Smart Locker Electromagnetic Detection for Thin Package Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current smart lockers fail to accurately detect thin packages and envelopes due to sensors not being able to differentiate their presence, leading to errors such as 'Empty Locker' and 'Ghost Delivery', where packages go undetected or incorrectly marked, causing confusion and support issues.
Innovation Solution
A vertical locker design with an array of emitters and receivers configured to detect electromagnetic waves, ensuring that even thin packages block the wave propagation, allowing the controller to determine their presence accurately, and a system for managing different types of lockers and parcel sizes to prevent errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional sensors are used to detect packages in smart lockers, then thick packages can be detected, but thin packages and envelopes cannot be detected accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical/physical contact sensors with an electromagnetic sensing system comprising emitters and receivers. The emitters generate electromagnetic waves that pass through the locker space, and receivers detect changes in wave propagation caused by the presence of packages. This substitution allows detection of thin packages and envelopes that traditional sensors miss, while maintaining ability to detect thicker packages.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection parameter from physical contact or weight-based sensing to electromagnetic wave propagation characteristics. By monitoring how packages (regardless of thickness) affect electromagnetic wave transmission, the system achieves universal detection capability across different package types including thin envelopes and thick boxes.
2Reliability
If delivery person manual input is relied upon for thin package detection, then all package types can be recorded, but errors such as 'Empty Locker' and 'Ghost Delivery' increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic sensing system provides automatic feedback to the control unit about package presence in each locker compartment. This real-time feedback eliminates reliance on manual delivery person input, preventing both 'Empty Locker' errors (where system thinks locker is empty but contains thin packages) and 'Ghost Delivery' errors (where system records delivery but locker is actually empty). The feedback mechanism continuously monitors and updates delivery status automatically.
3Ease of operation
If horizontal locker design is used, then packages can be placed on the ground, but thin packages cannot be detected by sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The electromagnetic sensing system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it detects thin packages, thick packages, and validates delivery status automatically. The same emitter-receiver configuration works for all package types without requiring different detection mechanisms, maintaining ease of package placement while achieving universal detection capability.
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
The solution ensures accurate detection of all package types, reducing errors and enhancing the reliability of the locker system by preventing 'Empty Locker' and 'Ghost Delivery' issues, and improving user experience by ensuring correct notifications and data recording.
Implementation Method 1
an array of emitters, each emitter being configured for emitting a respective electromagnetic wave
Implementation Method 2
an array of receivers, each receiver being configured for detecting the electromagnetic waves from one or more of the emitters
Implementation Method 3
A parcel located in the locker blocks a propagation of at least some of the electromagnetic waves toward the emitters
Data Source
AI summary
A system of lockers includes at least two groups of lockers, a control unit, a user interface, a communication unit. Each group of lockers has lockers designated for a respective parcel type. The control unit communicates with the lockers and is configured to control an opening of each locker. The user interface is configured to receive from a delivery person input indicative an identification of the delivery person. The communication unit is configured to communicate the input from the user interface to a data center. The data center is configured to store a plurality of identifications of a plurality of delivery persons associated with one or more of the lockers, for comparing the input with the plurality of identifications, and for transmitting to the control unit a command to open one or more of the lockers associated with the identification input by the delivery person.