System and method for determining freight container locations
First Claim
1. A system for determining freight container locations in a freight yard comprising:
- a plurality of remote receivers attachable to freight containers for intermittently receiving global positioning signals from the global positioning satellite system, each remote receiver including a transmitter;
a base station;
means for communicating data between said remote receiver transmitters and said base station; and
the base station including means for receiving global positioning data of a remote receiver from said communicating means and for displaying the location of said remote receiver in said freight yard.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for determining the locations of freight containers in a freight yard is described. A remote unit that includes a GPS receiver is attached to the freight containers. The remote receivers have an independent power supply—a battery. Intermittently, either by a timer or by a motion detector, the remote receivers are operated. Duping operation, the remote receivers receive signals from the global positioning satellite system and at an allotted time, transmit the GPS data to a base station before shutting down to conserve power. The base station processes the GPS data to determine a position in the freight yard of each freight container. When a particular freight container or contents is desired, a database in the base station can be consulted and the contents and location of a particular freight container located. The freight yard is typically outside with a view of the GPS constellation, such as a rail yard. airport baggage area, ship yard, truck park, etc. An alternative is described for use where the freight yard is a warehouse and the satellite view is obstructed. The alternative uses pseudolite or repeaters to track freight containers within the warehouse.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for determining freight container locations in a freight yard comprising:
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a plurality of remote receivers attachable to freight containers for intermittently receiving global positioning signals from the global positioning satellite system, each remote receiver including a transmitter;
a base station;
means for communicating data between said remote receiver transmitters and said base station; and
the base station including means for receiving global positioning data of a remote receiver from said communicating means and for displaying the location of said remote receiver in said freight yard. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for determining freight container locations in a freight yard comprising:
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attaching a number of receivers for GPS signals to a number of freight containers in said freight yard;
intermittently operating each receiver to transmit an identification and position;
receiving said identification and position at a base station; and
recording the identification and position of said receivers in said freight yard. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A system for determining freight container locations in a warehouse comprising:
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two or more pseudolites positioned within the warehouse and operable for transmitting GPS type signals within the warehouse;
a plurality of remote receivers attachable to freight containers within the warehouse for intermittently receiving said global positioning type signals from the pseudolites, each remote receiver including a transmitter for transmitting positioning data;
a base station;
means for communicating positioning data between said remote receiver transmitters and said base station; and
the base station including means for receiving positioning data of a remote receiver from said communicating means. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification