{
  "patent_number": "US 12737436",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Efficiently Combining Data from Different Sensors",
  "original_title": "Systems and methods of sensor data fusion",
  "summary": "This patent describes a system for combining information from many different types of sensors more efficiently by carefully selecting and processing the data, reducing the computer power needed.",
  "what_it_does": "The system outlined in this patent collects data from multiple sensors, then carefully organizes and filters it, a process called curation. It links related pieces of data and combines them, which is known as fusion. A key part of this process is calculating 'conditional entropy' to decide which data is most important, which helps reduce the amount of computing power and time needed. The system then uses this combined data to make educated guesses or decisions (inference) and checks if the combined data is reliable enough by comparing it against a set mathematical standard (validation). For example, a robot could use this to combine camera images, lidar distances, and microphone sounds to understand its surroundings without slowing down.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover sensor data fusion systems that do not curate or filter the raw data before combining it.",
    "Does not cover methods of data fusion that do not calculate conditional entropy to reduce computational load.",
    "Does not cover systems that combine data from only a single type of sensor.",
    "Does not cover systems that fuse data without validating the output against a mathematical threshold.",
    "Does not cover data fusion techniques that increase, rather than reduce, computational demand and processing time."
  ],
  "filed": "2026-01-06",
  "granted": "2026-09-15",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": null,
  "holder_url": null,
  "inventors": [],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "automotive",
    "telecommunications",
    "ai_ml",
    "software",
    "robotics"
  ],
  "abstract": "Systems and methods of sensor data fusion including sensor data capture, curation, linking, fusion, inference, and validation. The systems and methods described herein reduce computational demand and processing time by curating data and calculating conditional entropy. The system is operable to fuse data from a plurality of sensor types. A computer processor optionally stores fused sensor data that the system validates above a mathematical threshold.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12737436/systems-and-methods-of-sensor-data-fusion",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12737436/systems-and-methods-of-sensor-data-fusion/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12737436",
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}