Mobile asset tracking unit, system and method

• US 7,924,153 B1
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Blackbird Technologies Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Blackbird Technologies Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Wise, Louis F., Furey, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/953,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 139 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/286.01, 340/540
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An asset tracking unit, system, and method. The asset tracking unit, system, and method may include at least one transceiver having communicative connections with at least one SATCOM network and at least one GPS network via at least one antenna, wherein tracking information for at least one asset associated with the at least one transceiver is received from the GPS network and is communicated to the SATCOM network, a first link that provides a multi-code one of the communicative connections between the at least one transceiver and the at least one SATCOM network, and a second link that provides a multi-channel one of the communicative connections between the at least one transceiver and he at least one GPS network. The unit system and method may additionally include at least one remote operations center remote from an asset to be tracked, wherein the asset to be tracked is geographically associated with the central processing unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a transceiver configured to establish a multi-code connection with a multi-code SATCOM network via at least one antenna, the transceiver configured to establish a multi-channel connection with a multi-channel GPS network via the at least one antenna, the transceiver configured to receive tracking information associated with an asset collocated with the transceiver via the multi-channel GPS network, the transceiver configured to send the tracking information to a computing device via the multi-code SATCOM network; and

a motion sensor configured to activate the multi-code connection with the multi-code SATCOM network in response to the motion sensor detecting a movement of the asset.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motion sensor is configured to activate the multi-code connection with the multi-code SATCOM network by sending a signal indicating that the asset has moved a distance greater than a predetermined distance threshold.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a status monitor configured to monitor a status of the asset, the transceiver configured to send a signal associated with the status of the asset to the computing device via the multi-code SATCOM network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate via the multi-code connection during a first time period, the transceiver being configured to communicate via the multi-channel connection during a second time period different from the first time period.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a mode switch configured to change a frequency of the multi-code connection.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one antenna includes an active quadrifilar helix GPS antenna.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data encoder configured to encrypt the tracking information prior to the transceiver sending the tracking information to the computing device via the multi-code SATCOM network.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data compression module configured to compress the tracking information prior to the transceiver sending the tracking information to the computing device via the multi-code SATCOM network.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the asset is one of a person, a mobile equipment, a vehicle, or a communication device.

10. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

receive, during a first time period and at a first computing device, tracking information associated with an asset collocated with the first computing device, the tracking information being received via a multi-channel GPS network connection;

receive, during the first time period and at the first computing device, a status indicator associated with the asset;

activate, after the first time period, a multi-code SATCOM network connection based on an event such that the multi-code SATCOM network connection is operational for a second time period;

send, during the second time period, a signal including the tracking information and the status indicator to a second computing device; and

deactivate, after the second time period, the multi-code SATCOM network connection.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the event is an expiration of a periodic timer.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising code representing instructions to cause the processor to:

activate, at a predetermined time after the second time period, the multi-code SATCOM network connection for a third time period.

13. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising code representing instructions to cause the processor to:

activate, at a predetermined time after the second time period, the multi-code SATCOM network connection for a third time period, a duration of the third time period being substantially equal to a duration of the second time period.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the status indicator includes at least one of an indication of environmental conditions surrounding the asset, an indication of vital signs of the asset, or an indication of a weight of the asset.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the asset is one of a person, a mobile equipment, a vehicle, or a communication device.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the event is an expiration of a periodic timer, the code further comprising code representing instructions to cause the processor to:

receive, from the second computing device and via the multi-code SATCOM network connection, a signal including a value of the periodic timer.

17. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

receive, via a multi-code SATCOM network, a first plurality of signals from a plurality of asset tracking units indicating a position of each asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units;

display the position of at least one asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units on a display as indicated by a multi-channel GPS signal received at the at least one asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units;

receive a second plurality of signals from the plurality of asset tracking units indicating a status of each asset from a plurality of assets, each asset from the plurality of assets being collocated with an asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units;

display the status of at least one asset from the plurality of assets on the display; and

remotely manipulate, via the multi-code SATCOM network, an asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units collocated with the at least one asset in response to receiving the second plurality of signals.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the status of each asset from the plurality of assets includes at least one of an indication of environmental conditions surrounding each asset, an indication of vital signs of each asset, or an indication of a weight of each asset.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one asset tracking unit is a first asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units, the code representing instructions to cause the processor to display the position of the first asset tracking unit is executed in response to verifying a role of a first user, the code further comprising code representing instructions to cause the processor to:

display the position of a second asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units but not the position of the first asset tracking unit from the plurality of asset tracking units in response to verifying a role of a second user.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 17, wherein each asset from the plurality of assets is one of a person, a mobile equipment, a vehicle, or a communication device.