Position Based Operational Tracking Of A Transport Refrigeration Unit

• US 20100274604A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Benjamin Carter Crilly
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Carter Crilly
• Inventors: Crilly, Benjamin Carter
• Application Number:
  US12/430,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274604A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/003 for movable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method and system for position based tracking of operation of a transport refrigeration unit (TRU). A client application is provided on a data logger connected to the TRU. The client application determines position data of the TRU with respect to predefined geographic zones, acquires operational data of the TRU when the TRU is within the predefined geographic zones, and communicates with a remote server via wired communication or wireless communication. When the TRU arrives at a new facility that has not been defined as a geographic zone that the TRU operates in, a new geographic zone for the new facility is defined. The client application notifies a user of the TRU regarding control of the TRU'"'"'s operating conditions based on the position data and the operational data. The control of the operating conditions ensures compliance of the user with TRU airborne toxic control measures.

Claims

1. A method for position based tracking of operation of a transport refrigeration unit, comprising the steps of:

providing a client application on a data logger connected to said transport refrigeration unit;

determining position data of the transport refrigeration unit with respect to a plurality of predefined geographic zones stored on said client application of said data logger;

acquiring operational data of the transport refrigeration unit by the client application when the transport refrigeration unit is within said predefined geographic zones; and

notifying a user of the transport refrigeration unit by the client application regarding control of operating conditions of the transport refrigeration unit based on said position data and said operational data;

whereby said control of said operating conditions of the transport refrigeration unit based on the position data and the operational data ensures compliance of said user of the transport refrigeration unit with transport refrigeration unit airborne toxic control measures.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational data comprises:

time of switching between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation of the transport refrigeration unit, wherein said first mode of operation is a diesel mode and said second mode of operation is an electric mode;

duration of operation of the transport refrigeration unit in each of the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation, and duration of stop of the transport refrigeration unit at a facility; and

data obtained from a plurality of sensors located within the transport refrigeration unit.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said data obtained from said sensors comprises:

temperature distribution within the transport refrigeration unit at predetermined points in time;

performance of a diesel particulate trap located in the transport refrigeration unit; and

usage of diesel fuel by the transport refrigeration unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of notifying the user comprises the steps of:

notifying the user when a duration of stop exceeds an allowable duration of stop at a facility; and

notifying the user to switch from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation when duration of operation in said first mode of operation exceeds an allowable duration of operation, wherein the first mode of operation is a diesel mode and said second mode of operation is an electric mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

checking said position data of the transport refrigeration unit to determine if the transport refrigeration unit is within one of the predefined geographic zones defined for a facility;

transmitting position data of a new facility to a remote server, if the transport refrigeration unit is at said new facility, wherein said remote server defines a new geographic zone for the new facility and stores said new geographic zone in a first database comprising the predefined geographic zones; and

communicating with the remote server to update the predefined geographic zones stored on the client application of the data logger with the new geographic zone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational data is transmitted to a remote server when the client application on the transport refrigeration unit has access to a communication network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client application on the data logger communicates with a remote server via one of wired communication, wireless communication, and a combination thereof, wherein said wireless communication is performed via one of a wi-fi protocol and a general packet radio service protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client application selects a mode of communicating with a remote server based on user preferences configured on the client application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user activates the client application on the data logger using one of a plurality of control buttons provided on the data logger.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the client application seeks to establish a wi-fi connection for transmitting the position data and the operational data to the remote server, wherein the client application is authenticated prior to establishing said wi-fi connection.

11. A system for position based tracking of operation of a transport refrigeration unit, comprising:

a global positioning system tracking device for determining position data of said transport refrigeration unit with respect to a plurality of predefined geographic zones stored on a geographic fencing module on a client application provided on a data logger connected to the transport refrigeration unit; and

said client application comprising;

a data acquisition module for acquiring operational data of the transport refrigeration unit when the transport refrigeration unit is within said predefined geographic zones; and

a notification module for notifying a user of the transport refrigeration unit regarding control of operating conditions of the transport refrigeration unit based on said position data and said operational data;

whereby said control of said operating conditions of the transport refrigeration unit based on the position data and the operational data ensures compliance of said user of the transport refrigeration unit with transport refrigeration unit airborne toxic control measures.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the client application further comprises a timer module for monitoring one or more of:

time of switching between a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation of the transport refrigeration unit, wherein said first mode of operation is a diesel mode and said second mode of operation is an electric mode;

duration of operation of the transport refrigeration unit in each of the first mode of operation and the second mode of operation; and

duration of stop of the transport refrigeration unit at a facility.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said data acquisition module obtains data from a plurality of sensors located within the transport refrigeration unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said sensors comprise:

a temperature sensor for obtaining temperature distribution within the transport refrigeration unit at predetermined points in time;

a particulate trap performance sensor for obtaining performance of a diesel particulate trap located in the transport refrigeration unit; and

a fuel usage sensor for obtaining diesel fuel usage data of the transport refrigeration unit.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a remote server for communicating with the client application on said data logger via one of wired communication, wireless communication, and a combination thereof, wherein said wireless communication is performed via one of a wi-fi protocol and a general packet radio service protocol.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said remote server further comprises:

a communication agent for receiving connection requests from the client application on the data logger, maintaining connection between the remote server and the data logger, basic package processing for the data uploaded by the data logger, sending one of command and reply data to the data logger directly;

an analyzer server for analyzing data transmitted by said geographic fencing module for storing a new geographic zone in a first database comprising a plurality of predefined geographic zones;

an email server for sending an electronic mail to a designated electronic mail address of the user of the transport refrigeration unit;

said first database to store data received from said communication agent;

a second database for processing data exchange between the client application and the first database; and

a vehicle manager for adding vehicle information and administrator group information.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the client application further comprises an operational data transmission module for transmitting the operational data to a remote server when the client application on the transport refrigeration unit has access to a communication network.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the client application further comprises a communication selection module for selecting mode of communicating with a remote server based on user preferences configured on the client application.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein said geographic fencing module performs the steps of:

checking said position data of the transport refrigeration unit to determine if the transport refrigeration unit is within one of the predefined geographic zones defined for a facility;

transmitting position data of a new facility to a remote server, if the transport refrigeration unit is at said new facility, wherein said remote server defines a new geographic zone for the new facility and stores said new geographic zone in a first database comprising the predefined geographic zones; and

communicating with the remote server to update the predefined geographic zones stored on the client application of the data logger with the new geographic zone.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein said notification module performs one or more of:

notifying the user of the transport refrigeration unit when duration of stop at a facility exceeds an allowable duration of stop; and

notifying the user of the transport refrigeration unit to switch from a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation when duration of operation in said first mode of operation exceeds an allowable duration of operation, wherein the first mode of operation is a diesel mode and said second mode of operation is an electric mode.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein said data logger comprises a plurality of control buttons for activating the client application on the data logger.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein said data logger further comprises a storage module for storing data obtained from a plurality of sensors located on the transport refrigeration unit.

23. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a computer readable medium, wherein said computer program product comprises:

a first computer parsable program code for providing a client application on a data logger connected to a transport refrigeration unit, wherein said client application on said data logger communicates with a remote server via one of a wired communication, a wireless communication, and a combination thereof;

a second computer parsable program code for determining position data of said transport refrigeration unit with respect to a plurality of predefined geographic zones stored on the client application of the data logger;

a third computer parsable program code for acquiring operational data of the transport refrigeration unit by the client application when the transport refrigeration unit is within said predefined geographic zones; and

a fourth computer parsable program code for notifying a user of the transport refrigeration unit by the client application regarding control of operating conditions of the transport refrigeration unit based on said position data and said operational data.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, further comprising:

a fifth computer parsable program code for checking said position data of the transport refrigeration unit to determine if the transport refrigeration unit is within one of the predefined geographic zones defined for a facility;

a sixth computer parsable program code for transmitting position data of a new facility to said remote server, if the transport refrigeration unit is at said new facility, wherein the remote server defines a new geographic zone for the new facility and stores said new geographic zone in a first database comprising the predefined geographic zones; and

a seventh computer parsable program code for communicating with the remote server to update the predefined geographic zones stored on the client application of the data logger with the new geographic zone.