# US 8,570,377 B2 · System and method for recognizing a unit load device (ULD) number marked on an air cargo unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,570,377 B2 - Document ID: US8570377B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/521,176 - Filed: 2011-01-11 - Published: 2012-11-01 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2010-01-11 - Assignees: Hi-Tech Solutions Ltd. - Applicants: Yoram Hofman - Inventors: Yoram Hofman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8570377B2 ## CPC - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G06V 10/147: Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19) - B64D 9/00: Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like - G06F 18/254: {of classification results, e.g. of results related to same input data} - G06V 2201/06: Recognition of objects for industrial automation - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The present invention provides a system and method for recognizing a Unit Load Device (ULD) number marked on an air cargo unit. The system includes at least one camera configured to acquire images of the ULD number. It includes also a presence sensing module configured to detect a presence status of the air cargo unit in a scanning zone of the system, the presence status can have a value being one of present and absent, and a recognition processor coupled to the presence sensing module and to the at least one camera. The recognition processor is configured to obtain from the presence sensing module information relating to the presence status of said air cargo unit, to trigger the at least one camera to acquire the images upon a change in the value of the presence status, and to process the images for recognizing the ULD number. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a first camera to acquire one or more images of a container; a second camera to acquire one or more images of a pallet; a presence sensing module to detect a presence status of an air cargo unit in a scanning zone, the presence status having a value of present or absent; and a recognition processor coupled to the presence sensing module and to at least one of the first camera or the second camera, and to: obtain from the presence sensing module information relating to the presence status of the air cargo unit; trigger the first camera and the second camera to acquire images based on a change in the value of the presence status, one or more of the images having a confidence value; process the images from the first camera and the images from the second camera to perform arbitration, the arbitration determining whether the air cargo unit is a container, a pallet, or neither a container nor a pallet; match, based on at least one confidence value, information relating to the acquired images with stored information relating to previously acquired images; and improve the arbitration based on the matching. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the air cargo unit is a container and the at least one camera includes at least one container camera. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the air cargo unit is a pallet and the at least one camera includes at least one pallet camera. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the air cargo unit is one of a pallet and a container, and the at least one camera includes at least one pallet camera and at least one container camera. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the presence sensing module includes magnetic sensors. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the magnetic sensors are two magnetic sensors wired in parallel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the air cargo unit is carryable by a trolley and the magnetic sensors are installed at the height of the trolley. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the presence sensing module includes at least one of infrared detectors, electro-optic sensors and mass and weight sensors. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first camera and the second camera includes two cameras positioned to acquire together images of at least two sides of said air cargo unit. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: obtaining information relating to a presence status of an air cargo unit; triggering one or more cameras to acquire one or more images based on a change in a value of the presence status, at least one of the one or more images having a confidence value; processing the images to perform arbitration, the arbitration being operative to determine whether the air cargo unit is at least one of (a) a container, (b) a pallet, or (c) neither a container nor a pallet; matching, based on the confidence value, information relating to the one or more images with stored information relating to previously acquired images; and improving the arbitration based on the matching. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein triggering one or more cameras to acquire one or more images comprises acquiring a set of images, and wherein processing the images comprises (a) processing each image in the set and (b) merging results of the processing of each image to calculate a final ULD number. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the recognition processor is further configured to extract graphical information relating to the air cargo unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical information comprises a color of the ULD number. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the graphical information comprises a location of the ULD number on the air cargo unit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the confidence value is calculated based on the quality of the recognized characters in the ULD number. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a container camera to acquire one or more images of a container; a pallet camera to acquire one or more images of a pallet; a presence sensing module to detect a presence status of an air cargo unit in a scanning zone, the presence status can have a value being one of present or absent; a container recognition processor coupled to the presence sensing module and to the container camera; a pallet recognition processor coupled to the presence sensing module and to the pallet camera; and a controlling server in communication with the container recognition processor and the pallet recognition processor and to: obtain from the presence sensing module information relating to the presence status of the air cargo unit; trigger the container camera and the pallet camera to acquire images based on a change in the value of the presence status, one or more of the images having a confidence value; process the images from the container camera and the images from the pallet camera to perform arbitration, the arbitration determining whether the air cargo unit is a container, a pallet, or neither a container nor a pallet; match, based on at least one confidence value, information relating to the acquired images with stored information relating to previously acquired images; and improve the arbitration based on the matching. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system of claim 16, wherein the container camera comprises a first container camera and a second container camera. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the first container camera is oriented to acquire one or more images of a first two sides of a rectangular container, and the second container camera is oriented to acquire one or more images of a second two sides of the rectangular container that are not the first two sides. ### Claim 19 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the air cargo unit is carryable by a trolley and the magnetic sensors are installed at the height of the trolley.