Low-Frequency Security Tag for Cell Phone Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The enforcement of cell phone bans in secure areas, such as high-security Department of Energy sites, is challenging due to the widespread use of cell phones, leading to unintentional security breaches.
Innovation Solution
A security tag with a RuBee™-enabled low-frequency radio transceiver and microcontroller is affixed to mobile phones to monitor, track, and secure them within protected regions, preventing unauthorized removal by emitting a signal when exiting the secure area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cell phones are banned in secure areas, then security is improved, but enforcement becomes difficult due to widespread phone usage
Solution Approach 1:
The system attaches tracking tags to cell phones before they enter secure areas. The tags are pre-configured with identification data and continuously transmit location information, enabling proactive monitoring rather than reactive enforcement. This preliminary tracking action allows security personnel to identify and address potential violations before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary tracking system that mediates between the cell phones and security personnel. The tracking tags serve as intermediaries that automatically collect, process, and transmit location data, eliminating the need for manual monitoring and simplifying enforcement while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If tracking tags are attached to cell phones, then unauthorized removal can be prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking tag integrates multiple functions into a single device: identification storage, wireless communication, and location tracking. By merging these separate functions into one compact unit, the system reduces overall complexity compared to using separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking tag operates autonomously, continuously transmitting its own location data without requiring manual intervention. The self-service nature of the tag eliminates the need for complex manual tracking procedures and reduces the operational complexity of the security system.
3Reliability
If low-frequency radio signals are used for tracking, then communication through metal and water is improved, but signal penetration capability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses low-frequency radio signals (below 1 MHz) instead of higher frequencies. This parameter change in frequency allows the signals to penetrate metal and water more effectively, overcoming the harmful interference that would occur with higher frequencies while maintaining reliable communication for tracking purposes.
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
The solution effectively prevents unauthorized cell phone removals from secure areas, ensuring data protection and maintaining security protocols, even in environments with metal interference, with a battery life of up to 15 years and reliable communication through water and steel.
Implementation Method 1
a tag antenna operable at a low radio frequency not exceeding one megahertz; a tag transceiver operatively connected to the device antenna, the transceiver operable to receive radio signals at the low radio frequency
Data Source
AI summary
A security tag affixed to a mobile phone for monitoring, tracking, and securing the mobile phone within a protected region. The security tag includes: a tag antenna operable at a low radio frequency not exceeding one megahertz; a tag transceiver operatively connected to the device antenna, the transceiver operable to receive radio signals at the low radio frequency and generate data signals at the said low radio frequency, in response thereto; and a microcontroller operatively coupled with the transceiver, the microcontroller being configured to cause the transceiver to emit a signal when the mobile phone is exiting the protected region.