Patent ID: 6768931
Filing Date: 2004-07-27
Classification: B65G,G06Q

Abstract:
An optical characteristic system providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising:a computer communicatively coupled to at least two video imaging devices and controlled by a program system comprising program steps residing in a memory accessibly coupled to said computer; said video imaging device is mechanically coupled to said quay container crane, for each of said video imaging devices; wherein said program system is further comprised of the program steps of: generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one of said video imaging devices; generating a positional identification of said container; and sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system; wherein the program step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of: acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device; applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code; acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and compressing said first container code image to create said container code image; wherein each of said video imaging devices belongs to a collection comprising at least a video camera, a digital video camera, and a charged coupled array; wherein the program step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of: generating a loading-operation designation for said container; generating a storage-location designation for said container; and generating a terminal location for said quay container crane; wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of: receiving a locking indication from a programmable logic controller within said quay container crane; and determining said locking indication from a relay network within said quay container crane; wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of: determining a container hoist position based upon sensing a gray-coded hoist shaft in said quay container crane; and determining said container hoist position based upon sensing an ultrasonic transponder; and wherein the program step generating said loading-operation is further comprised of the program step of: generating said loading-operation designation based upon at least one member of the collection comprising said locking signal indication and said container hoist position; wherein the program step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of the program steps of: sending a packet from a network to create a received packet; and creating said packet from at least part of at least one member of a sending-data collection; wherein said sending-data collection is comprised of said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container; wherein said network employs at least one member of a physical transport collection in communicating from said quay container crane to container inventory management system; wherein said physical transport collection is comprised of at least one wireline physical transport layer and at least one wireless physical transport layer.