# US 10,504,364 B2 · Systems and methods for using radio frequency signals and sensors to monitor environments > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,504,364 B2 - Document ID: US10504364B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/198,604 - Filed: 2018-11-21 - Published: 2019-06-27 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2016-01-05 - Assignees: Locix, Inc. - Applicants: Locix Inc. - Inventors: Teymur Bakhishev; Vivek Subramanian; Vikram Pavate; Tommi Ylamurto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10504364B2 ## CPC - H04B 17/27: for locating or positioning the transmitter - G06F 18/285: {Selection of pattern recognition techniques, e.g. of classifiers in a multi-classifier system} - G06N 20/00: Machine learning - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G08G 1/142: {external to the vehicles} - H04B 17/318: Received signal strength - H04B 17/23: Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means - H04B: TRANSMISSION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract Systems and methods for using radio frequency signals and sensors to monitor environments (e.g., indoor building and adjacent outdoor environments) are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a system for providing a wireless asymmetric network comprises a hub having one or more processing units and at least one antenna for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) communications in the wireless asymmetric network and a plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional RF communications with the hub in the wireless asymmetric network. The one or more processing units of the hub are configured to determine localization of the plurality of sensor nodes within the wireless asymmetric network, to monitor loading zones and adjacent regions within a building based on receiving information from at least two sensor nodes, and to determine for each loading zone whether a vehicle currently occupies the loading zone. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for providing a wireless asymmetric network, comprising: a hub having one or more processing units and at least one antenna for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) communications in the wireless asymmetric network; a plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver to enable bi-directional RF communications with the hub in the wireless asymmetric network to determine localization of the plurality of sensor nodes within the wireless asymmetric network, to monitor loading zones and adjacent regions within a building based on receiving information from at least two sensor nodes including at least one indoor node and at least one outdoor node, and to determine for each loading zone whether a vehicle currently occupies the loading zone wherein at least one of image data, RF data from the RF signals, and RF tracking data from the indoor node and at least one of image data, RF data from the RF signals, and RF tracking data from the outdoor node are utilized in combination to monitor a dynamically changing environment of the interior region and whether a vehicle occupies the loading zone. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a remote device to communicate with at least one of the hub and the plurality of sensor nodes, wherein the remote device or hub is configured to determine whether an object is also located within a region of the building that is associated with each loading zone. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the remote device or hub is further configured to use machine learning to classify the object based on sensed data of the object. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the remote device or hub is further configured to determine a condition based on the identification and classification of the object. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the determined condition comprises an error or alarm condition caused by an undesired object interfering with loading or unloading of a vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the determined condition comprises a safe condition caused by a desired object in a region that is associated with a loading zone of a vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the determined condition comprises a warning condition caused by an undesired object to be removed from its current location prior to an anticipated arrival of a vehicle in an adjacent loading zone. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the remote device or hub is further configured to respond to the condition including communicating the condition to at least one of users, machines, and the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor nodes include an indoor node to monitor an interior region of the building that is adjacent to a loading zone with the indoor node using at least one of a camera, RF signals, and RF identification tracking to monitor the interior region, wherein the plurality of sensor nodes include an outdoor node to monitor the loading zone with the outdoor node using at least one of a camera, RF signals, and tracking to monitor the loading zone. ### Claim 10 A sensor node, comprising: a memory for image data; an image capturing device to capture image data of loading zones and adjacent regions of a building; one or more processing units coupled to the image capturing device; and radio frequency (RF) circuitry to transmit RF communications to and receive RF communications from other wireless nodes and a hub within a wireless network architecture, wherein the one or more processing units of the sensor node are configured to execute instructions for processing the image data to monitor the loading zones and the adjacent regions within the building based on image data from at least two wireless nodes including at least one indoor node and at least one outdoor node and the image data being used to determine for each loading zone whether a vehicle currently occupies the loading zone, wherein at least one of image data, RF data from the RF signals, and RF tracking data from the indoor node and at least one of image data, RF data from the RF signals, and RF tracking data from the outdoor node are utilized in combination to monitor a dynamically changing environment of the interior region and whether a vehicle occupies the loading zone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The sensor node of claim 10, wherein the radio frequency (RF) circuitry to transmit image data to a remote device that is configured to determine whether an object is located within a region of the building that is associated with each loading zone. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The sensor node of claim 11, wherein the remote device is configured to use machine learning to classify the object based on the image data of the object. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The sensor node of claim 12, wherein the remote device is further configured to determine a condition based on the identification and classification of the object. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The sensor node of claim 10, wherein the sensor node is an indoor node to monitor an interior region of the building that is adjacent to a loading zone with the indoor node using at least one of the image capturing device, RF signals, and RF identification tracking to monitor the interior region, wherein the other nodes include an outdoor node to monitor the loading zone with the outdoor node using at least one of a camera, RF signals, and tracking to monitor the loading zone. ### Claim 15 A method for monitoring a wireless network architecture, comprising: transmitting, with a plurality of sensor nodes each having a wireless device with a transmitter and a receiver, RF communications in the wireless network architecture to determine localization of the plurality of sensor nodes within the wireless network architecture; monitoring, with the plurality of sensor nodes each having an image capturing device, loading zones and adjacent regions within a building based on receiving image data from at least two sensor nodes including at least one indoor node and at least one outdoor node; and determining for each loading zone whether a vehicle currently occupies the loading zone wherein at least one of image data, RF data from the RF signals, and RF tracking data from the indoor node and at least one of image data, RF data from the RF signals, and RF tracking data from the outdoor node are utilized in combination to monitor a dynamically changing environment of the interior region and whether a vehicle occupies the loading zone. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: determining, with a remote device or a sensor node, whether an object is also located within a region of the building that is associated with each loading zone. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: using machine learning to classify the object based on sensed image data of the object. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: determining a condition based on the identification and classification of the object. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of sensor nodes include an indoor node to monitor an interior region of the building that is adjacent to a loading zone with the indoor node using at least one of a camera, RF signals, and RF identification tracking to monitor the interior region, wherein the plurality of sensor nodes include an outdoor node to monitor the loading zone with the outdoor node using at least one of a camera, RF signals, and tracking to monitor the loading zone.