US 2020/0092682 A1Published application

Real-Time Asset Location Tracking And Monitoring At A Low Data Rate

AssigneePhillips Connect Technologies LLC

InventorsGil Winograd, William E. Cheney

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Abstract

A method is described for operating an asset tracking device, wherein the tracking device normally collects many location points at a high periodic rate and transmits the location points as a single compressed location history data block at a low periodic rate, which greatly reduces the amount of transmitted data required to send a detailed location history. When a user begins actively viewing the asset location in some application such as on a mobile device, a command is immediately sent from the tracking server back to the tracking device. This command causes the device to start transmitting location reports at a high periodic rate, thereby allowing the user to monitor the current location of the asset in real-time. Transmission at the high data rate required for real-time monitoring only occurs while the user is actively interacting with the application, which is usually a short period of time.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An asset tracking device for determining and reporting locations of a mobile asset, the asset tracking device comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for generating location data indicating the locations of the mobile asset;
a memory device for storing the location data;
a wireless data transceiver for transmitting the location data via a wireless communication network, and for receiving a first command and a second command via the wireless communication network;
and
a processor for executing instructions in a first operational mode to compress the location data for storage in the memory device, and to cause the wireless data transceiver to transmit the location data via the wireless communication network at a first data transmission rate;
the processor for executing instructions in a second operational mode to cause the wireless data transceiver to transmit the location data at a second data rate that is higher than the first data rate;
the processor for ceasing operation in the first operational mode and commencing operation in the second operational mode upon receipt of the first command;
and
the processor for ceasing operation in the second operational mode and commencing operation in the first operational mode upon receipt of the second command.

6 more elements

A method for tracking a mobile asset comprising:

(a) an asset tracking device operating in a first operational mode wherein the asset tracking device transmits one or more first location history data blocks at a first data transmission rate via a wireless communication network, the one or more first location history data blocks indicating a first set of locations of the mobile asset during a first period of time;
(b) a tracking server receiving and storing the one or more first location history data blocks transmitted from the asset tracking device via the wireless communication network;
(c) a user device communicating with the tracking server via the wireless communication network to request viewing of locations of the mobile asset;
(d) based on receiving the request from the user device, the tracking server sending a first command to the asset tracking device via the wireless communication network;
(e) the asset tracking device receiving the first command and based thereon ceasing operations in the first operational mode and commencing operations in a second operational mode;
(f) the asset tracking device operating in the second operational mode wherein the asset tracking device transmits location data via the wireless communication network at a second data transmission rate that is greater than the first data transmission rate, the location data indicating a second set of locations of the mobile asset during a second period of time that is subsequent to the first period of time;
(g) the tracking server receiving the location data transmitted from the asset tracking device via the wireless communication network, and communicating the location data to the user device via the wireless communication network;
and
(h) the user device displaying the first set of locations and the second set of locations for viewing by a user.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/572,658Filed 17 Sep 2019
Priority: 17 Sep 2018
Published: 19 Mar 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H04W 4/029
Services making use of location information: location-based management or tracking services
G01S 5/0027
Transmission from mobile station to base station: of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
G01S 19/34
Receivers: power consumption
H04W 4/35
Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes: for the management of goods or merchandise