Truck Position Confirmation for Automated Container Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
In container handling areas, there is a need to efficiently manage the interaction between trucks and automated container handling vehicles, ensuring safe and efficient task execution without human intervention.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that facilitate communication between trucks and container handling vehicles through an operating management software, enabling coordinated task execution by receiving and providing indications about truck arrival, vehicle positioning, and task readiness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automated container handling vehicles are used to reduce personnel needs, then safety is improved and productivity increases, but coordination complexity with manually-driven trucks worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a terminal operating system as an intermediary that mediates communication between manually-driven trucks and automated container handling vehicles. The system receives indications from trucks about their arrival and readiness status, then provides coordinated task assignments to automated vehicles, eliminating the need for direct complex interactions between different types of vehicles and personnel.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where trucks provide status indications (arrival at target location, readiness for task execution) to the terminal operating system. The system uses these feedback signals to coordinate automated vehicle operations, ensuring that tasks are assigned only when appropriate conditions are met, thereby managing coordination complexity systematically.
2Reliability
If multiple indications and confirmations are required for task execution, then safety and coordination are improved, but communication overhead and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system requires trucks to provide advance indications of their arrival at target locations and their readiness status before automated vehicles are assigned tasks. This preliminary action allows the terminal operating system to plan and coordinate operations in advance, reducing last-minute coordination delays while maintaining safety through proper sequencing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprising receiving a first indication from a truck indicating that the truck has arrived at a target location, providing a second indication to a container handling vehicle indicating that the container handling vehicle may start executing a task, receiving a third indication from the container handling vehicle indicating that the container handling vehicle is at the target position, receiving a fourth indication indicating that the truck is ready for the truck related part of the task execution, and providing a fifth indication to the container handling vehicle indicating that the container handling vehicle can execute the truck related part of the task execution.