Enhanced shipping container apparatus for sensor-based self-monitoring, detecting, and reporting on an environmental anomaly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10896587-B2
Application number	US-201916546359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2019
Priority date	Sep 22, 2018
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

An enhanced shipping container apparatus generally includes a shipping container housing, sensor-based ID nodes in different locations on the housing, and a command node mounted to the housing. The ID nodes have environmental sensors that generate sensor data on an environmental condition proximate each respective ID node. The command node is programmatically configured to detect sensor data broadcasted from the ID nodes; identify an environmental anomaly for the shipping container when the detected sensor data does not include sensor data from a threshold number of ID nodes and when sensor data detected indicates an environmental condition exceeding an environmental threshold; and initiate a mediation response related to a targeted mediation action (identified by the command node) by transmitting a layered alert notification to an external transceiver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An enhanced shipping container apparatus for maintaining a plurality of packages and reporting a layered alert notification related to an environmental anomaly to an external transceiver associated with a transit vehicle transporting the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a shipping container housing having at least
a base portion that supports the packages, and
an enclosing structure that is coupled to the base portion and that defines an interior storage space within the shipping container housing for maintaining the packages;

a plurality of sensor-based ID nodes installed in different locations on parts of the shipping container housing, wherein each of the sensor-based ID nodes comprising
an ID node processing unit,
an ID node memory coupled to the ID node processing unit, the memory maintaining at least an ID node monitoring program code,
at least one environmental sensor operatively coupled to the ID node processing unit and configured to generate sensor data related to an environmental condition proximate the respective sensor-based ID node,
a wireless radio transceiver coupled to the ID node processing unit, the wireless radio transceiver being configured to access the sensor data generated by the at least one environmental sensor and broadcast the sensor data in response to a report command from the ID node processing unit when the ID node processing unit executes the ID node monitoring program code; and

a command node mounted to the shipping container housing, the command node further comprising
a command node processing unit,
a command node memory coupled to the command node processing unit, the command node memory maintaining at least command node container management program code,
a first communication interface coupled to the command node processing unit, the first communication interface being configured to communicate with each of the sensor-based ID nodes using a first wireless communication format compatible with the wireless radio transceiver on each of the sensor-based ID nodes,
a second communication interface coupled to the command node processing unit, the second communication interface being configured to communicate with the external transceiver associated with the transit vehicle using a second wireless communications format;

wherein the command node processing unit of the command node is programmatically configured, when executing the command node container management program code, to be operative to
detect the sensor data broadcasted from the sensor-based ID nodes using the first communication interface,
responsively identify the environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing when the detected sensor data does not include the sensor data from at least a threshold number of the sensor-based ID nodes,
responsively identify the environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing when the detected sensor data indicates an environmental condition that exceeds an environmental threshold,
generate a layered alert notification related to the environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing in response to identifying the environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing, wherein the layered alert notification identifies a targeted mediation recipient, identifies a targeted mediation action, and establishes a mediation response priority, and
cause the second communication interface to transmit the layered alert notification to the transceiver to initiate a mediation response related to the targeted mediation action.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the sensor-based ID nodes is further operative to incrementally generate the sensor data over a time period using the environmental sensor on each of the respective sensor-based ID nodes;
wherein the command node processing unit of the command node is further programmatically configured to:
monitor the generated sensor data from each of the sensor-based ID nodes over the time period to identify relative changes in the generated sensor data over the time period,
compare the identified relative changes in the generated sensor data and context data locally maintained on the command node memory related to those of the sensor-based ID nodes that are related to the relative changes in the generated sensor data, the context data including at least a relative environmental threshold condition respectively corresponding to the shipping container housing, and
identify the environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing when the comparison of identified relative changes in the generated sensor data and the context data indicates a changed environmental condition for the shipping container housing that exceeds the relative environmental threshold condition.

3. The enhanced shipping container apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the environmental sensor for a first of the sensor-based ID nodes comprises a temperature sensor and the environmental sensor for a second of the sensor-based ID nodes comprises a barometric pressure sensor.

4. The enhanced shipping container apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the command node processing unit of the command node is further programmatically configured to responsively identify the environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing when:
(a) the sensor data detected from the first of the sensor-based ID nodes comprises a temperature value;
(b) the sensor data detected from the second of the sensor-based ID nodes comprises a barometric pressure value;
(c) the temperature value indicates a first local environmental condition proximate the first of the sensor-based ID nodes exceeds the environmental threshold condition for the shipping container housing according to first context data locally maintained on the command node memory related to the first of the sensor-based ID nodes, the first context data including at least a temperature threshold condition for the shipping container; and
(d) the barometric pressure value indicates a second local environmental condition proximate the second of the sensor-based ID nodes exceeds the environmental threshold condition for the shipping container housing according to second context data locally maintained on the command node memory related to the second of the sensor-based ID nodes, the second context data including at least a barometric pressure threshold condition for the shipping container housing.

5. The enhanced shipping container apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the identified environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing comprises a fire within the shipping container housing when the sensor data from the temperature sensor comprises a temperature value exceeding a temperature threshold maintained by the command node in the command node memory as part of context data for the shipping container housing and when the sensor data from the barometric pressure sensor comprises a barometric pressure value exceeding a pressure threshold maintained by the command node in the command node memory as part of the context data for the shipping container housing.

6. The enhanced shipping container apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the identified environmental anomaly for the shipping container housing comprises an explosion within the shipping container housing when the sensor data from the temperature sensor comprises a temperature value exceeding a temperature threshold maintained by the command node in the command node memory as part of context data for the shipping container housing and when the sensor data from the barometric pressure sensor comprises a barometric pressure value that is below a pressure threshold maintained by the command node in the command node memory as part of the context data for the shipping container housing.

7. The enhanced shi

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