Wireless communication system for tracking assets with affixed electronic smart tags and methods thereof

• US 20080315999A1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Precyse Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Parelec Israel, Ltd.
• Inventors: Braiman, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/821,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20080315999A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0728 the arrangement being an optical or sound-based communication interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0638 Clock or time synchronisation among nodes; Internode synchronisation synchronization for ring networks H04L12/422; data switching networks with synchronous transmission H04L12/43
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0664 unidirectional timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless bidirectional communication system and method for tracking smart tags affixed to assets located within a defined area. Asset tracking is provided by a central processor operated by a user. The central processor combined with communication modules communicates with the system tags for deriving corresponding assets'"'"' locations. Communication is synchronized by way of broadcasting a clock generator signal over the communication link. The broadcasted clock signal is further used by the system for generating distinct time slots assigned to a tag by demand. Synchronizing the communication between the tags and the central processor is beneficial for maintaining reliable and short messages across the data link and maintaining low power draw from the tag battery.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system for asset tracking, comprising:

(a) a central processing and communicating unit (CPCU);

(b) a plurality of tags, each tag is assigned to an asset;

(c) a wireless communication link; and

, (d) a clock generator signal;

wherein said clock generator signal is broadcasted over said communication link for synchronizing data exchange between said CPCU and said tags; and

further wherein said clock signal is utilized for creating a plurality of time slots, each of said time slots is assigned to a tag.

2. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said CPCU comprising a tag information registry database.

3. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said CPCU further comprising an application interface server.

4. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said CPCU further comprising a location server.

5. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said tags comprising wireless transmitters and receivers.

6. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said tags are by default in a sleep mode.

7. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said tags further comprising a member selected from a group consisting of light emitters, GPS receivers, motion detectors, or any combination of thereof.

8. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said CPCU comprising RF triangulation transceivers.

9. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said CPCU unit comprising at least one optical reader and a video processor.

10. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said communication link comprising at least one RF beacon adapted to cover a defined area.

11. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, wherein said communication link comprising at least one base station.

12. The wireless communication system according to claim 1, comprising a protocol;

said protocol further comprising a physical layer, a data link layer and an application layer;

said physical layer further comprising a start preamble, a synchronizing header and an application data frame.

13. The wireless communication system according to claim 12, wherein said physical layer comprising a start preamble, a synchronizing header and an application data frame.

14. The wireless communication system according to claim 12, wherein said data link layer comprising a service preamble and an application frame;

wherein said service preamble further comprising parameters selected from a group consisting of data type, data length, source address, destination address or any combination thereof.

15. The wireless communication system according to claim 12, wherein said data link layer further comprising a section of a communication cycle redundancy correction (CRC) providing an error correction and operable by a checksum of at least one bit.

16. The wireless communication system according to claim 13, wherein said data frame comprising application data and parameters of application data;

wherein said parameters are selected from a group consisting of data type, data length, source address, destination address or any combination thereof.

17. A wireless communication method for asset tracking, comprising:

(a) obtaining a CPCU;

a plurality of tags, each tag is assigned to an asset;

a wireless communication link; and

a clock signal;

(b) communicating said tags with said CPCU via said communicating link; and

,

(c) broadcasting a clock signal across said communicating link,

wherein said broadcasting of a clock signal is utilized for synchronizing said communicating of said tags with said CPCU and further utilized for creating a plurality of time slots; and

further wherein each of said time slots is assigned to a tag.

18. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein said communicating between of all said tags with said CPCU is provided during a communication cycle time.

19. The wireless communication method according to claim 18, wherein said communicating during said communication cycle is divided to an uplink time section and to a downlink time section.

20. The wireless communication method according to claim 19, wherein said communicating uplink time section comprising time slots associated with said tags.

21. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein said communicating comprising acknowledging of data receipt by said CPCU.

22. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein said communicating comprising a first and second operational mode;

wherein said first mode is initiated by said CPCU and said second mode is initiated by any of said tags.

23. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, comprising dividing said communication cycle time into time slots, wherein each said time slot is assigned to a single tag.

24. The wireless communication method according to claim 17, wherein said communicating between said tags and said CPCU occurring during a plurality of cycle times.