SMART STORAGE SYSTEM

Abstract

A vehicle contains multiple storage zones. A set of imaging sensors defines fields of view, and each storage zone is contained within at least one defined field of view. A controller communicates with the set of imaging sensors and contains a set of processing modules configured to work together to implement an intelligent storage tracking system. This system includes a person detection processing module and an object detection processing module. The person detection processing module contains a process for identifying unique persons using image analysis, and the object detection module contains a process for identifying unique objects using image analysis. The intelligent storage tracking system defines an object-to-person-and-location data record in a database using the person detection processing module and the object detection processing module.The database communicates with the controller and stores every defined object-to-person-to-location data entry.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The disclosure in question relates to object location monitoring in a vehicle using an intelligent storage system.

[0002] When planning and loading vehicles for a trip, it's easy for those loading the vehicle to lose track of one or more items, or to mistakenly believe an item has been packed or loaded when it has been removed from the vehicle. This problem is exacerbated when a large number of items are being loaded (e.g., into a commercial van) and when several people are independently responsible for loading items into the vehicle.

[0003] Additionally, it is common practice for objects to be removed, moved to different locations within the vehicle, and replaced during the loading process, resulting in difficulties in tracking the location of any given object. This, in turn, makes unloading less efficient and increases the likelihood that an object will be forgotten, temporarily removed, and unintentionally not replaced before departure, or otherwise placed in the wrong location.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to include an object tracking system in a vehicle, thereby reducing the cognitive load on people responsible for loading and unloading the objects. SUMMARY

[0005] In an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle contains multiple storage zones. A set of imaging sensors defines fields of view, and each storage zone is contained within at least one defined field of view. A controller communicates with the set of imaging sensors and contains a set of processing modules configured to work together to implement an intelligent storage tracking system, including a person detection processing module and an object detection processing module. The person detection processing module contains a process for identifying unique persons using image analysis, and the object detection processing module contains a process for identifying unique objects using image analysis.The intelligent storage tracking system is configured to define an object-to-person-to-location data entry in a database using person recognition from the person recognition processing module and object recognition from the object recognition processing module. The database communicates with the controller and stores each defined object-to-person-to-location data entry.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the set of imaging sensors includes a subset of outward-facing imaging sensors, and the subset of outward-facing imaging sensors defines fields of view outside the vehicle.

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, each object-to-person-and-place data record contains data elements that identify a unique object and relate a unique person and a unique place to the object, where the unique place is a storage zone of multiple storage zones, the possession is a unique person, and the out-of-vehicle status is a status of

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the controller is also in communication with a remote device and configured to receive input from the remote device.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features described here, communication with the remote device is direct communication.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described here, communication with the remote device is indirect communication via a computer network.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the vehicle further contains at least one stored trip list defining multiple unique objects, wherein the intelligent retention tracking system is configured to: determine that a trip event has started, respond to the start of a trip event by comparing a stored trip list to the at least one stored trip list for object-to-person-and-location, wherein an in-vehicle subset of data entries in the database corresponds to object-to-person-and-location entries that have location elements defined as vehicle zones, and respond to at least one unique object stored in the at least one stored trip list that does not correspond to a unique object in the in-vehicle subset of data entries by notifying at least one user of a missing element.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the vehicle further contains at least one stored trip list defining multiple unique objects, wherein the intelligent retention tracking system is configured to determine that a trip end event has occurred, to respond to the occurrence of a trip end event by comparing a stored trip list with object-to-person-and-location data entries in an in-vehicle subset of data entries in the database that correspond to object-to-person-and-location entries that have location elements defined as vehicle zones, and to respond to the fact that at least one unique object-to-person-and-location entry has a location element defined as a vehicle zone and corresponds to an object defined in the at least one stored trip list by providing a notification to a user.The notification contains an identification of a specific vehicle zone, which is defined in the object-to-person-and-location data entry of the unique objects.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the controller is configured to identify an arrangement of a unique object in a vehicle by monitoring a set of image feeds from the set of image sensors, identifying a person carrying an object in at least one image feed from the set of image feeds and responding by identifying the person as a unique person using the person detection processing module and identifying the object as a unique object using the object detection processing module, determining that the unique person left the unique object in a zone of the vehicle and responding by creating a new object-to-person-and-location data entry that identifies the unique person, the unique object, and the zone of the vehicle where the unique object was left.and to identify where to save the new object-to-person-and-place data entry in the database.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described here, identifying unique persons involves performing a facial recognition process on at least one image input of the set of image inputs.

[0015] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the person recognition processing module includes a process for identifying unique persons by identifying a token object that is carried by the unique persons.

[0016] In addition to one or more of the features described here, identifying the token object involves establishing Internet of Things communication between the controller and the token object.

[0017] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the controller is configured to detect the removal of a unique object from a vehicle by monitoring a set of image feeds from the set of image sensors and identifying a person interacting with objects stored in a zone of the vehicle, using image analysis of the set of image feeds and identifying the person as a unique person and the object as a unique object, retrieving an object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object from the database, and responding to the fact that the identified unique person is different from the unique persons stored in the object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object by notifying a user that the unique object has been removed from the vehicle by an unauthorized person.

[0018] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the controller is further configured to respond to the fact that the unique person is the unique person stored in the object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object by updating a unique location data element of the object-to-person-and-location data record to a removed-from-vehicle status.

[0019] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the controller also includes a local interface module configured to receive commands from an input device and to respond to the receipt of commands by determining the authorization level of the person providing the commands and implementing the commands in response to the determined authorization level exceeding a minimum authorization level.

[0020] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the controller includes a manual object arrangement entry module configured to receive an object arrangement input that defines a unique object, a unique location of the object, and a unique person, and configured to generate an object-to-person-and-location data element based on the received object arrangement input.

[0021] In addition to one or more of the features described here, the manual object arrangement entry module includes a voice interface configured to receive verbal object arrangement input from a vehicle microphone and / or a remote device in communication with the controller.

[0022] In a further exemplary embodiment, a method for tracking objects in a vehicle comprises identifying the presence of a person carrying an object in at least one image input, at least partially using image analysis; determining a unique identity of the person using a combination of facial recognition image analysis and Internet of Things token identification; determining a unique object identifier of the object using image analysis; generating an object-to-person-and-location data entry containing the unique object identifier; relating the unique identity of the person to a location of the vehicle in which the object was left; and storing the object-to-person-and-location data entry in a database.

[0023] In addition to one or more of the features described here, Internet of Things token identification includes communication between a controller implementing the procedure and an Internet of Things capable token carried by the person, with the Internet of Things communication providing a unique identifier of the token to the controller.

[0024] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the procedure further comprises identifying the removal of the object from a vehicle by monitoring the at least one image feed and identifying the person interacting with objects stored in a zone of the vehicle using image analysis of the at least one image feed and identifying the person as a unique person and the object as a unique object, retrieving an object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object from the database and responding to the fact that the identified unique person is different from the unique person stored in the object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object by notifying a user that the identified unique object has been removed from the vehicle by an unauthorized person.

[0025] The features and advantages described above, and further features and advantages of the disclosure, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Further features, advantages and details appear only as examples in the following detailed description, which refers to the drawings; they show: Fig. 1 a schematic top-view representation of a vehicle containing an intelligent storage system; Fig. 2 a schematic representation of an intelligent storage system architecture for the vehicle according to claim 1; Fig. 3. A process for tracking an object arrangement using the intelligent storage system architecture; Fig. 4. A process for tracking an object removal using the intelligent storage system architecture; Fig. 5. a process for implementing customer-specific interactions using the intelligent storage system architecture and Fig. 6. A process for tracking objects required for a trip using the intelligent storage system architecture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The following description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses. It should be noted that in the course of the drawings, corresponding reference numerals denote similar or corresponding sections and features.

[0028] Vehicles such as passenger cars, commercial vans, and the like contain a smart infrastructure that can communicate with user-owned objects and devices using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. These vehicles also include cameras distributed throughout the vehicle that provide image feeds (e.g., video) to control systems, which use the images for object detection and facial recognition. By effectively employing IoT technologies and intelligently analyzing the image feeds, the control systems match objects with their owners (i.e., the people who placed the object in the vehicle) and track the objects' locations within the vehicle.

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment, methods, devices, and systems for implementing an intelligent storage system for tracking objects in a vehicle during loading and unloading processes are provided. The intelligent storage system includes interior cameras and sensors positioned at key locations such as a glove box, an electric trunk, a front trunk, and a conventional trunk, defining areas of the vehicle as zones. The zones can be broad, such as general areas of the vehicle (i.e., a passenger compartment), or narrow, such as a partitioned compartment (e.g., a rear right section of a trunk). In alternative examples, any number of additional vehicle locations can be monitored using video cameras or other sensors.The sensors interact with Internet of Things (IoT) technology and an in-vehicle user interface to track the positioning of objects within the vehicle. Users can access storage information and / or receive reminders before setting off that items needed for a daily commute or a specific trip are not in the vehicle.

[0030] The embodiments described here offer numerous advantages and technical effects. Among these advantages and effects is a reduction in the cognitive load required to track objects during the packing, loading, and unloading of a vehicle, as well as the identification of unauthorized persons accessing or removing tracked objects from the vehicle.

[0031] The embodiments are not limited to use with a specific vehicle and can be applicable to various contexts. For example, the embodiments described here can be applied to alternative systems outside of commercial delivery and private transportation, including public transportation systems such as trains, buses, and aircraft.

[0032] With reference to Fig. In the vehicle 10, a controller 20 communicates with a set of outward-facing cameras 30 and a set of interior cameras 32. Each outward-facing camera 30 defines a corresponding field of view within an area surrounding the vehicle 10. Each interior camera 32 captures an image of a section of the vehicle 10's interior. For example, a trunk camera 32 is directed towards the trunk and provides an image of the trunk's storage area.

[0033] The controller 20 also communicates with a remote computer system 40 and one or more mobile devices 50, such as a telephone and / or a tablet, through a cloud-based computing system 60. In the illustrated example, the controller 20 also communicates with an interior microphone 70. The interior microphone 70 is configured to receive voice commands and responses from a driver and / or vehicle operator in a passenger compartment 14 of the vehicle 10.

[0034] The controller 20 contains several processing modules 24 configured to receive and process inputs from the cameras 30, 32, the microphone 70, and through communication with the cloud 60 and remote mobile devices 50. The processing modules 24 are configured to implement an object pairing and tracking system that tracks the location and owner of objects and stores the pairing and tracking information in a database 26. In a practical example, the controller 20 can contain any number of processing modules 24 defined in software and configured to work together to implement the systems described here. Two processing modules 24 are exemplary, and alternative sets of processing modules 24 can be used in alternative examples. While they are implemented as in the controller 20 in the vehicle 10 of Fig. As illustrated in Figure 1, it must be acknowledged that the database 26 may be stored remotely in the cloud 60 or in the remote computer system 40 and may be accessible to the controller 20 via wireless communication.

[0035] The single, permanently assigned controller 20 in the vehicle 10, which is in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 1, alternative examples could be a general vehicle controller containing specialized functions to implement the systems and processes described herein, a network of controllers containing distributed functions and configured to work in conjunction with each other, or any similar controller configuration capable of realizing the functions described herein.

[0036] With continued reference to vehicle 10 of Fig. 1 illustrates Fig. 2. An object pairing and tracking system architecture 200 (a system architecture 200) for implementing an object pairing and tracking system in the vehicle 10. Sections of the system architecture 200 can be used jointly with other systems of the vehicle 10 or other remote systems and are not limited to use in the system architecture 200. For example, the outward-facing cameras 30 can, in addition to their use in the system architecture 200, simultaneously provide image inputs 204 for an object detection system and / or a driver assistance system.

[0037] In the system architecture 200, each outward-facing camera 30 and each inward-facing camera 32 provides its image inputs 204 to a video processing module 24, 202 (a video processor 202). The video processor 202 uses image analysis techniques to isolate individual persons and objects in the image inputs 204 from the cameras 30, 32. In addition to isolating individual persons, the video processor 202 includes feature recognition processes that can distinguish individual persons across multiple image inputs 204. For example, feature recognition can include facial recognition and / or other methods for classifying individual persons and distinguishing between multiple individual persons.

[0038] The identified persons and objects in the image feeds 204 are forwarded to an interaction processor processing module 24, 206 (an interaction processor 206). The interaction processor 206 monitors the identified objects and persons in the image feeds 204 and tracks any interactions between the persons, the objects, and the zones of the vehicle 10. For example, if an image feed 204 from an external camera 30 shows a person carrying a suitcase, the interaction processor 206 matches the specific suitcase with the specific person carrying the suitcase. If a subsequent image feed 204 from an internal camera 32 illustrates that the suitcase is being placed in the trunk, the interaction processor 206 identifies that the person has placed the suitcase in the trunk of the vehicle 10.In cases where the image input 204 from the inward-facing camera 32 contains sufficient footage of the person arranging the suitcase (e.g., via an identifiable feature on an arm such as sleeve color, watch style, tattoo, etc.), the video processor 206 confirms that the person paired with the suitcase is the person who arranged the suitcase in the trunk. The resulting information generated by the interaction processor 206 is an object-to-person-and-location data entry containing data elements that identify the object, with whom the object is paired, and in which zone of the vehicle 10 the object is currently located.

[0039] Each interaction identified by the interaction processor 206 is provided to the database 26 as an object interaction 208. The database 26 provides an object-to-person-and-place mapping of each identified object by storing each object-to-person-and-place data entry. The interactions 208 are generally characterized as three types: adding a new object to the person or place pairing in the database 26, modifying an existing object to the person pairing in the database 26, and removing an object to the person pairing from the database 26. In alternative systems, one or more additional types of interactions 208 may be defined in the interaction processor 206.

[0040] In addition to providing interactions 208 for database 26, the interaction processor 206 is configured to query database 26 for information about one or more objects in database 26 and to receive a response 210 from database 26.

[0041] A local interface processing module 24, 212 (a local interface 212) receives input from multiple interface sources (e.g., a voice interface source 214, the cloud 60, a mobile device 50, a list 216 of required items, a vehicle touchscreen, or any other direct or indirect interface to a user). The local interface 212 processes received input and generates appropriate query responses based on the received input.

[0042] For example, local interface 212 receives an input 218 "I have arranged my spare keys in the glove compartment" from a voice interface 214, and local interface 212 generates a command 220 that modifies an existing object-to-person-to-location pairing in database 26. Command 220 changes a data entry for a user's keys to reflect the arrangement of the keys in the vehicle's glove compartment in database 26.

[0043] In another example, the local interface receives an input 218 "where are my keys" from the voice interface 214 and generates a command from database 26, which queries database 26 for the current object for the person-location pairing of the identified keys. In this example, database 26 provides a query response 222 that identifies the current object for the person-location pairing of the keys and makes the query response 222 available to the local interface 212.

[0044] The local interface 212 is also connected to the cloud 60 via a two-way data connection 224 and / or the mobile device 50 via a wireless connection or a wired connection that enables communication between the mobile device 50 and the local interface 212.

[0045] In another example, a user can use the mobile device 50 or a similar interface to create a list 226 of items required for a trip and make the list 226 available to either the local interface 212 or the cloud 60. The list 226 is then processed and made available to the list 216 of items required for a trip, which can be stored in a local or remote database or local or remote storage. The list 216 of items required for a trip is updated based on the received list 226, or a new list 216 of items required for a trip is created if the trip differs from any previously stored lists 216 of items required for a trip.For example, a user can create one list 226 for the daily commute, a separate list 226 for trips to children's activities, and another separate list 226 for certain one-off trips, and save all lists 226 simultaneously as different lists 216 of items required for a trip.

[0046] In certain examples, instead of directly connecting the voice interface 214 to the local interface 212, the system architecture 200 can route the voice interface 214 via a mobile device 50 that is connected to the cloud 60 and the local interface 212. Additionally, if the mobile device 50 contains an audio input, it can provide audio for the voice interface 214 in addition to the microphone 70, which provides audio input to the voice interface 214.

[0047] The local interface 212 can provide output in response to queries or other actions via a connection to a vehicle interior display 230 or through communication 232 with the mobile device 50. The vehicle interior display 230 and / or the mobile device 50 then provides an output display corresponding to the specific query response.

[0048] The specific connections, instructions, and structures of System Architecture 200 illustrate one possible embodiment of the systems and process described herein. Alternative embodiments may include more and / or alternative interfaces or connections and may use different database structures to achieve similar functionality.

[0049] With continued reference to vehicle 10 of Fig. 1 and the system architecture 200 of Fig. 2 illustrates Fig. 3. An example process 300 for adding object-to-person-and-location matching data to database 26 in vehicle 10. First, in step 310 of waiting for a person to enter a storage location, process 300 waits for a person to enter a storage area. Process 300 identifies a person entering the storage area either by analyzing an image feed 204 that captures the relevant zone and an area approaching the relevant zone, or by identifying a token object (e.g., a mobile device 50, a satellite tracking tag, or any other token object uniquely linked to the person using an Internet of Things system) entering the same area.

[0050] When a person enters the zone, process 300 analyzes an image input 204 of the zone in a possession check 320 to determine whether the person possesses one or more objects. If the person does not possess an object, process 300 returns to the initial step 310 and resumes waiting.

[0051] If the person is in possession of one or more objects, the image input 204 is processed using facial recognition and / or other image processing techniques to uniquely identify the specific person in a facial recognition step 340, and the one or more specific objects being carried are identified using object recognition processing techniques in an object detection step 350. The object recognition processes can be any existing image analysis techniques and / or IoT communications.

[0052] While they were in the process 300 of Fig. As illustrated in Figure 3 as sequential steps 340, 350, face recognition and object detection can take place simultaneously using different processing systems, or the order can be reversed with object detection step 350 occurring before face recognition step 340.

[0053] After identifying the person and any objects in steps 340 and 350, process 300 checks in check 360 whether a person has left an object in the retention zone. If no objects have been left, process 300 returns to wait step 310. If one or more objects remain in the retention zone, process 300 identifies which object was left, generates an object-to-person-and-location pairing add command, and provides the command to database 26 in an object-to-person or location-to-database pairing add step 370.The command assigns the object to the person who left the object in the zone and to the specific zone in which the object was left, and causes database 26 to either update an existing entry for that specific object or create a new entry for that object in database 26.

[0054] With continued reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 illustrates Fig. 4 a process 400 for tracking an object removal using the intelligent storage system architecture 200 of Fig. 2. Initially, process 400 waits in a wait step 410 for an object interaction, specifically for a person to interact with an object in vehicle 10. An object interaction can be detected by process 400 through monitoring weight sensors in a zone (e.g., when a weight sensor indicates a decreased weight, controller 20 determines that an object has been lifted), monitoring an image feed 204 of the zone, tracking the position of an object using an IoT connection to the object, or any similar process.

[0055] If an interaction has occurred with an object, process 400 proceeds to analyze the image input 204 of the zone to identify the unique person who performed or is performing the interaction using a face recognition step 420 and, in an object detection step 430, to determine which one or more objects were interacted with. Face recognition step 420 and object detection step 430 generally operate in the same manner as the corresponding steps 340 and 350 of process 300. Fig. 3.

[0056] Process 400 continues monitoring the image input 204 and determines in an object-out-of-zone step 435 when the object was removed from the zone.

[0057] After identifying the person interacting with the object using facial recognition step 420 and the object being interacted with in object detection step 430, and determining that the object has been removed from the zone in object removal step 435, process 400 determines in an authorization check 440 whether the person interacting with the object is authorized to remove it. In some examples, it is determined that the person is authorized to remove the one or more objects if the identified person is the person paired with the one or more objects in database 26. In other examples, database 26 may contain an additional entry for objects that lists specific people authorized to remove the object.

[0058] In any case, if the authorization check 440 determines that the person interacting with the one or more objects is authorized, process 400 proceeds in an object-from-database step 450 to generate a command that removes the object from database 26 and specifies the person who removed the object.

[0059] If the authorization check 440 determines that the person interacting with one or more objects is not authorized, process 400 proceeds to step 460, warning the object owner before the interaction, and notifying one or more persons associated with the object in database 26 that an unauthorized person has interacted with the object. The warning can be provided to the object owner via a suitable mobile device 50, a screen 230 in vehicle 10, an email, a text message, or another predefined notification method.

[0060] In alternative examples of process 400, process 400 can omit monitoring whether objects are removed, which is done in the object-removed step 435, and in response to the fact that there is interaction with the object, immediately check for authorization using the authorization check 440.

[0061] With continued reference to Fig. 1- Fig. 4 is Fig. 5. A process 500 for a customer-specific interaction using the intelligent storage system architecture 200 in the vehicle 10. The process 500 waits in a wait-for-input step 510 for a customer-specific interaction input. Customer-specific interactions can include the creation of trip lists for one or more trips, manually assigning objects in the database 26 to one or more people, and manually setting a designated location as an object destination (i.e., the object should be in the vehicle or the object should be removed from the vehicle).

[0062] For each input, process 500 checks whether the person providing the input is authorized to provide the requested interaction in an authorization check 520. A person is authorized to manually change a database entry in database 26 if they are the person associated with the object entry being changed. For other actions, such as saving, modifying, or removing items required in list 216, a user is authorized based on general access authorization levels stored in controller 20 and can be restricted according to any available scheme. For example, the owner of vehicle 10 might have general authorization to make any changes and could assign specific rights and privileges to a subset of other users of vehicle 10.In another example, the author of a given list can be assigned by default the right to modify the list of 216 required elements.

[0063] If the user is authorized to make the request, process 50 proceeds to implement the request in a change database based on an interaction step 530. If the user is not authorized to make the request, process 500 proceeds to block the interaction in an interaction blocking step 540. In certain examples, interaction blocking step 540 may also include notifying one or more people who would be authorized to make the request that a request has been made by an unauthorized person. In other examples, the authorized person may approve the request or implement the request themselves.

[0064] With continued reference to Fig. 1- Fig. 5 illustrates Fig. 6. A process 600 ensures that all elements included in a given trip list are present during the trip. First, the process 600 waits for an indication that the trip is about to begin, in a wait-to-start-trip step 610. The start-trip step 610 can be a manual input by a driver of the vehicle 10 indicating that the trip is about to begin, the ignition of the vehicle 10 at a scheduled or learned trip time, a scheduled trip start time, or any other method to indicate that the trip is about to begin.

[0065] When the journey begins, process 600 proceeds to a check 610 to verify that all required elements are present in vehicle 10. During check 610, a processor module 24 identifies each element on a list 216 of required elements for the journey in database 26 and determines whether the object's assignments to a person and a location indicate that the object is present in vehicle 10. If any objects included in the list 216 required elements are not present in vehicle 10 or are not contained in database 26, process 600 warns the user in a user warning step 620. The warning is provided before vehicle 10 departs, allowing users to identify and locate the missing objects.

[0066] If all objects in database 26 are present and assigned to a location in vehicle 10, process 600 performs an iterative check 630 to determine whether the journey has ended. The journey may be marked as ended in response to vehicle 10 reaching a pre-stored destination in a global navigation system, a manual entry by a system user that vehicle 10 has been stopped for more than a predefined duration, or other procedures.

[0067] Once the journey is complete, process 600 allows users to remove objects from vehicle 10 and, in a check 640, verifies whether all required elements have been removed from the vehicle. If any required elements have not been removed, process 600, in a user warning step 650, notifies users that the objects have not been removed and indicates their location within vehicle 10.

[0068] When all objects have been removed, the journey is completely finished and process 600 ends in a journey end step 660.

[0069] The processes that take place in Fig. 3- Fig. Figure 6 represents general use cases for the object tracking system architecture 200 of Fig.2. These are ready and are not of a restrictive nature. Additional or alternative uses may be included alongside the illustrated uses and still fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0070] The terms "a" and "an" do not denote a limit on the number of elements, but rather indicate the presence of at least one of the referenced element. The term "or" means "and / or" unless clearly indicated otherwise by context. A reference to "an aspect" in the application text means that a specific element (e.g., a feature, a structure, a step, or a property) described in connection with that aspect is contained in at least one aspect described therein and may or may not be present in other aspects. It should also be understood that the described elements in the various aspects may be combined in any suitable manner.

[0071] When an element, such as a layer, a thin layer, an area, or a substrate, is described as "attached" to another element, it may be located directly adjacent to that element, or there may be intervening elements. Conversely, when an element is described as "directly adjacent" to another element, there are no intervening elements.

[0072] Unless otherwise specified herein, all testing standards shall be the most recent valid standard as of the filing date of this application or, if priority is claimed, as of the filing date of the earliest priority application in which the testing standard appears.

[0073] Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as would normally be understood by a person skilled in the field to which this disclosure belongs.

[0074] While the disclosure described above has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made and elements can be replaced by their equivalents without altering its scope. Furthermore, many adaptations can be made to fit a particular situation or material to the instructions given in the disclosure without deviating from its essential scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but includes all embodiments that fall within its scope. legend

[0075] In the drawing figures, N stands for no and Y for yes.

Claims

[1] Vehicle comprising: multiple storage zones; a set of imaging sensors that define fields of view, wherein each storage zone is contained within at least one defined field of view; and a controller in communication with the set of imaging sensors, wherein the controller contains a set of processing modules configured to work together to implement an intelligent retention tracking system, which includes a person detection processing module and an object detection processing module, wherein the person detection processing module includes a process for identifying unique persons using image analysis and the object detection processing module includes a process for identifying unique objects using image analysis; wherein the intelligent storage tracking system is configured to define an object-to-person-and-location data entry in a database using a person recognition of the person recognition processing module and an object recognition of the object recognition processing module and The database is in communication with the controller and stores every defined object-to-person-to-location data entry. [2] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the set of imaging sensors includes a subset of outward-facing imaging sensors and the subset of outward-facing imaging sensors defines fields of view outside the vehicle. [3] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each object-to-person-and-place data entry contains data elements that identify a unique object and relate a unique person and a unique place to the object, wherein the unique place is a storage zone of several storage zones, possession by a unique person and an out-of-vehicle-removed status. [4] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is furthermore in communication with a remote device and is configured to receive inputs from the remote device. [5] Vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising at least one stored trip list defining multiple unique objects, wherein the intelligent storage tracking system is configured to: Determine that a driving event has started; Responses to the start of a journey event by comparing a stored journey list of the at least one stored journey list with object-to-person-and-location, wherein a vehicle-internal subset of data entries in the database corresponds to object-to-person-and-location entries that have location elements defined as vehicle zones; and Responding to at least one unique object stored in the at least one saved trip list that does not correspond to a unique object in the vehicle's internal subset of data entries, by notifying at least one user about a missing element. [6] Vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising at least one stored trip list defining multiple unique objects, wherein the intelligent storage tracking system is configured to: Determine that a journey-ending event has occurred; Responses to the occurrence of a trip end event are provided by comparing a stored trip list with object-to-person-and-location data entries in a vehicle-internal subset of data entries in the database that correspond to object-to-person-and-location entries containing location elements defined as vehicle zones; and Responding to the fact that at least one unique object-to-person-and-place entry has a location element defined as a vehicle zone and corresponds to an object defined in the at least one stored trip list, by providing a notification to a user, wherein the notification includes an identification of a specific vehicle zone defined in the object-to-person-and-place entry of the unique objects. [7] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify an arrangement of a unique object in a vehicle by: Monitoring a set of image inputs from the set of image sensors; Identifying a person carrying an object in at least one image input of the set of image inputs and responses by identifying the person as a unique person using the person recognition processing module and identifying the object as a unique object using the object recognition processing module; Determine that the unique person left the unique object in a zone of the vehicle and respond by creating a new object-to-person-and-location data record that identifies the unique person, the unique object, and the zone of the vehicle where the unique object was left; and Saving the new object-to-person-and-place data entry to the database. [8] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the identification of unique persons comprises performing a face recognition process at the at least one image input of the set of image inputs. [9] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the person recognition processing module comprises a process for identifying unique persons by identifying a token object that is guided by the unique persons, and the identification of the token object comprises establishing Internet of Things communication between the controller and the token object. [10] Vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify the removal of a unique object from a vehicle by monitoring a set of image inputs from the set of image sensors; Identifying a person interacting with objects stored in a zone of the vehicle, using image analysis of the set of image feeds and identifying the person as a unique person and the object as a unique object; Retrieving an object-to-person-and-place data entry that corresponds to the unique object from the database; Responding to the fact that the identified unique person is different from the unique persons stored in the object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object, by notifying a user that the unique object has been removed from the vehicle by an unauthorized person; and Responding to the fact that the unique person is the unique person stored in the object-to-person-and-location data record corresponding to the unique object, by updating a unique location data element of the object-to-person-and-location data record to an Out-of-Vehicle-Removed status.

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