Methods and systems for motion-enhanced package placement tracking using a container node associated with a logistic container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017278061-A1
Application number	US-201715433074-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 15, 2017
Priority date	Mar 23, 2016
Publication date	Sep 28, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and systems for motion-based tracking of package placement in a logistics container are described using a container node associated with the logistics container. In general, the container node activates a scanning mode to electronically listen for an ID node associated with a package being shipped within the logistics container. The container node detects a signal broadcast from the package's ID node and then senses an impact force on the logistics container using a motion sensor on the container node. The container node determines whether the detected signal broadcast from the ID node and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container, and then transmits a notification to a managing node to reflect that the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A motion-based method for improved tracking of package placement in a logistics container using a container node associated with the logistics container, the method comprising:
activating, by the container node, a scanning mode of the container node to electronically listen for an ID node associated with a package to be shipped within the logistics container; detecting, by the container node, a signal broadcast from the ID node associated with the package; sensing, by a motion sensor on the container node, an impact force on the logistics container after detecting the signal broadcast from the ID node; determining whether the detected signal broadcast from the ID node and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container; and transmitting a notification by the container node to a managing node, the notification reflecting the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the motion sensor comprises one from a group consisting of an inertial sensor, a shock detector, an accelerometer, and a microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensor.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the motion sensor of the container node comprises a plurality of sensing elements.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of sensing elements are disposed proximate to different portions of an interior storage area within the logistics container

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting step comprises detecting, by the container node, a series of increasingly stronger signals broadcast from the ID node.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining step comprises determining whether the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container based upon an elapsed time between when the container node detects the signal broadcast from the ID node and when the motion sensor senses the impact force.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining step comprises determining whether the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container when the elapsed time between when the container node detects the signal broadcast from the ID node and when the motion sensor senses the impact force is within a threshold time period.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining step comprises determining whether the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container based upon the impact force as sensed by the motion sensor within an interior storage area of the logistics container.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining step comprises determining whether the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container based upon a level of the impact force as sensed by the motion sensor within an interior storage area of the logistics container.

10 . The method of claim 1 further comprising updating inventory information maintained on a memory storage of the container node after determining whether the detected signal broadcast from the ID node and the detected impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container, the inventory information tracking the contents of the logistics container.

11 . The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a confirmation message by the container node from the managing node, the confirmation message verifying that the package was placed within the logistics container.

12 . The method of claim 11 further comprising updating the inventory information maintained on the memory storage of the container node after receiving the confirmation message.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the managing node comprises at least one of a master node and a server.

14 . A motion-based container node apparatus deployed within a logistics container for improved tracking of package placement in the logistics container, the apparatus comprising:
a node housing attached to the logistics container; a node processing unit disposed within the node housing; a memory storage disposed within the node housing and coupled to the node processing unit, the memory storage maintaining motion-based package tracking code for execution by the node processing unit; a first communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate over a short range communication path with an ID node associated with a package to be shipped; a second communication interface coupled to the node processing unit and operative to communicate over a long range communication path with a managing node; a motion sensor coupled to the node processing unit, the motion sensor operative to detect an impact force on the logistics container and generate a reporting signal about the detected impact force; wherein the node processing unit, when executing the motion-based package tracking code maintained on the memory storage, is operative to
cause the first communication interface to electronically listen for the ID node in accordance with a scanning mode of the container node apparatus,
identify a device signature of the ID node from a signal broadcast from the ID node and detected by the first communication interface,
receive the reporting signal from the motion sensor indicating the motion sensor detected the impact force on the logistics container after detecting the signal broadcast from the ID node,
determine whether the detected signal broadcast from the ID node and the detected impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container; and
cause the second communication interface to transmit a notification by the container node to a managing node, the notification including the identified device signature of the ID node and status information reflecting that the detected signal and the sensed impact force indicating the ID node associated with the package was placed within the logistics container.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the motion sensor comprises one from a group consisting of an inertial sensor, a shock detector, an accelerometer, and a microelectromechanical (MEMS) sensor.

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the motion sensor of the container node comprises a plurality of sensing elements.

17 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the motion sensor is disposed within the logistics container to monitor an interior storage area of the logistics container.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein plurality of sensing elements are disposed proximate to different portions of an interior storage area within the logistics container.

19 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the node processing unit is operative to identify the device signature of the ID node from at least one of a series of increasingly stronger signals broadcast from the ID node and detected by the first communication interface.

20 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the node processing unit is further operative to track an elapsed time between when the first communication interface detects the signal broadcast from the ID node and when the motion sensor detects the impact force; and
wherein the node processing unit is operative to determine whether the detected signal broadcast from the ID node and the detected impact force indicate the package was placed within the logistics container

Assignees

• Fedex Corp Services Inc

Inventors

• Skaaksrud Ole-Petter

Classifications

• H04W76/11

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• G08B25/08

  using communication transmission lines {(G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H04L43/16

  Threshold monitoring · CPC title

• G08B21/18

  Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L67/303

  Terminal profiles · CPC title