Intermodal Container Yard Imaging for Real-Time 3D Inventory
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual yard checks in intermodal container yards are time-consuming and prone to errors, lacking efficient systems for automatically determining shipping container identifications and locations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing inventory imaging systems on vehicles that capture and analyze images using machine learning to identify and update shipping container locations in real-time, providing a three-dimensional graphical representation of the yard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual yard checks are performed by workers visually observing and manually entering information, then the system can track shipping container locations, but the process becomes time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of workers visually observing and entering data with an automated imaging system that captures images, uses machine learning to identify containers, and automatically updates the inventory database. This substitution eliminates human error and significantly reduces the time required for yard checks while improving accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the imaging system to autonomously perform the entire yard check process without human intervention. The machine learning model automatically identifies containers, determines their locations, and updates the database, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for manual labor.
2Productivity
If workers manually traverse the rail yard to perform yard checks, then container inventory can be updated, but resource usage including fuel and personnel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical traversal of workers through the yard with an automated imaging system mounted on vehicles or fixed structures. This system uses electronic sensors and machine learning algorithms to identify and track containers, dramatically improving productivity while reducing energy consumption by eliminating the need for human workers to physically move through the facility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the physical yard inventory through imaging and machine learning analysis. Instead of physically traversing the yard to verify each container's location, the system captures images and generates a digital representation that is updated in real-time, improving efficiency while minimizing physical resource usage.
3Loss of information
If continuous monitoring of all shipping containers is implemented, then real-time inventory accuracy is improved, but network bandwidth and computer resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic monitoring where the imaging system captures images at specific intervals or when triggered by events such as vehicle movement or container relocation. This periodic action maintains real-time inventory accuracy by updating the database only when changes are detected, rather than continuously transmitting all data, thereby conserving network bandwidth and processing resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the essential information needed for inventory tracking from the captured images, such as container identification numbers and location data. By extracting only the relevant data points rather than transmitting entire images or all possible information, the system maintains accuracy while minimizing the use of network bandwidth and computer resources.
Data Source
AI summary
According to some embodiments, a method for visualizing inventory of an intermodal container yard includes accessing a unit inventory stored in an inventory database. The unit inventory includes information about a plurality of shipping containers physically located in the intermodal container yard. The method further includes providing one or more instructions to display, on an electronic display of a user computing system, a graphical user interface comprising a three-dimensional representation of the intermodal container yard. The method further includes updating, in real time, the three-dimensional representation of the intermodal container yard based on the information about the plurality of shipping containers in the unit inventory. The method further includes providing one or more instructions to display in the graphical user interface, in response to a user selection of a particular visual representation of a particular shipping container, metadata about the particular shipping container.