Ceiling-Mounted Image Sensors for Warehouse Container Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tracking systems for commodities and containers in warehouses are inefficient due to device incompatibilities, obstruction issues, and the lack of standardization, leading to difficulties in accurately tracking and identifying the source of goods, especially in scenarios like commodity recalls where precise tracking is crucial.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing image sensors, image recognition software, and machine-readable optical markers to track the movement and position of containers within a defined space, using a virtual model to record and update the location of objects, allowing for precise identification and retrieval based on stored records.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional tracking systems use markers and reading devices, then tracking capability is provided, but the reading devices are blocked by other objects (e.g., stacked containers) making them inaccessible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-level markers to ceiling-mounted markers, changing the spatial dimension of the tracking system. This elevation to the ceiling plane eliminates blockage by stacked containers and allows unobstructed viewing angles for cameras, solving the accessibility problem while maintaining tracking reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ceiling-mounted cameras as intermediary detection devices that indirectly track containers by detecting ceiling markers and calculating container positions through geometric relationships, rather than directly reading markers on containers
2Measurement precision
If individual containers are marked and tracked, then precise tracking is achieved, but it is highly labor intensive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic tracking where containers are identified through their unique IDs read by ceiling-mounted cameras detecting ceiling markers, eliminating the need for manual scanning or intervention. The system self-updates the database with container locations and maintains provenance records automatically
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-assigns unique ceiling markers to specific storage locations and pre-registers container-provenance relationships in the database before containers arrive, enabling rapid automatic identification and tracking without labor-intensive manual processes
3Productivity
If commodity goods are sorted and grouped by characteristics, then sorting efficiency is improved, but containers lose their provenance making source identification difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous automatic feedback tracking where the system monitors container movements, automatically updates the database with current locations and provenance information, and maintains real-time records of container origins even after sorting and regrouping operations
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks container locations, maintains provenance records, supports recall operations, and provides source identification all through a single integrated system that works across sorting, storage, and retrieval operations
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides systems and methods for tracking items (e.g., commodities, goods, containers, boxes, packages, etc.) through transportations to multiple locations within a pre-defined space, to allow the position(s) and movement(s) of such items to be accurately tracked and documented, and to allow such items to be quickly identified and located based on tracking records kept within the tracking system. The system may utilize image sensors, image recognition and processes software, position translation software, and a virtual model of the pre-defined space in order to track objects within the defined space and maintain a record of the movement(s) and position(s) of the object within the pre-defined space.