage areas without searching, dramatically reducing storage search time. The information system complexity is managed through centralized processing modules that aggregate data from multiple cameras and generate user-friendly presentations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method for measuring the loading status of various storage areas are disclosed including a camera system configured to capture video or images of a storage area, one or more processing modules configured to receive image or video data from the one or more camera of the camera system, determining unoccupied volume of the storage area based on the received image or video data, use the determined unoccupied volume of the storage area to provide output data, and use the output data to provide an optimized storage arrangement for objects, wherein the optimized storage arrangement can be displayed. The system may include a mobile device or other device with a display configured to display the output data and/or indicia based on the optimized storage arrangement.