Systems, apparatus, and methods for detecting an environmental anomaly and initiating an enhanced automatic response using elements of a wireless node network and using sensor data from ID nodes associated with packages and environmental threshold conditions per package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11824936-B2
Application number	US-202117506918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2021
Priority date	Sep 22, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

An improved system detects an environmental anomaly in a shipping container and initiates a mediation response through a generated layered alert notification. The system includes sensor-based ID nodes associated with packages within the container, and a command node mounted to the container communicating with the ID nodes and an external transceiver on a vehicle transporting the container. The command node is programmed to detect sensor data from the ID nodes; compare the sensor data to package environmental thresholds in context data related to each ID node; detect the environmental anomaly when the comparison indicates an environmental condition for at least one package exceeds its environmental threshold; responsively generate a layered alert notification identifying a mediation recipient and mediation action, and establishing a mediation response priority based upon the comparison; and transmit the layered alert notification to the transceiver unit to initiate a mediation response related to the mediation action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An improved method for monitoring a shipping container and responding to an environmental anomaly related to the shipping container using a wireless node network having at least a plurality of ID nodes disposed within the shipping container and a command node implemented as a mobile master node disposed with the shipping container, each of the ID nodes being associated with a respective one of a plurality of packages maintained within the shipping container, and wherein the command node being operative to communicate with each of the ID nodes and an external transceiver associated with a transit vehicle, the method comprising:
monitoring, by the mobile master node operating as the command node, the ID nodes for an unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting from any of the ID nodes according to a communication profile maintained on the command node for each of the ID nodes;
sensing, by the mobile master node operating as the command node, an initial group of one or more of the ID nodes to be in the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting based upon the monitoring step;
detecting, by the mobile master node operating as the command node, the environmental anomaly based upon
(a) a size of the sensed initial group of the ID nodes in the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting exceeds a threshold setting maintained by the command node, and
(b) sensor data received by the command node from at least one of
(i) the one or more of the ID nodes, and
(ii) a command node sensor;

generating, by the mobile master node operating as the command node, a layered alert notification related to the detected environmental anomaly for the shipping container, wherein the layered alert notification identifies a targeted mediation recipient, identifies a targeted mediation action, and establishes a mediation response priority based upon a size of the sensed initial group of the ID nodes and context data related to the sensed initial group of the ID nodes, the context data being maintained locally on the command node; and
transmitting, by the mobile master node operating as the command node, the layered alert notification to the transceiver unit to initiate a mediation response related to the targeted mediation action.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold setting maintained by the command node comprises a dynamic value defined by the command node based upon a material characteristic of what is contained in at least one of the packages.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold setting maintained by the command node comprises a dynamic value defined by the command node related to a count of how many of the ID nodes are disposed within the shipping container.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring step comprises monitoring a select subset of the ID nodes for the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting from any of the ID nodes in the select subset according to a communication profile maintained on the command node for each of the ID nodes in the select subset;
wherein the sensing step comprises sensing the initial group of one or more of the ID nodes from the select subset of ID nodes monitored, the initial group of one or more of the ID nodes being sensed to be in the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting;
wherein the detecting step comprises detecting the environmental anomaly when the size of the sensed initial group of the ID nodes in the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting exceeds the threshold setting maintained by the command node.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold setting maintained by the command node comprises a dynamic value defined by the command node based upon a material characteristic of what is contained in at least one of the packages.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold setting maintained by the command node comprises a dynamic value defined by the command node related to a count of how many of the ID nodes are in the select subset of ID nodes.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication profile maintained on the command node for each of the ID nodes identifies a programmatic setting for a broadcast timing parameter that defines when a respective ID node is programmed to transmit an advertising message in the future.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of receiving, by the mobile master node operating as the command node, a selection update for which of the ID nodes are included in the select subset of the ID nodes.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selection update is received from the external transceiver.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the selection update is defined by an operator of the transit vehicle using the external transceiver.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the selection update is defined by a logistics crew member of the transit vehicle using the external transceiver.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the selection update is provided to the external transceiver from a remote control center in communication with the external transceiver.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication profile maintained on the command node for each of the ID nodes defines an anticipated broadcast behavior for a respective ID node, wherein sensing of the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting for a respective ID node reflects an inoperative state of the respective ID node inconsistent with the anticipated broadcast behavior for the respective ID node.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the communication profile maintained on the command node for each of the ID nodes defines an anticipated broadcast behavior for a respective ID node, wherein sensing of the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting for a respective ID node reflects that the respective ID node is not anticipated to be absent from the shipping container and an inoperative state of the respective ID node inconsistent with the anticipated broadcast behavior for the respective ID node.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the step of monitoring the ID nodes for the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting from any of the ID nodes comprises monitoring for a shift in broadcast behavior of any of the ID nodes away from the anticipated broadcast behavior for the respective ID node.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating step further comprises generating the layered alert notification related to the detected environmental anomaly for the shipping container based upon which of the ID nodes are (a) sensed to be the initial group of ID nodes in the unanticipated state of ceased broadcasting and (b) indicated by the context data related to the sensed initial group of the ID nodes to be still maintained within the shipping container.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating step further comprises generating the layered alert notification related to the detected environmental anomaly for the shipping container based upon how quickly the sensed initial group of the ID nodes has changed broadcast behavior when detecting the environmental anomaly.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating step further comprises generating the layered alert notification related to the detected environmental anomaly for the shipping container based upon where the sensed initial group of the ID nodes are located within the shipping container according to the context data related to the sensed initial group of the ID nodes.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensed initial group of the ID nodes forms a first sensed pattern of unresponsive

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