Transportation security system and associated methods

• US 7,990,270 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kirsen Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kirsen Technologies Corporation, Inc.
• Inventors: Mostov, Kirill
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US11/343,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20060181413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,010 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/02 Mechanical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A security system for monitoring at least one shipping container being transported by at least one cargo transport vehicle has a Container Security Device (CSD) configured to be removably coupled to the at least one freight shipping container wall thereby utilizing for monitoring a cargo inside the container and detection of intrusion violations accompanied with partial destruction of the container wall when in a coupled condition. The CSD including at least one anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller and a communication device; where the microcontroller generates an alarm signal based on a signal from at least one anti-tamper sensor is subjected to an individual sensor processing procedure and then to an integrated sensor processing procedure, the integrated sensor processing procedure make determination of the overall container alert status based on the alarm signal from at least one sensor. The system also has a Network Operations Center (NOC), the NOC including a NOC communications facility configured to communicate with at least one telecommunication network, the NOC being configured to receive data from each of the plurality of the CSDs and including a data storage medium configured to store sensor data and contained an archive of the container events.

Claims

1. A security system for monitoring at least one shipping container being transported by at least one cargo transport vehicle, the system comprising:

a Container Security Device (CSD) configured to be removably coupled to the at least one freight shipping container wall thereby utilized for monitoring a cargo inside the container and detection of intrusion violations accompanied with partial destruction of the container wall when in a coupled condition, the CSD including at least one anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller and a communication device;

wherein the microcontroller generates an alert status based on an output data generated by least one anti-tamper sensor being subjected to an individual sensor processing procedure and then to an integrated sensor processing procedure, the integrated sensor processing procedure makes determination of the overall container alert status based on the output data from said at least one sensor; and

a Network Operations Center (NOC), the NOC including a NOC communications facility configured to communicate with at least one telecommunication network, the NOC being configured to receive data from each of a plurality of the CSDs and including a data storage medium configured to store sensor data and contained an archive of the container events,

wherein the CSD communication device is configured to communicate its condition including an alarm transmission to the NOC via satellite communication channels,

wherein at least one anti-tamper sensor includes an accelerometer, and the accelerometer output is monitored for exceeding a pre-set threshold, which triggers the data to be further analyzed in the microcontroller for presence of an intrusion signal, and

wherein the CSD microcontroller compares the accelerometer output to a standard signal, corresponding to a signal generated by a metal cutting instrument to determine if the metal cutting instrument is used to break the container wall.

2. A security system for monitoring at least one shipping container being transported by at least one cargo transport vehicle, the system comprising:

a Container Security Device (CSD) configured to be removably coupled to the at least one freight shipping container wall thereby utilized for monitoring a cargo inside the container and detection of intrusion violations accompanied with partial destruction of the container wall when in a coupled condition, the CSD including at least one anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller and a communication device;

wherein the microcontroller generates an alert status based on an output data generated by least one anti-tamper sensor being subjected to an individual sensor processing procedure and then to an integrated sensor processing procedure, the integrated sensor processing procedure makes determination of the overall container alert status based on the output data from said at least one sensor; and

a Network Operations Center (NOC), the NOC including a NOC communications facility configured to communicate with at least one telecommunication network, the NOC being configured to receive data from each of a plurality of the CSDs and including a data storage medium configured to store sensor data and contained an archive of the container events,

wherein the CSD communication device is configured to communicate its condition including an alarm transmission to the NOC via satellite communication channels,

wherein at least one anti-tamper sensor includes an accelerometer, and the accelerometer output is monitored for exceeding a pre-set threshold, which triggers the data to be further analyzed in the microcontroller for presence of an intrusion signal,

wherein the accelerometer output is being monitored to detect a vibration signal of the container wall, and the CSD microcontroller subjects the accelerometer vibration signal to a wavelet analysis and a “

window”

Fourier analysis to produce a data of a current vibration, and

wherein the CSD microcontroller compares the data of the current vibration to a standard data related to a mode of transportation to determine which mode of transportation is used to move the container.

3. A security system for monitoring at least one shipping container being transported by at least one cargo transport vehicle, the system comprising:

a Container Security Device (CSD) configured to be removably coupled to the at least one freight shipping container wall thereby utilized for monitoring a cargo inside the container and detection of intrusion violations accompanied with partial destruction of the container wall when in a coupled condition, the CSD including at least one anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller and a communication device;

wherein the microcontroller generates an alert status based on an output data generated by least one anti-tamper sensor being subjected to an individual sensor processing procedure and then to an integrated sensor processing procedure, the integrated sensor processing procedure makes determination of the overall container alert status based on the output data from said at least one sensor; and

a Network Operations Center (NOC), the NOC including a NOC communications facility configured to communicate with at least one telecommunication network, the NOC being configured to receive data from each of a plurality of the CSDs and including a data storage medium configured to store sensor data and contained an archive of the container events,

wherein the CSD communication device is configured to communicate its condition including an alarm transmission to the NOC via satellite communication channels,

wherein the CSD further comprises a plurality of accelerometers that form a mass-tomograph, and the mass-tomograph is used to build up a spatial picture of a mass distribution through the container,

wherein the mass-tomograph used to obtain information about the cargo mass and the mass distribution inside the container to determine a digital signature (DS), and

wherein the DS includes parameters including container mass (M), components of the container moment of inertia (Ix, Iy, Iz) and the center of mass coordinates of the body frame (Rm), said parameters characterize spatial distribution of the container mass.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the change in the DS parameter Rm indicates that the cargo inside the container has shifted during the containers motion.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the change in the DS parameters Ix, Iy, Iz and Rm indicates that the partial destruction took place.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the change in the DS parameters M, Ix, Iy, Iz and Rm indicates that the container has been tampered.

7. A method for monitoring at least one freight shipping container being transported by at least one cargo transport vehicle, the method comprising:

providing a container security device (CSD) configured to be removably coupled to the at least one freight shipping container wall thereby utilizing for monitoring a cargo inside the container and detection of intrusion violations accompanied with partial destruction of container wall when in a coupled condition, the CSD including at least one anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller, and the CSD communication device;

sending an output data obtained from the at least one anti-tamper sensor to the microcontroller;

analyzing the output sensor data according to an individual sensor processing procedure;

determining an alert status based on the step of analyzing output sensor data according to an integrated sensor processing procedure based on the analysis of the individual processing procedure; and

transmitting the alert status condition to a Network Operations Center (NOC),

wherein the step of transmitting is performed using a pre-existing telecommunications system,

wherein the at least one anti-tamper sensor includes an accelerometer, wherein the accelerometer output is being monitored for exceeding a pre-set threshold, which triggers the output data to be further analyzed in the microcontroller for presence of an intrusion signal, and

wherein step of monitoring the container CSD include monitoring parameters including M, Ix, Iy, Iz, and Rm, said parameters characterizing spatial distribution of the container mass.