Container Tracking Mesh Communication Through Stacked Metal Walls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for tracking intermodal shipping containers face challenges due to electromagnetic interference from stacking, which prevents data transmission and allows tampering without detection, and require physical modifications that compromise the container's structure.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables data communication from inside the container to an external unit on the outside without drilling holes or physical connections, using a mesh network and wireless communication to transmit data through a Faraday cage effect, allowing tracking and tampering detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical connections or drilling holes are used to install tracking devices, then data transmission capability is improved, but container structure integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical connection methods (drilling holes, physical cabling) with wireless communication technology. Tracking devices use wireless transmitters to communicate container status data without any physical penetration of the container structure, thereby maintaining structural integrity while achieving reliable data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wireless signals as an intermediary medium to transfer data between the tracking device inside the container and external receivers. This intermediary enables data transmission without requiring direct physical connections or structural modifications to the container.
2Productivity
If containers are stacked for transport efficiency, then productivity is improved, but electromagnetic signal transmission is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking device incorporates multiple communication methods (wireless transmission, mesh networking, alternative signal paths) to ensure data can be transmitted through various conditions including stacked container environments. This multi-functional approach allows the system to adapt to different transport scenarios while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes mesh network connections and alternative communication paths in advance before containers are stacked. By pre-configuring multiple transmission routes and using wireless technology that can penetrate or route around obstacles, the system ensures continuous data transmission capability even when containers are stacked for efficient transport.
3Strength
If wireless communication is used to avoid physical modifications, then container structure integrity is maintained, but data transmission through stacked containers is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication system into a mesh network of multiple tracking devices and external receivers. This segmentation creates multiple independent communication paths, so if one path is blocked by stacked containers, data can still transmit through alternative paths via other tracking devices or receivers in the network.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effective tracking and tampering prevention without modifying the container's structure, ensuring data integrity and security during transit.
Implementation Method 1
using a mesh network and wireless communication to transmit data through a Faraday cage effect
Implementation Method 2
these containers are made of metal, create a Faraday cage effect whereby electromagnetic signals are difficult or impossible to transmit
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing data includes: initiating, by a communications unit (CU) processor of a CU, a communication module (CM); establishing, by the CM, a communication link (CL) to a management infrastructure (MI) over a network; notifying, by the CM, the CU processor about the CL; after the notifying: framing, by the processor, data that is received from a proximity wireless communication module (PWCM) based on a protocol of the CL to generate framed data, in which the PWCM has received the data from a second PWCM; transmitting, by the processor, the framed data to the MI over the CL; making, by the processor, a determination that the CL needs to be terminated; directing, by the processor, a communications manager of the CU to terminate the CL and to manage power consumption in the CU.