Optical Cargo Door Angle Sensing via Image Recognition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensors installed around cargo-compartment doors are susceptible to impact and deterioration, reducing their durability and stability, and limit design flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A sensing apparatus that captures images of the cargo-compartment door and calculates the opening angle using a recognition section to identify door-corresponding parts and a reference part, allowing for stable and durable sensing without the need for sensors around the door.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is installed around the cargo-compartment door to sense the opening angle, then the opening angle can be sensed, but the sensor is susceptible to impact and deterioration, reducing durability and stability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact sensor with an optical sensing system using a camera and image processing. The camera captures images of the door, and the control unit calculates the opening angle by analyzing the position of the door in the image, eliminating the need for physical sensors that would be subjected to impact and wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical field between the door and the sensing system. Instead of directly contacting the door, the camera captures light reflected from the door surface, and the control unit processes this optical information to determine the opening angle, thereby protecting the sensing system from direct exposure to harsh environmental conditions.
2Measurement precision
If a sensor is installed around the cargo-compartment door, then the opening angle can be sensed, but the design flexibility around the door is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact sensor with an optical sensing system using a camera and image processing. The camera captures images of the door, and the control unit calculates the opening angle by analyzing the position of the door in the image, eliminating the need for physical sensors that would be subjected to impact and wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera used for sensing the door opening angle can also be utilized for other functions such as monitoring the cargo compartment, detecting objects, or providing security surveillance. This multi-functional approach maintains design flexibility while achieving the opening angle sensing objective.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a sensing device and a loading rate estimation system that has a high durability, enables stable sensing of the opening angle of a load compartment door, and makes it possible to minimize a decrease in the freedom of design around the load compartment door. In the present invention, a sensing device has: a recognition unit for acquiring an image obtained by imaging a part of the load compartment door in an open state, and recognising a door-corresponding portion, which is a portion corresponding to the load compartment door in the image; and a calculation unit for calculating, as the opening angle of the load compartment door, the angle between the door-corresponding portion and a reference portion.