Concepts for asset identification

• US 9,824,517 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Skonberg, Carl M, Pyzocha, Jr., Ernest J., Hill, III, Andrew J., McFarland, Bobby J.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Curtis
• Application Number:
  US14/036,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20140104035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products are provided for identifying assets (e.g., mobile assets and/or personnel assets). In one embodiment, a mobile asset can be uniquely identified from RFID tags. In another embodiment, mobile assets and personnel assets can be identified from captured image data. After identification, it can be determined whether the asset (e.g., mobile asset and/or personnel asset) is authorized for one or more activities and a corresponding perceivable indication can be generated.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a mobile asset, the method comprising:

defining, via one or more processors, a geofenced area around a geographic area in which one or more coordinates of the defined geofenced area are stored in a memory;

monitoring an estimated location of the mobile asset comprising a vehicle and in response to determining that the vehicle enters or exits a location corresponding to at least one of the coordinates of the defined geofenced area, triggering transmission, via the one or more processors, of a request to be received by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag within a read range, the RFID tag affixed to the vehicle;

after transmitting the request to be received by the RFID tag within the read range, receiving, via the one or more processors, a response from the RFID tag, the response comprising a predefined mobile asset identifier that uniquely identifies the vehicle;

assigning, via the one or more processors, a preassigned fleet a plurality of permissions for a plurality of vehicles of the preassigned fleet to enter or exit one or more areas and cross a border of a customs area;

determining, via the one or more processors, whether the mobile asset is authorized for one or more activities associated with access to the one or more areas, the determination based at least in part on detecting that the predefined mobile asset identifier identifies the vehicle and detecting that the vehicle is within the preassigned fleet of the plurality of vehicles in response to analyzing the predefined mobile asset identifier; and

after a determination that the vehicle is authorized for the one or more activities, generating, via the one or more processors, an instruction to one or more perceivable indicators to initiate a perceivable indication that the vehicle is authorized for the one or more activities.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after a determination that the vehicle is not authorized for the one or more activities, generating an instruction to the one or more perceivable indicators to initiate a perceivable indication that the vehicle is not authorized for the one or more activities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more activities are selected from the group consisting of (a) crossing one or more borders, (b) entering or exiting a staging area, and (c) entering or exiting a checkpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted based on one selected from the group consisting of a periodic basis, a regular basis, and a continuous basis.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted after the vehicle enters or exits the defined geofenced area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the perceivable indicators are selected from the group consisting of (a) illuminating a light, (b) illuminating a beacon, (c) generating a specific sound, (d) providing visual instructions, (e) a locking gate, and (f) a boom barrier gate.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting an instance in which the mobile asset exits the defined geofenced area, sending another request to the RFID tag, while the mobile asset is outside the defined geofenced area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more activities comprises the vehicle entering or exiting the customs area.

9. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

define a geofenced area around a geographic area in which one or more coordinates of the defined geofenced area are stored in the memory;

monitor an estimated location of a mobile asset comprising a vehicle and in response to determining that the vehicle enters or exits a location corresponding to at least one of the coordinates of the defined geofenced area, trigger transmission of a request to be received by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag within a read range, the RFID tag affixed to the vehicle;

after transmitting the request to be received by the RFID tag within the read range, receive a response from the RFID tag, the response comprising a predefined mobile asset identifier that uniquely identifies the vehicle;

assign a preassigned fleet a plurality of permissions for a plurality of vehicles of the preassigned fleet to enter or exit one or more areas and cross a border of a customs area;

determine whether the vehicle is authorized for one or more activities associated with access to the one or more areas, the determination based at least in part on detecting that the predefined mobile asset identifier identifies the vehicle and detecting that the vehicle is within the preassigned fleet of the plurality of vehicles; and

after a determination that the vehicle is authorized for the one or more activities, generate an instruction to one or more perceivable indicators to initiate a perceivable indication that the vehicle is authorized for the one or more activities.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to, after a determination that the vehicle is not authorized for the one or more activities, generate an instruction to the one or more perceivable indicators to initiate a perceivable indication that the vehicle is not authorized for the one or more activities.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more activities are selected from the group consisting of (a) crossing one or more borders, (b) entering or exiting a staging area, and (c) entering or exiting a checkpoint.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the request is transmitted based on one selected from the group consisting of a periodic basis, a regular basis, and a continuous basis.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the request is transmitted after the vehicle enters or exits the defined geofenced area.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the perceivable indicators are selected from the group consisting of (a) illuminating a light, (b) illuminating a beacon, (c) generating a specific sound, (d) providing visual instructions, (e) a locking gate, and (f) a boom barrier gate.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:

in response to detecting an instance in which the mobile asset exits the defined geofenced area, send another request to the RFID tag, while the mobile asset is outside the defined geofenced area.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the one or more activities comprises the vehicle entering or exiting the customs area.

17. A computer program product for identifying a mobile asset, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to define a geofenced area around a geographic area in which one or more coordinates of the defined geofenced area are stored in the storage medium;

an executable portion configured to monitor an estimated location of the mobile asset comprising a vehicle and in response to determining that the vehicle enters or exits a location corresponding to at least one of the coordinates of the defined geofenced area, trigger transmission of a request to be received by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag within a read range, the RFID tag affixed to the vehicle;

an executable portion configured to, after transmitting the request to be received by the RFID tag within the read range, receive a response from the RFID tag, the response comprising a predefined mobile asset identifier that uniquely identifies the vehicle;

an executable portion configured to assign a preassigned fleet a plurality of permissions for a plurality of vehicles of the preassigned fleet to enter or exit one or more areas and cross a border of a customs area;

an executable portion configured to determine whether the vehicle is authorized for one or more activities associated with access to the one or more areas, the determination based at least in part on detecting that the predefined mobile asset identifier identifies the vehicle and detecting that the vehicle is within the preassigned fleet of the plurality of vehicles in response to analyzing the predefined mobile asset identifier; and

an executable portion configured to, after a determination that the vehicle is authorized for the one or more activities, generate an instruction to one or more perceivable indicators to initiate a perceivable indication that the vehicle is authorized for the one or more activities.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising an executable portion configured to, after a determination that the vehicle is not authorized for the one or more activities, generate an instruction to the one or more perceivable indicators to initiate a perceivable indication that the vehicle is not authorized for the one or more activities.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the one or more activities are selected from the group consisting of (a) crossing one or more borders, (b) entering or exiting a staging area, and (c) entering or exiting a checkpoint.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the request is transmitted based on one selected from the group consisting of a periodic basis, a regular basis, and a continuous basis.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the request is transmitted after the vehicle enters or exits the defined geofenced area.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the perceivable indicators are selected from the group consisting of (a) illuminating a light, (b) illuminating a beacon, (c) generating a specific sound, (d) providing visual instructions, (e) a locking gate, and (f) a boom barrier gate.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein:

the one or more activities comprises the vehicle entering or exiting the customs area.