Safety-Classified Zone Tracking Device Operation via Community Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tracking systems struggle to locate lost or stolen tracking devices when the user's mobile device is out of communication range, limiting the effectiveness of tracking and recovery.
Innovation Solution
A tracking system that leverages a community of users' mobile devices to detect and relay the location of a lost tracking device, using a cloud server to manage user profiles and community devices, and employs zone and area management to optimize tracking behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tracking device relies on the user's mobile device for location tracking, then the system remains simple and direct, but the tracking device cannot be located when the user's mobile device is out of communication range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud server as an intermediary between the tracking device and the user's mobile device. The cloud server receives location data from the tracking device and relays it to the user, enabling tracking even when the user's mobile device is out of direct communication range with the tracking device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tracking system into independent components: the tracking device that collects location data, the cloud server that stores and manages data, and the user's mobile device that requests and displays location information. This segmentation allows each component to function independently, improving reliability when direct communication between tracking device and user is unavailable.
2Reliability
If the tracking device continuously transmits location data to extend tracking range, then the tracking effectiveness improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic transmission of location data instead of continuous transmission. The tracking device transmits location information at predetermined time intervals to the cloud server, reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective tracking. The system can adjust transmission frequency based on tracking requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where the cloud server acknowledges receipt of location data and can request additional information when needed. This allows the tracking device to reduce transmission frequency during normal operation while maintaining tracking effectiveness when data is requested.
Data Source
AI summary
Tracking devices can be associated with safe zones, smart zones, and high risk zones. Safe zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the safe zone is lower than outside the safe zone. High risk zones correspond to regions where a likelihood that a tracking device is lost within the high risk zone is higher than outside the high risk zone. Smart zones correspond to an expected tracking device, mobile device, or user behavior. Home areas are geographic regions in which a user resides, and travel areas are geographic regions in which a user does not reside. A tracking device can be configured to operate in a mode selected based on a presence of the tracking device within a safe zone, a smart zone, a high risk zone, a home area, or a travel area.