Cargo geofencing using a vehicle gateway

• US 10,402,772 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Terwilliger, Kevin, Tosh, Andrew, Wirtz, Jefferson Walter, Bryan, Rex
• Primary Examiner(s): Epstein, Brian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US15/286,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20180096293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 705332
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Electronic components may be integrated in objects used by the trucking industry, such as truck, tractor trailer, cargo, and loading bay. These objects may then communicate with each other and with a gateway device to transmit or receive data or commands. The gateway may be configured to attach to the truck, such as by securing to the truck frame or securing to an interior of the truck cab. The gateway may couple to one or more input devices, and receive sensor data through the one or more input devices. The gateway may execute steps that allow the gateway to perform geofencing to prevent conflict between cargo in the vehicle and cargo in another vehicle or in areas of a loading bay.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

at least one input device configured to wirelessly communicate with a beacon;

a gateway configured to attach to a vehicle and to communicate with the at least one input device, wherein the gateway is configured to perform steps comprising;

receiving cargo information from the beacon, the cargo information describing first contents of a nearby cargo unit;

determining whether a conflict exists with the first contents of the nearby cargo unit and second contents associated with the vehicle;

based on a determination that a conflict exists with the first contents of the nearby cargo unit and second contents associated with the vehicle, determining an area around the nearby cargo unit which the vehicle should not enter; and

transmitting a control signal to the vehicle to at least prevent the vehicle from entering the determined area.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether a conflict exists further comprises determining whether a conflict exists between the first contents of the nearby cargo unit and the vehicle.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is further configured to perform steps comprising notifying a user when a conflict exists between the first contents and the second contents.

4. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is further configured to prevent the vehicle from entering the determined area by adjusting a route of the vehicle to avoid the determined area to prevent the conflict.

5. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving cargo information from the beacon further comprises receiving a cargo unit identifier, and wherein the first contents associated with the nearby cargo unit is obtained by accessing a network database with the cargo unit identifier.

6. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the gateway is integrated with the at least one input device.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a gateway configured to attach to a vehicle, cargo information from a beacon, the cargo information describing first contents of a nearby cargo unit;

determining, by the vehicle gateway, whether a conflict exists with the first contents of the nearby cargo unit and second contents associated with the vehicle;

based on a determination that a conflict exists with the first contents of the nearby cargo unit and second contents associated with the vehicle, determining, by the vehicle gateway, an area around the nearby cargo unit which the vehicle should not enter; and

transmitting, by the vehicle gateway, a control signal to the vehicle to at least prevent the vehicle from entering the determined area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of determining whether a conflict exists further comprises determining whether a conflict exists between the first contents of the nearby cargo unit and the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising notifying a user when a conflict exists between the first contents and second contents associated with the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the control signal is transmitted to inhibit operation of the vehicle by adjusting a route of the vehicle to avoid the determined area to prevent the conflict.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving cargo information further comprises receiving a cargo unit identifier, and the method further comprising accessing a network database with the cargo unit identifier to obtain the first contents associated with the nearby cargo unit.

12. An information handling system, comprising:

a first plurality of beacons associated with a plurality of cargo units in a loading bay;

a first gateway configured to communicate with the first plurality of beacons;

a second gateway configured to attach to a vehicle and to communicate with the first plurality of beacons, wherein the second gateway is configured to perform steps comprising;

receiving a cargo identifier associated with at least one of the first plurality of beacons;

receiving, from the first gateway, cargo information for cargo contents associated with the cargo identifier;

determining whether a conflict exists with the cargo contents;

based on a determination that a conflict exists with the cargo contents associated with the cargo identifier, determining an area around a cargo unit of the plurality of cargo units corresponding to the at least one of the first plurality of beacons associated with the cargo identifier which the vehicle should not enter; and

transmitting a control signal to the vehicle to at least prevent the vehicle from entering the determined area.

13. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein the second gateway is further configured to prevent the vehicle from entering the determined area by adjusting a route of the vehicle to avoid the determined area to prevent the conflict.

14. The information handling system of claim 12, wherein the second gateway is further configured to perform steps comprising:

communicating with a second plurality of beacons associated with vehicle contents to obtain vehicle cargo information; and

determining chemicals of the vehicle contents by communicating with the at least one of the second plurality of beacons,

wherein the step of determining whether a conflict exists comprises comparing the cargo information from the first plurality of beacons with the vehicle cargo information from the second plurality of beacons.

15. The information handling system of claim 14, wherein the second gateway is further configured to perform steps comprising notifying a user when a conflict exists between the cargo contents and the vehicle contents.