Cargo Container Status Detection via Floor Boundary Analysis

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for sensing the interior volume of cargo containers struggle to reliably and cost-effectively distinguish between empty and non-empty containers, while also requiring low power consumption due to limited electrical power.

Innovation Solution

A vision-based method using a monocular vision system that warps wide-angle images to remove distortion, processes edges to identify container floor boundaries, and determines cargo status by detecting package boundaries within the floor space, employing a digital signal processor and active light sources to transmit the status to a remote location.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If sophisticated processing techniques such as neural networks are used to glean detailed cargo information, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecargo detection accuracyVSAvoidprocessing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential information needed for cargo detection - specifically boundary detection and floor space analysis - rather than using complex neural networks to process all possible image features. This selective extraction of critical information maintains detection accuracy while significantly reducing computational complexity and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using complex processing to detect cargo directly, the patent inverts the approach by detecting the absence of cargo through boundary analysis. By analyzing whether floor boundaries are visible and whether package boundaries occupy the floor space, the system determines cargo status with simple processing rather than sophisticated algorithms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Measurement precision

If sophisticated processing techniques such as neural networks are used to glean detailed cargo information, then measurement precision is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecargo detection accuracyVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential information needed for cargo detection - specifically boundary detection and floor space analysis - rather than using complex neural networks to process all possible image features. This selective extraction of critical information maintains detection accuracy while significantly reducing computational complexity and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using complex processing to detect cargo directly, the patent inverts the approach by detecting the absence of cargo through boundary analysis. By analyzing whether floor boundaries are visible and whether package boundaries occupy the floor space, the system determines cargo status with simple processing rather than sophisticated algorithms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Area of stationary object

If wide-angle images are used to capture the entire container interior, then area of detection is improved, but image distortion increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontainer interior coverageVSAvoidimage geometric accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the distorted wide-angle image from a curved perspective into a corrected rectangular representation by detecting the floor boundaries and warping the image accordingly. This dimensional transformation maintains the wide field-of-view coverage while correcting geometric distortion, allowing accurate boundary and package detection across the entire container interior.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This method efficiently and reliably determines the empty or non-empty status of cargo containers with minimal power consumption, ensuring accurate differentiation and cost-effectiveness.

Implementation Method 1

a monocular vision system that warps wide-angle images

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight reflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS7940955B2Vision-based method of determining cargo status by boundary detection

Publication Date: 2011.05.10 APTIV TECHNOLOGIES AG

AI summary

The empty vs. non-empty status of a cargo container is detected based on boundary analysis of a wide-angle image obtained by a monocular vision system. The wide-angle image is warped to remove distortion created by the vision system optics, and the resulting image is edge-processed to identify the boundaries of the container floor. If package boundaries are detected within the floor space, or a large foreground package is blocking the floor boundaries, the cargo status is set to non-empty. If floor boundaries are detected and no package boundaries are detected within the floor space, the cargo status is set to empty.