Mobile unit and system having integrated mapping, communications and tracking

• US 8,700,313 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Blackbird Technologies Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Blackbird Technologies Incorporated (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Loftus, Thomas Michael, Araneda, Dorian Sergio, Koontz, Michael Daniel Jr., Sherman, James Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US13/350,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20120209504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 701/409, 701/491, 701/519, 701/512, 701/468, 701/516, 701/469, 701/470, 701/517, 370/321, 340/539.13, 340/530.11, 340/572.8, 340/571, 340/993
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/36 relating to the receiver frond end
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas

Abstract

A handheld device and system, in which such device and system include at least one mapping module, at least one tracking module interoperative with the at least one mapping module, at least one communications module interoperative with each of the at least one tracking module and the at least one mapping module, and at least two antennae communicatively connected via the at least one communications module to at least one central processing unit. At least one of the at least two antenna is suitable for communications using at least two distinct to communication modes.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the communication module configured to receive an indication of a status of an asset, the communication module being collocated with the asset, the communication module configured to send a signal to a computing device remote from the asset using a communication mode from a plurality of communication modes, the communication module configured to select the communication mode from the plurality of communication modes automatically based at least in part on the indication of the status of the asset.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication modes includes at least one of a satellite communication network or a cellular communication network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to encrypt the signal prior to sending the signal to the computing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to select the communication mode from the plurality of communication modes automatically based on the indication of the status of the asset and a priority associated with each communication mode from the plurality of communication modes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is located within a mobile device,

the apparatus further comprising a mapping module located within the mobile device, the mapping module operatively coupled to the communication module, the mapping module configured to determine a location of the mobile device, the communication module configured to send the signal including the location of the mobile device.

6. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

send, from a tracking device collocated with an asset, a first signal to a computing device via a first communication mode from a plurality of communication modes, the first signal being associated with a status of the asset at a first time, the status of the asset at the first time being associated with a default state of the asset;

receive, at the tracking device, an indication of a status of the asset at a second time after the first time, the status of the asset at the second time being associated with an emergency state of the asset;

automatically select, after the second time, a second communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on the status of the asset at the second time; and

send, from the tracking device, a second signal to the computing device via the second communication mode after the second time.

7. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the plurality of communication modes includes at least one of a satellite communication network and a cellular communication network, the first communication mode being different from the second communication mode.

8. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

encrypt the second signal prior to sending the second signal to the computing device via the second communication mode after the second time.

9. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the indication of the status of the asset at the second time is generated by a user of the tracking device.

10. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, at the tracking device, an indication of a status of the asset at a third time after the first time but before the second time, the status of the asset at the third time being the same as the status of the asset at the first time;

automatically select, after the third time but before the second time, a third communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on the status of the asset at the third time; and

send, from the tracking device, a third signal to the computing device via the third communication mode after the third time but before the second time.

11. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the indication of the status of the asset at the second time is a signal indicating harm to a person associated with the tracking device.

12. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 6, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine, at a third time after the second time, that sending the second signal to the computing device via the second communication mode failed;

select, after the third time, a third communication mode from the plurality of communication modes in response to the second signal failing to be sent to the computing device via the second communication mode; and

send, from the tracking device, a third signal to the computing device via the third communication mode after the third time.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the communication module configured to receive an indication of a status of an asset, the communication module being collocated with the asset, the communication module configured to send a signal to a computing device remote from the asset via a communication mode from a plurality of communication modes including a first communication mode and a second communication mode, the communication module configured to send the signal to the computing device according to a default communication procedure using at least the first communication mode if the indication of the status of the asset is associated with a default state of the asset, the communication module configured to send the signal to the computing device according to an emergency communication procedure using at least the second communication mode if the indication of the status of the asset is associated with an emergency state of the asset.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of communication modes includes at least one of a satellite communication network and a cellular communication network.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication module is configured to encrypt the signal prior to sending the signal to the computing device according to the emergency communication procedure using at least the second communication mode if the indication of the status of the asset is associated with the emergency state of the asset.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication module is configured to select the first communication mode from the plurality of communication modes based on a prioritization of use of the plurality of communication modes if the indication of the status of the asset is associated with the default state of the asset.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication module is located within a mobile device,

the apparatus further comprising a mapping module located within the mobile device, the mapping module operatively coupled to the communication module, the mapping module configured to determine a location of the mobile device, the communication module configured to send the signal including the location of the mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the communication module is located within a mobile device associated with a user, the status of the asset being determined by the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the indication of the status of the asset is associated with the emergency state of the asset if the indication of the status of the asset is a signal indicating harm to a person associated with the asset.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the signal is a first signal, the communication module is configured to send a second signal to the computing device according to the emergency communication procedure using a third communication mode if the communication module is not successful at sending the first signal to the computing device using the second communication mode, the third communication mode being different from the second communication mode.