Cargo-based vehicle control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958872-B2
Application number	US-201615173891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2016
Priority date	Jun 6, 2016
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A method, system, and/or computer program product controls operations of a vehicle based on a condition of cargo being transported. One or more processors receive output from cargo sensors and cameras on a first cargo vehicle. The processor(s) determine that the cargo has shifted beyond a calculated risk amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the output from the cargo sensors and cameras based on historical trips. The processor(s) determine that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the calculated risk amount in the first cargo vehicle, and instructs a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the calculated risk amount in the first cargo vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, output from a cargo sensor and a camera on a first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the cargo sensor and the camera describes an amount of movement of cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle;
determining, by one or more processors, an amount of cargo shifting that the cargo has experienced based on an analysis of pictures from the cargo camera;
determining, by one or more processors, that the cargo has shifted beyond a predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the output from the cargo sensor and the pictures from the cargo camera;
receiving, by one or more processors, output from vehicle sensors on the first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the vehicle sensors describe a movement of the first cargo vehicle;
determining, by one or more processors, that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle; and
transmitting, by one or more processors, instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , where in the amount of cargo shifting is determined by comparing different point in time photos of the cargo.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle sensors capture cargo vibration during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 , where the vehicle sensors capture inclines of the cargo during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same cargo vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the same cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the same cargo vehicle to reposition the cargo in the same cargo vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the second cargo vehicle to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle is taking a first route, wherein the second cargo vehicle is taking a second route that is different from the first route, and wherein the method further comprises:
collecting, from sensors within the first cargo vehicle, data about road conditions and characteristics for the first route;
collecting, from sensors within the second cargo vehicle, data about road conditions and characteristics for the second route; and
receiving, by a vehicle controller, the data about the road conditions and characteristics for the first route and the second route.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the second cargo vehicle to take a different route than a route taken by the first cargo vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same cargo vehicle, wherein the same cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the same cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the first cargo vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to send instructions to self-driving vehicle vehicular physical control mechanisms on the self-driving vehicle to take a different route than a route taken by the first cargo vehicle.

12. A computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage mediums, wherein the stored program instructions are executed by a processor to perform a method of:
receiving output from a cargo sensor and a camera on a first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the cargo sensor and the camera describes an amount of movement of cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle;
determining an amount of cargo shifting that the cargo has experienced based on an analysis of pictures from the cargo camera;
determining that the cargo has shifted beyond a predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle based on the output from the cargo sensor and the pictures from the cargo camera;
receiving output from vehicle sensors on the first cargo vehicle, wherein the output from the vehicle sensors describes a movement of the first cargo vehicle;
determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle; and
transmitting instructions to a second cargo vehicle to adjust operations of the second cargo vehicle based on determining that the movement of the first cargo vehicle has caused the cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount in the first cargo vehicle.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 , where in the amount of cargo shifting is determined by comparing different point in time photos of the cargo.

14. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle sensors capture cargo vibration during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

15. The computer program product of claim 12 , where the vehicle sensors capture inclines of the cargo during transport by the first cargo vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an operator of the second cargo vehicle to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

17. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are a same cargo vehicle, wherein the same cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the same cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the first cargo vehicle.

18. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second cargo vehicle to direct an on-board cargo repositioning device to reposition the cargo in the second cargo vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the first cargo vehicle and the second cargo vehicle are different vehicles, wherein the second cargo vehicle is a self-driving vehicle, and wherein the instructions to the second cargo vehicle instruct an on-board computer on the second

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Anderson Evelyn R
• Bender Michael
• Boone Michael
• Childress Rhonda L

Classifications

• G08G1/20 Primary

  Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles · CPC title

• G07C5/0825

  using optical means · CPC title

• H04W4/38

  for collecting sensor information · CPC title

• G08G1/052

  with provision for determining speed or overspeed {(speed measuring in general G01P)} · CPC title

• G08G1/0133

  for classifying traffic situation · CPC title