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DE-112019005622-B4 - Electronic pallet with internal safety function

DE112019005622B4DE 112019005622 B4DE112019005622 B4DE 112019005622B4DE-112019005622-B4

Abstract

Method performed by a control device (96) in an electronic pallet (90) to secure the electronic pallet (90) when the electronic pallet is loaded onto a vehicle (1), wherein the electronic pallet (90) comprises an energy storage device (95) configured to exchange energy with the vehicle (1), the method comprising: - Detecting (S1) a shift of the electronic palette (90), and - Activating (S3) a safety function in the electronic palette (90) based on the detected displacement.

Inventors

  • Morgan Colling
  • Mikko Kallio
  • Sami Teppola
  • Tomas Skeppström
  • André Claesson
  • Robert Sjödin
  • LINUS ÄHRLIG

Assignees

  • SCANIA CV AB

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20191119
Priority Date
20181214

Claims (20)

  1. A method performed by a control device (96) in an electronic pallet (90) to secure the electronic pallet (90) when the electronic pallet is loaded onto a vehicle (1), wherein the electronic pallet (90) includes an energy storage device (95) configured to exchange energy with the vehicle (1), the method comprising: - detecting (S1) a displacement of the electronic pallet (90), and - activating (S3) a securing function in the electronic pallet (90) based on the detected displacement.
  2. Procedure according to Claim 1 , comprising: - Determining (S2) whether the detected displacement is permissible, and activating (S3) the safeguard function in response to determining that the displacement is impermissible.
  3. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2 , where the detection (S1) is a detection of a displacement of the electronic palette (90) in relation to the vehicle (1) includes.
  4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the detection (S1) of the displacement comprises detecting an interruption of an electrical connection or a wireless communication link between the electronic pallet (90) and the vehicle (1).
  5. A method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: - Obtaining (S0) position data defining a position of the electronic pallet (90) and one or more permissible routes of the electronic pallet (90), and wherein the detection (S1) of the displacement comprises detecting a deviation of the obtained position from the one or more permissible routes of the electronic pallet (90).
  6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the activation comprises deactivating the energy withdrawal from the and/or charging the energy storage device (95).
  7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the activation comprises locking the electronic pallet (90) to the vehicle (1).
  8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the activation comprises sending an alarm to an external device.
  9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the activation comprises switching off a vehicle (1) on which the electronic pallet (90) is loaded, or hindering the unloading of the electronic pallet (90) or the goods located thereon.
  10. Electronic pallet (90) configured to be loaded onto a vehicle (1), the electronic pallet (90) comprising: - an energy storage device (95) configured to exchange energy with the vehicle (1), - a sensing arrangement (92) configured to detect a displacement of the electronic pallet (90), and - a control device (96) configured to activate a safety function of the electronic pallet (90) based on a displacement detected by the sensing arrangement (92).
  11. Electronic palette (90) according to Claim 10 , wherein the control device (96) is configured to determine whether the detected displacement is permissible and to activate the safety function in response to determining that the displacement is impermissible.
  12. Electronic palette (90) according to Claim 10 or 11 , wherein the detection arrangement (92) is configured to detect a displacement of the electronic pallet (90) relative to the vehicle (1).
  13. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 12 , wherein the detection arrangement (92) comprises a positioning device (92a) configured to determine a position of the electronic pallet (90), and wherein the control device (96) is configured to obtain one or more permissible routes of the electronic pallet (90), and to activate the safeguarding function in response to the detection of a deviation of the determined position from the one or more obtained permissible routes.
  14. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 13 , wherein the detection arrangement (92) is configured to detect an interruption of an electrical connection or a wireless communication link between the electronic pallet (90) and the vehicle (1).
  15. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 14 , comprising: - a securing device (91) configured to secure the electronic pallet (90) to a vehicle (1) onto which the electronic pallet (90) is loaded, and wherein the control device (96) is configured to lock the electronic pallet (90) to the vehicle (1) in response to the detection of displacement.
  16. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 15 , comprising: - a first communication interface (963a) configured to enable communication with a vehicle (1) on which the electronic pallet (90) is loaded, and wherein the control device (96) is configured to send a deactivation signal to the vehicle using the first communication interface (963a) based on the specified displacement.
  17. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 15 , comprising: - a second communication interface (963b) configured to enable communication with an external device, wherein the control device (963b) is configured to send an alarm to an external device based on the detected displacement using the to send to the second communication interface (963b).
  18. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 17 , wherein the control device (96) is configured to disable energy withdrawal from and/or charging of the energy storage device (95) based on the detected displacement.
  19. Electronic palette (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 17 , wherein the control device (96) is configured to switch off a vehicle (1) onto which the electronic pallet (90) is loaded or to prevent the unloading of the electronic pallet (90) or the goods on it.
  20. Vehicle (1) that carries the electronic pallet (90) according to one of the Claims 10 until 18 includes.

Description

Technical field The present disclosure relates to techniques relating to vehicles and an electronic pallet for transporting stacked objects. The disclosure also relates to a corresponding method and a computer program for carrying out the proposed method. background In vehicle transport, pallets are commonly used to move goods from one place to another (e.g., from a warehouse to a retail store). Once the desired quantity of goods has been loaded or stacked onto the pallet, a forklift, hand pallet jack, or other device is typically inserted under and/or through the pallet, allowing it to be lifted vertically off the ground. After lifting, the pallet and the products stacked on it can be moved to a storage area in a warehouse, loaded onto a truck used for distribution, or taken to another desired location. Pallets allow numerous products to be conveniently moved and stored in groups, increasing shipping and transportation efficiency. The loss of goods due to theft during transport on vehicles is a recognized problem, as pallets can be relatively easily unloaded with a forklift or similar equipment. One way to prevent theft is to equip the pallets with electronic tags that allow for tracking. For example, the US patent application describes US2008/103944 (A1) An intelligent pallet with an embedded active RFID tag. The pallet is used within a leasing system and/or an inventory management system. However, with the increasing use of autonomous vehicles, where no driver is present to prevent theft, further measures are also desirable to actually prevent theft in advance. Summary It is a task of disclosure to reduce at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art. For example, one task is to provide a solution that prevents the theft of a pallet loaded on a vehicle and makes it easy to track the pallet if it is stolen. According to a first embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method performed by a control device in an electronic pallet to secure the electronic pallet when it is loaded onto a vehicle. The electronic pallet includes an energy storage device configured to exchange energy with the vehicle. The method involves detecting a displacement of the electronic pallet and activating a security function in the electronic pallet based on the detected displacement. This prevents theft of the electronic pallet. In contrast to prior art solutions, the security function is performed by the electronic pallet itself and not by a system external to the vehicle. In some embodiments, the method includes determining whether the detected displacement is permissible, and the activation of the safety function is performed in response to the determination that the displacement is impermissible. This prevents the safety function from being activated in the case of a permissible displacement, such as unloading the pallet. In some embodiments, the detection includes recording any movement of the electronic pallet relative to the vehicle. This allows for the detection of unloading of goods, which could be an indication of theft. In some embodiments, displacement detection involves detecting the interruption of an electrical connection or a wireless communication link between the electronic pallet and the vehicle. These are simple methods of displacement detection that do not require complex hardware that can be damaged or destroyed. In some embodiments, the method includes acquiring position data that defines the position of the electronic pallet and one or more permissible routes of the electronic pallet, and detecting the displacement includes detecting any deviation of the acquired position from the one or more permissible routes of the electronic pallet. This allows the security function to be activated if someone steals the entire vehicle and drives off with the electronic pallet (and the goods). In some embodiments, activation includes disabling energy withdrawal from and/or charging the energy storage device. This renders the electronic pallet unusable if it is stolen. In some embodiments, activation includes locking the electronic pallet to the vehicle. This prevents theft of the electronic pallet. In some embodiments, activation includes sending an alarm to an external device. This alerts people in the vicinity, e.g., the driver of the vehicle, to the movement. In some embodiments, activation includes deactivating a vehicle on which the electronic pallet is loaded, or hindering the unloading of the electronic pallet or the goods contained therein. According to a second embodiment, the disclosure relates to an electronic pallet configured for loading onto a vehicle. The electronic pallet comprises an energy storage device, a sensing arrangement, and a control device. The energy storage device is configured to exchange energy with the vehicle. The sensing arrangement is configured to detect a displacement of the electronic pallet, and the control device is configured to activate a safety function of the electronic pal