Automated Cargo Relocation via Weight and Location Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shipping systems lack efficient methods for relocating and transporting pallets and receptacles, particularly in ensuring proper weight distribution and optimal storage location selection within cargo areas, especially during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A shipping motor vehicle system equipped with weight sensors, location sensors, and a computing device to determine and facilitate the relocation of pallets or receptacles to optimal storage locations within the cargo area, utilizing internal and external conveyor systems, including a lifting ramp for height adjustment, to ensure efficient weight distribution and route optimization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual loading and storage methods are used, then operational simplicity is maintained, but weight distribution control and storage optimization are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses weight sensors and location sensors to automatically detect and measure pallet characteristics and available storage spaces, eliminating the need for manual assessment and enabling autonomous decision-making for optimal weight distribution and storage placement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated computing device that processes sensor data and controls conveyor systems, substituting human labor and simple mechanical mechanisms with intelligent control systems that optimize weight distribution and storage efficiency
2Productivity
If traditional storage placement methods are used, then loading time is reduced, but optimal storage location selection and weight distribution are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of pallet weights and dimensions using weight sensors and location sensors before loading, and pre-calculates optimal storage locations and weight distribution arrangements using the computing device, enabling efficient loading without time-consuming adjustments during transit
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors weight distribution and storage location occupancy through sensors, providing feedback to the computing device that adjusts loading decisions in real-time, optimizing both loading speed and weight distribution balance simultaneously
3Manufacturing precision
If automated conveyor systems are implemented, then relocation precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into modular external and internal conveyor components that can be independently controlled and optimized, with the external conveyor handling initial loading and the internal conveyor managing precise positioning within the cargo area, reducing overall system complexity through functional segmentation
Data Source
AI summary
Methodologies, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for relocating pallets and receptacles. A shipping motor vehicle has a weight sensor within a cargo area that measures a weight of a pallet or a receptacle. A location sensor located within the cargo area identifies available storage locations within the cargo area, and a computing device equipped with a processor computes a destination location within the cargo area for the pallet or receptacle based, at least in part, on the weight of the pallet or receptacle measured by the weight sensor. An internal conveyor system located within the shipping motor vehicle receives the pallet or receptacle from an external conveyor system and automatically relocates the pallet or receptacle to the destination location within the cargo area.