WO2015144210A1

WO2015144210A1 - Electronic tag assembly with cellular communication module

Info

Publication number: WO2015144210A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/055950
Authority: WO
Inventors: Graham Michael KELLY; Dominicus Gerard David VAN HOIJTEMA
Original assignee: Ec Solution Group B.V.
Priority date: 2014-03-25
Filing date: 2014-03-25
Publication date: 2015-10-01

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic tag assembly comprising an electronic tag and a separate electronic tracker. The tag is used to output tag data, e.g. visually via a display or as an RFID signal. The tag data is received in the tag via the tracker. A cellular communication module in the tracker is configured to transmit an indication of a current geographical location to an external data server and may receive the tag data from an external server. The tracker is configured to switch off at least a transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources. Said transmitter part may be switched on again depending on the status of the signal (s) from the external source(s) as received in the tag.

Description

Electronic tag assembly with cellular communication module

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic tags with tracker functionality. More specifically the invention relates to electronic tracker tags capable of reporting a current location for tracking and tracing purposes and capable of displaying information for identification purposes.

BACKGROUND

Electronic tags may be used to track and trace objects by attaching such tag to the object. Hereto the tag is typically fitted with location detection capabilities, e.g. using GPS or GSM localization. The tag may transmit the current location to an external server where the location information is stored and from where the current location (and possibly past locations) of the tag may be retrieved. A cellular communication module, such as a GPRS module, may be used for transmitting the location information to the server. Such tags are known as "tracker tags" .

Electronic tags may be capable of receiving data from external data sources. This tag data may be stored in the tag for later reference. Hereinafter such tags are also called "data tags". A data tag may be combined with a tracker tag to add tracking and tracing capabilities to the data tag.

An exemplary use case of data tags is in the field of bag tags. Bag tags, also known as baggage tags, baggage checks or luggage tickets, have traditionally been used by bus, train and airline companies to route passenger luggage that is checked on to the final destination. Prior to the 1990s, airline bag tags consisted of a paper tag attached with a string. The tag contained basic information that was written or printed on the paper tag, namely the airline/carrier name, flight number, a 5, 6 or 10 digit code and the name of the airport of arrival. These paper tags became obsolete as they offered little security and were easy to replicate. Current bag tags typically include a barcode. These bag tags are printed using thermal or barcode printers that print on an adhesive paper stock. This printed strip is then attached to the luggage at check in. This allows for automated sorting of the bags to reduce the number of misrouted, misplaced or delayed bags. Automated sorting of baggage using laser scanner arrays, known as automatic tag readers, to read bar-coded bag tags is standard at major airports .

Around 1% of all baggage worldwide currently gets lost or mishandled each year. The cost to rectify this comes down to around €100 per bag with a total cost to the industry of around $2.6bn, plus the airline may loose passengers to another

competitor airline. Most baggage sortation and processing systems at airports worldwide are based on visual bag tag data and ID barcodes printed on paper bag tags. The barcode scanners have to be "in line of sight" in order to be able to "read" the ID barcodes and get them on the right "track" for it to be loaded on the correct baggage carts or ULD (Unit Loading Device) and onto the correct aircraft. An important reason why baggage gets lost is that the barcode on the bag tag is badly readable, e.g. due to damage to thermal printer heads or tears or folds in the bag tag. As a remedy, data tags in the form of electronic bag tags are being developed that include the barcode, or a representation thereof, as machine readable data.

An electronic bag tag may use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for outputting the tag data. Such tags are typically implemented as high frequency (HF) or ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tags. The electronic bag tag may be a printed (typically disposable) paper bag tag with an RFID tag inside or a permanent (typically non-disposable) RFID bag tag. Radio frequency (RF) readers may be used to read the tag data, e.g. including the barcode data, from the RFID bag tag and optionally write the tag data to the RFID bag tag. RF readers are typically used at a baggage drop-off point and during baggage handling at the airport. Other communication techniques may be used for provisioning the tag data to the electronic tag, such as NFC, Low Energy Bluetooth or a mobile communication technique, such as GSM, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA, CDMA-2000, or LTE .

Another example of an electronic bag tag uses an electronic display for outputting the tag data in the form of a barcode (and possibly other information) as an alternative to having this information printed. As with RFID bag tags, the electronic tags with electronic display may be provisioned with tag data via any known communication technique. As the barcode is visibly displayed, the barcode may be read using traditional reading equipment for reading printed barcodes.

When used onboard of an aircraft, tracker tags and combined data and tracker tags face the problem that the cellular communication module, or at least the transmitter part thereof, is to be switched off during take-off. This is

regulated by e.g. airplane safety regulations. One solution could be to include a manual switch to turn off the tag' s cellular communication module, but this does not guarantee that the cellular communication module will be switched off as it may be forgotten.

WO 2012/152745 Al discloses an electronic bag tag with integrated GSM/GPRS module. The GSM/GPRS module can be used for wireless receipt of tag data. Furthermore the GSM/GPRS module can be used for tracking and tracing purposes by reporting a current location to an external server. Airplane safety

regulations define that GSM/GPRS modules are to be switched off during flight, i.e. from when the doors are closed to when the doors are opened. WO 2012/152745 Al does not disclose how these safety regulations could be met.

Apart from the problem of switching off the cellular communication module in accordance with the airplane safety regulations, the tracker electronics are relatively heavy compared to the total weight of the combined data and tracker tag. Moreover the tracker electronics are vulnerable to damage when the combined data and tracker tag is e.g. attached to a suitcase and bumps against the suitcase or other objects while being handled. There is a need for a solution that enables electronic tags, and in particular tracker tags and combined data and tracker tags, to turn off the tag's cellular communication module, or at least the transmitter part thereof, whilst

complying with e.g. airplane safety regulations and protecting the tracker electronics against damage when attached to an object such as a suitcase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention an electronic tag assembly is proposed comprising an electronic tag and an electronic tracker separate from the tag. The tag can comprise an output means, such as a display or an RFID transponder, configured to output tag data for retrieval by a receiver in close proximity to the tag. The tracker can be configured to transmit the tag data to the tag using a short distance

communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC. The tracker can comprise a cellular communication module configured to transmit an indication of a current

geographical location to a first external data server. The tracker can further comprise a microprocessor configured to switch off at least a transmitter part of the cellular

communication module in response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources.

According to another aspect of the invention a method in an electronic tag assembly is proposed. The tag assembly comprises an electronic tag and an electronic tracker separate from the tag. The tag can comprise an output means, such as a display or an RFID transponder. The method can comprise

transmitting the tag data from the tracker to the tag using a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC. The method can further comprise outputting the tag data by the output means for retrieval by a receiver in close proximity to the tag. The method can further comprise transmit an indication of a current geographical location from a cellular communication module of the tracker to a first external data server. The method can further comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources.

The electronic tag an electronic tracker together form the tag assembly. The tag and tracker are configured to

communicate using the short distance communication protocol, e.g. for the exchanging of tag data from the tracker to the tag.

The proposed solution to the identified problem of the prior art enables an electronic tag assembly comprising an electronic tag and a separate electronic tracker to turn off the tracker's cellular communication module, or at least the

transmitter part thereof, whilst protecting the tag assembly's electronics against damage when attached to an object such as a suitcase. This is achieved by having most of the electronics inside of the electronic tracker, which may be safely placed inside the object, while the electronic tag may be attached to the object. As a result of switching off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module the electronic tag assembly of the present invention may be used in environments where no cellular transmission is permitted. An example of such

environment is in an airplane when the doors are closed, in accordance with airplane safety regulations. As a bonus effect battery consumption may be reduced by switching off the

tracker's cellular communication module, or at least the

transmitter part thereof. The tracker's cellular communication module may be used for provisioning data to the tracker and/or transmitting location information to an external server for tracking and tracing purposes.

The term close proximity is to be understood as within a read range of a tag reader, which is typically within 100 meter. E.g. in case of reading a display of the tag by a scanner the range may be in the order of magnitude of meters, e.g.

within 1 meter. The read range in case of RFID depends on a number of factors, including the frequency of the radio waves uses for tag-reader communication, the size of the tag antenna, the power output of the reader, and whether the tags have a battery to broadcast a signal or gather energy from a reader and merely reflect a weak signal back to the reader. Battery-powered tags typically have a read range of 100 meters. High-frequency tags have a read range of 1 meter or less. UHF tags have a read range of 5 to 10 meter under ideal conditions.

The tag data is data stored or storable in a memory of the electronic tag and which may be pre-stored or received from an external source. The tag data may be updateable via an external source. The tag data typically contains information that is meant to be output, e.g. via a display, via a wireless communication signal or audibly. Depending on its use case, the tag data may represent any information. The tag data contains for example information about the owner of the electronic tag. In another example, if the electronic tag is used as a bag tag, the tag data contains information such as a license plate number, the name of the airport of arrival, flight date,

departure time, International Air Transport Association (IATA) airport code of the airport of arrival, the airline code and/or the flight number.

The indication of the current location may be obtained by the tracker using any known technique. For example GSM triangulation techniques may be used, current and/or neighboring cell information obtained with the cellular communication module may be used, an indication of a location obtained in the one or more signals may be used, a GPS module may be embedded in the tracker for obtaining a current location, A iFi module may be embedded in the tracker for obtaining WiFi based location information, and etcetera.

The cellular communication module, also known as mobile communication module, is e.g. a GSM, GPRS, UMTS, CDMA, CDMA-2000 or LTE communication module. The cellular communication module is capable of data communication with the first external server. A current location of the tracker may e.g. be transmitted to the first external server for tracking and/or tracing purposes. When the tracker is onboard an airplane, at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is to be switched off (i.e. in a state wherein there is no transmission and no

transmission is possible) . This is to avoid potential interference with onboard electronics of the airplane and preserve battery power during flights. The receiver part of the cellular communication module may remain switched on, but may also be switched off or partly switched off together with the transmitter part.

The switching off of the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is advantageously triggered by an external signal and is thus not reliant on sensors internal to the tracker. As a result the transmitter part of the cellular communication module may be switched off earlier than would be the case when using tag internal sensors only. For example, if relying on an accelerometer in the tracker or tag to detect a taking off of the plane, the cellular communication module would only be switched off when the airplane has already maneuvered along the runways and is in the process of taking off. This would not be in compliance with e.g. European airplane safety regulations, which define that the transmitter of a cellular module is to be switched off when the doors of an airplane close before takeoff. The signal from the external source is typically received in time to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in accordance with the airplane safety regulations.

The electronic tag and the electronic tracker are typically powered by a battery, which may be embedded or

detachably provided to the tag and tracker. Preferably the battery of the tracker is of a rechargeable type, as this battery is most likely to be recharged regularly due to the power usage of its electronics. The tag's electronics are typically more energy efficient, making it possible to use a non-rechargeable battery in the tag, although a rechargeable battery may be used. An additional advantage of switching off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is that power usage may be reduced resulting in an extended battery life.

In an embodiment the one or more signals can comprise a transponder signal. The one or more external sources can

comprise a transponder of an airplane. The tracker can further comprise a receiver configured to receive the transponder signal. The microprocessor can be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to the transponder signal if the transponder signal has a predefined relative strength in relation to one or more further transponder signals or if the transponder signal

comprises first predefined data. The microprocessor can be configured to switch on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to detecting a

cessation of the transponder signal or if the transponder signal comprises second predefined data.

In another embodiment the one or more signals can comprise a transponder signal. The one or more external sources can comprise a transponder of an airplane. The method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to receiving the transponder signal in the tag, if the transponder signal has a predefined relative strength in relation to one or more further transponder signals or if the transponder signal comprises first predefined data. The method can further comprise switching on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to detecting a cessation of the transponder signal or if the transponder signal comprises second predefined data.

The airplane typically transmits the transponder signal already prior to departure. On the airport the tracker may receive transponder signals from various airplanes, but when the tracker enters the airplane the transponder signal from the entered airplane will be strongest compared to transponder signals from other airplanes. It may then be determined that the tracker is onboard the airplane, which may trigger switching off of the transmitter part of the cellular communication module. Alternatively or additionally, the transponder data transmitted via the transponder signal may be analyzed to determine whether or not the airplane for example is ready for takeoff is has its doors closed.

After the airplane has landed and the airplane is connected to ground power, the transponder of the airplane is typically switched off or, when the tag leaves the airplane, at some distance to the airplane the transponder signal becomes too weak to be received. At that point there is a cessation of the transponder signal, which may trigger switching on of the transmitter part of the cellular communication module.

In an embodiment the receiver can be an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) receiver and the transponder signal can be a Mode S signal. The first predefined data can be indicative of the airplane taking off or flying. The second predefined data can be indicative of the airplane having landed or being on the ground.

This enables the transponder signals to comply with the ADS-B / Mode S standard, which is typically used in modern airplanes .

In an embodiment the tracker can comprise a clock module. The one or more signals can comprise time schedule data. The one or more external sources can comprise a second external data server. The cellular communication module can further be configured to receive the time schedule data. The microprocessor can be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if a current time obtained from the clock module is within a first predefined amount of time from a departure time obtained from the time schedule data.

In another embodiment the one or more signals can comprise time schedule data. The one or more external sources can comprise a second external data server. The cellular

communication module can be further configured to receive the time schedule data. The method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if a current time obtained from a clock module in the tracker is within a first predefined amount of time from a departure time obtained from the time schedule data.

The second external server contains time schedule data, at least for the current flight. Complete time schedule data, including e.g. departure time and arrival time information, may be received in the tracker, but it is also possible that e.g. only departure time information for the current flight is received. The tracker may be configured to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module when according to the time schedule the airplane is scheduled for departure or at a predefined amount of time prior to the scheduled departure to ensure that the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is switched off in time.

It is possible that the time schedule data includes a flight number (or another identifier of the current flight), which may be matched with a flight number obtained in a

transponder signal from the airplane. This enables the time schedule information to include time schedule information from other flights.

In an embodiment the one or more signals can comprise neighboring cell information of a cellular network. The one or more external sources can comprise one or more base stations in the cellular network. The cellular communication module can further be configured to receive the neighboring cell

information. The microprocessor can be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell information is unchanged for a second predefined amount of time. The microprocessor can be configured to switch on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell

information changes in a third predefined amount of time.

In another embodiment the one or more signals can comprise neighboring cell information of a cellular network. The one or more external sources can comprise one or more base stations in the cellular network. The cellular communication module can be further configured to receive the neighboring cell information. The method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell information is unchanged for a second

predefined amount of time. The method can comprise switching on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell information changes in a third predefined amount of time. In cellular networks a cell is a part of the network covered by a base station. The neighboring cell information is typically received and used by the cellular communication module to track which base stations are available to potentially connect to for mobile communication. The neighboring cell information is received in accordance with standardized methods and includes a list of cell-IDs of neighboring cells. It is possible that there are no neighboring cells, in which case the list is empty, or that the list contains only one cell-ID of one neighboring cell.

The order of cell-IDs in the list of neighboring cell- IDs may change due to changes in signal strengths from the respective base stations, without triggering a detection of a change in the neighboring cell information. Signal strength information is not relevant to the decision to switch on or off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module. The neighboring cell information is defined to be unchanged if the neighboring cell-IDs in the list of cell-IDs are unchanged, irrespectively of the order of the cell-IDs in the list.

While the tracker is in range of a cellular network, the neighboring cells may change when the tracker moves. For example, while the tracker is transported to an airport or moved around on an airport the neighboring cell information may change .

If the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is on (i.e. in a state wherein transmission is possible) and the neighboring cell information stops changing for a predefined amount of time, the tracker may be onboard the airplane. This information may be used as a trigger to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module.

If the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is switched off and the neighboring cell information starts changing again during another predefined amount of time, it may be concluded that the tracker has left the airplane and that the transmitter part of the cellular communication module may be switched on again. To ensure that the tracker actually left the airplane, the latter neighboring cell information based decision to switch on the transmitter part again is preferably taken in combination with other triggers, such as a cessation of the transponder signal.

In an embodiment the tracker can further comprise a WiFi communication module. The one or more signals can comprise WiFi access point information of one or more WiFi networks. The one or more external sources can comprise one or more WiFi access points in the one or more WiFi networks. The

microprocessor can be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point information is unchanged for a fourth

predefined amount of time. The microprocessor can be configured to switch on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point information changes in a fifth predefined amount of time.

In another embodiment the one or more signals can comprise WiFi access point information of one or more WiFi networks. The one or more external sources can comprise one or more WiFi access points in the one or more WiFi networks. A WiFi communication module in the tracker can be configured to receive the WiFi access point information. The method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point information is unchanged for a fourth predefined amount of time. The method can comprise switching on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point

information changes in a fifth predefined amount of time.

The WiFi access point information typically contains identification data by which an access point may be identified. Examples of WiFi access point information are a basic service set identifier (BSSID) and a service set identifier (SSID) .

The WiFi access point information is typically received and used by the WiFi communication module to track which WiFi access points are available to potentially connect to for WiFi communication. The WiFi access point information is received in accordance with standardized methods and includes a list of WiFi access points within communication range. It is possible that there are no WiFi access points, in which case the list is empty, or that the list contains only one WiFi access point.

The order of WiFi access points in the list may change due to changes in signal strengths from the respective WiFi access points, without triggering a detection of a change in the WiFi access point information. Signal strength information is not relevant to the decision to switch on or off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module. The WiFi access point information is defined to be unchanged if the WiFi access points in the list of access points are unchanged, irrespectively of the order of the access points in the list.

The WiFi access points within range may change when the tracker moves. For example, while the tracker is transported to an airport or moved around on an airport the WiFi access point information may change.

If the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is on (i.e. in a state wherein transmission is possible) and the WiFi access point information stops changing for a predefined amount of time, the tracker may be onboard the airplane. This information may be used as a trigger to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module.

If the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is switched off and the WiFi access point information starts changing again during another predefined amount of time, it may be concluded that the tracker has left the airplane and that the transmitter part of the cellular communication module may be switched on again. To ensure that the tracker actually left the airplane, the latter WiFi access point information based decision to switch on the transmitter part again is

preferably taken in combination with other triggers, such as a cessation of the transponder signal.

In an embodiment the tracker can further comprise a three axis accelerometer module configured to measure an

acceleration rate. The microprocessor can further be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate is below a first predefined acceleration threshold value for a fourth predefined amount of time, which may be indicative of the tracker not being moved in the fourth predefined amount of time. The microprocessor can further be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate exceeds a third predefined acceleration threshold value, which may be indicative of an acceleration of the airplane during takeoff. The microprocessor can further be configured to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate is in accordance with a predefined

acceleration pattern.

In another embodiment the method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if a measured acceleration rate measured by an

accelerometer in the tracker is below a first predefined

acceleration threshold value for a sixth predefined amount of time, indicative of the tag not being moved in the fourth predefined amount of time. The method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate exceeds a third

predefined acceleration threshold value, indicative of an acceleration of the airplane during takeoff. The method can comprise switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate is in accordance with a predefined acceleration pattern.

The accelerometer is typically used as a safeguard to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in case other triggers did not do so already. For example it may be detected that the tracker is not moving. If the

tracker is not moving during the fourth predefined amount of time, it may be concluded that the tracker is in the airplane waiting for takeoff. In another example it may be detected that the tracker is undergoing an acceleration from which it may be concluded that the airplane, wherein the tracker is located, is taking off. In another example the accelerometer may be

measuring acceleration rates in accordance with a predefined pattern, e.g. indicating vibrations of the airplane when taxiing or, over a longer period of time, movement of the tag (e.g. when attached to a bag or suitcase) along a baggage handling system followed by loading the tracker onboard an airplane.

In an embodiment the microprocessor can further be configured to monitor an operational state of the tracker and to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular

communication module in dependence of the operational state.

If e.g. a malfunction in a hardware of software component is detected, the transmitter part of the cellular communication module may be switched off. In this case the transmitter part may be switched off even if the tracker is not onboard an airplane as a safeguard for not being able to switch off the transmitter part in case the malfunction persists or increases .

In an embodiment the tag data can comprise geo-fencing data for use in the tracker. The geo-fencing data can define one or more geographical locations or areas where the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is to be switched off. The tracker can further comprise a GPS receiver to obtain the current geographical location. The microprocessor can further be configured to compare the geo-fencing data with the current geographical location to obtain a comparison result. The

microprocessor can further be configured to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module based on the comparison result.

In another embodiment the tag data can comprise geo- fencing data for use in the tracker. The geo-fencing data can define one or more geographical locations or areas where the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is to be switched off. The method can further comprise comparing the geo- fencing data with a current geographical location obtained from a GPS receiver in the tracker to obtain a comparison result. The method can further comprise switching off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module based on the comparison result.

The geo-fencing data may be in the form of longitude and latitude coordinates defining the edge of a geographical area. If the tracker detects that it is within this geographical area it may be triggered to switch off the cellular transmitter. The geographical area is for example defined as the area between the gate and the airplane, which causes the cellular transmitter to switch off at the gate.

In an embodiment the cellular communication module can be configured to receive the tag data from a third external data server .

This enables the tag data to be received and/or updated remotely. By using the cellular communication module, the source of the tag data and the electronic tracker need not be in close proximity. When the tag data is received in the tracker it may be transmitted to the tag when the tracker and tag are within communication range.

In an embodiment the tag and/or the tracker can further be configured to pair with a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, using a short distance

communication protocol, such as Bluetooth or low energy

Bluetooth .

The mobile phone may thus be used to provide tag data to the tracker and/or tag, track and trace the tracker, read status information from the tracker and/or tag, or update software in the tracker and/or tag. An app may be installed in the mobile phone for secure communication with the tracker and/or tag. The app may provide a user interface for accessing information from the tracker and/or tag.

In an embodiment the tracker can further comprises a light sensor and a LED light. The microprocessor can be further configured to detect an increased light reception followed by a decreased light reception at the light sensor. In response to said detection the LED light can be activated when detecting a subsequent increased light reception.

In another embodiment the tracker can further comprise a light sensor and a LED light. The method can further comprise detecting an increased light reception followed by a decreased light reception at the light sensor. The method can further comprise activating the LED light in response to said detecting when detecting a subsequent increased light reception.

Thus is can be detected that the object wherein the tracker is placed, e.g. a suitcase, has been opened. When the owner opens the suitcase the LED light is activated, indicating that the suitcase was opened before. This may provide an

indication that the suitcase was searched or tampered with.

In an embodiment the tag can be an electronic bag tag. The tag data can comprise an IATA license plate code.

The IATA license plate code information may thus be output from the tag. In case of displaying the IATA license plate code information on the display this enables the

electronic tag to be used on airports as a replacement for paper bag tags. Besides the IATA license plate code any other

information may be part of the tag data and displayed on the display of the tag.

According to another aspect of the invention an electronic tag is proposed for use in a tag assembly as

described above. The tag can comprise an output means, such as a display or an RFID transponder, configured to output tag data for retrieval by a receiver in close proximity to the tag. The tag can be configured to receive the tag data from at least one of a tracker of the tag assembly and a paired mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, using a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC.

According to another aspect of the invention an electronic tracker is proposed for use in a tag assembly as described above. The tracker can be configured to transmit tag data to a tag of the tag assembly using a short distance

geographical location to a first external data server. The tracker can further comprise a microprocessor configured to switch off at least a transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources.

In one or more of the embodiments the first, second and third external server may be distinct servers at different locations, distinct servers at overlapping locations or one and the same server. The external servers may be virtual servers at one or more physical servers.

In one or more of the embodiments multiple triggers may be used to switch on or off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module. If multiple triggers are used, then typically all triggers must be received before the transmitter part is switched on or off. Examples of multiple triggers are signals received from multiple external sources, a trigger from the three axis accelerometer in combination with one or more signals from one or more external sources, and a trigger from the operational state of the tag in combination with one or more signals from one or more external sources.

Although the invention may advantageously be used in conjunction with airplane safety regulations, the invention is not limited thereto. The electronic tag assembly of the present invention may advantageously be used in other environments where the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is to be switched off for whatever reason, such as to conserve battery power .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in further detail. It should be appreciated, however, that these embodiments may not be construed as limiting the scope of protection for the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig.l shows an electronic tag assembly;

Fig.2 shows a front view of an electronic tag of an electronic tag assembly; Fig.3 shows a side view of an electronic tag of an electronic tag assembly;

Fig.4 shows a front view of an electronic tracker of an electronic tag assembly;

Fig.5 shows a side view of an electronic tracker of an electronic tag assembly;

Fig.6 and Fig.7 show an exemplary flow charts wherein a transmitter part of a cellular communication module in an electronic tracker of an electronic tag assembly is switched off;

Fig.8 shows an exemplary flow chart wherein a transmitter part of a cellular communication module in an electronic tracker of an electronic tag assembly is switched on;

Fig. 9 shows a system architecture including an

electronic tag assembly; and

Fig.10 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig.l shows an electronic tag assembly 100 of an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The electronic tag assembly 100 comprises two separate parts: an electronic tag 1 and an electronic tracker 2. The tag 1 and tracker 2 are

wirelessly connected to thereby form the tag assembly 100. The tag 1 is typically attached to an object and is used for

identification purposes. The tracker 2 is typically placed inside the object, within communication range to the tag 1.

To reduce the weight of the tag 1 and for protecting electronics from potential damage, the tracker electronics are separated from the tag 1 and implemented in the tracker 2.

The electronic tag assembly 100 may have various use cases. A tag 1 may be attached to an object, such as a bag, a suitcase or keys. The tracker 2 may be put in the object in case of e.g. a bag or a suitcase. The object may then be tracked and traced. The tag assembly 100 may contain information identifying a natural person or a legal entity. When applying the tag 1 to an object, such as a bag, a suitcase or keys, the information may be read from the tag 1 to find the owner in case the object is e.g. lost. In another example the tag assembly 100 contains flight related information. In this case the tag 1 may be used as a replacement of a paper bag tag used in baggage handling on an airport.

Information to be output via the tag 1 may be stored in a memory of the tag 1 as tag data. The information may include textual information, images, binary data and/or any other digital information. The information may be stored in encoded form and/or in encrypted form.

The tracker 2 contains an embedded cellular

communication module. This module is used to communicate an indication of a current location to an external data server.

This enables the tracker to be tracked and/or traced remotely, e.g. via a website having access to the location information in the external data server. Furthermore, the tracker 2 may report its location from any location with cellular coverage. In a tag assembly 100 the cellular communication module may also be used to receive the tag data from an external source, such as a server on the Internet. The tracker 2 may transmit the received tag data to the tag 1.

When in use, the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is known to potentially cause

electromagnetic interference (or EMI, also called radio- frequency interference or RFI) to electrical circuits. This is especially true when dealing with delicate or unshielded

electrical circuits. In some environments, such as in aircrafts, safety regulations may be in place that prescribe that the transmitter part of cellular devices must be turned off as a precaution against interference with electronics in the

aircraft. Different airplane safety regulations are in place around the world. For example, according to European airplane safety regulations the transmitter part of the cellular device is to be turned off when the doors of the airplane are closed while in the US the transmitter part is to be turned off when taking off. To comply with the strongest safety regulations, the electronic tag is designed such that the transmitter part of the cellular communication module can be switched off at the earliest required moment, i.e. before the doors of the airplane are closed.

Tags may come in different shapes and sizes. Fig.2 and Fig.3 show an example of a tag 1 having an electronic display 13. Fig.2 shows a front view of the tag 1. Fig.3 shows a

side/bottom view of the tag 1. Instead of or in addition to a display for outputting information, the tag may contain RFID output means for outputting the information as an RFID signal.

The tag 1 as shown in Fig.l may be used as electronic bag tag for labeling airplane luggage.

The tag, such as the electronic tag 1 shown in Fig.2, may have one or more displays 13. With e.g. two displays, one on the front side as shown in Fig.2 and one on the rear side (not shown) of the tag 1, the content displayed on the displays may differ. It is possible that the same content is displayed on both displays.

The display 13 is typically used for displaying variable information such as a license plate number, the name of the airport of arrival, flight date, departure time,

International Air Transport Association (IATA) airport code of the airport of arrival, the airline code and/or the flight number. When using RFID output instead of a display, this information may be read from the tag using an RFID reader.

The term license plate is the official term used by the

IATA, the airlines, and the airports for the 10-digit numeric code on a bag tag issued by a carrier or handling agent at check-in. The license plate is typically displayed on the carrier tag in bar code form and in human-readable form, as defined in Resolution 740 in the IATA Passenger Services

Conference Resolutions Manual (published annually by IATA) . Each digit in the license plate has a specific meaning. The license plate is an index number linking a bag to a Baggage Sortation Message (BSM) sent by a carrier's departure control system to an airport's baggage handling system. This message contains flight details and passenger information, thus enabling an automated baggage handling system to sort a bag automatically once it has scanned the bar code on the carrier tag. Bag tags may also contain the name of the passenger identified with the baggage (last name, first name) .

One or more of the information areas 12 may be used to print non-variable information, such as the name of the

passenger (i.e. the owner of the electronic bag tag), a barcode with the name of the passenger, an identification code of the electronic bag tag encoded therein, advertorial information e.g. in the form of an airline logo, and etcetera. Alternatively or additionally this non-variable information may be displayed on the display 13 or stored in the RFID memory of the tag 1.

The tag 1 may have fastening means for attaching the tag 1 to an object such as a piece of luggage. In the example of Fig.l the tag 1 has a flexible handle 11 that may be bent around a part of the luggage. The flexible handle 11 is shown in bended position, as if attached to an object. On the back of the tag 1 (not shown) the handle 11 may be clicked in a slot to close the thus created loop. One end of the handle may be fixed to the tag 1, while the other end of the handle 11 may be locked in place in the slot by a combination lock 14 or any other known locking mechanism. Other fastening means may be applied to the tag 1, such as a strap through one or more punched or drilled holes in the tag.

The display 13 may be positioned in landscape format, such as shown in Fig.2, to keep the tag 1 and the information on the display closest to the handle 11 for an optimum read by the display scanners.

Alternatively, the tag may be designed for inclusion in the casing of a suitcase or other object. In this case the tag typically does not include a strip 11 and lock 14.

The tag may be used for outputting other kind of tag data, possibly unrelated to air transportation.

Trackers may come in different shapes and sizes. Fig.4 and Fig.5 show an example of a tracker 2. Fig.4 shows a front view of the tracker 4. Fig.5 shows a side/top view of the tracker 2. The tracker 2 may have a LED light 21 for indicating a status of the tracker. The tracker 2 may have a light sensor 23 for detecting ambient light. One or more of the information areas 12 may be used to print non-variable information, such as the name of the passenger (i.e. the owner of the electronic bag tag) , a barcode with the name of the passenger, an

identification code of the electronic bag tag encoded therein, advertorial information e.g. in the form of an airline logo, and etcetera. A rechargeable battery may be embedded in the tracker 2, in which case a charging connector 24 may be provided for connecting an external charger to charge the internal battery. An on/off switch 25 may be provided for manually turning on or off the tracker 2.

The tracker 2 contains a cellular communication module, such as a GSM, GPRS, UMTS (3G), LTE (4G) or a variant thereof, CDMA and/or CDMA-2000 communication module, for reporting a current location or an indication thereof by uploading location information to an external data server. The location information is typically stored on the external data server for tracking and tracing purposes. The cellular communication module may be used to download tag data for display on the tag 1.

The tag 1 may contain components that do and do not require a local power supply. The components are typically embedded in an integrated circuit. For example RFID components may be powered by an external electromagnetic field and may not require a local power supply. One or more of the following components may be embedded in the tag 1: RFID HF antenna and chip; integrated circuit with HF 13.56MHz ISO 14443 and/or ISO 15693 support; RFID UHF antenna and chip; integrated circuit with UHF 860-960MHz EPC Gen2 integrated circuit ISO 18000-6C support; Bluetooth antenna and chip set, preferably compliant with low energy Bluetooth; NFC antenna and chip; main power management module; power management module for the display;

battery controller; microprocessor; security controller

integrated circuit; first display 13 possibly with integrated display driver integrated circuit; second display possibly with integrated display driver integrated circuit; volatile or nonvolatile memory; chargeable or non-chargeable battery.

Parts of the tag 1 may be implemented as a passive tag, thus without requiring a local power supply. Highly energy efficient displays may be used that only require power when displayed information is to be refreshed and do not need power to maintain information on the display. Examples of such

displays are bi-stable electrophoretic displays from for example E ink and Sipix.

Parts of the tag 1 may be activated by proximity to an active RFID reader. When the tag 1 enters a reader's RF field, the power management converts the induced electromagnetic field to the DC voltage that powers the microprocessor, which may include the display controller.

Parts of the tag 1 may require a local power supply, e.g. to support one or more wireless communication components such as DASH7, Bluetooth (Low Energy) and NFC for the purpose of wireless receipt of tag data.

The optional RFID UHF antenna preferably has a high readability and orientation insensitivity due to symmetry by design. The RFID UHF IC protocol may conform to EPC Class 1 Gen 2, which supports contactless interfaces conform ISO 18000-6C (869 MHz), FCC (915 MHz) and ETSI (865 MHz).

In case the tag' s microprocessor is integrated with a display controller, dual display controller or multiple separate display controllers, the integrated circuit is typically able to run multiple applications and execute command sequences and overhead duties. The integrated display controller ( s ) is/are used for driving the one or more displays.

A display size of 2.7 inch diagonally is found to be suitable for use in the tag 1. The display size is not limited thereto and may be larger or smaller. The display 13 may be based on E-ink technology. The resolution may be approximately 200 DPI. The display 13 may have a wide viewing angle. The display 13 may be capable of outputting gray scale images with 1 bit or 4 bit gray scale levels. The display 13 ultimately has a low energy consumption and may have an input voltage of approximately 3 volts.

In case of using the tag as a bag tag 1, the tag data may be received from a data server of a back-end system in the tracker 2 and transferred to the tag 1 via a low energy

Bluetooth connection between the tracker 2 and tag 1. A method may be used whereby a part of the tag data, the so-called

"license plate" number, is converted on the tag 1 using an IATA specified barcode font for ID barcodes so that no barcode images have to be transmitted to the tag 1. This reduces the amount of data that is to be transmitted to and processed in the tag 1. The tag data may be sent in ASCII format or any other format and wirelessly transferred to the tag 1.

It is possible to provision the tag 1 with the tag data using another device than the tracker 2. The tag data may be wirelessly transferred to the tag 1 via RFID signals, Bluetooth, NFC or other low energy short range communication means from any communication device within range. Examples of such

communication devices are mobile phones, smartphones and

tablets.

The tag data may be transmitted to the tag 1 in

encrypted form.

The tracker 2 may contain components that require a local power supply. The components are typically embedded in an integrated circuit. One or more of the following components may be embedded in the tracker 2: RFID HF reader; integrated circuit with HF 13.56MHz ISO 14443 and/or ISO 15693 support; RFID UHF reader; integrated circuit with UHF 860-960MHz EPC Gen2

integrated circuit ISO 18000-6C support; Bluetooth antenna and chip set, preferably compliant with low energy Bluetooth; NFC antenna and chip; main power management module; battery

controller; microprocessor; clock module; security controller integrated circuit; LED light 21; light sensor 23; volatile or non-volatile memory; chargeable or non-chargeable battery; an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) receiver;

cellular (e.g. GSM/GPRS multi band) modem integrated circuit (also called the cellular communication module) ; GPS receiver; GSM/GRPS/GPS antenna; SIM on chip or E-SIM; switch 25 for manually switching on/off transmitting and or receiving

functions, such as cellular communication and GPS; MEMS motion sensor(s), e.g. including a three axis accelerometer ; digital and/or analog I/O for relays, digital sensors and analog

sensors; charging connector 24, such as a micro USB charging point .

The ADS-B receiver may be used for receiving transponder signals, such as Mode S signals from aircrafts.

The tracker 2 may include (MEMS) sensors such as a three axis accelerometer, three axis magnetic sensor, single dual or three axis gyroscope, pressure sensor including

altitude, and etcetera.

The tag' s and tracker' s microprocessor may run a proprietary operating systems based on open platform technology such as Java or C sharp, proprietary firmware including driver software for driving displays and other components, proprietary security software and/or proprietary software applications.

The tag's and tracker's security controller may be used for secure private data storage and/or secure data display. The security controller optionally supports proprietary security algorithms .

The tag' s and tracker' s memory may be used for storing tag data and possibly other data and/or computer code.

The system design of the electronic tag and electronic tracker allows adding additional components such as but not limited to: button (s) for navigation purposes; removable memory cards; other card/tag controllers such as Smart MX, Desfire; and etcetera .

The tag' s and/or tracker' s microprocessor may contain a proprietary operating system (OS) and a proprietary software application embedded in the OS layer. The embedded software application receives, converts and processes tag data and stores the tag data and/or processed tag data in the designated

possibly non-volatile memory. The processed tag data may be formatted such that it can be presented, possibly together with a pre-loaded or uploaded template, on the display (s) and/or output as an RFID signal on the tag 1. The OS may contain the possibility to "post-load" software applications, e.g. by downloading binary code via the cellular communication module in the tracker 2.

In exemplary embodiments, different tag assembly functions may be distinguished: wireless receipt of tag data (function 1); processing and storage of the tag data (function 2); outputting e.g. visually via a display or via an RFID signal of the tag data (function 3); and transmitting location

information to an external data server for tracking & tracing purposes (function 4).

Re function 1 and function 4, the tag and/or tracker may wirelessly receive tag data using HF or UHF RFID frequency bands. The 13.56 MHz (HF) band may be used with an ISO/IEC 14443 interface (this includes Near Field Communication / NFC) and/or an ISO/IEC 15693 interface. The 860/960 MHz (UHF) band may be used in accordance with ISO/IEC 18000-6C, EPC Gen2 for

electronic tags with e.g. segmented electrophoretic displays. UHF is globally used in several airports and recommend by IATA.

Re function 1 and function 4, the tag and/or tracker may be made to wirelessly receive the tag data using the 433 MHz UHF frequency band in accordance with ISO/IEC 18000-7, also known as DASH7.

Re function 1 and function 4, the tag and/or tracker may be made to wirelessly receive the tag data using an

alternative frequency bands, such as the 2450 MHz and 5800 MHz band for 802.11 LAN, Bluetooth or Zigbee.

Re function 1 and function 4, the tracker may be made to wirelessly receive tag data using cellular networks. GSM/GPRS or any other mobile communication technique may be used for retrieving the tag data from a data server of a back-end system.

Re function 2, the tag and/or tracker is typically operated by an (possibly proprietary) operating system installed on the embedded microprocessor (possibly in conjunction with a non-volatile memory) and by a proprietary application embedded in the OS layer for outputting and possibly converting the tag data into e.g. IATA specified barcode font(s). Re function 3, the (possibly processed) tag data is pushed towards the display (s). In electronic bag tags the displayed information is preferably compliant with IATA

specifications for baggage labels as described in IATA' s Baggage Services Manual. Conform the same IATA specifications the electronic bag tag is preferably able to function as what is known as a "Schengen" baggage label. To achieve this, each display may have two small green bars printed on top of the display' s left and right side using green transparent ink to indicate a so-called "Schengen" baggage label, which can be switched to black by positioning black pixels exactly behind the green bars in order to indicate a regular baggage label.

Re function 1 and function 3, in business critical operational environments such as airport check-in and baggage check-in, operational efficiencies may be gained when devices carried by passengers are non-reliant to batteries. The

electronic tag is therefore preferably energy efficient and operatable without using the local power supply (battery) while maintain information on the display (s). The electronic tag's power management module may ensure that power derived by the electronic tag' s embedded RFID HF interface from the RF field of an external RFID HF device, which is usually around 5V, is regulated to the supply voltage required by the tag' s

microprocessor and the integrated display (s) such that the microprocessor can receive and process tag data and present this data on the display (s) . Alternatively it is possibly not to rely on the external power source (i.e. from the external RF field) and use the internal battery for powering the electronics.

The GSM/GPRS or any other cellular communication capabilities of the tracker may be used to enable baggage check- in at home (or wherever there is GSM coverage) and receive the relevant flight information in the tag, to give the airline the ability to remotely access the tag to e.g. re-route baggage by sending new tag data to the tag, and enables global tracking & tracing of the tag indoors and outdoors.

The electronic tag may be used in the following exemplary showcase. A passenger performs an off-airport passenger and baggage check-in from any Internet enabled desktop computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device. The Passenger Name Record (PNR) is retrieved from the back-end system. The

passenger checks-in, his seat is assigned, and the number of hold luggage is confirmed or updated. The passenger boarding pass is provided and passenger's tag data is wirelessly sent from the back-end system to the tracker 2 via the tracker' s GSM/GPRS/Bluetooth interface. The tracker data is forwarded from the tracker 2 to the tag 1 when the tag 1 is in low energy Bluetooth range with the tracker 2. The tag data is retrieved by, processed and displayed on a display of the electronic tag 1. The tracker 2 is put in the luggage. The passenger proceeds to the airport and towards the dedicated baggage drop-off counter with the electronic tag 1 fitted on the luggage and the tracker 2 inside the luggage. The passenger is identified, hold luggage is put on the belt/scale and tag data is read wirelessly from the tag 1 via the RFID HF interface or visually scanned from the display of the tag 1. The baggage is weighed and the PNR record is updated. The tag data in the tag 1 may be updated to include the weight information. The bag tag record in the airline's departure control system is marked as active. The passenger's baggage, including the tag 1 and tracker 2, is sent off to the baggage sortation systems for processing toward the correct airplane on the platform. The passenger proceeds to the security check and gate. The passenger's baggage is being processed, the tag assembly 100 is being scanned and/or tracked in the airport's baggage systems by reading the ID barcodes from the display of the tag 1 and/or by reading the RFID of the tag 1 and/or by locating the bag via location information transmitted via the GSM/GPRS module in the tracker 2. When the baggage is loaded on the airplane, the tracker 2 is triggered by an

external signal to switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module to comply with the airplane safety regulations. The tag 1 may remain activated.

One or more of the following functionality may be provided by an exemplary embodiment of the tag 1. The tag 1 may display bag tag information on one or two E ink displays 13. In case of two displays, the displays are typically implemented one on either side of the tag 1. A version of the tag with one display may be provided for inclusion in the manufacturing process of suitcases. The tag 1 may receive the bag tag data from the tracker 2 via low energy Bluetooth (also known as

Bluetooth 4) in an encrypted proprietary message format. The tag 1 may receive the bag tag data from a paired mobile phone via low energy Bluetooth in an encrypted proprietary message format. The tag 1 may notify the tag owner when a Bluetooth connection has been established with a paired mobile phone (or other mobile device) , which may provide proximity information to the tracker owner detailing their estimated distance from the device. The tag 1 may allow several templates to be stored to define format of screen displays. The tag 1 may allow layout information to be sent with the tag data such that the message is self-contained and self-describing . NFC may be used instead of Bluetooth. The channel of communications to the tracker 2 may be restricted to specific mobile device apps, in which case no other device may be allowed to communicate with the tag 1. The display (s) may be positioned in the landscape format, which keeps the tag 1 and the barcode images closest to the bag handle 11 for an optimum read by display scanners.

One or more of the following functionality may be provided by an exemplary embodiment of the tracker 2. The tracker 2 may obtain its global location using the GPS satellite network. The tracker 2 may obtain its global location by

triangulation of GSM mast and signal strength information. The tracker may obtain its position by tethering to a paired mobile phone (or other mobile device) using e.g. low energy Bluetooth, in which case the location of the tracker is assumed to be the same as the mobile phone as the range of low energy Bluetooth is short. When the connection with the mobile phone is broken the tracker 2 may issue a warning to a back office. The tracker 2 may communicate with the back office system using the GSM (or other cellular) network. Primarily communications may be via

GPRS, and may fall back to SMS should a GPRS network connection not be available. The tracker switches off its cellular communication module, as described below. The tracker may use Geo-Fencing data to determine when it enters an airport. The geo-Fencing data may act as a trigger to switch the tracker 2 to Airport Mode. Whilst in airport mode the tracker 2 may attempt to retrieve the GPS data for the gate assigned to the flight. When the tracker 2 is within a predefined range of the gate it may report its position and switch off the cellular

communication module. If gate information is not available then the tracker 2 may switch off the cellular communication module after a predefined time interval. The tracker 2 may indicate its battery state via a multi colored LED 21. A light sensor 23 may determine if the tracker 2 is inside a suitcase and may switch the LED 21 off to save power. The light sensor 23 may be used to issue a warning when the case has been opened. Using

mobile/tablet apps, the tracker owner may be able to identify a zone on a map and receive a warning when the tracker 2 leaves that zone. The tracker 2 may notify the tracker owner when a Bluetooth connection has been established with a paired mobile phone, which may provide proximity information to the tracker owner detailing their estimated distance from the device. The channel of communications to the tracker 2 may be restricted to communication via a back office server, in which case no other device will be allowed to communicate with the tracker 2.

To ensure that the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in the tracker 2 is securely switched off, multiple inputs may be used. Examples hereof are GSM base station visibility, Geo-Fencing information, real time flight information, accelerometer data, a transponder signal such as a Mode S transducer signal on board the aircraft, and Mode S status data.

Fig.6 shows an exemplary flow chart of a process including a logic that results in turning off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in an exemplary electronic tracker 2. In step 1001 a passenger handling system checks-in a bag on-line. The bags have the electronic tag attached. At this stage the transmission part of the cellular communication module may be turned on, i.e. in a state wherein transmission is possible. In step 1002 tag data is transmitted from the passenger handling system to the electronic tracker 2 and received via the cellular communication module, and the tag data is forwarded from the tracker 2 to the tag 1. The tag data may include flight information, possibly of all legs of the booked flight. The flight information typically includes

departure times of the airplane (s) at the one or more airports to the destination. In step 1003 the tag 1 displaying the tag data is validated at the baggage drop on the airport. At this point the transmitter part of the cellular communication module of the tracker 2 may be turned on, if not already, to enable tracking of the tag on the airport. Steps 1004-1008 are

different triggers that may result in turning off the cellular transmitter in the tracker 2.

In step 1004 the departure time as received with the tag data may be compared with a current time obtained from e.g. a clock module in the electronic tracker 2 or from the GSM or GPS systems. If the departure time is less than a predefined amount of time away, e.g. less than 10 minutes from now, then the cellular transmitter may be switched off.

In step 1005 the transponder signal may be monitored using an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) receiver in the tracker 2. If the Mode S signal increases in strength up to a predefined level, it is likely that the tag is onboard the airplane. This may trigger switching off the

cellular transmitter.

In step 1006 the accelerometer may be used to determine that the tracker 2 is static for a predefined amount of time, e.g. for 10 minutes. This may be an indication that the tag is onboard of the airplane and trigger switching off the cellular transmitter .

In step 1007 the accelerometer may be used to detect the taking off of the airplane. At this stage the cellular transmitter should be switched off. If this is not yet the case, it is switched off. In step 1008 the transponder signal is read. If the Mode S status indicated that the plane is in flight mode, this may trigger the cellular transmitter to be switched off.

During the flight the Mode S signal may be monitored to determine the aircrafts Mode S signal ID, as indicated by step 1009.

Fig.7 shows an exemplary flow chart of a process including a logic that results in turning off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in an exemplary electronic tracker 2. The process of Fig.7 may be read as an alternative or as an addition to Fig.6. Similar to Fig.6, in step 1002 tag data is transmitted from the passenger handling system to the electronic tracker 2 and received via the cellular communication module, and the tag data is forwarded from the tracker 2 to the tag 1. The tracker data may include Geo-Fencing data defining the geographical area of an airport and locations or areas from where the transmitter part of the cellular

communication module is to be switched off. In step 1010 the tracker 2 may use the Geo-Fencing data to determine when it enters the airport. The geo-Fencing data may act as a trigger to switch the tracker 2 to airport mode. Whilst in airport mode the tracker 2 may attempt to retrieve the GPS data for the gate assigned to the flight. When the tracker 2 is within a

predefined range of the gate it may report its position and switch off the cellular communication module. If gate

information is not available then the tracker 2 may switch off the cellular communication module after a predefined time

interval. Similar to Fig.6, during the flight the Mode S signal may be monitored to determine the aircrafts Mode S signal ID, as indicated by step 1009.

Fig.8 shows an exemplary flow chart of a process including a logic that results in turning off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in an exemplary

electronic tracker 2. In step 2001 the receiver part of the cellular communication module may be used to periodically

monitor neighboring cells. When the airplane descends, typically base stations defining the cells of a cellular network become visible and neighboring cell information starts appearing and changing. This may be used as a trigger to start monitoring other triggers, such as the transponder signal. In step 2002 an increase in neighboring cell changes may be detected and the cells-ids of the cells may be recorded. Steps 2002-2007 are different triggers that may result in turning on the cellular transmitter in the tracker 2.

In step 2003 it may be detected that the Mode S signal is switched off. The Mode S transponder signal is typically switched off after the airplane landed and a ground power supply is attached to the airplane. As a safeguard the accelerometer may be used to detect that the tracker 2 is not moving in a predefined amount of time, e.g. during 5 minutes. The cellular transmitter may then be turned on.

In step 2004 it may be detected that the Mode S signal is switched off. As a safeguard the accelerometer may be used to detect that the tracker 2 starts moving after being static. This is an indication that the bag with the tracker 2 is being offloaded from the airplane and the cellular transmitter may be switched on.

In step 2005 the Mode S signal may be read. If the Mode S status indicates that the plane is on the ground, this may trigger the cellular transmitter to be turned on. As a

precaution the cellular transmitter may be switched on after a predefined amount of time, e.g. 5 minutes.

In step 2006 the Mode S signal may be read. If the Mode S status indicates that the plane is on the ground, the

accelerometer may be used to detect movement of the tracker 2, indicative of the bag and tag being offloaded. The cellular transmitter then now be turned on.

In step 2007 the neighboring cell information is used to determine if the neighboring cell information remains

unchanged for a predefined amount of time, e.g. during 5

minutes. If the neighboring cell information stops changing, this is an indication that the airplane stopped at the gate.

This may be used as a trigger to switch on the cellular

transmitter. To ensure that the tracker 2 actually left the airplane, the latter neighboring cell information based decision to switch on the transmitter part is preferably taken in

combination with other triggers, such as a cessation of the transponder signal.

In step 2008 the current location of the tag may be determined, e.g. from the last recorded Mode S position.

In step 2009 the current location is transmitted to an external data server using the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in the tracker 2.

Similar to the use of the neighboring cell information,

WiFi access point information may be used if the tracker 2 contains a WiFi module. WiFi access point information may be used alternatively or additionally to the neighboring cell information .

WiFi networks are accessible via a WiFi access point. A

WiFi communication module in the tag may scan for WiFi access points within communication range. A list of access points within range is typically stored in the tag when the WiFi communication module is active. Similar to the neighboring cell information, the WiFi access point information may contain data identifying one or more WiFi access points. Examples of such data are a BSSID and an SSID.

In WiFi networks a single access point (AP) together with all associated stations are typically called a basic

service set (BSS) . The access point acts as a master to control the stations within that BSS; the simplest BSS consists of one access point and one station. Each BSS is uniquely identified by a basic service set identification (BSSID). The BSSID is e.g. the MAC address of the wireless access point (WAP) generated by combining a 24 bit Organization Unique Identifier (the

manufacturer's identity) and the manufacturer's assigned 24-bit identifier for the radio chipset in the WAP. The BSSID is the formal name of the BSS and is typically associated with one BSS. The SSID is an informal and typically configurable name of the BSS. The BSSID and/or SSID are typically broadcast by the access points . The Mode S messages transmitted by the aircraft's transponder are typically 56bit or 112bit long and starts with a data byte indicating the type of message (e.g. "upload" for messages destined for an aircraft and "download" for those from an aircraft) and the capabilities of the transmitter. Some Mode S messages may be broadcast without prompting by message

reception. Non-prompted status messages are known as squitters. They are broadcast to everyone to inform them that the aircraft is in the area and often its intensions. The electronic tracker 2 typically listens to these squitters when monitoring the Mode S signal.

Before the flight, at the airport, squitters from several aircrafts may be received. As the flight progresses and the aircraft gets into clear airspace, typically only squitters form 'our' aircraft are received. Once the ID being transmitted from our aircraft is determined from the Mode S signals, the tracker 2 may stop looking at the Mode S messages until the aircraft lands. This increases battery life. The GSM base stations (i.e. neighboring cells) may be monitored during the flight. These will start to become visible as the aircraft gets low on it final approach. While the aircraft is still moving the list of available base stations will be changing. When the aircraft is stationary at the gate then the list with

neighboring cell-ids typically settles down to a limited number of cells, e.g. three to six base stations. At this stage the squitters may be monitored again. The mode S is typically switched off when the aircraft is parked and engines are off, just before the doors are opened. At this point the tracker 2 may reconnect to the GSM network and report its position.

An example extended squitter may contain the following data: 8C48406140100525FDBB03879552. This message is 112bits in length and is coded in a Download Format 17. It is an extended squitter message. In this example the following information is encoded (the code, its binary equivalent and its meaning are given) .

8C -> 10001100 -> Download format (DF) 17 (first 5 bits) CA: 4 - Mode-A and Mode-B capable. 484601 -> 24 bit Address - this is the unique aircraft address .

40100525FDBB03 -> Extended message contents - 56 bits - this contains aircraft status data and can vary between ADS-B messages. The first 5 bits of this indicate the type of data contained. In this case they are 01000 -> 8 which is a ground position message.

879552-> Parity Information - basically a checksum for the entire message. We don't need to cover this.

Another example is the following squitter:

8D48406199000100280786B2FA9E. This message, starting from

484061, has a message content that is of type DF19 meaning that it is an airborne velocity message.

A DF18 message would be used by devices that are not Mode-S transponders although they may transmit Mode-S type data, e.g.: 904842F633ECE52589BB17776F2D. This message has the

following contents:

90 - > 10010000 -> DF18 CF0 - means that AA field contains ADS-B style ICAO address and message contents.

4842F6 - 24 bit address.

33ECE52589BB17 - message contents - first 5 bits are 00110 -> 6 which indicates that the contents are a type of surface message.

A "standard squitter" is 56 bits long, e.g.

5D484061018383. This message has an address of 484601, similar to the DF17 extended squitter type message above.

The decision to switch off the tracker' s cellular transmitter may be based on monitoring the signal strength of the Mode S messages being received. When the bag with tag

assembly 100 leaves the baggage hall and goes onto the apron a significant rise in signal strength is typically expected. If the bag with the tag assembly 100 is on the apron, then it may be close enough to the aircraft to switch off the cellular transmitter of the tracker 2. At this point the identity of the aircraft to which the bag and tag assembly 100 is destined may not be known yet, so it may be assume that as the tracker 2 is close to a live aircraft, this is a safe point at which to switch off the cellular transmitter.

The 24 bit address from the ADS-B messages may be captured, e.g. from broadcast (download) messages (112bit DF17 messages) and 56 bit squitter messages. These addresses may be stored in the tracker 2 with e.g. the data elements as shown in the following table. In this table "det." is an abbreviation of "detection", Airborne indicates whether the aircraft is

airborne, and Count indicates how often the address is captured.

Address 1^st det. time Last det. time Airborne Count

345678 12:15:34 12:56:34 Yes 24

214365 12:49:21 12:55:21 No 6

456789 12:24:38 12:56:38 Yes 9

213456 12:05:09 12:34:09 Yes 4

ADS-B addresses may be monitored over a period of time. The address that has been detected for the longest period and is still being detected is assumed to be the address of the

aircraft on which the tracker 2 has been placed. Each time an address is detected, its count may be incremented and the time of its last detection is updated. A message that has a type field indicating that it contains airborne data, may increase the count more than a message that contains ground based

information. The address with the highest count is the current favorite for belonging to the aircraft that the tracker 2 is on. In the event of more than one entry having the highest count, then the one that was first detected may be taken as the

favorite. Once the difference between the last time that an address was detected and the current time exceeds a threshold then it may be removed from the table.

Fig.9 shows an exemplary system architecture 200 including an exemplary tag assembly 100 with a tag 1 and

separate tracker 2. The tag 1 and tracker 2 may be

communicatively connected via wireless communication modules 203 and 204. The connection between the tag 1 and the tracker 2 typically uses a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC. Tag data may be transmitted from the tracker 2 to the tag 1 via the

communication modules 203,204.

The cellular communication module 201 of the tracker 2 may be configured to transmit an indication of a current

geographical location to a first external data server 212.

Microprocessor 202 may be configured to switch off at least a transmitter part of the cellular communication module 201 in response to one or more signals received in a signal receiver 205 from one or more external sources 207,208,209. The external sources may include a transponder 208 of an airplane, a second external server 209 transmitting time schedule data to the tracker via the cellular communication module 201, and/or WiFi access point information received from one or more WiFi access points 210 via WiFi module 206.

The processor 202 may be configured to switch on and/or switch off the cellular communication module as described with Figs .6-8.

The tag data may be received in the tracker 2 from a third external server 211 via the cellular communication module 201.

The tag 1 and/or the tracker 2 may be paired with a mobile device 211, such as a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, using a short distance communication protocol, such as

Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth.

Fig.10 shows a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer system 400, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The computer system 400 may be used to provide computer processing capabilities to the tag 1 and/or tracker 2.

Computer system 400 may include at least one processor

402 coupled to memory elements 404 through a system bus 410. The processor 402 typically comprises a circuitry and may be

implemented as a microprocessor. As such, the computer system may store program code within memory elements 404. Further, processor 402 may execute the program code accessed from memory elements 404 via system bus 410. In one aspect, computer system 400 may be implemented as a computer that is suitable for storing and/or executing program code. It should be appreciated, however, that system 400 may be implemented in the form of any system including a processor and memory that is capable of performing the functions described within this specification.

Memory elements 404 may include one or more physical memory devices such as, for example, local memory 406 and one or more bulk storage devices 408. Local memory may refer to random access memory or other non-persistent memory device (s) generally used during actual execution of the program code. A bulk storage device may be implemented as a hard drive or other persistent data storage device. The computer system 400 may also include one or more cache memories (not shown) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times program code must be retrieved from bulk storage device 408 during execution.

Input/output (I/O) devices depicted as input device 412 and output device 414 optionally can be, possibly wirelessly, coupled to the data processing system. Examples of input devices may include, but are not limited to, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, or the like. Examples of output devices may include, but are not limited to, for example, a monitor or display, speakers, or the like. Input device and/or output device may be coupled to computer system 400 either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. A network adapter 416 may also be coupled to computer system 400 to enable it to become coupled to other systems, computer systems, remote network devices, and/or remote storage devices through

intervening private or public networks. The network adapter may, in particular, comprise a data receiver 418 for receiving data that is transmitted by said systems, devices and/or networks to said data and a data transmitter 420 for transmitting data to said systems, devices and/or networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are examples of different types of network

adapter that may be used with computer system 400.

The memory elements 404 may store an application (not shown) . It should be appreciated that computer system 400 may further execute an operating system (not shown) that can facilitate execution of the application. Application, being implemented in the form of executable program code, can be executed by computer system 400, e.g., by processor 402.

Responsive to executing application, computer system 400 may be configured to perform one or more of the operations of the tag 1 and/or tracker 2.

One embodiment of the invention may be implemented as a program product for use with a computer system. The program (s) of the program product define functions of the embodiments

(including the methods described herein) and can be contained on a variety of computer-readable storage media. Illustrative computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatile

semiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and (ii) writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive or any type of solid- state random-access semiconductor memory or flash memory) on which alterable information is stored. Moreover, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, which may be varied within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. An electronic tag assembly comprising an electronic tag and an electronic tracker separate from the tag, wherein the tag comprises an output means, such as a display or an RFID transponder, configured to output tag data for retrieval by a receiver in close proximity to the tag, wherein the tracker is configured to transmit the tag data to the tag using a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC, and wherein the tracker comprises:

a cellular communication module configured to transmit an indication of a current geographical location to a first external data server; and

a microprocessor configured to switch off at least a transmitter part of the cellular communication module in

response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources.

2. The tag assembly according to claim 1, wherein the one or more signals comprises a transponder signal, wherein the one or more external sources comprises a transponder of an airplane, the tracker further comprising a receiver configured to receive the transponder signal, and wherein the

microprocessor is configured to:

switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to the transponder signal if the transponder signal has a predefined relative strength in relation to one or more further transponder signals or if the transponder signal comprises first predefined data; and/or

switch on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to detecting a cessation of the transponder signal or if the transponder signal comprises second predefined data.

3. The tag assembly according to claim 2, wherein the receiver is an automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS- B) receiver and the transponder signal is a Mode S signal, wherein the first predefined data is indicative of the airplane taking off or flying, and wherein the second predefined data is indicative of the airplane having landed or being on the ground.

4. The tag assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tracker further comprises a clock module, wherein the one or more signals comprises time schedule data, wherein the one or more external sources comprises a second external data server, wherein the cellular communication module is further configured to receive the time schedule data, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to:

switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if a current time obtained from the clock module is within a first predefined amount of time from a departure time obtained from the time schedule data.

5. The tag assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more signals comprises neighboring cell information of a cellular network, wherein the one or more external sources comprises one or more base stations in the cellular network, wherein the cellular communication module is further configured to receive the neighboring cell information, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to:

switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell

information is unchanged for a second predefined amount of time; and/or

switch on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell information changes in a third predefined amount of time.

6. The tag assembly according to any one of the

preceding claims, wherein the tracker further comprises a iFi communication module, wherein the one or more signals comprises WiFi access point information of one or more WiFi networks, wherein the one or more external sources comprises one or more WiFi access points in the one or more iFi networks, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to:

switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point

information is unchanged for a fourth predefined amount of time; and/or

switch on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point information changes in a fifth predefined amount of time.

7. The tag assembly according to any one of the claims 2-6, wherein the tracker further comprises a three axis

accelerometer module configured to measure an acceleration rate, and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to:

switch off at least the transmitter part of the

cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate is below a first predefined acceleration threshold value for a sixth predefined amount of time, indicative of the tag not being moved in the fourth predefined amount of time; and/or

switch off at least the transmitter part of the

cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate exceeds a third predefined acceleration threshold value,

indicative of an acceleration of the airplane during takeoff; and/or

switch off at least the transmitter part of the

cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate is in accordance with a predefined acceleration pattern.

8. The tag assembly according to any one of the

preceding claims, wherein the microprocessor is further

configured to monitor an operational state of the tracker and to switch off at least the transmitter part of the cellular

communication module in dependence of the operational state.

9. The tag assembly according to any one of the

preceding claims, wherein the tag data comprises geo-fencing data for use in the tracker, the geo-fencing data defining one or more geographical locations or areas where the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is to be switched off, wherein the tracker further comprises a GPS receiver to obtain the current geographical location, and wherein the

microprocessor is further configured to:

compare the geo-fencing data with the current geographical location to obtain a comparison result; and

switch off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module based on the comparison result.

10. The tag assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cellular communication module is configured to receive the tag data from a third external data server .

11. The tag assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tag and/or the tracker is further configured to pair with a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, using a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth or low energy Bluetooth.

12. The tag assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tracker further comprises a light sensor and a LED light, and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to detect an increased light reception followed by a decreased light reception at the light sensor and in response to said detection activate the LED light when detecting a subsequent increased light reception.

13. The tag assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tag is an electronic bag tag and the tag data comprises an IATA license plate code.

14. An electronic tag for use in a tag assembly according to any one of the claims 1-13, comprising an output means, such as a display or an RFID transponder, configured to output tag data for retrieval by a receiver in close proximity to the tag, wherein the tag is configured to receive the tag data from at least one of a tracker of the tag assembly and a paired mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smartphone or tablet, using a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC.

15. An electronic tracker for use in a tag assembly according to any one of the claims 1-13, configured to transmit tag data to a tag of the tag assembly using a short distance communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC, and wherein the tracker comprises:

response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources.

16. Ά method in an electronic tag assembly comprising an electronic tag and an electronic tracker separate from the tag, wherein the tag comprises an output means, such as a display or an RFID transponder, the method comprising:

transmitting the tag data from the tracker to the tag using a short distance communication protocol, such as

Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, RFID or NFC;

outputting the tag data by the output means for retrieval by a receiver in close proximity to the tag;

transmit an indication of a current geographical location from a cellular communication module of the tracker to a first external data server; and

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to one or more signals received from one or more external sources.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the one or more signals comprises a transponder signal, wherein the one or more external sources comprises a transponder of an airplane, the method comprising:

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to receiving the transponder signal in the tag, if the transponder signal has a predefined relative strength in relation to one or more further transponder signals or if the transponder signal comprises first predefined data; and/or

switching on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module in response to detecting a

18. The method according to claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the one or more signals comprises time schedule data, wherein the one or more external sources comprises a second external data server, wherein the cellular communication module is further configured to receive the time schedule data, and wherein the method comprises:

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if a current time obtained from a clock module in the tracker is within a first predefined amount of time from a departure time obtained from the time schedule data .

19. The method according to any one of the claims 16- 18, wherein the one or more signals comprises neighboring cell information of a cellular network, wherein the one or more external sources comprises one or more base stations in the cellular network, wherein the cellular communication module is further configured to receive the neighboring cell information, and wherein the method comprises:

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell

information is unchanged for a second predefined amount of time; and/or switching on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the neighboring cell

information changes in a third predefined amount of time.

20. The method according to any one of the claims 16-

19, wherein the one or more signals comprises WiFi access point information of one or more WiFi networks, wherein the one or more external sources comprises one or more WiFi access points in the one or more WiFi networks, wherein a WiFi communication module in the tracker is configured to receive the WiFi access point information, and wherein the method comprises:

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point

information is unchanged for a fourth predefined amount of time; and/or

switching on at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the WiFi access point

information changes in a fifth predefined amount of time.

21. The method according to any one of the claims 16-

20, further comprising:

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if a measured acceleration rate measured by an accelerometer in the tracker is below a first predefined acceleration threshold value for a sixth predefined amount of time, indicative of the tag not being moved in the fourth predefined amount of time; and/or

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate exceeds a third predefined acceleration threshold value,

indicative of an acceleration of the airplane during takeoff; and/or

switching off at least the transmitter part of the cellular communication module if the measured acceleration rate is in accordance with a predefined acceleration pattern.

22. The method according to any one of the claims 16-

21, wherein the tag data comprises geo-fencing data for use in the tracker, the geo-fencing data defining one or more

geographical locations or areas where the transmitter part of the cellular communication module is to be switched off, the method further comprising:

comparing the geo-fencing data with a current geographical location obtained from a GPS receiver in the tracker to obtain a comparison result; and

switching off the transmitter part of the cellular communication module based on the comparison result.

23. The method according to any one of the claims 16-

22, wherein the tracker further comprises a light sensor and a LED light, the method further comprising:

detecting an increased light reception followed by a decreased light reception at the light sensor; and

in response to said detecting activating the LED light when detecting a subsequent increased light reception.