초록 ▼

A mode of communication for asset tracking units involves communication between a central station and the individual tracking units, usually through a satellite link. This mode is the primary communication link for tracking the assets. A second mode is the local area network (LAN) or “mutter”mode, i

A mode of communication for asset tracking units involves communication between a central station and the individual tracking units, usually through a satellite link. This mode is the primary communication link for tracking the assets. A second mode is the local area network (LAN) or “mutter”mode, in which a subset of tracking units communicate with each other in a mobile LAN. This mode is used as the secondary communication mechanism to conserve power, since mutter mode communication requires much less energy for local communication between the tracking units as opposed to direct satellite communication with the central station. In addition, mutter mode leads to increased reliability of the asset tracking system by enabling tracking of units which have batteries too weak to support communication with the central station, but strong enough to support communication in mutter mode. The mutter mode is also useful in finding tracking units which are not communicating with the central station due primary communication equipment fault or other inhibiting condition.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of tracking assets comprising the steps of: affixing a battery powered tracking unit to each asset to be tracked; communicating with each tracking unit from a central station to receive from each tracking unit identification (ID), location, battery strength, and signal quality; storing and

A method of tracking assets comprising the steps of: affixing a battery powered tracking unit to each asset to be tracked; communicating with each tracking unit from a central station to receive from each tracking unit identification (ID), location, battery strength, and signal quality; storing and maintaining a table at the central station, said table including the ID, location, battery strength, and signal quality of each tracking unit; sorting at the central station tracking units in the table by location to identify tracking units within groups proximate to one another; sorting at the central station tracking units within each group to identify a tracking unit within said each group which has acceptable battery strength and signal quality; and establishing a mobile local area network of tracked assets among a plurality of tracking units within said each group, each of said tracking units constituting a node of the mobile local area network, with a tracking unit within the group having acceptable battery strength and signal quality acting as a master unit and other tracking units in the group acting as slave units.