Methods and systems for determining the available storage capacity of an enclosed space

A storage monitoring system, comprising:

• a radar array comprising one or more radars that are configured to transmit radio-frequency signals and to receive reflected echoes of the transmitted radio-frequency signals, wherein each of the one or more radars are located within a physical volume of a storage space with a position and orientation such that the transmitted radio-frequency signals and their respected reflected echoes propagate through the physical volume of the storage space before the reflected echoes of the transmitted radio-frequency signals are received;
• and
• a controller connected to the one or more radars of the radar array and configured to:
• analyze the received echoes of the transmitted radio-frequency signals to detect one or more scatterers;
• process the received echoes of the radio-frequency signal to determine relative ranges between the detected one or more scatterers and one or more of the one or more radars;
• logically divide the physical volume of the storage space into a grid that includes a plurality of columns and right rectangular prisms (RRP);
• and
• determine occupancy information indicating an amount of the physical volume of the storage space occupied by physical objects based on the determined relative ranges of the detected one or more scatterers, wherein determining occupancy information indicating the amount of physical volume of the storage space occupied by physical objects comprises:
• determining, for each column of the grid logically dividing the storage space, a highest right rectangular prism (RRP) of the plurality of RRPs in the column occupied by a detected scatterer;
• and
• estimating the amount of the physical volume of the storage space that is occupied by physical objects using the determined highest occupied RRPs of the columns logically dividing the storage space.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to monitor a storage space by:

• transmitting one or more radio-frequency signals using one or more radars;
• receiving reflected echoes of the one or more transmitted radio-frequency signals using the one or more radars, wherein each of the one or more radars are located within a physical volume of a storage space with a position and orientation such that the transmitted radio-frequency signals and their respected reflected echoes propagate through the physical volume of the storage space before the reflected echoes of the transmitted radio-frequency signals are received;
• analyzing the received echoes of the transmitted radio-frequency signals to detect one or more scatterers;
• logically dividing the physical volume of the storage space into a grid that includes a plurality of columns and a plurality of right rectangular prisms (RRP);
• processing the received echoes of the radio-frequency signal to determine relative ranges between the detected one or more scatterers and one or more of the one or more radars;
• and
• determining occupancy information indicating an amount of the physical volume of the storage space occupied by physical objects based on the determined relative ranges of the detected one or more scatterers, wherein determining occupancy information indicating the amount of physical volume of the storage space occupied by physical objects comprises:
• determining, for each column of the grid logically dividing the storage space, a highest right rectangular prism (RRP) of the plurality of RRPs in the column occupied by a detected scatterer;
• and
• estimating the amount of the physical volume of the storage space that is occupied by physical objects using the determined highest occupied RRPs of the columns logically dividing the storage space.