System and method for optimizing power consumption of container tracking devices through mesh networks

• US 8,294,573 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mermet, Jean-Francois, Pucci, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knox, Kaleria
• Application Number:
  US12/359,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 340/568.1, 340/571.1, 340/3.1, 340/5.92, 340/825.35, 340/825.49, 340/988, 340/539.3, 455/419
• US Class Current: 340/539.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

A system of tracking transcontinental shipping containers, which is optimized to conserve the power consumption of tracking devices attached to the containers, is disclosed. The system uses short-range transceiving devices to form a mesh network that includes the tracking devices and a processing device coupled to the shipping vessel, thereby enabling the tracking devices to communicate and update their status without using a long-range or satellite communications adaptors.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring containers, logically coupled to respective tracking devices, transported in a transport vessel from a geographically located source location to a geographically located destination location, comprising:

a mesh network located on said transport vessel, formed at a predetermined time from a plurality of first short-range transceiving devices, each coupled to a respective tracking device;

a satellite navigation system receiver located on said transport vessel and obtaining location information of said transport vessel;

a processing device, coupled to said transport vessel and said satellite navigation system receiver, said processing device including a second short-range radio transceiving device adapted to communicate with said mesh network via at least one of the first short-range radio transceiving devices, said processing device transmitting a sleep mode duration message, based on said obtained geographic location of said transport vessel and including a sleep mode duration command, to disable said mesh network according to the transmitted sleep mode duration; and

a user interface disposed on the transport vessel, wherein the user interface is in operative communication with said processing device and wherein the user interface is configured to set a sleep mode duration to be transmitted by said processing device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the tracking devices include a persistent memory, and

wherein said processing device transmits to the tracking devices a first universal time according said satellite navigation system receiver, the tracking devices store the first universal time in the persistent memory and the predetermined time is according to a second universal time.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the first universal time and second universal time operate according to Universal Time Coordinated time.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the tracking devices each include a second satellite navigation system receiver and a long-range communications transceiving device, respectively, and

wherein the tracking devices disable their respective second satellite navigation system receivers and long-range communications transceiving devices when said transport vessel departs from said source location, and

wherein the tracking devices enable their respective second satellite navigation system receivers and long-range communications transceiving devices when said transport vessel arrives at said destination location.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said processing device is coupled to a satellite transceiving device, and

wherein transmitting the sleep mode duration message is further based on a received sleep mode duration message, which includes a received sleep mode duration command and has been received by said processing device via said satellite transceiving device.

6. A method for conserving power in a tracking device coupled to a container on a transport vessel, comprising:

building, at a predetermined time, a mesh communications network including said tracking device and other tracking devices coupled to other containers stored in said transport vessel, within range of a short-range communications transceiver coupled to the tracking device;

obtaining, from a satellite navigation system receiver located on said transport vessel, location information of said transport vessel;

receiving, through the mesh communications network, a command, based on said obtained geographic location of said transport vessel, from a processing device, fixedly coupled to said transport vessel, where the command includes at least a sleep command

disabling the short-range communications transceiver and all wireless communication modules coupled to the tracking device upon receiving the sleep command, where the sleep command includes a wake-up time; and

receiving from a user interface disposed on the transport vessel, wherein the user interface is in operative communication with said processing device, a sleep mode duration to be transmitted by said processing device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined time and wake-up time are set according to a Universal Time Coordinated timebase.