DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING MOBILE ASSETS

• US 20080061963A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TrackPoint Systems, LLC (Truck-Lite Holdings 2 Corp.)
• Original Assignee: TrackPoint Systems, LLC (Truck-Lite Holdings 2 Corp.)
• Inventors: Keistler, Roland D., Cave, William R., Schnitz, Benjamin A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,978,065 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

A device attached to an outside surface of a shipping container for tracking the shipping container includes a solar panel, a battery, a GPS receiver module, a cellular data transceiver module, and a microcontroller for controlling the GPS receiver module and the cellular data transceiver module to periodically obtain the location of the shipping container and transmit the location to a tracking database of a central tracking computer. The solar panel, battery, GPS receiver module, cellular data transceiver module and microcontroller are integrated into a one-piece, watertight master control unit. The master control unit may further include a local wireless network master transceiver module. The local wireless network master transceiver module is for communicating with a wireless sensor located within the shipping container through the walls of the shipping container.

Claims

1. A device for attaching to an outside surface of a shipping container for tracking the shipping container, comprising:

a solar panel for converting light-energy into electrical power;

a battery for receiving and storing said electrical power from said solar panel;

a GPS receiver module for receiving signals from a global positioning system and determining a location of said shipping container;

a cellular data transceiver module for communicating via a cellular data network; and

a microcontroller for controlling said GPS receiver module and said cellular data transceiver module to periodically obtain said location of said shipping container from said GPS receiver module, and to transmit said location using said cellular data transceiver module;

wherein said solar panel, said battery, said GPS receiver module, said cellular data transceiver module, and said microcontroller are integrated into a master control unit.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a local wireless network master transceiver module integrated into said master control unit, said local wireless network master transceiver module having a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a wireless sensor located within said shipping container through walls of the shipping container without any holes through the walls of the shipping container, said microcontroller further for controlling said local wireless network master transceiver module to periodically obtain data from said wireless sensor, and transmit said data using said cellular data transceiver module.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a battery charging circuit integrated into said master control unit, said battery charging circuit being controlled by said microcontroller for charging said battery with said electrical power from said solar panel.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a fuel gauge circuit integrated into said master control unit, said fuel gauge circuit for communicating a power level of the battery to the microcontroller, said microcontroller turning off said cellular data transceiver module except when the device needs to transmit data when the power level of the battery drops below a first predetermined threshold, said microcontroller further turning off said GPS receiver module and said local wireless network master transceiver module when the power level of the battery drops below a second predetermined threshold.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said master control unit further includes a baseplate member attached to said solar panel, and an electronics housing sealed to said baseplate member, said electronics housing containing said battery, said GPS receiver module, said cellular data transceiver module, and said microcontroller.

6. The device of claim 5, said solar panel further comprising a solar film having power output contacts, said solar film positioned on a rigid base sheet, said rigid base sheet attached to said baseplate member.

7. The device of claim 6, further comprising a Hall-effect sensor in communication with said microcontroller, and a magnet, said baseplate member further comprising a recess for receiving said magnet, said microcontroller sensing a presence of the magnet via the Hall-effect sensor to turn the device on.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising an adhesive member attached to bottom surfaces of said baseplate member and said solar panel for attaching said device to an outside surface of said shipping container.

9. A system for tracking a shipping container, comprising:

a central tracking computer having a tracking database and being interfaced to the Internet; and

a master control unit attached to an outside surface of the shipping container, said master control unit including;

a solar panel for converting light-energy into electrical power;

a battery for receiving and storing said electrical power from said solar panel;

a GPS receiver module for receiving signals from a global positioning system and determining a location of said shipping container;

a cellular data transceiver module for communicating with said central tracking computer via a cellular data network interfaced to the Internet; and

a microcontroller for controlling said GPS receiver module and said cellular data transceiver module to periodically obtain said location of said shipping container from said GPS receiver module, and transmit, using said cellular data transceiver module, said location to said central tracking computer for storage in said tracking database.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said shipping container has walls that form a substantially sealed enclosure, further comprising a wireless sensor located within said shipping container for sensing a condition of said shipping container, and a local wireless network master transceiver module integrated into said master control unit and in wireless communication with said wireless sensor located within said shipping container through the walls of the shipping container without any holes through the walls of the shipping container, said microcontroller further for controlling said local wireless network master transceiver module to periodically obtain sensor data from said wireless sensor, and transmit, using said cellular data transceiver module, said sensor data to said central tracking computer for storage in said tracking database.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said wireless sensor is paired with said local wireless network master transceiver module, wherein said local wireless network master transceiver module communicates only with said paired wireless sensor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said shipping container has a forward end, an aft end, a roof wall and a floor wall, and is loaded from the forward end to the aft end, and wherein said wireless sensor is a load sensor positioned on the inside of the roof wall proximate the forward end having a ultrasonic field pointed toward the floor wall.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said shipping container has at least one door, and wherein said wireless sensor is a door sensor having a three-axis accelerometer, said door sensor mounted to the inside of said at least one door to detect opening and closing said at least one door.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said shipping container contains at least one piece of cargo having an inventory control tag, said inventory control tag comprising a memory containing shipping information about said at least one piece of cargo.

15. A method of tracking information about a shipping container having walls that form a substantially sealed enclosure, said method comprising:

positioning a master control unit on the outside of the shipping container without penetrating the walls of said shipping container, said master control unit;

converting light-energy into electrical power using a solar panel;

storing said electrical power from said solar panel in a battery;

receiving signals from a global positioning system and determining a location of said shipping container using a GPS receiver module;

communicating with a cellular data network using a cellular data transceiver module; and

controlling said GPS receiver module, and said cellular data transceiver module with a microcontroller to periodically obtain said location of said shipping container from said GPS receiver module, and transmit said location using said cellular data transceiver module.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

positioning a wireless sensor within said shipping container without penetrating the walls of said shipping container, said wireless sensor for sensing a condition of said shipping container;

said master control unit further;

communicating with said wireless sensor through the walls of the shipping container without any holes through the walls using a local wireless network master transceiver module; and

controlling said local wireless network master transceiver module to periodically obtain sensor data from said wireless sensor, and transmit said sensor data using said cellular data transceiver module.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising pairing said wireless sensor with said local wireless network master transceiver module, said local wireless network master transceiver module communicates only with said paired wireless sensor.

18. The method of claim 15, said master control unit further:

receiving a power level of the battery from a fuel gauge circuit;

turning off the cellular data transceiver module except when the master control unit needs to transmit data when the power level of the battery drops below a first predetermined threshold; and

turning off the GPS receiver module when the power level of the battery drops below a second predetermined threshold.