System and method for tracking of deployed units

• US 10,748,395 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2019
• Issued: 08/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vivek Kangralkar
• Original Assignee: Vivek Kangralkar
• Inventors: Kangralkar, Vivek, Patil, Vikram
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US16/512,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20190340901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/188 Data fusion; cooperative systems, e.g. voting among different detectors
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A tracker apparatus, and method for tracking deployable units. The tracker apparatus includes a first sensor group having a first power consumption profile; a second sensor group having a second power consumption profile; a communication circuit having a first network interface for communicating with a control server; an energy storage; a processing circuitry; and a memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, configure the tracker apparatus to: trigger the processing circuitry to awaken from a low power mode in response to a first input from a first sensor of the first sensor group exceeding a first threshold; activate a second sensor of the second sensor group in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement; and activate a tracking mode of the tracker apparatus, in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movement.

Claims

1. A tracker apparatus for tracking deployable units, comprising:

a first sensor group having a first power consumption profile;

a second sensor group having a second power consumption profile, wherein each of the first power consumption profile and the second power consumption profile has a respective total power consumption, wherein each of the first power consumption profile and the second power consumption profile is associated with a respective operating mode of the tracking apparatus;

a communication circuit having a first network interface for communicating with a control server;

an energy storage;

a processing circuitry; and

a memory, wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed by the processing circuitry, configure the tracker apparatus to;

trigger the processing circuitry to awaken from a low power mode in response to a first input from a first sensor of the first sensor group exceeding a first threshold;

activate a second sensor of the second sensor group in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement;

activate a tracking mode of the tracker apparatus, in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movement;

send an alert to the control server in response to a detection of unauthorized movement; and

return to the low power mode in response to receiving, from the control server, an instruction, from a user node, indicating that the unauthorized movement is authorized.

2. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first sensor group includes an accelerometer.

3. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second sensor group includes at least one of:

a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, a gyroscope, a compass, an accelerometer, thermal sensor, and a humidity sensor.

4. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network interface is any one of:

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Long Term Evolution (LTE).

5. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first power consumption profile is lower than the second power consumption profile.

6. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

store the first input in the memory.

7. The tracker apparatus of claim 6, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

store the second input in the memory.

8. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

deactivate the first sensor group in response to activating the second sensor; and

deactivate the second sensor group in response to activating another component of the tracker apparatus.

9. The tracker apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tracker apparatus includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), wherein the tracker apparatus is further configured to:

determine coordinates of an authorized user of the tracker apparatus;

determine coordinates of the tracker apparatus using the GNSS; and

send an alert to a device of the authorized user when a difference between the coordinates of the authorized user and the coordinates of the tracker apparatus exceeds a first threshold.

10. A method for tracking deployable units using a tracker apparatus, comprising:

configuring the tracker apparatus to awaken from a low power mode, in response to a first input exceeding a first threshold, wherein the first input is from a first sensor;

configuring a second sensor to activate in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement;

configuring the tracker apparatus to activate a tracking mode in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movements;

configuring the first sensor to deactivate in response to activating the second sensor; and

configuring the second sensor to deactivate in response to activating another component of the tracker apparatus.

11. The method of claim 10, the first sensor having a first power consumption profile, the second sensor having a second power consumption profile, wherein the first power consumption profile is lower than the second power consumption profile.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

configuring the tracking apparatus to return to the low power mode when the unauthorized movement has been authorized.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining coordinates of an authorized user of the tracker apparatus;

determining coordinates of the tracker apparatus, wherein the tracker apparatus includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS); and

sending an alert to a device of the authorized user when a difference between the coordinates of the authorized user and the coordinates of the tracker apparatus exceeds a first threshold.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving coordinates of the tracker apparatus from the tracker apparatus, wherein the tracker apparatus includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS);

receiving coordinates of an authorized user; and

sending an alert to a device of the authorized user when a difference between the coordinates of the authorized user and the coordinates of the tracker apparatus exceeds a first threshold.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing a processing circuitry to execute a process, the process comprising:

triggering a tracker apparatus to awaken from a low power mode, in response to a first input exceeding a first threshold, wherein the first input is from a first sensor;

activating a second sensor in response to the first input corresponding to an unauthorized movement;

activating a tracking mode of the tracker apparatus in response to a second input from the second sensor corresponding to an unauthorized movements;

sending an alert to a control server in response to a detection of unauthorized movement; and

returning the tracker apparatus to the low power mode in response to receiving, from the control server, an instruction, from a user node, indicating that the unauthorized movement is authorized.