Sensor suite and communication system for cargo monitoring and identification
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring a cargo container comprising:
- a sensor module mounted in said container, said module including one or more sensors and first means for transmitting data from said sensor, said first means including a first transceiver, each transceiver being capable of receiving signals from other sensor modules to relay signals of a particular module in a daisy chain fashion to and from the central monitoring system;
a central monitoring system having second means for receiving said data and third means for processing said data; and
means for preventing circular loops and dead ends in a communication chain from a sensor module to said central monitoring system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for monitoring a cargo container. The novel system (100) includes a sensor module (10) mounted in each target area (20) and a central monitoring system (40). Each sensor module (10) includes one or more sensors (22) and a transceiver (28) for transmitting data from the sensors to the central monitoring system (40). The central monitoring system (40) includes a transceiver (44) for receiving the data from all sensor modules (10) and a local master processor (46) for processing and analyzing the data. In the preferred embodiment, each transceiver (28) is capable of receiving and retransmitting signals of other sensor modules to relay signals of a particular sensor module (10) in a daisy chain fashion to and from the central monitoring system (40).
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring a cargo container comprising:
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a sensor module mounted in said container, said module including one or more sensors and first means for transmitting data from said sensor, said first means including a first transceiver, each transceiver being capable of receiving signals from other sensor modules to relay signals of a particular module in a daisy chain fashion to and from the central monitoring system; a central monitoring system having second means for receiving said data and third means for processing said data; and means for preventing circular loops and dead ends in a communication chain from a sensor module to said central monitoring system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A communication system for cargo monitoring comprising:
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a transceiver mounted in each cargo container; a central monitoring system, wherein each transceiver is capable of receiving and retransmitting signals of other transceivers to relay signals of a particular transceiver in a daisy chain fashion to and from the central monitoring system; and means for determining the next transceiver in the communication chain by broadcasting an initial signal, listening for responses, sorting said responses by signal strength and/or time of arrival, and establishing a link with the transceiver receiving the highest score. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for monitoring cargo containers including the steps of:
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monitoring said containers using a sensor module in each container; transmitting data from said sensor modules to a central monitoring system via a daisy chain network between said sensor modules; preventing circular loops and dead ends in a communication chain from a sensor module to said central monitoring system; and analyzing said data received from all sensor modules.
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27. A communication system for cargo monitoring comprising:
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a transceiver mounted in each cargo container; a central monitoring system, wherein each transceiver is capable of receiving and retransmitting signals of other transceivers to relay signals of a particular transceiver in a daisy chain fashion to and from the central monitoring system; and means for correcting for circular loops and dead ends. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification