Geofence Boundary Detection Using Telematics Control Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing geofence systems for tracked assets incur high power usage and wireless transmission bandwidth costs due to periodic location updates, and may result in unnecessary resource allocation for assistance services when the asset has not moved outside a predetermined boundary.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a telematics control unit (TCU) with GPS and cellular capabilities to establish a geofence boundary based on the current location of the asset, reducing unnecessary data transmissions and conserving battery life by only transmitting location data when the asset crosses the boundary, and allowing for remote or local determination of the boundary definition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If periodic location transmissions are used to determine geofence boundary crossing, then the geofence boundary can be monitored accurately, but power usage and wireless transmission bandwidth increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing the geofence boundary parameters (coordinates, radius) and storing them in the tracking device before actual monitoring begins. This allows the device to independently determine boundary crossings without needing to transmit position data for every comparison, reducing periodic transmissions while maintaining accurate detection capability.
2Measurement precision
If periodic location transmissions are used to determine geofence boundary crossing, then the geofence boundary can be monitored accurately, but wireless transmission bandwidth usage increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential boundary definition parameters (coordinates, radius) from the full position data and transmits only these minimal parameters to the tracking device. This extraction approach allows boundary crossing detection to be performed with minimal data transmission, maintaining accuracy while significantly reducing wireless bandwidth consumption.
3Measurement precision
If the asset is tracked continuously to detect boundary crossing, then accurate tracking is achieved, but battery life is reduced due to frequent transmissions
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous transmission, the system implements periodic action by transmitting position data only at intervals when the asset reports its location or when movement is detected. The boundary crossing determination is performed by comparing these periodic position reports against the pre-stored boundary parameters, maintaining tracking accuracy while extending battery life by avoiding constant transmissions.
4Speed
If service providers allocate resources based on emergency calls, then rapid response is achieved, but resources may be wasted if the asset has not actually moved outside the boundary
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by automatically generating and transmitting boundary crossing alerts only when the asset actually crosses the geofence boundary. The tracking device continuously monitors its position against the stored boundary parameters and provides feedback to the service provider only when a crossing event occurs, ensuring rapid response is triggered only when necessary and avoiding wasted resource allocation for false alarms.
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
This approach reduces airtime and battery drain while ensuring accurate tracking and resource allocation by only transmitting data when the asset has moved outside the defined boundary, thereby optimizing power usage and minimizing unnecessary service deployments.
Implementation Method 1
A typical tracking device existing in the art uses a global positioning satellite ('GPS') to determine the current location of the device
Data Source
AI summary
An asset's TCU, or a mobile device coupled thereto, receives and stores geographical boundary definitions to a memory. A processor uses the boundary definition to determine an initial-location boundary based on the definition and the current location of the TCU at the time it received the boundary request message. As the TCU's GPS unit generates location information, the processor retrieves the initial-location boundary definition from the memory and compares the current location from the GPS receiver to it according to an algorithm. If the processor determines that the current location of the vehicle has crossed the boundary, the processor generates an alert message, which may be an e-mail, SMS, telephonic, internet, IM, or other electronic message indicating that an asset crossed the boundary, and sends it wirelessly using a transceiver to a central computer for further processing, or directly to another device, according to a notification destination identifier.