System and method for using meteor burst comunications in a container tracking system

• US 20070115114A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globaltrak LLC (ORBCOMM Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: System Planning Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Roy, Meyers, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/145 Passive relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system and method for communications between a plurality of shipping containers and a central monitoring station using a meteor burst communication method is provided. The system may also be used as a redundancy scheme as a backup communications device for a primary satellite or cellular channel. The channel also uses an error protection protocol, and proposes a method to conserve battery power for the system.

Claims

1. A system for providing robust communications for a container monitoring system for a plurality of containers comprising:

a central monitoring station controlling a container monitoring and security network which sends and receives messages to and from a plurality of containers being monitored in the network;

a meteor burst communications device communications device associated with each container;

a control element which controls the meteor burst channel and data handling.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the meteor burst communications device comprises a communications device including a meteor burst transmitter element and a complementary meteor burst receiver element located on each container, capable of transmitting data and messages to a central monitoring station, and receiving data and messages from said central monitoring station.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the meteor burst communications device comprises a redundancy communications channel, as a backup communications channel to a satellite, cellular, or other wireless communications link.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the meteor burst communications device comprises an aggregate relay station, wherein a meteor burst relay station sends and receives information from a group of containers and relays said information to another relay station or to a central monitoring station.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the meteor burst relay station is another container in the monitoring network supporting the relay function.

6. A method for improving performance in a meteor burst communication system, the method comprising:

monitoring media burst communication transmissions in a container security application; and

implementing an error detection and correction protocol to verify that the transmissions using the meteor burst communication technique in the container security application are successful.

7. A method for conserving power in a container security system, the container security system including a plurality of sensors having wireless and sensor equipment, the method comprising:

Controlling performance of meteor burst communications in the container security system in accordance with a selective transmission technique, as to conserve battery life of the wireless and sensor equipment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising maintaining the containers in a low power meteor burst receive only mode listening for continuous transmission attempts from the central monitoring station, and only when a signal is received from the central monitoring station, initiating a protocol on said container to turn on the higher power transmitter circuitry and complete the transmission.