HK1117983B - Arrangement at a mobil data unit - Google Patents

Description

Arrangement at a mobile data unit

Background

Currently, when mobile communication is used, whether voice or data, a problem arises when the geographical movement causes a handover between operators. This is especially true when crossing country borders.

Existing roaming logic for switching between operators does not take into account factors such as:

● what services (voice or various data configurations) have been activated by the "original" operator.

● geographic coverage.

● different costs for different services.

● whether other services besides voice can be run in the selected network.

Basically, existing roaming logic has been developed for voice communications, and as a result, there are certain drawbacks when communicating between machines.

Mobile data services provided in today's mobile data networks handle roaming between national and international networks. Roaming between international networks is typically handled by operators contracting with multiple operators in other countries.

For example, when GSM is turned on, voice remains largely the only or most common application. Roaming has become more complex as operators and telecommunications providers expand their service area (e.g., MMS, GPRS, EDGE, and UMTS).

When a subscription leaves the national network of a domestic "original" operator and enters a different country, the roaming logic built into the phone and SIM card searches for operators that have agreed with the original operator. Thereafter, a selection is made among them and associated therewith.

If operator a and foreign operators B, C, D and E have agreed, the selection of operator B, C, D or E is random when the subscription changes countries. If the application is voice, roaming will likely be successful. However, if the service applied is e.g. MMS, GPRS, EDGE or UMTS, the chosen foreign operator must have support for the relevant technology.

When encountering the problems listed below, the difficulty of identification is that the mobile service user cannot control the selection of the operator to achieve optimal results.

Problem 1 is the case: operators C, D and E support the required technology, but operator B does not support the required technology. Thus, if a subscription roams from operator a to operator B, the application will not work. The subscription will reside in operator B, because the existing roaming logic in the operator's network and in the SIM card does not take into account the support of various technologies.

Problem 2 is the case: operators have different prices for their services. For example, a subscription with the original operator a occasionally roams to operator C. While the service works, operators D and E are cheaper than operator C and would therefore be a reasonable choice.

Problem 3 is the case: operators have different geographical coverage for strategic reasons. For example, operator D covers 95% of a country, while operator E covers only 50% of that country. Assuming the same service charge, of course the wisdom choice is operator D. However, with existing roaming logic, the operator's subscription selection is random.

A virtual operator is likely to solve problem 1 by allowing its subscription to roam only to those operators that support the necessary technology. However, problems 2 and 3 still exist.

To overcome the roaming problem 1, if it is assumed that the virtual operator selects only one operator in each country, this solution has the drawback that: if the service of the selected operator drops, the application will not work.

The problem of inappropriate roaming techniques becomes apparent when trucks/lorries are fitted to monitor the movement of a particular transport in which the cargo space is to be kept securely sealed and the aim is to: physical movement of the vehicle is tracked from a provider in one country to a consignee in another country.

Disclosure of Invention

Using the communication services platform described in the present invention, the present invention solves the above-described problems by finding an operator that provides services that handle data communications (e.g., machine-to-machine). The platform is dynamic and independent of the form of communication. If the platform on the vehicle has a local network, cameras, alarm sensors, other detectors, indicators, etc. may be monitored as needed. Similarly, if the GPS receiver is connected to a network, the location data may be relayed. The software of the platform handles the roaming of data services, in particular the communication of data-to-data in mobile networks between countries and operators when moving in the mobile networks.

It is common to transport cargo by truck. The value and ownership of the goods has the characteristics that: carriers desire to monitor the transport of goods. The truck may then be equipped with a platform (mobile data unit) as described in this application, which is connected to various modules (e.g. a telephone module that sends the parameters to be monitored and a GPS module for continuous tracking of the physical location of the truck). The services offered by operators typically change when crossing national boundaries. Unfortunately, today's roaming algorithms are optimized for voice communications. However, the algorithmic system described in this patent prioritizes and optimizes data communications (i.e., machine-to-machine).

To track lost cargo, a carrier may desire to monitor, for example, when a cargo space is opened. By having sensors (in the network) for registering door opening or breach of the security seal, time and place can be monitored. In addition, the mobile data unit may receive other important information that is sent to the selected receiver. As the vehicle approaches the service unit, it can measure the distance traveled so that services can be ranked. Similarly, fuel consumption may be measured and refueled at a gas station of the appropriate contract provider as suggested.

Trucks with trailers are often used for cargo transportation. A carrier with many vehicles may have difficulty keeping track of the location of all trailers at any time. When the trailers are disconnected from the tractor unit and the driver, each trailer becomes anonymous and it is also a problem to usually pinpoint its physical location. Such trailers may be equipped with a mobile data unit (as described and defined in this patent) containing a GPS module and power backup so that the carrier can easily track the trailer and find its location when the tractor section leaves the trailer. Further, driver changes and driving times may be recorded as desired. The transport of certain goods (e.g. refrigerated vessels) may require continuous or regular temperature monitoring.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a modular structure of a platform forming a mobile data unit.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of communication and algorithmic processing.

Fig. 3 shows an example algorithm.

Fig. 4 shows an application to a truck.

Fig. 5 shows a connection diagram for power supply and battery backup applied to a truck.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, the platform may be described simply as a modularly constructed electronic device, the modules of which may be selected to meet the particular needs of a desired application. For example, the platform may include: a processor (1); various types of memory, such as RAM (2) and flash memory (3); a GPS module (4); an Ethernet (5); a power supply (6); as well as various digital and analog inputs. The software contains the specific algorithms that are critical to the functionality detailed in this patent application.

Figure 2 gives an example and description of a mobile application. The mobile data unit (7) moves away from the area covered by the system and the operator it has most recently used. The software (8) identifies an interruption of the mobile data service. This will activate the algorithm for system and operator dependent roaming. A new mobile data session for continuous IP communication (12) is established from/to the mobile data unit (7).

The algorithm (10) is initiated by identifying available systems and operators. To choose between available systems/operators, the algorithm uses both the centrally (server) downloaded configuration parameters (11) and the local experimental parameters (9) from previous attempts. The algorithm selects the system and operator with the highest priority. The algorithm makes one or more (configurable parameter) attempts to establish a new data session with the selected system and operator. If the session cannot be established, the algorithm selects the system and operator with the next highest priority. This process is repeated until a mobile data session is established. All failed and successful attempts to establish a session are used to update the experimental information stored locally in the mobile data unit. This information is used in the future to attempt to establish a mobile data session from the place in question.

Fig. 3 gives an overview of the complete schematic flow of the algorithm.

The algorithm for operator selection in mobile data service roaming has two parts:

● includes a configuration portion of the operator list. The portion is downloaded from the server to the mobile data unit. This list has the following fields:

● operator code-for example, if the communication is over GSM, then Mobile Network Code (MNC).

● "blocking flag" -indicating whether the use of the operator is allowed.

● weight-decimal value (integer) used by the self-learning algorithm to weight the priority of a particular carrier. In the self-learning part, the mobile data unit uses this information to determine whether the operator can be used. This weight is also used to instruct the mobile data unit to advantageously use certain operators in a country, knowing in advance that they have better coverage or lower prices.

● contains the self-learning part of another list. In attempting to establish mobile data roaming, the portion is created dynamically as the mobile data unit fails or succeeds according to each operator change. Each time a mobile data unit has to establish a mobile data session (i.e. restart or when mobile data service is lost), a check is made (by interrogating the (mobile data modules of the) operators available in the current area. If there are no carriers available in the current area, the available carriers are entered into the dynamic list. Before adding an operator to the dynamic list, the configuration list downloaded from the server is checked to see if the operator is allowed to be used. The weights of the operators are also copied into the dynamic list. Next, the operator with the highest priority in the dynamic list is retrieved. The mobile data unit then attempts to establish a mobile data session with the selected operator. If the connection to the operator or the establishment of the session fails, the priority of the operator is adjusted downward by changing the weight. In this way, the dynamic list's priority has a self-learning function (since the value representing the priority contains experimental measures of how well the operator is operating in a particular country). Thus, the dynamic list thus has the following fields:

● carrier code

● "Block Mark"

● weight

● priority

One function of mobile applications that is very important is: when the mobile data unit uses a battery as its sole power source, the current drawn by the mobile data unit can be limited. This is based on two (configurable) levels downloaded from the server. They are set up as follows:

● are used to initiate the voltage level of the mobile data unit when the mobile data unit has entered a power management mode.

● voltage level to enter a power management mode.

In case the function is activated in a configuration downloaded from the server, the mobile data unit continues to monitor the voltage level of the power supply from which the mobile data unit gets its power. When the supply voltage drops below the level set in the configuration downloaded from the server, the mobile data unit informs the server that it will enter a power management mode. All mobile data units' unnecessary power consuming functions (e.g., host processor, mobile module, other interfaces, etc.) are turned off and only a minimal number of components are allowed to be powered. These components are the components required to monitor voltage levels and alarm inputs. These components also handle the restart of the requisite functions for all mobile data units.

When the mobile data unit is in the power management mode, a "restart" is only allowed when:

● the voltage level exceeds the configured (i.e., previously downloaded from the server) "restart" level.

● the activation alert input for any mobile data unit has an alert activated.

● A preset timer function (60 seconds to 1 year) activates a temporary "restart".

If the alert "restarts" the mobile data unit, the alert is sent to the server. Once the alarm has been acknowledged, the terminal returns to the power management mode. If the timer function "restarts" the mobile data unit, the mobile data unit informs of its location (or simply its presence if no positioning exists) and thereafter returns to the power management mode. The interval of the timer to be used (which should be able to be set from 60 seconds to 365 days) may be downloaded from the server.

Another very important function of mobile applications is: an alert can be sent that also contains location information. The alarm should be able to be activated by various types of "alarm indicators" (e.g., sensors for truck/trailer doors, wireless personal safety alarm buttons, hardwired alarm buttons, level sensors, etc.). This would require the mobile data unit to have support for the array of alert inputs and for managing the activation and resetting of the alert inputs. The mobile data unit should also provide the following functions: these alerts with location indication (from a GPS receiver built into the mobile unit) are sent (via the mobile data channel) and acknowledgement messages from the receiving unit (server) are processed.

For the receiving side to be able to ensure that the mobile unit is active and has not been subjected to any form of corruption or operational interference, the mobile data unit should also continuously send connection monitoring messages (containing location indications) at predetermined intervals. If these messages are not sent, the receiving unit (server) may trigger a connection alarm giving the last known location and associated time. In case the mobile data unit has both functions, it can be used for the full range of mobile security applications.

Both functions (alarm input and connection monitoring messages) can be configured from the receiving unit (server) and updated via the data channel of the mobile data unit.

Fig. 4 shows how the mobile data unit (16) may be installed in a trailer application. A communications and GPS antenna (14) is located on top of the trailer unit. A sensor recording the opening of the door sends a signal relating to the door position to a data unit (16). The GPS receiver, other electronic and power supply units, as well as the mobile data unit (16) are built into the equipment box (18).

Fig. 5 shows how the mobile data unit (19) can be electrically connected to the battery monitor (20) and the battery (21).

The specific application detailed in this document focuses on the need for reliable communication between the vehicle and its owner, which is not affected by the drawbacks in current service offerings.

The application is not in any way restricted to the physical applications described. The physical application is only intended to be an example of the practical use of the invention. The present application can be used anywhere on the roads between land, sea and air-areas covered by different operators where the same phenomenon occurs.

Claims (11)

1. A method for performing roaming between mobile telephone networks, characterized by:

-the roaming method is performed locally at the mobile unit;

-the method searches for available mobile phone networks;

-selecting a mobile phone network based on a plurality of parameters including:

● are used to make available the services,

●, the price list of the food,

● the range of coverage of the film,

● a priority parameter;

-the method comprises a self-learning part, wherein the priority parameter of the mobile phone network is adjusted downwards by changing the weight if the connection to the mobile phone network or the establishment of the session fails.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the method tests the connected mobile telephone network for the ability to receive and transmit the associated data format.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method enables data to be sent from a mobile unit, wherein the format of the data is dependent on the requested information or service being provided/used.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method enables information to be sent from a mobile unit, the information being:

-a geographical location of the mobile device,

-a time data set for the time of day,

data normally obtained from monitoring sensors,

-data from a camera.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the data normally obtained from the monitoring sensor is temperature or door opening data.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the data from the camera is a still and moving image.

7. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method enables the mobile unit to monitor parameters and details which are: parameters and details related to the vehicle engine; and driver behavior in the form of distance traveled, speed, inactivity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the parameter and detail related to the vehicle engine is fuel consumption.

9. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the method enables not only the mobile unit to enter the power saving mode, but also the mobile unit to initiate itself to leave the power saving mode.

10. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the method enables the mobile unit to initiate the leaving of the power saving mode itself at a selected point in time or when the monitored function so requests.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the request comprises a request generated via a door sensor or a temperature limit.