Telematics devices and systems

• US 10,104,496 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laird Technologies Incorporated (DuPont de Nemours, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Laird Technologies Incorporated (DuPont de Nemours, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Pranav
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US15/200,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 34053922, 340989, 34053913, 340 101, 340 31, 340 105, 701 35, 370328329, 455 412
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are provided of telematics devices and exemplary corresponding methods. In an exemplary embodiment, a telematics device generally includes at least one hub device having a wireless network interface and a BLUETOOTH interface, and one or more peripheral devices. Each peripheral device includes a BLUETOOTH device in wireless communication with the hub device and/or at least one other peripheral device. Each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device. The hub device is configured to analyze received peripheral device information and transmit a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information to a remote station. Other exemplary embodiments include a camera interface for a telematics device, a smart lock assembly for a trailer, and a trailer tracking system.

Claims

1. An asset management system comprising:

at least one hub device, the hub device including a wireless network interface and a short-range wireless communication interface; and

one or more peripheral devices, each peripheral device including a short-range wireless communication device in wireless communication with the hub device and/or at least one other of the peripheral devices;

wherein each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device;

wherein the hub device is configured to analyze received peripheral device information and transmit a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information to a remote station;

wherein each peripheral device is remotely configurable to specify the peripheral device identifier of the peripheral device and a time interval between periodic broadcasts of peripheral device information by the peripheral device;

wherein;

the one or more peripheral devices include multiple peripheral devices connected in a mesh-network topology; and

each of the multiple peripheral devices is configured to relay received peripheral device information from other peripheral devices to the hub device and/or to at least one other peripheral device, such that all peripheral device information is eventually received at the hub device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the one or more peripheral devices is coupled to at least one sensor to obtain data from the sensor; and

the peripheral device information broadcast by the at least one peripheral device includes the data obtained from the at least one sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the hub device further includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and

the hub device is configured to obtain a location of the hub device from the GPS receiver and to include the location of the hub device in the report transmitted to the remote station.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the hub device is configured to transmit a report to the remote station when:

received peripheral device information is indicative of an alert condition based on one or more stored peripheral device information trigger values; and

/or

received peripheral device information is indicative of an absence of one or more of the peripheral devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the hub device is configured to receive peripheral device information from only a subset of the one or more peripheral devices; and

the hub device is configured to transmit the report to the remote station based on analysis of only the peripheral device information received from the subset of the one or more peripheral devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the short-range wireless communication interface of the hub device includes a BLUETOOTH short-range wireless communication interface; and

the short-range wireless communication device of each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a BLUETOOTH short-range wireless communication interface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each peripheral device is located with a different one of multiple stationary assets, to provide monitoring of the multiple stationary assets via the hub device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each peripheral device is located with a different one of multiple mobile assets, to provide monitoring of the multiple mobile assets via the hub device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each mobile asset includes a vehicle, and each peripheral device is positioned in or on its corresponding vehicle.

2. An asset management system comprising:

at least one hub device, the hub device including a wireless network interface and a short-range wireless communication interface; and

one or more peripheral devices, each peripheral device including a short-range wireless communication device in wireless communication with the hub device and/or at least one other of the peripheral devices;

wherein each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device;

wherein the hub device is configured to analyze received peripheral device information and transmit a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information to a remote station;

wherein each peripheral device is remotely configurable to specify the peripheral device identifier of the peripheral device and a time interval between periodic broadcasts of peripheral device information by the peripheral device;

wherein;

the hub device is positioned within a short-range wireless communication range of all of the one or more peripheral devices in a star-network topology; and

the hub device is configured to receive peripheral device information broadcasts directly from all of the peripheral devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one hub device includes multiple hub devices; and

one of the multiple hub devices is an intermediary hub device configured to receive a report from another one of the multiple hub devices and transmit the received report to the remote station.

12. An asset management system comprising:

at least one hub device, the hub device including a wireless network interface and a short-range wireless communication interface; and

multiple peripheral devices connected in a mesh-network topology, each peripheral device including a short-range wireless communication device in wireless communication with the hub device and/or at least one other of the peripheral devices;

wherein each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device;

wherein the hub device is configured to analyze received peripheral device information and transmit a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information to a remote station; and

wherein each of the multiple peripheral devices is configured to relay received peripheral device information from other peripheral devices to the hub device and/or to at least one other peripheral device, such that all peripheral device information is eventually received at the hub device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each of the multiple peripheral devices is coupled to a different one of multiple sensors to obtain data from said sensor; and

the peripheral device information broadcast by each of the multiple peripheral devices includes the data obtained from its corresponding sensor.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the hub device further includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and

the hub device is configured to obtain a location of the hub device from the GPS receiver and to include the location of the hub device in the report transmitted to the remote station.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the hub device is configured to transmit a report to the remote station when:

received peripheral device information is indicative of an alert condition based on one or more stored peripheral device information trigger values; and

/or

received peripheral device information is indicative of an absence of one or more of the peripheral devices.

16. An asset management system comprising:

at least one hub device, the hub device including a wireless network interface and a short-range wireless communication interface; and

multiple peripheral devices, each peripheral device including a short-range wireless communication device in wireless communication with the hub device, the hub device positioned within a short-range wireless communication range of the multiple peripheral devices in a star-network topology, wherein;

each of the one or more peripheral devices includes a peripheral device identifier and is configured to periodically broadcast peripheral device information including the peripheral device identifier to be received by the hub device;

the hub device is configured to receive peripheral device information broadcasts directly from all of the peripheral devices and generate a report based on the analyzed peripheral device information; and

the hub device is configured to transmit the generated report to an intermediate hub device, the intermediate hub device configured to transmit the received report to a remote station.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

each of the multiple peripheral devices is coupled to a different one of multiple sensors to obtain data from said sensor; and

the peripheral device information broadcast by each of the multiple peripheral devices includes the data obtained from its corresponding sensor.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the hub device further includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and

the hub device is configured to obtain a location of the hub device from the GPS receiver and to include the location of the hub device in the report transmitted to the remote station.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the hub device is configured to transmit a report to the remote station when:

received peripheral device information is indicative of an alert condition based on one or more stored peripheral device information trigger values; and

/or

received peripheral device information is indicative of an absence of one or more of the peripheral devices.