Energy storage management in solar-powered tracking devices

• US 10,123,170 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2016
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Elliott, Bryant, Hamby, Benjamin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang-Hurst, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tacsik, Ernest
• Application Number:
  US15/151,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0248 dependent on the time of the day, e.g. according to expected transmission activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A device may detect occurrence of an event. The device may receive energy storage information and solar charging information. The energy storage information may be associated with an energy storage component. The solar charging information may be associated with a solar array. The energy storage information and the solar charging information may be received based on the occurrence of the event. The device may set, based on at least one of the energy storage information or the solar charging information, a time value and/or a radio operation state. The device may determine, based on the time value, to determine location information. The device may determine location information. The device may transmit the location information based on the radio operation state.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more memories;

one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, to;

detect occurrence of an event associated with the device,

the event related to at least one of;

a time related event,

a movement related event, or

a message related event;

receive energy storage information and solar charging information,

the energy storage information identifying a present charge state for an energy storage component,

the solar charging information identifying an output current for a solar array, and

the energy storage information and the solar charging information being received based on the occurrence of the event;

set a time value and a radio operation state based on the present charge state being greater than a charge threshold and the output current of the solar array being less than a solar threshold,

the solar threshold corresponding to a particular percentage of a maximum output current of the solar array,

the radio operation state being for a wireless interface of the device, and

the radio operation state for the wireless interface of the device being powered off when the present charge state is below the charge threshold;

determine, based on the time value, to determine location information;

determine the location information,

the location information being first location information;

determine, prior to determining the first location information, second location information;

determine a distance between a first location corresponding to the first location information and a second location corresponding to the second location information;

transmit, over the wireless interface, the first location information based on the radio operation state and the distance being greater than a threshold; and

turn off at least one radio after transmitting the location information over the wireless interface; and

one or more mounting tabs,

the one or more mounting tabs being configured to mount the device at a position on an asset to increase exposure to sunlight.

2. The device of claim 1,

where the one or more processors are further to:

determine, before determining the location information, that a timer has expired,

the timer being based on the time value; and

where the one or more processors, when determining, based on the time value, to determine the location information, are to;

determine, based on determining that the timer has expired, to determine the location information.

3. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine a time interval based on the time value; and

store the location information, after determining the location information and before transmitting the location information,

the location information being stored for at least the time interval before being transmitted over the wireless interface.

4. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when determining, based on the time value, to determine the location information, are to:

determine, based on the time value and a time of day, to determine the location information.

5. The device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when setting the time value, are to:

decrease the time value based on the present charge state of the energy storage component being greater than the charge threshold.

6. The device of claim 1, where the location information includes at least one of:

a latitude;

a longitude;

or

an altitude.

7. The device of claim 1, where the time value and radio operation state are set by a user device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

detect occurrence of an event,

the event related to at least one of;

a time related event,

a movement related event, or

a message related event;

obtain solar charging information and information associated with an energy storage component,

the information associated with the energy storage component identifying a present charge state for the energy storage component,

the solar charging information identifying an output current for a solar array, and

the solar charging information and the information associated with the energy storage component being obtained based on the occurrence of the event;

set a radio operation state based on the present charge state being greater than a charge threshold and the output current of the solar array being less than a solar threshold,

the solar threshold corresponding to a particular percentage of a maximum output current of the solar array, and

the radio operation state for a wireless interface of the device being powered off when the present charge state is below the charge threshold;

determine whether a timer has expired;

determine location information based on determining that the timer has expired,

the location information being first location information;

determine, prior to determining the first location information, second location information;

determine a distance between a first location corresponding to the first location information and a second location corresponding to the second location information;

send, to another device, the first location information based on the radio operation state and the distance being greater than a threshold;

turn off at least one radio after sending the location information to the other device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

set, based on at least one of the solar charging information or the information associated with the energy storage component, a time value; and

set, after sending the location information, the timer based on the time value.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to set the time value, cause the one or more processors to:

decrease the time value based on the present charge state of the energy storage component being greater than the charge threshold.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to turn off the at least one radio, cause the one or more processors to:

turn off the at least one radio based on the radio operation state.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to detect the occurrence of the event, cause the one or more processors to:

determine at least one of that the device has moved or that the device has received a message from the other device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8,

where the solar charging information includes a time of day;

and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to set the radio operation state, cause the one or more processors to;

set the radio operation state based on the time of day.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

activate at least one radio prior to determining the location information,

the at least one radio being activated after detecting the occurrence of the event.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a device, occurrence of an event,

the event related to at least one of;

a time related event,

a movement related event, or

a message related event;

receiving, by the device, energy storage information and solar charging information,

the energy storage information identifying a present charge state for an energy storage component,

the solar charging information identifying an output current for a solar array, and

the energy storage information and the solar charging information being received based on the occurrence of the event;

setting, by the device, a radio operation state based on the present charge state being greater than a charge threshold and the output current of the solar array being less than a solar threshold,

the solar threshold corresponding to a particular percentage of a maximum output current of the solar array, and

the radio operation state for a wireless interface of the device being powered off when the present charge state is below the charge threshold;

determining, by the device and based on a timer having expired, location information,

the location information being first location information;

determine, prior to determining the first location information, second location information;

determine a distance between a first location corresponding to the first location information and a second location corresponding to the second location information;

sending, by the device and to another device, the first location information,

the first location information being sent based on the radio operation state and the distance being greater than a threshold; and

turning off, by the device, at least one radio after sending the location information to the other device,

the device being mounted, via one or more mounting tabs, at a position on an asset to increase exposure to sunlight.

16. The method of claim 15,

where the solar charging information includes a time of day;

and

where setting the radio operation state comprises;

setting the radio operation state based on the time of day.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

setting a time value based on at least one of the energy storage information or the solar charging information; and

setting, after sending the location information, the timer based on the time value.

18. The method of claim 17, where setting the time value comprises:

decreasing the time value based on the present charge state of the energy storage component being greater than the charge threshold.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

activating at least one radio prior to determining the location information; and

deactivating the at least one radio after sending the location information to the other device.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

activating a location sensor before determining the location information;

receiving by the location sensor, after activating the location sensor and before determining the location information, a signal from a satellite navigation system; and

receiving, before activating the location sensor, ephemeris data for the satellite navigation system; and

where determining the location information comprises;

determining the location information based on the signal and the ephemeris data.