Simplex personal and asset tracker

• US 8,604,925 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Globalstar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Globalstar Incorporated
• Inventors: Monte, Paul A., Santiago, Michael, Miller, Robert D., Biggs, David Homer, Sutton, Mark Edward, Debus, Walter, Rouquette, Robert, Tanner, Ronnie Daryl
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US12/910,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20110140884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/988, 340/539.11, 340/426.1, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.1, 340/539.16, 340/539.18, 340/426.13, 340/426.19, 340/429, 340/989, 340/991, 340/993, 455/404.1, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/466, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

An asset locator device including (a) a wireless receiver capable of receiving an identifier signal transmitted from a short range wireless transmitter device; (b) a wireless transmitter capable of transmitting a message to a space based network; (c) a positioning system capable of determining the location of the locator device; (d) a vibration sensor; and (e) a controller. The controller instructs the asset locator to: (i) attempt to detect the identifier signal from the transmitter device if the vibration sensor senses vibration; and (ii) transmit a signal, including an asset location, to the space based network if: (1) the identifier signal is not detected; and (2) location fixes from the positioning system indicate a location change of the asset.

Claims

1. An asset locator system comprising:

i) a short range hand-held electrical signaling device transmitting an identifier signal, and ii) an asset locator device, the asset locator device further comprising;

a) a wireless receiver capable of receiving an identifier signal transmitted from the hand held signaling device;

b) a wireless transmitter capable of transmitting a message to a space based communication network;

c) a GNSS receiver capable of determining the location of the locator device;

d) an event sensor detecting an event indicating use or imminent use of an asset with which the asset locator is associated; and

e) a controller configured to instruct the asset locator to;

i) attempt to detect the identifier signal from the signaling device if the event sensor indicates a positive condition;

ii) transmit a signal, including an asset location, to the space based network if;

1) the identifier signal is not detected; and

2) location fixes from the positioning system indicate a location change of the asset.

2. The asset locator system according to any of claim 1, wherein the event sensor detects at least one event of the group consisting of:

i. asset vibration;

ii. force applied to a driver'"'"'s seat associated with the asset;

iii. start of an engine associate with the asset;

iv. rotation of a wheel associated with the asset;

or

v. opening of a door associated with the asset.

3. The asset locator system according to any of claim 1, wherein the event sensor is a vibration sensor positioned within a housing of the asset locator.

4. The asset locator system according to claim 1, wherein the signaling device comprises a wireless transmitter, a controller, and a handling sensor, wherein an interrupt signal from the handling sensor transitions the signaling device controller from a sleep mode to a wake mode.

5. The asset locator system according to claim 1, wherein the signaling device is a wireless transmitter transmitting the identifier signal at a power of, alternatively:

less than 100 mW, less than 50 mW, less than 10 mW, or less than 5 mW.

6. The asset locator device according to claim 1, wherein the signaling device comprises a transceiver, a controller, and a user interface, wherein the signaling device and the asset locator interface to perform the steps of:

i) the signaling device transmitting a query to the asset locator as to whether the positioning system is detecting one or more location signals;

ii) the asset locator transmitting a response to the signaling device indicating whether the positioning system is detecting location signals; and

iii) the signaling device indicating on the user interface whether the positioning system is detecting location signals.

7. The asset locator device according to claim 1, wherein the signaling device has an effective range of less than about 500 meters.

8. The asset locator device according to claim 1, wherein the asset locator transmits to the signaling device status information concerning the asset locator, including at least at least one of:

battery status, GPS receiver status, or satellite transmitter status.

9. A method of detecting an unauthorized location change of an asset equipped with a controller-based security device, the method comprising the steps of:

a) sending an interrupt signal to the controller upon detection of a use event;

b) enabling a receiver to receive a wireless transmission of an identifier signal associated with the asset;

c) if the identifier signal is not received, determining whether the asset has changed location;

d) if a change of location is detected, transitioning the controller into an unauthorized use state; and

e) after the controller is in the unauthorized use state, transmitting a location and an unauthorized use message to a space based communications network.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein if after step (b) the identifier signal is detected, then transitioning the controller into an authorized use state and continuing to detect the use event without transmitting an unauthorized use message to the space based network.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of continuing to transmit a location to the space based network while the controller is in an unauthorized state.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein if the identifier signal is detected in step (b), then no determination is made of location change and the asset location is not transmitted.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein if:

(i) the use event ceases after initial vibration was detected, and (ii) there has been no location change since initial use event was detected, then the location is not transmitted to the space based network.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of the receiver being disabled until the next use event is detected.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein if:

(i) the identifier signal has not been detected, and (ii) a location change is detected, then continuing to determine the asset'"'"'s location and transmit the location while the identifier signal is not received.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of transmitting the identifier signal from a short range transmitter housed in a hand-held signaling device.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of determining a location change includes:

(i) taking a new location fix after determining the identifier signal has not been received, and (ii) comparing the new location fix to a prior location fix taken when said identifier signal was detected.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein a rate at which the receiver is periodically enabled to detect the identifier signal is a first rate prior to detection of the identifier signal and a second, lesser rate after detection of the identifier signal.

19. The method according to any of claim 9, wherein the location determination is made using an error correction method which includes employing multiple location fixes to estimate a location.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein upon receipt of a track command from the hand-held signaling device, periodically transmitting at a first rate a location of the security device while in an authorized used state.