PANEL SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH EMBEDDED ELECTRONICS

• US 20090174989A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globaltrak LLC (ORBCOMM Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: System Planning Corporation
• Inventors: Whiton, Justin C., Nagel, David J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,138,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.10
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods not provided for in groups G01V1/00 - G01V8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/126 for a housing, e.g. a box, a safe, or a room
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A system and method for a panel system containing embedded electronic elements providing both housing for the electronics and structural support. A preferred embodiment of the system is for a container security system, which is constructed into or conforming onto the roof, walls, door, or base of a cargo container is provided. The panel system may consist of a variety of electronic elements, batteries or power elements, sensors, a processing element to collect the sensor data, and a communications element to transmit outside of the container.

Claims

1. A panel system integrated into the walls, door, roof, or base of a cargo container antenna system for a container monitoring system comprising both:

a housing or enclosure for the embedded electronics providing protection for electronics from the environment;

structural support for the cargo container.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the panel system comprising of:

at least one sensor element;

a communications element;

a processing element;

a global positioning or GPS element.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the panel system performs at least one of the following functions:

structural support;

barriers to matter, energy and biological entities;

the exclusion or inclusion of humans in nearby spaces;

sound and impact absorbers;

windows for electromagnetic radiation, notably visible light and radio frequency waves.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the panels comprising of a variety of materials for which properties may include:

dielectric materials such that they will transmit or receive various forms of radiant energy;

selective filters which may be transmissive to some forms of radio frequency energy but opaque to others;

transducive properties which may receive, respond, or transmit to mechanical stress or sound energy.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the panels comprising of any variety of geometric shapes which provide structural functions to the system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronics within the panels comprising of any variety of conductors, semiconductors, resistors, glasses, polymers, liquid crystals, either active or passive components, or both, any combination of analog or digital devices, a battery or power source;

antenna devices, devices for radio frequency transmission or reception, or sensor devices.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the communications element comprising communications element comprising a short or long range wireless communications device associated with each container, including a transmitter element, a complementary receiver element, and an antenna element.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing element controls the system, collects data from the sensors, processes sensor data, and sends data or results to the communications element.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor element may consist of one or more sensors, element controls the system, collects data from the sensors, processes sensor data, and sends data or results to the short range wireless communications device located on each container is capable of transmitting and receiving data and messages via a radio frequency signal at a maximum predetermined distance from a few feet to a several hundred feet.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein a short range wireless communication protocol comprises any one of standards including Bluetooth, Zigbee, 802.11 series, and a proprietary short range wireless channel.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the long range communications device comprises with a cellular communications device, a satellite communications device, or both.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the satellite communications device including a transmitter element and a receiver element, which may communicate with either a geosynchronous (GEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite in a network.

13. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensing element includes at least one sensor from the group of sensors containing:

temperature sensor, visible light sensor, acoustic sensor, vibration sensor, motion sensor, microbolometer, radiation sensor, hazardous chemical sensor, explosives sensor, proximity sensor, infrared sensor, door switch sensor, and smoke detector

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the panel system may be installed in a container at the factory, retrofitted in the field, or installed when a container is refurbished.