Unobtrusive proprioceptive monitor for shipping containers and vehicles

• US 8,547,230 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Darling, David R., Funchess, Percy N. III, Delgado, Eladio Clemente, Johnson, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/779,154
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

An identification system and method comprising attaching an identification tag to an inside surface of a shipping container port cover and communicating data from the tag via electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. An identification system comprising an identification tag attached to an inside surface of a shipping container port cover comprising a seal configured to seal the inside surface of the shipping container port cover from the atmosphere, which identification tag communicates data via electromagnetic radiation, electronics configured to receive the data from at least one sensor located within a volume of a shipping container and that is configured to generate the data, the data identifying a sensed condition within the volume of the shipping container to which the shipping container port cover is affixed, and electronics configured to send sending the received data via said identification tag, and wherein said identification tag communicates the data to a receiver outside of the shipping container when the shipping container port cover is closed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor is selected from a group consisting of shock sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, global position sensors, gyroscopic sensors, light sensors, radiation sensors, chemical sensors, biological agent sensors, door open/closed sensors, and magnetic field sensors.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor is are attached to the inside surface of the shipping container port cover.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor is are remote from the shipping container port cover.

5. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising a computer receiving and analyzing the sent data.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said identification tag transmits data via one or more frequencies selected from a group consisting of radio frequencies, cellular frequencies, and satellite communications frequencies.

7. A shipping container document port cover configured to cover a document port of a shipping container, comprising:

a seal configured to seal an inside surface of the shipping container document port cover from the atmosphere;

a mounting plate attachable to the inside surface of the shipping container document port cover without modification of the shipping container document port cover;

an identification tag attached to said mounting plate, which identification tag communicates data via electromagnetic radiation;

a sensor coupled to the identification tag, the sensor located within a volume of the shipping container and configured to generate data identifying a sensed condition within the volume of the shipping container; and

wherein said identification tag is further configured to communicate the data to a receiver outside of the shipping container when the shipping container document port cover of the shipping container is closed.

8. The cover of claim 7 wherein said shipping container document port cover is for a container selected from a group consisting of food shipping containers, pharmaceutical shipping containers, and military shipping containers.

16. The shipping container document port cover of claim 7, wherein the shipping container comprises a sealed shipping container, the sensor comprises a humidity sensor, and the sensed condition comprises a humidity within the volume of the shipping container.

9. An identification method comprising the steps of:

attaching an identification tag to an inside surface of a shipping container port cover, the shipping container port cover comprising a seal configured to seal an inside surface of the shipping container port cover from the atmosphere;

communicating data from the identification tag via electromagnetic radiation to a receiver outside of a shipping container when the shipping container port cover is closed;

via electronics receiving data from at least one sensor and via electronics sending the received data via the identification tag; and

connecting the at least one sensor to the electronics receiving the data, wherein the at least one sensor is located within a volume of the shipping container and is configured to generate the data, which identifies a sensed condition within the volume of the shipping container when the shipping container port cover is closed.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is selected from a group consisting of shock sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, global position sensors, gyroscopic sensors, light sensors, radiation sensors, chemical sensors, biological agent sensors, door open/closed sensors, and magnetic field sensors.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is attached to the inside surface of the shipping container port cover.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is remote from the shipping container port cover.

13. The method of claim 9 additionally comprising the step of via a computer receiving and analyzing the sent data.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the identification tag transmits data via one or more frequencies selected from a group consisting of radio frequencies, cellular frequencies, and satellite communications frequencies.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the shipping container port cover is for a shipping container selected from a group consisting of food shipping containers, pharmaceutical shipping containers, and military shipping containers.