System and method for tracking of deployed units

• US 10,403,104 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vikram Patil, Vivek Kangralkar
• Original Assignee: Vivek Kangralkar
• Inventors: Kangralkar, Vivek, Patil, Vikram
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US16/110,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20190057586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A tracker apparatus, and method thereof for tracking deployable units are provided. The tracker apparatus includes a first sensor group having a first power consumption profile; a second sensor group having a second power consumption profile; a communication circuit having a first network interface for communicating with a control server; an energy storage; a processing circuitry; and a memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, configure the tracker apparatus to: trigger the processing circuitry to awaken from a low power mode, in response to a first input from a first sensor of the first sensor group exceeding a first threshold; activate a second sensor of the second sensor group in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement; and activate a tracking mode of the tracker apparatus, in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movement.

Claims

1. A tracker apparatus for tracking deployable units, comprising:

a first sensor group having a first power consumption profile;

a second sensor group having a second power consumption profile;

a communication circuit having a first network interface for communicating with a control server;

an energy storage;

a processing circuitry; and

a memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, configure the tracker apparatus to;

trigger the processing circuitry to awaken from a low power mode, in response to a first input from a first sensor of the first sensor group exceeding a first threshold;

activate a second sensor of the second sensor group in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement;

decrease a sample size from one or more sensor inputs, in response to an energy storage level below a second threshold; and

activate a tracking mode of the tracker apparatus, in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movement.

2. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sensor group includes an accelerometer.

3. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second sensor group includes at least one of:

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, a gyroscope, a compass, an accelerometer, thermal sensor, and a humidity sensor.

4. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network interface is any one of:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Long Term Evolution (LTE).

5. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first power consumption profile is lower than the second power consumption profile.

6. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

store the first input in the memory.

7. The tracker apparatus of claim 6, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

store the second input in the memory.

8. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

send an alert to the control server, in response to a detection of unauthorized movement.

9. The tracker apparatus of claim 8, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

return to an idle state, in response to receiving from the server an instruction, from a user node, indicating that the unauthorized movement is authorized.

10. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

deactivate the first sensor group, in response to activating the second sensor; and

deactivate the second sensor group, in response to activating another component of the tracker apparatus.

11. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

determine coordinates of an authorized user of the tracker apparatus;

send coordinates to the control server, wherein the tracker further comprises a global navigation satellite system (GNSS); and

send an alert to a device of the authorized user, in response to determining that a difference between the coordinates of the tracker apparatus and coordinates of the tracker apparatus exceed a first threshold.

12. A method for tracking deployable units using a tracker apparatus, comprising:

triggering the tracker apparatus to awaken from a low power mode, in response to a first input, from a first sensor, exceeding a first threshold;

activating a second sensor in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement;

decreasing a sample size from at least one of the first input and the second input, in response to an energy storage level below a second threshold; and

activating a tracking mode of the tracker apparatus, in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movement.

13. The method of claim 12, the first sensor having a first power consumption profile, the second sensor having a second power consumption profile, wherein the first power consumption profile is lower than the second power consumption profile.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending an alert to a control server, in response to a detection of unauthorized movement.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

returning to an idle state, in response to receiving, from the control server, an instruction indicating that the unauthorized movement is authorized.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

deactivating the first sensor, in response to activating the second sensor; and

deactivating the second sensor, in response to activating another component of the tracker apparatus.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining coordinates of an authorized user of the tracker apparatus;

receiving coordinates from the tracker apparatus, wherein the tracker apparatus further comprises a global navigation satellite system (GNSS); and

sending an alert to a device of the authorized user, in response to determining that a difference between the coordinates of the tracker apparatus and coordinates of the tracker apparatus exceed a first threshold.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method according to claim 12.