Wireless asset tracking systems with heterogeneous communication

• US 9,947,196 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roambee Corporation
• Original Assignee: Senaya Inc
• Inventors: Lee, Brian, Nakra, Jahangir, Setiadi, Dadi, Dubash, Jamshed
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivero, Alejandro
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ, ANGELICA
• Application Number:
  US15/140,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20160321897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 455 413
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10019 resolving collision on the communication channels between simultaneously or concurrently interrogated record carriers. collision between the communication channels used by wireless communication devices, where the solution is not particularly adapted for RFIDs or the like, H04W74/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

An asset tracking system that utilizes a wireless network system and has primary (main) and secondary (sub) tracking devices or ‘tags’ that are assigned to assets. The main tracking device acts as a coordinator and the sub tracking devices surrounding the coordinator act as end-devices. Each main device acts as a gateway network to long range communication while each sub device can only communicate in proximity profile (short range or nearby communication). Each sub device can communicate only with a main device. The main device passes data from the sub device to a remote host transparently. Each sub device sends its data when it triggered by a ‘ping’ from the main device.

Claims

1. A wireless RF tracking system comprising:

a receiver;

a primary active tracking device having a primary timing clock, a short range communication module and a long range communication module for communication with the receiver; and

at least one secondary active tracking device having a secondary timing clock, a short range communication module for communication with the primary active tracking device but not with the receiver, the at least one secondary active tracking device being void of a long range communication module,

the primary active tracking device comprising a ‘

receive’

mode and a ‘

transmit’

mode, the at least one secondary active tracking device comprising a ‘

receive’

mode and a ‘

transmit’

mode, and there being two-way communication between the at least one secondary active tracking device and the primary active tracking device,

the primary active tracking device, in the ‘

transmit’

mode, configured to send a ping signal having a first pulse width to the at least one secondary active tracking device; and

the at least one secondary active tracking device, in the ‘

transmit’

mode, configured to send a data package having a second pulse width less than the first pulse width to the primary active tracking device during the first pulse width.

2. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 1, the primary active tracking device comprising a ZigBee/BLE communication module and a cellular communication module.

3. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 2, wherein the cellular communication module is at least one of CDMA, GSM or LTE.

4. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 1, the at least one secondary active tracking device comprising a ZigBee/BLE communication module and no cellular communication module.

5. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 1, having a real time clock (RTC).

6. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 1, having no real-time clock (RTC).

7. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 1, wherein both the primary active tracking device and the at least one secondary active tracking device use a time division multiple access (TDMA).

8. The wireless RF tracking system of claim 1, wherein both the primary active tracking device and the at least one secondary active tracking device use a frequency division multiple access (FDMA).