HYBRID TRACKING DEVICE

• US 20110260858A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Strauss, Nir, Bornstein, Gilad, Eruchimovitch, Baruch
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/019 Energy consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/01 characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for tracking various assets. The apparatus includes a hybrid tracking device (HTD) for tracking an associated asset. The HTD includes a personal area network (PAN) transceiver to couple the HTD to a gateway, proxy or slave HTDs. The HTD may include a sensor to generate sensor information. Alternatively, the sensor information is generated remotely. The sensor information includes a determined location and/or information characteristic of an HTD or its environment. Sensor information from one sensor is used to represent HTDs separated by the PAN. The HTD may also include a wide area network (WAN) transceiver to communicate with an asset tracking server.

Claims

1. A hybrid tracking device (HTD) associated with an asset to track, the HTD comprising:

a sensor to generate sensor information of a characteristic of the HTD, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the HTD and additional sensor information;

a wide area network (WAN) transceiver to couple to an asset tracking server;

a personal area network (PAN) transceiver to couple to a second HTD, the PAN transceiver communicates with the second HTD, and the WAN transceiver sends the sensor information to the asset tracking server as the characteristic of the HTD and the second HTD.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the asset tracking server or the second HTD selects the HTD to send the sensor information to the asset tracking server.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a global position satellite (GPS) receiver.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an assisted global position satellite (A-GPS) sensor.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor further comprises a cell identifier (cell ID) recognition unit to execute identification and authentication functions.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor further comprises a motion sensor to provide motion information and wherein the characteristic information further comprises the motion information.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor further comprises a temperature sensor to provide temperature information and wherein the characteristic information further comprises the temperature information.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor further comprises:

at least one of a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, an air movement sensor, an air sampling sensor, an altimeter sensor, an accelerometer, an orientation sensor and a radiation sensor, each to provide additional sensor information;

wherein the characteristic information further comprises the additional sensor information.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the WAN transceiver comprises a cellular radio transceiver.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the PAN transceiver comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the PAN transceiver comprises a ZigBee transceiver.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the PAN transceiver comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) transceiver.

13. A hybrid tracking device (HTD) associated with an asset to track, the HTD comprising:

a sensor to generate sensor information of a characteristic of the HTD, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the HTD and additional sensor information;

a wide area network (WAN) transceiver to couple to an asset tracking server;

a personal area network (PAN) transceiver to couple to a second HTD; and

a controller comprising a first mode and a second mode;

wherein, in the first mode, the controller activates the sensor, the PAN transceiver communicates with the second HTD operating in the second mode, and the WAN transceiver sends the sensor information to the asset tracking server as the characteristic of the HTD and the second HTD; and

wherein, in the second mode, the controller de-activates the sensor, the controller de-activates the WAN transceiver, and the device communicates with the asset tracking server through the second HTD operating in the first mode.

14. A location-based services system, the system comprising:

an asset tracking server coupled to a wide area network (WAN); and

a hybrid tracking device (HTD) operating in a master mode and a second hybrid tracking device (HTD) operating in a slave mode, the HTD operating in the master mode is associated with an asset to track, wherein the HTD in the master mode comprises

a sensor to generate sensor information of a characteristic of the HTD, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the HTD and additional sensor information;

a wide area network (WAN) transceiver coupled to the asset tracking server;

a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to the second HTD operating in the slave mode;

wherein the PAN transceiver communicates with the second HTD, and the WAN transceiver sends the sensor information to the asset tracking server as the characteristic of the HTD and the second HTD.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the asset tracking server selects the HTD to operate in the master mode.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the second HTD selects the HTD to operate in the master mode.

17. A location-based services system, the system comprising:

an asset tracking server coupled to a wide area network (WAN); and

a plurality of hybrid tracking devices (HTDs) each associated with an asset to track, wherein each HTD comprises

a sensor to generate sensor information of a characteristic of the HTD, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the HTD and additional sensor information;

a WAN transceiver coupled to the asset tracking server;

a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to a second HTD of the plurality of HTDs; and

a controller comprising a first mode and a second mode;

wherein, in the first mode, the controller activates the sensor, the PAN transceiver communicates with the second HTD operating in the second mode, and the WAN transceiver sends the sensor information to the asset tracking server as the characteristic of the HTD and the second HTD; and

wherein, in the second mode, the controller de-activates the sensor, the controller de-activates the WAN transceiver, and the HTD communicates with the asset tracking server through the second HTD operating in the first mode.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the sensor of each HTD comprises at least one of a global position satellite (GPS) receiver and an assisted global position satellite (A-GPS) sensor.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the sensors of the plurality of HTDs further comprises:

at least one of a motion sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, an air movement sensor, an air sampling sensor, an altimeter sensor, an accelerometer, an orientation sensor and a radiation sensor, each to provide additional sensor information;

wherein the controller, in the first mode, sends the additional sensor information to the asset tracking server as additional sensor information of the plurality of HTDs; and

wherein the controller, in the second mode, de-activates the sensor.

20. A proxy in a location-based services system, the proxy comprising:

a sensor to generate sensor information of a characteristic of the proxy, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the proxy and additional sensor information;

a wide area network (WAN) transceiver coupled to an asset tracking server; and

a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to a plurality of hybrid tracking devices (HTDs) each associated with an asset to track, wherein each HTD communicates with the asset tracking server through the proxy, and

wherein the HTDs activate the transmission of sensor information of the characteristic of the proxy to the asset tracking server as a characteristic of the plurality of HTDs.

21. A location-based services system, the system comprising:

an asset tracking server coupled to a wide area network (WAN);

a plurality of hybrid tracking devices (HTDs) each associated with an asset to track; and

a proxy comprising

a sensor to generate sensor information of a characteristic of the proxy, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the proxy and additional sensor information;

a WAN transceiver coupled to the asset tracking server;

a personal area network (PAN) transceiver coupled to a plurality of HTDs, wherein each HTD communicates with the asset tracking server through the proxy; and

wherein the HTDs activate the transmission of sensor information of the characteristic of the proxy to the asset tracking server as a characteristic of the plurality of HTDs.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a global position satellite (GPS) receiver and an assisted global position satellite (A-GPS) sensor.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the sensor further comprises:

at least one of a motion sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, an air movement sensor, an air sampling sensor, an altimeter sensor, an accelerometer, an orientation sensor and a radiation sensor, each to provide additional sensor information;

wherein the proxy sends the additional sensor information to the asset tracking server as additional sensor information of the plurality of HTDs.

24. A method of tracking a hybrid tracking device (HTD) associated with an asset, the method comprising:

searching for a personal area network (PAN) provided by one of a proxy and a second HTD;

operating in a first mode when the PAN is not available, the first mode comprising

generating, from a sensor, sensor information of a characteristic of the HTD, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the HTD and additional sensor information; and

sending the sensor information over a wide area network (WAN), using a WAN transceiver, to an asset tracking server; and

operating in a second mode when the PAN is available, the second mode comprising

de-activating the sensor;

de-activating the WAN transceiver; and

communicating with the asset tracking server over the PAN.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the location of the HTD comprises a global position satellite (GPS) location.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the location of the HTD comprises an assisted global position satellite (A-GPS) location.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor information further comprises motion information.

28. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor information further comprises temperature information.

29. The device of claim 24, wherein the sensor information further comprises information from at least one of a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a sound sensor, an air movement sensor, an air sampling sensor, an altimeter sensor, an accelerometer, an orientation sensor and a radiation sensor.

30. The device of claim 24, wherein the WAN comprises a cellular radio network.

31. The device of claim 24, wherein the PAN comprises a Bluetooth communications.

32. The device of claim 24, wherein the PAN comprises a ZigBee communications.

33. The device of claim 24, wherein the PAN comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) communications.

34. The device of claim 24, wherein, in the second mode, communicating an identification of the HTD to the second HTD operating in the first mode.

35. The device of claim 24, wherein, in the first mode, receiving an identification of a second HTD operating in the second mode.

36. The device of claim 24, wherein, in the first mode, sending the sensor information of the characteristic of the HTD to the asset tracking server as a characteristic of the HTD or a second HTD.

37. A method of tracking a hybrid tracking device (HTD) associated with an asset, the method comprising:

communicating between a proxy and the HTD;

generating, from a sensor, sensor information of a characteristic of the proxy, wherein the sensor information comprises at least one of a location of the proxy and additional sensor information;

sending, over a wide area network (WAN) to an asset tracking server, the sensor information as a characteristic of the HTD.