Monitoring systems for shipping containers
AssigneeTelemeTrak, Inc.
InventorFrederick Steinway Ziegler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Interested parties would like to track the location of one or more towed transport platforms continuously when they are in motion. Existing monitoring systems are powered by a combination of solar power, batteries, and intermittent tractor platform power for electrical power. All of these power sources have limitations in providing power when a towed transport platform is in motion. Solar power is not available at night. Batteries run out of energy and must be recharged. Tractor platform power is not always available to a towed transport platform. The embodiments of the invention convert the kinetic energy of a moving towed transport platform into electrical power, providing continuous power for a monitoring system to operate.
Claims11
A monitoring system configured to monitor a shipping container, the monitoring system comprising:
- an inductor;
- a magnet disposed such that relative movement between the magnet and the inductor caused by movement of a transport platform to which the shipping container is coupled induces electrical power, the relative movement between the magnet and the inductor caused by rotation of a rotating wheel component of the transport platform, the relative movement between the magnet and the inductor not caused by airflow turning a turbine;
- means for determining geolocation information of the shipping container;
- a processor electrically coupled to the inductor, the processor configured to log a set of the determined geolocation information of the shipping container;
- a transmitter configured to transmit at least a portion of the set of determined geolocation information to a server;
- and
- an energy storage device coupled to the inductor, the energy storage device configured to store excess electrical energy during a first time period and to provide the stored electrical energy to the monitoring system during a second time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.