# US 12,198,439 B2 · Yard mapping and asset tracking system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,198,439 B2 - Document ID: US12198439B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/641,560 - Filed: 2024-04-22 - Published: 2024-08-08 - Granted: 2025-01-14 - Earliest claimed: 2023-01-03 - Assignees: KoiReader Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: KoiReader Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Ashutosh Prasad; Vivek Prasad - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12198439B2 ## CPC - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting} - H04N 23/695: Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A system for generating a pixel map of a yard or facility in substantially real-time. The pixel map may be generated on-the-fly with virtual slots based on various vehicles and containers entering and exiting the yard or facility. In some cases, the pixel map may be utilized to track assets within the facility even if the physical identifier of the asset is unknown or the asset transitions between field of view of various image devices associated with the system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a first fixed image device to capture first image data associated with a physical environment; a second mobile image device to capture second image data associated with assets parked within the physical environment; and an asset tracking system configured to: generate, based at least in part on the first image data, a pixel map of the physical environment, the pixel map including at least a first slot and a second slot, the first slot is defined based on a first set of pixels of the pixel map and the second slot is defined based on a second set of pixels of the pixel map, the first set of pixels different than the second set of pixels; detect, based at least in part on the first image data, a first asset within the first slot; assign a virtual identifier to the first asset; associate the virtual identifier with the first slot, wherein the first slot is a first virtual slot; determine, based at least in part on portions of the second image data captured while the first asset is positioned within the first slot, a physical identifier associated with the first asset; associate the virtual identifier with the physical identifier; determining, based at least in part on third image data, that the first asset has moved; defining, based at least in part on pixels within the third image data representing the first asset, a second virtual slot within the pixel map of the physical environment; associating the virtual identifier with the second virtual slot; and removing the first virtual slot from the pixel map. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein a first image device is a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) image device or a 360 degree scanning image device and a second image device is mounted on a yard mule having a front end, a rear end, a left side, and a right side and wherein the second image device is mounted on the yard mule such that the second image device may capture image data to at least one of the left side or the right side of the yard mule. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first slot is a physical slot defined in the physical environment and the pixel map and the second slot is a virtual slot defined only within the pixel map. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein associating the virtual identifier with the first slot further comprises defining an area of the pixel map associated with the first slot based at least in part on a number of pixels representing the first asset within the pixel map. ### Claim 5 A method comprising: detecting, based at least in part on first image data, an asset within a physical environment; assigning a virtual identifier to the asset; determining, based at least in part on second image data, that the asset has been parked within the physical environment, the second image data received subsequently to the first image data; defining, in response to determining that the asset has been parked based at least in part on pixels within the second image data representing the asset, a virtual slot within a pixel map of the physical environment; associating the virtual identifier with the virtual slot, wherein the virtual slot is a first virtual slot; and causing the pixel map to be displayed at a display associated with the physical environment, the pixel map including data indicating the virtual slot and an occupancy of the virtual slot; determining, based at least in part on third image data, that the asset has moved; defining, based at least in part on pixels within the third image data representing the asset, a second virtual slot within the pixel map of the physical environment; associating the virtual identifier with the second virtual slot; and removing the first virtual slot from the pixel map. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein defining the virtual slot is based at least in part on physical marks within the physical environment represented within the second image data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: determining, based at least in part on third image data of the asset, a physical identifier associated with the asset, the third image data received subsequently to the second image data; and associating the physical identifier with the virtual identifier and the virtual slot. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the third image data is received from a mobile image device operating within the physical environment. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the third image data is received from a pan-tilt-zoom image device operating within the physical environment. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving a request, the request including a physical identifier associated with an asset; determining the virtual slot based at least in part on the physical identifier; and sending location data associated with the virtual slot to a remote device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an available capacity of the physical environment based at least in part on a dimension associated with the virtual slot. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising causing at least one incoming delivery to be rerouted based at least in part on the available capacity. ### Claim 13 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the pixel map includes a two-dimensional top down map and a three-dimensional model of the physical environment. ### Claim 14 One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising: detecting, based at least in part on first image data, an asset within a physical environment; assigning a virtual identifier to the asset; determining, based at least in part on second image data, that the asset has been parked within the physical environment, the second image data received subsequently to the first image data; determining, based at least in part on second image data, that the asset has been parked within the physical environment for greater than a predetermined period of time, the second image data received subsequently to the first image data; defining, responsive to determining that the asset has been parked within the physical environment for greater than the predetermined period of time and based at least in part on pixels within the second image data representing the asset, a virtual slot within a pixel map of the physical environment; associating the virtual identifier with the virtual slot, wherein the virtual slot is a first virtual slot; and causing the pixel map to be displayed at a display associated with the physical environment, the pixel map including data indicating the virtual slot and an occupancy of the virtual slot; determining, based at least in part on third image data, that the asset has moved; defining, based at least in part on pixels within the third image data representing the asset, a second virtual slot within the pixel map of the physical environment; associating the virtual identifier with the second virtual slot; and removing the first virtual slot from the pixel map. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise: determining, based at least in part on third image data of the asset, a physical identifier associated with the asset, the third image data received subsequently to the second image data; and associating the physical identifier with the virtual identifier and the virtual slot. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the third image data is received from a mobile image device operating within the physical environment. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the third image data is received from a pan-tilt-zoom image device operating within the physical environment. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a request, the request including the physical identifier; determining the virtual slot based at least in part on the physical identifier; determining an available capacity of the physical environment based at least in part on a dimension associated with the virtual slot; and causing at least one incoming delivery to be rerouted based at least in part on the available capacity.