Grouped Asset Tracking With Master Device Location Reporting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing asset tracking systems face issues of network congestion and unnecessary battery consumption due to multiple tracking devices transmitting location data simultaneously, leading to latency and inefficient battery usage.
Innovation Solution
A method where a server designates a master device within a group of tracking devices associated with a multi-unit vehicle to transmit location data while other slave devices enter a sleep mode to conserve battery life and reduce network congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple tracking devices transmit location data simultaneously, then location tracking coverage is improved, but network congestion and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple tracking devices into groups where only one device (the master device) transmits location data for the entire group. This merging approach maintains location tracking coverage while eliminating redundant transmissions that cause network congestion and latency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments tracking devices into groups associated with the same moving unit, and designates a master device for each group to represent the group's location. This segmentation reduces the number of simultaneous transmissions while preserving tracking coverage.
2Reliability
If multiple tracking devices transmit location data simultaneously, then location tracking coverage is improved, but battery life consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple tracking devices into groups where only the master device actively transmits location data. The slave devices conserve battery life by remaining in a low-power state, while still benefiting from the location tracking coverage provided by the master device.
Solution Approach 2:
The slave devices serve the dual purpose of maintaining location tracking coverage through their presence in the system while simultaneously conserving their own battery life by not actively transmitting data. They leverage the master device's transmissions to fulfill their tracking function.
3Reliability
If multiple tracking devices transmit location data simultaneously, then location tracking coverage is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple tracking devices into groups where only one master device transmits location data for the entire group. This merging dramatically reduces the quantity of data transmissions over the network while preserving comprehensive location tracking coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments devices into groups and designates a single representative (master device) per group to transmit location data. This segmentation reduces network bandwidth consumption by eliminating redundant transmissions from individual slave devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and system for tracking assets. A server receives, via wireless communication, from each of a plurality of tracking devices, adjacent device data for that tracking device regarding one or more detected nearby tracking devices and an estimated distance measurement to each detected nearby tracking device. The server determines from the adjacent device data that a subset of the plurality of tracking devices are in a group associated with a multi-unit vehicle. The server selects at least one of the tracking devices in the subset as a master device. The other tracking devices in the subset are slave devices. The master device is to send location data to the server via its wireless data connection. The slave devices are to forego sending communications to the server via their respective wireless data connections.