Abstract: Provided are systems, methods, and computer-program products for tracking and locating shipping containers in rail car unloading operations in a railway switchyard using a rail mounted gantry crane. The systems, methods, and computer program products configured to establish the position of shipping containers loaded on rail cars within a rail yard. The position of the shipping containers can be conveyed in terms of relative or absolute coordinates. The systems, methods, and computer program products can use a variety of inputs, rules, and calculations to establish the final resting places of containers mounted on rail cars. The position information may be used to provide various functionality, including creating a log or record of the location of containers or to guide rail mounted gantry (RMG) cranes to unload and work the train(s) of interest.

Abstract: The invention provides for systems and methods for location-identification and monitoring of objects, such as shipping containers, at a transit terminal using an automated vision based tracking system. Such a system is ideally suited to provide minimal error rates, low cost implementation, real-time data and automatic merging of data with corresponding object identification systems and terminal operating systems. The systems and methods of the present invention provide for location-tracking of objects without the need to retrofit the objects with a tagging or marker device. The vision-based system incorporates the use of multiple imaging devices and a hand-off method for tracking the location of the objects over extended distances.