SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND TRACKING INVENTORIES

• US 20090160646A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Salvo, Joseph James, Mackenzie, Patricia Denise, Guzzo, Judith Ann
• Application Number:
  US11/961,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160646A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2417 having a radio frequency identification chip
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00

Abstract

A technique is provided for monitoring and tracking inventories within one or more assets. The technique includes sensing a plurality of parameters associated with each of the one or more assets. The plurality of parameters includes a positional information of the asset. The technique further includes activating RFID tags attached to the inventories and generating a response based upon the responses received from the RFID tags, and monitoring and tracking inventories based on the sensed parameters and the generated response to ensure integrity and validate a chain of custody of the asset or the inventories during a supply chain process.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and tracking inventories within one or more assets, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors disposed within each of the one or more assets and configured to sense corresponding parameters, the plurality of sensors comprising;

a position sensor configured to receive positional information of the respective asset;

one or more RFID readers configured to communicate with RFID tags attached to the inventories upon being activated and to generate a response; and

a processor in communication with the one or more RFID readers and the plurality of sensors and configured to monitor and track inventories based on the sensed parameters and the generated response and to analyze the sensed parameters and the generated response to ensure integrity and validate a chain of custody of the asset or the inventories during entire period of monitoring and tracking.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensor further comprises at least one of a door open/close sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a shock sensor, a tire pressure sensor, a radiation sensor, a chemical sensor, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more RFID readers activate one or more antennas located on each of the one or more assets, the one or more antennas configured to receive a response from RFID tags and to relay the response to a corresponding RFID reader upon being activated by the RFID reader.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the sensed parameters and the generated response to determine an anomaly in condition and/or location of the inventories.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the anomaly comprises at least one of asset being diverted to a different destination, asset being subjected to unauthorized access, inventories being offloaded at a wrong location, inventories being subjected to harsh weather or internal environmental conditions, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an alarm or flag upon determining an anomaly.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to ensure integrity of the asset or the inventories by ensuring no unauthorized access to the asset or by ensuring presence of the inventories within the asset.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is in communication with the one or more RFID readers and the plurality of sensors via a remote hub located on each of the one or more assets.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine storage capacity of each of the one more assets based on the generated response.

10. A smart asset, comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to sense corresponding parameters;

one or more RFID readers configured to detect presence of inventories tagged with RFID tags within the smart asset upon being activated and to generate a response upon detection; and

a communication device configured to relay the sensed parameters and the generated response received from the plurality of sensors and the one or more RFID readers to a processor, wherein the processor is configured to analyze the sensed parameters and the generated response to ensure integrity and validate a chain of custody of the asset or the inventories during a supply chain process.

11. The smart asset of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sensor further comprises at least one of a position sensor, a door open/close sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, a shock sensor, a tire pressure sensor, a radiation sensor, a chemical sensor, or a combination thereof.

12. The smart asset of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the sensed parameters and the generated response to determine an anomaly in condition and/or location of the inventories.

13. A method of monitoring and tracking inventories within one or more assets, the method comprising:

sensing a plurality of parameters associated with each of the one or more assets, the plurality of parameters comprising a positional information of the asset;

activating RFID tags attached to the inventories and generating a response based upon the responses received from the RFID tags; and

monitoring and tracking inventories based on the sensed parameters and the generated response to ensure integrity and validate a chain of custody of the asset or the inventories during a supply chain process.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of parameters further comprises at least one of a door open/close status, a humidity level, a temperature, a pressure level, a shock, an amount of exposure to light or radiation, a chemical exposure level, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein monitoring and tracking further comprises analyzing the sensed parameters and the generated response to determine an anomaly in condition and/or location of the inventories.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating an alarm or flag upon determining an anomaly.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein ensuring integrity of the asset or the inventories comprises ensuring no unauthorized access to the asset or ensuring presence of the inventories within the asset.

18. A method of monitoring chain of custody of an inventory, the method comprising:

registering the inventory with an asset;

monitoring integrity of the asset; and

monitoring integrity of the inventory based on the asset monitoring.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein monitoring integrity of the asset comprises tracking the asset.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein monitoring integrity of the asset comprises monitoring access to the asset.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein monitoring integrity of the asset comprises ensuring no unauthorized access to the asset.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein monitoring integrity of the inventory comprises monitoring presence of the inventory within the asset.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein monitoring integrity of the inventory comprises monitoring integrity of the inventory upon compromise of integrity of the asset.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising validating the chain of custody based upon the monitoring of the asset integrity and the inventory integrity.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein validating the chain of custody comprises registering the inventory as being present within the asset during the entire period of monitoring.