WO2021069791A1 - A system and a method for monitoring transportations - Google Patents
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- WO2021069791A1 WO2021069791A1 PCT/FI2020/050541 FI2020050541W WO2021069791A1 WO 2021069791 A1 WO2021069791 A1 WO 2021069791A1 FI 2020050541 W FI2020050541 W FI 2020050541W WO 2021069791 A1 WO2021069791 A1 WO 2021069791A1
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- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 94
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 25
- 244000144992 flock Species 0.000 claims abstract description 220
- 238000004590 computer program Methods 0.000 claims description 16
- 239000000969 carrier Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 7
- QVFWZNCVPCJQOP-UHFFFAOYSA-N chloralodol Chemical compound CC(O)(C)CC(C)OC(O)C(Cl)(Cl)Cl QVFWZNCVPCJQOP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008676 import Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q10/083—Shipping
- G06Q10/0833—Tracking
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
Abstract
A system for monitoring transportations of goods comprises computer equipment (101) that groups transport units into flocks, maintains flock descriptor data indicative of the grouping of the transport units, maintains flock tracking data indicative of a location of each flock based on data received from a data transfer system, updates the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received from logistic hubs and indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks, and combines the flock tracking data and the up-to-date flock descriptor data to produce transport unit tracking data indicative of locations of the transport units. The use of the updated flock descriptor data in combination with the flock tracking data reduces a need to track the location of each transport unit separately.
Description
A system and a method for monitoring transportations
Field of the disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to tracking and monitoring transport units to create visibility of logistic chains. Each transport unit can be for example an individual product, a package, a container, or another entity whose transportation is to be monitored. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a system and to a method for monitoring transportations. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to a computer program for monitoring transportations. Background
Presently, tracking and monitoring transportations within logistic chains is typically quite challenging. Often there is no shared knowledge about an estimated time of delivery “ETD” nor about a transportation route from a sender to a receiver. In many cases, arrival and/or sending information is available only in some selected points typically within logistic hubs and at the ends of a logistic chain under consideration. A logistic hub can be for example a shipping room of factory or a warehouse, a port, an airport, a country border crossing site, etc. While it would be theoretically possible to deploy an inexpensive Global Navigation Satellite System “GNSS” device, e.g. a Global Positioning System “GPS” device, with each transport unit or even package or product, it is still cost-wise unfeasible and does not provide proper indoor positioning coverage.
Publication CA2550852 describes a system that provides an end-to-end visibility of movement of a package. The system comprises a receiving facility at which a carrier e.g. a ship, a train, a railway carriage, a truck, a trailer, or an airplane receives multiple transportations. The receiving facility comprises a code reading device configured to read destination country information from the multiple transportations and to store such information as electronic data in a code reading device memory. The receiving facility comprises handling means by which transportations constituting a subset having an identical destination country are combined into a
consolidated transportation and marked with a code containing a consolidated transportation tracking number. The system comprises a computer configured to receive the destination country information from the above-mentioned code reading device memory, to store the destination information in a computer memory, to identify the above-mentioned subset having the identical destination country from among all transportations, to link electronically in the computer memory the subset to the consolidated transportation by assigning and storing the consolidated transportation tracking number. The system comprises an import receiving facility at which the consolidated transportation is received in the destination country after processing of the consolidated transportation through export and import customs for custom clearance, and the consolidated transportation is separated into the transportations of the above-mentioned subset for delivery to respective consignee locations. An inconvenience related to the above-mentioned system is that each transportation needs to be monitored individually in the destination country after the consolidated transportation has been separated into the transportations of the above-mentioned subset. This can be a laborious task if there are many logistic hubs, such as e.g. shipping rooms of warehouses, on the routes of the transportations inside the destination country and thus each transportation can be moved from one carrier to another many times on its route to a consignee location. The same inconvenience may take place also in the country or countries of origin prior to the transportations are combined into the consolidated transportation.
Summary
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various invention embodiments. The summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided a new system for monitoring transportations. A system according to the invention comprises computer equipment for:
grouping transport units such as e.g. products, packets, packages, and/or containers into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units, maintaining flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks, maintaining flock tracking data indicative of a location of each flock based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks, e.g. GNSS data received from a carrier transporting a flock, updating the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices installed on one or more logistic hubs and configured to monitor the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data received from at least one of the logistic hubs being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks, and producing, based on the flock tracking data and the updated flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units.
The use of the updated flock descriptor data in combination with the flock tracking data reduces a need to track the location of each transport unit separately because the updated flock descriptor data expresses the up-to-date composition of the flocks whereas the flock tracking data expresses the locations of the flocks. In this document, the term “logistic hub” is not limited to warehouses and the like, but a logistic hub can be any place where flocks can be changed, i.e. where flocks can be formed and/or terminated, transport units can join the flocks, and/or transport units can leave the flocks.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided also a new method for monitoring transportations. A method according to the invention comprises:
- grouping transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units,
maintaining flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks, maintaining flock tracking data indicative of a location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks, updating the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices installed on one or more logistic hubs and configured to monitor the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data received from at least one of the logistic hubs being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks, and producing, based on the flock tracking data and the updated flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided also a new computer program for monitoring transportations. A computer program according to the invention comprises computer executable instructions for controlling programmable computer equipment to: group transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units, maintain flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks, maintain flock tracking data indicative of a location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks, update the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices installed on one or more logistic hubs and configured to monitor the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data received from at least one of the logistic hubs being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks, and
- produce, based on the flock tracking data and the updated flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided also a new computer program product. The computer program product comprises a non-volatile computer readable medium, e.g. a compact disc “CD”, encoded with a computer program according to the invention.
Exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments are described in accompanied dependent claims. Various exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments both as to constructions and to methods of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplifying and non limiting embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The verbs “to comprise” and “to include” are used in this document as open limitations that neither exclude nor require the existence of also un-recited features.
The features recited in dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an”, i.e. a singular form, throughout this document does not exclude a plurality.
Brief description of the figures Exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments and their advantages are explained in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 illustrates an exemplifying logistic chain and a system according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment for monitoring transportations in the logistic chain, figure 2 illustrates another exemplifying logistic chain and a system according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment for monitoring transportations in the logistic chain, and
figure 3 shows a flowchart of a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment for monitoring transportations.
Description of exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments
The specific examples provided in the description below should not be construed as limiting the scope and/or the applicability of the accompanied claims. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description below are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Figure 1 illustrates an exemplifying logistic chain and a system according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment for monitoring transportations in the logistic chain. In this exemplifying case, the logistic chain comprises logistic hubs 105, 107, 131 , and 115. The logistic hub 105 can be for example a shipping room of a factory or a warehouse where transport units are loaded onto trucks and/or trailers of trucks. In figure 1 , an exemplifying truck is denoted with a reference 106. In the exemplifying case illustrated in figure 1 , the transport units under consideration are packages containing goods. One of the transport units is denoted with a reference 104. It is also possible that a transport unit is a product, a packet, or a container such as e.g. a sea container or an air cargo container. The logistic hub 107 can be for example a warehouse where transport units are unloaded from arriving trucks and/or trailers of trucks and where the transport units are loaded onto different carriers for further transportation. One of the arriving trucks is the truck 106 and another one of the arriving trucks is a truck 109. The carriers for further transportation may comprise e.g. trains, railway carriages, trucks, trailers of trucks, airplanes, and/or ships. In figure 1 , an exemplifying train is denoted with a reference 111 , an exemplifying railway carriage is denoted with a reference 113, and an exemplifying truck leaving the logistic hub 107 is denoted with a reference 110. The logistic hub 131 is a railway yard where trains are assembled and disassembled and where trains and railway carriages are routed to different directions. The logistic hub 115 is a railway terminal where transport units are unloaded from arriving trains and where the transport units are loaded onto delivery trucks and into delivery vans for transporting the transport units to consignee locations. Two exemplifying delivery
trucks are denoted with references 116 and 132, and an exemplifying consignee location is denoted with a reference 118.
In the exemplifying case illustrated in figure 1 , each of the logistic hubs 105, 107, and 115 is provided with one or more devices for monitoring the transport units. The logistic hub 105 is provided with a monitoring camera 120 for monitoring onto which truck or trailer a given transport unit is loaded. The monitoring camera 120 is communicatively connected to a data transfer system 103. The logistic hub 107 is provided with radio frequency identifying “RFID” system 108 for monitoring onto which carrier, e.g. a railway carriage, a truck, or a trailer, a given transport unit is loaded. The RFID system 108 is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 103. The logistic hub 115 is provided with a monitoring camera 119 for monitoring onto which truck or trailer a given transport unit is loaded. The monitoring camera 119 is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 103.
The system for monitoring transportations comprises computer equipment 101 that is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 103. The computer equipment 101 is configured to group transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units. In the exemplifying case illustrated in figure 1 , the computer equipment 101 is configured to group the transport units which are loaded onto the truck 106 into a flock 102. The computer equipment 101 is configured to carry out the grouping based on data received from the monitoring camera 120 via the data transfer system 103. The computer equipment 101 can be provided with means for e.g. image and/or character recognition for detecting a situation in which a transport unit is loaded onto a given truck or trailer. A truck or trailer can be recognized based on e.g. a register plate of the truck or trailer. The image and/or character recognition can be used also for recognizing e.g. a number or another identifier of a transport unit, the shape and/or color of a transport unit, or some other visible property of a transport unit and/or a carrier for transporting the transport unit. The computer equipment 101 is configured to maintain flock descriptor data that is indicative of grouping of the transport units into flocks. In this exemplifying case, the flock descriptor data expresses that the transport unit 104 belongs to the flock 102. The computer equipment 101 is configured to maintain flock tracking data that is indicative of a location of each flock based on data
received from the data transfer system 103 and associated with the flocks. In this exemplifying case, the truck 106 is operated so that the truck 106 is shuttling between the logistic hubs 105 and 107. The computer equipment 101 may have for example an access to route information related to the truck 106. Thus, the flock tracking data expresses that the flock 102 is travelling from the logistic hub 105 to the logistic hub 107. The computer equipment 101 is configured to produce, based on the flock tracking data and the flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units. In this exemplifying case, the flock tracking data expresses that the flock 102 is on the way from the logistic hub 105 to the logistic hub 107 and the flock descriptor data expresses that e.g. the transport unit 104 belongs to the flock 102. Therefore, the produced transport unit tracking data expresses, among others, that the transport unit 104 is travelling from the logistic hub 105 to the logistic hub 107.
In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that some of the transport units of the flock 102 are loaded onto the truck 110 whereas other ones of the transport units of the flock 102 are loaded onto the railway carriage 113 after the flock 102 has arrived at the logistic hub 107. The computer equipment 101 is configured to update the above-mentioned flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system 103, from devices for monitoring the transport units at the logistic hubs. The monitoring data is indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks. As mentioned above, the logistic hub 107 is provided with the RFID system 108 that is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 103. The RFID system 108 constitutes a device for monitoring the transport units at the logistic hub 107. In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that the transport unit 104 is loaded onto the railway carriage 113. Thus, the monitoring data received from the RFID system 108 expresses that the transport unit 104 remains in the flock 102 that is loaded onto the railway carriage 113. Furthermore, the monitoring data expresses which transport units are removed from the flock 102 and which transport units are added to the flock 102 at the logistic hub 107. In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that the flock 102 continues its travel in the railway carriage 113. This is however only one possibility. It is also possible that the flock 102 continues its travel in the truck 110 and the transport unit 104 leaves the flock 102 and joins another
flock when being loaded onto the railway carriage 113. Furthermore, it is also possible that the flock 102 terminates at the logistic hub 107 and all the transport units belonging to the flock 102 are associated to other flocks. Therefore, the flocks are mere logical entities which can be defined in many ways.
In this exemplifying case, the railway carriage 113 comprises a global navigation satellite system “GNSS” receiver 112 for receiving positioning signals from satellites one of which is shown in figure 1 and is denoted with a reference 121. The GNSS receiver 112 comprises means for producing position data based on the received positioning signals. The GNSS receiver 112 is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 103. The computer equipment 101 is configured to maintain the above-mentioned flock tracking data based on data received from the GNSS receiver 112. In this exemplifying case, the flock tracking data expresses that the railway carriage 113 is being transferred along a route 114 from the logistic hub 107 to the logistic hub 115. The above-mentioned flock descriptor data expresses that the transport unit 104 belongs to the flock that travels in the railway carriage 113. Thus, the computer equipment 101 updates the transport unit tracking data to express that the transport unit 104 is travelling from the logistic hub 107 to the logistic hub 115 along the route 114. The above-mentioned GNSS can be for example the United States’ Global Positioning System “GPS”, Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System “GLONASS”, the European Union’s Galileo, or the China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System “BDS”.
As mentioned above, the logistic hub 115 is provided with the monitoring camera 119 for monitoring onto which truck or trailer a given transport unit is loaded. The computer equipment 101 updates the above-mentioned flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system 103, from the monitoring camera 119. In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that the transport unit 104 is loaded onto the truck 116 that moves the transport unit 104 to the consignee location 118. Therefore, the flock descriptor data is updated to express that the transport unit 104 belongs to the flock that is travelling in the truck 116. The flock tracking data expresses that the flock under consideration in on the way from the logistic hub 115 to the consignee location 118. The flock tracking data can be based on e.g. route information of the truck 116. Thus, the computer equipment 101 updates the
transport unit tracking data to express that the transport unit 104 is travelling from the logistic hub 115 to the consignee location 118.
It is to be noted that the monitoring cameras 120 and 119 and the RFID system 108 are only examples of devices for producing monitoring data that is indicative of joining and leaving of transport units in flocks. The monitoring data can as well be generated with e.g. GNSS lock seals of e.g. containers, or the monitoring data can be data that is indicative of radio connectivity, e.g. Bluetooth® or LoRa connectivity, to transport units at logistic hubs. The ‘LoRa’ is an abbreviation of the ‘Long Range’ and it means a low-power wide-area network “LPWAN” technology based on spread spectrum modulation techniques derived from chirp spread spectrum “CSS” technology. Furthermore, the monitoring data can be obtained with optical sensors at the one or more logistic hubs. An optical sensor can be e.g. a bar code sensor or a Quick Response “QR” code sensor. A logistic hub can be provided with many devices for producing monitoring data of the kind mentioned above, and the computer equipment 101 can be configured to update the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data produced by many devices. Correspondingly, it is to be noted that the route information of the trucks 106 and 116 and the GNSS receiver 112 of the railway carriage 113 are only exemplifying sources of data for tracking flocks of the kind mentioned above. It is also possible to track flocks with the aid of for example a GNSS receiver attached to a transport unit belonging to a flock under consideration, with the aid of monitoring cameras located on routes of transport units, with the aid of radio sensors located on the routes of the transport units, with the aid of shipment databases related to the transport units, and/or with the aid of registry databases in which carriers transporting the flocks are registered, such as e.g. vehicle registries. The flock tracking data is advantageously generated based on a combination of data portions obtained from many sources.
In a system according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, the computer equipment 101 is configured to group the transport units into hierarchical flocks where higher-level flocks comprise lower-level flocks as elements of the higher-level flocks and lowest-level flocks are groups of the transport units. The hierarchical flocks can be advantageous in cases where there is a complex system of interconnected logistic chains.
Figure 2 illustrates an exemplifying logistic chain and a system according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment for monitoring transportations in the logistic chain. In this exemplifying case, the logistic chain comprises logistic hubs 205, 222, and 227. The logistic hub 205 can be for example a shipping room of a factory or a warehouse where transport units are loaded onto trucks and/or trailers of trucks. In figure 2, an exemplifying truck is denoted with a reference 206. In the exemplifying case illustrated in figure 2, the transport units under consideration are packages containing goods. One of the transport units is denoted with a reference 204. The logistic hub 222 is a custom house for goods to be exported. The logistic hub 222 is typically located in a port of a country of origin. The transport units are packed into containers at the logistic hub 222, and the containers are, in turn, loaded into a ship 226. Figure 2 shows two containers that are denoted with references 223 and 224. The logistic hub 227 is a custom house for clearance of imported goods. The logistic hub 227 is typically located in a port of a destination country.
In the exemplifying case illustrated in figure 2, each of the logistic hubs 205, 222, and 227 is provided with one or more devices for monitoring the transport units. The logistic hub 205 is provided with a monitoring camera 234 for monitoring onto which truck or trailer a given transport unit is loaded. The monitoring camera 234 is communicatively connected to a data transfer system 203. The logistic hub 222 is provided with a radio frequency identifying “RFID” system 208 for monitoring onto which container a given transport unit is loaded. The RFID system 208 is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 203. Furthermore, the logistic hub 222 is provided with a monitoring camera 225 for monitoring which truck or trailer is arriving at the logistic hub 222. A truck or trailer can be recognized based on e.g. a register plate of the truck or trailer. The monitoring camera 225 is communicatively connected to a data transfer system 203. The logistic hub 227 is provided with a RFID system 228 for monitoring onto which truck or trailer a given transport unit is loaded. The RFID system 228 is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 203.
The system for monitoring transportations comprises computer equipment 201 that is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 203. The computer equipment 201 is configured to group transport units into flocks each comprising
one or more of the transport units. In this exemplifying case, the computer equipment 201 is configured to group the transport units which are loaded onto the truck 206 into a flock 202. The computer equipment 201 is configured to carry out the grouping based on data received from the monitoring camera 234 via the data transfer system 203. The computer equipment 201 is configured to maintain flock descriptor data that is indicative of grouping of the transport units into flocks. In this exemplifying case, the flock descriptor data expresses that e.g. the transport unit 204 belongs to the flock 202. The computer equipment 201 is configured to maintain flock tracking data that is indicative of a location of each flock based on data received from the data transfer system 203 and associated with the flocks. As mentioned above, the logistic hub 222 is provided with the monitoring camera 225 for monitoring which truck or trailer is arriving at the logistic hub 222. The computer equipment 201 updates the flock tracking data when the computer equipment 201 receives, from the monitoring camera 225, data that indicates that the truck 206 has arrived at the logistic hub 222. The computer equipment 101 is configured to produce, based on the flock tracking data and the flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units. In this exemplifying case, the produced transport unit tracking data expresses that the transport unit 204 has arrived at the logistic hub 222.
In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that some of the transport units of the flock 202 are loaded into the container 223 whereas other ones of the transport units of the flock 202 are loaded into the container 224 after the flock 202 has arrived at the logistic hub 222. The computer equipment 201 is configured to update the above- mentioned flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system 203, from devices for monitoring the transport units at the logistic hubs. The monitoring data is indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks. As mentioned above, the logistic hub 222 is provided with the RFID system 208 that is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 203. In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that the transport unit 204 is loaded into the container 223. Thus, the monitoring data received from the RFID system 208 expresses that the transport unit 204 remains in the flock 202 that is loaded into the container 223. Furthermore, the monitoring data expresses which transport units
are removed from the flock 202 and which transport units are added to the flock 202 at the logistic hub 222. In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that the flock 202 continues its travel in the container 223. This is however only one possibility because the flocks are mere logical entities which can be defined in many ways.
In this exemplifying case, the ship 226 comprises a global navigation satellite system “GNSS” receiver 235 for receiving positioning signals from satellites one of which is shown in figure 2 and is denoted with a reference 221 . The GNSS receiver 235 comprises means for producing position data based on the received positioning signals. The GNSS receiver 235 is communicatively connected to the data transfer system 203 with a radio link. The computer equipment 201 is configured to maintain the above-mentioned flock tracking data based on data received from the GNSS receiver 235. In this exemplifying case, the flock tracking data expresses that the ship 226 is on a way from the logistic hub 222 to the logistic hub 227. The above- mentioned flock descriptor data expresses that the transport unit 204 belongs to the flock that travels in the container 223 carried by the ship 226. Thus, the computer equipment 201 updates the transport unit tracking data to express that the transport unit 204 is on a way from the logistic hub 222 to the logistic hub 227.
As mentioned above, the logistic hub 227 is provided with the RFID system 228 for monitoring onto which truck or trailer a given transport unit is loaded. The computer equipment 201 updates the above-mentioned flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system 203, from the RFID system 228. In this exemplifying case, it is assumed that the transport unit 204 is loaded on the truck 229 that moves the transport unit 204 to the consignee location 230. Therefore, the flock descriptor data is updated to express that the transport unit 204 belongs to the flock that is travelling in the truck 229. The flock tracking data expresses that the flock under consideration in on the way from the logistic hub 227 to the consignee location 230. The flock tracking data can be based on e.g. route information of the truck 229. Thus, the computer equipment 201 updates the transport unit tracking data to express that the transport unit 204 is travelling from the logistic hub 227 to the consignee location 230.
The computer equipment 101 shown in figure 1, as well as the computer equipment 201 shown in figure 2, comprises one or more processors each of which can be a programmable processor provided with an appropriate software, a dedicated hardware processor such as for example an application specific integrated circuit “ASIC”, and/or a configurable hardware processor such as for example a field programmable gate array “FPGA”. Furthermore, the computer equipment 101 shown in figure 1, as well as the computer equipment 201 shown in figure 2, comprises memory devices such as e.g. random-access memory “RAM” devices and one or more mass storage drives. Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a method according to an exemplifying and non limiting embodiment for monitoring transportations. The method comprises the following actions:
- action 301 : grouping transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units, - action 302: maintaining flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks,
- action 303: maintaining flock tracking data indicative of a location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks, - action 304: updating the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices for monitoring the transport units at one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks, and
- action 305: producing, based on the flock tracking data and the updated flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units.
A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment comprises grouping the transport units into hierarchical flocks where higher-level flocks
comprise lower-level flocks as elements of the higher-level flocks and lowest-level flocks are groups of the transport units.
In a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, the flock tracking data is maintained based on one or more of the following:
- location data obtained with a GNSS receiver belonging to one or more carriers transporting the flock under consideration,
- location data obtained with a GNSS receiver attached to a transport unit belonging to the flock under consideration,
- data obtained with monitoring cameras located on routes of the transport units,
- data obtained with radio sensors located on the routes of the transport units,
- a shipment database related to the transport units, and/or
- one or more registry databases in which one or more carriers transporting the flock under consideration are registered.
In a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, the one or more carriers that transport the flock under consideration comprise one or more of the following: a car, a truck, a trailer, a railway carriage, a train, a ship, and/or an airplane.
In a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, the flock descriptor data is updated based on one or more of the following:
- data generated by GNSS lock seals which send an alarm signal when being opened,
- data indicative of radio connectivity, e.g. Bluetooth or Lora connection, to the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, data obtained with monitoring cameras at the one or more logistic hubs
- data obtained with radio sensors, e.g. RFID sensors, at the one or more logistic hubs, and/or
- data obtained with optical sensors, e.g. a bar code and/or a QR code sensor, at the one or more logistic hubs.
In a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment, the one or more logistic hubs comprise one or more of the following: one or more shipping rooms of factories, one or more shipping rooms of warehouses, one or more ports, one or more airports, and/or one or more country border crossing sites.
A computer program according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment comprises computer executable instructions for controlling programmable computer equipment to carry out actions related to a method according to any of the above- described exemplifying embodiments.
A computer program according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment comprises software modules for monitoring transportations. The software modules comprise computer executable instructions for controlling programmable computer equipment to:
- group transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units,
- maintain flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks,
- maintain flock tracking data indicative of a location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks,
- update the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices for monitoring the transport units at one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks, and
- produce, based on the flock tracking data and the updated flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units.
The above-mentioned software modules can be e.g. subroutines or functions implemented with a programming language suitable for the programmable computer equipment.
A computer program product according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment comprises a computer readable medium, e.g. a compact disc “CD”, encoded with a computer program according to an embodiment of invention. A signal according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment is encoded to carry information defining a computer program according to an embodiment of invention.
The specific examples provided in the description given above should not be construed as limiting the scope and/or the applicability of the appended claims. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description given above are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Claims
1. A system for monitoring transportations, the system comprising computer equipment (101 , 201 ) for:
- grouping transport units (104, 204) into flocks (102, 202) each comprising one or more of the transport units,
- maintaining flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks,
- maintaining flock tracking data indicative of location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer (103, 203) system and associated with the flocks, and
- producing, based on the flock tracking data and the flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units, characterized in that the computer equipment is configured to update the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices installed on one or more logistic hubs and configured to monitor the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data received from at least one of the logistic hubs being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks.
2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the computer equipment is configured to group the transport units into hierarchical flocks where higher-level flocks comprise lower-level flocks as elements of the higher-level flocks and lowest-level flocks are groups of the transport units.
3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the computer equipment is configured to maintain the flock tracking data based on one or more of the following: - location data obtained with a global navigation satellite system receiver belonging to one or more carriers transporting the flock under consideration,
- location data obtained with a global navigation satellite system receiver attached to a transport unit belonging to the flock under consideration,
- data obtained with one or more monitoring cameras located on routes of the transport units, - data obtained with one or more radio sensors located on the routes of the transport units,
- a shipment database related to the transport units, and
- one or more registry databases in which one or more carriers transporting the flock under consideration are registered.
4. A system according to any one of claims 1 -3, wherein the computer equipment is configured to update the flock descriptor data based on one or more of the following:
- data generated by one or more global navigation satellite system lock seals,
- data indicative of radio connectivity to the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs,
- data obtained with one or more monitoring cameras at the one or more logistic hubs,
- data obtained with one or more radio sensors at the one or more logistic hubs, and - data obtained with one or more optical sensors at the one or more logistic hubs.
5. A method for monitoring transportations, the method comprising:
- grouping (301 ) transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units,
- maintaining (302) flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks,
- maintaining (303) flock tracking data indicative of a location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks, and
- producing (305), based on the flock tracking data and the flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units, characterized in that the method comprises updating (304) the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices installed on one or more logistic hubs and configured to monitor the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data received from at least one of the logistic hubs being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the method comprises grouping the transport units into hierarchical flocks where higher-level flocks comprise lower-level flocks as elements of the higher-level flocks and lowest-level flocks are groups of the transport units.
7. A method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the flock tracking data is maintained based on one or more of the following:
- location data obtained with a global navigation satellite system receiver belonging to one or more carriers transporting the flock under consideration,
- location data obtained with a global navigation satellite system receiver attached to a transport unit belonging to the flock under consideration, - data obtained with one or more monitoring cameras located on routes of the transport units,
- data obtained with one or more radio sensors located on the routes of the transport units,
- a shipment database related to the transport units, and
- one or more registry databases in which one or more carriers transporting the flock under consideration are registered.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the one or more carriers comprise one or more of the following: a car, a truck, a trailer, a railway carriage, a train, a ship, and an airplane.
9. A method according to any one of claims 5-8, wherein the flock descriptor data is updated based on one or more of the following:
- data generated by one or more global navigation satellite system lock seals, - data indicative of radio connectivity to the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs,
- data obtained with one or more monitoring cameras at the one or more logistic hubs,
- data obtained with one or more radio sensors at the one or more logistic hubs, and
- data obtained with one or more optical sensors at the one or more logistic hubs.
10. A method according to any one of claims 5-9, wherein the one or more logistic hubs comprise one or more of the following: one or more shipping rooms of factories, one or more shipping rooms of warehouses, one or more ports, one or more airports, and one or more country border crossing sites.
11. A computer program for monitoring transportations, the computer program comprising computer executable instructions for controlling programmable computer equipment to: - group transport units into flocks each comprising one or more of the transport units,
- maintain flock descriptor data indicative of grouping of the transport units into the flocks,
- maintain flock tracking data indicative of a location of each of the flocks based on data received from a data transfer system and associated with the flocks, and
- produce, based on the flock tracking data and the flock descriptor data, transport unit tracking data that is indicative of locations of the transport units, characterized in that the computer program further comprises computer executable instructions for controlling the programmable computer equipment to update the flock descriptor data based on monitoring data received, via the data transfer system, from devices installed on one or more logistic hubs and configured to monitor the transport units at the one or more logistic hubs, the monitoring data received from at least one of the logistic hubs being indicative of joining and leaving of the transport units in the flocks.
12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program according to claim 11.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP20768646.0A EP4042349A1 (en) | 2019-10-10 | 2020-08-19 | A system and a method for monitoring transportations |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FI20195870A FI20195870A1 (en) | 2019-10-10 | 2019-10-10 | A system and a method for monitoring transportations |
| FI20195870 | 2019-10-10 |
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| Publication Number | Publication Date |
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| WO2021069791A1 true WO2021069791A1 (en) | 2021-04-15 |
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FI2020/050541 WO2021069791A1 (en) | 2019-10-10 | 2020-08-19 | A system and a method for monitoring transportations |
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| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP4042349A1 (en) |
| FI (1) | FI20195870A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2021069791A1 (en) |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA2550852A1 (en) | 2003-12-30 | 2005-07-21 | United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. | Integrated global tracking and virtual inventory system |
| US20140136218A1 (en) * | 2012-11-12 | 2014-05-15 | Global Healthcare Exchange, Llc | Systems and methods for supply chain management |
| US20180232693A1 (en) * | 2017-02-16 | 2018-08-16 | United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. | Autonomous services selection system and distributed transportation database(s) |
-
2019
- 2019-10-10 FI FI20195870A patent/FI20195870A1/en unknown
-
2020
- 2020-08-19 WO PCT/FI2020/050541 patent/WO2021069791A1/en unknown
- 2020-08-19 EP EP20768646.0A patent/EP4042349A1/en active Pending
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA2550852A1 (en) | 2003-12-30 | 2005-07-21 | United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. | Integrated global tracking and virtual inventory system |
| US20140136218A1 (en) * | 2012-11-12 | 2014-05-15 | Global Healthcare Exchange, Llc | Systems and methods for supply chain management |
| US20180232693A1 (en) * | 2017-02-16 | 2018-08-16 | United Parcel Service Of America, Inc. | Autonomous services selection system and distributed transportation database(s) |
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| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FI20195870A1 (en) | 2021-04-11 |
| EP4042349A1 (en) | 2022-08-17 |
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