WO2004097447A1

WO2004097447A1 - A system and a method for managing the power consumption of a tracking device

Info

Publication number: WO2004097447A1
Application number: PCT/NO2004/000122
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sune Jakobsson; Steinar Brede
Original assignee: Telenor Asa
Priority date: 2003-04-29
Filing date: 2004-04-29
Publication date: 2004-11-11
Also published as: NO20031959L; NO20031959D0

Abstract

A method for conserving electric power in mobile devices is disclosed. A position tracking device with a mobile terminal part integrated is equipped with a movement detector and a timer, managed by a power conserving management system. The device may be in at least two modes: a position tracking mode and a resting mode. When in position tracking mode, the mobile terminal part is switched on and reports periodically the positions of the position tracking device. When in resting mode, the mobile terminal part is switched off to conserve battery power. Switching from the position tracking mode to the resting mode is carried out when no movements have been detected by the movement detector during a predefined time period measured by the timer, and from the resting mode to the tracking mode when the movement detector detects movement.

Description

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING THE POWER CONSUMPTION OF A TRACKING DEVICE

Field of the invention

The present invention is related to power conserving in mobile devices, particularly mobile devices for position tracking.

Background of the invention

Tracking of items or objects is a subject of great interest in modern industry. A complete survey of the positions of non-stationary objects may provide a considerable contribution to a preferred competitive advantage and improved operational efficiency. Examples of items and objects that could benefit from tracking are containers, reusable packaging, vehicles, rental articles, distributed commodities etc.

The tracking and/or position reporting itself may be provided by features in modern cellular communication networks like GSM. GSM devices are becoming widespread in Europe and other parts of the world. The GSM system is capable of tracking the location of the terminals switched on and attached to the mobile network. This is utilized by the mobile operators to provide several positioning services to the users, not only through regular subscriptions and cellular phones, but also to stand-alone devices connected to the mobile network only for the purpose of position tracking of objects. This could be useful, e.g. in logistics and traffic monitoring. An example is simple mobile devices attached to containers for monitoring the position of each container at any time.

However, leaving the mobile devices on at all times is quite power consuming. It may be inconvenient, or even not feasible, to regularly recharge such specialized mobile devices in the same manner that is common for regular mobile phones. In addition, position tracking devices do not have to be switched on at all times, due to the fact that they are usually not meant to receive calls. Because of this, various power conserving schemes may be based on periodic tracking, where position is only reported at intervals .

Furthermore, the positioning devices are either at rest or under transportation. When at rest, they do not have to report their geographical location. Strictly speaking, positions only have to be reported in motion.

US patent 6,236,358 discloses a tracking device for pets. The device is arranged to find its position with a GPS receiver, and report this position to a base station via a paging system. The device may employ one of several different power conservation methods mentioned, e.g. using a timer that activates the device at regular intervals, or the base station activating the device by sending an interrogation signal, or the device being activated when the pet crosses an "electronic border line" . This is fixed activation modes that once and for all are programmed into the device.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a power conserving management system for managing tracking devices and a method thereto.

In particular, the present invention discloses a power conserving management system managing the power consumption of one or more tracking devices, wherein said devices are capable of operating in an active mode and a resting mode. Each tracking device has an integrated mobile terminal part compatible with a mobile communication network. In the resting mode the device is set to consume a minimum of power, and the integrated mobile terminal is switched off. In the active mode the integrated mobile terminal is switched on and the location of the device is reported to the management system over the mobile communication network. The tracking devices are capable of being programmed to go from a resting mode to an active mode at regular intervals or at a given time. Preferably the tracking devices also include a motion detector, such as an accelerometer, capable of bringing the device from a resting mode to an active mode when the device has been at rest and is then moved.

The management system is connected to the mobile communication network and capable of receiving and storing location information for each associated tracking device, as well as information regarding the state and programming of each device. The management system is also capable of sending commands or instructions to the tracking device in order to change the configuration of the device in accordance with various criteria that e.g. may be defined by a user or operator.

The particular features of the invention are presented in the independent claims . The dependent claims show additional features and alternatives .

Brief description of the drawing

Fig. 1 is an overview of a position tracking case according to the method of the present invention.

Detailed description

The present invention may utilise the existing functionalities in any mobile communication system providing position tracking, or any combination of a communication network and a positioning system that together provide similar capabilities. In the following, however, the description will concentrate on the GSM environment .

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, positioning devices, at least adjusted to act as an identifiable GSM device in a GSM network, are used. The devices do not have to be complete cellular GSM phones with a key pad, speaker, microphone and display, but a GSM transmitter/receiver and GSM circuits enabling the device to communicate with and be identifiable to the GSM network is required. The devices may also be able to receive and send messages using bearers like SMS, CSD or GPRS or other messaging facilities. The power consumption of the positioning devices is managed by the power conserving management system according to the invention.

Preferably, each positioning device is provided with a movement detector, capable of bringing the device from a resting mode to an active mode when the device has been at rest and is then moved. Each device should also comprise a timer programmed to bring the tracking device from a resting mode to an active mode at regular intervals or at a given time. The detector may be integrated in the positioning device related and, e.g., related to a GPS receiver, or it may be implemented as a plain movement detector, such as an accelerometer. If the positioning device is not equipped with separate positioning equipment, positions may be obtained from positioning services present in the communication network or by using location information that can be derived from the communication between the GSM device and the communication network. In case of GSM, the position of a mobile device is usually determined by a combination of known position (s) of the attached Base Station (s) and Timing Advanced (TA) .

A tracking device will operate in one of at least two modes . The movement detector and/or the timer will determine this mode, based on settings received from the management system. The two modes in which the positioning device may be are as follows:

• Tracking mode: The positioning device is reporting its position to the network, and it is capable of receiving settings or other instructions from the network. In this mode the GSM part of the terminal is switched on. After a while in active mode the device is again switched off, entering resting mode, either as a result of a time out, as a result of a command received from the network, or simply as a result of having performed all tasks associated with a period of being active.

• Resting mode: The positioning device is at rest, and positions are not reported. The GSM part of the terminal is switched off for power conserving. The positioning device is configured to switch the GSM part on (enter active mode) periodically and/or as a result of being moved, as determined by the movement detector. Activation by the movement detector can be disabled if the terminal is being transported, as described below.

The power conserving management system must now be able to change the settings of the tracking devices in accordance with the information received from the tracking device.

Fig. 1 illustrates a position tracking case according to the invention. The management system 1 is connected to the GSM network 2 and is capable of communicating with tracking devices that are in an active mode. Received positional data, along with data representing the settings of each device, is stored in a database 3. The management system may be accessed by an operator using a terminal or computer 4. At a given time to a tracking device 5 located at position 10 is moved, and it is thereby brought into active mode by its movement detector (not shown) . While in active mode the device communicates with the GSM network 2 over base stations 6. The position of the device can be found based on positional data available in the network, as described above, and the management system retrieves this information from the network. Alternatively the device may comprise a GPS receiver, and the device transmits its position directly to the management system 1.

While the device is in an active mode it also receives settings from the management system, including settings indicating how often the device should enter an active mode in order to report its position. Following this exchange of information, the device returns to a passive mode. Since the device is now assumed to be moving, one of the settings received from the management system may be that the device should not enter an active mode as a result of movement detection by the movement detector. In this case the device will only be activated based on timer intervals, at positions 11 - 15.

According to the illustrated example, the tracking device 5 is at rest for at least 30 minutes at position 16. When the management system 1 receives a number of consecutive reports from the same position, it will conclude that the device is at rest, and it may change the settings of the device. As an example, the new settings may be that the device should only report its position every six hours, or when it again is moved.

When the device 5 is moved it will again be activated, and it will again receive new settings as described above.

***The management system 1 according to the invention keeps track of the mode and the positions of each positioning device. Based on received positional information, the management system is capable of determining preferred settings for each device that, according to some metric, are considered an optimal compromise between power conservation and the need for updated positional information.

According to a preferred embodiment, the management system 1 according to the invention includes communication means capable of receiving positional information regarding a number of tracking devices from a cellular communications network 2 and storing this information in a database 3. Furthermore, the management system 1 includes a processor or some other computing device capable of determining optimal settings for a tracking device based on received positional data regarding this device and some defined metric. According to one embodiment of the invention this determination is based on computations performed by the processor based on computer program instructions stored on a storage means accessible to the processor. Finally, the management system is capable of transmitting these settings over the cellular network 2 to this device.

Among the settings of a tracking device that preferably are accessible and capable of being programmed from the management system are the time period between each time the device enters active mode and reports its position, and whether or not the device should enter into active mode as a result of movement detection by the movement detector. The time period between each time the device enters active mode is preferably based on such factors as the speed at which the device is travelling, as computed from the history of received positional data for that device, the extent to which the position of the device deviates from a pre planned route or schedule, or any other factors that can be derived from the previously reported positions or programmed by an operator.

Claims

P a t e n t c l a i m s

1. A power conserving management system managing the power consumption of one or more tracking devices, said tracking devices having an integrated mobile terminal part compatible with a mobile communication network, communication means capable of receiving positional information and other data from a tracking device over said mobile communication network, storage means for storing received data, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n a processor capable of determining preferred operational settings for a tracking device based on a predefined metric stored in said storage means and received and stored positional and other data relating to said device, said preferred settings being defined as a compromise between reducing power consumption and enhancing tracking, and communication means for transmitting said settings to said device over said mobile communication network.

2. A power conserving management system according to claim 1, c ha ra c t e r i z e d i n that said settings include the interval between each time said tracking device enters an active mode in order to report its position.

3. A power conserving management system according to claim 1 or 2, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n that said predefined metric is based on calculations regarding one or more of the following: the speed at which the tracking device is traveling, the amount of time the tracking device has been at rest at the same position, the distance between the position at which the tracking device is located and a position at which the tracking device should have been located according to a pre-planned schedule, and the distance from a pre-planned corridor of travel for the tracking device.

₄. A power conserving management system according to one of the claims 1 - 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said settings include whether or not the tracking device should allow itself to be brought from a passive to an active mode by a movement detector associated with the tracking device.

5. A power conserving management system according to one of the previous claims, c ha ra c t e r i z e d i n that said computations are performed by said processor based on computer program instructions stored in said storage means.

6. A power conserving management system according to one of the previous claims, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n that said computer program instructions and/or said metric can be accessed and changed by an operator of the management system.

7. A power conserving management system according to one of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said computed settings can be overridden by an operator of the management system, making each tracking device directly configurable.

8. A power conserving management system according to one of the previous claims, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n that said storage means includes a database for storing positional data and other operational data relating to individual tracking devices.

9. A method for managing the power consumption of one or more tracking devices, said tracking devices having an integrated mobile terminal part compatible with a mobile communication network, said method includes: receiving positional information and other data from a tracking device in a remote management system over said mobile communication network, storing said received data in said management system, c h a ra c t e r i z e d i n said management system determining preferred operational settings for a tracking device based on a stored predefined metric and received and stored positional and other data relating to said device, said preferred settings being defined as a compromise between reducing power consumption and enhancing tracking, and transmitting said settings to said device or devices over said mobile communication network.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n that said settings include the interval between each time said tracking device enters an active mode in order to report its position.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 or 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said predefined metric is determined based on calculations regarding one or more of the following: the speed at which the tracking device is traveling, the amount of time the tracking device has been at rest at the same position, the distance between the position at which the tracking device is located and a position at which the tracking device should have been located according to a pre-planned schedule, and the distance from a pre-planned corridor of travel for the tracking device.

12. A method as claimed in one of the claims 9 - 11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said settings include whether or not the tracking device should allow itself to be brought from a passive to an active mode by a movement detector associated with the tracking device.

13. A method as claimed in one of the previous claims, c ha r a c t e r i z e d i n that said computations are performed in a processor executing stored computer program instructions .

14. A method as claimed in one of the previous claims, c h a ra c t e r i z e d i n that said computer program instructions and/or said metric can be accessed and changed by an operator.

s 15. A method as claimed in one of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that said computed settings can be overridden by an operator of the management system, making each tracking device directly configurable.

16. A method as claimed in one of the previous claims, o c h a ra c t e r i z e d i n that positional data and other operational data relating to individual tracking devices are stored in a database.