Uhnder Inc, specialists in digital imaging radar technologies for the logistics industry, and Yunshan Technologies have delivered a digital perception radar sensor solution for use in autonomous trucks operating in container ports.
Additionally, the parties said China Merchants Ports (CMPort) is deploying the digital perception radar technology in a fleet of autonomous trucks operating at its Mawan Smart Port in Shenzhen, China.
In a statement, Wang Pei, China Merchants Information Technology (CMHIT), a subsidiary of CMPort that specialises in port, terminal and logistics technology solutions, said smart port development is of “key importance”.
“We are deploying the newest digital radar sensing technologies in our fleet of autonomous trucks to enable efficient and safe operation, even in extremely challenging conditions due to rain, fog, or dust.”
Uhnder said its digital perception radar solution provides high-precision data to ensure an autonomous truck arrives in the correct position, to within five centimetres, for automated container movement between the ship and storage or departure areas.
Additionally, it said a large number of co-located radars operating within the industrial port to co-exist reliably. This is a challenge that analogue radar solutions have not been able to meet, the company claimed.
The digital radar reduces cost of operations and increases safety, both of which are essential for ports to process an increasing number of containers efficiently.
The Uhnder digital perception radar solution generates a rich 4D point cloud with the ability to detect and track thousands of objects. The Uhnder digital radar high contrast resolution capability enables perception solutions to clearly identify closely spaced objects common in the port setting, for example, a worker next to a container.
The sensor solution uses a digital code modulation that results in best-in-class interference immunity performance.
David Loadman, VP Business Development, Uhnder, said the company is focused on the logistics mobility market and that port automation is one of the “early adoption-use cases of digital radar technology”.
“The exceptional results we expect to see from the partnership with Yunshan will demonstrate how Uhnder digital radar technology can accelerate smart port automation,” Loadman continued.