Patent Application
20180290621
Trucks, tractor-trailers, or tractors that are connected to chassis for carrying containers can be used to transport cargo that includes goods. Cargo can be transported from an origin (such as a factory, a warehouse, a retail outlet, etc.) to a destination (such as retail outlet, a warehouse, customer premises, etc.) along a route. Theft is a widespread problem with trailers or other cargo transportation units. Loss of cargo due to theft can be costly to shippers as well customers.
Some implementations of the present disclosure are described with respect to the following figures.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings provide examples and/or implementations consistent with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and/or implementations provided in the drawings.
In the present disclosure, use of the term “a,” “an”, or “the” is intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, the term “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” “comprising,” “have,” or “having” when used in this disclosure specifies the presence of the stated elements, but do not preclude the presence or addition of other elements.
A cargo transportation unit (CTU) in the form of a moveable platform can be used to carry cargo items between different geographic locations. A “cargo item” can refer to any physical item that is to be delivered from one location to another location. “Cargo” can refer to one or more cargo items. In some examples, a CTU can be a container (that is attached to a tractor), a cargo carrying portion of a truck, or a trailer, where the container provides an enclosed space in which the physical items can be stored during shipment. In other examples, the CTU can include another type of carrier structure that is able to carry cargo items. More generally, the CTU can be part of, mounted on, or attached, as applicable, to a vehicle, such as a truck, a trailer, a tractor, a car, a railed vehicle (e.g., a train), a watercraft (e.g., a ship), an aircraft, a spacecraft, and so forth. The vehicle can haul the CTU that is part of, mounted on, or attached to the vehicle.
In some examples, a vehicle to which a CTU is attached to, mounted on, or part of, can be a driverless vehicle that can be self-driving. A driverless vehicle (also referred to as an “autonomous vehicle”) refers to a vehicle that is without a driver, i.e., a human that controls the movement of the vehicle while the driver is located on the vehicle. A self-driving or autonomous vehicle has the intelligence and self-awareness to perform driving tasks, including driving itself from an origin to a destination, without any human driver on the vehicle.
Although reference is made to using driverless vehicles to haul CTUs in some examples, it is noted that in other examples, CTUs can be hauled by vehicles driven by human drivers.
Theft of cargo carried by a CTU can occur in various scenarios. For example, a CTU may be stopped at a particular location for a short duration, such as when a human driver is resting (in examples where a vehicle is driven by a human driver) or the CTU is parked to make a scheduled stop (such as to deliver cargo). During such stops, CTU may be an easy target for theft. In other examples, theft of a CTU may occur at a shipping origin, such as while the CTU filled with cargo is waiting to be picked up by a vehicle. Similarly, theft of a CTU can occur at a shipping destination, after the CTU has been dropped off. CTUs are also frequently used as cheap, expandable, movable storage, and this places goods in storage in such CTUs at risk of theft. Insurance rates for protecting cargo in transit can be very high.
A thief may steal the CTU, such as by disconnecting the CTU from the vehicle hauling the CTU and connecting the CTU to the thief's vehicle. Alternatively, the thief can steal the combination of the vehicle and the CTU (by breaking into the vehicle and driving the vehicle with the CTU away). In further examples, the CTU may not be connected to the vehicle (e.g., the CTU is waiting to be picked up or has been dropped off at a destination)—in such a scenario, a thief can drive the thief's vehicle up to the CTU, connect the thief's vehicle to the CTU, and haul the CTU away.
In other examples, a thief can break into a CTU that is parked to remove cargo from the CTU. Alternatively, a thief can force a vehicle hauling the CTU to stop, such that the thief can break into the CTU to steal the cargo.
In accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure, solutions are provided to cause the CTU to take an action in response to detecting a theft event, where the action taken can be an evasive action (to deter movement of the CTU by making it more difficult for a thief to move the CTU) and/or a protective action (such as to provide a notification of the theft). In some implementations, in response to detecting the theft event, adjustment of an adjustable element of the CTU can be performed to perform the evasive action and/or the protective action. In other examples, the protective action takes the form of instant alerts/alarms designed to notify key stakeholders and reduce the critical time between a theft event and the implementation of response measures.
In some examples, the vehicle 104 is a driverless (autonomous) vehicle. In alternative examples, the vehicle 104 can be driven by a human driver.
The CTU 100 includes a CTU controller 108 that includes a theft detector 109 that is able to detect a theft event with respect to the CTU 100. The CTU controller 108 can include a hardware processing circuit that can include any one or more of the following: a microprocessor, a core of a multi-core microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable gate array, a programmable integrated circuit device, or another type of hardware processing circuit. In further examples, the CTU controller 108 can include a combination of a hardware processing circuit and machine-readable instructions (software or firmware) executable on the hardware processing circuit.
The theft detector 106 can be a part of the hardware processing circuit of the CTU controller 108, or alternatively, the theft detector 109 can include machine-readable instructions executable on the CTU controller 108.
The CTU controller 108 receives the output of a sensor 118 in the CTU 100. Based on the output of the sensor 118, the theft detector 109 is able to detect a theft event. Although just one sensor 118 is shown in
The CTU 100 also includes a position sensor 119 that is able to make measurements that are useable for determining a position of the CTU 100. The output of the position sensor 119 is provided to the CTU controller 108. Examples of the position sensor 119 include a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, which is able to acquire measurements from satellites and to provide position information (including latitude and longitude) to the CTU controller 108. In other examples, the position sensor 119 can measure signals transmitted by fixed-position wireless transmitters (whose locations are known), such as base stations of a cellular access network or access points of a wireless local area network (WLAN). Using triangulation, the position sensor 119 can use such transmitted signals to determine the position of the CTU 100. In other examples, the position sensor 119 can include another type of sensor used for determining position.
The theft detector 109 receives information from the position sensor 119, and uses such information to determine a location of the CTU 100. In response to the determined location of the CTU 100 matching a specified criterion, the theft detector 109 uses information from the sensor 118 to determine whether a sensor monitored event (an event that is monitored based on using information from the sensor 118) indicates a theft event associated with the CTU 100. For example, as further discussed below, a geofence can define a high-crime area. If the CTU 100 enters the high-crime area, then that is an indication that the determined location of the CTU 100 matches the specified criterion, and thus should trigger the use of the sensor data to determine whether a theft event has occurred. More examples are described below.
In response to the theft event, the CTU controller 108 can cause adjustment of an adjustable element 102 of the CTU 100. The adjustable element 102 can be an adjustable mechanical element, or alternatively, the adjustable element 102 can be an electronic component whose setting can be adjusted.
In some examples, the adjustment of the adjustable element 102 can be performed in the absence of any human driver at the vehicle 104. In other examples, the automated adjustment of the adjustable element 102 can be performed when the vehicle 104 is driven by a human driver.
In
Adjustment of the adjustable element 102 can include one or more of changing pressure of a tire of the CTU 100 (such as to deflate the tire so that the CTU 100 cannot move easily), locking a brake of the CTU 100 (such that the brake is applied and the CTU 100 cannot move), locking a cargo compartment of the CTU 100 (so that a cargo item cannot be removed from the cargo compartment), sounding an alarm of the CTU 100, triggering transmission of a theft notification, flashing a light of the CTU or the vehicle, disabling an attachment mechanism of the CTU 100 (such that the CTU 100 cannot be detached from the vehicle 104, or alternatively, the disabled attachment mechanism prevents the CTU 100 from being attached to another vehicle), sending a notification message to the vehicle to cause an action at the vehicle (examples provided further below), and so forth.
In some examples, if the adjustable element 102 is a tire, the adjuster 112 can include a gas pump that is able to inflate or deflate the pressure of the tire, by respectively injecting gas into the tire or removing gas from the tire.
If the adjustable element 102 is a brake, then the adjuster 112 can adjust the amount of force being applied by the brake. For example, if the CTU 100 has multiple brakes, then the CTU controller 108 can control the adjuster 112 to control the braking forces applied by the individual brakes.
If the adjustable element 102 is a lock of a compartment, then the adjuster 112 can include a moveable member to lock or unlock the lock. If the adjustable mechanical element 102 is a door of the CTU 100, then the adjuster 112 includes a moveable member to open or close the door.
Other types of adjusters can be used to adjust other adjustable elements.
In further examples, the theft detector 109 can send an indication of a theft event to the vehicle 104, to cause the vehicle 104 to take an evasive action or a protective action. An action taken by the vehicle 104 can include the vehicle 104 locking its brake, deflating its tire, disabling its engine, disabling its transmission, sounding its alarm, flashing its light, and so forth. In an autonomous vehicle scenario, the action taken by the vehicle 104 may involve re-routing the vehicle 104 or actively trying to move the vehicle 104 to a high visibility area while the event is in progress.
A sensor monitored event that can provide an indication of a theft event can include any or some combination of the following:
Examples of the sensor 118 can include any or some combination of the following.
For example, the barrier open/close sensor can include an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope. A barrier being opened may indicate a theft event.
An example cellular network can operate according to the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standards as provided by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The LTE standards are also referred to as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) standards. In other examples, other types of cellular networks can be employed, such as second generation (2G) or third generation (3G) cellular networks, e.g., a Global System for Mobile (GSM) cellular network, an Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) cellular network, a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 cellular network, and so forth. In further examples, cellular networks can be fifth generation (5G) or beyond cellular networks. In additional examples, a wireless network can include a WLAN, which can operate according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 or Wi-Fi Alliance Specifications. In other examples, other types of wireless networks can be employed by the CTU controller 108 to communicate with a remote service, such as a Bluetooth link, a ZigBee network, and so forth. Additionally, some wireless networks can enable cellular IoT, such as wireless access networks according to LTE Advanced for Machine-Type Communication (LTE-MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), and so forth.
In some examples, in response to detecting a theft event, the theft detector 109 can send a notification through the communication transceiver 122 and over the network 116 to a remote target entity 124. The remote target entity 124 can be a server or a human administrator or emergency personnel.
As further shown in
In some examples, the vehicle controller 120 can communicate with the CTU controller 108, over either a wireless link or a wired link. In response to detecting a theft event, the theft detector 109 can send a notification to the vehicle controller 120, which can cause the vehicle controller 120 to perform any of various different actions, such as sounding the horn of the vehicle, sounding an alarm of the vehicle 104, flashing the lights of the vehicle 104, applying brakes of the vehicle 104, providing a notification to a human driver in the vehicle 104, and so forth.
Although
In some examples, the location matching the specified criterion can include the location being within a specified geographic region, such as a region defined by a geofence. A geofence can define a specific geographic region, which can be a region that is associated with a specified characteristic. For example, the geofence can identify a geographic region that is an elevated crime region, based on statistics collected by law enforcement organizations, government agencies, insurance companies, cargo shippers, and/or other entities. If the CTU 100 has moved into this high crime region, then that is an example of the location matching the specified criterion. In further examples, the geofence can define another region that the CTU 100 should avoid.
Geofences are in many cases the initial trigger that causes the theft detector 109 to watch monitor the CTU 100 more frequently and to determine whether a sensor reading corresponds to a theft event. For example, when the CTU 100 enters certain geofences, the CTU controller 108 can adjust the behavior of the theft detector 109. In a more specific example, in a high crime geofence, the CTU controller 108 can report more often, and the theft detector 109 can correlate detected events with crime. In a low crime area, or in an area where the CTU 100 is expected to be located, the CTU controller 108 can report less often, and the theft detector 109 does not correlate events with crime as quickly. The geofence can adjust the correlation factors used for determining whether measured data represents a theft event. Similarly, a route and whether the CTU 100 deviates from the route can adjust correlation factors.
In other examples, the geofence can identify a region in which the CTU 100 should be located. For example, at a given time, the CTU 100 should be located at a shipping origin associated with a shipper. If the CTU 100 has exited this region at the given time, then the location of the CTU 100 is considered to match the specified criterion.
The specified geographic region of a geofence can be based on user-entered information or other information. The information can include crime statistics, for example. The theft detector 109 can access the information from a data source, which can be remote from the CTU 100 and accessible over the network 116.
In further examples, a location of the CTU 100 matching a specified criterion can include the location being across a territorial boundary, such as the boundary of a country, the boundary of a state, the boundary of a city, and so forth. When the CTU 100 crosses this territorial boundary, then that is an indication that the location matches the specified criterion. Once the CTU 100 crosses the territorial boundary, the theft detector 109 can be activated to detect a theft event.
As a further example, a location of the CTU 100 matching the specified criterion includes the location deviating from a specified route of the CTU 100. The CTU 100 may be expected to travel along the specified route from a shipping origin to a shipping destination, possibly with one or more intermediate cargo drop-off points along the specified route. If the CTU 100 deviates from the specified route by greater than a distance threshold or for longer than a time threshold, then that is an indication that the location of the CTU 100 matches the specified criterion, and thus theft event detection should be triggered.
As further shown in
The controller 300 further includes a non-transitory machine-readable or computer-readable storage medium 304 storing machine-readable instructions that are executable on the processor 302 to perform specified tasks. Instructions executable on a processor can refer to instructions executable on a single processor or multiple processors.
The machine-readable instructions include theft detection and remediation instructions 306 that are executable on the processor 302 to perform the tasks discussed above, in some examples.
For example, the theft detection and remediation instructions 306 can determine whether a location of the CTU 100 matches a specified criterion. In response to determining that the location of the CTU matches the specified criterion, theft detection and remediation instructions 306 determine whether a physical characteristic of the CTU satisfies a triggering criterion, such as the physical characteristic represented by measurement data from the sensor 118 indicting a theft event.
Responsive to determining that the physical characteristic of the CTU satisfies the triggering criterion, the theft detection and remediation instructions 306 cause adjustment of an adjustable element (e.g., 102) of the CTU 100 (
The storage medium 304 can include any or some combination of the following: a semiconductor memory device such as a dynamic or static random access memory (a DRAM or SRAM), an erasable and programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) and flash memory; a magnetic disk such as a fixed, floppy and removable disk; another magnetic medium including tape; an optical medium such as a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD); or another type of storage device. Note that the instructions discussed above can be provided on one computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, or alternatively, can be provided on multiple computer-readable or machine-readable storage media distributed in a large system having possibly plural nodes. Such computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (or article of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture can refer to any manufactured single component or multiple components. The storage medium or media can be located either in the machine running the machine-readable instructions, or located at a remote site from which machine-readable instructions can be downloaded over a network for execution.
In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the subject disclosed herein. However, implementations may be practiced without some of these details. Other implementations may include modifications and variations from the details discussed above. It is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications and variations.
