Computer-Assisted Determination of Out-of-Gauge Grade of Goods Based on Space Geometry

Due to the complex shape and huge bulk of out-of-gauge goods, it is difficult and error-prone to determine the level of out-of-gauge just by manual calculation with a large workload. In order to solve this problem, quantitative partition of the outer contour of goods was performed according to space geometry and spatial relative position, and a screening and optimization algorithm was used to find the calculation points and to judge the out-of-gauge grade of the goods automatically. An application example show that the out-of-gauge grade of the cargo is reduced to the second level from the supper level that is originally judged by the conventional method using simple and regular outer contours. The outer contour of goods obtained by this algorithm is more close to the actuality, and the errors of out-of-gauge grade caused by overevaluation of the practical contour using simple and regular outer contours is reduced. In addition, through computer-assisted calculation of the out-of-gauge grade of big cargoes, this algorithm can reduce the calculating time to less than 10 min, with a 66% improvement in the calculation speed over the traditional algorithm.