Containerized cargo/high value asset tracking method, device and system

• US 7,787,409 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Southern Focus Investments, LLC
• Original Assignee: Southern Focus Investments, LLC
• Inventors: Sanderford, H. Britton Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh; Bob A
• Application Number:
  US11/045,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20050185659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,038 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/318
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/06 Airborne or Satellite Networks space-based or airborne stations H04B7/185
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A cargo, containerized cargo, high value asset monitoring and tracking communication system including a local area network (LAN) transmitter that transmits a first message having a first frequency spectrum, and a wide area network (WAN) uplink device that receives the first message from the local area network radio transmitter, whereby both WAN and LAN share the same spectrum. Further, the WAN uplink device transmits a second message having a second frequency spectrum overlapping the first frequency spectrum to a WAN receiver using an orbital satellite. At least one of the LAN transmitter and the WAN uplink device transmits with a transmission characteristic different from a transmission characteristic of the other. A communication device and method include similar features.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a local area network (LAN) radio transmitter configured to transmit a first message having a first frequency spectrum; and

a wide area network (WAN) uplink device configured to receive the first message from the LAN radio transmitter and transmit a second message having a second frequency spectrum overlapping the first frequency spectrum to a WAN receiver using an orbital satellite;

wherein

the LAN radio transmitter and the WAN uplink device are configured to transmit the first and second message with at least one of a different modulation, a different Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code, and a different frequency hop pattern,

the WAN uplink device is further configured to transmit the second message at a second power sufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the second message, and

the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message at a first power less than the second power and insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the first message.

2. The communication system of claim 1,

wherein the WAN receiver includes an error correcting code device,

the WAN uplink device is further configured to transmit the second message having a second message length that the error correcting code device in the WAN receiver is configured to accept, and

the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message having a first message length that is shorter than the second message length and that the error correcting code device in the WAN receiver is configured to reject.

3. The communication system of claim 1,

wherein the WAN uplink device is further configured to transmit the second message using a second code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is configured to receive, and

the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message using a first code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is configured not to receive.

4. The communication system of claim 3,

wherein the first code division multiple access code includes at least one of a first direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a first frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code, and

the second code division multiple access code includes at least one of a second direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a second frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cargo sensor configured to sense a cargo information and operatively connected to the LAN radio transmitter, and

the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to add the sensed cargo information to the first message.

6. The communication system of claim 5,

wherein the cargo sensor includes at least one of a GPS receiver, a container temperature sensor, a container door open sensor, a container volume sensor, a container vibration/shock sensor, a container accelerometer, a container acoustic pressure sensor, a container sound sensor, a light-in-container sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a dust sensor, a humidity sensor, a security/tampering sensor, and an orientation sensor.

7. The communication system of claim 1,

wherein the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message at a scheduled time or a random rate.

8. The communication system of claim 1,

wherein the first frequency spectrum is the same as the second frequency spectrum.

9. The communication system of claim 1,

wherein the first message includes a spread spectrum modulated LAN message and the second message includes a spread spectrum modulated WAN message.

10. A network communication device, comprising:

a local area network (LAN) radio receiver configured to receive a first message having a first frequency spectrum; and

a wide area network (WAN) transmitter configured to transmit a second message having a second frequency spectrum overlapping the first frequency spectrum to a WAN receiver using an orbital satellite;

wherein

the WAN transmitter is further configured to transmit the second message with at least one of a different modulation, a different Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code, and a different frequency hop pattern comparing to the first message received by the LAN radio receiver, and

to transmit the second message at a second power sufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the second message, and the first message has a first power that is lower than the second power and is insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the first message.

11. The communication device of claim 10, further configured to transmit the second message having a second message length that an error correcting code device in the wide area network receiver is configured to accept, and

the first message includes a first message length that is shorter than the second message length and that the error correcting code device in the wide area network receiver is configured to reject.

12. The communication device of claim 10, further configured to transmit the second message using a second code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is configured to receive, and

the first message includes a first code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is configured not to receive.

13. The communication system of claim 12,

wherein the first code division multiple access code includes at least one of a first direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a first frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code, and

the second code division multiple access code includes at least one of a second direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a second frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code.

14. The communication device of claim 10,

wherein the first frequency spectrum is the same as the second frequency spectrum.

15. The communication device of claim 10,

wherein the first message includes a spread spectrum modulated LAN message and the second message includes a spread spectrum modulated WAN message.

16. A network communication device comprising:

a local area network/wide area network (LAN/WAN) radio transmitter configured to transmit a first LAN message having a first frequency spectrum and to transmit a WAN message having a second frequency spectrum overlapping the first frequency spectrum to a WAN receiver using an orbital satellite; and

a LAN radio receiver configured to receive a second LAN message having the first frequency spectrum;

a sensor interface configured to receive a sensed cargo information from an operatively connected cargo sensor and add the sensed cargo information to the first LAN message;

wherein the LAN/WAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the second LAN message with at least one of a different modulation, a different Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code, and a different frequency hop pattern, comparing to at least one of the first LAN message transmitted by the LAN/WAN radio transmitter, the second LAN message received by the LAN radio receiver, and

the LAN/WAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first WAN message at a first power sufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the first WAN message, and transmit the second LAN message at a second power lower than the first power and insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the second LAN message.

17. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the LAN/WAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the WAN message having a first message length that an error correcting code device in the WAN receiver is configured to accept, and transmit the first LAN message having a second message length that the error correcting code device in the WAN receiver is configured to reject, and

the second LAN message includes the second message length.

18. The communication device of claim 16, wherein the LAN/WAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the WAN message using a first code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is configured to receive, and transmit the first LAN message using a second code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is not configured to receive, and

the second LAN message includes the second code division multiple access code.

19. The communication device of claim 18,

wherein the first code division multiple access code includes at least one of a first direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a first frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code, and

the second code division multiple access code includes at least one of a second direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a second frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code.

20. The communication device of claim 16,

wherein the cargo sensor includes at least one of a GPS receiver, a container temperature sensor, a container door open sensor, a container volume sensor, a container vibration/shock sensor, a container accelerometer, a container acoustic pressure sensor, a container sound sensor, a light-in-container sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a dust sensor, a humidity sensor, a security/tampering sensor, and an orientation sensor.

21. The communication device of claim 16,

wherein the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first LAN message at a scheduled time or a random rate.

22. The communication device of claim 16,

wherein the first frequency spectrum is the same as the second frequency spectrum.

23. The communication device of claim 16,

wherein the first and second LAN messages include a spread spectrum modulated LAN message and the WAN message includes a spread spectrum modulated WAN message.

24. A network communication device, comprising:

a local area network (LAN) radio transmitter configured to transmit a first message having a first frequency spectrum overlapping a second frequency spectrum of a second message received by an orbital satellite; and

a sensor interface configured to receive a sensed cargo information from an operatively connected cargo sensor and add the sensed cargo information to the spread spectrum local area network radio message;

wherein

the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the second message with at least one of a different modulation, a different Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code, and a different frequency hop pattern comparing to the second message received by the satellite receiver, and

the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message at a first power insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the first message, and to transmit the second message at a second power lower than the first power and insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the second message.

25. The communication device of claim 24, wherein the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message having a message length that an error correcting code device in a WAN receiver that communicates with the orbital satellite is configured to reject.

26. The communication device of claim 24, wherein the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message using a code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is not configured to receive.

27. The communication device of claim 26,

wherein the code division multiple access code includes at least one of a direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code that the orbital satellite is not configured to receive and a frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code that the orbital satellite is not configured to receive.

28. The communication device of claim 24,

wherein the cargo sensor includes at least one of a GPS receiver, a container temperature sensor, a container door open sensor, a container volume sensor, a container vibration/shock sensor, a container accelerometer, a container acoustic pressure sensor, a container sound sensor, a light-in-container sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a dust sensor, a humidity sensor, a security/tampering sensor, and an orientation sensor.

29. The communication device of claim 24,

wherein the LAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message at a scheduled time or a random rate.

30. The communication device of claim 24,

wherein the first frequency spectrum is the same as the second frequency spectrum.

31. The communication device of claim 24,

wherein the first message includes a spread spectrum modulated LAN message and the second message includes a spread spectrum modulated WAN message.

32. A communication method, comprising steps of:

transmitting a first message having a first frequency spectrum from a local area network (LAN) radio transmitter, the first message being transmitted at a first power;

receiving the first message from the LAN radio transmitter at a wide area network (WAN) uplink device; and

transmitting a second message having a second frequency spectrum overlapping the first frequency spectrum to a WAN receiver using an orbital satellite, the second message being transmitted from the WAN uplink device at a second power sufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the second message;

wherein at least one of the transmitting a first message and transmitting a second message further comprising transmitting the first and second messages with at least one of a different modulation, a different Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code, and a different frequency hop pattern, and

the first power is lower than the second power, and is insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the first message.

33. The communication method of claim 32, wherein the WAN receiver includes an error correcting code device, the method further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the second message from the WAN uplink device with a second message length that the error correcting code device in the WAN receiver is configured to accept; and

transmitting the first message from the LAN radio transmitter with a first message length that is shorter than the second message length and that the error correcting code device in the WAN receiver is configured to reject.

34. The communication method of claim 32, further comprising steps of:

transmitting the second message from the WAN uplink device using a second code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is configured to receive; and

transmitting the first message from the LAN radio transmitter using a first code division multiple access code that the orbital satellite is not configured to receive.

35. The communication method of claim 34,

wherein the first code division multiple access code includes at least one of a first direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a first frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code, and

the second code division multiple access code includes at least one of a second direct sequence spread spectrum hop pattern code and a second frequency hopping spread spectrum hop pattern code.

36. The communication method of claim 32, further comprising steps of:

receiving a sensed cargo information from a cargo sensor operatively connected to the LAN radio transmitter; and

adding the sensed cargo information to the first message.

37. The communication method of claim 36,

wherein the cargo sensor includes at least one of a GPS receiver, a container temperature sensor, a container door open sensor, a container volume sensor, a container vibration/shock sensor, a container accelerometer, a container acoustic pressure sensor, a container sound sensor, a light-in-container sensor, an infrared sensor, a microwave sensor, a dust sensor, a humidity sensor, a security/tampering sensor, and an orientation sensor.

38. The communication method of claim 32, further comprising steps of:

transmitting the first message at a scheduled time or a random rate from the LAN radio transmitter.

39. The communication method of claim 32,

wherein the first frequency spectrum is the same as the second frequency spectrum.

40. The communication method of claim 32,

wherein the first message includes a spread spectrum modulated LAN message and the second message includes a spread spectrum modulated WAN message.

41. A communication system comprising:

a local area network/wide area network (LAN/WAN) radio transmitter configured to transmit a first message having a first frequency spectrum and transmit a second message having a second frequency spectrum overlapping a first frequency spectrum to a WAN receiver using an orbital satellite; and

the LAN/WAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message with at least one of a different modulation, a different Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) code, and a different frequency hop pattern comparing to the second message received by the WAN receiver or the orbital satellite, and

the LAN/WAN radio transmitter is further configured to transmit the first message at a first power sufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the first WAN message, and transmit the second message at a second power lower than the first power and insufficient for the orbital satellite to demodulate the second message.