System and Method for Updating Geo-Fencing Information on Mobile Devices

• US 20090164118A1
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Asset Intelligence LLC (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Breen, Thomas B.
• Application Number:
  US12/365,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164118A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method of automatically replacing the geographic location of geo-fences stored in memory of a telematics system is described. The location of an asset is determined using an on-board telematics device with a location device. The location of the asset is compared with the location of predefined geo-fences stored in memory on the asset. When the asset is located within a geo-fence which triggers the replacement of geo-fences, the telematics system causes the asset to receive a new set of geo-fences, which replace the existing set of geo-fences in the telematics system memory. The operational cost of the system is reduced by minimizing communications charges when a reduced number of transmissions is needed to replace geo-fences stored in memory on the asset.

Claims

1. A method of automatically updating a set of geo-fences stored on a storage device of a telematics system on a mobile asset that is wirelessly linked to a central station, wherein the telematics system has a location device and wherein at least one of the geo-fences of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory is a trigger geo-fence, comprising:

determining the present location of the mobile asset with the location device;

determining at the asset whether the present location of the mobile asset is located within the area defined by the trigger geo-fence stored in the telematics system memory; and

updating via the wireless link the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory based upon the present location of the asset and the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located, by replacing at least one of the geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory with replacement geo-fences from a library of geo-fences stored on a storage device at the central station, wherein the replacement geo-fences are selected such that at least one geo-fence in the telematics system memory is a trigger geo-fence after the replacement geo-fences replace part of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory, if the mobile asset is located within the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fence stored in the telematics system memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory based upon the location of the asset and the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located further comprises:

determining the general direction the asset is traveling based upon the present location of the asset within the area defined by the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located;

selecting the replacement geo-fences based upon the general direction of the asset, such that the replacement geo-fences selected correspond to areas in the general direction in which the asset is heading.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein the set of geo-fences in the storage device on the asset is comprised of geo-fences that are proximate to each other;

wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory based upon the location of the asset and the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located further comprises;

determining which of the geo-fences stored in the library of geo-fences is closest to the present location of the asset;

selecting replacement geo-fences from the library of geo-fences based upon which set of geo-fences in the library of geo-fences is closest to the present location of the asset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory further comprises:

transmitting from the telematics system on the asset to the central station via the wireless link a request for replacement geo-fences if the mobile asset is located within the area defined by a trigger geo-fence stored in the telematics system memory, wherein the request also includes the present location of the asset and information concerning the geo-fence within which the asset is presently located;

selecting replacement geo-fences based upon the present location of the asset and information concerning the geo-fence within which the asset is presently located;

transmitting from the central station to the telematics system on the asset via the wireless link the replacement geo-fences; and

storing the replacement geo-fences in the telematics system memory by replacing the set of geo-fences already stored in the telematics system memory with the replacement geo-fences.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one geo-fence in the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory;

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one geo-fence stored in the library of geo-fences; and

wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory further includes replacing operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory with operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences of the replacement geo-fences.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting, for geo-fences having associated operating parameter data, the operating parameters for the telematics system using the operating parameter data associated with the geo-fence in which the asset is located.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating parameter data associated with each geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises the frequency of determining the present location of the asset.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises the frequency of transmitting information from the asset to the central station.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises information relating to a rule to be applied by the telematics system.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises the frequency of sensing a condition of the asset using a sensor on the asset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the conditions sensed on the asset are selected from the group of temperature, motion, door position, valve condition, impact, speed, acceleration, and presence of cargo in the asset.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the present location of the asset is determined periodically.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the asset is located within the area defined by any geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset, and providing an alert if the asset is not located within the area defined by a geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining whether the asset is exiting a geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset and providing an alert if the asset is entering an area not defined by a geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each member of the set of geo-fences stored on the asset corresponds to either a facility to which the asset might travel or a geographical route between facilities along which the asset might travel.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein each geo-fence stored in the library of geo-fences at the central station corresponds to either a facility to which the asset might travel or a geographical route between facilities along which the asset might travel.

17. The method of claim 1,

wherein the asset has a unique identifier;

and

wherein updating via the wireless link the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory is also based upon the unique identifier of the asset.

18. The method of claim 1, further including retaining the trigger geo-fence in the telematics system memory when the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory is updated.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at the asset whether the present location of the mobile asset is located within the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory comprises determining whether the asset has entered the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory.

20. A system for automatically updating a set of geo-fences on a mobile asset, the system comprising:

an asset having a telematics system having memory, a locating device, and an asset communications system for sending and receiving messages, wherein a set of geo-fences is stored in the telematics memory and wherein at least one of the geo-fences is a trigger geo-fence;

a central station having a library of geo-fences and a central station communications system for sending an receiving messages, wherein at least one geo-fence in the library is designated as a trigger geo-fence;

wherein the locating device determines the present location of the asset,

wherein the telematics system determines whether the present location of the asset is within the area defined by one of geo-fences of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics memory;

wherein the telematics system causes the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics memory to be updated by replacing a part of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics memory with replacement geo-fences from the library of geo-fences such that at least one geo-fence in the telematics system memory is a trigger geo-fence after the replacement geo-fences replace part of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory, if the asset is located within the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fences stored on the telematics memory.

21. The system of claim 20,

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one geo-fence in the set of geo-fences stored on the telematics memory;

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one geo-fence in each set of geo-fences stored in the library of geo-fences; and

wherein causing the set of geo-fences in the telematics memory to be updated further includes replacing operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory with operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences of the replacement geo-fences.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising setting, for geo-fences having associated operating parameter data, the operating parameters for the telematics system using the operating parameter data associated with the geo-fence in which the asset is located.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising at least one sensor on the asset for sensing a condition of the asset, wherein the operating parameter data associated with each geo-fence having associated parameter data comprises the frequency of sensing conditions of the asset using the at least one sensor.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group of temperature sensor, motion sensor, door position sensor, valve condition sensor, impact sensor, speed sensor, acceleration sensor, and contents sensor.