Devices, systems, and methods for automated loading bridge positioning using shapes associated with a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10908580-B2
Application number	US-201715788315-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A device may receive one or more images that depict one or more shapes associated with a first object that includes a portal. The device may identify, based on the one or more images, one or more characteristics of the one or more shapes. The device may determine, based on the one or more characteristics of the one or more shapes, one or more attributes of the portal. The device may determine, based on the one or more attributes of the portal, positioning information to be used to position a second object relative to the portal of the first object. The device may output, based on the positioning information, one or more control signals associated with positioning the second object relative to the portal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a memory; and
one or more processors to:
obtain an image that depicts one or more shapes associated with a first object that includes a first portal,
the one or more shapes including a shape of a design on a surface of the first object,
the design including at least one of:
 a logo, or
 a name, and

the one or more shapes including one or more encoded decals;

identify, based on the image, one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the logo or the name;
obtain, from a data structure and based on the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the logo or the name, one or more attributes of the first portal,
wherein the data structure associates the one or more characteristics with the one or more attributes of the first portal;

determine, based on the one or more attributes of the first portal, positioning information to be used to position a second portal of a second object relative to the first portal of the first object,
the positioning information indicating one or more control signals for moving the second object in a particular way;

determine the one or more control signals based on the positioning information; and
provide the one or more control signals to one or more actuators to automatically position the second object relative to the first object.

2. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more shapes are positioned on the surface of the first object.

3. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more actuators include one or more of:
a hydraulic actuator,
a pneumatic actuator,
an electric actuator, or
a servomechanism.

4. The device of claim 1 , where the design is painted on the surface of the first object.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, prior to providing the one or more control signals to the one or more actuators to automatically position the second object relative to the first object, are to:
perform a verification of the first object.

6. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more shapes include a shape of the first portal.

7. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more shapes include a shape of the first object.

8. The device of claim 1 , where the first object is a vehicle and the second object is a loading bridge to be positioned relative to the vehicle.

9. The device of claim 1 , where the first object is a loading bridge and the second object is a vehicle to be positioned relative to the loading bridge.

10. The device of claim 1 ,
where the one or more characteristics of the one or more shapes include at least one of:
an outline of a shape of the one or more shapes,
an orientation of a shape of the one or more shapes,
a position of a first shape, of the one or more shapes, relative to a second shape of the one or more shapes,
a color of a shape of the one or more shapes,
a size of a shape of the one or more shapes, or
a pattern formed by the one or more shapes; and

where the one or more processors, when obtaining the one or more attributes of the first portal, are to:
obtain, based on the one or more characteristics of the one or more shapes, the one or more attributes of the first portal.

11. The device of claim 1 , where the one or more attributes of the first portal include at least one of:
a size of the first portal,
one or more dimensions of the first portal,
a location of the first portal, or
a curvature associated with the first portal.

12. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, one or more images that depict one or more shapes associated with a first object that includes a portal,
the one or more shapes including a shape of a design on a surface of the first object,
the design including at least one of:
a logo, or
a name, and

the one or more shapes including one or more encoded decals;

identifying, by the device and based on the one or more images, one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the logo or the name;
obtaining, by the device, from a data structure, and based on the one or more characteristics associated with at least one of the logo or the name, one or more attributes of the portal,
wherein the data structure associates the one or more characteristics with the one or more attributes of the portal;

determining, by the device and based on the one or more attributes of the portal, positioning information to be used to position a second object relative to the portal of the first object,
the positioning information indicating one or more control signals for moving the second object in a particular way; and

outputting, by the device and based on the positioning information, the one or more control signals associated with positioning the second object relative to the portal.

13. The method of claim 12 , where the one or more shapes further include at least one of:
a shape on a surface of the first object,
a shape of the portal, or
a shape of the first object.

14. The method of claim 12 , where:
the first object is a vehicle and the second object is a loading bridge, or
the first object is the loading bridge and the second object is the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12 ,
where the one or more characteristics of the one or more shapes include at least one of:
an outline of a shape of the one or more shapes,
an orientation of a shape of the one or more shapes,
a position of a first shape, of the one or more shapes, relative to a second shape of the one or more shapes,
a position of a shape, of the one or more shapes, relative to the portal,
a position of a shape, of the one or more shapes, on a surface of the first object,
a color of a shape of the one or more shapes,
a size of a shape of the one or more shapes, or
a pattern associated with a shape of the one or more shapes; and

where obtaining the one or more attributes of the first portal comprises:
obtaining, based on the one or more characteristics of the one or more shapes, the one or more attributes of the first portal.

16. The method of claim 12 , where the one or more attributes of the portal include at least one of:
a size of the portal,
one or more dimensions of the portal,
a location of the portal on the surface of the first object, or
a curvature associated with the portal or the first object.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
identify one or more shapes depicted in one or more images,
the one or more shapes being associated with a first object that includes a first portal, and
the one or more shapes including a shape of a design on a surface of the first object,
the design including at least one of:
 a logo, or
 a name, and

the one or more shapes including one or more encoded decals;

obtain, from a data structure and based on at least one of the logo or the name, one or more attributes associated with the first portal,
wherein the data structure associates one or more characteristics associated with the at least one of the logo or the name with the one or more attributes of the first portal;

determine, based on the one or more attributes associated with the first portal, positioning information to be used to position a second portal of a second object relative to the first portal of the first object,
the positioning information indicating one or more control signals for moving the second object in a particular way;

determine the o

Assignees

• Accenture Global Solutions Ltd

Inventors

• Truscott Andrew J

Classifications

• B64F1/3055

  with hinged head interface between aircraft and passenger bridge · CPC title

• G05B2219/45071

  Aircraft, airplane, ship cleaning manipulator, paint stripping · CPC title

• G05B19/042

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B2219/40538

  Barcode reader to detect position · CPC title

• G05B19/29

  for point-to-point control · CPC title