Container Tracking via Motion Activity Pattern Matching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current tracking systems for containers do not effectively monitor and record the unloading and loading activities of containers from and onto carrying platforms of trucks, lacking the ability to track these activities hour by hour and compare them to standard patterns.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that record the spatial angular motions of containers during unloading and loading, producing motion activity time course pattern curves which are compared to standard curves to determine the fitness and location of the container's activities, using a digital data processor, GPS, tilt sensor, and GSM network to transmit data for tracking purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional tracking systems are used to monitor container locations, then basic location tracking is achieved, but detailed monitoring of unloading and loading activities is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/geofence-based tracking with motion sensor-based detection. Motion sensors mounted on containers detect angular movements and generate motion activity patterns that automatically identify loading/unloading events, eliminating the need for complex manual monitoring systems while providing detailed activity information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces motion activity patterns as an intermediary between the container and the tracking system. These patterns serve as a mediator that translates physical container movements during loading/unloading into detectable signals, enabling indirect but accurate monitoring of cargo activities without direct observation.
2Measurement precision
If motion sensors are added to track container activities, then detailed loading and unloading monitoring is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motion sensors serve multiple functions: detecting container tilting, generating motion activity patterns, identifying loading/unloading events, and providing timestamped location data. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized devices while maintaining high measurement precision for activity detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the container's own motion characteristics during loading/unloading as the detection mechanism. The container's natural tilting and movement generate the motion activity patterns needed for detection, eliminating the need for external active sensing systems and reducing overall device complexity.
3Loss of time
If standard tracking methods are used, then basic location data is obtained, but hour-by-hour activity tracking is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The motion sensors continuously record container motion and generate motion activity patterns in real-time, providing uninterrupted hour-by-hour tracking of loading and unloading activities. This continuous monitoring enables precise time-stamped records of when activities occur, improving time tracking resolution without sacrificing monitoring efficiency.
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
Enables accurate tracking of container unloading and loading activities, determining if, where, and when unloading and loading occurred, improving the monitoring of container fleets by comparing recorded patterns to standard patterns, thus enhancing operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
recording motion-activity patterns versus time for each specific container... by comparing the recorded activity-patterns to predetermined unloading and loading standard motion-activity patterns
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a method and a device for tracking the unloading and loading of containers from and onto carrying platforms of tracks, using unloading and loading motion activity time course patterns characteristic of a specific container in combination with a specific carrying platform of a truck. In the invention the device is connected to a specific container and records the tilting angle of the container in the time course of unloading and/or loading from and onto a specific platform of the truck. A digital data processor produces from the data a motion activity time course pattern curve which is compared and matched for fitness to a predetermined standard motion activity time course pattern curve for the specific container and specific carrying platform of a truck and sends the degree of fitness to a data receiving terminal system. If the fitness of the two curves is found to be in close fitness, together with GPS data from the device, it is possible to determine if, where and when unloading and loading of the specific container took place.