Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US Gregory Keith Warf - Fairfield CA, US Larry Henry - Berkeley CA, US
Assignee:
ContainerTrac, Inc. - Emeryville CA
International Classification:
G01S 5/14 G01S 3/02
US Classification:
34235702, 34235714
Abstract:
A system and method is provided for tracking and maintaining a highly accurate inventory of shipping containers that are stored within container storage facilities. The invention includes using multiple complementary real-time and post-processing positioning techniques associated with various positioning sensors that are associated with inventory pieces or equipment. Examples of such positioning techniques are DGPS, GPS with RTK, DGPS loosely-coupled with INS, DGPS tightly-coupled with INS, and DGPS deeply-coupled with INS. Data correction and fusion techniques are applied to these positioning stages to re-compute a calibrated position with an improved accuracy. An additional trajectory can be iteratively determined using the fusing technique until the position data becomes statistically trustworthy. Further, combinations of multiple real-time positioning techniques combined with past position error correction algorithms provide a high accuracy needed for inventory tracking.
Automatic Past Error Corrections For Location And Inventory Tracking
A system is provided for tracking and maintaining an inventory of location of containers that are stored on cargo ships or in a container yard. The system includes one or more sensors, such as GPS and INS sensors for obtaining real-time position information, as well as a processor configured to automatically provide post processing to recover lost data and to correct erroneous data, such as when real-time position signals are blocked or distorted, the post processing performed by estimating trajectories and correcting the location errors. Post-processed positioning techniques are continuously applied to the stored position data to iteratively determine calibrated position locations to provide calibrated second trajectory segments in a real-time fashion. The calibrated second trajectories are then used to identify the errors in the past real-time position data as soon as a segment of the second calibrated trajectory becomes statistically trustworthy. Corrections can be automatically made in inventory locations stored in a database to correct position errors for the containers.
Method Of Automatic Positioning For Loading And Unloading Of Container Ships In Container Terminals
Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US Jihua Huang - Richmond CA, US Fanping Bu - Foster City CA, US Hongjun Song - Lafayette CA, US Gregory Keith Warf - Fairfield CA, US
Assignee:
Containertrac, Inc. - Richmond CA
International Classification:
B65G 63/00
US Classification:
701300, 701 50, 4141403
Abstract:
A method is provided for automatically locating a container in a stowage location of a container ship for loading and unloading of the container ship in container terminals. The method includes the following steps: obtaining the position information of the container ship from container ship positioning units, obtaining the position information of the container from container positioning units when the container is in its stowage location, and determining the stowage location of the container in the container ship by first computing a relative position of the container in the container ship based on both the position information of the container ship and the position information of the container and then correlating the relative position with a stowage plan of the container ship.
Automatic Error Detection For Inventory Tracking And Management Systems Used At A Shipping Container Yard
Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US Ke-Ren Chuang - Pleasanton CA, US Jihua Huang - Richmond CA, US Gregory Keith Warf - Fairfield CA, US
International Classification:
G06K 9/00
US Classification:
382100, 382103
Abstract:
A method automatically detects errors in a container inventory database associated with a container inventory tracking system of a container storage facility. A processor in the inventory tracking system performs a method that: obtains a first data record, identifies an event (e. g. , pickup, drop-off, or movement) associated with the first record, provides a list of error types based on the identified event, and determines whether a data error has occurred through a checking process. In each of the checking steps, the processor selects an error type from the list of error types, determines a search criterion based on the selected error type and the first data record, queries the database using the search criterion, compares query results with the first data record to detect data conflicts between them, and upon the detection of the data conflicts, reports that a data error of the selected error type has been detected.
Automatic Correction Of Past Position Errors For Location And Inventory Tracking
Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US Jihua Huang - Richmond CA, US
Assignee:
CONTAINERTRAC, INC. - Emeryville CA
International Classification:
G01C 21/00
US Classification:
701207
Abstract:
A method is provided for calibrating past position estimates from a positioning system that provides real-time position estimates of a mobile object. The method first stores the real-time position estimates, which as time goes by become past position estimates and naturally form a first past trajectory depicting the past movement of the mobile object. Subsequently, a calibrated past trajectory is determined, which includes calibrated past position estimates that correspond to the same time instances as the past positions in the first past trajectory. When real-time positions have low qualities, this method calibrates them at a later time by using (higher-quality) real-time positions both before and after them. Errors in the past positions are then corrected based on the calibrated past trajectory. When used with event detectors that indicate inventory transactions, this method can correct position errors associated with inventory events so as to improve the performance of inventory tracking.
System For Associating Inventory With Handling Equipment In Shipping Container Yard Inventory Transactions
Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US Jihua Huang - Richmond CA, US Ke-Ren Chuang - Pleasanton CA, US Fanping Bu - Foster City CA, US Gregory Keith Warf - Fairfield CA, US
Assignee:
CONTAINERTRAC, INC. - Emeryville CA
International Classification:
G05B 19/00 G06F 7/00 G06F 19/00 G06F 15/00
US Classification:
700214, 702 56, 702150
Abstract:
A system is provided to associate containers with handling equipment (HE) in a container storage facility. In the system an operation detector, such as a twistlock sensor that indicates when a container is picked up or dropped off, is installed on a first HE which is a piece of container handling equipment (CHE) that can lift the container. An event detector, such as a vibration sensor or distance measuring radar, is further installed on a second HE that is a tractor with an attached chassis for receiving and transporting a container. The event detector indicates when a container-operation-related event, such as a container pick up or drop off, occurred on the tractor chassis. The two detectors (operation and event) are used by a processor to associate the container with either the CHE or the tractor. The operation and event detectors can further be used in conjunction with position sensors such as a GPS sensor to accurately determine the position of the tractor and the CHE in a container yard. When the position sensors degrade in performance, an additional motion detector such as a speed sensor can be used to determine the tractor's distance from the CHE to locate an appropriate tractor involved in the operation.
Automatic Error Correction For Inventory Tracking And Management Systems Used At A Shipping Container Yard
Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US Ke-Ren Chuang - Pleasanton CA, US Jihua Huang - Richmond CA, US Gregory Keith Warf - Fairfield CA, US
Assignee:
CONTAINERTRAC, INC. - Emeryville CA
International Classification:
G06F 17/30
US Classification:
707692, 707769, 707E17014
Abstract:
A method automatically detects and corrects errors in a container inventory database associated with a container inventory tracking system of a container storage facility. A processor in the inventory tracking system performs a method to detect errors; this method of error detection obtains a first data record, identifies an event (e.g., pickup or drop-off of a container, or movement of handing equipment) associated with the first record, provides a list of error types based on the identified event, and determines whether a data error has occurred through a checking process. To correct the errors, this method further sets search criteria based on the error detection results, queries the inventory tracking database using the set criteria, determines error candidates based on the query results, evaluates the error candidates to identify a match or matches among the error candidates, and corrects the error(s) by modifying the error detection results together with the identified match or matches.
Real-Time Learning And Detection Of A Border In A Flight Path
- Livermore CA, US Han-Shue Tan - Concord CA, US SweKuang Tan - Castro Valley CA, US
International Classification:
G08G 5/00 G06F 15/18
Abstract:
A specification of an expected border of a bounded area is received. One or more images of at least a portion of the bounded area that is at least a threshold distance away from the expected border are received to generate a model of the bounded area. A current location position of the aerial vehicle is used to determine that the aerial vehicle is within the threshold distance away from the expected border. In response, an updated expected border is determined using the generated model of the bounded area and a border image of at least a portion of the expected border captured by an image sensor.