Patent ID: 9678052
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: B65G,G01G,G01N

Claim:
1. A method for a tracking system to track material through a production chain or operational process chain in which the material is transferred via a plurality of spatially distinct lumped masses of material, the method comprising: measuring, with a plurality of sensors, attributes of the spatially distinct lumped masses of material; maintaining a dynamic state space descriptive of an estimate of material in the plurality of spatially distinct lumped masses of material, wherein a quantity of entries in the dynamic state space is varied dependent on a quantity of spatially distinct lumped masses being tracked; maintaining a dynamic covariance matrix associated with the dynamic state space, wherein a dimension of the dynamic covariance matrix is varied dependent on a quantity of spatially distinct lumped masses of material being tracked; receiving one or more measurements from the plurality of sensors relating to an observed lumped mass of material; fusing the received one or more measurements into the dynamic state space and dynamic covariance matrix to provide an update of an estimate of material in the plurality of spatially distinct lumped masses of material; and updating the tracking system with the update of the estimate of material as the plurality of spatially distinct lumped masses of material move through the production chain or operational process chain.