IP Library Granted Patent US 11,122,388
Granted Patent B2
US 11,122,388 · App. 17/013,478 · Granted Sep 14, 2021

Method and system for container location analysis

Inventors: Tyler Benjamin (San Francisco, CA); Justin Armstrong (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Compology, Inc.
H04W4/022G06K9/6218G06Q10/087H04W4/023H04W4/029H04M1/724H04M1/72403H04W88/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,122,388
App. No.
17/013,478
Granted
Sep 14, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method for container location analysis, preferably including one or more of: determining a candidate geofence, determining a set of geofences, and/or adjusting geofence positions. A system for fill level determination, preferably including a computing system, and optionally including one or more containers and/or one or more location sensors associated with each container.

Claims (42)

1. A method for location analysis, comprising:

receiving a set of initial geofences, each initial geofence of the set defining a respective position in a space and a respective shape;

determining a plurality of candidate geofence positions in the space;

for each initial geofence of the set:

selecting a neighboring geofence from the set of initial geofences;

based on the initial geofence and the neighboring geofence, selecting, from the plurality of candidate geofence positions, a respective set of candidate geofence positions; and

if the respective set of candidate geofence positions consists of a single candidate geofence position, adding the initial geofence to an eligible subset of geofences;

based on the respective sets of candidate geofence positions, determining an eligible subset of candidate geofence positions, wherein no candidate geofence position of the eligible subset of candidate geofence positions is included in more than one respective set of candidate geofence positions; and

for each geofence of the eligible subset of geofences, if the respective single candidate geofence position is included in the eligible subset of candidate geofence positions, relocating the geofence position to the respective single candidate geofence position, wherein, for a first geofence of the eligible subset of geofences, the respective single candidate geofence position is included in the eligible subset of candidate geofence positions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the neighboring geofence is selected based on a distance L* between the initial geofence and the neighboring geofence; and

the respective set of candidate geofence positions is selected such that a distance from the initial geofence to each candidate geofence position of the respective set is less than a respective threshold distance, wherein the respective threshold distance is determined based on the distance L*.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the distance L* is defined between a center of the initial geofence and a center of the neighboring geofence.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein, for each initial geofence of the set, the respective set of candidate geofences is selected such that a distance from the initial geofence to each candidate geofence of the respective set is less than a respective threshold distance.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein, for each initial geofence of the set, the respective threshold distance is determined based on the distance L*.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein, for each initial geofence of the set, the respective threshold distance is less than L*/2.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a location dataset comprising a set of locations in the space, wherein the plurality of candidate geofence positions is determined based on the set of locations.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the set of locations comprises an unassigned subset, wherein each location of the unassigned subset is not enclosed by any initial geofence of the set;

the method further comprises, after relocating the geofence positions, based on the unassigned subset, determining a third set of geofences;

each geofence of the third set defines a respective position in the space and a respective shape; and

each geofence of the third set encloses a respective plurality of locations of the unassigned subset.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the set of locations comprises a plurality of subsets, each subset associated with a different container of a plurality of containers; and

determining the plurality of candidate geofences comprises, for each subset of the plurality of subsets:

based on the subset, selecting an initial position;

based on the initial position, selecting a cluster of locations of the subset; and

determining a respective candidate geofence of the plurality based on the cluster of locations of the subset.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the set of locations comprises a plurality of subsets, each subset associated with a different container of a plurality of containers, wherein the plurality of containers comprises a dumpster.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first geofence is associated with a waste generation site.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a second geofence of the set of initial geofences is associated with a waste disposal site.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the set of locations comprises a plurality of subsets, each subset associated with a different container of a plurality of containers, wherein the plurality of containers comprises an intermodal freight container.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a location dataset comprising a set of locations in the space, the set of locations comprising a plurality of subsets, each subset associated with a different container of a plurality of containers; and

based on the set of locations, determining a location type for a geofence in the space.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the set of initial geofences comprises the geofence.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the location type is a waste generation location.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the location type is a waste disposal location.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the location type is a container depot location.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein determining the location type is performed based on a first subset of the set of locations, wherein a location of the first subset is located within the geofence.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first subset is associated with a first container, wherein determining the location type is performed based further on metadata associated with the first container.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the metadata comprises a time series indicative of a first container fill level.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 25, 2023
From: COMPOLOGY LLC
To: AVIDBANK
Reel/Frame 063437/0364 →
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 27, 2022
From: COMPOLOGY INC.; RR TACTICAL MERGER SUB II LLC; RR TACTICAL MERGER SUB II LLC
To: COMPOLOGY LLC
Reel/Frame 061566/0127 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2020
From: BENJAMIN, TYLER; ARMSTRONG, JUSTIN
To: COMPOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 053700/0529 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16845997 · Apr 10, 2020
Provisional Application 62832783 · Apr 11, 2019
Related Publication 20200404449A1 · Dec 24, 2020