System and method for updating geo-fencing information on mobile devices

• US 7,493,211 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asset Intelligence LLC (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Breen, Thomas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US11/303,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/200, 701/205, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/213, 701/300, 340/988, 340/989, 340/991, 340/992, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.18, 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.08, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method of automatically replacing the geographic location of geo-fences stored in memory of a telematics system is described. The location of an asset is determined using an on-board telematics device with a location device. The location of the asset is compared with the location of predefined geo-fences stored in memory on the asset. When the asset is located within a geo-fence which triggers the replacement of geo-fences, the telematics system causes the asset to receive a new set of geo-fences, which replace the existing set of geo-fences in the telematics system memory. The operational cost of the system is reduced by minimizing communications charges when a reduced number of transmissions is needed to replace geo-fences stored in memory on the asset.

Claims

1. A method of automatically updating a set of geo-fences stored in the memory of a telematics system on a mobile asset that is wirelessly linked to a central station, wherein the telematics system has a location device and wherein one or more of the geo-fences of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory is a trigger geo-fence, comprising:

determining the present location of the mobile asset with the location device;

determining at the asset whether the present location of the mobile asset is located within the area defined by one of the one or more trigger geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory; and

if the mobile asset is located within the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory, updating via the wireless link the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory based upon the present location of the asset and the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located, by;

determining a general direction the asset is traveling based upon the present location of the asset within the area defined by the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located;

selecting a replacement set of geo-fences based upon the general direction of the asset, such that the selected replacement set of geo-fences corresponds to areas in the general direction in which the asset is heading; and

replacing the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory with the replacement set of geo-fences;

wherein the replacement set of geofences is selected from a library of sets of geo-fences stored on a storage device at the central station wherein at least one of the geo-fences in each of the sets of geo-fences in the library of geo-fences is a trigger geo-fence.

2. The method of claim 1:

wherein the set of geo-fences in the storage device on the asset is comprised of geo-fences that are proximate to each other within a first region;

wherein each of the sets of geo-fences stored in the library of geo-fences is comprised of geo-fences that are proximate to each other within a region;

wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory based upon the location of the asset and the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located further comprises;

determining which set of geo-fences in the library of geo-fences comprises a region that is adjacent to the first region;

determining which set of geo-fences stored in the library of geo-fences is closest to the present location of the asset; and

selecting a replacement set of geo-fences from the library of geo-fences based upon which set of geo-fences in the library of geo-fences comprises a region that is adjacent to the first region and which set of geo-fences stored in the library of geo-fences is closest to the present location of the asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory further comprises:

transmitting from the telematics system on the asset to the central station via the wireless link a request for a replacement set of geo-fences if the mobile asset is located within the area defined by a trigger geo-fence stored in the telematics system memory, wherein the request also includes the present location of the asset and information concerning the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is presently located;

selecting a replacement set of geo-fences based upon the present location of the asset and information concerning the geo-fence within which the asset is presently located;

transmitting from the central station to the telematics system on the asset via the wireless link the replacement set of geo-fences; and

storing the replacement set of geo-fences in the telematics system memory by replacing the set of geo-fences already stored in the telematics system memory with the replacement set of geo-fences.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one of the geo-fences in the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory;

wherein operating parameter 4ata for the telematics system is associated with at least one of the geo-fences in each set of geo-fences stored in the library of geo-fences; and

wherein updating the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory further includes replacing the operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory with operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences of the replacement set of geo-fences.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising setting, for geo-fences having associated operating parameter data, the operating parameters for the telematics system using the operating parameter data associated with the geo-fence in which the asset is located.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises the frequency of determining the present location of the asset.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises the frequency of transmitting information from the asset to the central station.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises the frequency of sensing a condition of the asset using a sensor on the asset.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the conditions sensed on the asset are selected from the group of temperature, motion, door position, valve condition, impact, speed, acceleration, and the presence of cargo in the asset.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the operating parameter data associated with at least one geo-fence having associated operating parameter data comprises information relating to a rule to be applied by the telematics system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the present location of the asset is determined periodically.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the asset is located within the area defined by any geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset, and providing an alert if the asset is not located within the area defined by a geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the asset is exiting a geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset and providing an alert if the asset is entering an area not defined by a geo-fence stored in the storage device on the asset.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each member of the set of geo-fences stored on the asset corresponds to either a facility to which the asset might travel or a geographical route between facilities along which the asset might travel.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein each member of the sets of geo-fences stored in the library of sets of geo-fences at the central station corresponds to either a facility to which the asset might travel or a geographical route between facilities along which the asset might travel.

16. The method of claim 1,

wherein the asset has a unique identifier;

and

wherein updating via the wireless link the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory is also based upon the unique identifier of the asset.

17. The method of claim 1, further including retaining the trigger geo-fence in the telematics system memory when the set of geo-fenees stored in the telematics system memory is updated.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at the asset whether the present location of the mobile asset is located within the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory comprises determining whether the asset has entered the area defined by one of the trigger geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory.

19. A system for automatically updating a set of geo-fences on a mobile asset, the system comprising:

an asset having a telematics system having memory, a locating device, and a wireless asset communications system for sending and receiving messages, wherein a set of geo-fences is stored in the telematics memory and wherein one or more of the geo-fences is a trigger geo-fence;

a central station having a library of sets of geo-fences and a central station wireless communications system for sending and receiving messages, wherein at least one geo-fence in each set of geo-fences in the library is designated as a trigger geo-fence;

wherein the locating device determines the present location of the asset,

wherein the telematics system determines whether the present location of the asset is within the area defined by one of geo-fences of the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics memory;

wherein the telematics system causes the set of geo-fences in the telematics memory to be updated if the asset is located within the area defined by one of the one or more trigger geo-fences stored on the telematics memory; and

wherein the set of geo-fences in the telematics memory is updated by;

determining a general direction the asset is traveling based upon the present location of the asset within the area defined by the trigger geo-fence within which the asset is located;

selecting a replacement set of geo-fences from the library of sets of geo-fences based upon the general direction of the asset, such that the selected replacement set of geo-fences corresponds to areas in the general direction in which the asset is heading; and

replacing the set of geo-fcnces in the telematics memory with the replacement set of geo-fences.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one geo-fence in the set of geo-fences stored on the telematics memory;

wherein operating parameter data for the telematics system is associated with at least one geo-fence stored in the library of sets of geo-fences; and

wherein causing the set of geo-fences stored in the telematics memory to be updated in system memory further includes replacing any operating parameter data associated with each geo-fence stored in the telematics system memory with any operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences of the replacement set of geo-fences,

wherein causing the set of geo-fences in the telematics memory to be updated further includes replacing operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences stored in the telematics system memory with operating parameter data associated with the geo-fences of the replacement geo-fences.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising setting, for geo-fences having associated operating parameter data, the operating parameters for the telematics system using the operating parameter data associated with the geo-fence in which the asset is located.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising at least one sensor on the asset for sensing a condition of the asset, wherein the operating parameter data associated with each geo-fence having associated parameter data comprises the frequency of sensing conditions of the asset using the at least one sensor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the at least one sensor is selected from the group of temperature sensor, motion sensor, door position sensor, valve condition sensor, impact sensor, speed sensor, acceleration sensor, and contents sensor.