IP Library Granted Patent US 12,561,333
Granted Patent B2
US 12,561,333 · App. 18/160,601 · Granted Feb 24, 2026

Weighted trajectory similarity determination based on sub-trajectory querying

Inventors: Vinicius Michel Gottin (Rio de Janeiro, BR); Paulo Abelha Ferreira (Rio de Janeiro, BR); Pablo Nascimento da Silva (Niterói, BR)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F16/24578G01C21/206G01C21/3446G06F16/24575
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,561,333
App. No.
18/160,601
Granted
Feb 24, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Querying trajectories is disclosed. A database of rich typical trajectories, which includes both position and attribute information for each of the typical trajectories, is created. Using a current trajectory of a node or a current position of the node, the database is queried for a rich typical trajectory that likely corresponds to the current or anticipated trajectory of the node. The database is searched by identifying candidate trajectories and determining a similarity score for each of the candidate trajectories. The best scoring candidate trajectory may be returned and logistics operations may be performed using the best scoring candidate trajectory.

Claims (36)

1 . A method for determining an anticipated trajectory of a node currently operating in an environment for logistics operations, the method comprising:

repeatedly:

querying a database of trajectories to select candidate trajectories from the database of trajectories, wherein the database of trajectories includes trajectories of multiple nodes;

extracting comparison points from each of the candidate trajectories to compare with comparison points from a current trajectory of the node, wherein the comparison points from each of the candidate trajectories and the comparison points from the current trajectory relate to positions;

determining a similarity score for each of the candidate trajectories, wherein the candidate trajectories are weighted based on attributes and/or characteristics of the node, and wherein the similarity score includes a discount factor representing a relative importance of past trajectory points;

identifying a final trajectory based on the similarity scores of the candidate trajectories; and

returning the final trajectory to the requestor, wherein the final trajectory is the anticipated trajectory of the node; and

performing the logistics operations in the environment for the node based on the anticipated trajectory of the node, wherein performing the logistics operations comprises controlling a real-world object associated with the node to make decisions in accordance with the anticipated trajectory,

wherein the anticipated trajectory is selected from among a set of rich typical trajectories representing clusters of historical trajectories associated with metadata describing node context, environmental conditions, and task attributes.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the database of trajectories, wherein the database of trajectories include rich typical trajectories, wherein each rich typical trajectory is generated by clustering a set of historical trajectories and associating the resulting cluster with aggregate attribute metadata, and wherein each typical trajectory represents a collection of trajectories that share spatial and/or temporal coherence.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting candidate trajectories includes selecting the candidate trajectories based only on positioning data.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the candidate trajectories include typical trajectories that include a point within a threshold distance from a point of the current trajectory of the node.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining a similarity score for each of the candidate trajectories includes executing a similarity scoring function that considers attribute importance.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising applying a temporal discount factor to weight the similarity scoring function, wherein the discount factor is a decay function applied to historical comparison points based on their age relative to a current position of the node.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the discount factor denotes a time-decay coefficient that reduces the contribution of older comparison points in the trajectory when computing similarity scores, and wherein the decay function is non-linear and based on exponential or logarithmic functions of elapsed time.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining anchoring points when a number of the comparison points extracted from a candidate trajectory is different from a number of the comparison points from the current trajectory of the node.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein an anchoring point is associated with more than one of the comparison points from the current trajectory of the node.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the logistics operations including decision making operations.

11 . A non-transitory storage medium having stored therein instructions that are executable by one or more hardware processors to perform operations for determining an anticipated trajectory of a node currently operating in an environment for logistics operations, the operations comprising:

repeatedly:

querying a database of trajectories to select candidate trajectories from the database of trajectories, wherein the database of trajectories includes trajectories of multiple nodes;

extracting comparison points from each of the candidate trajectories to compare with comparison points from a current trajectory of the node, wherein the comparison points from each of the candidate trajectories and the comparison points from the current trajectory relate to positions;

determining a similarity score for each of the candidate trajectories, wherein the candidate trajectories are weighted based on attributes and/or characteristics of the node, and wherein the similarity score includes a discount factor representing a relative importance of past trajectory points;

identifying a final trajectory based on the similarity scores of the candidate trajectories; and

returning the final trajectory to the requestor, wherein the final trajectory is the anticipated trajectory of the node; and

performing the logistics operations in the environment for the node based on the anticipated trajectory of the node, wherein performing the logistics operations comprises controlling a real-world object associated with the node to make decisions in accordance with the anticipated trajectory,

wherein the anticipated trajectory is selected from among a set of rich typical trajectories representing clusters of historical trajectories associated with metadata describing node context, environmental conditions, and task attributes.

12 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11 , further comprising generating the database of trajectories, wherein the database of trajectories include rich typical trajectories, wherein each rich typical trajectory is formed by grouping multiple historical trajectories using a similarity-based clustering algorithm, and associating aggregate metadata including environmental, operational, and node-specific attributes to the clustered trajectories.

13 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11 , wherein selecting candidate trajectories includes selecting the candidate trajectories based only on positioning data.

14 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the candidate trajectories include typical trajectories that include a point within a threshold distance from a point of the current trajectory of the node.

15 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11 , wherein determining a similarity score for each of the candidate trajectories includes executing a similarity scoring function that considers attribute importance.

16 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising applying a temporal discount factor within the similarity scoring function, wherein the discount factor is applied to comparison points based on their temporal distance from a current position in the node's trajectory.

17 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the discount factor denotes a time-based weighting function that exponentially reduces the impact of older trajectory points, and wherein the function dynamically adjusts based on real-time operational context.

18 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11 , further comprising determining anchoring points when a number of the comparison points extracted from a candidate trajectory is different from a number of the comparison points from the current trajectory of the node.

19 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 18 , wherein an anchoring point is associated with more than one of the comparison points from the current trajectory of the node.

20 . The non-transitory storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the logistics operations including decision making operations.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 27, 2023
From: GOTTIN, VINICIUS MICHEL; FERREIRA, PAULO ABELHA; DA SILVA, PABLO NASCIMENTO
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062512/0441 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240256557A1 · Aug 1, 2024
References Cited (25)
US 10946519B1 · Prats · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20070005240A1 · Oumi · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20090248301A1 · Judd · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 20120143504A1 · Kalai et al. · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20130260791A1 · Malinovskiy et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140115507A1 · Bailey · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20140148970A1 · Dufford · 2014 [cited by examiner]
US 20170030723A1 · Ding et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170248964A1 · Kentley · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20170344855A1 · Mande · 2017 [cited by examiner]
US 20180188049A1 · Shi · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190294524A1 · Gupta · 2019 [cited by examiner]
US 20200019585A1 · Balu · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200033857A1 · Yu · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20200209006A1 · Iwano · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20210081559A1 · Gratton · 2021 [cited by examiner]
US 20220307859A1 · Zou · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230045727A1 · Wang · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230074873A1 · Sredzki · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20230078653A1 · Yang · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240053167A1 · Karavas · 2024 [cited by applicant]
US 20240060781A1 · Yan · 2024 [cited by examiner]
A. Mueen et al, “The Fastest Similarity Search Algorithm for Time Series Subsequences under Euclidean Distance,” URL: http://www.cs.unm.edu/˜mueen/FastestSimilaritySearch.html, 2022. [cited by applicant]
H. Wu, Z. Xu and G. Wu, “A Novel Method of Missing Road Generation in City Blocks Based on Big Mobile Navigation Trajectory Data,” ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf., 2019. [cited by applicant]
Gottin, et al, U.S. Appl. No. 17/585,055, “Edge-Enabled Trajectory Map Generation”, filed Jan. 26, 2022. [cited by applicant]