Loading Vehicle Access Corridor for Safe Cargo Space Entry
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for loading and unloading trucks or semi-trailers using autonomous vehicles lack effective safety measures to prevent accidents, as conventional sensor technologies struggle to distinguish between people and cargo, especially in densely packed conditions, leading to unreliable protective field monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A dual-sensor system comprising stationary and mobile sensors that create a controlled access corridor, ensuring no person can enter the loading space unnoticed, with the stationary sensor initially allowing the vehicle to enter and exit while the mobile sensor monitors the path for collisions, using anthropometric dimensions to define safe zones and communication between sensors for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional protective field monitoring is used in a semi-trailer, then the vehicle can detect objects in its path, but it cannot reliably distinguish between people and cargo in densely packed conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The protective field is divided into multiple zones with different safety thresholds. Zone 1 (front) has stricter monitoring than zones further back, allowing the system to treat different spatial regions differently. This segmentation enables reliable detection while avoiding false positives from cargo in less critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
Different evaluation criteria are applied to different regions of the protective field. The front zone uses more stringent object classification rules compared to rear zones, matching the varying risk levels across the vehicle's path. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying precision only where most needed.
2Reliability
If the entire loading area is closed off to people for safety, then accidents are prevented, but infrastructure costs increase and operational flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The safety function is extracted from the stationary infrastructure and transferred to the mobile vehicle system. Instead of requiring fixed barriers or closed areas, the vehicle itself carries and executes the protective field monitoring, eliminating the need for complex stationary safety installations while maintaining high safety standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading vehicle performs its own safety monitoring function through onboard sensors and processing. The vehicle independently evaluates its protective field and takes protective actions without requiring external safety infrastructure or manual intervention, achieving both safety and operational flexibility.
3Extent of automation
If manual monitoring by a forklift driver is used, then safety awareness can be maintained, but automation cannot be fully implemented
Solution Approach 1:
The manual visual monitoring performed by the driver is replaced with automated sensor-based protective field monitoring. Optical sensors, LIDAR, or other detection systems continuously scan the vehicle's path and automatically detect objects, providing more consistent and reliable monitoring than human vision while enabling full automation of loading operations.
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 safe and automated loading/unloading operations without the need to close entire areas to people, reducing infrastructure costs and maintaining flexibility, ensuring accidents are prevented by ensuring only the vehicle can access the loading space.
Implementation Method 1
Non-contact sensor principles are used for this purpose. Sensors used in accident prevention or safety technology must be particularly reliable
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A method for loading and/or unloading a cargo space (32) is described, using a loading vehicle (16) that enters the cargo space (32) at least once to deposit and/or retrieve at least one cargo item. An access area (12) of the cargo space (32) is protected by at least one first sensor (18a-b), and the loading vehicle (16) is protected by at least one second sensor (20). Upon entering the cargo space (32), the loading vehicle (16) first moves into a position so close to the protected access area (12) that no person (34) can fit between the loading vehicle (16) and the protected access area (12). The protection of the access area (12) is then adjusted by the first sensor (18a-b) to create a passage corridor (40) for the loading vehicle (16).