System and method for tracking assets

• US 20080007398A1
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rangarajan, Pratima, DeRose, Lynn, Irving, Russell Robert, Brusilovsky, Roman, Salvo, Joseph James, Good, Brandon Stephen, Markham, Aaron Shaw
• Application Number:
  US11/480,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007398A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/105 Radio frequency identification data [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A technique is provided for wirelessly tracking valuable assets during transit via a tracking system. The tracking system includes an event sensor for generating a trigger signal upon sensing an event and a position sensing device for receiving positional information of an asset being tracked. The tracking system also includes a communication device for communicating a date, a time and received positional information to one or more monitoring stations upon being triggered by the trigger signal. The one or more monitoring stations process the information received from the tracking system to determine if the event is expected or an anomaly via an anomaly detection algorithm.

Claims

1. a tracking system, comprising:

an event sensor for generating a trigger signal upon sensing an event;

a position sensing device for receiving positional information of an asset being tracked; and

a communication device for communicating information comprising the received positional information upon being triggered by the trigger signal.

2. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the information further comprises a date and a time of occurrence of the event.

3. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the communication device communicates to one or more monitoring stations.

4. The tracking system of claim 3, wherein the one or more monitoring stations process the information to determine if the event is an anomaly via an anomaly detection algorithm.

5. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the event sensor comprises at least one of a RFID tag and a reader, a magnetic switch, a wired electric circuit, or a combination thereof.

6. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the event comprises at least one of tampering of the asset, opening of the asset, breaking of the asset, or a combination thereof.

7. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the position sensing device comprises at least one of a GPS-based position sensing device, a TV-based position sensing device, a wireless access point network-based position sensing device, a GSM network-based position sensing device, or a combination thereof.

8. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the position sensing device utilizes a TV signal, a GPS signal, a GSM signal, or a wireless network signal for receiving the positional information.

9. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises at least one of a GSM-based communication device, a GPRS-based communication device, a wireless communication device, or a combination thereof.

10. The tracking system of claim 1, wherein the tracking system is coupled to the asset being tracked.

11. A trackable asset, comprising:

an event sensor coupled to the trackable asset for generating a trigger signal on sensing an event;

a position sensing device disposed within the trackable asset for receiving positional information of the trackable asset; and

a communication device disposed within the trackable asset for communicating a date, a time and the received positional information to one or more monitoring stations upon being triggered by the trigger signal.

12. A trackable asset, comprising:

an asset disposed within a case;

an event sensor for generating a trigger signal upon removal of the asset from the case;

a position sensing device for receiving positional information of the case; and

a communication device for communicating information comprising the received positional information upon being triggered by the trigger signal.

13. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the communication device further communicates a date and a time upon being triggered by the trigger signal.

14. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the case has a false bottom and the position sensing device is disposed within the false bottom.

15. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the case has a false bottom and the communication device is disposed within the false bottom.

16. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the communication device communicates to one or more monitoring stations.

17. The trackable asset of claim 16, wherein the one or more monitoring stations process the information to determine if the removal of the asset from the case is expected or an anomaly.

18. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the event sensor comprises a RFID tag embedded within the asset and a RFID reader disposed within the case for continuously receiving signals from the RFID tag and for generating the trigger signal upon non-receipt of the signals.

19. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the event sensor comprises a thin wire embedded within a security tape on the case and a current sensor disposed within the case for sensing a flow of current in the thin wire and for generating the trigger signal upon detecting a discontinuity in the flow of current.

20. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the event sensor comprises a magnet embedded within the asset and a switch with a ball disposed within the case, wherein the magnet holds the ball on top of the switch and the trigger signal is generated when the ball is out of range of magnetic field.

21. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the position sensing device:

comprises at least one of a GPS-based position sensing device, a TV-based position sensing device, a wireless access point network-based position sensing device, a GSM network-based position sensing device, or a combination thereof.

22. The trackable asset of claim 12, wherein the communication device comprises at least one of a GSM-based communication device, a GPRS-based communication device, a wireless communication device, or a combination thereof.

23. A method of tracking an asset, the method comprising:

generating a trigger signal upon sensing an event;

receiving positional information of the asset; and

communicating a date, a time and received positional information to one or more monitoring stations upon being triggered by the trigger signal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said receiving positional information of the asset being tracked comprises utilizing a TV signal, a GPS signal, a GSM signal, or a wireless network signal for receiving positional information.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising processing the date, the time and the received positional information to determine if the event is an anomaly via an anomaly detection algorithm.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising generating an alarm on detecting the anomaly.

27. A method of tracking an asset, the method comprising:

generating a trigger signal upon removal of the asset from a case;

receiving positional information of the case; and

communicating a date, a time and received positional information to one or more monitoring stations upon being triggered by the trigger signal.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said generating a trigger signal comprises generating the trigger signal upon non-receipt of signals from a RFID tag embedded within the asset by a RFID reader disposed within the case.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said generating a trigger signal comprises generating the trigger signal when a current sensor disposed within the case detects a discontinuity in the flow of current within a thin wire embedded within a security tape on the case.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said generating a trigger signal comprises generating the trigger signal when a ball on top of a switch disposed within the case is out of range of a magnetic field of a magnet embedded within the asset.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said receiving positional information of the case comprises utilizing a TV signal, a GPS signal, a GSM signal, or a wireless network signal for receiving positional information.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising processing the positional information to determine if the removal of the asset from the case is an anomaly via an anomaly detection algorithm.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising generating an alarm on detecting the anomaly.