Mobile unit and system having integrated mapping, communications and tracking

• US 8,099,235 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Blackbird Technologies Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Blackbird Technologies Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Loftus, Thomas Michael, Araneda, Dorian Sergio, Koontz, Michael Daniel Jr., Sherman, James Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US13/169,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20110257884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 204 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 701/214, 340/539.13, 340/439.11, 340/572.8, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas

Abstract

A handheld device and system, in which such device and system include at least one mapping module, at least one tracking module interoperative with said at least one mapping module, at least one communications module interoperative with each of said at least one tracking module and said at least one mapping module, at least two antennae communicatively connected via said at least one communications module to at least one central processing unit, wherein at least one of said at least two antenna is suitable for communications using at least two distinct communication modes.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a tracking module configured to receive an indication of a status of an asset, the tracking module being collocated with the asset; and

a communication module configured to facilitate a communication with a computing device remote from the asset using at least two distinct communication modes, the communication module configured to send a signal to the computing device using a communication mode from the at least two distinct communication modes, the communication module configured to select the communication mode automatically based on the indication of the status of the asset.

2. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

send, from a tracking device, a first signal to a computing device via a first communication mode, the first signal being associated with a status of an asset at a first time, the tracking device being collocated with the asset;

receive, at the tracking device, an indication of a status of the asset at a second time after the first time;

automatically select, after the second time, a second communication mode based on the status of the asset at the second time; and

send, from the tracking device, a second signal to the computing device via the second communication mode after the second time.

3. An apparatus, comprising:

a tracking module configured to receive an indication of a status of an asset, the tracking module being collocated with the asset; and

a communication module configured to facilitate a communication with a computing device remote from the asset using at least two distinct default communication modes and an emergency communication mode, the communication module configured to send a signal to the computing device via a communication mode from the at least two distinct default communication modes if the indication of the status of the asset is associated with a default state of the asset, the communication module configured to send the signal to the computing device using the emergency communication mode if the indication of the status of the asset is associated with an emergency state of the asset.