Surveying physical environments and monitoring physical events

• US 10,254,406 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Green, Byron S., Notohardjono, Budy D., Tsfasman, Arkadiy O., Werner, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abraham, Samantha K
• Application Number:
  US15/801,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20180045828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/50 Systems of measurement based on relative movement of target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4808 Evaluating distance, position or velocity data

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving surveying data from a proximity barrier survey device. The proximity barrier survey device is mounted to a package. The package is located within a physical environment. The method includes generating a map based on the surveying data. The method includes tracking movement within the physical environment based on the map and the surveying data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for surveying indoor physical environments comprising:

receiving surveying data from a proximity barrier survey device consisting of a lidar based device, an accelerometer and altimeter, wherein the proximity barrier survey device is mounted to a package, wherein the package located within a physical environment;

generating a three-dimensional map based on the surveying data wherein the surveying data comprises dimensions for the physical environment, dimensions for objects within the physical environment and dimensions of placement of the objects placed within the physical environment;

tracking movement of the package within the physical environment based on the map and the surveying data;

recording the movement of the package within the physical environment;

generating an animated map of the package within the physical environment;

identifying, based on said surveying data, an impact event wherein the package experiences a shock greater than a predetermined threshold; and

recording at least one of an impact time or an impact position for the impact event, and a magnitude of the impact event.