End to end logistic chain tracking and control of shipping containers

• US 10,679,173 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2019
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPMA Investments ApS
• Original Assignee: RPMAnetworks Holdings
• Inventors: Olsen, Jan, Wohl, Frederic Lyman
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US16/278,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20190258993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0831 Overseas transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0835 Relationships between shipper or supplier and carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for providing end to end logistic chain control and tracking during shipping by utilizing a cost-efficient and reliable RPMA wireless network technology. The system consists of a wireless, self-powered device connected to shipping container containing goods for transportation and a variety of required sensors to sense the conditions of the goods inside the container. The container related information is transmitted in real-time or in near real-time to customer end in the following sequence: Device to RPMA Access points to Data center via satellite backhaul connectivity to Customer'"'"'s Platform. The present system also enables the customers to take an intelligent action to control cargo container, if required. The present invention relates to a system and method of providing a wireless, self-powered system for end to end logistic chain tracking and control of shipping containers over sea, land, air by utilizing a low-power, wide-area communication technology, particularly Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) communication network and data processing and/or storage network technology.

Claims

1. A system for wirelessly providing container associated information, including at least information about container location, security status, impact status and container internal status for one or more containers on a transport vehicle/vessel during shipping, wherein the container information system is comprised of at least the following components:

a tracking device mounted on one or more containers;

a variety of sensors associated with the container to provide container information;

a Random Phase Multiple Access RPMA wireless communication concentrator;

one or more RPMA wireless network intermediate relay Access Points mounted at the container storage location, including a ship, to relay container information to one or more remote data servers;

an alarm system to generate alerts on user definable events affecting the container;

a remote data center communication platform to wirelessly receive the information from the container and to transmit information to the container to adjust the remote data collection protocol for the container;

a communication acknowledgement protocol that acknowledges successful receipt of a message for both the container and the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform;

wherein the device sends location information for the container at least at the following events;

during container'"'"'s loading,

during the container'"'"'s unloading,

during entering and exiting a designated location that is part of the container'"'"'s pre-defined supply chain shipping movement, and

in the event one or more user programmed alerts occur based upon the container status;

wherein the tracking device wirelessly sends location and geo-fencing information for the container to intermediate RPMA communication relay points (“

Access Points”

or “

AP”

) through the RPMA wireless communication network;

wherein the RPMA AP transmits either wired or wirelessly information to either another AP or to the remote data center via satellite backhaul connectivity to and from the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform;

wherein the variety of sensors monitoring the container'"'"'s internal status contains at least a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an impact sensor, a door open and closure sensor, a chemical sensor, a radiation sensor, other sensors relevant to the container'"'"'s contents, and a combination thereof and sensors provide information about the container'"'"'s internal environment including at least temperature, humidity, any damage information to the container and/or its walls and any unauthorized container door access in order to maintain a good health of the items inside the container and to maintain and document container security;

wherein the variety of sensors associated with a container wirelessly send information to the RPMA data concentrator which aggregates information from various sources and manages external wireless communication directly to the AP or to the remote data center;

wherein the RPMA concentrator wirelessly sends information about its container to the RPMA AP through RPMA wireless network or directly to a data server at one or more remote data centers;

wherein the container'"'"'s alarm system is pre-set to generate an alert, notification and/or report in response to at least one user-definable event based upon sensor data with the event selected from a location, a time, a sensor input value, a specific Device temperature status, container'"'"'s door status and impact status and this alert is wirelessly communicated to one or more remote data centers communication platform in real-time;

wherein the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform is at least of a security company, shipping company, customs board &

protection agency, the owner who shipped the container, and/or the owner who is receiving the container;

wherein the acknowledgement of successful receipt of a message from container by the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform allows each remote data center to calculate container movement, distance traveled and other location derivatives;

wherein the system provides information about which shipping company is in charge of the container at various times during the shipping, stores the shipping consignment and shipping company information in the Device and wirelessly communicates this information to the remote data center platforms; and

wherein the system provides the ability to lock/unlock the container remotely from any authorized remote data communication platform by implementing a smart lock system on the container, the system comprising a unique ID (MAC address) for each lock and a unique authentication code for each lock.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking Device is set to sleep mode to save battery life and it wakes up to transmit the information of the container when certain, user-defined events occur.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking Device is user programmable to note the ultimate and/or intermediate location destination(s) and generate an event when it has arrived at a given destination.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tracking Device comprises a GPS unit to provide the accurate location and geo fencing information of the container at one or more locations for the container'"'"'s supply chain.

5. A method for controlling and tracking of shipment of one or more containers, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting the location information of the containers with a GPS system;

collecting at least one container'"'"'s status information from a group consisting of temperature, humidity, impact, door status and combination thereof with the help of a variety of sensors placed inside the container;

wirelessly communicating the above information data at pre-set intervals to one or more remote data center(s) via Random Phase Multiple Access RPMA wireless communication module,

processing the data with the remote data processing unit to determine if an alarm condition exists,

acknowledge successful receipt of a message for both the container and the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform, and

generate alerts/notification/report to notify receiver about the alarming condition of the container;

wherein the device sends location information for the container at least at the following events;

during container'"'"'s loading,

during the container'"'"'s unloading,

during entering and exiting a designated location that is part of the container'"'"'s pre-defined supply chain shipping movement, and

in the event one or more user programmed alerts occur based upon the container status;

wherein a tracking device wirelessly sends location and geo-fencing information for the container to intermediate RPMA communication relay points (“

Access Points”

or “

AP”

) through the RPMA wireless communication network;

wherein the RPMA AP transmits either wired or wirelessly information to either another AP or to the remote data center via satellite backhaul connectivity to and from the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform;

wherein the variety of sensors monitoring the container'"'"'s internal status contains at least a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an impact sensor, a door open and closure sensor, a chemical sensor, a radiation sensor, other sensors relevant to the container'"'"'s contents, and a combination thereof and sensors provide information about the container'"'"'s internal environment including at least temperature, humidity, any damage information to the container and/or its walls and any unauthorized container door access in order to maintain a good health of the items inside the container and to maintain and document container security;

wherein the variety of sensors associated with the container wirelessly send information to an RPMA data concentrator which aggregates information from various sources and manages external wireless communication directly to the AP or to the remote data center;

wherein the RPMA concentrator wirelessly sends information about its container to the RPMA AP through RPMA wireless network or directly to a data server at one or more remote data centers;

wherein the container'"'"'s alarm system is pre-set to generate an alert, notification and/or report in response to at least one user-definable event based upon sensor data with the event selected from a location, a time, a sensor input value, a specific device temperature status, container'"'"'s door status and impact status and this alert is wirelessly communicated to one or more remote data centers communication platform in real-time;

wherein the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform is at least of a security company, shipping company, customs board &

protection agency, the owner who shipped the container, and/or the owner who is receiving the container;

wherein the acknowledgement of successful receipt of a message from container by the remote data center'"'"'s communication platform allows each remote data center to calculate container movement, distance traveled and other location derivatives;

wherein the system provides information about which shipping company is in charge of the container at various times during the shipping, stores the shipping consignment and shipping company information in the Device and wirelessly communicates this information to the remote data center platforms; and

wherein the system provides the ability to lock/unlock the container remotely from any authorized remote data communication platform by implementing a smart lock system on the container, the system comprising a unique ID (MAC address) for each lock and a unique authentication code for each lock.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the alerts/notification/reports are generated on user-definable events, which may include arrival at a location, a sensor input value, a specific Device temperature status, container'"'"'s door status and impact status and each Device generated alert is generated in user-defined format to a user-defined receiver.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the alert initiates one or more specific user-defined actions or procedures which need to be taken and implemented for the container and these procedures are stored locally in the Device'"'"'s software but can also be downloaded from one or more remote data communication platforms.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further enable the user to manage single event or recurring event differently.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further generates a risk score with the help of user programmed remote server at a remote data center to increase the safety of each container and this risk score can be found and displayed on the Device or on the remote server by a specific Device or by all Devices at location, or by the Internet and/or Intranet by authorized personnel.