Method and apparatus for quay container crane-based automated optical container code recognition with positional identification

1. A method providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising the steps of:

generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one video imaging device mechanically coupled to said quay container crane;

generating a positional identification of said container; and

sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;

wherein the step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of the steps of:

acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device; and

applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;

acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and

compressing said first container code image to create said container code image.

2. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the step generating said positional identification of said container is further comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:

generating a loading-operation designation for said container;

generating a storage-location designation for said container; and

generating a terminal location for said quay container crane.

3. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of the steps of:

sending a packet from a network to create a received packet; and

creating said packet from at least part of at least one member of a sending-data collection;

wherein said sending-data collection is comprised of said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container;

wherein said network employs at least one member of a physical transport collection in communicating from said quay container crane to container inventory management system;

wherein said physical transport collection is comprised of at least one wireline physical transport layer and at least one wireless physical transport layer.

4. The method of claim 3 ,

wherein the step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the steps of:

writing said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to a removable non-volatile memory;

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a file contained in said removable non-volatile memory; and

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a record contained in said removable non-volatile memory.

5. A program system implementing the method of claim 1 by controlling a computer through a collection of program steps implementing the steps of claim 1 ,

wherein said program steps reside in a memory accessibly coupled with said computer.

6. A system implementing the method of claim 1 , comprising a means implementing each of the steps of claim 1 .

7. The system of claim 6 ,

wherein at least one of said means of claim 6 is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising: an instruction processor, an inferential processor, a finite state machine, and a memory;

wherein said instruction processor includes at least one member of the collection comprising: a Single Instruction Single Datapath (SISD) processor, a Single Instruction Multiple Datapath (SIMD) processor, a Multiple Instruction Single Datapath (MISD) processor, a Multiple Instruction Multiple Datapath (MIMD) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC), a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) and a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) computer;

wherein said inferential processor includes at least one member of the collection comprising: a rule-based inferential processor, a constraint-based inferential processor, and a fuzzy logic engine;

wherein said finite state machine includes at least one member of the collection comprising: at least part of a programmable logic device, at least part of an application specific integrated circuit;

wherein said programmable logic device includes at least one member of the collection comprising: a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA), a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), a Complex Programmable Logic Array (CPLA);

wherein said memory includes at least one member of the collection comprising: a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory;

wherein said non-volatile memory includes at least one member of the collection comprising: a writeable non-volatile memory and a Read Only Memory (ROM);

wherein said writeable non-volatile memory includes at least one member of the collection comprising: an electro-magnetically interfaced non-volatile memory and an optically interfaced non-volatile memory.

8. An optical characteristic system providing container code recognition from a quay container crane of a container identified by a container code to a container inventory management system, comprising:

a computer communicatively coupled to at least one video imaging device and controlled by a program system comprising program steps residing in a memory accessibly coupled to said computer;

said video imaging device is mechanically coupled to said quay container crane, for each of said video imaging devices;

wherein said program system is further comprised of the program steps of:

generating an optical characteristic of said container code based upon at least one of said video imaging devices;

generating a positional identification of said container; and

sending said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to said container inventory management system;

wherein the program step generating said optical characteristic of said container code is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:

acquiring at least one container code image of a container representation of said container code imaged from said video imaging device;

applying an optical character recognition process to said container code image to create an estimated container code;

acquiring a first container code image from said video imaging device of said container representation of said container code; and

processing said first container code image to create said container code image.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 ,

wherein the program step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of the program steps of:

sending a packet from a network to create a received packet; and

creating said packet from at least part of at least one member of a sending-data collection;

wherein said sending-data collection is comprised of said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container;

wherein said network employs at least one member of a physical transport collection in communicating from said quay container crane to container inventory management system;

wherein said physical transport collection is comprised of at least one wireline physical transport layer and at least one wireless physical transport layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 ,

wherein the program step sending said optical characteristic and said positional identification, is comprised of at least one member of the collection comprising the program steps of:

writing said optical characteristic of said container code and said positional identification of said container to a removable non-volatile memory;

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a file contained in said removable non-volatile memory; and

writing at least one member of said sending-data collection to a record contained in said removable non-volatile memory.