Cargo and door sensor

• US 9,007,209 B1
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ehrman, Michael L., Wendler, Steven R., Gripp, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US14/542,017
• Time in Patent Office: 151 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/539.22, 340/540, 340/541, 340/568.1, 340/568.2
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/1214 including a receiver located remotely from the letter-box and a transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/00 Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators see also B65D5/4212, B65D33/004
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold

Abstract

Implementations for a system to receive a message indicating that an ambient light level measured by an ambient light sensor within a container exceeds a first threshold value or falls below a second threshold value; in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, activate a cargo sensor; and in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level falls below the second threshold value, de-activate the cargo sensor.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory device; and

a processing device, operatively coupled to the memory device, the processing device to;

receive a message indicating that an ambient light level measured by an ambient light sensor within a container exceeds a first threshold value or falls below a second threshold value;

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, activate a cargo sensor; and

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level falls below the second threshold value, de-activate the cargo sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is associated with the ambient light level and is set so that light levels greater than the first threshold value indicate that a container door is open, and wherein the second threshold value is associated with the ambient light level and is set so that light levels equal to or below the second threshold value indicate that a container door is closed.

3. The system of claim 2, the processing device to:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, determine whether a time associated with the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value falls within a prohibited time window.

4. The system of claim 3, the processing device to:

in response to a determination that the message falls within the prohibited time window, generate an alert message indicating that the container door is open during the prohibited time window.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a power requirement associated with the cargo sensor is greater than a power requirement associated with the ambient light sensor.

6. The system of claim 2, the processing device to:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, determine whether a time associated with the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value is during a prohibited state, wherein the prohibited state indicates that the container door should be in a closed position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the ambient light sensor is configured to monitor light levels at a sample rate having a first sample rate value, the processing device to:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, modify the sample rate to a second sample rate value, wherein the second sample rate value is greater than the first sample rate value.

8. The system of claim 7, the processing device to:

receive, from the cargo sensor, a message indicating that cargo is being loaded onto or unloaded from the container;

in response to the message indicating that cargo is being loaded onto or unloaded from the container, modify the sample rate to a third sample rate value, wherein the third sample rate value is greater than the second sample rate value; and

sample, by the cargo sensor, using the third sample rate value throughout a predetermined time window.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a message indicating that an ambient light level measured by an ambient light sensor within a container exceeds a first threshold value or falls below a second threshold value;

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, activating, by the processing device, a cargo sensor; and

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level falls below the second threshold value, de-activate the cargo sensor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first threshold value is associated with the ambient light level and is set so that light levels greater than the first threshold value indicate that a container door is open, and wherein the second threshold value is associated with the ambient light level and is set so that light levels equal to or below the second threshold value indicate that the container door is closed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, determining, by the processing device, whether a time associated with the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value falls within a prohibited time window.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to a determination that the message falls within the prohibited time window, generating, by the processing device, an alert message indicating that the container door is open during the prohibited time window.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein a power requirement associated with the cargo sensor is greater than a power requirement associated with the ambient light sensor.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, determining whether a time associated with the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value is during a prohibited state, wherein the prohibited state reasonably indicates that the container door should be in a closed position.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions that, when accessed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the processing device, a message indicating that an ambient light level measured by an ambient light sensor within a container exceeds a first threshold value or falls below a second threshold value;

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, activating, by the processing device, a cargo sensor; and

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level falls below the second threshold value, de-activate the cargo sensor.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first threshold value is associated with the ambient light level and is set so that light levels greater than the first threshold value indicate that a container door is open, and wherein the second threshold value is associated with the ambient light level and is set so that light levels equal to or below the second threshold value indicate that the container door is closed.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, determining, by the processing device, whether a time associated with the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value falls within a prohibited time window.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising:

in response to a determination that the message falls within the prohibited time window, generating, by the processing device, an alert message indicating that the container door is open during the prohibited time window.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein a power requirement associated with the cargo sensor is greater than a power requirement associated with the ambient light sensor.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value, determining whether a time associated with the message indicating that the ambient light level exceeds the first threshold value is during a prohibited state, wherein the prohibited state reasonably indicates that the container door should be in a closed position.