Automated cargo loading systems and methods
AssigneeTransbotics Corporation
InventorsTommy Axel Hessler, Lennart K.F. Johansson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cargo loading system comprising a control module for coordinating the transportation of cargo from one area to a trailer according to a stacking pattern and delivery route, an AGV control module for controlling the operation and navigation of at least one AGV, and a user interface for inputting commands and receiving outputs into/from the system. A method for loading cargo comprising the steps of providing a cargo loading control module, providing an AGV control module in communication with the cargo loading control module, providing a user interface, communicating cargo loading tasks to an AGV, and transporting cargo from a production area to a trailer in accordance with a stacking pattern and along a dynamic guide path.
Claims20
A system for automating cargo loading, comprising:
- a cargo loading control module for coordinating the transportation of cargo from a production area onto a trailer positioned within a loading bay along a dynamic guide path and according to a stacking pattern;
- at least one automatic guided vehicle comprising a sensor system and a laser guided navigational system;
- and
- an automatic guided vehicle control module in communication with the cargo loading control module and operable for controlling the operation and navigation of the at least one automatic guided vehicle.
The system according to claim l, wherein the cargo loading control module is further operable for generating a stacking pattern, initiating an order, granting the at least one automatic guided vehicle access into the trailer, coordinating movement of the at least one automatic guided vehicle, and modifying the stacking pattern based on operator inputs.
A method for loading cargo, comprising:
- providing at least one automatic guided vehicle comprising a sensor system and a laser guided navigational system;
- providing a cargo loading control module for coordinating the transportation of cargo from a production area to a trailer positioned within a loading bay;
- providing an automatic guided vehicle control module in communication with the cargo loading control module and operable for controlling the operation and navigation of the at least one automatic guided vehicle;
- communicating transportation tasks to the at least one automatic guided vehicle;
- and
- transporting the cargo from the production area to the trailer along a dynamic vehicle guide path.
A method for loading cargo, comprising:
- positioning a trailer at a cargo loading bay;
- identifying the trailer;
- identifying the existence and position of any previously loaded cargo in the trailer with a sensor capable of scanning in three dimensions;
- selecting a stacking pattern by which the cargo is stacked in the trailer;
- initiating a loading order;
- instructing an automatic guided vehicle to pick-up the cargo from a production area and deliver it to the trailer;
- and
- stacking the cargo in accordance with the stacking pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.