HK1155011A - Mobile wireless network for asset tracking and supply chain monitoring - Google Patents

Description

Mobile wireless network for asset tracking and supply chain monitoring

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a method, system and mobile sensor node for asset tracking and supply chain monitoring, and more particularly to a method and system for collecting and saving information from a mobile sensor node attached to a good when a single asset tag is stolen or removed from the good.

Background

Inventory theft, commonly referred to as "shrinkage," is a significant problem facing manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. In addition to losses incurred by shoplifting, supply chain theft is also increasingly becoming a major source of losses. It is very difficult to deal with supply chain theft because theft often occurs during transportation or while the goods are in storage, when the goods are accessible to thieves and the theft cannot be easily detected. It is also difficult and expensive to perform inventory checks of goods at sufficient points in the supply chain to identify when and where a theft has occurred in order to establish a complaint case.

RFID systems are intended to help manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers deal with supply chain theft by providing inventory handling of goods at a lower cost. By using RFID tags on entire pallets or cases of goods during storage or transportation, theft of entire pallets or cases of goods can be detected. By using item-level RFID tags, theft of individually packaged goods can be detected. Passive RFID tags may be used only to check inventory at various points in the supply chain.

Currently, active RFID tags may include integrated sensors that can be used to monitor vibration or environmental conditions of the cargo. The monitoring system uses this information to determine whether the cargo has been subjected to impacts, vibrations, or other extreme environmental conditions that may damage the cargo. By time stamping any alarm or alarm condition triggered by these sensors, law enforcement or other authorized personnel can determine when damage occurred. However, these sensors cannot be used to determine when a thief is present because the relevant information is actually stored on the RFID tag. Thus, when the goods are stolen, the active RFID tag, including all stored information, is lost.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system that can gather and maintain information about goods so that the stored information can be retrieved even if individual property tags are stolen or removed from the goods.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention advantageously provides a method, mobile sensor node and system for monitoring a supply chain. In general, the present invention advantageously provides a method for monitoring supply chain location by attaching mobile sensor nodes to respective items being monitored. The mobile sensor node automatically establishes a mesh network (mesh) and periodically transmits status information regarding all mobile sensor nodes in the mesh network. The state information is retained by all mobile sensor nodes in the mesh network so that even if one or more mobile sensor nodes are lost, damaged or destroyed, the remaining nodes can determine that a condition has occurred when the affected node or nodes cease communication.

One aspect of the present invention provides a method for supply chain monitoring in a manner that establishes a communication network that includes a plurality of mobile sensor nodes. Status information for each mobile sensor node is transmitted periodically. Each mobile sensor node receives status information of at least one other mobile sensor node in the communication network. A log file including the received status information is compiled and stored in the mobile sensor node that received the corresponding status information.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a system for supply chain monitoring. The system comprises: a plurality of mobile sensor nodes, each mobile sensor node communicatively coupled to at least one other mobile sensor node; a data acquisition server; and a network bridge. A network bridge is communicatively coupled to the data collection server and at least one mobile sensor node of the plurality of mobile sensor nodes. The network bridge is operative to receive at least one log file containing status information for each mobile sensor node and to transmit the log file to a data collection server.

According to yet another aspect, the invention provides a mobile sensor node in a communication network for supply chain monitoring. The mobile sensor node includes a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The transceiver is operative to receive status information of other mobile sensor nodes in the communication network and to periodically transmit status information of each mobile sensor node in the communication network. The processor is operative to compile a log file including status information for each mobile sensor node in the communication network. The memory stores a log file.

Drawings

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile sensor mesh network constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile sensor node constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile sensor mesh network data acquisition system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary sensor bridge node constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram illustrating the role of each participant in the supply chain in tracking and monitoring assets in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an exemplary mobile asset tracking process performed by a mobile sensor node according to the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of another exemplary mobile asset tracking process performed by a mobile sensor node according to the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an exemplary mobile asset tracking process performed by a sensor bridge node according to the principles of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it is noted that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus components and processes related to implementing a system and method for collecting and maintaining information about goods such that the stored information can be retrieved even when individual property tags are stolen or removed from the goods. Accordingly, the system and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

As used herein, relational terms, such as "first" and "second," "top" and "bottom," and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or component from another entity or component without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or components. Additionally, as used herein and in the appended claims, the term "Zigbee (Zigbee)" relates to a series of advanced wireless communication protocols as defined by the institute of electrical and electronics engineers ("IEEE") standard 802.15.4. Further, "Wi-Fi" refers to a communication standard defined by IEEE 802.11. "Ethernet (Ethernet)" refers to a communication standard defined by IEEE 802.3. The term "WiMAX" refers to a communication protocol defined in accordance with IEEE 802.16. "Bluetooth (BLUETOOTH)" refers to an industry specification for a wireless personal area network ("PAN") developed by the Bluetooth Special interest group (BLUETOOTH).

One embodiment of the present invention advantageously provides a system and method that employs a mobile sensor mesh network to detect and record the presence or absence of every other node in its vicinity and the approximate time that these nodes enter or leave their vicinity on each distributed network node, thereby enabling asset tracking and supply chain monitoring.

In an alternative embodiment, the system may share and store information about other nodes in a distributed manner, such that the collection of each node has a large collection of data indicating when items are linked together or separated from each other. At various points along the supply chain, the system reads the collection of nodes to reconstruct the shipping history of the product and is able to determine when items have separated from the group to identify shrinkage in the supply chain.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in fig. 1, an exemplary mobile sensor mesh network constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated generally as "10". The mobile sensor mesh network 10 includes a plurality of mobile sensor nodes 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d (collectively referred to as mobile sensor nodes 12) for monitoring the status of individual items or groups of goods. Although only four mobile sensor nodes 12 are shown in fig. 1 for illustration, the mobile sensor mesh network 10 may include hundreds or even thousands of individual sensor nodes 12. For example, groups of goods are often packaged together in bulk shipping containers such as boxes, cases, or pallets to facilitate efficient shipping. The mobile sensor node 12 may be disposed on or attached to each item or group of items.

Each mobile sensor node 12 communicates with all other mobile sensor nodes 12 within communication range, forming a mesh network 10 of individual sensor nodes 12. The mobile sensor nodes 12 communicate with each other and/or with network bridge nodes (see fig. 3), which may be conducted using any combination of commonly used wired and/or wireless communication protocols, such as transmission control protocol/internet protocol ("TCP/IP"), time division multiple access ("TDMA"), global system for mobile communications ("GSM"), general packet radio service ("GPRS"), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution ("EDGE"), third generation protocols ("3G"), 4G, EvDO, CDMA, ethernet, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, zigbee, bluetooth, and so forth.

The data collected by one of the sensor nodes 12 is shared by other nodes 12 in the vicinity, so that if one sensor node 12 is lost, for example, in the event of a theft, its data is retained by the other sensor nodes 12 in its vicinity. For example, the mobile sensor mesh network 10 may be formed by arranging the mobile sensor nodes 12 on each pallet loaded onto a truck or other transport container. By having each individual mobile sensor node 12 share its information with all other nodes 12 in the vicinity, all sensors maintain a log of the data collected. By reading time information or other sensor data, such as a notification of an alarm condition, the time and geographic location of the mobile sensor node during the alarm condition, the time and geographic location of the last communication with the lost mobile sensor node, and so forth, this data can be used to determine useful information about what has happened to the goods during transportation or warehousing. Since the data is stored together, useful information is not lost if the sensor node 12 is stolen along with the goods.

Alternatively, in the case of a network having hundreds or thousands of sensor nodes 12, an efficient method for distributing data storage may be more complex than having all sensor nodes 12 store all data. In this case, data redundancy would allow data to be randomly distributed among the sensor nodes 12 such that the likelihood of any piece of data being lost in the event that one or more nodes are stolen or compromised is statistically below an acceptable risk threshold. As the collection capacity of the nodes 12 gets larger, the amount of random data dissemination that can be utilized increases. The data dissemination process has the effect of reducing the physical storage requirements of the individual nodes 12.

An alternative approach for improving data storage requirements is to allow the sensor nodes 12 to randomly reduce the temporal resolution of the stored data. For example, where the mobile sensor mesh network 10 is in the supply chain and the status of all sensors is "quiet" (i.e., all nodes are logged therein and no significant events are recorded), individual sensor nodes 12 can randomly reduce the time domain resolution of the data for these time periods. Since each node 12 randomly deletes data in the time domain, it is likely that some data for these quiet periods will still remain in the acquisition memory of the network 10. In this case, the granularity of the data may be reduced, but because this is a "quiet" period, the risk of losing useful data is low.

Referring now to fig. 2, an exemplary mobile sensor node 12 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention may include a processor 14 (e.g., a microprocessor), a real-time clock 16, a power supply 18, a network radio 20 (e.g., a transceiver), memory 22 (which may include non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), and one or more on-board sensors 24. The real time clock 16 is used to correlate events detected by the on-board sensors 24 with the actual time at which the event occurred. The processor 14 controls radio communication, sleep and wake modes, reads from on-board sensors 24, stores data in the memory 22, and enables communication of the stored data with other sensor nodes 12. A power source 18, such as a battery, is self-contained and powers the mobile sensor node 12. The power supply 18 may include recharging between calls to provide the supply chain with the mobile sensor mesh network 10. The network radio 20 communicates with other sensor nodes 12 and bridge nodes (see FIG. 3) by transmitting and receiving radio frequency ("RF") communication signals via an antenna 26 in a known manner.

The memory 22 may include a log file 28, the log file 28 including data generated by the processor 14 and/or data received from other sensor nodes 12. Additionally, the memory may include a mesh network monitoring module 29, the mesh network monitoring module 29 containing program instructions for monitoring the mesh network 10. The operation of the mesh network monitoring module 29 will be discussed in more detail below.

The on-board sensors 24 may be used to measure environmental conditions. These environmental conditions may include various parameters such as acceleration, temperature, light, humidity, spatial orientation, vibration, etc., depending on the requirements and adaptations of the particular implementation. The mobile sensor node 12 may also include a global positioning system ("GPS") receiver 30 to provide GPS location information.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile sensor mesh network data acquisition system 32 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The mobile sensor mesh network data acquisition system 32 connects sensor network bridge nodes 34 (one shown) to a central data acquisition server 36. The network bridge node 34 may communicate with a local data collection server 38 (such as a transport and receiving server) located in one of the facilities of the supply chain, the local data collection server 38 communicating with the central data collection server 36 over a wide area network ("WAN") 40. The network bridge node 34 is operable to communicate with the mobile sensor nodes 12 and collect data at various points within the supply chain. The data collection servers 36, 38 collect data from the sensor network bridge nodes 34 and analyze the data to identify losses and identify suspicious behavior for further investigation. The data collection servers 36, 38 include one or more collection databases (not shown) or may be communicatively coupled to one or more external collection databases (not shown).

The wide area network 40 may include the internet, an intranet, or other communication network. Although the communication network is depicted in fig. 3 as a WAN, the principles of the present invention may also be applied to other forms of communication networks, such as personal area networks ("PANs"), local area networks ("LANs"), campus area networks ("CANs"), metropolitan area networks ("MANs"), etc., such as the internet or an intranet. Alternatively, the network bridge node 34 may communicate directly with the central data collection server 36 via the WAN 40.

In addition, the mobile sensor mesh network data acquisition system 32 may include optional devices such as a radio frequency identification ("RFID") reader 42, a barcode scanner 44, and other user devices 46 that may provide data to the data acquisition system 32.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a network bridge node 34 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is used to communicate with individual mobile sensor nodes 12 and to collect information stored in each of these sensor nodes 12. The network bridge node may include a microprocessor 48 that may be communicatively coupled to at least a network radio 50, a memory 52, a communication interface 54, and a power source 56. The microprocessor 48 supervises and performs various functions of the sensor bridge node 34, including communicating with individual mobile sensor nodes 12, storing data to the memory 52, and other functions described herein. The network radio 50 communicates with the mobile sensor node 12 via an antenna 58 in a known manner. A power source 56, such as a battery or other DC or AC power input, powers the sensor bridge node 34.

The memory 52 may be used to store information locally and includes a data correlation module 60, the data correlation module 60 containing program instructions for collecting, organizing and reporting data collected from the mobile sensor nodes 12 and related data recorded in the log file 53. The operation of the data correlation module 60 will be discussed in more detail below. The memory 52 may be a non-volatile memory including, but not limited to, a hard disk drive, memory stick, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory ("EEPROM"), flash memory, and the like. Further, the memory 52 may be some form of volatile memory, such as RAM, in place of, or in addition to, non-volatile memory.

The communication interface 54 controls the sensor bridge node 34 to exchange information with other devices, such as the local server 38 and/or the central data acquisition server 36, the wide area network 40, or other communication networks (not shown), for example, via the transmission control protocol/internet protocol ("TCP/IP") in a well-known manner.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary process flow is provided that illustrates the role of each participant in the supply chain in tracking and monitoring assets in accordance with the principles of the present invention. At the distributor location 62, the mobile sensor node 12 is inserted into a cargo shipping container, pallet or box (step S102). The sensor nodes 12 are registered in the database of the central data collection server 36 with information relating to the respective goods being transported with the sensor nodes 12 (step S104). The sensor nodes 12 exchange status data and automatically form a network that begins to record information regarding the presence and status of other sensor nodes 12 in detectable proximity (step S106). At this point, the sensor node 12 may be read by the bridge node 34 (step S108) to register the data in the system database prior to shipment (step S110).

During transit (S112), the mobile sensor nodes 12 continue to periodically communicate with each other and continue to store information relating to the presence and status of other sensor nodes in detectable proximity therewith. If one of the sensor nodes 12 is removed from the shipment, data relating to the previous presence and status of that node is stored on the other nodes 12 in the shipment. Additionally, the on-board sensors 24 may be used to detect changes in the condition of the package to determine whether the package has been tampered with during transit. This information may also be stored in the mobile sensor node 12 to detect tampering.

The transported goods are received at the warehouse 64 (step S114). At this point, the network bridge node 34 reads the mobile sensor node 12 and enters the data stored in the individual node 12 into the system database (step S116). The shipped goods may then be sent to a warehouse (step S118).

During warehousing (step S120), the mobile sensor nodes 12 may continue to periodically communicate with each other, again collectively storing information regarding the presence and status of other sensor nodes 12 in the vicinity. Also, the on-board sensor 24 may be used to detect changes in the condition of the package to detect tampering. At some point, the goods are removed from the warehouse and sent to the retailer 66.

At the retailer 66, during normal business operations, the shipping container is pulled open so that the item can be sold (step S122). And, the mobile sensor node 12 is read through the bridge network node 34, and the data stored in the individual node 12 is entered into the system database (step S124). The mobile sensor node 12 is removed from the shipping crate, pallet, or case package and sent back to the distributor for use in the next shipment (step S126). The single item library is then stored for sale on the retailer' S shelf (step S128).

The central data collection server 36 receives data from the bridge network node 34 (step S130). The received data may include a composite log of data collected from the individual sensor nodes 12. The central server processes the data from the individual sensor nodes 12 to detect anomalies or other data indicative of theft or tampering (step S132). The data may then be analyzed to generate suspicious activity reports (step S134) or loss records (step S136), which may include time, event type, GPS location data, and other useful information about when the loss or suspicious activity occurred during transportation or warehousing.

One embodiment of the present invention includes conserving power by allowing the mobile sensor node 12 to operate in a sleep mode during periods of infrequent activity. However, it is important that the system 10 be able to wake up when a significant event occurs. There are several ways in which data storage may be allowed, however, exemplary embodiments of the present invention include the ability to have one or more sensor nodes 12 in a "wake" state at all times so that these wake nodes 12 can log events occurring on other nodes to enable sensor data to be stored collectively even if one sensor node is stolen. One method for providing one or more sensor nodes 12 in an awake state is to assign a "duty-person duty" period to each sensor node 12 in a round-robin (roundbin) manner so that one or more sensor nodes are always on duty.

Fig. 6 provides an exemplary operational flow diagram that describes steps performed by the mesh network monitoring module 29 of an individual mobile sensor node 12 to actively monitor the entire mobile sensor mesh network 10. The mobile sensor node 12 propagates its status information (step S138). The status information may include mobile sensor node identifiers, current alarm conditions, time, GPS location, temperature, etc. If the mobile sensor mesh network 10 is not operating in the watchman mode (step S140), this information may be received by all other mobile sensor nodes 12 of the mobile sensor mesh network 10. In addition, the individual sensor node 12 receives the status information of all other neighboring sensor nodes 12 within the detectable range and stores the information in the log file 28 (step S142). The mobile sensor node 12 waits a predetermined time interval (step S144) before re-propagating its state information (step S138).

If the mobile sensor mesh network 10 is operating in the watchman mode (step S140) and it is time for the sensor node 12 to perform watchman responsibilities (step S146), then the sensor node 12 enters the "watchman" mode (step S148). The flowchart of FIG. 7 provides details of one exemplary implementation of the watchman mode, and will be discussed in more detail below.

If it is not time for the sensor node 12 to perform the accountant responsibility (step S146), the sensor node 12 "sleeps" for a predetermined amount of time. During sleep, the sensor node 12 operates in a reduced power mode in which most of its components are shut down or in a standby mode that consumes little current. For example, local oscillators and amplifiers in the network radio 20 and GPS receiver 30 are disabled, and the microprocessor 14 and/or memory 22 may disable certain functions to consume less power. However, the selected on-board sensor 24 may remain active at all times, which enables the sensor node 12 to detect an alarm condition. Further, the microprocessor 14 may periodically enable sufficient resources even during sleep mode to allow the sensor node 12 to receive alarm notifications from the currently responsible "attendee" node.

If the sensor node 12 detects an alarm condition (step S152), the sensor node 12 propagates its alarm information and/or receives alarm information from the attendant node, depending on whether it detects an alarm condition for the individual node or whether it receives an alarm notification from the attendant node (step S154).

As long as the sensor node 12 does not detect an alarm condition (step S152), it will remain in sleep mode until a predetermined time without waking up (step S156). When the sensor node wakes up, it again propagates its state information (step S138). By each sensor node 12 in the mobile sensor mesh network 10 operating in the manner described above, each node 12 maintains a complete log of status information for each sensor node 12 of the mesh network 10 throughout the period in which the network 10 is functioning (e.g., during transit, warehousing, etc.). Thus, even if one node 12 is disabled, stolen, or damaged, the remaining sensor nodes 12 have a record containing an accurate history of the missing nodes.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a flowchart is provided detailing an exemplary method of operation of the sensor node 12 operating in the "people on duty" mode. While in accountability, the sensor node is continuously on standby to receive information from the individual sensor node 12 (step S158). When the attendant node receives information from the individual sensor node 12 (step S160), it stores the received information locally in the log file 28 (step S162). If the received individual sensor node information indicates that the sensor node 12 is in an alarm condition (step S164), the attendant node wakes up all other sensor nodes 12 in the mesh network 10 and propagates an alarm notification containing information about the alarm condition (step S166).

As long as the attendant node does not detect an alarm condition (step S164), it propagates the information to the individual sensor node 12 for all neighboring sensor nodes to receive and enter (since the individual node 12 was last awakened) (step S168). When the predetermined amount of time for the sensor node 12 to perform the duty of the attendant elapses (step S170), the sensor node 12 returns to the normal operation mode (step S172). Otherwise, the sensor node 12 continues to stand by to receive information from other respective sensor nodes 12 (step S158).

Alternatively, as an alternative to actively waking up other nodes 12 upon detection of an alarm condition (step S164), the attendant node may merely continuously passively collect information from the plurality of sensor nodes 12 and transmit a notification of the alarm condition as part of the information transmitted during normal operation.

Fig. 8 provides an exemplary operational flow diagram depicting steps performed by the network bridge node 34 for collecting, consolidating, and reporting information related to the mobile sensor mesh network 10. The network bridge node 34 interrogates one of the individual sensor nodes 12 of the mobile sensor mesh network 10, requesting that this sensor node 12 transmit its log file 28 (step S174). The network bridge node 34 receives the log file 28 from the sensor node (step S176) and stores the log file 28 locally in the memory 52 (step S178). If there are other sensor nodes 12 in the mesh network 10 that have not yet been queried (step S180), the network bridge node 34 may optionally repeat the above process for all, or some, of the sensor nodes 12 in the mobile sensor mesh network 10.

In addition, if more than one log file 28 has been received from the individual sensor nodes 12, the network bridge node 34 merges these log files 28 into a composite log file 53 (step S182) and removes any redundant events from the composite log 53 (step S184). The network bridge node 34 transmits the synthetic log 53 to the central data collection server 36 and/or the local data collection server 38 as appropriate (step S186).

Embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide a method and apparatus for collectively storing information in a mobile sensor node 12 to preserve data even when the node is stolen, damaged, or tampered with. Thus, even when the actual components of the system are lost, information and evidence about the lost or stolen item can be preserved.

In addition, embodiments of the present invention advantageously utilize a round-robin "duty-on-duty" approach for power conservation, while allowing each mobile sensor node 12 to be able to sleep most of the time. The duty-on approach for power conservation allows the mobile sensor mesh network 10 to be utilized efficiently without the need to assign a high-power coordinator. This also enables the system to operate without a single point of failure of the coordinator.

With the development of chipsets and protocols for wireless sensor network communications, such as zigbee or bluetooth, low cost, low power communication nodes are possible. The wireless sensor nodes 12 can be utilized efficiently at a sufficiently low cost that is attractive for supply chain monitoring on a shipping container or pallet level, even on a per-bin level. Such devices can also be effectively used in the following situations: goods with high value or being easily stolen are in the process of transportation, and the loss prevention expert is beginning to complain.

The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Any kind of computing system, or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein, is suited to perform the functions described herein.

A typical combination of hardware and software could be a specialized or general purpose computer system having one or more processing elements and a computer program stored on a storage medium that, when loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which-when loaded in a computing system-is able to carry out these methods. Storage medium refers to any volatile or non-volatile memory device.

Computer program or application in the context of the present invention refers to any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduced in different physical forms.

In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. It will be evident that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and accordingly, reference should be had to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. A method of supply chain monitoring, the method comprising:

establishing a communication network, the communication network comprising a plurality of mobile sensor nodes;

periodically transmitting status information for each mobile sensor node;

each mobile sensor node receiving status information of at least one other mobile sensor node in the communication network;

editing a log file, wherein the log file comprises the received state information; and

storing the log file in the mobile sensor node that received the corresponding status information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing the plurality of mobile sensor nodes on respective items being monitored.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of mobile sensor nodes are secured to respective items being monitored during transport.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting each log file from each mobile sensor node to an acquisition data server; and

merging the log files from each mobile sensor node into a composite log file.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying at least one of a discrepancy and an alert notification in the synthetic log file; and

reporting at least one of the identified discrepancy and the alert notification.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of mobile sensor nodes operates in a watchman mode, the method further comprising placing mobile sensor nodes that are not operating in the watchman mode in a sleep mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the mobile sensor nodes periodically operates in the figure of merit mode.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the watchman mode comprises:

operating in a standby mode to receive the status information from at least one of the plurality of mobile sensor nodes; and

it is determined whether the mobile sensor node is in an alarm condition based on the received status information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in response to determining that the mobile sensor node is in an alarm condition, the watchman mode further comprises:

waking up all other mobile sensor nodes of the communication network from a sleep mode; and

sending a notification of the alarm condition.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the watchman mode further comprises:

transmitting all status information received from other ones of the plurality of mobile sensor nodes in the communication network since the previous receipt of the status information from the mobile sensor node;

transmitting status information of the mobile sensor node operating in a watchman mode; and

in response to determining that the mobile sensor node is in an alarm condition, transmitting a notification of the alarm condition.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information includes at least one of a mobile sensor node identifier, a current alarm condition, a time, a GPS location, and a temperature.

12. A system for supply chain monitoring, the system comprising:

a plurality of mobile sensor nodes;

a data acquisition server; and

a network bridge communicably coupled to the data collection server and at least one mobile sensor node of the plurality of mobile sensor nodes, the network bridge operative to:

receiving at least one log file containing status information for each mobile sensor node; and

and transmitting the log file to the data acquisition server.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a communication network comprising at least some of the plurality of mobile sensor nodes, each mobile sensor node being operable to:

periodically transmitting status information;

receiving status information of at least one other mobile sensor node in the communication network;

editing a log file, wherein the log file comprises the received state information; and

storing the log file in the mobile sensor node receiving the corresponding state information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data collection server is further operative to:

receiving at least one log file containing status information of each mobile sensor node in the communication network;

merging the plurality of log files into a composite log file, wherein each log file comprises the state information of each mobile sensor node in the mesh network;

identifying an occurrence of at least one of a discrepancy and an alert notification in the synthetic log file; and

reporting an occurrence of at least one of the identified discrepancy and the alert notification.

15. A mobile sensor node in a communication network for supply chain monitoring, the mobile sensor node comprising:

a transceiver operative to:

receiving state information of other mobile sensor nodes in the communication network; and

periodically transmitting status information for each mobile sensor node in the communication network;

a processor communicably coupled to the transceiver, the processor operative to compile a log file including status information for each mobile sensor node in the communication network; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing the log file.

16. The mobile sensor node of claim 15, wherein the status information includes at least one of a mobile sensor node identifier, a current alarm condition, a time, a GPS location, and a temperature, the mobile sensor node further having at least one of an on-board sensor, a real-time clock, and a GPS receiver.

17. The mobile sensor node of claim 15, wherein the mobile sensor node operates in a watchman mode, the processor further operable to place the mobile sensor node in a sleep mode when the mobile sensor node is not operating in the watchman mode.

18. The mobile sensor node of claim 17, wherein when the mobile sensor node operates in the watchman mode:

the transceiver further operates in a standby mode to receive status information from at least one mobile sensor node; and

the processor is further operative to determine whether the mobile sensor node is in an alarm condition based on the received status information.

19. The mobile sensor node of claim 18, wherein in response to determining that the mobile sensor node is in an alarm condition, the transceiver is further operative to:

waking up all other mobile sensor nodes of the communication network from a sleep mode; and

transmitting a notification of the alarm condition.

20. The mobile sensor node of claim 18, wherein the transceiver is further operable to:

transmitting all state information received from other mobile sensor nodes in the communication network since the state information was previously received from the mobile sensor node;

transmitting status information of a mobile sensor node operating in a watchman mode; and

in response to determining that the mobile sensor node is in an alarm condition, transmitting a notification of the alarm condition.