System for geolocating at least two objects

Abstract

The present invention relates to a geolocation system comprising at least two geolocated objects, each of which comprises: - a first wireless proximity communication means capable of communicating with a wireless proximity communication means of another item; - A means of long distance communication; a geolocation device; a processing unit, The system includes a computer platform including a communication means capable of communicating with the long-range communication means of the items, and a processing unit of one of the items includes: -Opening a channel of communication with another item via wireless proximity communication means; - configured to transmit geolocation data provided by the processing unit of the other item to the computer platform.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The field of the invention is that of logistics.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to the transportation of items, and more specifically the transportation of smart connected items. [Background technology]

[0003] In the field of the present invention, providers of services involved in the online purchase and sale of products are currently common and numerous, in particular: - Grouping of the goods to be transported; - Mass transportation and -The company uses a delivery logistics system based on package shipment and centralized management techniques.

[0004] Increasingly, in such logistics systems, it is common to know the location of an item in real time and to locate it in relation to its arrival point and / or in relation to the individuals waiting for the delivery of the item. In this context, to track the movement of the items transported, the items are equipped with geolocation means and communication means enabling them to transmit data relating to their location. In this way, a system of traceability of the transport of items is obtained.

[0005] In other words, electronic devices integrated into goods, and in particular into the packaging that contains the goods to be transported, provide telemetry and tracking capabilities in time and space: such packaging can thus measure physical quantities, record them and transmit them to a remote information system in the form of a computer platform.

[0006] With regard to tracking capabilities, the package may include a geolocation device, the data of which, as well as that derived from telemetry, may be recorded and then transmitted to a computer platform.

[0007] This geolocation data includes at least the following data: - Date and time, - longitude, latitude and altitude, -Speed ​​and -Accuracy (in meters, the accuracy of the horizontal and vertical position provided by the geolocation system).

[0008] Depending on the services offered by the service provider, the wake-up frequency of different embedded devices may be maintained to a greater or lesser extent, which, if applicable, may have a more or less severe impact on the energy independence of the package, which is expressed by a reduction in the number of deliveries possible per one battery charge.

[0009] It will therefore be appreciated that the functionality of tracking goods in transit is based on periodic satellite geolocation measurements. Thus, if there are N packages in a van, according to the prior art, each package would need to perform a geolocation measurement asynchronously and at predetermined time intervals.

[0010] For a service provider's commercial offering, which consists in obtaining two positioning points per hour, the constellation obtains 2×N geolocation points per hour, some of which are obtained simultaneously, while others fail (e.g. due to satellite communication failures).

[0011] In other words, frequent activation of the geolocation device causes technical problems, namely the supply of power and the means of geolocation and communication, in particular, to sustain a significant number of uses of the package one must resort to a system for recharging the electricity of the power supply means dedicated to the geolocation of the package, which may involve constraints that are difficult to manage.

[0012] The ability to recharge the battery's electricity is one possible solution. Based on the design of the geolocation device, it may be envisaged to equip the package with a built-in electrical capacitor that cannot be recharged but is sufficient to achieve the desired number of deliveries (as defined in the specifications) by the operating customer. However, going down such a path would involve dealing with the so-called "dead weight" of the battery during transport. Summary of the Invention

[0013] The present invention aims inter alia to alleviate this drawback of the prior art.

[0014] More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a system for geolocation of transported goods that at least limits, if not eliminates, the management of the electrical recharge level of the technical means linked to the transported goods and related to their traceability in time and space.

[0015] It is another object of the present invention to provide such an item geolocation system that is practical and easy to use for service providers involved in the transportation of items.

[0016] These objects, together with others appearing hereinafter, are achieved by the invention, which is the subject of a geolocation system, comprising: At least two items to be geolocated; - a computer platform, Each item is - a recognition code; - a first wireless proximity communication means capable of communicating with a first wireless proximity communication means of another item; - a second long-range communication means; a geolocation device; a processing unit configured to transmit a geolocation device wake-up signal at regular time intervals and adapted to receive and store geolocation data provided by the geolocation device and to assign it a positive validity status for a predetermined period of time and a negative validity status after the predetermined period has elapsed, the computer platform includes at least one database relating to the articles listing identification codes of all the articles, and includes a third long-range communication means capable of communicating with the second long-range communication means of the articles; The processing unit for one of the articles, prior to transmitting the activation signal, -Opening a channel of communication with another item via wireless proximity communication means; - receiving the valid status of the other item, - if the validity status of the other item is positive, receiving the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other item and maintaining the geolocation device in an inactive state; - configured to transmit geolocation data provided by the processing unit of the other item to the computer platform.

[0017] The invention therefore provides a system of geolocation of transported goods in a cluster (i.e., clustered for example within a transport vehicle, but optionally also within a container or logistics depot), in other words in a population where a sharing of geolocation data is established.

[0018] The technical means relating to the geolocation means consumes a large amount of electrical energy, which in the system according to the invention is only activated (and therefore consumes energy) if it is not possible to obtain and use the geolocation data of other items placed in the immediate vicinity, or at least placed in such a way that two physically adjacent items can communicate with each other by wireless proximity communication means.

[0019] If an item can receive geolocation data of other items, the technical means relating to geolocation are not activated and only means with low power consumption, just like the wireless proximity communication means, are operational.

[0020] As a result, the technical means connected to the transported article can be powered by a simple battery, ensuring independent power supply for long periods of time. The embedded device can therefore travel long distances completely electrically independent. In addition, it can be reused many times while connected to different subsequent transported articles without the need to electrically recharge it.

[0021] Of course, the possibility to reuse the embedded devices several times or more is a clear economic advantage of the traceability system, together with an optimized carbon balance by completely or partially avoiding the rapid obsolescence of the embedded devices. It should be noted that the power source can be integrated into the item or into the package in which the item is contained, as can be seen from the above circumstances. However, it is also possible to envisage providing an external power source, enabled by wireless energy transmission techniques, without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0022] Furthermore, it should be noted that, according to an important feature of the present invention, the geolocation data stored in the item and liable to be transmitted to other items in the population has a limited, predefined validity period, since it is necessary to ensure that the geolocation data is regularly updated as long as the items in the system are intended for transport in nature.

[0023] It should further be noted that the geolocation data can be provided by satellite, but also by any other suitable means, in particular by cellular geolocation systems or GSM or geolocation systems with long, medium and short range communication interfaces such as LoRa®, WiFi®, UHF, etc. All this additional positioning means are associated with a specific cloud service that associates known referenced RF database identifiers with geographical locations.

[0024] According to an advantageous solution, the processing unit of one of the articles is arranged to receive the positive valid status of the other article together with the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other article.

[0025] In this manner, an item that has received geolocation data of another item may, in turn, indicate to a third item that it holds geolocation data with a positive valid status.

[0026] In this case, the processing unit of one of the articles is advantageously arranged to receive the remaining validity period together with the positive validity status of the other article.

[0027] It will therefore be appreciated that according to this feature, once a positive validity status has expired, the validity status is declared negative, and other items in communication with an item whose geolocation data has a negative validity status will not receive the item's data and will, optionally, continue searching for other items in the population that have geolocation data with a positive status.

[0028] Preferably, the processing unit of one of the articles is arranged to schedule an activation signal for the geolocation device at the end of the remaining validity period.

[0029] In this way, in addition to effecting a change in the validity status of the geolocation data, the processing unit for the article is configured to reschedule the time of the next acquisition of the geolocation data, and therefore the time of the activation of the geolocation device, in accordance with the originally planned time interval.

[0030] According to an advantageous solution, the remaining validity period of the valid status is at least less than twice the time interval separating two activation signals.

[0031] Preferably, in a geolocation system comprising N items, the remaining validity period of a valid status is less than N times the time interval separating two activation signals.

[0032] The configuration of such a system promotes as much as possible interaction between items via wireless proximity communication means, which consumes little energy compared to the activation and use of a geolocation device, achieving a very important optimization in reducing the energy consumption of all items in the population.

[0033] According to a preferred embodiment, the article has built-in power supply means.

[0034] Such power supply means may of course be rechargeable.

[0035] Alternatively, as previously indicated, an external power supply may be provided without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0036] Preferably, the processing unit of one of the items is configured to transmit, following transmission of the activation signal, the geolocation data provided by the geolocation device and the computer recognition code of the item to the computer platform.

[0037] According to a preferred solution, the processing unit of one of the items is arranged to receive the computer recognition code of the other item together with the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other item.

[0038] Thus, the possibility of falsifying the geolocation data by sending erroneous data to an item which in turn sends it to the platform is avoided. In particular, if the geolocation data is not associated with an identification code, the platform can tell if the data comes from an item which is not part of its database and is therefore considered untrustworthy. Conversely, receipt of an identification code allows the platform, which is of course configured accordingly, to consider the geolocation data associated with said identification code as trustworthy.

[0039] In other words, such a system can prevent fraudulent activities such as a third party spoofing a tracking device and transmitting a false (but legitimate from the perspective of the present invention) location to the platform to mask ongoing vandalism.

[0040] According to another embodiment that can be envisaged, the system according to the invention uses a set of public and private keys (security mechanism well known to those skilled in the art). In this case, all processing units of the items listed in the "items" database of the computer platform are configured to transmit geolocation data to the computer platform or to other items, which are encrypted according to an encryption protocol provided by the computer platform. The conventional procedure of signing and encrypting data (here the geolocation data) is performed by all geolocation devices that want to make information available. The data is signed via a single private key that is specific to each device and stored in a built-in secure inviolable memory. Authentication of the device's geolocation message by the platform is performed by the public key recorded during subscription (recording of the geolocated item in the platform's database).

[0041] According to an advantageous implementation of the geolocation system according to the invention, the article is a processing unit, - a recognition code; a first means of communication; - a second means of communication; - a geolocation device; and

[0042] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, given as illustrative and non-limiting examples, and the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0043] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a system for geolocation of a conglomerate of goods to be transported. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1, the geolocation system according to the invention comprises, in a manner known per se: at least two geolocated objects A, B (or, more generally, a collection of N geolocated objects), a computer platform 6, The articles each include an embedded information or communication means as described below, each article in particular having a computer recognition code 1; The computer platform 6 includes at least one database 60 which lists the computer identification codes 1 of all the articles.

[0045] In addition to the computer identification code 1, each item is a first wireless proximity communication means 2 capable of communicating with a first wireless proximity communication means 2 of another object, typically a Bluetooth (registered trademark) or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) antenna; - second long-distance communication means 3; a satellite geolocation device 4; a computer processing unit 5.

[0046] More generally, the objects are each equipped with an instrument (i.e., they each include a geolocation device). The geolocation devices used may therefore be different, in other words of different technology and / or manufacturer, but they include at least the basic functional elements and allow the acquisition of geolocation data.

[0047] Each article therefore includes an antenna, or more generally, a preferably low energy, short range, power consuming interface.

[0048] Moreover, each article includes power supply means 7 .

[0049] On the other hand, the computer platform 6 includes a third long-range communication means 61 capable of communicating with the second long-range communication means 3 of the article.

[0050] In addition, for each article, the computer processing unit 5 is configured to transmit a geolocation device activation signal at regular time intervals. Moreover, the computer processing unit may receive and store the geolocation data provided by the geolocation device 4. The computer processing unit is further configured to assign a positive validity status to the geolocation data provided by the geolocation device for a predetermined period of time starting from the reception of the geolocation data. Once the predetermined period has elapsed, the computer processing unit changes the validity status, which becomes a negative validity status.

[0051] According to the principles of the present invention, the computer processing unit 5 of each article furthermore performs the following steps prior to sending the activation signal: -Opening a channel of communication with another object via the first wireless proximity communication means 2; -Read the validity status of other items, - if the validity status of the other item is positive, receiving the geolocation data stored in the processing unit 5 of the other item and maintaining the geolocation device 4 of the item currently acquiring the geolocation data in an inactive state; - configured to transmit geolocation data provided by the processing units of other items to the computer platform 1.

[0052] The computer processing unit 5 of each article additionally receiving a positive validity status of the other item together with the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other item; - Receive the remaining validity period along with the positive validity status of other items; - configured to schedule a geolocation device activation signal at the end of the remaining validity period.

[0053] According to a particular embodiment, the geolocation system comprises N items, and the remaining period of the valid status is less than N times the time interval separating the two activation signals. Thus, in the special case shown in FIG. 1 where the system comprises two items, the remaining period of the valid status is less than twice the time interval separating the two activation signals.

[0054] The value of N is obtained by the geolocated item during a scan of surrounding items with which it may communicate.

[0055] As shown in FIG. a computer processing unit 5; -Identification code 1, - a first wireless proximity communication means; - a second long-range communication means; - a geolocation device; and a package including an embedded device comprising the geolocation device.

[0056] An example of the operation of the geolocation system according to the invention implemented with only two items, as shown in FIG. 1, is described below.

[0057] Considering items A and B (eg in the form of packages) contained in a van, the step of geolocation of the items can be performed in the following way.

[0058] In a first stage, the two items A and B are waiting, which means that the processing unit 5 of each item only allows the operation of the first wireless proximity communication means 2 to transmit the status of the geolocation data stored in the processing unit. It should be noted that this geolocation data may be invalid or out of date.

[0059] For the examples described below, the validity status of the geolocation data is considered to have a negative status.

[0060] When the processing unit of one of the packages (in this case the processing unit of package A) starts the stage of obtaining geolocation data, prior to the transmission of the activation signal of the geolocation device 4 of item A (for the sake of clarity, the processing unit is configured to transmit such an activation signal at regular time intervals), the processing unit is configured to search for the other item of the same type (hence item B in the example in question) in its immediate environment using the first wireless proximity communication means 2.

[0061] The processing unit of item A will then detect the presence of item B and therefore access the validity status of the geolocation data of item B, which is negative according to the first assumption.

[0062] In this case, the processing unit of item A cannot obtain the geolocation of item B, so the processing unit of item A activates the geolocation device 4 of item A. The satellite geolocation data is obtained via the geolocation device and then stored by the processing unit of item A by assigning it a positive valid status. At this stage, item A is returned to a "standby state" by its processing unit.

[0063] As a result, the computer processing unit of item B, which is scheduled to start geolocation measurements at regular time intervals, transmits an initiation signal for the geolocation of item B. It is understood that in this example, this initiation signal is transmitted before the end of the positive valid status of the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of item A.

[0064] Now, the computer processing unit of item B will try to open a channel of communication with one or more surrounding items via its first wireless proximity communication means. This step will cause the processing unit of item B to detect item A. For item A, item B will read the positive validity status of the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of item A. Then, item B connected to item A will receive the geolocation data of item A together with the remaining validity period of the geolocation data of item A.

[0065] Once the geolocation data is received by item B, the computer processing unit of item B assigns a positive valid status to the geolocation data it has stored. Additionally, the computer processing unit schedules the transmission of the next activation signal of the geolocation device and does so upon the expiration of the validity of the geolocation data.

[0066] It should be noted here that the period of positive valid status is clearly shorter than the fixed time interval during which the processing unit is configured to transmit the wake-up signal for the geolocation device.

[0067] In this situation, the processing unit of item B starts searching for the geolocation data at time t when the validity status of the geolocation data of item A is negative.

[0068] Thus, when the processing unit of item B initiates communication with the computer processing unit of item A, no valid geolocation data is detected within item A.

[0069] This causes the processing unit of item B to send an activation signal to the geolocation device of item B, which then begins communicating with the satellite to obtain geolocation data, which is then assigned a positive valid status and stored in the computer processing unit of item B.

[0070] It is then the turn of the computer processing unit of item A to start searching for geolocation data. The computer processing unit of item A will then proceed according to the steps already described for the computer processing unit of package B.

[0071] Of course, the geolocation data of the article can be transmitted to the computer platform 6. This can be initiated at any time, either periodically by the computer processing unit of the article, or at a request of the computer platform directed to the computer processing unit of the article.

Claims

1. At least two items to be geolocated; a computer platform; Each item is A computer recognition code; A first wireless proximity communication means capable of communicating with a first wireless proximity communication means of another item; A second long distance communication means; A geolocation device; a processing unit configured to transmit a wake-up signal of said geolocation device at regular time intervals, capable of receiving and storing geolocation data provided by said geolocation device, and configured to assign it a positive valid status for a predetermined period of time and a negative valid status after said predetermined period of time, said computer platform includes at least one database relating to said articles listing said computer identification codes of all said articles, and includes a third long-range communication means operable to communicate with said second long-range communication means of said articles; The processing unit of one of the articles, prior to transmitting the activation signal, Opening a channel of communication with another article via the wireless proximity communication means; reading the validity status of the other item; if the valid status of the other item is positive, receive geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other item and maintain the geolocation device in an inactive state; 4. A geolocation system, comprising: a processing unit for processing the other item; a computer platform for transmitting the geolocation data provided by the processing unit of the other item to the computer platform;

2. 2. The geolocation system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit of one item is configured to receive the positive valid status of the other item along with the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other item.

3. 3. The geolocation system of claim 2, wherein the processing unit of one item is configured to receive the positive validity status of the other item along with a remaining validity period.

4. 4. The geolocation system of claim 3, wherein the processing unit of one of the articles is configured to time the transmission of an activation signal of the geolocation device at the end of the remaining validity period.

5. 5. The geolocation system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the remaining validity period of a valid status is at least less than twice the time interval separating two activation signals.

6. 6. The geolocation system of claim 5, comprising N articles, said remaining period of valid status being less than N times the time interval separating two activation signals.

7. 2. The geolocation system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit of one of the items is configured to transmit the geolocation data provided by the geolocation device and the computer recognition code of the item to the computer platform following transmission of the activation signal.

8. 8. The geolocation system of claim 7, wherein the processing unit of one item is configured to receive the computer recognition code of the other item along with the geolocation data stored in the processing unit of the other item.

9. The article comprises: The processing unit; The identification code; The first wireless proximity communication means; the second long distance communication means; 2. The geolocation system of claim 1, further comprising a package including embedded devices each including said geolocation device and said embedded devices.

Images