Vehicular Cargo Management Using Real-Time Spatial Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cargo vehicles face challenges in optimizing the use of their cargo space, leading to inefficient transportation and difficulty in locating specific parcels during unloading, due to inadequate space utilization and lack of real-time volume measurement.
Innovation Solution
A system using multiple cameras to create real-time 2D, 2.5D, or 3D spatial models of the cargo space, stitching images into a Dense Point Cloud, and estimating volume changes with loaded parcels, allowing for efficient space management and parcel location identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manual cargo space management is used, then device complexity is low, but cargo space utilization efficiency is poor and unloading time is excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cargo space measurement and tracking with an automated optical measurement system using cameras and image processing algorithms. The system captures images of the cargo space, processes them through software to generate spatial models, and automatically calculates parcel volumes and positions, eliminating the need for manual measurement and significantly improving cargo space utilization efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies (spatial models) of the physical cargo space and its contents. By generating 2D, 2.5D, or 3D spatial models from camera images, the system maintains a virtual representation that can be analyzed without physically manipulating the cargo, enabling efficient space management and tracking.
2Measurement precision
If real-time spatial modeling with multiple cameras is implemented, then cargo space utilization and parcel location accuracy improve, but device complexity and initial setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional camera system where the same camera setup serves multiple purposes: capturing cargo space geometry, tracking parcel positions, calculating volumes, and generating spatial models. This universal system replaces what would otherwise require separate devices for each measurement task, justifying the initial complexity through consolidated functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D camera images to 3D spatial understanding by generating spatial models that represent the cargo space in three dimensions. This dimensional transformation enables accurate parcel location and volume calculation, providing precise measurement data that justifies the use of multiple cameras and complex image processing.
3Loss of time
If continuous real-time monitoring is implemented, then unloading time is reduced through accurate parcel location, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic or event-triggered image capture rather than truly continuous monitoring. The system captures images at relevant moments (when cargo is loaded or when unloading is initiated) and processes these discrete sets of images to update spatial models and locate parcels, reducing energy consumption while maintaining the ability to quickly identify parcel positions when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of determining volume of a cargo space of a vehicle in real-time includes generating an initial spatial model of the cargo space using images from a plurality of cameras including cameras for capturing at least one of depth and color, positioned in and around the cargo space, where the images are stitched together into a dense point cloud in real-time, generating an updated spatial model of the cargo space using the images, upon detection of items being loaded or unloaded into the cargo space, where the updated spatial model includes changes to the cargo space, estimating a volume of loaded items in the updated spatial model, and determining a remaining volume of the cargo space based on the estimated volume of the loaded items and a total volume of the cargo space, where the total volume is calculated based on the initial spatial model.