SYSTEM AND METHODS WHICH USE LOW WIRELESS DATA BANDWIDTH CONSUMPTION FOR TRACKING WANDERING DEVICES

• US 20170374520A1
• Filed: 08/15/2017
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vestigo Technologies Ltd
• Original Assignee: Vestigo Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: SHUR, Shlomo, BAR-LAVI, Shai
• Granted Patent: US 10,334,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

A system for monitoring locations of each of a population of wandering devices, each having localizing functionality, the system comprising a tracking functionality operative for monitoring locations of each of the population of wandering devices and accordingly, providing location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population, via a viewing functionality, to corresponding end-users registered in respective association with the wandering devices; and an interface with the wandering devices operative to command that location information regarding at least one individual wandering device be transmitted to the tracking functionality more frequently if at least one individual end-user registered in respective association with the individual wandering device is logged onto a viewing functionality and less frequently if no end-user registered in respective association with the individual wandering device is logged onto the viewing functionality.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring locations of each of a population of wandering devices, each having localizing functionality, the system comprising:

a tracking functionality operative for monitoring locations of each of the population of wandering devices and accordingly, providing location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population, via a viewing functionality, to corresponding end-users registered in respective association with the wandering devices; and

an interface with said wandering devices operative to command that location information regarding at least one individual wandering device be transmitted to said tracking functionality more frequently if at least one individual end-user registered in respective association with the individual wandering device is logged onto a viewing functionality and less frequently if no end-user registered in respective association with the individual wandering device is logged onto the viewing functionality.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said location information transmitted more frequently and said location information transmitted less frequently both include information sampled at the same rate such that said location information transmitted less frequently includes wandering device location samples transmitted to said tracking functionality in larger groups than said location information transmitted less frequently.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein said wandering device location samples transmitted to said tracking functionality in batches are transmitted in compressed form, by eliminating bits which are common to more than one adjacent location sample.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein location information regarding an individual wandering device is transmitted to said tracking functionality after being compressed by a compression functionality and wherein said compression functionality takes into account an effective dynamic range of the location information by eliminating from said location information, those bits which are common to all location samples within said effective dynamic range.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein at least one individual wandering device includes self-motion detection apparatus and wherein for at least said individual wandering device, location sampling is not effected while said self-motion detection apparatus indicates that said individual wandering device is stationary, thereby to conserve battery power.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein for at least said individual wandering device, transmission of location information is at least some times delayed if said self-motion detection apparatus indicates that said individual wandering device is stationary.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein said location information is transmitted from said wandering devices to said tracking functionality using a high-reliability communication channel or a low-reliability communication channel, and wherein one of said channels is selected for usage based on a comparison of current relative cost effectiveness of said channels.

12. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising networked viewing functionality through which said location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population is provided to said corresponding end-users.

13. A system according to claim 2 wherein said location information transmitted less frequently includes wandering device location samples transmitted to said tracking functionality in batches of more than one sample each whereas said location information transmitted less frequently includes wandering device location samples transmitted to said tracking functionality individually.

18. A system according to claim 1 wherein said tracking functionality communicates with said population of wandering devices using a higher-reliability communication channel or a lower-reliability communication channel, and wherein one of said channels is selected for usage based on a comparison of current relative cost effectiveness of said two channels.

19. A system according to claim 4 and also comprising networked viewing functionality through which said location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population is provided to said corresponding end-users.

7. A system for monitoring locations of each of a population of wandering devices, the system comprising:

a population of wandering devices each having localizing functionality; and

a tracking functionality operative for monitoring locations of each of the population of wandering devices and accordingly, providing location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population, to corresponding individual end-users registered in respective association with the individual wandering devices,

wherein said location information is transmitted from said wandering devices to said tracking functionality using a high-reliability communication channel or a low-reliability communication channel, and wherein one of said channels is selected for usage based on a comparison of computerized data representing current cost effectiveness values of said channels respectively.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein first and second wandering devices from among said population are located in first and second countries respectively served by a high-cost high-reliability communication channel and a low-cost high-reliability communication channel and wherein location information is transmitted from said first and second wandering devices to said tracking functionality using a low-reliability communication channel and said low-cost high-reliability communication channel respectively, based on stored information regarding costs of high-reliability communication channel usage in said first and second countries.

9. A system according to claim 7 wherein said tracking functionality communicates with said population of wandering devices using a higher-reliability communication channel or a lower-reliability communication channel, and wherein one of said channels is selected for usage based on a comparison of current relative cost effectiveness of said two channels.

11. A system according to claim 7 wherein said low-reliability communication channel comprises USSD.

14. A method for monitoring locations of each of a population of wandering devices, each having localizing functionality, the method comprising:

providing a tracking functionality which uses a processor for monitoring locations of each of the population of wandering devices and accordingly, providing location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population, via a viewing functionality, to corresponding end-users registered in respective association with the wandering devices; and

using a processor to command that location information regarding at least one individual wandering device be transmitted to said tracking functionality more frequently if at least one individual end-user registered in respective association with the individual wandering device is logged onto a viewing functionality and less frequently if no end-user registered in respective association with the individual wandering device is logged onto the viewing functionality.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein location information regarding an individual wandering device is transmitted to said tracking functionality after being compressed by a compression functionality which takes into account an effective dynamic range of the location information by eliminating from said location information, those bits which are common to all location samples within said effective dynamic range.

16. A method for monitoring locations of each of a population of wandering devices, each having localizing functionality, the method comprising:

providing a tracking functionality which uses a processor for monitoring locations of each of the population of wandering devices and accordingly, providing location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population, to corresponding individual end-users registered in respective association with the individual wandering devices,

wherein said location information is transmitted from said wandering devices to said tracking functionality using a high-reliability communication channel or a low-reliability communication channel, and wherein one of said channels is selected for usage by a processor which performs a comparison of computerized data representing current cost effectiveness values of said channels respectively.

17. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for monitoring locations of each of a population of wandering devices, each having localizing functionality, the method comprising:

providing a tracking functionality which uses a processor for monitoring locations of each of the population of wandering devices and accordingly, providing location information which characterizes individual wandering devices from among said population, to corresponding individual end-users registered in respective association with the individual wandering devices,

wherein said location information is transmitted from said wandering devices to said tracking functionality using a high-reliability communication channel or a low-reliability communication channel, and wherein one of said channels is selected for usage by a processor which performs a comparison of computerized data representing current cost effectiveness values of said channels respectively.