Tracking inventory of job site

Abstract

The invention relates to tracking inventory of a work site, in particular to a method performed by a monitoring unit (70) for tracking inventory of a work site (1). The inventory is stored in a plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12). The method includes receiving at least one first measurement of inventory from at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32). The at least one first measurement is indicative of at least a portion of an inventory (20, 21, 22) transported to, from, and / or between a plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1). The at least one first measurement result is measured by an on-board sensor of the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32). The at least one first measurement includes at least one volume measurement, and / or at least one weight measurement. The method also includes estimating an amount of the inventory based on the received at least one first measurement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring unit and a method for tracking inventory at a work site. In particular, it is used to track inventory stored in multiple storage locations. The present disclosure also relates to a method for assisting in monitoring inventory, a corresponding control unit and a transport vehicle. The present disclosure also relates to a computer program and a computer program medium for the corresponding method of the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure may be applied to heavy vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment.Although the present disclosure may be described with respect to particular vehicles, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular vehicle. Background Art

[0003] Measuring inventory such as production is very important for any job site, which depends on the amount of inventory stored. Based on the amount of inventory or space available, the available vehicles and / or production can be planned accordingly.

[0004] Typically, inventory is tracked manually by operators who estimate different parts of the inventory. On a job site that includes autonomous vehicles, this manual estimation can also pose safety issues for the operators performing the estimation. Additionally, estimation can be difficult to perform due to factors such as complex environments and / or large distances between storage locations.

[0005] Inventory estimates are time consuming and prone to human error. Furthermore, when humans perform these estimates, the quality and time consumption of the estimates can vary widely.

[0006] Therefore, efforts are constantly being made to estimate inventory on the job site in a more efficient manner. Summary of the invention

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to improve the efficiency and / or accuracy of tracking inventory.

[0008] According to a first aspect, the object is achieved by a method according to claim 1. Hence, a method for tracking inventory at a work site performed by a monitoring unit is provided. The inventory is stored in a plurality of storage locations. The method comprises:

[0009] - receiving at least one first measurement of the inventory from at least one transport vehicle, the at least one first measurement indicating at least a portion of the inventory transported to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site, the at least one first measurement being measured by onboard sensors of the at least one transport vehicle, and wherein the at least one first measurement comprises at least one volume measurement and / or at least one weight measurement, and

[0010] - estimating a quantity of said inventory based on the received at least one first measurement result.

[0011] Because the at least one first measurement indicates at least a portion of the inventory transported to, from, and / or between the plurality of storage locations, it is possible to more accurately track how the inventory is transported on the job site and / or where the inventory is currently located within the plurality of storage locations. Because the at least one first measurement is performed by at least one transport vehicle, the amount of inventory can be accurately estimated in real time.

[0012] Since the at least one first measurement is measured by a sensor onboard the transport vehicle, it is ensured that the inventory estimate at the work site is based at least in part on what is actually transported by the at least one transport vehicle.

[0013] Furthermore, since the at least one measurement comprises at least one volume measurement and / or at least one weight measurement, the estimation of the amount of inventory can be performed more flexibly, since it can be based on either or both weight and volume measurements. Knowing the weight of the inventory, the volume can be estimated, and vice versa.

[0014] Optionally, receiving the at least one first measurement result includes receiving multiple measurements measured by the same one of the at least one transport vehicle, the multiple measurements being measured for different transports of at least a portion of the inventory to, from and / or between the multiple storage locations in the work site.

[0015] In this way, multiple measurements of the transported inventory may be obtained, enabling a more accurate estimate of the inventory.

[0016] Optionally, receiving the at least one first measurement comprises receiving a measurement of each portion of the inventory transported by the at least one transport vehicle to, from, and / or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site. In this way, all measurements of the transported inventory may be obtained, so that the inventory may be estimated more accurately.

[0017] Optionally, estimating the amount of the inventory comprises estimating a volume, weight and / or density of the inventory.

[0018] In this manner, the amount of inventory can be flexibly estimated in any one or more of the above units, depending on which unit is more suitable for tracking inventory on the job site.

[0019] Optionally, estimating the amount of the inventory comprises estimating a volume and / or density of the inventory, wherein the at least one first measurement comprises at least one weight measurement.

[0020] In this manner, the inventory can be estimated based at least in part on weighing the inventory transported to, from, or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site.

[0021] Optionally, estimating the amount of the inventory comprises estimating a total amount of the inventory at the work site and / or an amount of the inventory at each of the plurality of storage locations.

[0022] In this way, accurate, real-time estimates of inventory levels in each storage location and / or work site may be obtained.

[0023] Optionally, estimating the quantity of the inventory comprises forecasting a future quantity of the inventory.

[0024] In this way, the future quantity of the inventory may be predicted in an accurate manner.For example, at least one first measurement result (optionally in combination with at least one previous measurement) may be used to extrapolate to a future quantity of the inventory.

[0025] Optionally, the method further comprises:

[0026] - obtaining an initial quantity of said inventory at said work site,

[0027] - wherein estimating said amount of said inventory is further based on obtaining an initial amount of said inventory.

[0028] In this way, a more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory is achieved. This is because the inventory can be based on a known initial amount. This further means that the estimated amount of inventory can be incremental relative to the initial amount. In other words, estimating the amount of inventory can include estimating how the amount of inventory changes relative to the initial amount.

[0029] Optionally, obtaining the initial amount of the inventory includes any one or more of the following:

[0030] - obtaining at least one previous measurement of at least a portion of the inventory transported to, from, or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site, and

[0031] - Obtaining a previously estimated or determined quantity of said inventory at said work site.

[0032] Optionally, receiving the at least one first measurement of the inventory further comprises receiving at least one type of at least a portion of the inventory measured, and / or at least one label and / or characteristic of at least a portion of the inventory measured, and

[0033] Wherein estimating the quantity of the inventory further comprises estimating the quantity of the at least one type of the inventory and / or the quantity of the at least one tag and / or characteristic.

[0034] In this way, knowledge can be obtained about the at least one tag and / or characteristic and / or the at least one type of inventory transported to, from, or between multiple storage locations in a work site. The at least one type and / or the at least one tag and / or characteristic can be tracked during each transport, so that knowledge of the tags and / or characteristics and types of inventory at the work site can be obtained in real time.

[0035] Optionally, the method further comprises receiving at least one second measurement of the inventory, the at least one second measurement of the inventory indicating at least a portion of the inventory stored in at least one of the plurality of storage locations, and estimating the quantity of the inventory based on the received at least one second measurement.

[0036] In this way, the accuracy of estimating the amount of inventory at a work site is improved because the estimate can be based on both inventory transported to, from, or between multiple storage locations at the work site, as well as measurements of inventory stored at multiple storage locations.

[0037] Optionally, the at least one second measurement comprises at least one volume measurement and / or at least one measured shape of the at least one storage location in the plurality of storage locations. Optionally, additionally or alternatively, the at least one second measurement comprises at least one measurement measured by at least one aircraft. Optionally, additionally or alternatively, the at least one second measurement comprises at least one measurement measured by the at least one transport vehicle.

[0038] In other words, the at least one second measurement may be measured in one or more different ways that may each improve the accuracy and efficiency of estimating the amount of inventory at the job site.

[0039] Optionally, the at least one second measurement result is measured by the at least one transport vehicle while the at least one transport vehicle is simultaneously transporting other portions of the inventory to, from and / or between the multiple storage locations in the work site.

[0040] In this way, at least one transport vehicle may measure its own transported inventory as well as inventory stored at the job site, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of estimating the amount of inventory at the job site.

[0041] Optionally, the at least one second measurement comprises at least one measurement measured by at least one second sensor of the at least one transport vehicle and / or at least one shape measurement indicating a travel path of the at least one transport vehicle around at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations.

[0042] In this way, a more efficient and / or more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory at the work site is achieved. This is because the at least one transport vehicle is able to perform the most appropriate measurement for the at least one second measurement result.

[0043] Optionally, receiving the at least one second measurement of the inventory comprises receiving a measurement indicative of each of the plurality of storage locations.

[0044] In this way, a more efficient and / or more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory at the work site is achieved because each of the plurality of storage locations is measured and indicated in the at least one second measurement result.

[0045] Optionally, receiving the at least one second measurement of the inventory comprises receiving measurements of a first subset of the plurality of storage locations from a first transport vehicle of the at least one transport vehicle.

[0046] In this way, a more efficient estimation of the amount of inventory at the work site is achieved. This is because the measurements are received as a subset of the plurality of storage locations. In other words, each transport vehicle does not need to measure all of the plurality of storage locations.

[0047] Optionally, receiving the at least one first measurement comprises receiving at least one registration of at least a portion of the inventory having left the work site.

[0048] Optionally, the at least one registration includes any one or more of the following:

[0049] - at least one indication of which transport vehicle has transported at least a portion of said inventory away from said work site,

[0050] - at least one indication of a time at which said at least a portion of said inventory was shipped off of said work site,

[0051] - at least one indication of the type, identity and label of the at least a portion of the inventory that is transported from the work site,

[0052] - the most recent measurement indicating any one or more of: the weight, volume, type, identity, label and / or density of the at least a portion of the inventory that has been transported from the work site as measured by a transport vehicle,

[0053] - confirmation of any one or more of the following: weight, volume, type, identity, labeling and / or density of at least a portion of the inventory that has been shipped out of the work site as confirmed by an external verification unit and / or a user outside the work site.

[0054] In this way, a more efficient and / or more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory at the work site is achieved because it can be more accurately determined which inventory has left the work site, thereby further improving the estimate of the amount of inventory present at the work site.

[0055] Optionally, the method further comprises verifying the estimated quantity of the inventory by comparing the estimated quantity of the inventory with at least one expected quantity and / or by comparing the at least one first measurement result with at least one control measurement result, and when the estimated quantity of the inventory cannot be verified, the method further comprises triggering an alarm.

[0056] In this way, a more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory at the work site is achieved. This is because when an alarm is triggered that the estimated amount of inventory may be incorrect, appropriate corrective action can be performed, such as a manual recount.

[0057] Optionally, verifying the estimated amount of the inventory is based on comparing the estimated amount of the inventory to at least one expected amount of the inventory. In this way, if the estimated amount of inventory does not match the expected amount of inventory (such as a predicted amount), it can be detected that the amount of inventory at the work site may be in error.

[0058] Optionally, verifying the estimated amount of the inventory comprises:

[0059] - obtaining at least one previous measurement of the inventory measured while being transported to, from, or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site,

[0060] - predicting a first expected amount of said inventory based on said at least one previous measurement, and

[0061] - comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with the first expected amount of the inventory.

[0062] Optionally, verifying the estimated amount of the inventory comprises:

[0063] - obtain a cumulative measure of the inventory leaving and entering the work site,

[0064] - obtaining a previously estimated or determined quantity of said inventory at said work site,

[0065] - forecasting a second expected amount of said inventory based on said accumulated measurements and said previously estimated or determined amount of said inventory at said work site, and

[0066] - comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with the second expected amount of the inventory.

[0067] Optionally, verifying the estimated quantity of the inventory is triggered to be performed in any one or more of the following ways:

[0068] - regularly,

[0069] - when at least one transport vehicle has completed transport of at least a portion of said inventory, and

[0070] - When it is determined that the amount of the inventory stored in any one or more of the plurality of storage locations is above a predetermined threshold.

[0071] Optionally, the method further comprises:

[0072] - using the at least one first measurement of the inventory, the estimated quantity of the inventory, and the knowledge of whether the estimated quantity of the inventory is correctly verified to train a machine learning model to predict the estimated quantity of the inventory, and

[0073] - using the trained machine learning model to predict a future estimate of the quantity of the inventory and / or to validate a future estimate of the quantity of the inventory.

[0074] In this way, the machine learning model can be used to achieve a more accurate and / or more efficient estimate of the amount of inventory. This is because the machine learning model can give an accurate estimate of the amount of inventory more quickly and with fewer measurements because it has been trained on previous measurements and may require fewer inputs.

[0075] Optionally, at least a portion of the inventory is marked with a corresponding identifier identifying a source and / or a corresponding type of the inventory. In these embodiments, each transport of the marked portion of the inventory is recorded with the corresponding identifier, receiving the at least one first measurement result indicative of the inventory includes receiving the corresponding identifier, and verifying the estimated amount of the inventory includes verifying whether the corresponding identifier is consistent with the recorded transport of the at least a portion of the inventory.

[0076] In this way, a more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory at a work site is achieved. This is because tagging the inventory enables more efficient recording and tracking of inventory transported to, from, and / or between multiple storage locations in a work site, thereby enabling verification that at least one measurement is consistent with the tagged inventory.

[0077] Optionally, the method further comprises transmitting instructions to at least one transport vehicle instructing the at least one transport vehicle how to measure the inventory at the work site, and wherein the instructions further instruct the at least one transport vehicle to measure one or more of the plurality of storage locations when transporting at least a portion of the inventory.

[0078] According to a second aspect, a method for assisting a monitoring unit in tracking inventory at a work site is provided, performed by a transport vehicle. The inventory is stored in a plurality of storage locations. The method comprises performing at least one first measurement on the inventory to obtain at least one first measurement result. The at least one first measurement result indicates at least a portion of the inventory transported by the transport vehicle to, from, and / or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site. The at least one first measurement result is measured by an onboard sensor of the transport vehicle. The at least one first measurement result comprises at least one volume measurement result, and / or at least one weight measurement result. The method further comprises transmitting the at least one first measurement result to the monitoring unit.

[0079] The advantages and effects of the second aspect are largely similar to those of the method according to the first aspect. In addition, all embodiments of the second aspect are applicable to all embodiments of the first aspect and can be combined with all embodiments of the first aspect, and vice versa.

[0080] Optionally, the method further comprises performing at least one second measurement on the inventory to obtain at least one second measurement result. The at least one second measurement may include at least one volume measurement and / or at least one shape measurement of at least one storage location in the plurality of storage locations.

[0081] Optionally, the method further comprises transmitting the at least one second measurement result to the monitoring unit.

[0082] Optionally, performing the at least one first measurement on the inventory and performing at least the at least one second measurement on the inventory are performed simultaneously as the transport vehicle transports the at least a portion of the inventory to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations in the work site.

[0083] Optionally, the method further comprises receiving instructions from the monitoring unit indicating how the transport vehicle should measure the inventory at the work site. Any one or more of the at least one first measurement of the inventory and the at least one second measurement of the inventory may also be performed / measured based on the received instructions.

[0084] According to a third aspect, there is provided a monitoring unit configured to perform the method according to the first aspect.

[0085] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of the method of the first aspect when said program is run on a computer.

[0086] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program medium carrying a computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of the method according to the first aspect when said program is run on a computer.

[0087] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a control unit configured to perform the method according to the second aspect.

[0088] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a transport vehicle arranged to transport at least a portion of the stock in a work site to, from and / or between a plurality of storage locations in the work site. The transport vehicle comprises a control unit according to the sixth aspect.

[0089] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of the method according to the second aspect when said program is run on a computer.

[0090] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer program medium carrying a computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of the method according to the second aspect when the program is run on a computer.

[0091] The advantages and effects of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth aspects are largely similar to those of the first aspect. In addition, all embodiments of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth aspects are respectively applicable to all embodiments of the first aspect and can be combined with all embodiments of the first aspect, and vice versa.

[0092] Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0093] Embodiments of the invention cited as examples will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0094] In the attached picture:

[0095] Figure 1 is a diagram of a work site according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0096] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0097] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0098] Figure 4 is an exemplary scenario illustrating embodiments of the present invention.

[0099] Figure 5a to Figure 5c is an exemplary scenario illustrating embodiments of the present invention.

[0100] Figures 6a to 6c is an exemplary scenario illustrating embodiments of the present invention.

[0101] FIG. 7 is a diagram of a monitoring unit according to embodiments herein.

[0102] 8 is a diagram of a control unit according to embodiments herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0103] Figure 1 A work site 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The work site 1 can be any one or more areas or a portion thereof where inventory needs to be tracked. The work site 1 can be, for example, a part of a mining environment, a construction site, a quarry, a warehouse, a shipping location, etc. The work site 1 can be outdoors, indoors, above ground, underground, or any combination thereof. As a non-limiting example, the work site 1 can be a restricted area, which can include the use of construction equipment and / or transport vehicles to transport and / or process materials. The work site 1 can temporarily store inventory. The inventory can include, for example, one or more materials, such as raw materials, stones, rocks, minerals, metals, ores, processed materials, etc.

[0104] The stockpile in the work site 1 may be at least partially imported from at least one input location 2. The at least one input location 2 may, for example, be part of a location where the stockpile is produced, such as part of a mine where material is collected from a rock foundation. The at least one input location 2 may additionally or alternatively include any other suitable location from which at least a portion of the stockpile may be collected / imported.

[0105] The inventory in the work site 1 can be at least partially exported to at least one export location 3. The at least one export location 3 can be, for example, a part of a location where the inventory is exported, such as a part of a shipping dock, a station where vehicles are prepared for long-distance transportation, a remote location to which the inventory is exported, a part of an airport, a part of a warehouse, and / or a loading and unloading area. The at least one export location 3 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable location to which at least a part of the inventory can be exported.

[0106] A plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 are arranged in the work site 1. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may, for example, include any one or more of a first storage location 10, a second storage location 11, and a third storage location 12. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be used for intermediate storage of at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 are arranged to store at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be arranged at least partially dynamically or statically at different locations in the work site 1. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be arranged at locations that reduce travel distances to and from at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 and / or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be arranged in a stack in a shape that simplifies the estimation of volume, for example, a cone and / or other geometric shape with a known formula for estimating volume. When estimating volume, weight and / or density may be estimated by further estimating and / or obtaining the type of inventory in the storage location.

[0107] In the work site 1, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 operates. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be at least partially autonomous. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may include any suitable transport vehicle, such as one or more of a truck, a trailer, a heavy vehicle, a construction equipment (such as a dump truck or a dump truck), etc. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may or may not include a cab for a user. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may or may not have a user in the vehicle. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may, for example, include any one or more of a first transport vehicle 30, a second transport vehicle 31, and a third transport vehicle 32.

[0108] At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is arranged to transport at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1 to, from and / or between a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1. For example, the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be arranged to transport at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1 between a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. The at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may additionally or alternatively be arranged to transport at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1 from at least one input location 2 to at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. The at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may additionally or alternatively be arranged to transport at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1 from at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 to at least one output location 3.

[0109] At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is arranged to include at least one first sensor for measuring an onboard parameter, respectively. In other words, the at least one first sensor may be a corresponding onboard sensor. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is arranged to measure an onboard parameter on the corresponding transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 using the corresponding at least one first sensor. The corresponding at least one first sensor may include any one or more sensors suitable for measuring onboard parameters, such as a scale and / or a camera. The corresponding at least one first sensor may, for example, be used by the corresponding at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 to perform at least one measurement of volume and / or weight of at least a portion of the inventory being transported and / or to be transported by the corresponding at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The at least one first sensor may be mounted at any suitable position of the corresponding at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, respectively, for measuring the onboard parameter on the corresponding transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. As an example, at least one corresponding container of the transport vehicles 30, 31, 32 may be arranged with at least one corresponding scale as part of the at least one first sensor, for example, for weighing the inventory transported in the corresponding at least one container.

[0110] In some embodiments, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be respectively arranged with at least one second sensor, for example, respectively arranged to measure the environment around at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The corresponding at least one second sensor may include any suitable sensor for measuring and / or scanning the environment, such as any one or more of a camera, a light detection and ranging (lidar) sensor, a radio detection and ranging (radar) sensor, etc. The corresponding at least one second sensor may be used by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 to measure at least a portion of the inventory stored in at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. This may be performed by scanning at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 and estimating any one or more of weight, volume, and density. The at least one second sensor may be respectively mounted at any suitable location of the corresponding at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 for measuring / scanning the surrounding environment of the corresponding transport vehicle, for example, on the top of the roof of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, in the cab pointing outward, on the side, etc.

[0111] Since at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may include different types of sensors, such as at least one first sensor and at least one second sensor for performing different measurements, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may measure at least a portion of the inventory at the work site 1 transported by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 while loading and / or unloading at least a portion of the inventory, and measure at least a portion of the inventory at the work site 1 stored in at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 while driving through and / or around at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. In other words, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be able to measure the transported inventory, and measure the inventory stored in the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 while transporting the inventory.

[0112] In the work site 1, at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may be operated. The at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may be, for example, a drone or any other suitable unmanned aerial vehicle. The at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may be at least partially autonomous. The at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may, for example, include a first aerial vehicle 40 and / or a second aerial vehicle 41. The at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may be arranged to measure at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1, for example as a supplement to the measurements performed by the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may, for example, measure at least a portion of the inventory stored in at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, for example at least in part by using a camera. The at least one aerial vehicle 40, 41 may, for example, measure at least a portion of the inventory stored in at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 by rotating and scanning around at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 and / or by measuring from above at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. In this way, three-dimensional (3D) models, such as volume measurements, may be efficiently estimated.

[0113] At least one construction equipment 50, 51 may be operated at the work site 1. The at least one construction equipment 50, 51 may, for example, include a first construction equipment 50 and / or a second construction equipment 51. The at least one construction equipment 50, 51 may include a loading device, which may be arranged to load / unload inventory onto / from at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, such as onto / from at least one of a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. The at least one construction equipment 50, 51 may additionally or alternatively include a machine and / or vehicle performing operations on the work site, such as any one or more of the following:

[0114] - a crusher for crushing at least part of the stockpile, for example breaking rock into smaller pieces,

[0115] - Mining equipment,

[0116] - Material processing equipment,

[0117] - drilling equipment for drilling holes at the work site 1,

[0118] - Maintenance equipment, for example for maintaining roads and / or paths at the work site 1.

[0119] The at least one construction equipment 50, 51 may or may not be autonomous. When autonomous, the at least one construction equipment 50, 51 may or may not include a cab for a user. The at least one construction equipment 50, 51 may or may not have a user in the vehicle.

[0120] A path set 60 may exist in the work site 1. The path set 60 may include paths that can be traversed by vehicles (e.g., at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or aircraft 40, 41) in the work site 1. As an example, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be configured with a corresponding route, indicating how to travel on a corresponding path subset in the path set 60, such as a repeatable / repeating route in the work site 1. The corresponding route may be a corresponding driving plan and / or a corresponding mission of the corresponding at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, or a portion thereof. In some embodiments, the corresponding at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may also deviate from the route and / or be configured to travel in any other suitable manner. When the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 includes multiple vehicles, these vehicles may be configured to travel along different routes in the work site 1 so that transportation can be performed efficiently in a larger area of ​​the work site 1 in a reduced time. The respective route, travel plan and / or mission of the respective at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may include traveling in the work site, for example, on the respective path subset, and performing any one or more of the following:

[0121] collecting inventory from at least one input location 2 by transporting said inventory from the at least one input location 2 to at least one of a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 (i.e. bringing new inventory into the work site 1),

[0122] transporting at least a portion of the inventory at the work site 1 between at least two of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, and

[0123] The stock is exported to at least one export location 3 by transporting the stock from at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10 , 11 , 12 to at least one export location 3 (ie at least a portion of the stock leaves the work site 1 ).

[0124] In some embodiments, corresponding routes can be planned (e.g., as part of a set of paths 60) so that all or most of the relevant areas of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 are covered, which means that at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 travels to a plurality, all or most of the storage locations 10, 11, 12 over time and measures them, e.g., to continuously update volume measurements. At least one aircraft 40, 41 can be used to supplement the measurements, e.g., on a different schedule (such as less frequent measurements). The shape of the inventory stored in the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 can be selected so that transportation to the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 either provides fast access at the expense of taking up more space, or dense storage but poor access. The shape can be selected additionally or alternatively based on the possible routes of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 so that the route can provide as many measurements of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 as possible. In other words, arranging the positioning and / or shape of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 and planning the corresponding route of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be performed by evaluating how to provide accurate measurements and dense storage (eg as a joint optimization problem).

[0125] The embodiments herein may be at least partially performed by a monitoring unit 70. The monitoring unit 70 may be an electronic control unit. The monitoring unit 70 may be included in any suitable location, such as in the work site 1 or away from the work site. As an example, the monitoring unit 70 is included in a server and / or a control station. The monitoring unit 70 may be coupled in communication with a vehicle (e.g., at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or at least one aircraft 40, 41) in the work site 1 and / or their corresponding control / communication units. Some of the embodiments herein may be at least partially performed by at least one control unit 80, such as for controlling the embodiments in at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. At least one control unit 80 may be included in any suitable location, such as, included in at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or included in a remote location. At least one control unit 80 may be coupled in communication with at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The monitoring unit 70 and at least one control unit 80 may be located at the same location or at a separate location.

[0126] Figure 2 A method of tracking inventory at a work site 1 is shown. The inventory is stored in a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. The method may be performed by a monitoring unit 70. The method comprises the actions described below, which may be performed in any suitable order. Optional actions are performed by Figure 2 Indicated by the dotted box in .

[0127] In some embodiments herein, at least a portion of the inventory is marked with a corresponding identifier that identifies the source and / or corresponding type of the inventory. In these embodiments, each transportation of the marked portion of the inventory is recorded using the corresponding identifier, such as in a database. Recording each transportation of the marked portion of the inventory can also include recording the time of transportation, which transportation vehicle performs the transportation, and / or any other suitable parameters. The marking of inventory as used herein can mean a virtual marking, which is used to track which inventory is part of which of the multiple storage locations 10, 11, 12.

[0128] Action 201

[0129] In some embodiments, the method includes obtaining an initial amount of inventory at the work site. From this, the amount of inventory at the work site can be estimated based on increments and / or differences from the initial amount, such as by comparing the initial amount to an amount brought into and / or transported from the work site 1 (e.g., to / from at least one input location 2 and / or at least one output location 3).

[0130] In some embodiments, obtaining an initial amount of inventory may include any one or more of the following:

[0131] - obtaining at least one previous measurement of at least part of the inventory transported to, from or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1, and

[0132] - Obtain a previously estimated or determined amount of inventory at job site 1.

[0133] Action 202

[0134] In some embodiments, the method further comprises transmitting instructions to at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 indicating how the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 should measure the inventory in the work site 1. The instructions may also indicate that the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 should measure one or more of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 while transporting at least a portion of the inventory. The instructions may include which sensors the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 should use to measure at least a portion of the inventory in the work site, for example, using at least one first sensor and / or at least one second sensor. When the at least one second sensor is indicated to be used, the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 will measure at least a portion of the inventory while passing by and / or driving around any one or more corresponding storage locations in the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, respectively. When the distance between the at least one second sensor and the storage location is less than a predetermined sensor capability threshold, the corresponding storage location in the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be measured, for example, by the corresponding at least one second sensor. In some of these embodiments, the instructions may also instruct at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 how to route through the work site 1 so as to be able to measure an increased number of storage locations than when traveling according to a normal driving plan. The at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be routed to travel near, past, and / or around one or more respective ones of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, respectively.

[0135] Action 203

[0136] The method includes receiving at least one first measurement of inventory from at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The at least one first measurement indicates at least a portion of the inventory transported to, from, and / or between a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1. The at least one first measurement is measured by an onboard sensor (e.g., at least one first sensor) of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The at least one first measurement includes at least one volume measurement, and / or at least one weight measurement. The at least one first measurement of the onboard sensor (e.g., at least one first sensor) may be performed when the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 has completed a loading operation and / or before starting an unloading operation. The at least one first measurement may be performed when the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is stationary or traveling at a speed below a speed threshold.

[0137] In some embodiments, receiving at least one first measurement includes receiving multiple measurements measured by the same transport vehicle of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. In these embodiments, the multiple measurements are measured for different transports of at least a portion of the inventory to, from, and / or between multiple storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1. In other words, the at least one first measurement may include measurements of multiple transports of different inventories.

[0138] In some embodiments, receiving at least one first measurement includes receiving measurements of each portion of inventory transported to, from, and / or between multiple storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1 by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. In other words, the at least one first measurement may include multiple measurements of one or more different transported inventories transported at different times by one or more different ones of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 32, 32. In these embodiments, all transports of at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1 may be measured at least once by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32.

[0139] In some embodiments, receiving at least one first measurement of the inventory may also include receiving at least one type of at least a portion of the inventory measured, and / or at least one tag and / or characteristic of at least a portion of the inventory measured. The at least one type may indicate a type of material in at least a portion of the respective inventory, such as which metal, mineral, ore, rock, etc. The at least one characteristic may indicate one or more of: inventory quality, grade, material capability, material properties, density, etc. The at least one tag may include an identifier, such as a respective identifier as described above.

[0140] In some embodiments, receiving at least one first measurement includes receiving at least one registration that at least a portion of the inventory has left the work site 1. In other words, at least a portion of the inventory may have been output to and / or passed through at least one output location 3. The at least one registration may include one or more of the following:

[0141] - at least one indication of which transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 has transported at least a portion of the stock out of the work site 1, in this way, if an error is detected in the amount of stock transported to at least one output location 3, it is possible to track which transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be responsible for said error,

[0142] - at least one indication of the time at which at least a portion of the inventory was shipped out of the production site 1, in this way the inventory can be tracked more accurately in real time,

[0143] - at least one indication of the type, label and characteristics (e.g. quality, material characteristics, material capabilities) of at least a portion of the stock that is shipped out of the work site 1,

[0144] - the most recent measurement indicating any one or more of: weight, volume, type, label, characteristics (e.g. mass, material characteristics, material capacity and / or density) of at least a portion of the inventory that has been transported out of the work site 1 as measured by the transport vehicle 30, 31, 32,

[0145] - confirmation of any one or more of: weight, volume, type, label, characteristics (e.g. mass, material characteristics, material capacity and / or density) of at least a portion of the inventory shipped out of the work site 1 as confirmed by an external verification unit and / or a user outside the work site 1,

[0146] In some of such embodiments, the characteristics may, for example, indicate any one or more of: quality, grade, material capability, material properties, density, etc. of the inventory. The respective tags may each include an identifier, such as the respective identifiers described above.

[0147] In this way, a more efficient and / or more accurate estimate of the amount of inventory at the work site is achieved, because it is possible to more accurately determine which inventory has left the work site, thereby further improving the estimate of the amount of inventory present at the work site.

[0148] In some embodiments, the method further comprises receiving at least one second measurement of the inventory. The at least one second measurement of the inventory indicates at least a portion of the inventory stored in at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. In other words, the at least one first measurement indicates at least a portion of the transport of the inventory, and the at least one second measurement indicates at least a portion of the storage of the inventory.

[0149] The at least one second measurement result may include at least one measurement result of an environmental measurement sensor (e.g., at least one second sensor measurement) of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or at least one shape measurement result indicating a driving path of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 around at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12.

[0150] The at least one second measurement may include at least one volume measurement and / or at least one measured shape of at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations 10 , 11 , 12 .

[0151] As an example, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may drive around at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 to estimate the perimeter and / or may scan the shape of the at least one storage location using its respective at least one second sensor.

[0152] Additionally or alternatively, the at least one second measurement may include at least one measurement measured by at least one aircraft 40, 41. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one second measurement may include at least one measurement measured by the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. In other words, the at least one second measurement may include measurements performed by a plurality of different vehicles, for example measured in different ways. The combined measurements may enable a highly accurate estimate of the amount of inventory.

[0153] In some embodiments, any one or more of the at least one second measurement may include partial measurements of one or more of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, which, for example, may be considered a complete measurement when combined with other corresponding measurements of the at least one second measurement and / or at least one first measurement. For example, two different transport vehicles of the at least one transport vehicle 10, 11, 12 may measure inventory from separate perspectives and / or sides of a particular storage location of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, wherein each partial measurement may be independently used to estimate the amount of inventory in the particular storage location, but the accuracy of the estimate may be improved when the separately measured perspectives and / or sides are considered in the estimate. In other words, each of the plurality of storage locations does not need to be fully measured by any particular transport vehicle of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, but rather measurements of different coverage of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be merged over time to make up for a complete measurement.

[0154] In some embodiments, at least one second measurement is measured by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 while at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is simultaneously transporting other portions of the inventory to, from, and / or between multiple storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1. In this way, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 can be used for two different measurement purposes while also transporting at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1.

[0155] In some embodiments, receiving at least one second measurement of the inventory includes receiving a measurement indicative of each of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. In other words, all of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be measured by the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32.

[0156] In some embodiments, receiving at least one second measurement of the inventory includes receiving measurements of a first subset of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 from a first transport vehicle 30. In some of these embodiments, receiving at least one second measurement of the inventory includes receiving measurements of a second subset of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 from a second transport vehicle 31. In other words, different ones of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may measure different storage locations.

[0157] In some embodiments, receiving the at least one first measurement and / or receiving the at least one second measurement may be performed continuously and / or in real time, for example, as they occur and / or as they are transmitted to the monitoring unit 70 as a measurement stream.

[0158] In some embodiments, receiving at least one first measurement and / or receiving at least one second measurement includes receiving a respective identifier tagged with at least a portion of the measured inventory, eg, as described above.

[0159] Action 204

[0160] The method includes estimating a quantity of the inventory based on the received at least one first measurement.

[0161] Since at least one first measurement indicates at least a portion of the inventory transported to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, it is possible to more accurately track how the inventory is transported in the work site 1 and / or where at least a portion of the inventory is located in the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. Since a measurement is performed for each transport, the amount of inventory can be accurately estimated in real time.

[0162] In some embodiments, the estimated amount of inventory is also based on the received at least one second measurement. In this way, the accuracy of estimating the amount of inventory at the work site is improved. This is because the estimate can be based on inventory transported to, from, or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1, as well as measurements of inventory stored at the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12.

[0163] In some embodiments, estimating the amount of inventory includes estimating the volume, weight and / or density of the inventory. In other words, the unit for estimating the amount of inventory can be flexible and can change dynamically, or can be fixed in the configuration.

[0164] In some embodiments, estimating the amount of inventory includes estimating the volume and / or density of the inventory. In these embodiments, at least one first measurement includes at least one weight measurement. The estimating may include converting the weight measurement into a volume and / or density measurement.

[0165] In some embodiments, estimating the amount of inventory includes estimating the total amount of inventory in the work site 1 and / or the amount of inventory in each of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. In other words, the estimation performed herein may involve either or both of detailed tracking of each storage location and / or the total amount of inventory.

[0166] In some embodiments, estimating the amount of inventory includes predicting a future amount of inventory. This can be performed by extrapolating from any one or more of the at least one first measurement, the at least one second measurement, and the initial amount of inventory (e.g., obtained in action 201). To predict the future amount of inventory, time information for transporting at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1 to, from, or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 can also be obtained and used in the prediction, for example, to better predict the time and / or amount of at least a portion of the transport of the inventory.

[0167] In some embodiments, the amount of estimated inventory is based on an obtained initial amount of the inventory, such as obtained in act 201 .

[0168] In some embodiments, estimating the amount of inventory includes estimating the amount of at least one type of inventory and / or the amount of at least one tag and / or characteristic. The characteristic may, for example, indicate any one or more of the following: quality, grade, material capacity, material characteristics, density, etc. of the inventory. The corresponding tags may include identifiers, such as the corresponding identifiers described above, respectively. As an example, the estimation may include an estimation of how many first and / or second types of inventory are available in total and / or each of a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. As another example, the estimation may include an estimation of how many first and / or second characteristics of inventory are available in total and / or each of a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. As another example, the estimation may include an estimation of how many inventory of total and / or each of a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 including at least one tag is available. In this way, inventory of characteristics, types, and / or specific tags in a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be tracked and identified in real time. As a more specific example, it may be necessary to know which materials are available in which storage locations, such as a certain type, characteristic, and / or which material needs to be output. In this way, the work site 1 can be planned accordingly in an efficient manner to achieve high productivity.

[0169] Action 205

[0170] The method may further comprise verifying the estimated amount of inventory by comparing the estimated amount of inventory with at least one expected amount and / or by comparing the at least one first measurement with at least one control measurement. The control measurement may at least partially comprise at least one second measurement. The expected amount may, for example, be a predicted amount of inventory, for example predicted based on previous measurements, the at least one first measurement and / or the at least one second measurement.

[0171] When verifying the estimated amount of inventory, inconsistencies may be detected with respect to at least one control measurement result and / or at least one expected amount. In these cases, the inventory quantity may be unknown, which may lead to reduced productivity and / or safety issues. This is because it may indicate that it is at least partially unknown where certain inventory is located, which may prevent at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or any one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 from being incorrectly estimated as full when it is empty or at least not full, or vice versa, which may result in the transport operation of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 being invalid or impossible to perform.

[0172] In some embodiments, verifying the estimated amount of inventory includes:

[0173] - obtaining at least one previous measurement of the inventory measured during transport to, from or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1,

[0174] - forecasting a first expected amount of inventory based on at least one previous measurement, for example using extrapolation, machine learning and / or any other suitable forecasting technique, and

[0175] - comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with the first expected amount of the inventory.

[0176] In this way, it can be determined whether the forecast matches the estimated amount of inventory. If not, the estimate of the amount of inventory may be incorrect.

[0177] In some embodiments, verifying the estimated amount of inventory includes:

[0178] - obtaining a cumulative measure of stock leaving and entering the work site 1, for example, using at least part of at least one registration of actions 203 received above and / or transportation of stock from at least one input location 2,

[0179] - obtaining a previously estimated or determined amount of inventory at the work site 1, e.g., as estimated in embodiments herein, by manual inventory checks and / or by any other suitable method,

[0180] - forecasting a second expected amount of said inventory based on said accumulated measurements and said previously estimated or determined amount of said inventory in said work site 1, and

[0181] - comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with the second expected amount of the inventory.

[0182] In this way, it can be determined whether the estimated amount of inventory is at least partially consistent with the accumulated measurements of inventory and the previously estimated or determined amount. In other words, whether the flow of inventory in and out of the work site 1 is consistent with the estimated amount of inventory. If not, the estimate of the amount of inventory may be incorrect.

[0183] In some embodiments, validation of the estimated quantity of the inventory may be triggered to be performed in any one or more of the following ways:

[0184] - Periodically, e.g. once an hour and / or once a day, etc.,

[0185] - when at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 has completed the transport of at least a portion of said stock, and

[0186] - when it is determined that the amount of said stock stored in any one or more of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 is above a predetermined threshold. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 being above the predetermined threshold may be determined by measurements of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or by an estimation made by the monitoring unit 70. The plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 being above the predetermined threshold may be determined when the total amount of the stock is above a predetermined total amount threshold or when a specific storage location of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 is above a predetermined storage location threshold.

[0187] In some embodiments, verifying the estimated quantity of inventory includes verifying that a corresponding identifier (eg, received in act 203) is consistent with a recorded shipment of at least a portion of the inventory.

[0188] Action 206

[0189] The method may also include triggering an alarm, for example, when the estimated amount of inventory as in action 205 cannot be verified (i.e., when the estimated amount of inventory indicated is incorrect (e.g., an error threshold)). The alarm may trigger at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 to stop, for example, because the operation may not be performed correctly and / or may be unsafe (because untracked inventory may exist at the work site). The inventory may then be determined by manual counting and / or any other suitable method.

[0190] Action 207

[0191] In some embodiments, the method includes training a machine learning model to predict the estimated amount of the inventory using the at least one first measurement of the inventory, the estimated amount of the inventory, and the knowledge of whether the estimated amount of the inventory is correctly verified. In addition, the machine learning model can be trained using at least one second measurement and / or the at least one registration described above.

[0192] The machine learning model can be used to predict future estimates of the amount of the inventory and / or to validate future estimates of the amount of the inventory. As an example, when the machine learning model has been sufficiently trained (i.e., over a predefined number of measurements and corresponding validations), the machine learning model can perform any of the estimates used herein.

[0193] Figure 3 A method for assisting the monitoring unit 70 in tracking inventory at the work site 1 is shown as being performed by the first transport vehicle 30. Although the method is described for the first transport vehicle 30, the same method is applicable to any transport vehicle of the embodiments herein. Although the method is described for the transport vehicle 30, since the control unit 80 can control the transport vehicle 30, the method can also be described as being performed by the control unit 80.

[0194] The inventory is stored in a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. The method may include any one or more of the actions described below, which may be performed in any suitable order.

[0195] Action 301

[0196] The method may include receiving instructions from the monitoring unit 70 indicating how the transport vehicles 30, 31, 32 should measure the inventory of the work site 1, such as the instructions transmitted in action 202. The first transport vehicle 30 performs any one or more of at least one first measurement of the inventory and at least one second measurement of the inventory (e.g., as discussed above in action 203) based on the received instructions.

[0197] Action 302

[0198] The method may include obtaining at least a portion of the inventory to be transported to, from, and / or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12. This may be accomplished by collecting the inventory from at least one input location 2 or by retrieving the inventory from any one or more of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, such as by using any construction equipment 50, 51 that assists in loading the first transport vehicle 30.

[0199] Action 303

[0200] The method may include performing (e.g., measuring and / or estimating) at least one first measurement to obtain at least one first measurement result. The at least one first measurement result indicates at least a portion of the inventory 20, 21, 22 transported by the transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 to, from, and / or between the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1, such as in action 203 described above. In other words, the at least one first measurement result is measured by a sensor onboard the transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, and the at least one first measurement result includes at least one volume measurement result, and / or at least one weight measurement result.

[0201] Action 304

[0202] The method may comprise transmitting at least one first measurement result to a monitoring unit 70 .

[0203] Action 305

[0204] The method may include performing (e.g., measuring and / or estimating) at least one second measurement of the inventory to obtain at least one second measurement result. The at least one second measurement may include at least one volume measurement and / or at least one shape measurement of at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12, such as action 203 described above.

[0205] Action 306

[0206] The method may comprise transmitting the at least one second measurement result to the monitoring unit 70 .

[0207] In some embodiments, when the transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 transports at least a portion of the inventory 20, 21, 22 to, from and / or between multiple storage locations 10, 11, 12 in the work site 1, at least one first measurement and at least one second measurement of the inventory are performed simultaneously (e.g., as described above in actions 305 and 303).

[0208] Figure 4An exemplary scenario is shown of how to measure storage locations in a plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and at least one aircraft 40, 41 to improve the accuracy of the measurements. In the exemplary scenario, the first transport vehicle 30 may or may not transport at least a portion of the inventory in the work site 1. In the exemplary scenario, the first transport vehicle 30 may measure the first storage location 10 using its corresponding at least one second sensor (e.g., any suitable camera, lidar sensor, radar sensor, etc.). The first transport vehicle 30 may measure the first storage location 10 when driving to the first storage location 10, and / or may measure the first storage location 10 from a position of the first driving path 401, for example, while driving around the first storage location 10 on the first driving path 401. In this way, the first transport vehicle 30 may obtain one or more measurements of the first storage location 10, which may be transmitted to the monitoring unit 70, for example, as part of the at least one second measurement of action 203. The monitoring unit 70 may use one or more measurements to estimate the amount of inventory at the work site 1, such as by at least partially estimating the amount of inventory in the first storage location 10, such as in action 204 described above. To improve accuracy in estimating the amount of inventory at the work site 1, and particularly in estimating the inventory in the first storage location 10, multiple measurements from different vehicles and from different angles, sides, perspectives, etc. may be used. For example, the first aircraft 40 may scan the first storage location 10 at least partially from above the first storage location 10. The first storage location 10 may be measured based on a position of the first flight path 402, such as when flying above and / or around the first storage location 10. Figure 4 In the exemplary scenario of FIG. 1 , the perimeter and height of the storage area of ​​the first storage location 10 and / or the topology around the first storage location 10 can be estimated to perform ground plane estimation. The first storage location 10 can be cone-shaped, and in these embodiments, the volume of the first storage location 10 can be estimated by the geometric formula of the cone, i.e., volume = (π / 3)r 2 h, where r is the estimated radius of the first storage location 10 and h is the estimated height of the first storage location 10 .

[0209] Figure 5a to Figure 5c An exemplary scenario is shown of how at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be configured to measure at least a portion of an inventory in a work site 1, e.g., as indicated by the instructions of actions 202 and / or 301. In the exemplary scenario, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may or may not transport at least a portion of an inventory in a work site 1.

[0210] exist Figure 5aIn an exemplary scenario of , at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is configured to travel at least partially along a first route 501, for example, on a subset of paths of the path set 60. The first route 501 is arranged so that the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 travels through a first storage location 10, a second storage location 11, and a third storage location 12 when traveling on the first route 501. When traveling through any of the storage locations 10, 11, 12, the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may measure the corresponding storage location by using the corresponding at least one second sensor of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32. The corresponding storage location 10, 11, 12 may be measured when traveling through the corresponding storage location and / or when traveling around the corresponding storage location when encountering the vicinity of the first route 501 (e.g., below a predetermined threshold). The measurement results of the first storage location 10, the second storage location 11, and the third storage location 12 may be transmitted to the monitoring unit 70, for example, as part of the at least one second measurement result in the above-mentioned actions 203, 306.

[0211] exist Figure 5b In an exemplary scenario of , at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is configured to travel at least partially along a second route 502, for example, on a subset of paths of the path set 60. The second route 502 is arranged such that the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 travels past the first storage location 10, the second storage location 11, and the third storage location 12 while traveling along the second route 502. The at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may travel past at least partially different (compared to when traveling on the first route 501) sides of the respective storage locations. For example, the first transport vehicle 30 may travel and measure storage locations along the first route 501, and the second transport vehicle 31 may measure storage locations along the second route 502, wherein different transport vehicles that are part of the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may obtain measurements indicating different sides of the same storage location, for example as part of the above-described action 305. Thus, the transport vehicles may collaboratively measure storage locations using their respective different routes. The respective storage locations 10, 11, 12 may be measured when driving past the respective storage locations and / or when driving around the respective storage locations when encountering the vicinity of the second route 502 (e.g., below a predetermined threshold). The measurement results of the first storage location 10, the second storage location 11, and the third storage location 12 may be transmitted to the monitoring unit 70, for example as part of at least one second measurement result in the above-mentioned actions 203, 306.

[0212] exist Figure 5cIn an exemplary scenario of FIG. 5 , at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 is configured to travel at least partially along a third route 503, for example, on a subset of paths of the path set 60. The third route 503 is arranged such that the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 travels past the first storage location 10, the second storage location 11, and the third storage location 12 when traveling along the third route 503. The at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may travel past an at least partially different (compared to when traveling on the first route 501 and / or the second route 502) side of the respective storage location.

[0213] For example, the first transport vehicle 30 can travel and measure storage locations along the first route 501, the second transport vehicle 31 can measure storage locations along the second route 502, and the third transport vehicle 32 can measure storage locations along the third route 503. The respective storage locations 10, 11, 12 can be measured while traveling past the respective storage locations and / or while traveling around the respective storage locations when encountering the vicinity of the third route 503 (e.g., below a predetermined threshold). The transport vehicles can collaboratively measure storage locations using their respective different routes. The measurements of the first storage location 10, the second storage location 11, and the third storage location 12 can be transmitted to the monitoring unit 70, for example as part of at least one second measurement result in the above-mentioned actions 203, 306.

[0214] Figures 6a to 6c An exemplary scenario is shown of how to measure and / or estimate inventory at a storage location among a plurality of storage locations. Figures 6a to 6c The exemplary scenario of exemplifies the measurement and estimation of inventory in a first storage location 10 , however, corresponding measurements and estimates are applicable to any one or more of the plurality of storage locations 10 , 11 , 12 .

[0215] Figure 6aAn exemplary scenario is shown when the inventory of the storage location is stored on a slope. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 can measure the profile 603 of the inventory in the first storage location 10, such as the shape, such as the pile profile. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 can also estimate a reference coordinate system, such as a Cartesian coordinate system with a y reference axis 601 and an x ​​reference axis 602. At least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 can also estimate an angle 604 with a ground plane 605. Based on the angle 604, the profile 603 can be rotated in the reference coordinate system to align with the ground plane 605, where the volume can be estimated using standard volume geometry formulas. In some embodiments, image processing can be used to adapt to the terrain of the work site 1, for example, when performing any one or more of actions 204, 603-604, or when performing any estimation / measurement actions of the embodiments herein. The terrain can define the shape of the work site 1, for example, different heights and / or slope angles with respect to the floor / ground and / or dimensional references of the work site 1. Thus, using image processing, the volume estimation may be further improved when using image processing adapted to the terrain, for example by using a dimensional reference of the work site 1 and / or by using a known height and / or slope angle of the floor / ground of the work site 1. The terrain may be stored as a file, such as an image file, obtained from a server, for example, by at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, and / or may be stored in at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, in the monitoring unit 70, and / or in the control unit 80.

[0216] Figure 6b An exemplary scenario is shown when at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 measures a first storage location 10. In this exemplary scenario, at least one transport vehicle may travel around the first storage location 10 according to a trajectory 606 to estimate the circumference and / or radius of the first storage location 10. This may be achieved by using the position of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, for example, calculated using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as a global positioning system (GPS) and other positioning means, topological matching of the circumference and matching of overlapping contours (e.g., using at least one second sensor of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32). In this way, the ground topography around the first storage location 10 may be measured. When traveling around the first storage location 10, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may measure partial contours of slices of the first storage location 10, which are then combined to make a complete estimate.

[0217] Figure 6c An exemplary scenario is shown when at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 measures a first storage location 10. In this exemplary scenario, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 of the first storage location 10 measures a profile 607. The profile may be as follows: Figure 6a and / or Figure 6b The profile 607 is measured by the field of view of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and is defined by what is detectable by at least one second sensor of at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, in this case bounded by a top portion 608 and a bottom portion 609. The profile is estimated in a Cartesian coordinate system having a y-axis 610 and an x-axis 611. Since at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may not be able to see a complete portion of the first storage location 10, the profile 607 may be mirrored in the coordinate system to assume a similar corresponding profile 612 on the other corresponding side. In this way, the profiles 608, 612 may be used to estimate the full view of the first storage location 10, and thereby the volume of the first storage location 10 may be estimated using any suitable volumetric technique or calculation. Figures 6a to 6c The exemplary scenarios may be performed in any suitable combination.

[0218] Additional Exemplary Embodiments and Modifications

[0219] Embodiments herein may be used by, for example, monitoring unit 70 to trigger one or more operations in work site 1 , for example, based on an estimated amount of inventory in work site 1 .

[0220] For example, when it is determined that the estimate is incorrect, production at job site 1 may need to be reduced and / or stopped because inventory may be scattered in unknown locations.

[0221] As another example, when it is determined that the inventory estimate of at least one of the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 and / or the total inventory at the work site 1 is too high (e.g., above a predefined threshold), at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be commanded to perform one or more of the following:

[0222] - slow down its corresponding operation, for example by reducing the maximum and / or average permissible speed,

[0223] - stop,

[0224] - Travel along the route to another storage location or work site

[0225] - performing a replacement transport task to alleviate the estimated inventory of a storage location in the plurality of storage locations 10, 11, 12 within the work site 1 falling below a predetermined threshold, and

[0226] - Perform other operations on the job site1.

[0227] The overestimation of the quantity of stock can, for example, be above a predetermined threshold value for the maximum intermediate storage at the work site 1 and / or in the plurality of storage locations 10 , 11 , 12 .

[0228] As another example, when it is determined that the estimate is too low, at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 may be commanded to perform any one or more of the following:

[0229] - speed up their respective operations, for example by reducing the maximum and / or average permissible speed,

[0230] - It is prohibited to perform other operations at the work site1.

[0231] An underestimation of the amount of inventory may be, for example, below a predetermined threshold.

[0232] An underestimation may further trigger the monitoring unit 70:

[0233] - triggering instructions to cause a transport vehicle located at a remote location (such as another work site) to travel along a route to the work site 1 to assist in transport operations in the work site 1, such as performing similar or identical operations as at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32.

[0234] The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to perform any one or more of the above actions 201-207 and / or any other suitable examples or embodiments herein. The monitoring unit 70 may, for example, include Figure 7a and Figure 7b The arrangement depicted in .

[0235] Monitoring unit 70 may include input and output interface 700, which is configured to communicate with any necessary parts and / or entity in the embodiments herein. Input and output interface 700 may include wireless and / or wired receivers (not shown) and wireless and / or wired transmitters (not shown). Monitoring unit 70 may be arranged in any suitable position. Monitoring unit 70 may use input and output interface 700 to communicate with sensors (e.g., at least one first sensor and / or at least one second sensor), actuators, subsystems and at least one transport vehicle 30,31,32, such as by using any one or more of controller area network (CAN), Ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and / or other network interfaces.

[0236] The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to obtain an initial amount of inventory in the work site 1, for example, through an obtaining unit 701 included in the monitoring unit 70. The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to transmit instructions to at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, for example, through a transmitting unit 702 included in the monitoring unit 70, the instructions indicating how the at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 should measure the inventory in the work site 1.

[0237] The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to receive at least one first measurement result of the inventory from at least one transport vehicle 30 , 31 , 32 , for example via a receiving unit 703 comprised in the monitoring unit 70 , and optionally to receive at least one second measurement result from at least one transport vehicle 30 , 31 , 32 and / or at least one aircraft 40 , 41 .

[0238] The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to estimate the amount of inventory in the work site 1 based on at least one first measurement and optionally at least one second measurement and / or the obtained initial amount of inventory, for example by an estimating unit 704 comprised in the monitoring unit 70 .

[0239] The monitoring unit 70 can be configured to verify the estimated amount of inventory, for example by means of a verification unit 705 included in the monitoring unit 70, by comparing the estimated amount of inventory with at least one expected amount and / or by comparing at least one first measurement result with at least one control measurement result (e.g., at least one second measurement result).

[0240] The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to trigger an alarm, for example, as in action 206 , for example, by means of a triggering unit 706 comprised in the monitoring unit 70 .

[0241] The monitoring unit 70 may be configured to train a machine learning model to predict the estimated amount of the inventory using at least one first measurement of the inventory, the estimated amount of the inventory, and knowledge of whether the estimated amount of the inventory was correctly verified, for example by a training unit 707 included in the monitoring unit 70. The machine learning model may also be used to predict a future estimate of the amount of the inventory and / or verify a future estimate of the amount of the inventory.

[0242] The embodiments herein may be implemented by a processor or one or more processors (such as Figure 7a The computer program code may be implemented as a processor 760 of a processing circuit in the monitoring unit 70 depicted in FIG. 1 ) together with a computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program medium, for example in the form of a data computer readable medium carrying the computer program code, which is used to perform the embodiments herein when loaded into the monitoring unit 70. One such computer readable medium may be in the form of a memory stick. The computer program code may also be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the monitoring unit 70.

[0243] The monitoring unit 70 may also include a memory 770, which includes one or more memory units. The memory 770 includes instructions executable by a processor in the monitoring unit 70. The memory 770 is arranged to store, for example, information, instructions, data, configurations, sensor data, measurements, estimates, positioning information, routes, and applications to perform the methods herein when executed in the monitoring unit 70.

[0244] In some embodiments, computer program 780 includes instructions that, when executed by a computer (eg, at least one processor 760), cause at least one processor of monitoring unit 70 to perform actions 201 - 207 described above.

[0245] In some embodiments, the computer readable storage medium 790 includes a corresponding computer program 780. The computer readable storage medium 790 may include program code for performing the steps of any of the above actions 201-207 when the program product is run on a computer (eg, at least one processor 760).

[0246] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units in the monitoring unit 70 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with, for example, software and / or firmware stored in the monitoring unit 70, which are executed by corresponding one or more processors (such as the processors described above). One or more of these processors and other digital hardware may be included in a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed in several separate components, whether packaged separately or assembled into a system on a chip (SoC).

[0247] The control unit 80 may be configured to perform any one or more of the above actions 301-306 and / or any other suitable examples or embodiments herein. The control unit 80 may, for example, include: Figure 8a and Figure 8b The arrangement depicted in .

[0248] The control unit 80 may include an input and output interface 800, which is configured to communicate with any necessary components and / or entities in the embodiments herein. The input and output interface 800 may include a wireless and / or wired receiver (not shown) and a wireless and / or wired transmitter (not shown). The control unit 80 may be arranged in any appropriate position, such as, for example, included in at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32, such as one control unit 80 for each transport vehicle. The control unit 80 can use the input and output interface 800 to communicate with sensors (e.g., at least one first sensor and / or at least one second sensor), actuators, subsystems, and interfaces in at least one transport vehicle 30, 31, 32 and / or control them, such as by using any one or more of a controller area network (CAN), an Ethernet cable, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and / or other network interfaces.

[0249] The control unit 80 may be configured to receive instructions from the monitoring unit 70 , eg via a receiving unit 801 comprised in the control unit 80 , indicating how the transport vehicles 30 , 31 , 32 should measure the inventory in the worksite 1 , eg as transmitted in action 202 .

[0250] The control unit 80 may be configured to obtain at least a portion of the inventory to be transported to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations 10 , 11 , 12 , for example via an obtaining unit 802 comprised in the control unit 80 .

[0251] The control unit 80 may be configured to measure at least one first measurement to obtain at least one first measurement result, for example, by means of a measuring unit 803 included in the control unit 80 .

[0252] The control unit 80 may be configured to transmit the at least one first measurement result to the monitoring unit 70 , for example via a transmission unit 804 included in the control unit 80 .

[0253] The control unit 80 may be configured to measure at least one second measurement result, for example by means of a measuring unit 803 comprised in the control unit 80 .

[0254] The control unit 80 may be configured to transmit the at least one second measurement result to the monitoring unit 70 , for example via a transmission unit 804 included in the control unit 80 .

[0255] The embodiments herein may be implemented by a processor or one or more processors (such as Figure 8aThe program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program medium, for example in the form of a data computer readable medium carrying the computer program code, which is used to execute the embodiments of the present invention when loaded into the control unit 80. One such computer readable medium may be in the form of a memory stick. The computer program code may also be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the control unit 80.

[0256] The control unit unit 80 may also include a memory 870, which includes one or more memory units. The memory 870 includes instructions executable by a processor in the control unit 80. The memory 870 is arranged to store, for example, information, instructions, data, configurations, sensor data, measurements, estimates, positioning information, routes, and applications to perform the methods herein when executed in the control unit 80.

[0257] In some embodiments, the computer program 880 includes instructions that, when executed by a computer (eg, at least one processor 860), cause at least one processor of the control unit 80 to perform the actions 301 - 306 described above.

[0258] In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium 890 includes a corresponding computer program 880. The computer-readable storage medium 890 may include program code for performing steps of any of the above actions 301-306 when the program product is run on a computer (eg, at least one processor 860).

[0259] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units in the control unit 80 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with, for example, software and / or firmware stored in the control unit 80, which are executed by the corresponding one or more processors (such as the processors described above). One or more of these processors and other digital hardware may be included in a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed in several separate components, whether packaged separately or assembled into a system on a chip (SoC).

[0260] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings; rather, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. In addition, all of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiments and / or examples herein in any suitable manner.

Claims

1. A method for tracking inventory at a work site (1) performed by a monitoring unit (70), the inventory being stored in a plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12), the method comprising: - receiving (203) at least one first measurement of the inventory from at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32), the at least one first measurement indicating at least a portion of the inventory (20, 21, 22) transported to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), the at least one first measurement being measured by sensors onboard the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32), and wherein the at least one first measurement comprises at least one volume measurement and / or at least one weight measurement, and - estimating (204) the quantity of the inventory based on the received (203) at least one first measurement result.

2. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein receiving (203) the at least one first measurement result includes receiving multiple measurement results measured by the same transport vehicle of the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32), the multiple measurement results being measured for different transportations of at least a portion of the inventory to the multiple storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), from the multiple storage locations and / or between the multiple storage locations.

3. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein receiving (203) the at least one first measurement result includes receiving a measurement result of each portion of the inventory transported by the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) to the multiple storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), transported from the multiple storage locations and / or transported between the multiple storage locations.

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein estimating (204) the amount of the inventory comprises estimating (204) the volume, weight and / or density of the inventory.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein estimating (204) the amount of the inventory comprises estimating a volume and / or density of the inventory, and wherein the at least one first measurement comprises at least one weight measurement.

6. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein estimating (204) the amount of the inventory comprises estimating the total amount of the inventory at a work site and / or the amount of the inventory at each of the plurality of storage locations.

7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein estimating (204) the amount of the inventory comprises forecasting a future amount of the inventory.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - obtaining (201) an initial quantity of said inventory in said work site (1), and Wherein estimating (204) the amount of the inventory is also based on obtaining an initial amount of the inventory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein obtaining (201) the initial amount of the inventory comprises any one or more of: - obtaining at least one previous measurement of at least part of the inventory transported to, from or between the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), and - obtaining a previously estimated or determined quantity of said inventory at said work site (1).

10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein receiving (203) the at least one first measurement of the inventory further comprises receiving at least one type of at least a portion of the inventory (20, 21, 22) measured, and / or at least one label and / or characteristic of at least a portion of the inventory (20, 21, 22) measured, and Wherein estimating (204) the quantity of the inventory further comprises estimating the quantity of the at least one type and / or the quantity of the at least one tag and / or characteristic of the inventory.

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - receiving (203) at least one second measurement of the inventory, the at least one second measurement of the inventory being indicative of at least a portion of the inventory stored in at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12), and Wherein estimating (204) the amount of the inventory is also based on receiving (203) at least one second measurement result.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one second measurement comprises at least one volume measurement and / or at least one measured shape of the at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12).

13. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the at least one second measurement comprises at least one measurement measured by at least one aircraft (40, 41, 42).

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the at least one second measurement comprises at least one second measurement measured by the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one second measurement result is measured by the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) while the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) is simultaneously transporting other portions of the inventory to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1).

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the at least one second measurement result comprises at least one measurement result measured by at least one second sensor of the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) and / or at least one shape measurement result indicating a driving path of the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) around the at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12).

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein receiving (203) the at least one second measurement of the inventory comprises receiving a measurement indicative of each of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12).

18. The method of claims 11 to 17, wherein receiving (203) the at least one second measurement of the inventory comprises receiving measurements of a first subset of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) from a first transport vehicle of the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32).

19. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein receiving (203) the at least one first measurement comprises receiving at least one registration of at least a portion of the inventory having left the work site (1).

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one registration comprises any one or more of: - at least one indication of which transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) has transported said at least part of said stock out of said work site (1), - at least one indication of a time at which said at least part of said inventory was shipped out of said work site (1), - at least one indication of the type, label and identity of said at least part of said inventory that is transported from said work site (1), - a most recent measurement indicating any one or more of: the weight, volume, type, label, characteristics and / or density of the at least a portion of the inventory that has been transported out of the work site (1) as measured by a transport vehicle (30, 31, 32), - confirmation of any one or more of the following: the weight, volume, type, labelling, characteristics and / or density of at least a portion of the inventory that has been shipped out of the work site (1) as confirmed by an external verification unit and / or a user outside the work site (1).

21. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - verifying (205) the estimated amount of the inventory by comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with at least one expected amount and / or by comparing the at least one first measurement with at least one control measurement, and When the estimated quantity of the inventory cannot be verified, the method further includes triggering (206) an alarm.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein validating (205) the estimated amount of the inventory is based on comparing the estimated amount of the inventory to at least one expected amount of the inventory.

23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein verifying (205) the estimated amount of the inventory comprises: - obtaining at least one previous measurement of the inventory measured while being transported to, from or between the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), - predicting a first expected amount of said inventory based on said at least one previous measurement, and - comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with the first expected amount of the inventory.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein verifying (205) the estimated amount of the inventory comprises: - obtain a cumulative measure of said inventory leaving and entering said work site (1), - obtaining a previously estimated or determined quantity of said inventory at said work site (1), - forecasting a second expected amount of said inventory based on said accumulated measurements and said previously estimated or determined amount of said inventory in said work site (1), and - comparing the estimated amount of the inventory with the second expected amount of the inventory.

25. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein triggering verification (205) of the estimated quantity of the inventory is performed in any one or more of the following ways: - regularly, - when at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) has completed transporting at least a portion of said inventory, and - When it is determined that the amount of the inventory stored in any one or more of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) is above a predetermined threshold.

26. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 25, further comprising: - training (207) a machine learning model to predict the estimated quantity of the inventory using the at least one first measurement of the inventory, the estimated quantity of the inventory, and the knowledge of whether the estimated quantity of the inventory is correctly verified, and - using the trained machine learning model to predict a future estimate of the quantity of the inventory and / or to validate a future estimate of the quantity of the inventory.

27. A method according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein at least a portion of the inventory is marked with a corresponding identifier identifying the source and / or the corresponding type of the inventory, wherein each transportation of the marked portion of the inventory is recorded with the corresponding identifier, wherein receiving (203) at least one first measurement result indicating the inventory includes receiving the corresponding identifier, and wherein verifying (205) the estimated quantity of the inventory includes verifying whether the corresponding identifier is consistent with the recorded transportation of the at least a portion of the inventory.

28. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises: - transmitting (202) instructions to at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) indicating how the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) should measure inventory at the work site (1), and wherein the instructions further instruct the at least one transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) to measure one or more of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) when transporting the at least a portion of the inventory.

29. A method for assisting a monitoring unit (70) in tracking inventory at a work site (1) performed by a transport vehicle (30, 31, 32), the inventory being stored in a plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12), the method comprising: - performing (303) at least one first measurement on the inventory to obtain at least one first measurement result, the at least one first measurement result indicating at least a portion of the inventory (20, 21, 22) transported by the transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) to, from and / or between the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), the at least one first measurement result being measured by onboard sensors of the transport vehicle (30, 31, 32), and wherein the at least one first measurement result comprises at least one volume measurement result and / or at least one weight measurement result, and - transmitting (304) the at least one first measurement result to the monitoring unit (70).

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising: - performing (305) at least one second measurement on the inventory to obtain at least one second measurement result, wherein the at least one second measurement comprises at least one volume measurement and / or at least one shape measurement of at least one storage location of the plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12), and - transmitting (306) the at least one second measurement result to the monitoring unit (70).

31. A method according to claim 30, wherein when the transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) transports at least a portion of the inventory (20, 21, 22) to, from and / or between the multiple storage locations in the work site (1), performing (303) at least one first measurement and performing (305) at least one second measurement on the inventory are performed simultaneously.

32. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 31, further comprising: - receiving (301) instructions from the monitoring unit (70) indicating how the transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) should measure the inventory in the work site (1), and wherein any one or more of the at least one first measurement of the inventory and the at least one second measurement of the inventory are performed based on the received instructions.

33. A monitoring unit (70) configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

34. A computer program (780) comprising program code means for performing the steps of any one of claims 1 to 28 when said program is run on a computer.

35. A computer program medium (790) carrying a computer program, the computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of any one of claims 1 to 28 when the program is run on a computer.

36. A control unit (80) configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 29 to 32.

37. A transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) arranged to transport at least a portion of the inventory in a work site (1) to, from and / or between a plurality of storage locations (10, 11, 12) in the work site (1), and wherein the transport vehicle (30, 31, 32) comprises a control unit (80) according to claim 36.

38. A computer program (880) comprising program code means for performing the steps of any one of claims 29 to 32 when said program is run on a computer.

39. A computer program medium (890) carrying a computer program, the computer program comprising program code means for performing the steps of any one of claims 29 to 32 when the program is run on a computer.

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