WO2025090059A1

WO2025090059A1 - Baggage loading assistance system for passenger vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2025090059A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/035804
Authority: WO
Inventors: Romain Ducos; Ronald Verweij
Original assignee: Safran Cabin Inc
Current assignee: Safran Cabin Inc
Priority date: 2023-10-24
Filing date: 2023-10-24
Publication date: 2025-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 2026-04-24

Abstract

Described are baggage loading assistance systems for passenger vehicles. The baggage loading assistance systems may include a controller and a set of sensors. The controller may be coupled with the passenger vehicles. The set of sensors may be coupled with the controller. The set of sensors may include a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor may be located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle, and the second sensor may be located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle. The first sensor and the second sensor may be arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

Description

BAGGAGE LOADING ASSISTANCE SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER VEHICLE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The field of the invention relates to baggage loading systems, and, more particularly, to a baggage loading assistance system for passenger vehicles.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Passenger vehicles, such as aircraft, buses, trains, ships, and automobiles, often include a cargo bay or other compartment sized to receive baggage for passengers traveling on the passenger vehicles. Storing baggage in the compartments may be labor- intensive, and workers may not recall locations of the baggage. Additionally, some passengers may miss the passenger vehicle or otherwise decide not to use the passenger vehicle. Identifying baggage for these passengers is difficult and leads to significant delays in trips taken by the passenger vehicle .

SUMMARY

[0003] The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings and each claim.

[0004] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a baggage loading assistance system may be used for a passenger vehicle. The baggage loading assistance system may include a controller and a set of sensors. The controller may be coupled with the passenger vehicle. The set of sensors may be coupled with the controller. The set of sensors may include a first sensor and a second sensor. The first sensor may be located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle, and the second sensor may be located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle. The first sensor and the second sensor may be arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

[0005] In some embodiments, the controller may be positioned on the passenger vehicle, and the controller may be wirelessly coupled with the plurality of sensors.

[0006] In certain embodiments, the baggage loading assistance system may additionally include a user device that may be configured to provide a user interface. The controller may be wirelessly coupled with the user device, and the user interface may be configured to provide locations of the one or more articles of baggage. Tire user interface may be used by a baggage-loading entity to load or locate the one or more articles of baggage with respect to the baggage holding compartment.

[0007] In various embodiments, the first sensor and the second sensor may each include an artificial intelligence module that may be configured to execute an artificial intelligence model to identify the one or more articles of baggage. [0008] In some embodiments, the artificial intelligence model may include a computer vision model that may be configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage.

[0009] In certain embodiments, the physical features of the one or more articles of baggage may include a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and a type of article of baggage of the one or more articles of baggage.

[0010] In various embodiments, the first sensor may be configured to identify an owner of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and the second sensor may be configured to identify a position of each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment.

[0011] In some embodiments, the set of sensors may further include one or more additional sensors, and the one or more additional sensors may be located within the baggage holding compartment.

[0012] In certain embodiments, the one or more additional sensors may be configured to use an artificial intelligence model to determine locations of a subset of the one or more articles of baggage. The controller may be configured to use a first output of the second sensor and a second output of the one or more additional sensors to determine locations for each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment.

[0013] In various embodiments, the first sensor, the second sensor, and the one or more additional sensors may each be the same type of sensor.

[0014] In some embodiments, each sensor of the set of sensors may be integrally formed with a lighting element or an infrared source. [0015] In certain embodiments, each sensor of the set of sensors may be located adjacent to a lighting element or an infrared source.

[0016] In various embodiments, the controller may be configured to receive an artificial intelligence model from a cloud computing source, and each sensor of the set of sensors may be configured to receive the artificial intelligence model from the controller. [0017] In some embodiments, each sensor of the set of sensors may include a camera.

[0018] In certain embodiments, a baggage loading system may include a baggage conveyor device, and the baggage loading assistance system.

[0019] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a computing system may include a controller module, a first sensor module, and a second sensor module. The controller module may be communicatively coupled with a first sensor module and a second sensor module. The controller module may be configured to provide instructions to the first sensor module and the second sensor module. The first sensor module may be coupled with the controller module, and the first sensor module may be located at an entry point of baggage into a passenger vehicle. The second sensor module may be coupled with the controller module, and the second sensor module may be located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle. The first sensor module and the second sensor module may be arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first sensor module and the second sensor module may each include an artificial intelligence module that is configured to receive an artificial intelligence model from the controller module to identify the one or more articles of baggage. [0021] In certain embodiments, the artificial intelligence model may include a computer vision model that may be configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage. The physical features of the one or more articles of baggage may include a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage.

[0022] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, a baggage loading assistance system can be used for a passenger vehicle. The baggage loading assistance system may include a controller, a first sensor, and a set of sensors. The controller may be coupled with the passenger vehicle. The first sensor may be coupled with the controller, and the first sensor may be located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle. The set of sensors may be coupled with the controller. The set of sensors may be located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle. The first sensor and the plurality of sensors may be arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

[0023] In various embodiments, the first sensor may be integrally formed with a light source, and each sensor of the set of sensors may be integrally formed with a light source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a passenger vehicle with a baggage loading system according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a baggage loading assistance system according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a sensor module of the baggage loading assistance system of Figure 2 positioned on an exterior portion of a passenger vehicle.

[0027] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a set of sensor modules of the baggage loading assistance system of Figure 2 positioned in an interior portion of a passenger vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

[0029] The described embodiments of the invention provide baggage loading assistance systems for passenger vehicles. While the baggage loading assistance systems are discussed for use with aircraft, they are by no means so limited. Rather, embodiments of the baggage loading assistance systems may be used in other passenger vehicles or other vehicles of any type or otherwise as desired.

[0030] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a passenger vehicle 100 with a baggage loading system 102 according to certain embodiments of the present invention. The passenger vehicle 100 may include a baggage compartment 104 or other suitable cargo bay that may be sized, arranged, or the like for receiving and/or storing baggage, such as baggage 106, or other goods to be transported with the passenger vehicle 100. The baggage loading system 102 may include a baggage container 108 and a baggage conveyor 110. The baggage container 108 may at least temporarily store baggage, for example to transport baggage from a receiving area (e.g., a terminal) to the passenger vehicle 100. The baggage container 108 may be coupled with the baggage conveyor 110, which may be configured to mechanically transfer the baggage from the baggage container 108 to the baggage compartment 104 of the passenger vehicle 100. [0031] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, and as illustrated in Figures 2-4, a baggage loading assistance system 200 comprises a controller 202 and a set of sensors 204. In some embodiments, a baggage loading system, such as the baggage loading system 102, may include a baggage conveyor device, such as the baggage conveyor 110, and the baggage loading assistance system 200. The controller 202 may be coupled with a passenger vehicle such as the passenger vehicle 100. The set of sensors may include a first sensor 206a, a second sensor 206b, and an nth sensor 206n, which represents an unbounded number of sensors in addition to the first sensor 206a and the second sensor 206b. The first sensor 206a may be located at an entry point 302 of baggage 106 into the passenger vehicle 100. The second sensor 206b may be located in a baggage holding compartment 402, such as the baggage compartment 104, of the passenger vehicle 100. The first sensor 206a and the second sensor 206b may be arranged to track one or more articles of baggage, such as the baggage 106, with respect to the passenger vehicle 100.

[0032] As best illustrated with respect to Figure 2, the controller 202 may be positioned on the passenger vehicle 100, and the controller 202 may be wirelessly coupled with the set of sensors 204. For example, the controller 202 may be communicatively coupled with network 209, which may be or include a local area network, a wide area network (e.g., the Internet, etc.), or the like. The controller 202 may be configured to provide instructions to the first sensor 206a, the second sensor 206b, and/or the nth sensor 206n. In some embodiments, the baggage loading assistance system 200 may additionally include a user device 208 such as a first user device 208a (e.g., a personal computing device, computer server, etc.) or a second user device 208b (e.g., a mobile computing device, a tablet, etc.). The controller 202 may be wirelessly coupled with the user device 208, for example via the network 209. The user device 208 may be configured to provide a user interface that may be configured to provide locations of one or more articles of baggage such as the baggage 106. The user device 208, such as via the user interface, may be used by a baggage-loading entity to load or locate the one or more articles of baggage with respect to the baggage holding compartment 402.

[0033] As best illustrated with respect to Figure 2, the first sensor 206a and the second sensor 206b may each include an artificial intelligence module 210 that may be configured to execute an artificial intelligence model to identify the one or more articles of baggage. The artificial intelligence model may include a computer vision model that may be configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage. The physical features of the one or more articles of baggage may include a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a type of article of baggage of the one or more articles of baggage and''or any other suitable physical features of the one or more articles of baggage. In some embodiments, the controller 202 may be configured to receive the artificial intelligence model from a cloud computing source, and each sensor of the set of sensors 204 may be configured to receive the artificial intelligence model from the controller 202. Additionally, the controller 202, the first sensor 206a, the second sensor 206b, and/or the nth sensor 206n may include a power management module 214 and a processing and communication module 216. The power management module 214 may manage power and may facilitate receiving and/or using electricity. The processing and communication module 216 may facilitate communication between (or within) the set of sensors 204 and/or the controller 202.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first sensor 206a may be configured to identify an owner of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and the second sensor 206b may be configured to identify a position of each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment 402. Additionally or alternatively, the set of sensors 204 may include one or more additional sensors, such as the nth sensor 206n, and the one or more additional sensors may be located within the baggage holding compartment 402. The one or more additional sensors may be configured to use an artificial intelligence model to determine locations of a subset of the one or more articles of baggage. The controller 202 may be configured to use a first output of the second sensor 206b and a second output of the one or more additional sensors to determine locations for each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment 402.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first sensor 206a, the second sensor 206b, and the one or more additional sensors may each be the same type of sensor. Each sensor of the set of sensors 204 may be integrally formed with a lighting element or an infrared source. Additionally or alternatively, each sensor of the set of sensors 204 may be located adjacent to a lighting element or an infrared source. In some embodiments, each sensor of the set of sensors 204 may include a camera, may be communicatively coupled with a camera, and the like.

[0036] In some embodiments, the baggage loading assistance system 200, or any component thereof, may include various metals or metallic elements as desired, including but not limited to aluminum, an aluminum alloy, titanium, a titanium alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, brass, a brass alloy, steel, a steel alloy, stainless steel or a stainless-steel alloy, any combinations thereof, or any other suitable metal or metallic alloy. In other non-limiting examples, the baggage loading assistance system 200, or any component thereof, may include other types of metallic elements, such as titanium, zinc, and the like, or metallic alloys such as titanium alloys, zinc alloys, and the like. In some embodiments, some components (e.g., the controller 202, the set of sensors 204, etc.) of the baggage loading assistance system 200 may include non-metallic elements such as rubber, polymer, plastics, and the like. [0037] In the following, further examples are described to facilitate the understanding of the invention:

[0038] Example 1. A baggage loading assistance system for a passenger vehicle, the baggage loading assistance system comprising: a controller coupled with the passenger vehicle; and a plurality of sensors coupled with the controller, the plurality of sensors comprising a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle, the second sensor located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

[0039] Example 2. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the controller is positioned on the passenger vehicle, and wherein the controller is wirelessly coupled with the plurality of sensors.

[0040] Example 3. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, further comprising: a user device that is configured to provide a user interface, wherein the controller is wirelessly coupled with the user device, wherein the user interface is configured to provide locations of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the user interface is usable by a baggage-loading entity to load or locate the one or more articles of baggage with respect to the baggage holding compartment.

[0041] Example 4. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor each include an artificial intelligence module that is configured to execute an artificial intelligence model to identify the one or more articles of baggage.

[0042] Example 5. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the artificial intelligence model includes a computer vision model that is configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage. [0043] Example 6. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the physical features of the one or more articles of baggage comprise a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage.

[0044] Example 7. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the first sensor is configured to identify an owner of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the second sensor is configured to identify a position of each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment.

[0045] Example 8. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the plurality of sensors further comprises one or more additional sensors, and wherein the one or more additional sensors are located within the baggage holding compartment.

[0046] Example 9. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the one or more additional sensors are configured to use an artificial intelligence model to determine locations of a subset of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the controller is configured to use a first output of the second sensor and a second output of the one or more additional sensors to determine locations for each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment.

[0047] Example 10. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the first sensor, the second sensor, and the one or more additional sensors are each the same type of sensor. [0048] Example 11 . The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is integrally formed with a lighting element or an infrared source.

[0049] Example 12. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is located adjacent to a lighting element or an infrared source.

[0050] Example 13. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the controller is configured to receive an artificial intelligence model from a cloud computing source, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to receive the artificial intelligence model from the controller.

[0051] Example 14. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors comprises a camera.

[0052] Example 15. A baggage loading system comprising: a baggage conveyor device; and the baggage loading assistance system of claim 1 .

[0053] Example 16. A computing system comprising: a controller module communicatively coupled with a first sensor module and a second sensor module, the controller module configured to provide instructions to the first sensor module and the second sensor module: a first sensor module coupled with the controller module, the first sensor module located at an entry point of baggage into a passenger vehicle; and a second sensor module coupled with the controller module, the second sensor module located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle, wherein the first sensor module and the second sensor module are arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

[0054] Example 17. The computing system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the first sensor module and the second sensor module each include an artificial intelligence module that is configured to receive an artificial intelligence model from the controller module to identify the one or more articles of baggage.

[0055] Example 18. The computing system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the artificial intelligence model includes a computer vision model that is configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the physical features of the one or more articles of baggage comprise a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage.

[0056] Example 19. A baggage loading assistance system for a passenger vehicle, the baggage loading assistance system comprising: a controller coupled with the passenger vehicle; a first sensor coupled with the controller, the first sensor located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle: and a plurality of sensors coupled with the controller, the plurality of sensors located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle, wherein the first sensor and the plurality of sensors are arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

[0057] Example 20. The baggage loading assistance system of any of the preceding or subsequent examples, wherein the first sensor is integrally formed with a light source, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is integrally formed with a light source.

[0058] Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and sub-combinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.

Claims

CLAIMS That which is claimed is:

1. A baggage loading assistance system for a passenger vehicle, the baggage loading assistance system comprising: a controller coupled with the passenger vehicle; and a plurality of sensors coupled with the controller, the plurality of sensors comprising a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle, the second sensor located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

2. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein the controller is positioned on the passenger vehicle, and wherein the controller is wirelessly coupled with the plurality of sensors.

3. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 2, further comprising: a user device that is configured to provide a user interface, wherein the controller is wirelessly coupled with the user device, wherein the user interface is configured to provide locations of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the user interface is usable by a baggage-loading entity to load or locate the one or more articles of baggage with respect to the baggage holding compartment.

4. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor and the second sensor each include an artificial intelligence module that is configured to execute an artificial intelligence model to identify the one or more articles of baggage.

5. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 4, wherein the artificial intelligence model includes a computer vision model that is configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage.

6. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 5, wherein the physical features of the one or more articles of baggage comprise a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and a type of article of baggage of the one or more articles of baggage.

7. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is configured to identify an owner of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the second sensor is configured to identify a position of each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment.

8. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of sensors further comprises one or more additional sensors, and wherein the one or more additional sensors are located within the baggage holding compartment.

9. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 8, wherein the one or more additional sensors are configured to use an artificial intelligence model to determine locations of a subset of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the controller is configured to use a first output of the second sensor and a second output of the one or more additional sensors to determine locations for each article of the one or more articles of baggage within the baggage holding compartment.

10. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 9, wherein the first sensor, the second sensor, and the one or more additional sensors are each the same type of sensor.

11. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is integrally formed with a lighting element or an infrared source.

12. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is located adjacent to a lighting element or an infrared source.

13. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive an artificial intelligence model from a cloud computing source, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to receive the artificial intelligence model from the controller.

14. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 1, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors comprises a camera.

15. A baggage loading system comprising: a baggage conveyor device; and the baggage loading assistance system of claim 1.

16. A computing system comprising: a controller module communicatively coupled with a first sensor module and a second sensor module, the controller module configured to provide instructions to the first sensor module and the second sensor module; a first sensor module coupled with the controller module, the first sensor module located at an entry point of baggage into a passenger vehicle; and a second sensor module coupled with the controller module, the second sensor module located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle, wherein the first sensor module and the second sensor module are arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the first sensor module and the second sensor module each include an artificial intelligence module that is configured to receive an artificial intelligence model from the controller module to identify the one or more articles of baggage.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the artificial intelligence model includes a computer vision model that is configured to identify physical features of the one or more articles of baggage, and wherein the physical features of the one or more articles of baggage comprise a size of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a shape of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, a color of each article of the one or more articles of baggage, and a luggage tag of each article of the one or more articles of baggage.

19. A baggage loading assistance system for a passenger vehicle, the baggage loading assistance system comprising: a controller coupled with the passenger vehicle; a first sensor coupled with the controller, the first sensor located at an entry point of baggage into the passenger vehicle; and a plurality of sensors coupled with the controller, the plurality of sensors located in a baggage holding compartment of the passenger vehicle, wherein the first sensor and the plurality of sensors are arranged to track one or more articles of baggage with respect to the passenger vehicle.

20. The baggage loading assistance system of claim 19, wherein the first sensor is integrally formed with a light source, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors is integrally formed with a light source.