LoranTrack SystemWith regard to cargo transport, this concept over the years was defined by the need to deter theft. After September 11, 2001, cargo security has taken on an entirely new dimension. Originally conceived to maximize just in time inventory management and minimize cargo losses, Loran Technologies has a comprehensive cargo tracking system (“CTS”) that enables government and private enterprise to exploit existing GPS technology by allowing for the real-time monitoring and tracking of cargo from its point of origin to its final destination. CTS can pinpoint cargo anytime, anywhere in the world and, with the use of a non-intrusive electronic scanner, CTS can detect and prevent the unauthorized transportation of goods or personnel through ports of entry, border checkpoints and across the country. Armed with this information, federal, state, and local governments can determine whether goods in transport promote commerce or pose a threat.
Technology
CTS consists of software that permits the interface of and data management generated by four hardware products:
1) A tamper-proof RFID transponder device affixed to a pallet or product (“Tag”);
2) A tamper-proof optical infrared biometric scanner (“Portal Scanner”);
3) A tamper-proof electromagnetic lock (“Seal”); and
4) A tamper-proof GPS unit ("Locator").
The ingenuity of CTS is best illustrated by it simplicity of operation: a product or pallet of cargo with a secured Tag that is numerically encoded is entered into a database and approved for shipment at a point of origin (i.e. manufacturer’s plant). As the pallet or product exits the facility, the Portal Scanner located at access points reads the Tag. The scanner wirelessly transmits data concerning the Tag’s movement to a base unit at the manufacturer’s facility, which communicates with a network linked to a central database. When the product or pallet is loaded into a trailer or container, the Portal Scanner situated near the trailer or container doors reads the Tags. The scanner transmits this data to and is logged in by a GPS unit installed in the cab of the trailer or container. Once the trailer or container is fully loaded, the Seal locks the doors and cannot be opened until the trailer or container arrives at a pre-authorized location as confirmed by the GPS unit. In addition to ensuring the transport of sealed containers, which may be globally tracked on a real-time basis, CTS minimizes cargo theft by GPS transmitted alarms whenever the seal is broken, a Tag removed or the location of the trailer or container exceeds the perimeter of a specified route or area (geo-fencing).
The GPS unit can also be programmed to transmit a signal at specified intervals (e.g., every five seconds) to determine the presence of all of the Tags loaded into the trailer or container. An alarm is triggered should a Tag not respond. The Portal Scanner has several remarkable features including the ability to detect the direction of a Tag (i.e. determining whether a Tag has been moved in or out of a warehouse or container) and can transmit an alarm if something passes through the defined zone without a Tag. The Portal Scanner also incorporates biometrics and can therefore not only authenticate the personnel loading the cargo but identify whether an untagged item passing through the portal was a person as compared to a product thereby detecting and preventing unauthorized products and/or persons from being transported.
Application
In addition to enhancing productivity through just in time inventory management efficiencies and deterring cargo theft which costs U.S. companies and their insurers billions of dollars each year, CTS enhances homeland security by preventing the smuggling of unauthorized persons or materials into the United States. Border crossings can be streamlined by creating “fast-track” lanes for tractor-trailers carrying tagged cargo, the data of which can be transmitted by Loran’s GPS unit to a scanning station operated by U.S. Customs. Integrating CTS will empower appropriate federal agencies to monitor and can track not only every tractor-trailer entering the United States, CTS can also identify what is contained inside the container. This technology can be implemented without the need for extremely expensive x-ray equipment that is the current limited capability in effect. CTS can also be seamlessly integrated at ports of entry consistent with the mandates of the Port and Maritime Security Act of 2001.