![]() Methods and apparatus for determining dimensions of cargo using a laser curtain
专利摘要:
Methods and systems are provided for determining dimensions of a moving cargo moving along a path. An example of a system includes a plurality of laser line generators arranged to emit coplanar laser beams that form a laser curtain directed perpendicular to the floor and turned toward the path of the moving cargo. A camera is arranged to capture a series of two-dimensional images of the cargo as the cargo passes through the laser curtain. In addition, a positioning sensor is arranged to detect the position and orientation of the moving cargo as the cargo passes through the laser curtain. A computer in communication with the camera and the positioning sensor correlates each successive two-dimensional image with each corresponding position and orientation of the load to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the load. 公开号:BE1026203A9 申请号:E20195288 申请日:2019-04-30 公开日:2020-06-19 发明作者:Richard Mark Clayton;Patrick Martin Brown 申请人:Zebra Tech Corp; IPC主号:
专利说明:
Methods and apparatus for determining dimensions of cargo using a laser curtain Background In an industrial environment, freight is regularly placed in containers from warehouses or similar locations for transportation by land, rail and water and by air, etc. Coat receivers typically charge an amount depending on the size (ie the volume ) of the freight. Knowing the dimensions of the cargo is also helpful in determining the order in which the cargo should be loaded, and filling as much of the container as possible for efficient handling and distribution. Resume According to an aspect of the invention, a size determination system is provided for determining dimensions of a moving cargo moving along a path, the size determination system comprising: a laser curtain system comprising: a plurality of laser line generators, each adapted to emit coplanar laser beams which forming a laser curtain, the laser curtain being oriented perpendicular to the floor and pivoting towards the path of the moving cargo; a camera adapted to capture a series of two-dimensional images of the moving cargo as the moving cargo passes through the laser curtain; and a positioning sensor adapted to detect a position and orientation of the moving freight at times corresponding to each two-dimensional image; memory adapted to store computer executable instructions; and a processor BE2019 / 5288 which is arranged to cooperate with the laser curtain system and the memory, and which is arranged to execute the computer-executable instructions to induce the processor to: correlate each successive two-dimensional image of the moving freight with any position and orientation of the moving cargo to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and process the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight to determine dimensions of the moving freight. Furthermore, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, may prompt the processor to: determine a volume of the moving freight based on the dimensions of the moving cargo; calculate a shipping price for the moving freight based on the volume of the moving freight; and charge the moving freight shipping price to a customer associated with the moving freight. Computer-executable instructions may also, when executed, prompt the processor to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and comparing the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; identify one or more deviations in the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo from the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, on the basis of the identified deviations, that the moving freight is damaged. Alternatively and / or in addition, computer-executable instructions, when executed, may prompt the processor to: In a report related to the moving cargo, generate an indication that the moving cargo is damaged. BE2019 / 5288 Furthermore, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, may prompt the processor to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, based on the comparison, that the moving cargo has a larger volume than expected; and, based on the determination that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected, to generate an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been charged too low an amount for shipping the freight. Computer-executable instructions may also, when executed, prompt the processor to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, based on the comparison, that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected; and, based on the determination that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected, to generate an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been overcharged for shipping the freight. For example, the laser curtain can be rotated at an angle of 45 degrees to the direction of the moving freight path. Alternatively and / or additionally, the laser curtain can be rotated at an angle in the range of 30 to 60 degrees from the direction of the moving freight path. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for determining dimensions of moving freight moving along a path, the method comprising: obtaining a series of two-dimensional images of a moving freight while the moving cargo passes through a laser curtain that is perpendicular to the floor and BE2019 / 5288 is rotated toward the moving freight path, the laser curtain comprising coplanar laser beams emitted from a plurality of laser line generators; determining a position and orientation of the moving cargo at times corresponding to each two-dimensional image; correlating each successive two-dimensional image of the moving cargo with each position and orientation of the moving cargo by a processor to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and processing the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight by the processor to determine dimensions of the moving freight. The method may further include: determining by the processor a volume of the moving freight based on the dimensions of the moving freight; calculating a shipping price for the moving freight by the processor based on the volume of the moving freight; and charging the processor the moving freight shipping price to a customer associated with the moving freight. Alternatively and / or additionally, the method may further include: comparing by the processor the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; identifying by the processor one or more deviations in the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo from the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determining by the processor that the moving cargo is damaged based on the identified anomalies. The method may further include: generating by the processor an indication that the moving freight has been damaged in a report related to the moving freight. BE2019 / 5288 The method may also further include: comparing the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo by the processor; and determining by the processor that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected based on the comparison; and generating by the processor an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been charged too low an amount for shipping the freight, based on determining that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected . The method may further include: comparing by the processor the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo to an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determining by the processor that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected based on the comparison; and generating an indication by the processor that a customer associated with the moving freight has been overcharged for shipping the freight, based on determining that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected . In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a tangible machine-readable medium is provided with stored machine-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a processor, prompt a system to at least: a series of two-dimensional images of a moving capture cargo as the moving cargo passes through a laser curtain that is perpendicular to the floor and rotated toward the moving cargo path, the laser curtain comprising coplanar laser beams emitted by a plurality of laser line generators; detect a position and orientation of the moving cargo at times corresponding to each two-dimensional image; each successive two-dimensional image of the moving one BE2019 / 5288 to correlate cargo with any position and orientation of the moving cargo to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and process the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight to determine dimensions of the moving freight. Furthermore, when executed, the instructions may prompt the system to: determine a volume of moving freight based on the dimensions of the moving freight; calculate a shipping price for the moving freight based on the volume of the moving freight; and charge the moving freight shipping price to a customer associated with the moving freight. Alternatively and / or in addition, the instructions, when executed, may prompt the system to: Compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; identify one or more deviations in the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo from the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, on the basis of the identified deviations, that the moving freight is damaged. Furthermore, when executed, the instructions may prompt the system to: Compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, based on the comparison, that the moving cargo has a larger volume than expected; and, based on determining that the moving freight has a greater volume than expected, to generate an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been charged too low an amount for shipping the freight. BE2019 / 5288 Brief description of the various views of the drawings The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements in the individual views, together with the detailed description below, are included in the description and form part thereof and serve to further illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and to illustrate various explain the principles and advantages of those embodiments. Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a moving cargo passing through a diagonal laser curtain. Fig. 2 illustrates example successive slices through a moving freight as it passes through a diagonal laser curtain. Fig. 3A illustrates examples of sequential two-dimensional images of a moving cargo passing through a diagonal laser curtain. Fig. 3B illustrates an example of a three-dimensional moving cargo shape obtained by correlating successive two-dimensional images of the moving cargo. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a size determination system for determining dimensions of a moving freight moving along a path. Fig. 4A-4D are block diagrams of several examples of sizing systems for sizing a moving freight moving along a path. Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for determining the size of a moving cargo moving along a path. BE2019 / 5288 Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method of charging a moving freight shipping fee to a customer related to the moving freight. Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for determining that a moving cargo is damaged. Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for determining that a customer associated with a moving cargo has been charged too low or too high an amount for shipping the cargo. The apparatus and method components are represented in the drawings as appropriate by conventional symbols, showing only those specific details that are relevant to understanding the teachings of this revelation so as not to obscure the revelation with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art which have the advantage of the description contained herein. Detailed description One well-known method of determining dimensions of cargo in this type of situation is by means of a laser curtain system, in which two-dimensional images of “slices” of the cargo are captured as the cargo passes through a plane formed by a series of parallel lasers emanate from a ceiling or otherwise from above the freight, and which are oriented perpendicular to the path of the freight. The two-dimensional images are then combined to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the load. However, when using this known method, the front face of a load passing through the laser curtain cannot be measured, because the front face, while the load passes through the laser curtain, is parallel to the plane of the laser curtain. That is, a two-dimensional image "slice" of the front face will indicate the edges of the front face but will BE2019 / 5288 do not contain information about the front face itself. Moreover, the two-dimensional image slice, when using this method, will not contain information about the sides of the cargo. Consequently, when using this method, deviations from the front face and sides of the cargo (such as damage) cannot be detected. The current application provides systems and methods for determining dimensions of a moving cargo moving along a path using a diagonal laser curtain. An example of a sizing system disclosed herein includes a laser curtain system comprising a plurality of laser line generators arranged to emit coplanar laser beams that form a laser curtain directed perpendicular to the floor and toward the path of the moving cargo is rotated. The laser curtain system also includes a camera that is arranged to capture a series of two-dimensional images related to the moving cargo as the moving cargo passes through the laser curtain. The size determination system further includes a positioning sensor that operates to detect the position and / or orientation of the moving freight while capturing each of the two-dimensional images, as well as a computer that communicates with the laser curtain system and the positioning sensor. The computer operates to correlate each successive two-dimensional image of the moving cargo with a corresponding position and / or orientation of the moving cargo to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo, and to compose the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. process to determine dimensions of the moving freight. Because the diagonal laser curtain is oriented perpendicular to the floor and turned towards the path of the moving cargo, advantageously, no face of a cubic moving BE2019 / 5288 loads are parallel to the laser curtain using the systems and methods disclosed herein. The two-dimensional images captured by the camera therefore collectively contain data related to all planes of the cubic moving freight. Accordingly, dimensions of the freight developed using the diagonal laser curtain can be obtained with greater precision when the two-dimensional images are correlated to create a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight. Furthermore, freight dimensions can be compared to expected freight dimensions to assess damage to the freight or to determine whether a customer has been charged a correct amount for the actual volume of the freight. Fig. 1 illustrates an example of a moving cargo passing through a diagonal laser curtain. In particular, FIG. 1 is an example of a size determination system 100 for determining dimensions of a moving cargo 102 moving along a path 104. In some cases, the cargo 102 is conveyed along the path 104 by a conveyor belt or similar mechanical means. In other cases, industrial vehicles, such as forklift trucks, lift and move cargo 102 along path 104. Furthermore, in some cases path 104 is contained or otherwise known (eg, a conveyor belt moves cargo 102 along a fixed path), while in other cases path 104 is unlimited or unknown (eg a forklift driver moves cargo 102 along a path 104 selected by the forklift operator). The example of the size determination system 100 of FIG. 1 includes a laser curtain system 100, which includes one or more laser line generators 106. The laser line generators 106 emit a plurality of coplanar laser beams that fan out to form a laser curtain 108 that is perpendicular to the floor and to the BE2019 / 5288 direction of movement of the load 102 is rotated (i.e. a diagonal laser curtain). That is, the laser curtain 108 is a plane of laser light through which the cargo 102 passes along the path 104. In some embodiments, the angle of the laser curtain 108 relative to the moving direction of the moving cargo 102 is an angle of 45 degrees, or an angle between 30 and 60 degrees. The angle of the laser curtain 108 relative to the path 104 may, of course, be any suitable angle in various embodiments. The laser curtain system further includes one or more cameras 110 arranged to capture a series of two-dimensional images of the moving cargo 102 as the moving cargo 102 passes through the laser curtain 108. For example, the cameras 110 are positioned at the same height as the laser line generators 106, the observation axes of each camera 110 being oriented toward the plane of the laser curtain 108. As shown in Fig. 1, for example, the laser curtain 108 is in one diagonal plane and the cameras 110 are positioned at each end of the opposite diagonal. As the cargo 102 moves through the laser curtain, the cameras 110 capture a series of images representing the laser light enclosing the cargo 102 at a series of times. Consequently, the laser light captured in each image traces the edges of the portion of the load 102 passing through the laser curtain 108 at the time each image is captured, with each consecutive image representing a consecutive slice of the cargo 102. In one example, the cameras are 110 monochrome cameras with a light filter that filters out all light that does not correspond to the wavelength (color) of the laser emitted by the laser line generators 106. Consequently, the only light captured by the cameras 100 is the laser that tracks the edges of each slice of the freight 102. Generally, the cameras 110 capture images of the moving cargo 102 at periodic intervals or otherwise known BE2019 / 5288 times. For example, the cameras 110 capture one hundred images per second, two hundred images per second, etc. In some cases, the frequency of image capture from the cameras 110 is related to the speed of the moving cargo 102. For example, the cameras 110 may capture images at a frequency sufficient to capture one image for every inch of the moving cargo 102. In other words, the cameras 110 capture images at a higher frequency when the moving cargo 102 passes through the diagonal laser curtain 108 at a higher speed, but at a lower frequency when the moving cargo 102 passes through the diagonal laser curtain 108 at a lower speed. , in some embodiments. In the illustrated example, a time stamp is recorded each time an image is captured by the cameras 110. The size determination system 100 additionally includes a positioning sensor 112, e.g. (such as, for example, a camera, motion detector, or other suitable image detector), which is positioned above the path 104 of the moving cargo 102 and is directed towards the path 104 of the moving cargo 102, and is arranged to position, orientation and / or detect speed of moving cargo 102 as it passes through laser curtain 108. The positioning sensor 112 records data indicative of an actual position of the moving cargo 102 corresponding to each image captured by the cameras 110. In some examples, one or more tracking markers (not shown) are attached to (or painted on printed on, etc.) the moving cargo 102, or on the forklift or other mechanism transporting the moving cargo. By recording data indicative of the current position and / or orientation of a tracking marker, the positioning sensor 112 can indirectly determine the position and / or orientation of the moving cargo 102. In another example, the positioning sensor 112 can capture images of the moving cargo 102 to be analyzed BE2019 / 5288 to determine the position of the moving freight. Additionally and / or alternatively, in some embodiments, the cameras 110 of the laser curtain system may be arranged to detect the position, orientation, and / or speed of the moving cargo 102. Fig. 2 shows a diagram 200 illustrating examples of successive image slices 202 through a moving load 102 as it passes through the diagonal laser curtain 108. In FIG. 2, five slices 202 are presented from the point of view of straightforwardness, however any number of two-dimensional images can be captured in various embodiments. These slices 202 represent the portion of the moving cargo 102 captured by the cameras 110 in each of the consecutive two-dimensional images. That is, the diagonal laser curtain 108 remains in a fixed position as the cargo 102 moves through it at some speed, so each successive slice cuts through the cargo 102 at a new location until the cargo 102 has completely passed through the diagonal laser curtain 108. Fig. 3A illustrates examples of consecutive two-dimensional images 300 of the moving cargo 102 as it passes through the diagonal laser curtain 108. For example, image 302A is the first two-dimensional image captured (eg, at a first time, T1), form 304A is the second two-dimensional image, captured (eg at a second time, T2), image 306A is the third two-dimensional image, captured (eg at a third time, T3), image 308A is the fourth two-dimensional shape captured (eg at a fourth time, T4) and image 310A is the fifth two-dimensional shape captured (eg at a fifth time, T5). Although in FIG. 3A, from a straightforward viewpoint, if five two-dimensional images 300 of the moving cargo 102 are shown, any number of two-dimensional images can be captured in various embodiments. BE2019 / 5288 Fig. 3B illustrates an example of a composite three-dimensional shape 350 of a moving cargo 102 obtained by correlating successive two-dimensional images 300 of the moving cargo 102. In this example, shapes 302B-310B shown in Figs. 3B corresponds to images 302A-310A of FIG. 3A. Using the position and orientation of the moving cargo 102 at each of the times when each of the consecutive two-dimensional images 300 of the moving cargo are captured, shapes 302B-310B are correlated to form a composite three-dimensional shape 350 of the moving cargo 102. to create. Thus, the composite three-dimensional shape 350 is processed to determine the dimensions and volume of the cargo 102. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of an example of a size determination system 400 for determining dimensions of a moving cargo 102 moving along a path 104. The example of the size determination system 400 includes the example of the laser curtain system 100 discussed above. with respect to FIG. 1-3, wherein the laser curtain system is in communication with a computer system 402. The computer system 402 includes a memory 404 (eg, transient memory, imperishable memory) and a processor 406 which interacts with the laser curtain system 100 and the memory 404. The processor 406 interacts with memory 404, for example, to obtain machine-readable instructions stored in memory 404. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable instructions may be stored on one or more removable media (eg, a compact disc, a digital versatile disc , removable flash memory, etc.) that can be coupled to computer system 402 to provide access to machine-readable instructions stored thereon. Machine-readable instructions stored on memory 404 may be instructions BE2019 / 5288 for performing any of the methods described in more detail below at FIG. 5-8. In some cases, the computer system 402 has access, e.g. over a network 408, to one or more databases 410. In general, the database 410 stores data related to the moving cargo 102. In one example, the database 410 stores expected dimensions or expected volumes of each cargo. In addition or alternatively, in another example, database 410 stores data indicating customers associated with each freight, and / or shipping costs paid by customers associated with each freight. The database 410, of course, can store any kind of data associated with determining dimensions of the moving cargo 102. Furthermore, according to some examples, the data described as stored in database 410 is stored in memory 404. Fig. 4A-4D are detailed block diagrams of several examples of sizing systems for sizing a moving freight moving along a path. As shown in Fig. 4A-D contains a control board (based on a microcontroller), camera control and laser control. The camera driver contains an external sync signal to each camera, which ensures that each camera captures images at exactly the same time. The central computer program prescribes the camera frame rate which is signaled by the control to the cameras. The laser control of the control board provides a signal to the lasers that determines when and for how long the lasers are active. The positioning unit (NUC) (next unit of computing) shown in Fig. 4A-4D receive high-speed HD video from the positioning cameras that track the position of the forklift as the cargo crosses the laser line. A positioning camera points straight down to markers (e.g. LED markers and retro-reflective dots) BE2019 / 5288 follow the roof of the forklift to follow the forklift exactly. Although in some cases two markers (e.g. a left marker and a right marker) are used from the front edge of the forklift truck, any number of markers can be used in various embodiments. The positioning NUCs process the video frames to locate any markers that are in the field of view. The marker positions are transferred from the 2D camera image to 3D positions (using the known height of the markers). This transfer corrects for non-linearities of the camera (e.g. barrel distortion). In FIG. 4A-4D also show at least two laser curtain cameras pointing towards the laser curtain (e.g. one on each side). These cameras capture a video stream that represents the intersection of the laser curtain with the scene (floor, freight, forklift, etc.). In some cases, the laser curtain cameras may be filtered to capture only laser curtain light and not other forms of ambient light (e.g. red filter to capture red light, etc.). A laser camera NUC is provided for each laser curtain camera to process the video stream and identify points where the laser curtain crosses the scene. The intersection points are each transferred to a 3D point within the laser curtain. The 3D marker points of the positioning NUC and the 3D points in the laser curtain of the laser camera NUC are sent to the central computer program (INC exe), which collects precise positioning point information and laser curtain point information to produce a comprehensive point cloud for each forklift truck used to determine the dimensions of the freight. Specifically, in various embodiments shown in Figs. 4A4D, the 3D marker points and the 3D points in the laser curtain are sent (from the positioning NUC and / or the laser camera, respectively17 BE2019 / 5288 NUC), e.g. via a router, to a computer (such as a central NUC, a shared backend, a combination NUC containing a shared backend and / or an ROS system) that stores the central computer program. As shown in Fig. 4A-4D, additional software applications stored in the memory of the computer in various embodiments include an external injector application, a point cloud fusion application, a segmentation application, a marquee application, a QA node application, an HTTP interface application, and a status lamp application. In some embodiments, of course, additional or alternative software applications may be stored in the computer's memory. The external injector application is the transition point between the acquisition system, which generates the point cloud, and the backend system, which determines the freight dimensions and communicates the results to the customer. The external injector performs any coordinate or unit conversions required for the point cloud to meet the requirements of the backend sizing software and publishes the point cloud in the backend system for other programs to access. The point cloud fusion application transforms a multiple number of point clouds into a single coordinate system and combines the points into a single point cloud. In some cases, the point cloud fusion application transforms a single point cloud into a desired backend coordinate system. The segmentation application separates the freight points from the rest of the scene. In some cases, the segmentation application also filters or re-samples the point cloud. The marquee application, in turn, constructs the minimum marquee for the segmented freight and determines the dimensions of the freight. The QA node application analyzes the conditions related to the dimensioning activity, the segmented point cloud BE2019 / 5288 and the sizing result to identify errors (i.e. to determine if the sizing attempt was successful). The HTTP application communicates the results to an external system. The status lamp application provides, via light tower device (an industrial indicator having a stack of several different colored lamps controlled by the status lamp application), visual feedback on the readiness of the size determination system to perform a size determination activity and / or the status of the current size determination activity . Fig. 5 is a flow chart of an example of a method 500 for determining dimensions of a moving cargo moving along a path. The method 500 can be implemented as a set of instructions stored on a computer readable medium 404 and executable on one or more processors 406. At block 502, a series of two-dimensional images of a moving cargo is captured (eg, by a camera) as the moving cargo passes through a laser curtain that is oriented perpendicular to the floor and is in the direction of cargo movement (ie, a diagonal laser curtain) rotated. In some cases, the speed of the moving freight and angle of the laser curtain relative to the path of the moving freight are known (e.g., when the path of the moving freight is limited and / or when the moving freight is conveyed by a conveyor belt system). However, in other cases where the path of the moving freight is unlimited (eg when the moving freight is controlled by a human-operated forklift), the speed of the moving freight and / or the angle of the laser curtain relative to the path of the moving freight may not be known. In those cases, additional sensor data indicative of a multiple number of consecutive positions, orientations and / or velocities of the BE2019 / 5288 moving freight (block 504). In some cases, this additional sensor data is captured by a positioning sensor, such as e.g. another camera, a motion detector, etc. According to some examples, a tracking indicator is attached to (or painted on, printed on, etc.) the moving freight (or on the forklift or other mechanism that transports the moving freight), and the positioning sensor arranged to detect the position of the tracking indicator. At block 506, each successive two-dimensional image of the moving freight is correlated with each position and orientation of the moving freight. That is, using the position and orientation of the moving freight, the angle of the diagonal laser curtain relative to the path of the freight, and the times at which each of the consecutive two-dimensional images are captured, the two-dimensional images can be used to recreating the shape of the cargo passing through the diagonal laser curtain, thereby forming a composite three-dimensional shape of the cargo. For example, based on the plane of the laser curtain, the positions of the two-dimensional cameras capturing the intersection of the laser curtain with freight, and the position and orientation of the freight at the time of each image capture, a three-dimensional coordinate can be determined for each pixel of each of the two-dimensional images. Each three-dimensional pixel coordinate represents a point in space where the laser cut through the freight while capturing the image. Specifically, to determine three-dimensional pixel coordinates for a given image, the base of the coordinate system is shifted from the previous image to account for changes in the position and / or orientation of the moving cargo. For example, if the freight moves forward one inch in the x direction between image captures, the base of the coordinate system is shifted one inch in the x direction to determine three-dimensional pixel coordinates for related pixels. BE2019 / 5288 with the following picture. In another example, when the load rotates 5 degrees in the y direction between image captures, the base of the coordinate system is shifted 5 degrees in the y direction to determine the three-dimensional pixel coordinates associated with the following image. Once a sufficient collection of three-dimensional pixels has been plotted, the three-dimensional pixels unrelated to the moving cargo (e.g., pixels related to parts of the floor or the forklift, etc.) are removed. For example, in some approaches, points are grouped by proximity and / or segmented into clusters. With regard to separating the pixels associated with the floor from the pixels associated with the cargo, for example, the cargo and floor points generally form different clusters when cargo is held above the floor. In another example, with regard to separating pixels associated with the forklift from the pixels associated with the cargo, the pixels can be cut along a dividing line between the cargo and the forklift. This dividing line is sometimes determined by locating fixed markers attached to the forklift (i.e. knowing the point cloud location of the fixed markers makes it possible to determine the dividing line). After the removal of the three-dimensional pixels that are not related to the moving freight, a minimal marquee is fitted on the remaining pixels to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight (block 508). At block 510, the three-dimensional shape of the moving freight is processed to obtain dimensions of the moving freight. That is, using the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight, a height, length and width of the moving freight is obtained. In addition, using height, length and BE2019 / 5288 width of the moving freight also the volume of the freight can be obtained. Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 600 for charging a moving freight shipping fee to a customer related to the moving freight. The method 600 can be implemented as a set of instructions stored on the computer readable memory 404 and executable on one or more processors 406. At block 602, the volume of the moving freight is determined based on the dimensions of the moving freight. That is, the volume of the cargo is calculated using the length, width, and height of the composite three-dimensional shape of the cargo. At block 604, a moving freight shipping price is calculated based on the volume of the moving freight. That is, according to one example, a shipper of the freight charges customers an amount based proportionally on volume, e.g. $ 10 per cubic foot of freight. In some cases, the processor 406 accesses a database 410 over a network 408 to obtain the moving freight shipping price. In some examples, the shipping price of the moving freight is in addition or alternative based on the weight of the freight, which can be derived from the volume of the freight if the freight has a known or expected weight. The known or expected weight of the contents of the cargo may also be stored in database 410 in some embodiments. In addition, according to some examples, the shipping price of the moving cargo is based on the specific type of cargo (eg tires are used). may ship at one price per volume or weight, while engine parts may ship at another price per volume or weight, etc.). BE2019 / 5288 At block 606, the calculated shipping price is charged to a customer associated with the moving freight. In some examples, the customer associated with a particular freight is identified, e.g. by identifying a label attached to the load and matching the label information with customer information stored in a database. For example, database 410 stores customer information for each load and corresponding label information for each load. In this way the calculated shipping price will be charged to the identified customer. Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 700 for determining that a moving cargo is damaged. The method 700 can be implemented as a set of instructions stored on a computer readable memory 404 and executable on one or more processors 406. At block 702, an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo is obtained. In some instances, the processor 406 accesses a database 410 over a network 408 to obtain the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. In some examples, a label attached to the cargo is identified and the label information is matched with an expected three-dimensional shape for the cargo via the database. In other cases, the label itself contains an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. At block 704, the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo is compared to the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. At block 706, deviations in the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight from the expected three-dimensional moving freight are identified. By using the diagonal laser curtain, deviations can advantageously be made on all surfaces, edges and corners of the load. BE2019 / 5288 detected. In one example, the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo includes a curved surface where the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo includes a flat surface. In another example, the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo includes a flattened edge where the expected three-dimensional shape of the cargo contains an acute angle. In yet another example, the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo is different from the expected three-dimensional shape at a number of points greater than a threshold number. At block 708, the moving cargo is determined to be damaged based on the identified anomalies. In some cases, processor 406 accesses database 410 over network 408 to determine that the moving cargo is damaged. For example, database 410 stores a list of anomalies with an associated estimated probability that a cargo that has damaged the anomaly is or is not. In another example, database 410 stores a list of anomalies with an associated type of damage associated with each anomaly. In yet another example, database 410 stores a list of anomalies with an associated damage severity associated with each anomaly. These database lists are compared with identified deviations to make a determination of damage e.g. a probability that damage has occurred, may include some type of damage and / or a seriousness of damage. In addition or alternatively, the processor 406 in some cases has access via network 408 to database 410 or other suitable database to determine that the theft has occurred in connection with the moving cargo (eg, part of the contents of the moving cargo stolen, which has changed the shape of the moving freight). For example, database 410 stores a list of deviations with an associated calculation BE2019 / 5288 probability that theft has occurred in connection with the moving freight. At block 710, in a report related to the moving freight, an indication is generated indicating that the moving freight is damaged. In some cases, the designation may contain some kind of anomaly, the probability of damage occurring, some kind of damage and / or a seriousness of damage. In some cases, a notification is generated for a customer related to the damaged freight, indicating that the moving freight is damaged. Fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method 800 for determining that a customer associated with the moving freight has been charged too low or too high an amount to ship the freight. The method 800 can be implemented as a collection of instructions stored on the computer readable memory 404 and executable on one or more processors 406. At block 802, an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving freight is obtained. In some instances, the processor 406 accesses a database 410 over a network 408 to obtain the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. In some examples, a label attached to the cargo is identified and the label information is matched with an expected three-dimensional shape for the cargo via the database. In other cases, the label itself contains an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. At block 804, the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo is compared to the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. At block 806, it is determined that the moving freight has a larger or smaller volume than expected based on the comparison BE2019 / 5288 of the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo. For example, the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo has a volume of one cubic foot, while the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo has a volume of two cubic feet. In another example, the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo has a volume of one cubic foot, while the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo has a volume of half a cubic foot. At block 808 it is determined that a customer related to the moving freight has been charged an amount that is too low or too high. That is, when it is determined that the moving freight has a volume greater than expected, the customer associated with the moving freight has likely been charged too low. On the other hand, when the moving freight is determined to have a volume smaller than expected, the customer associated with the moving freight is likely to be charged too low. At block 810, a prompt is generated indicating that the customer associated with the moving freight has been charged an amount that is too low or too high. In some cases, the designation is added to a report related to the moving freight or related to the customer. In addition, in some cases a notification is generated for the customer that indicates that the customer has been charged too low or too high an amount. The above description refers to block diagrams of the accompanying drawings. Alternative implementations of the examples represented by the block diagrams contain one or more additional or alternative elements, processes and / or devices. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the example blocks of the diagrams can be combined, separated, re-created BE2019 / 5288 ranked or omitted. Components represented by the blocks or diagrams are implemented by hardware, software, firmware and / or any combination of hardware, software and / or firmware. In some examples, at least one of the components represented by the blocks is implemented by a logic circuit. As used herein, the term "logic circuit" is expressly defined as a physical device containing at least one hardware component that is provisioned (eg, by operation in accordance with a predetermined device and / or execution of stored machine-readable instructions) to control one or more machines and / or to carry out activities of one or more machines. Examples of a logic circuit include one or more processors, one or more coprocessors, one or more microprocessors, one or more controllers, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more hardware accelerators, one or more special purpose computer chips, and one or more system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices. Some examples of logic circuits, such as ASICs or FPGAs, are specifically designed hardware for performing activities (e.g., one or more of the activities proposed by the flowcharts of this disclosure). Some examples of logic circuits are hardware that executes machine-readable instructions to perform activities (e.g., one or more of the activities proposed by the flowcharts of this disclosure). Some logic circuit examples include a combination of specifically designed hardware and hardware that executes machine-readable instructions. The above description refers to flow charts of the accompanying drawings. The flow charts present examples BE2019 / 5288 of methods disclosed herein. In some cases, the methods proposed by the flow charts implement the device represented by the block diagrams. Alternative implementations of examples of methods disclosed herein may include additional or alternative activities. Furthermore, activities or alternative implementations of the methods disclosed herein may be combined, separated, rearranged or omitted. In some examples, the activities represented by the flowcharts are implemented by machine-readable instructions (eg, software and / or firmware) stored on a medium (eg, a tangible, machine-readable medium) for execution by one or more logic circuits (eg processor (s)). In some examples, the activities proposed by the flowcharts are implemented by one or more devices of one or more specifically designed logic circuits (e.g., ASIC (s)). In some examples, the flowchart activities are implemented by a combination of specifically designed logic circuit (s) and machine-readable instructions stored on a medium (e.g., a tangible, machine-readable medium) for logic circuit execution ( and). As used herein, each of the terms "tangible machine-readable medium", "imperishable computer-readable medium" and "machine-readable storage device" is expressly defined as a storage medium (eg, a hard disk drive plate, a digital versatile disc, a compact disc, flash memory, read-only memory, random-access memory, etc.) on which machine-readable instructions (eg program code in the form of software and / or firmware, for example) can be stored. Furthermore, as used herein, each of the terms is “tangible, by a machine BE2019 / 5288 Readable Medium ”,“ Imperishable Machine Readable Medium ”and“ Machine Readable Storage Device ”expressly defined to exclude signal transmission. That is, as used in any of the claims of this patent, none of the terms "tangible machine-readable medium", "imperishable machine-readable medium", and "machine-readable storage device" can be read. as to be implemented by a transmitting signal. As used herein, each of the terms "tangible machine-readable medium", "imperishable machine-readable medium" and "machine-readable storage device" is expressly defined as a storage medium on which machine-readable instructions are stored for any suitable length of time (eg, persistent, for a long time (eg, while a program related to machine-readable instructions is running) and / or a short time (eg, while machine-readable instructions are cached are kept and / or during a buffer process)). In this document, relational terms such as first and second, above and below and the like may be used for the sole purpose of distinguishing one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily any actual such relationship or rank between such entities or require or imply actions. The terms "includes", "comprising", "has", "having", "contains", "containing", "holds" or "holding" or any variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion cover, so that a process, method, article or device that contains, contains, holds, not only contains those elements, but may also contain other elements not expressly stated or inherent in such a process , working method, article or device. An element preceded by BE2019 / 5288 "includes ... a", "has ... a", "contains ... a", "holds ... a" does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process without further restrictions, has, contains, maintains the method, article or device comprising the element. The term “one” is defined as one or more unless expressly stated otherwise herein. The terms "substantially", "in essence", "approximate", "approximately" or any other version thereof are defined as being in the vicinity of as understood by a typical practitioner, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined as being within 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodiment within 1% and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term "linked" as used herein is defined as linked, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanical. A device or structure that is "decorated" in a certain way is decorated in at least that way, but may also be decorated in ways that are not listed. For clarity and succinct description, measures are described herein as part of the same or separate embodiments, however, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention may include embodiments having combinations of all or some of the measures described. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown have the same or similar components, except where they are described as being different. While certain examples of devices, methods, and articles are disclosed herein, the scope of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all devices, methods, articles that are reasonably within the scope of the claims of this patent. The mere fact that certain measures are stated in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be of benefit. BE2019 / 5288 Many variants will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All variants are intended to be included within the scope of the invention defined in the following claims.
权利要求:
Claims (19) [1] Conclusions A size determination system for determining dimensions of a moving cargo moving along a path, the size determination system comprising: a laser curtain system comprising: a plurality of laser line generators, each adapted to emit laser laser coplanar beams, the laser curtain being oriented perpendicular to the floor and turned toward the path of the moving cargo; a camera arranged to capture a series of two-dimensional images of the moving cargo as the cargo passes through the laser curtain; and a positioning sensor adapted to detect a position and orientation of the moving freight at times corresponding to each two-dimensional image; memory adapted to store computer executable instructions; and a processor configured to interact with the laser curtain system and the memory and configured to execute computer-executable instructions to prompt the processor to: correlate each successive two-dimensional image of the moving cargo with each position and orientation of the moving cargo to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and process the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight to determine dimensions of the moving freight. BE2019 / 5288 [2] The size determination system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, prompt the processor to: determine a volume of the moving freight based on the dimensions of the moving freight; calculate a shipping price for the moving freight based on the volume of the moving freight; and charge the moving freight shipping price to a customer associated with the moving freight. [3] The size determination system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, prompt the processor to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and comparing the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; identify one or more deviations in the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo from the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, on the basis of the identified deviations, that the moving freight is damaged. [4] The size determination system of claim 3, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, prompt the processor to: generate an indication in a report related to the moving freight that the moving freight is damaged. BE2019 / 5288 [5] The size determination system of any preceding claim, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, prompt the processor to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, based on the comparison, that the moving cargo has a larger volume than expected; and, based on the determination that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected, to generate an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been charged too low an amount for shipping the freight. [6] The size determination system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed, prompt the processor to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, based on the comparison, that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected; and, based on the determination that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected, to generate an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been overcharged for shipping the freight. [7] The size determination system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the laser curtain is rotated at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the direction of the moving freight path. [8] The size determination system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the laser curtain is angled in the range of 30 BE2019 / 5288 degrees to 60 degrees from the moving freight path direction. [9] A computer-implemented method of determining dimensions of a moving cargo moving along a path, the method comprising: obtaining a series of two-dimensional images of a moving freight as the moving freight passes through a laser curtain directed perpendicular to the floor and turned towards the path of the moving freight, the laser curtain comprising coplanar laser beams are emitted by a plurality of laser line generators; determining a position and orientation of the moving cargo at times corresponding to each two-dimensional image; correlating each successive two-dimensional image of the moving cargo with each position and orientation of the moving cargo by a processor to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and processing the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight by the processor to determine dimensions of the moving freight. [10] The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining by the processor a volume of the moving freight based on the dimensions of the moving freight; calculating a shipping price for the moving freight by the processor based on the volume of the moving freight; and charging the processor the moving freight shipping price to a customer associated with the moving freight. [11] 11. The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising: BE2019 / 5288, the processor comparing the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; identifying by the processor one or more deviations in the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo from the expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determining by the processor that the moving cargo is damaged based on the identified anomalies. [12] The method of claim 11, further comprising: generating an indication by the processor that the moving freight has been damaged in a report related to the moving freight. [13] The method of any of claims 9-12, further comprising: comparing by the processor the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determining by the processor that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected based on the comparison; and generating by the processor an indication that a customer associated with the moving freight has been charged too low an amount for shipping the freight, based on determining that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected . [14] The method of any of claims 9-13, further comprising: comparing by the processor the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and BE2019 / 5288 determining by the processor that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected based on the comparison; and generating an indication by the processor that a customer associated with the moving freight has been overcharged for shipping the freight, based on determining that the moving freight has a smaller volume than expected . [15] The method of any of claims 9-14, wherein the laser curtain is rotated at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the direction of the moving freight path. [16] The method of any of claims 9-15, wherein the laser curtain is rotated at an angle in the range of 30 to 60 degrees relative to the direction of the moving freight path. 17. A tangible, machine-readable medium with stored machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, prompt a system to at least: capture a series of two-dimensional images of a moving cargo as the moving cargo passes through a laser curtain that is oriented perpendicular to the floor and rotated toward the moving cargo path, the laser curtain comprising coplanar laser beams are emitted by a plurality of laser line generators; detect a position and orientation of the moving cargo at times corresponding to each two-dimensional image; correlate each successive two-dimensional image of the moving cargo with each position and orientation of the moving cargo to obtain a composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and process the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving freight to determine dimensions of the moving freight. BE2019 / 5288 The tangible, computer readable medium of claim [17] 17, where the instructions, when executed, prompt the system to: determine a volume of the moving freight based on the dimensions of the moving freight; calculate a shipping price for the moving freight based on the volume of the moving freight; and charge the moving freight shipping price to a customer associated with the moving freight. [18] The tangible, computer readable medium of claim 17 or 18, where the instructions, when executed, prompt the system to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; identify one or more deviations in the composite three-dimensional form of the moving freight from the expected three-dimensional form of the moving freight; and determine, on the basis of the identified deviations, that the moving freight is damaged. [19] The physical, computer-readable medium of any of claims 17-19, wherein the instructions, when executed, prompt the system to: compare the composite three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo with an expected three-dimensional shape of the moving cargo; and determine, based on the comparison, that the moving cargo has a larger volume than expected; and, based on determining that the moving freight has a larger volume than expected, to generate an indication to a customer 38 BE2019 / 5288 in connection with the moving freight, an insufficient amount has been charged.
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同族专利:
公开号 | 公开日 FR3080676A1|2019-11-01| BE1026203B1|2020-07-10| BE1026203A1|2019-11-05| WO2019212882A1|2019-11-07| FR3080676B1|2021-10-08| US20190331474A1|2019-10-31|
引用文献:
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法律状态:
2020-08-19| FG| Patent granted|Effective date: 20200710 |
优先权:
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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题 US15/966,083|US20190331474A1|2018-04-30|2018-04-30|Methods and apparatus for freight dimensioning using a laser curtain| 相关专利
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