Method and system for implementing a geofence boundary for a tracked asset

Abstract

An asset's TCU, or a mobile device coupled thereto, receives and stores geographical boundary definitions to a memory. A processor uses the boundary definition to determine an initial-location boundary based on the definition and the current location of the TCU at the time it received the boundary request message. As the TCU's GPS unit generates location information, the processor retrieves the initial-location boundary definition from the memory and compares the current location from the GPS receiver to it according to an algorithm. If the processor determines that the current location of the vehicle has crossed the boundary, the processor generates an alert message, which may be an e-mail, SMS, telephonic, internet, IM, or other electronic message indicating that an asset crossed the boundary, and sends it wirelessly using a transceiver to a central computer for further processing, or directly to another device, according to a notification destination identifier.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for notifying when an asset crosses a boundary, comprising:
 receiving at a tracking application apparatus associated with the asset a boundary request message to establish a location boundary, wherein the boundary request message includes a predetermined period associated with the location boundary;   comparing an updated current location of the tracking application apparatus with the established location boundary subsequent to the tracking application apparatus receiving the boundary request message; and   transmitting a crossing notification message from the tracking application apparatus when a result of the comparing step indicates that the tracking application apparatus crossed the location boundary during the predetermined period associated with the location boundary.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the boundary request message includes a boundary definition that includes a set of coordinates, relative to reference coordinates, that define the selected boundary. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the notification message includes a request for generating an alert. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the alert includes at least one of an e-mail message, an SMS message, a telephonic message, an internet message, or an IM message. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the boundary request message includes a boundary shape identifier associated with one of a plurality of predetermined boundary definitions. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the boundary shape identifier corresponds to a particular boundary shape. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5  wherein a memory coupled to the apparatus contains the plurality of predetermined boundary definitions. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the reference coordinates are the geographical coordinates of the location of the asset at the time the tracking application apparatus receives the boundary request message. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the boundary request message includes a boundary definition that includes an equation that defines the selected boundary relative to reference coordinates. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the boundary request message includes a notification destination identifier, and wherein the crossing notification message is transmitted according to the notification destination identifier. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the notification destination identifier is one of a telephone number, internet address, a uniform resource locator, an SMS number, an e-mail address, or a screen name. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the tracking application apparatus comprises a telematics control unit. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the method composes an application running on a mobile device that is not fixed to the asset. 
     
     
         14 . A system configured to provide a notification when an asset crosses a boundary, comprising:
 a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly receive a boundary request message requesting the establishment of a location boundary, wherein the boundary request message includes a predetermined period associated with the location boundary;   a processor coupled to the wireless transceiver configured to compare, subsequent to the time the transceiver received the boundary request message, an updated current location of the asset, received from a tracking application apparatus, with the established location boundary; and   wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a crossing notification message from a tracking application when a result of the comparing step indicates that asset crossed the location boundary during the predetermined period associated with the location boundary.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the system comprises a telematics control unit substantially fixed to the asset and a mobile device running a geofence application, wherein the telematics control unit and the mobile application are configured to communicate control, data, information, and other signals with each other over a short range wireless link when the telematics control unit and the mobile device are within a first range of each other, the first range being the range in which the telematics control unit and the mobile device can communicate signals to each other over the short range wireless link, and wherein the mobile device includes the wireless transceiver and processor and wherein the wireless device runs the tracking application. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the mobile device is configured to use location information from a GPS module of the telematics control unit when the mobile device and the telematics control unit are within the first range of each other. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein the notification message includes at least one of an e-mail message, an SMS message, a telephonic message, an internet message, or an IM message. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the mobile device is configured to use location information from a GPS module internal to it when it and the telematics control unit are not within the first range of each other. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18  wherein the mobile device is configured to use location information from signals other than GPS signals to determine that it has moved after a GPS module internal to it has entered a low power mode, and to cause the GPS module internal to it to exit the sleep mode. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the mobile device is configured to use signals transmitted from a cellular telephony tower to determine that it has moved. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the mobile device uses signals from an accelerometer module internal to it to determine that it has moved, and wherein the mobile device is configured to adjust the rate at which the GPS module internal to it attempts to lock to GPS signals based on a magnitude of the signal from the accelerometer module.