| There is increasing concerns regarding national security risks associated with international freight and cargo shipments. The existing container/trailer security monitoring systems for transportation logistics use conventional methods and technologies such as video cameras, infrared sensors and ultrasonic proximity sensors (line of sight configuration). However high cost, failures owing to adverse weather conditions, inaccurate detection of cargo condition due to variable material/configurations encountered in freight transport are some of the reasons for the limited success of conventional monitoring systems. This research applies signal processing techniques to the analysis of acoustical responses which contributes toward the development of an intermodal container load status and security monitoring system. In this manner, the drawbacks of the existing conventional methods are reduced by incorporating the recent advances in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and acoustical signature monitoring (ASM). Experimental results are given demonstrating that the concept of ASM is an effective technique for unproved monitoring and load status assessment of intermodal containers and trailers. |
