WO2020077148A1 - System and method for worldwide localization of autonomous wireless devices - Google Patents

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods for ensuring compliance of autonomous wireless devices with wireless rules and regulations associated with a location, where such rules and regulations define a locale. Upon occurrence of a trigger event, the wireless devices scan a variety of channels in search of a beacon that provides at least limited information regarding the locale's parameters. If the wireless device is already provisioned for the parameters of that locale, the device can begin transmission. If the parameters of the locale are not already known to the wireless device, the device interrogates local infrastructure using unlicensed spectrum, in response to which the local infrastructure provides sufficient operating parameters that the wireless device can be provisioned to operate legally within the locale. The device can then legally and efficiently communicate status and location information to a remote system such as a cloud server.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WORLDWIDE LOCALIZATION OF AUTONOMOUS

WIRELESS DEVICES

RELATED APPLICATION

[001] This application is related conversion and claims the benefit of U.S Patent Application S.N. 62/744,044, filed on October 10, 2018, and also is related to and claims the benefit of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2018/048400 filed August 28, 2018, and through it also claims the benefit of US Patent Application S.N. 62/551 ,132 filed August 28, 2017, U.S. Patent Application S.N. 62/633,521 filed February 21 , 2018, and U.S. Patent Application S.N. 62/672,546 filed May 16, 2018. This application is further a continuation-in-part and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application S.N. 16/430053, filed June 3, 2019, which in turn is a divisional application of U.S. Patent Application S.N. 16/114,147, filed August 27, 2018, now U.S. Patent No. 10,313,447, which in turn claims the benefit of the foregoing provisional patent applications, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in full for all purposes. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[002] The present invention relates generally wireless devices and more

particularly relates devices, methods and systems for causing autonomous wireless devices to dynamically integrate into and operate within the regulatory domain of each physical location into which the wireless device may travel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[003] Wireless monitoring devices, such as wireless property tags, have been used to wirelessly report the movement of the tagged object from one location to another. Such devices are required to comply with a variety of regulations directed to wireless transmissions. Movement within a single country typically requires the wireless device only to comply with the regulatory environment of that country. However, different countries, and sometimes even different regions of a single country, can have different wireless regulations, or regulatory domains. Likewise, an economic community, a manufacturing or storage facility, or any other arbitrarily-defined area may have associated therewith specific operating parameters for wireless devices. For convenience, these physical regions or areas that are subject to regulatory control for wireless devices will at least sometimes be referred to hereinafter as“locales”. The operating

parameters for a given locale need not be unique, and thus parameters for a particular locale may be reused in other locations or facilities.

[004] Movement of the wireless device from one locale to another imposes on the device the obligation to comply with the requirements of the new locale. This can require reconfiguration of the transmitter of the wireless device to local parameters, and requires relevant information to be delivered to the device. For example, a monitoring device capable of wirelessly reporting status can be affixed to a shipping container that is moved from one country to another. While in the first country, the monitoring device can only transmit legally when complying with the wireless regulations of that country, but, upon entering the second country, must now comply with the wireless regulations of the second country.

[005] Currently, one of four techniques are used to homologize wireless devices such as the aforementioned monitoring tags. In one approach, the wireless device itself can have a“dictionary” with all the regulations and rules for each of the worldwide locations in which it may operate. This permits the device to iteratively“try” configurations until it finds signals from other wireless equipment. In another approach, the wireless device can have a dictionary together with geo- locating equipment such as GPS that permits it to immediately select appropriate parameters for the new locale.

[006] In another approach, the device may use globally available spectrum for wireless transmissions where the device complies with globally pre-homologized regulations, so that no accommodation of local regulations is required. And, in yet another approach, the wireless device may utilize a short-range

communication channel available worldwide to transmit a query in the hope of receiving a response from other wireless devices that may be located nearby that can provide information as to the new locale.

[007] Each of these methods has limitations as to some or all of flexibility,

generality, or capability when the goal is worldwide operation in unlicensed sub- GHz spectrum where use of that spectrum is subject to evolving and decidedly non-harmonized spectrum regulations. .

[008] As a result, there has been a need for systems, methods and devices that overcome these limitations and permit wireless devices to adapt dynamically to local wireless regulations when moving among regulatory domains.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[009] The present invention overcomes the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a providing devices, systems and methods for determining the regulatory requirements of a locale even though the autonomous wireless device, such as a tag, has no a priori information that would enable the device to operate efficiently and legally in any arbitrary worldwide locale. As used herein, “locale” refers to a physical area associated with a particular set of wireless rules and regulations. In some instances, the device may have stored in memory parameters associated with a locale so that those parameters can be used to efficient, legal operation.

[0010] In an embodiment, a trigger event initiates a process in the autonomous device such as a tag that causes the tag to initiate the processing capable of determining the local wireless regulatory domain. The trigger event can be of any suitable type. Some examples of a trigger event are a“motion stop” detected by an accelerometer integrated into the tag’s circuitry, or a timer-based event implementing periodic status reporting, or other trigger events that the operators of the wireless device might incorporate.

[0011] In an embodiment, the wireless devices listens before transmitting, to

avoid running afoul of local regulations. The device searches for beacons sent by locally homologoized infrastructure, where such transmissions can vary both as to frequency and modulation. The beacons contain locale information. If the wireless device is already provisioned for the locale parameters indicated by the beacon, the wireless device can transmit its location information to a remote host or cloud server.

[0012] If the wireless device is not provisioned for the locale indicated by the beacon, the device initiates a search on other frequencies or channels in a search for locale information. In some instances, an expanded search is necessary. If the search is successful, but the locale is unknown, the device initiates an interrogation of the local infrastructure equipment. The locale information is then sent to the wireless device either on the same beacon frequency or on a set of radio channels available and legal to use on a worldwide basis. The locale information is then stored in the wireless device and the device is provisioned for operating with the parameters of the locale. The device can then begin transmitting. [0013] It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide devices, systems and methods that permit a mobile autonomous wireless device to determine relevant regulations concerning wireless transmissions for the physical locale in which it finds itself.

[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to provide devices, systems and methods for permitting an autonomous wireless device to operate legally in any locale into which the device might be transported.

[0015] It is a still further object of the present invention to provide devices,

systems and methods by which an autonomous wireless device can use legal bandwidth to interrogate a local infrastructure to ascertain applicable wireless rules and regulations.

[0016] It is a still further object of the present invention to provide devices,

systems and methods by which an autonomous wireless device can ascertain wireless rules and regulations pertinent to a locale and then provision itself for operation in accordance with those rules and regulations, thus permitting legal operation in that locale despite having no a priori information about the locale’s wireless rules and regulations.

[0017] It is a still further object of the present invention to provide devices,

systems and methods for determining the wireless rules and regulations associated with a locale and then storing locally such rules and regulations for future reference.

[0018] It is a still further object of the present invention to provide devices,

systems and methods that permit an autonomous wireless device such as a mobile tag affixed to an item of value to identify, at any locale in the world, the wireless rules and regulations applicable to that locale such that the mobile tag can legally transmit to a remote host information regarding status and location.

THE FIGURES [0019] The foregoing summary of the invention, and the objectives of the invention articulated therein, as well as additional aspects and features, will be better understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appended Figures, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a minimum configuration of a system in accordance with the present invention, comprising local infrastructure transmitting locale information that can be received by autonomous wireless devices that are within range, such as a tag that may be affixed to, for example, a shipping container that has entered the locale.

[0021] Figure 2 illustrates in simplified schematic form key electrical components of an embodiment of the autonomous wireless device of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 illustrates in simplified schematic form key electrical components of the local infrastructure shown in Figure 1.

[0023] Figure 4 illustrates in flow diagram form the process of entering a locale and developing the information necessary to operate within the rules and regulations of that locale, including processing steps and decisions and local storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Referring first to Figure 1 , an autonomous wireless device 100, which can for example be a mobile tag, is affixed to a cargo container 105 such as might be transported on a truck, a ship, a rail car, or other means of transport. In the illustration of Figure 1 , the tag is within communications range of local

infrastructure 110, which is transmitting, as a beacon, a wireless signal from antenna 115. The beacon can be on any of a wide range of channels, using any of a wide variety of frequencies, modulation types, channel dwell times, emissions, and so on. These operational parameters comprise the regulatory information that the autonomous device must comply with while transmitting. Transmissions from the tag are typically intended to be sent to a remote host or cloud server 120 that is monitoring the location of the tag and thus the cargo associated with the tag.

[0025] The tag is typically battery powered and is described generally in Figure 2 hereof and in greater detail in U.S. Patent Application S.N. 16/114,147 filed 8/27/2018 and incorporated herein by reference and the remaining applications referenced in paragraph 0001 hereof, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in full. Through such an approach, and as further described

hereinafter, the wireless device 10 can modify its transmitting characteristics to conform to local regulations. In addition, through the present invention, the device can operate in coordination with other devices in a manner that is energy and time efficient.

[0026] Referring next to Figure 2, a simplified schematic illustrates the basic

structure of an embodiment of the circuitry of the autonomous wireless device of the present invention. In an embodiment, the device itself can, but need not, be one of the many low-power, microprocessor controlled wireless transceivers available commercially today. In particular, a computer 200 - typically a low- power microcontroller of any suitable type of which many are well known to those skilled in the art - executes instructions called from program memory 205, and reads and stores data from local storage 210. To minimize power usage, the program memory and local storage are preferably flash memory or similar low power memory devices. In a typical scenario, a tag entering into a new locale has no information regarding the operational requirements of the locale. Instead, the computer 200 causes switch 215 to connect antenna 220 to receiver amp 225 such that the tag can listen for beacon signals from the local infrastructure 110. The receiver amp provides those signals to receiver 230 and then to modulator/demodulator 235 where the beacon signals are demodulated for processing by the computer 200 in a manner described in connection with Figure 4 hereinafter. At some point, the wireless device 100 will begin transmitting, in which case the computer 200 will cause the switch 215 to connect to the transmitter amplifier 240. During transmission, the computer 200 sends signals to the modulator/demodulator 235 where the signals are modulated and forwarded to the transmitter 245 and then broadcast via the antenna 220. The receiver and transmitter portions essentially comprise a wireless transceiver with selectable operating parameters, typically but not necessarily low power. The computer 200 selects the operating parameters of the transceiver, which can comprise frequency, power, modulation type, transmission length, error correcting codes, and so on as well understood by those skilled in the art.

[0027] Importantly, the device of Figure 2 typically will not have a priori

information about any locale into which it might be transported. Thus, the local storage may, in at least some embodiments, be largely devoid of the operational parameters associated with any locale. Alternatively, in some embodiments a selection of operating parameters, such as those for some of locales into which it is anticipated that the tag may be transported, can be preloaded into local storage 210.

[0028] In at least some embodiments, the tag of Figure 2 can include an

accelerometer, as described in detail in connection with Figure 4. Not shown in Figure 2 is a power source, such as a battery in some embodiments although solar cells and charge storage devices may be used in some embodiments.

[0029] Referring next to Figure 3, which illustrates in simplified schematic form the infrastructure device 110, it can be appreciated that the local infrastructure 110 is very similar to the electronics of the device 100, with the important difference being that the local infrastructure has in its local memory all of the operating parameters for the locale. In addition, for at least some embodiments and environments, the local infrastructure stores a two-octet code that uniquely identifies the specific locale. The use of such a two-octet code by the beacon in the local infrastructure provides an efficient way of identifying the various locales worldwide since it can be repetitively transmitting while occupying very limited spectrum. [0030] Thus, still referring to Figure 3, and bearing in mind that the entirety of Figure 3 is typically a single low-power wireless microcomputer-controlled transceiver, the essential components of the local infrastructure comprise a computer 300 which executes program instructions stored in program memory 305 and reads from local storage 310 the operating parameters applicable to the locale. For the broadcast transmissions that comprise the beacon, in some embodiments the data may be simply the two octet code discussed above. The computer 300 transmits the beacon data to modulator/demodulator 315 which then formats the signal for transmission via transmitter 320, transmit amp 325, switch 330 (controlled by the computer 300) and antenna 335.

[0031] As discussed above and discussed in greater detail hereinafter in

connection with Figure 4, at some point the tag 100 will begin transmitting to the local infrastructure. In this instance, the computer 300 connects antenna 335 to receiver amp 340 by repositioning switch 330. The received information is forwarded to receiver 345 and then demodulated by modulator/demodulator 315. The signal from the tag 100 can then be processed by the computer 300.

[0032] Referring next to Figure 4, the overall system flow, including process

decisions, storage, etc., can be better appreciated. The process is initiated by the occurrence of a Find Locale trigger event indicated at 400. Such a trigger event can result from the detection of a“motion stop” event generated by the accelerometer 250 shown in Figure 2. Alternatively, or in some cases

additionally, the trigger may also result from a timer-based event that implements periodic status reporting of the tag 100 to a remote host or cloud server 120, shown in Figure 1 , or any of numerous other trigger events as required by the operations of the system of which the wireless device is a part. In at least some embodiments, the wireless device 100 scans for the local infrastructure by listening for a beacon from that local infrastructure, shown at 405 of Figure 4. If it does not receive a beacon from the local infrastructure system, the wireless device does not begin transmitting since the parameters for which it is currently provisioned may run afoul of local rules and regulations. The tag thus avoids running afoul of those local rules and avoid the risk of operating illegally. As noted before, the beacon contains locale information. If at step 405 it is determined that the wireless device is already provisioned for the same locale - i.e. , for the operating parameters associated with that locale even if the tag has never before been physically located in that area - then the wireless device is compliant with local rules and can begin transmission to the remote host, in which case the process advances to step 425 as shown in Figure 4.

[0033] If the beacon is not received by the tag on a known frequency and using known modulation and related parameters, the search initiated at 405 and 410 yields a“no” and tag initiates a search for beacons on other frequencies. In addition, the search can comprise the use of other modulations and data rates.

In an embodiment a first set of channels is used initially, for example channels based on probability of success, recent use, etc. These choices will be familiar to those of skill in the art of wireless network acquisition. In the event that the scan for beacons at step 405 fails, the wireless device 100 will attempt to expand its search space by monitoring other channels for information from the local infrastructure devices, as shown at steps 415 and 420. If expansion is successful, such that additional channels or operating parameters offer new options for scanning for beacons, the system loops back to step 405 to scan for such beacons. If the search space cannot expand, the process advances to step 430, and the system is put in a sleep mode to wait for the next trigger event.

[0034] As noted above, in some embodiments, the information received from the beacon is merely a two-octet code that uniquely identifies the locale’s operating parameters. The beacon does not contain all of the operating parameters for the locale, which typically comprise various regulatory limits regarding frequency, modulation types, channel dwell times and emissions, and may include other parameters. If a two-octet code is received from the beacon at 410, the tag’s non-volatile database is consulted, step 435, by calling data from local storage.

If the local storage already contains the operating parameters associated with the code, then the locale is known, step 440, and the process provisions the tag to operate using the known locale parameters, step 425.

[0035] If the local storage does not contain the necessary operating parameters for the locale, i.e. , a“No” at 440, then the locale is“unknown” to the tag. In this event, the tag initiates an interrogation of the local infrastructure at step 445. In at least some embodiments, the interrogation is performed using a small set of channels of unlicensed spectra that are used worldwide for synchronization and communication. These channels can vary in frequency, modulation type and/or protocols, and the specific channels are not uniform worldwide. For example, in the United States the 902-928MHz spectrum is available. In Europe the available spectrum is between 863 and 870MHz. Additionally, channel spacing, duty cycle, power levels, and other parameters can vary.

[0036] The interrogation comprises a request for regulation information,

transmitted from the tag to the infrastructure system or other locale-aware devices. The local infrastructure system typically responds with such

information, step 450, but the specific infrastructure equipment that responds with the operating rules may not be the same as the equipment that provided a beacon detected at step 410. In an embodiment, the operating rules are provided using the same channel and operating parameters as the beacon that was detected by the tag. The newly-received operating parameters are then stored in local storage, steps 455 and 460, such that the non-volatile database now contains the relevant information for the specific locale. The locale then is identified as known at step 440, and as a result the computer in the tag 100 provisions the device to operate with the known locale parameters, step 425.

[0037] By utilizing the local storage of the tag 100 to store newly discovered locale operating rules and regulations, the tag becomes more efficient as it adds locale information from the transportation of the tag and its associated cargo through various locales. As discussed above, subsequent arrivals into a locale for which the operating parameters are already known do not require another exchange to request those rules. Since locale definitions may be applicable in other physical locations, the development of a local database, used in step 435, provides an efficient and legal methodology by which tags can operate in the locale.

[0038] While the foregoing discussion focuses on entry of the tag into a new

locale, the feature of having the tag listen before transmitting has much broader application. In some instances, the operating parameters of a location change, effectively changing the locale. Such changes can render devices unable to operate legally even though they have not moved. With the present invention, where the locale is checked, and any re-provisioned is performed before the tag is permitted to transmit, regulatory compliance of the tag is guaranteed.

[0039] In some embodiments, the wireless device 100 sends a unicast message to the local infrastructure device requesting the locale information, step 455. In an alternative embodiment, the locale information may be broadcast by the local infrastructure equipment. This approach permits an arbitrary number of wireless devices 100 to receive locale information in parallel. The benefit in efficiency of this approach can be significant where there are multiple concurrent wireless devices 100 seeking locale information.

[0040] In an embodiment, the wireless device 100 itself can be configured to respond to requests from other wireless devices and to provide locale information to those devices.

[0041] From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will recognize that new and novel devices, systems and methods for provisioning a wireless device to comply with local regulatory infrastructure has been disclosed. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, through use of the present invention, a wireless device with no local knowledge can discover, integrate, and operate in any locale in the world, even when the wireless device had no prior knowledge of the operating parameters of that locale. Given the teachings herein, those skilled in the art will recognize numerous alternatives and equivalents that do not vary from the invention, and therefore the present invention is not to be limited by the foregoing description, but only by the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method for ensuring compliance of an autonomous wireless device such as a mobile tag with the wireless rules and regulations associated with a location, the method comprising the steps of

scanning one or more channels for a beacon from local wireless infrastructure prior to permitting transmission by the wireless device,

detecting from the beacon at least some representation of the operating parameters associated with the location,

interrogating, by means of messages sent on unlicensed sprectra, the local wireless infrastructure to request sufficient operating parameters for the location to permit the wireless device to operate legally in the location,

provisioning the wireless device to operate in accordance with operating parameters received from the local infrastructure, and

transmitting based on the provisioning step.