Container Item Tracking With Beacon-Guided VR Location View
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to efficiently identify and locate items within containers during transit, leading to confusion and inefficiencies in delivery due to manual searching and displacement of items.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing electronic circuits with GPS and beacon signals to determine the location of items within containers, enabling virtual reality visualization and guiding users through augmented or virtual paths to locate items, with the ability to distinguish displaced items by color and trigger alarms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual searching is used to identify items inside containers, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and time efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Items are equipped with electronic circuits that automatically determine their own locations using GPS and beacon signals, eliminating the need for manual searching. The items self-report their positions to the server, enabling automated tracking without requiring delivery personnel to manually search through containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical searching process is replaced with an electronic tracking system using GPS receivers, beacon signals, and server-based location visualization. This substitution transforms physical search operations into automated electronic location determination and display.
2Loss of time
If items are manually tracked, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Items are pre-equipped with electronic circuits, GPS receivers, and beacon signal capabilities before being placed in containers. This preliminary setup enables automatic location tracking from the start, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual searches during delivery operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously receives feedback about item locations through electronic circuits that transmit position data to the server. This real-time feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically update and display item positions, eliminating the time loss associated with manual searching and memory reliance.
3Reliability
If manual memory is used to track item positions, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The physical item is paired with an electronic circuit that creates a digital copy of its location information. This electronic copy continuously updates and transmits position data, providing reliable and accurate tracking that does not depend on human memory, which is prone to errors and displacement.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual memory-based tracking is replaced with electronic location determination using GPS and beacon signals. This substitution provides objective, accurate, and continuous location data that is not subject to human error, improving reliability while managing system complexity through automated electronic processes.
4Productivity
If automatic tracking is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic circuit integrated into each item serves multiple functions: determining location via GPS, receiving beacon signals, communicating with the server, and providing location feedback. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate devices, improving productivity while managing overall system complexity through integration.
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
Facilitates efficient and automated item tracking, reducing manual effort and time by providing precise location guidance and visual differentiation of displaced items, enhancing delivery accuracy and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the one or more items determines a location and transmits the location to a server
Implementation Method 2
The relative spatial location of the item is based on a distinct angle of arrival measured from a plurality of beacons associated with a container
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
Aspects of the invention are directed towards a system and a method for tracking an item inside a container. One or more embodiments of the invention describe the method comprising steps of transmitting a request from a user device to a server for providing a location of an item. The method further describes steps of receiving the location of the item from the server and visualizing the location of the item in a virtual reality view to guide a user for tracking the item.