SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS ASSET TRACKING

• US 20050285782A1
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ent Services Development Corporation LP (DXC Technology Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,977,612 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.46
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/105 Radio frequency identification data [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system

Abstract

A system and method employing a combination of long-range and short-range asset location systems, preferable a GPS-based system combined with an RFID-based system. The short-range system regularly activates itself, or is remotely polled, to determine if the asset is within range of the short-range transceivers, and the long-range system is activated to determine the location of the asset when it is outside the range of the short-range transceivers. In at least some embodiments, the asset is an automobile equipped with both RFID and GPS-based transceivers.

Claims

1. A method for locating a physical object, comprising:

detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;

if the localized location information has been received, then storing the localized location information;

if no localized location information has been received for a predetermined amount of time, then sending a location request;

receiving secondary location information corresponding to the physical object, the secondary location information corresponding to a location determined from global positioning satellites; and

storing the secondary location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the localized location information is determined by a real-time location system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the short-range transmitter is an RFID transmitter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location request is sent over a wide-area wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary location information is received over a wide-area wireless network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time is one day.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object is a vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object has both an RFID transmitted and a GPS receiver.

9. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, comprising:

instructions for detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;

instructions for, if the localized location information has been received, then storing the localized location information;

instructions for, if no localized location information has been received for a predetermined amount of time, then

sending a location request;

receiving secondary location information corresponding to the physical object, the secondary location information corresponding to a location determined from global positioning satellites; and

storing the secondary location information.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the localized location information is determined by a real-time location system.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the short-range transmitter is an RFID transmitter.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the location request is sent over a wide-area wireless network.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the secondary location information is received over a wide-area wireless network.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time is one day.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the physical object is a vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the physical object has both an RFID transmitted and a GPS receiver.

17. An asset location system, comprising:

means for detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;

means for, if the localized location information has been received, then storing the localized location information;

means for, if no localized location information has been received for a predetermined amount of time, then

sending a location request;

receiving secondary location information corresponding to the physical object, the secondary location information corresponding to a location determined from global positioning satellites; and

storing the secondary location information.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a real-time location system configured to receive a signal from the short-range transmitter and thereby determine the location of the physical object.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for transmitting the location request over a wireless telephone network.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving the secondary location information over a wireless telephone network.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the short-range transmitter is an RFID transmitter.

22-24. -24. (canceled)