Container security system

• US 20070241889A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kopp, Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 7,737,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.170
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems

Abstract

A security system for shipping containers transported onboard a vessel detects intrusions into the containers and transmits a security message to a land-based security monitoring station that identifies the container and the current geographic location of the vessel. Each container protected by the security system is provided with a cellular telephone that initiates a limited range telephone call transmission in response to an intrusion. Multiple base stations spread over the vessel each receive calls from proximal containers and forwards call messages to the vessel'"'"'s communication system which retransmits the call information in the form of the security message to the land based monitoring station.

Claims

1. A security system for a group of shipping containers carried on a vessel, comprising:

a detection device carried on each container for detecting an intrusion into the container;

a wireless transmitter carried on each of the containers and coupled with the corresponding detection device;

at least one base receiver station on the vessel for receiving signals from the wireless transmitters carried on the containers; and

,

a communication system on-board the vessel, the communication system being communicatively coupled with the base receiver station and operable for transmitting information relating to the detected intrusion to a location off-board the vessel.

2. The security system of claim 1, wherein each of the transmitters comprises a cellular telephone.

3. The security system of claim 2, wherein each of the cellular telephones has a unique identification number correlated to the container on which it is carried.

4. The security system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of the wireless transmitters respectively carried on the containers, each of the transmitters being coupled with a corresponding detection device and responsive to a detected intrusion for transmitting a signal indicting detection of the intrusion; and

a plurality of the base receiver stations located in spaced apart relationship on the vessel,

wherein each of the base receivers receives signals from the wireless transmitters in closest proximity to the base receiver station.

5. The security system of claim 4, wherein the base receiver stations are longitudinally spaced along the length of the vessel.

6. The security system of claim 4, wherein the communication system includes a controller for receiving the signals from the base stations and for generating messages for transmission to the off-board location, wherein each of the messages includes identification of the container in which an intrusion has been detected and the geographic location of the vessel.

7. The security system of claim 6, wherein the controller includes a computer responsive to requests from the off-board location to transmit the transmit intrusion detection information for all of the containers to the off-board location

8. The security system of claim 1, wherein the communication system includes a satellite transmitter for transmitting the information to the off-board location via a communications satellite.

9. The security system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless receiver coupled with the wireless transmitter to provide duplex communication with the base station, and wherein the transmitter and receiver operate on frequencies between about 800 MHz and 1900 MHz.

10. The security system of claim 1, wherein the communication system includes a computer responsive to requests from the off-board location to transmit intrusion detection information for all of the containers to the off-board location.

11. A security system for a group of shipping containers carried on a shipping conveyance, such as a vessel, comprising:

a plurality of security event detection devices respectively associated with the containers for detecting a security event occurring at the associated container;

a plurality of cellular telephone units respectively coupled with the detection devices and operable for initiating a telephone call when the associated detection device detects a security event; and

,

a communication system on-board the conveyance for receiving telephone calls initiated by the cellular telephone units, and for sending messages to a security monitoring station off-board the conveyance.

12. The security system of claim 11 wherein the cellular telephone units are each operable for duplex communication with the communications system and operate on radio frequencies between about 800 MHz and 1900 MHz.

13. The security system of claim 11, wherein at least certain of the detection devices are operable to detect the opening of an access door in the associated container.

14. The security system of claim 11, wherein:

each of the cellular telephone units is attached to the associated container,

the communication system includes a plurality of base communication stations positioned at spaced apart locations on the conveyance, each of the base stations being within communication range of certain ones one of the telephone units, and,

the cellular telephone units and the base stations form a plurality of communication cells.

15. The security system of claim 11, wherein each of the cellular telephone units includes a unique communication address that identifies the associated container.

16. The security system of claim 11, wherein:

the communication system includes a plurality of base communication stations positioned at spaced apart locations on the conveyance, each of the base stations being within communication range of at least one of the telephone units, and

the telephone units and the base stations are arranged in a plurality of communication cells in which a group of the telephone units are associated with and communicate only with one of the base stations.

17. The security system of claim 16, wherein the communication system includes:

a wireless radio transmitter for transmitting the messages from the conveyance to the security monitoring station, and

a controller for controlling the operation of the base stations, and for generating the messages based on detection information obtained from telephone calls initiated by the cellular telephone units.

18. The security system of claim 17, wherein each of the messages includes identification of the container in which the security event is detected and the geographic location of the conveyance.

19. The security system of claim 16, wherein the communication system includes a satellite transmitter for transmitting the messages from the conveyance to a communications satellite for delivery to the security monitoring station.

20. A system for container security based on cellular communications, comprising:

a GPS receiver for providing the position of a container;

a satellite terminal for transmitting security status information to a security monitoring station;

at least one cellular base station;

a cellular device for transmitting the security status of the container to said cellular base station; and

,

a central computer for receiving the security status information from the base station, for receiving the container position from the GPS receiver, and for directing the satellite transmitter to transmit the security status information and the container position to the security monitoring station.

21. The container security system of claim 20, wherein the computer receives requests for real-time container security status from the satellite terminal and is responsive to the requests to direct the satellite transmitter to transmit the real time security status of the container to the security monitoring station.

22. The container security system of claim 20, wherein the computer is responsive to requests from the security monitoring station to direct the satellite transmitter to transmit the security status of each of a plurality of the containers.

23. The container security system of claim 20, wherein the cellular device has a unique identification number correlated to the container for which it transmits security status.

24. The container security system of claim 20, wherein the container, GPS receiver, satellite terminal, base station and cellular device are carried on-board a shipping conveyance.

25. A method of monitoring the security status of shipping containers being transported on a shipping conveyance, comprising the steps of:

(A) detecting a breach of security in one of the containers;

(B) initiating a cellular communication transmission from the container to a base communication station onboard the conveyance;

(C) receiving the cellular transmission at the base communications station;

(D) generating a security status message onboard the conveyance using the information contained in the transmission received in step (C); and

,

(E) transmitting the message generated in step (D) to a security monitoring station off-board the conveyance.

26. The method of claim 25, whereon step (A) includes detecting an intrusion into the container.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein:

step (B) is performed using a cellular telephone and,

step (C) is performed using a base station within the transmission range of the cellular telephone.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the message generated in step (D) includes an identification of the container in which the security breach was detected in step (A), and the geographic location of the conveyance.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein step (E) is performed using a satellite communication system.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

(F) receiving a container security status request from the security monitoring station; and

,

(G) transmitting to the security monitoring station the security status of all of the containers.

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of:

(F) periodically transmitting to the security monitoring station the security status of all of the containers.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein step (F) is performed using a satellite terminal onboard the shipping conveyance.

33. A method of monitoring security intrusions into shipping containers on a vessel, comprising the steps of:

(A) detecting an intrusion into one of the containers;

(B) initiating a limited range wireless radio transmission from the container, wherein the wireless transmission contains information related to the intrusion detected in step (A);

(C) receiving the transmission at a base communication station onboard the vessel within range of the transmission; and

,

(D) re-transmitting the information from the vessel to a security monitoring station off-board the vessel.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein step (B) is performed using a cellular telephone, and the transmission includes information identifying the cellular telephone initiating the transmission.

35. The method of claim 34, including the step of associating the identity of the cellular telephone with the identity of the container from which the radio transmission was initiated.

36. The method of claim 33, including the step of placing a plurality of the base communication stations at spaced apart locations on the vessel respectively defining communication cells.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein step (D) is performed using a satellite communication system.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of transmitting the geographic location of the vessel to the security monitoring station along with information retransmitted in step (D).

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:

(E) receiving a container security status request from the security monitoring station; and

,

(F) transmitting to the security monitoring station the security status of all of the containers.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

(E) periodically transmitting to the security monitoring station the security status of all of the containers.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein step (E) is performed using a satellite terminal onboard the vessel.