Systems for coordinated mediation action in response to an identified environmental anomaly on a shipping container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10755552-B2
Application number	US-201916546427-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Sep 22, 2018
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

An improved system on a transit vehicle is described for coordinated mediation action in response to an identified environmental anomaly on a shipping container transported by the vehicle. The system has wirelessly broadcasting ID nodes at different locations within the container, and a fire suppression system on the vehicle having a wireless transceiver-based controller operating as a master node that can cause the suppression system to deliver fire suppressant material to the container using a delivery nozzle and pump. The controller, as master node, is configured to operate as a primary monitor for the anomaly by being operative to monitor ID node signals; identify the anomaly based on the signals; generate a layered alert notification related to the anomaly (identifying a targeted mediation action and establishes a mediation response priority); and initiate a mediation response by the suppression system related to the targeted mediation action and the mediation response priority.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An improved system on a transit vehicle for coordinated mediation action in response to an identified environmental anomaly on a shipping container being transported by the transit vehicle, the transit vehicle including an external transceiver, the system comprising:
a plurality of wireless ID nodes disposed at different locations within the shipping container, wherein each of the ID nodes being at a low level of a hierarchical wireless node network and each of the ID nodes being respectively configured and operative to broadcast signals over a first wireless communication path;
a fire suppression system disposed on the transit vehicle transporting the shipping container, the fire suppression system comprising at least
a fire suppressant material reservoir that temporarily maintains a fire suppressant material,
a fire suppressant material pump connected to the fire suppressant material reservoir and responsive to a pump control input to activate pumping the fire suppressant material from the fire suppressant material reservoir,
an articulating delivery nozzle connected to the fire suppressant material pump that receives the pumped fire suppressant material and deploys to deliver the fire suppressant material to the shipping container, and
a wireless transceiver-based controller operating as a master node at a middle level of the hierarchical wireless node network, the master node being operative to generate the pump control input and cause the articulating delivery nozzle to deploy and deliver the fire suppressant material to the shipping container;

wherein the master node of the fire suppression system is further configured to operate as a primary monitor for the environmental anomaly by being operative to:
(a) wirelessly monitor the signals being broadcast from the ID nodes,
(b) responsively identify the environmental anomaly based upon the monitored signals broadcast from the ID nodes,
(c) generate a layered alert notification related to the environmental anomaly for the shipping container in response to identifying the environmental anomaly for the shipping container, wherein the layered alert notification identifies a targeted mediation action and establishes a mediation response priority, and
(d) initiate a mediation response by the fire suppression system related to the targeted mediation action and the mediation response priority.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fire suppressant material reservoir comprises a pressurized container that temporarily maintains the fire suppressant material at a storage pressure prior to when the fire suppressant material is released.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the wireless ID nodes comprises a sensor-based ID node operative that broadcasts sensor data as part of the signals broadcast over the first wireless communication path; and
wherein the master node of the fire suppression system is programmatically configured to be further operative to (d) initiate the mediation response as a stepped mediation response comprising at least:
(1) initiate a first stage response that further assesses the identified environmental anomaly using the sensor data from at least one or more of the wireless ID nodes, and
(2) initiate a second stage response that causes deployment of the fire suppressant material to the shipping container based upon and in response to the further assessment of the identified environmental anomaly in (1).

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the master node of the fire suppression system is programmatically configured to initiate the first stage response by being configured and operative to:
detect sensor data from the monitored signals being broadcasted from the wireless sensor-based ID nodes;
refine the identity of the environmental anomaly for the shipping container when the detected sensor data does not include the sensor data from at least a threshold number of the wireless sensor-based ID nodes, and
further refine the identity of the environmental anomaly for the shipping container when the detected sensor data indicates an environmental condition that exceeds an environmental threshold.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fire suppression system further comprises a plurality of shipping container sensors coupled to the master node, wherein each of the shipping container sensors providing sensor data to the master node about the shipping container; and
wherein the master node of the fire suppression system is programmatically configured to be further operative to (d) initiate the mediation response as a stepped mediation response comprising at least:
(1) initiate a first stage response that further assesses the identified environmental anomaly using at least one or more of the shipping container sensors, and
(2) initiate a second stage response that causes deployment of the fire suppressant material to the shipping container based upon and in response to the further assessment of the identified environmental anomaly in (1).

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the master node of the fire suppression system is programmatically configured to initiate the first stage response by being configured and operative to:
detect sensor data from the shipping container sensors, the shipping container sensors being disposed outside the shipping container and focusing on the exterior of the shipping container; and
refine the identity of the environmental anomaly for the shipping container when the detected sensor data indicates an environmental condition that exceeds an environmental threshold.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors is disposed on the articulating delivery nozzle such that when then the articulating delivery nozzle is disposed within the shipping container, the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors is exposed to an interior of the shipping container; and
wherein the master node of the fire suppression system is programmatically configured to initiate the first stage response by being configured and operative to:
detect sensor data from the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors, and
refine the identity of the environmental anomaly for the shipping container when the detected sensor data indicates an environmental condition that exceeds an environmental threshold.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the detected sensor data from the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors comprises a detected temperature.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the detected sensor data from the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors comprises a detected radiation level.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the detected sensor data from the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors comprises a detected chemical.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the detected chemical is indicative of an explosive within the shipping container.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the detected chemical is indicative of a fire within the shipping container.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the detected chemical comprises one of either CO or CO 2 disposed within the shipping container.

14. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors is disposed on a delivery end of the articulating delivery nozzle, wherein when then the articulating delivery nozzle is deployed with the delivery end puncturing and disposed within the shipping container, the at least one or more of the shipping container sensors is exposed to an interior of the shipping container.

15. Th

Assignees

• Fedex Corp Services Inc

Inventors

• Skaaksrud Ole-Petter

Classifications

• H02J7/80

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/44

  between battery management systems and power sources · CPC title

• H04L41/04

  Network management architectures or arrangements · CPC title

• H04Q2209/823

  where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title