Patent · US Expired

Protocol and mechanism for mutter mode communication for stationary master tracking unit

US5608412A · kind A · utility

98Cited by
9References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 7, 1995
Grant dateMar 4, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 7, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04W84/12
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A local area network (LAN) of tracked mobile assets which are temporarily located in an area having a high density of mobile assets, such as a railway yard, employs a stationary master tracking unit that is responsible for communicating with mobile tracking units affixed to the mobile assets and transmitting information to a central station. The stationary master tracking unit may be mounted at an elevation, as on a pole, and single or multiple stationary master tracking units may exist in the same vicinity. Each stationary master tracking unit has a constant supply of power and communicates with the central station by way of either satellites or dedicated land line connection. A protocol is provided for communicating between the Stationary master tracking unit and the mobile tracking units. The protocol provides a mechanism for acquiring new mobile tracking units entering the railway yard and a mechanism for releasing mobile tracking units leaving the railway yard.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.