Cargo Visibility System with Vehicle Tracking and Redirection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current supply chain management systems lack visibility, particularly in military contexts, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs due to the inability to accurately track and redirect cargo during ad-hoc operations where infrastructure is limited and frequent re-deployment of military units occurs.
Innovation Solution
A cargo load and visibility system that includes a delivery vehicle tracking system with a contactless reader, processor, and transmitter to monitor cargo loading and unloading, and a remote cargo management system capable of re-tasking delivery vehicles based on state data such as fuel levels and position, allowing for real-time tracking and redirection of cargo.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional shipping operations are used without real-time tracking, then infrastructure requirements are reduced, but cargo visibility and tracking capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery vehicle serves multiple functions: it acts as both the transportation platform and the tracking system carrier. The reader unit, processor, and transmitter are integrated onto the delivery vehicle itself, allowing it to simultaneously deliver cargo and provide real-time tracking information without requiring separate dedicated tracking infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery vehicle performs self-tracking by carrying its own reader unit, processor, and transmitter. The system automatically identifies cargo, determines current location, calculates remaining range, and transmits state data without requiring external tracking infrastructure, enabling the vehicle to service its own tracking needs.
2Productivity
If real-time tracking and redirection capabilities are implemented, then cargo delivery efficiency to moving targets is improved, but system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables dynamic redirection of delivery vehicles based on real-time state data. The processor continuously calculates remaining range and compares it with distance to updated destinations, allowing the delivery route to be dynamically adjusted in response to changing military unit locations without requiring complex pre-planned logistics.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmitter continuously sends state data (current location, remaining range, cargo information) back to the cargo management system, which processes this feedback information and issues redirection commands when necessary. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables efficient redirection to moving targets while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated decision-making.
3Adaptability or versatility
If state data transmission is implemented, then intelligent redirection capability is improved, but energy consumption and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitter sends state data selectively rather than continuously at maximum frequency. The system transmits critical information (current location, remaining range, cargo status) at sufficient intervals for effective redirection decisions without unnecessary excessive transmission that would waste energy, balancing adaptability with energy conservation.
Data Source
AI summary
A cargo load and visibility system and method as well as an associated delivery vehicle tracking system are provided to permit cargo to be tracked, both as the cargo is loaded upon the delivery vehicle and throughout the delivery process, thereby increasing the visibility of the shipping operations including the last stage of the shipping operations in which the goods are delivered to their intended or ultimate destination. The cargo load and visibility system and method may be configured to permit redirection of the delivery vehicle while in route in instances in which the intended destination, such as a military unit, has changed position if such redirection can be performed in a manner that is safe for the delivery vehicle.