WO2007109838A1 - An asset monitoring and location system - Google Patents

Abstract

An asset monitoring and tracking system including at least one global positioning system (GPS) satellite, at least one system satellite, at least one remote terminal unit (RTU) adapted to communicate with the at least one global positioning system satellite and the at least one system satellite, a data collection and distribution network including at least one earth station adapted for communication with the at least one system satellite, and at least one user access device to access the data collection and distribution network to provide asset location information.

Description

AN ASSET MONITORING AND LOCATION SYSTEM Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to asset tracking and management systems and particularly to the equipment and methods used to effectively track and locate assets using remote systems and to provide whole of life asset traceability.

Background Art.

Remote inventory management systems are available currently. One such system is described in United States Patent Application No. 2006/0012481 to Rajapaske et al. The system described in that document includes a carrier, normally a container of some type, and a system that is responsive to wireless signals transmitted by tags on items carried by the carrier. The system may include a sensor for detecting the condition of the container and information transmission regarding the condition of the container. This type of system is designed to send information over a radio frequency in order to communicate with a stationary reader, when the tags are in the vicinity of the reader.

The feature that many remote inventory systems have in common is a locator attached to the inventory article, and a system to ascertain the position of the locator. The most common system used to locate an asset involves the use of global positioning systems.

There are many documents published which discuss positioning systems based on the global positioning system (GPS).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,093 entitled "Golf Distance Measuring System and Method" describes inter alia a system for tracking golf carts and players on a golf course using GPS. Other systems such as onboard vehicle navigation systems also utilise GPS positioning and location technology.

The GPS is a military satellite system operated by the United States Department of Defence and Department of Transport, civilian users being permitted only limited access. The GPS satellite constellation consists of 24 satellites each in a 11 hr. 58 min. orbit. The orbits are arranged in six orbital planes, each inclined at 55° with respect to the equatorial plane. At any one location on the Earth's surface a user will observe signals from typically 5 and 12 satellites. The principle of the GPS operation is relatively simple. Each GPS satellite contains at least one on-board atomic clock, the time of which is accurately determined using GPS tracking stations, along with the orbital parameters of the satellite. This information is broadcast to the GPS satellites as part of its navigation message, which is then retransmitted to the GPS receiver. By simultaneously timing the signals received from four or more satellites, it is possible to obtain both the antenna co-ordinates and clock time of the user's GPS receiver.

Two separate coded GPS signals are transmitted at separate frequencies, Ll at 1575.42 MHz and L2 at 1227.60 MHz. The shorter C/A code is transmitted at the Ll frequency only while the longer more precise P-code is transmitted at both the Ll and L2 frequencies. Dual frequency operation enables the user to implement a measured ionospheric correction. The GPS signals available to the civilian users are deliberately degraded by the application of a modulation to the phase of the on-board atomic clock. This is known as Selective Availability (SA). In addition the P-code is encrypted (Anti-Spoofmg), which denies direct access of this code to the civilian user. GPS generally operates only when the user is in line of sight with one or more of the GPS satellites and the system is generally limited to providing positional data.

For many applications however, assets are required to have terrestrial identifiers as well such as RFID transmitters to allow close range identification and information gathering. Prior art systems have provided RFID transmitters but not in combination with GPS positioning capability.

One major application of RFID technology in Australia is in the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). The purpose of the NLIS is to provide a unique identification code for each animal - in this case, cattle — in the national herd, which will enable tracing of the animal's health history and geographic location throughout its entire lifetime. In addition to each animal being assigned a unique identifier, and physically tagged with this identifier, the Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) maintains a comprehensive, central NLIS Database, which maintains information on each animal with respect to:

^■ Movements of the animal from property to property

^■ Sales, deaths, and other losses of animals ■ Management of the NLIS tags and identifiers {i.e., lost tags, etc)

The NLIS system, while being amongst the best available, uses pre- WWII RFID technology. As graphically illustrated by the drawn-out US Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) event(s), ineffective tracking and traceback systems ensure the impact of a single Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) event can have long term ongoing consequences. The US has never identified the balance of the herd from the first BSE case, virtually ensuring prolonged closure of export markets and further eroding consumer confidence.

Major weaknesses of current RFID systems are that it's entirely reliant on producer data input and also the timeframe taken to do a full traceback audit with data integrity being questionable. Viewing the impact of US events and loss of 70 markets almost overnight, this timeframe is realistically useless. The US BSE event has now been estimated to have cost US$12billion. The major disadvantage of RFDD based technology is its reliance on the physical proximity of the reader to the RFID tag.

The inventor of the present invention has developed an approach which employs satellite and other wireless telecommunications and tracking technologies in a hybrid satellite-plus-terrestrial infrastructure in order to address challenges facing Governments and industry engaged in tracking assets, particularly whole of lifespan asset tracking. The design's space-based infrastructure is augmented by terrestrial wireless technologies to address the data collection requirements in close quarters and under indoor conditions. The entire network is designed to accommodate the very large numbers of assets around the world, and the resulting records associated therewith. It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

Summary of the Invention.

The present invention is directed to an asset management system, which may at least partially overcome at least one of the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice. In one form, the invention resides in an asset monitoring and tracking system including a. at least one global positioning system (GPS) satellite; b. at least one system satellite; c. at least one remote terminal unit (RTU) adapted to communicate with the at least one global positioning system satellite and the at least one system satellite; d. a data collection and distribution network including

(i) at least one earth station adapted for communication with the at least one system satellite; and

(ii) at least one user access device to access the data collection and distribution network to provide asset location information.

In use, the RTU will be attached to an asset. The RTU is capable of receiving GPS location data from the at least one GPS satellite which it can then re- transmit to the at least one system satellite. The at least one system satellite can then transmit the data to the data collection and distribution network via the at least one earth station. Users will typically have access to the data collection and distribution network to track the location of the RTU remotely. According to an embodiment of the invention, the system uses a data telemetry and processing system with dramatically improved functionality.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system includes:

^■ a Space Segment preferably including at least one and generally a plurality of GPS satellites and at least one and generally a plurality of system satellites; " a Ground Segment preferably including Gateway Earth Stations, data processing, and control facilities; and

^■ a User Segment, which preferably includes:

- a plurality of multi-mode RTU's, each associated with an asset;

- Terrestrial data collectors; and - Locally-owned and distributed data processing capabilities.

General Operational Requirements The general operational requirements associated with a data telemetry and processing system such as the present invention include those requirements which enable the system to support the fundamental, underlying characteristics of the target application(s). Such requirements generally include: ■ Scale - The ultimate size of the application, e.g., how many discrete assets are required to be managed, tracked, or otherwise accounted for, including active applications and archival data.

^■ Scope - The geographic coverage of the system, e.g., city- wide, nationwide, or world- wide. ^■ Breadth - The number of parameters which are to be associated with each discrete asset managed by the system.

^■ Timeliness - The temporal responsiveness of the system, with respect to the amount of time from the measurement of a parameter at a discrete asset to the availability (recording and presentation) of such a measurement in the data management system. Timeliness can be measured in terms of Granularity (i.e., the time that it takes to conduct a measurement at the discrete asset) or Responsiveness (i.e., the time that it takes to issue a request for a measurement until such measurement is available within the data management system).

^■ Data Locality - The location of the principal data, whether Distributed (i.e., resident with the asset), Fragmented (i.e., available in local databases which are managed separately), or Centralized (i.e., resident at a central database which is independent of the discrete assets). Scale

Five principal applications of the general system of the present invention are particularly preferred and these include:

^■ Cattle and Livestock;

^■ Defence, including homeland defence/anti-terrorism activities;

^■ Product, Pallet and Shipping Containers (and associated supply chain management applications); ^■ Vehicles (including automobiles); and/or

^■ Maritime Assets (e.g., fishing vessels, pleasure craft, commercial vessels, etc) Other applications may include the oil, gas and power industries, the agricultural industry, land management and the environmental applications.

The database management capabilities of the system of the present invention could reasonably be expected to be resident in separate databases for each type of application (each supported by one or more Application Servers), with the discriminator preferably being the remote terminal unit identification number ("RTU ID Number"). For each of the above market areas, rough-order-of-magnitude estimates for the number of discrete assets which might be under management at any given time are: ■ Cattle and Livestock 500 million animals

^■ Defence 20 million units

^■ Shipping Containers, etc 600 million units

^■ Vehicles 600 million units

^■ Maritime Assets 10 million units The total number of managed assets, based upon these figures, is approximately 1.7 billion units. Use of a 32-bit RTU ID Number would enable management of some 4.3 billion unique terminals, each of which would be discretely associated with a particular animal, container, vehicle, vessel, or other asset. Re-use and/or re-assignment of these Terminal ID Numbers would be possible within the application-specific database management systems, with large-block assignments possible to distinguish between the general application categories (for example, RTU ID Numbers 000,000,001 thru 999,999,999 for cattle and livestock). This could be accommodated by a reasonable 32-bit RTU ID Number scheme associated with the data provided by each individual RTU. According to such a preferred model, the system of the present invention could then manage discrete data processing (e.g., data collection or data transmission operations, elimination of duplicate messages, etc), relaying each discrete instance to a particular Application Server - an application-specific database management program and distribution sub-system. Operational systems and database management systems of such scale are common in Government and industry today (e.g., the U.S. Social Security Administration, and others). Scope The system of the present invention is preferably based upon a network of satellites in low-Earth-orbit (LEO). Accordingly, the system can preferably provide coverage around the world from a physical perspective, with the actual capability dependent upon the duty cycle of each satellite. Preferably, the system will have a 100% duty cycle over inhabitable territories (with exceptions being high-latitude polar regions, meaning that the satellites are expected to be available and "on" essentially at all times) - the limitation therefore being the connectivity with the system's Ground Segment infrastructure (i.e., Gateway Earth Stations). Breadth The ability of the system of the present invention to accommodate the breadth of the cattle and livestock application is to be measured along at least two dimensions. First, is the number of parameters which can be transmitted during a routine satellite pass. Second, is the number of parameters which can be managed within the overall application-specific database. With respect to the number of parameters which can be collected, the baseline RTU design will preferably easily accommodate a user-data packet size of from 32- to 1,000-bits with a 256-bits packet size being particularly preferred. Use of these bits for data encoding could include, for example:

^■ RTU ID Number 32-bits ^■ GPS Location 48-bits

^■ Time and Terminal Status 64-bits

^■ Application Data 112-bits

A considerable amount of data can be encoded with a 112-bit application-specific data packet, including data which may have been entered into the cattle and livestock tag via a hand-held wand or other data entry device (such as, vaccination indication, transfer of ownership data, or the like). (Note: This preferred packet size should not be construed as a final design, and is used only for illustration purposes; actual data packet size and specific capabilities would be the subject of further design activity following additional research and identification of specific requirements.)

The breadth of the application-specific database could easily encompass the number of parameters would be required to address the needs of Government and/or industry. As noted above, a certain amount of data - most notably the animal's location at a particular point in time - along with small amounts of other data which might be encoded within the RTU designed specifically for the use in the cattle and livestock application, could be transferred to and from the system's data processing sub-system, to an application server which could provide dedicated support to various applications, for example the cattle and livestock application. Further use of this data would depend upon its manipulation by the database specific to this application (for example routine and special report generation, distribution and archiving of livestock data, and the like). Such data manipulation - including input from terrestrial systems and system-independent sources - would be a function of the system-supported livestock tracking network application. Timeliness

The Space Segment of the present invention is typically capable of providing considerable Granularity in support of applications. With at least one satellite typically always in view, near-real-time responsiveness is possible for non- SCADA applications. On an individual RTU basis, Responsiveness will typically be excellent, and characterized as being near-real-time. Upon a user's request, a polling message can be generated, which is then transferred to the appropriate Gateway Earth Station (GES) for processing. The general location of a particular RTU is essentially random, except that operationally, all terminals will be generally given an initial registration within a primary GES region - such registration preferably being updated by the previous reported location of the RTU as of its most recent transmission. Data Locality and Accessibility Certain data will typically be maintained at a central location within the system, including such data such as each unique RTU E) Number's ownership registration (and related accounting data with respect to usage, last message received, most recent location, and the like). Such data will typically be used for system operational functions as well as for account management. Other data - particularly that associated with a particular application - will be maintained in Fragmented application or user-specific databases, or in a Distributed fashion, associated with each individual RTU. For example, in the case of the Livestock Tracking Network, certain Fragmented databases (Application Servers) would generally be operated by a service provider, which would support the application at the National, State, or Owner level. Each of these Fragmented databases would have certain data available as appropriate.

Additionally, certain data could be maintained in a Distributed manner, that is, within each individual RTU. Such data could be recorded into flash memory on the RTU via satellite or terrestrial communications means. However, owing to the possibility of the RTU being separated from the animal or otherwise rendered nonfunctional (for example, loss of an ear tag, extreme damage to the unit, or the like), it is not recommended that a large amount of unrecoverable data be stored in such a Distributed manner.

Data Security

There will preferably be a high level of security associated with the transmission and storage of all data on the system Network. This includes possible digital encryption of all transmissions through the satellite network together with a requirement for individual user/customer security codes for access to specific confidential data.

Each of the system elements identified above, may have the following configuration and features:

^■ Space Segment- a constellation of system-controlled satellites is preferred, each in low-Earth polar orbit, providing global coverage, with system- controlled frequencies; relays data packets containing GPS-derived location information and other user-defined data from the system-specified mobile and remote terminal units (RTUs). The system satellites will also preferably support data collection from pole- or tower-mounted data collectors in the field when the RTU's are operating in terrestrial RFED and WLAN modes.

^■ Ground Segment - includes at least one and preferably a plurality of Gateway Earth Stations (GES), Operations Center facilities, and Data Processing capabilities associated with the control and operation of the Space Segment of the system, and with the data processing and distribution capabilities of the overall system (such as data routers, data archival platforms, and the like).

^■ User Segment - includes devices and capabilities which support specific applications of interest to Users of the system, preferably including: ^D User Terminals - Terminal Units customized to support application- specific capabilities, communicating to and from remote and mobile application points via the Space Segment, and via other terrestrial means (such as Terrestrial Data Collector, RPID Reader, and the like), in the case of a multi-mode unit.

^D Terrestrial Data Collectors - Terrestrial terminals which are deployed in various locations where satellite communications with the Space

Segment might be impossible or unreliable (for example, in indoor areas, in covered environments, and the like); such collectors will preferably gather data wirelessly from a multi-mode User Terminal, and relay the data via wireless to the system satellites (or even wireline communications (such as DSL, dial-up Internet link, and the like). ^α RFID Reader - Hand-held or locally mounted device capable of reading an RFID chip installed in a multi-mode User Terminal; preferably collects data for later input and transmission to a centralized database which supports the given application.

^D Application Servers - Data processing equipment, collocated within the Ground Segment, or based at the user's facilities, which provides application-specific data processing, analysis, and data display (such as Web servers, analytical tools, report generators, and the like).

The Space Segment

The space-borne portion of the system preferably encompasses two separate sub- elements, namely GPS satellites and system satellites. As no control can be exercised over the GPS satellites, the Space Segment of the system of the present invention typically refers to system satellites. The Space Segment preferably includes at least one and typically a constellation of system satellites in polar orbit. These satellites will typically be used to communicate directly with the Remote Terminal Units. These RTU's are preferably capable of relaying GPS-derived position location information, as well as "data packets," which may contain user-defined data which can then be processed in support of the particular application. The Space Segment requirements suitable for providing support to a number of specific applications, including the Livestock Tracking Network, are typically as follows:

■ Australia-wide Coverage - The design of the system satellite constellation will preferably require near-polar orbits at 2,000 km above the Earth - a low- Earth orbit by geostationary communications satellite standards, but relative high for a "LEO" constellation. As a result, each satellite's field of view (or "footprint") is preferably relatively large, providing total coverage of an entire continent. For example, each system satellite preferably has a footprint which can cover all of Australia. As the system satellites orbit the

Earth, they will generally be in communications with the Ground Segment in order to relay data directly from the RTU's in a "bent pipe or other type such as Store-and-Forward" approach. The preferred system design provides for two Gateway Earth Stations in Australia to ensure continuous coverage throughout the country and surrounding oceans.

^■ Global Coverage - In order to address the issue of cost-effectiveness, the preferred system provides asset tracking and management services on a world-wide basis. In order to accomplish this, the system satellite constellation is preferably designed to provide complete coverage of the Earth by using polar orbits. As the satellites orbit the Earth South to North, the Earth is turning from West to East, typically allowing each satellite to ultimately pass over and view all locations on the Earth's surface. Continuous coverage is preferably provided by using four orbital planes, each having seven system satellites — 28 operational satellites in all, connected to the Ground Segment via a network of Gateway Earth Stations deployed around the world.

^■ Large-scale Data Capacity - The system satellites preferably operate as a bent pipe or other type such as Store-and-Forward, processing system, meaning that no data is stored on-board the satellites - all data processing and storage is done by the Ground Segment. Given the appropriate bandwidth available to the satellites, this preferably enables a very large- scale data capacity of up to 2 billion messages per day capable of being passed through the Space Segment satellites.

^■ Timeliness - The system will preferably provide near-real-time data collection. There are various ways in which to measure the timeliness of data availability at the press of a button. For example, with respect to the livestock management application, a complete nation-wide stock take of, say, 30 million cattle in Australia could be completed within a period of approximately 13 hours. Examined in another way, it means that a high priority polling command can be issued at the press of a button to tens of thousands of cattle tags, with a response being provided by the system within two minutes. The passive RFID technology currently adopted by Australian authorities, would take months to collect this data and the integrity of the data could also be questioned. The RFID system is reliant upon producers providing the data and queries may arise in relation to confirming location and other data accuracies.

^■ Reliability - The Space Segment is preferably designed such that six or other number, for example four satellites per plane can meet the basic operational requirements of the system. However, the system's development plan will preferably provide for the launch of seven system satellites into each orbital plane, providing for one operational back-up satellite per plane in orbit at all times. Various elements of the Ground Segment also have appropriate redundancy.

^■ Flexibility in Deployment - The Space Segment will typically be deployed in an incremental manner. Operations may commence upon the launch and check-out of the first orbital plane of system satellites; additional capacity and improved Timeliness would follow with the launch of additional planes. The Tracking Network could be supported with reasonable Timeliness with the deployment of only two orbital planes. This allows for the incremental deployment of the Space Segment, which could aid in controlling up-front costs, and ensuring the smooth ramp-up of the system in support of applications. The Ground Segment The preferred Ground Segment's most basic function is to serve as a large-scale data switching and network control facility. The Ground Segment preferably manages and controls the flow of data, as well as providing control and monitoring functions for the other segments of the system. Network Control Centers. While the system can function with a single Network Control Center, the system preferably provides two such facilities - one operating as the "primary" center, the other operating as a "secondary," or back-up facility. The typical functions of the Network Control Center are suitably as follows:

^■ Control of Ground Segment Elements and Data Flow - The Network Control Center will preferably exert operational and managerial control over the other elements of the system, including the other elements of the Ground Segment. As mentioned previously, all data processing and distribution is typically conducted by the Ground Segment, with no on-board processing being carried out on the satellites. The Gateway Earth Stations (generally thirteen around the world with full deployment of the system) may collect the relayed signals from the RTU 's and convert them into discrete messages identifiable by the RTU ID Number and associated message header data. The Gateways may thus eliminate duplicate messages, and route the resulting unique messages to the Network Control Center for subsequent distribution. Systemic Data Processing elements may archive the data messages, conduct various accounting and quality assurance processing, and route the messages to the appropriate element within the system, in most cases to the appropriate Application Server. No further processing is typically provided by the System per se — all subsequent processing is preferably considered a "value-added service" associated with a particular application and/or client user within the particular industries.

^■ Control of Space Segment - The Space Segment will preferably be controlled by the Network Control Center as well. Basic Telemetry Telecommand & Control for the system satellites will typically be carried out at each Gateway Earth Station, under the direction of the Network

Control Center. The primary center may be based in Australia, in support of regulatory provisions concerning network control. The secondary center may be based outside of Australia, in order to ensure service continuity in the event of a major catastrophic event.

^■ Management of Applications Servers - Application Servers typically form an element of the User Segment. However, the Network Control Center will preferably manage the operation and functioning of these data processing capabilities with respect to their interaction with the system, hi particular, access to system-derived data, and the control of out-bound messages and system capacity, will preferably require coordination and management by the system. ^■ Management of RTU Provisioning and Accounting - The RTU's are likewise an element of the User Segment. However, in that the system's basic function is to route system-derived data to the appropriate "owner" of each specific RTU, accordingly each device will preferably be registered with the Network Control Center to ensure proper data routing, the provision of value-added system services (e.g., more robust data archiving, etc), and other operational management issues. User Segment

The User Segment is generally made up of those elements of the system which are custom-tailored to provide on-going support to the end-users' particular applications. In some instances - such as the Livestock Tracking Network embodiment - a service provider (generally, the applicant company) will normally play a direct, on-going role in supporting the application. Such activities would generally include the design of specially-tailored RTU's, the development of analytical software and report generators, the development of applications to support farm asset and equipment management, and the like. In other cases, the end-users themselves may simply collect their data from the system, and develop their own application software - they may even develop specialized RTU's, working in cooperation with system-certified hardware manufacturers. Key elements of the User Segment include: ^■ Remote Terminal Units

^■ Terrestrial data collectors (if used, and connected via the system satellites.)

■ Application Servers Remote Terminal Units

An important element of the system's design, the RTU will preferably support three modes of communications. AU three may be available at any given time or the RTU may switch between communication modes. The first mode will typically involve at least two types of satellite communications. The RTU is preferably equipped to receive GPS signals, used to compute geographic location, and also for other housekeeping functions, such as synchronized time. Also, the RTU is designed to communicate directly with the system's Space Segment elements, hi most cases, this will be the primary means of communication used in support of this application. This mode may be used to track each asset in an outdoor environment. This link is also preferably two-way, so polling of a specific RTU, delivery of table-driven programming data, as examples, can be delivered via the Space Segment.

The second mode of communications with the RTU is typically via a terrestrial wide area network (WAN). WAN technologies generally involve wireless communications techniques, using equipment that is mounted within a building, on a small tower or pole. Such technologies are usually meant to provide coverage throughout a small area - within, for example, a 100 meter radius or up to approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. There are a number of different types of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies and protocols which may be suitable for use in this application. Certain ultra-wide-band (UWB) or other similar technologies have the added advantage of enabling highly accurate position determination, within tenths-of-a-meter or better, in some cases. UWB-enabled equipment also uses very little power. Such technologies will generally be incorporated into the RTU for a variety of reasons. Primarily, it will provide a means of connecting with a terrestrial system data collector unit, to collect data from the RTU when the system satellite constellation is obscured from view, or when the RTU is operating indoors. Also, this technology can assist in locating the animal with high accuracy which can be utilized for management purposes, such as in cattle sale yards for example.

The third mode of communications within the RTU will preferably be based on an RFID chip. Such technologies are used today in order to implement the initial regulations concerning animal tracking and monitoring. RPDD tags have the advantage of being a passive device which require no power from the RTU. The power resides in the locally-mounted or hand-held reader. The primary disadvantage of these devices is that they have very limited range - they must pass within approximately one meter of an active reader in order to be read, requiring that the readers be placed in close proximity to the asset. This may be feasible in a close- quarters situation, but it is extremely cumbersome, expensive and useless for long- range monitoring and tracking.

In most cases, these RTU's will be able to communicate with the system satellites, taking the GPS-derived position and relaying this and other data via the system satellites to the Application Server. Indoor environments can be equipped with system-capable data collectors which use a Wireless local area network to collect data from the RTU. Depending upon the technologies employed within these data collectors, additional applications can be supported, including highly-accurate position determination via ultra- wideband (UWB) and other technologies. hi cases where the system satellites or the wireless terrestrial infrastructure elements are not available or inappropriate, RFID readers - of a type already deployed in Australia in support of current regulatory requirements - can be used to read and collect data from the terminal. In fact, in a given close quarters environment, the use of both RFID and wireless Wide Area Network may be used concurrently, for example, an RFID reader installed at a cattle race for unloading a cattle truck, and WLAN within the cattle pens. This would eliminate the possible market negativity on capital already outlaid on existing infrastructure

Despite these significant capabilities, preliminary design work with respect to these RTU's indicates that they should achieve the following design objectives:

■ Form Factor - Employ a design which is adapted to suit the particular asset, i.e., an ear-tag-type of design, or other design, which can successfully and practically be located relative to the asset in a manner analogous to current tracking and identification technologies. ■ Survivability - Able to be deployed in the field for a reasonable amount of time without replacement or refurbishment; able to function without routine battery or power supply change-out during the period of deployment.

^■ Functionality - Able to collect and hold a reasonable amount of data on- board the RTU.

■ Cost Effectiveness - Affordable in terms of cost of production and price to the end-user.

Next generation RFID which is becoming available can include an active component and the system of the present invention may utilise this emerging technology.

The RTU will also preferably be provided with additional functionalities in certain specific situations such as an Short Message Service SMS capability (requiring an numeric or alphanumeric keypad and display screen) and may additionally be provided with a "bluetooth" or similar capability. Bluetooth networking transmits data via low-power radio waves. It communicates on a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (actually between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz, to be exact). This frequency band has been set aside by international agreement for the use of industrial, scientific and medical devices (ISM).

When Bluetooth-capable devices come within range of one another, an electronic conversation takes place to determine whether they have data to share or whether one needs to control the other. The user doesn't have to press a button or give a command, the electronic conversation happens automatically. Once the conversation has occurred, the devices form a network. Bluetooth systems create a personal-area network (PAN), or piconet, that has a particular radius. Once a piconet is established, the members randomly hop frequencies in unison so they stay in touch with one another and avoid other piconets that may be operating in the same area.

This functionality of the RTU may allow the connection to other devices such as sensors and the like which may monitor the status or condition of an asset. Sensors may monitor life signs or disease characteristics of live assets such as animals or orientation of the asset to ensure that the asset is not inverted or the like.

One important feature of the RTU is the use of relatively generic hardware and the ability of the RTU to be loaded with different software modules to establish capabilities. The software components of the RTU will generally be used in an "on-demand" basis with the RTU loaded with a specific software component via the system satellites when necessary. Software modules can be added and removed on demand dependant upon the desired functionality of the RTU, dramatically increasing the efficiency of the RTU. Terrestrial Network Elements

These elements of the User Segment preferably collect data from the multi-mode RTU by wireless means other than by direct connection to the system satellites by the RTU itself. hi some cases - such as within indoor spaces, outdoor but covered spaces - the view to the system satellites may be blocked or obstructed from the perspective of the RTU affixed to the animal in question, hi such cases, terrestrially- mounted data collectors can be employed to collect data from the RTU using a Wireless local area network. Such networks are becoming commonplace for a variety of applications, perhaps most recently encountered in the form of "wireless hotspots" in an office building, hotel, airport lounge, or even a local coffee shop.

RFID readers could also be employed to collect data from the RTU. Such equipment could be the same, or compatible with, equipment already deployed within Australia. (Data collected using a handheld wand or floor-mounted RFID reader would be made available to the system network with either a wired or wireless connection to a collector.

Data could be transferred into the system network from such collectors using a system satellite communications link, as long as the collector itself had a view of the sky, or could have a system-compatible antenna mounted outdoors. In the system architecture, other satellite, wireless, or wireline means of communications would also be possible in order to integrate these data collectors with the system data network. A modular design for these devices could allow for the incorporation of whichever forward data link would be most appropriate in a given circumstance.

If the RTU is blocked from a view of the sky, then in all likelihood it will also be unable to determine its location using GPS signals. Indeed, signals from multiple GPS satellites are required to calculate a reasonable position, whereas having only a single system satellite in view would enable data transmission. In order to determine position, the WLAN would be based upon a type of UWB technology which would enable relative position capability. Upon determination of the location of the collector unit itself, the definitive location of the RTU should generally be possible as well. Indeed, some UWB technologies have the capability of calculating relative location within one-tenth of a meter.

The RTU's can be used in groups or as a part of a wireless mesh network including even a "string" of "buddy tags," consisting of inter-communicating RTUs. They may be used in a variety of applications, most particularly in the supply chain logistics field, collecting data from boxes and pallets transiting indoor warehousing facilities.

Data Processing and Distribution

The system can be implemented by using the underlying system elements to drive an Application Server which would support data processing and non-systemic data archiving, or the like. Each country (or group of countries, such as the European Union) will typically have its own set of standards, desired reports and reporting formats, and data processing and archiving requirements. Therefore, it is recommended that an

Application Server be dedicated for each country or internationally-cooperating group.

It is further recommended that the vast majority of the data collected by the system be maintained at a centralized (with appropriate back-up) location. Specifically, the RTU should not be relied upon to provide significant or long-term storage of data. Data on-board the RTU should be minimized, in the event of loss of the unit, unauthorized access, or similar circumstance. Data security would be very important, and would require enforcement through the use of significant access safeguards.

A unique Application Server - separate from the country-specific server used by Government - will preferably be implemented to support other applications, such as client-specific management, asset operation and management, or the like. This would not only enhance security, but would also ensure timely access to their data and other asset management functions by non-Government users.

In a second form, the invention resides in a remote terminal unit for use in a satellite based asset monitoring and location system, the remote terminal unit operable in at least two communication mode selected from the group comprising a satellite communication mode, a terrestrial wide area network mode and a radio frequency identification device mode.

The Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) components will generally include power, antenna, RF frequency conversion, IF transceiver, baseband processing, communications link, microprocessor and memory and GPS/RFID/WLAN integration. hi a third form, the invention resides in a method of tracking assets remotely including the steps of providing an asset monitoring and tracking system including

(a) at least one global positioning system (GPS) satellite;

(b) at least one system satellite;

(c) at least one remote terminal unit (RTU) adapted to communicate with the at least one global positioning system satellite and the at least one system satellite;

(d) a data collection and distribution network including i. at least one earth station adapted for communication with the at least one system satellite; and ii. at least one user access device to access the data collection and distribution network to provide asset location information wherein the at least one global positioning system communicates position data to the RTU which in turn communicates position data to the data collection and distribution network via the at least system satellite which users have access to via the at least one user access device, allowing users to locate assets provided with an RTU. In improved systems, the RTU' s may be associated with an actuator so that the system of the present invention can then be used within a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system which may permit user interaction with, and control of devices remotely via the SCADA system.

Brief Description of the Drawings. Various embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the system of the present invention according to a preferred embodiment.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of the network architecture of the system of the present invention according to a preferred embodiment.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the key functional blocks of a Gateway Earth Station (GES) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the components of a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of the best case operating scenario according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of the worst case operating scenario according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a preferred application of the system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of typical ear tag sizes used on

Australian Livestock and which may be used according to a preferred embodiment.

Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of a preferred application of the system illustrated in Figure 7 in a sale yard configuration.

Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of a preferred application of the system illustrated in Figure 7 in an open range configuration.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an asset monitoring and tracking system is provided. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF SYSTEM As illustrated in Figure 1, the preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention provides an asset monitoring and tracking system including a network of global positioning system (GPS) satellites 10, a network of system satellites 11, a plurality of remote terminal units 12 (RTU 's) adapted to communicate with the global positioning system satellites 10 and system satellites 11, and a data collection and distribution network including earth stations 13 adapted for communication with the system satellites 11 and user access devices to access the data collection and distribution network to provide asset location information. The system is designed to achieve low cost two way communications between remote terminal units 12 (RTU's) and the network in order to provide global remote monitoring, tracking and messaging for a large number of users. A high level diagram of the network architecture is illustrated in Figure 2. The network uses a LEO satellite constellation to provide the physical connectivity between the globally distributed RTU's and the ground segment of the system. The LEO satellite constellation comprises 28 active system satellites 11 consisting of four planes of seven satellites at an orbital altitude of 2000 km. The satellites use 'bent pipe or other type such as Store-and-Forwardtransponder technology.

The ground segment consists of thirteen Gateway Earth Stations (GES), two Data Processing Centres (DPC), two Satellite Control Centres (SCC) and the interconnecting Data Distribution Network. Redundancy of all aspects of the ground system is considered important. The GES will typically contain two or more C-band tracking antennas and associated RF and baseband subsystems. These provide links to the satellites for two-way communication with the RTU's and Telemetry Telecommand & Control (TT&C) functions. GES 's are designed to be operated remotely by the DPCs. The SCCs connect to Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) equipment installed at each GES. The TT&C equipment can access each antenna as required for spacecraft telemetry processing, commanding and tracking. All GES sites are connected to the DPCs via the Data Distribution Network (DDN).

The DPCs acquire, process, store and distribute data relating to each RTU. All data is managed in a secure environment. The DPCs are at the centre of the system and all network elements are controlled from these sites. The two DPCs are in a prime and backup configuration for redundancy. Each DPC also contains a TT&C centre in a similar prime and backup configuration. Customer service providers can establish secure connections to the DPCs in order to access the required data. The DPCs, GES 's, customer service providers are all connected via the secure DDN.

The DDN uses various forms of communications bearers such as submarine and land based fibre optic cable systems, satellite and terrestrial microwave in order to achieve a redundant global data distribution network.

The requirements of the network, in particular the potential requirement to track billions of assets worldwide, makes it unique in terms of the high number of remote terminal units that the network needs to support. The system must be designed with the ability to poll and process the response of an RTU whilst limiting the "on-time" of any RTU subsystem in order to minimise RTU power requirements. In addition, the techniques to achieve this, result in a low cost RTU.

The bent pipe of other type such as Store-and-Forward, processing satellite architecture means that there is no limitation of data formats imposed by the satellite, apart from data rate capabilities which are dictated by the satellite sizing, that is transmit and receive antenna gains and the satellite receive power. This means that the system has the capability to accommodate different network protocols for different RTU requirements if needed.

Polling a large amount of RTU's requires special network management techniques. Polling by RTU ID would be time consuming due to the need to address each terminal individually. As an alternative, polling for livestock RTU's is suggested to be done on a "range from location" basis. This is described in the following paragraphs.

RTU's know their position from their embedded GPS receiver, and a short command from the GES gives a nominated position and range for which all

RTUs within that range are to respond. Changing the range value provides a simple method of controlling the number of RTUs that respond to ensure that the satellite

(transponder channel and power capacity) is not overloaded. RTU responses use pseudo-random frequency and time, making use of a response channel and timeslot calculation by the RTU. The capability of the RTU to pre-compensate for Doppler shift on the transmit and receive paths means that large frequency guard bands between channels is not required to account for Doppler frequency shift.

Acknowledgement of RTU responses by the DPC will be a option flagged in the poll command as the need to address an RTU individually takes a significant amount of network resource, reducing system throughput.

The polling command will define conditions under which an RTU's will respond. Examples of the conditions under which an RTU may respond are given below. Any combination of response conditions could be given.

• Always respond

• Respond according to timed basis

• Respond if the location delta has been exceeded • Respond if an alarm or event has occurred

• Respond if you are a new terminal awaiting network access

In addition to the location polling method described above, alternative polling formats should be provided whereby RTU's can be polled solely by RTU identification, group or alarm for special requirements. The RTU can be configured to respond on a timed basis (hour, day, week or month) or when a certain delta change in location or sensor data is detected.

Links from the GES to the RTU have been based on a 2 kbps data rate for each channel. Transmissions from the satellite are continuous when polling RTU's in order to assist RTU modem lockup and synchronisation. Satellite transponder bandwidth is divided into virtual frequency channel and timeslot allocations.

A description of the network channels as derived from the initial network design is given in the following paragraphs. GES to RTU

• Satellite Data Channel One channel per beam. At a minimum this transmits the satellite and GES ID'S, satellite ephemeris data for all network satellites, network alarm/priority conditions as well as command channel allocation.

• Command Channel One channel per beam. At a minimum this transmits the commands for the RTU's, and the response and acknowledgement channel allocations. • Acknowledgement Channels There are two acknowledgment channels per beam dedicated to the transmission of acknowledgment messages to the RTU's. Acknowledgements are divided between the channels according to odd or even RTU ID number. Acknowledgement messages are short and are optionally selected due to the reduction in throughput that acknowledgement commands create through the need to acknowledge each terminal individually.

RTU to GES

• Response channels These multiple channels are accessed in a pseudo-random fashion by the RTU's in both frequency channel and time slot. The data rate on the return link is divided into a number of virtual channels (normally 500 bps to 1000bps) at 15 kHz separation. The command structure refers to a range of channel numbers which the RTU converts to actual frequency allocations. These response channels are shared by all RTU's addressed within a command. The relatively wide separation allows for frequency inaccuracies brought about by LO frequency drift in the network components and possible inaccuracies in the network Doppler frequency compensation units. There may be any number of channel beams either in the GES to RTU direction or the RTU to GES direction. Each beam will preferably have a cellular structure that is adapted to be divided into a number of separate cells or virtual channels.

In the initial design there is no bandwidth constraint in the downlink path as there are only four channels for each beam. There is more than enough capacity to implement frequency spreading techniques if required. In the uplink path channels are spaced at 15 kHz.

Channel numbers per beam and per satellite for the GES to RTU and RTU to GES directions for the initial network design are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 - Channel Number Per Beam and Satellite

The RTU is a two-way device that can receive and process commands and respond as required. The RTU is installed on a customer's asset (eg. Livestock, shipping container). The RTU is designed as a low cost device with the hardware and software capability to interface to remote equipment and monitoring sensors, and relay information to and from the satellite. RTU's have an embedded GPS receiver allowing them to relay their GPS derived position as well as other selected user specific data (each RTU will operate with the existing GPS constellation of navigation satellites, that are owned/operated by the US Government). Each RTU will have its own unique identification and can be located anywhere on the globe and be either mobile or stationary. AU signalling to and from the RTU's originate and terminate at the DPC. Communications between the satellites and the RTU is in S-band.

Communications between the GES and the satellites will be in C-band. Telemetry and Command will share the C-band feeder link allocation.

The purpose of the space segment is to provide the communications link between the GES network and the RTU in order to relay the data messages to and from the RTU. The following section discusses the top level space segment design.

The design will be further refined in future work and will be dependent upon the final network protocol design.

The LEO constellation comprises 28 operational satellites in a configuration of four planes of seven satellites. The satellites are phased at equal spacing within each plane. The satellites carry the system payload in order to provide the communications between the GES's and RTU's.

The satellites are proposed to use a 3 axis stabilised platform, of a class that is suitable for flight in a low earth orbit. Design life of the satellite is typically expected to be 5-8 years. The design and build of the second generation of satellites typically commences well before the end of life of the first generation operational satellites, so as to ensure continuity of service.

The satellite payload consists of a bent pipe of other type such as Store- and-Forwardtransponder arrangement. Table 2 summarises the network frequency bands.

Table 2 - Network frequency bands

The bent pipe or other type such as Store-and-Forward, processing transponders provide transparent frequency translation to and from S-band and C- band. The translation can be achieved through traditional analogue frequency conversion or alternatively through the use of digital processing.

The RTU coverage beams provided by each satellite in the network will operate in the S-band frequency range. The RTU is an integrated GPS receiver and satellite transceiver that attaches to a customer's asset (eg. Livestock or shipping container) and provides positional data, external device data and external device control via a satellite link to an end user. The components of the RTU are shown schematically in Figure 4.

An embedded GPS receiver in the RTU allows the collection of positional and timing data which is stored on the tag until transmitted to the satellite.

The tag also has the capability to receive commands and information from the satellite for data polling and programming of the RTU functions. The RTU will carry software and hardware for collection of data from and control of third party external devices.

The RTU to satellite uplink frequency range is 1980-2010 MHz and the satellite to RTU downlink frequency is 2170-2200 MHz.

The basic specifications of the RTU relating to the satellite link are provided below. It should be noted this is nominal data relating to the cattle tracking application and RTUs are expected to have the flexibility to operate with a number of different parameter choices to suit multiple applications. RTU TX Power : 2 W

Max Antenna Gain: 3 dBi

Min Antenna Gain at EOC: -2 dBi

G/T Nominal: -18.9 dB/K

TX Power Control Capability: Yes Nominal TX Data Rate: 500- 1000 bps

Nominal RX Data Rate: 2000 bps

Nominal Modulation: BPSK

The tag will have an RFE) incorporated. These devices allow the local reading of data through RFID readers either in the form of 'wands' or walk through readers.

The tag, as illustrated in Figure 4, includes the following subsystems: • GPS Receiver 14 • GPS L-Band Antenna 15

• S-band RP transceiver Subsystem 16

• S-band Antenna 17

• Modem 18 • Microprocessor Controller and Memory 19

• RFID 20

• WLAN 21

• Battery 22

• Power Management system 23 • Optional Solar Panel or other power device such as a kinetic energy source 24

The RTU is expecting to be developed as a fully integrated package using a purpose developed chip or chipset encompassing all functions of the RTU.

The RTU can take a number of packaging forms. The core of the RTU unit will be the same for all RTU 's with only the RTU packaging, antenna and power supply expected to change. For example, the preferred embodiment of the invention utilises ear tags as illustrated in Figure 8. GPS Receiver

GPS receivers are currently used in animal monitoring systems either storing the data within non-volatile memory on the tag or transmitting positional data to satellites.

The latter type is currently available with the ARGOS satellite tracking system and so is a proven technology. Typically the GPS receiver is required to be on for 90 seconds to obtain a positional fix and the data is stored in the tag controller memory for later transmission. GPS receiver technology (FastLoc) is available that can reduce fix times to a fraction of a second however the royalties on the technology make this solution expensive and the impacts on power consumption would have to investigated.

As with all subsystems of the RTU, the GPS receiver will be controlled by the RTU microprocessor. The GPS receiver will be switched on at selected times as needed to collect the position data to be sent to the GES. Antenna Satellite animal tracking devices that are currently available typically use a hardened patch type (microstrip) antenna for this application but other antennas such as double helix or quadrafilar helix (QFH) type antennas may be used. A typical GPS antenna size would be approximately 40mm x 40mm x 12mm. There may be the possibility to combine the GPS and the S-band antenna. Modern cellular phones operate at similar frequency bands and separation. This requires further research as the S-band link is critical so compromising the S- band antenna performance in order to produce a multi-band antenna would have to be carefully considered. The push for a single antenna would be driven by the final required RTU size. S-band Transceiver

The S-band transceiver provides the S-band transmit and receive interface for the RTU.

The S-band transceiver should be frequency agile and will also have the ability for pre-compensation of Doppler frequency shift on the downlink and the uplink. Doppler shift compensation on the uplink will be designed to provide the correct frequency to be received at the satellite. The same compensation occurs at the GES for the GES to RTU uplink. The data to determine the Doppler pre- compensation will be generated by the RTU microprocessor using satellite ephemeris data from the satellite and GPS location information derived from the RTU GPS receiver.

A form of power control will be required for the RTU uplink to the satellite in order to ensure the maximum amount of carriers can be supported by each transponder. Power control for the RTU will also increase RTU battery life and reduce interference potential to the network.

Initial investigations show that a 2W output combined with a patch style antenna with a peak gain of 3 dBi and a payload using a high gain cellular antenna arrangement will easily close the link to and from the RTU₅ assuming a RTU to satellite elevation angle of 22 degrees. Under these conditions excess power is available at the RTU which may help with closing the link under degraded antenna conditions or partial blocking of the RTU to satellite path. The S-band transmitter is the device with the single greatest power demands in the RTU and needs to operate efficiently as possible. The transmission repetition rate will directly affect the power consumption. It is therefore desirable to reduce the transmit repetition rate to a minimum, whilst still meeting the network requirements.

In practice the command receiver and GPS receiver may prove to be significant power users due to the longer periods of time that they are required to be active.

Technology developed for the satellite mobile telephony market may be exploited to achieve a compact, cost effective and power efficient S-band Transceiver. S-band Antenna

A hardened patch type (microstrip) antenna is proposed for the S-band link. This type of antenna is successfully used for the GPS component of animal tracking collar systems, thus survivability and functionality has been proven in the field. In addition, patch antennas are currently used for Inmarsat, Indium and

Globalstar applications.

The advantages of patch antennas that are applicable to the project are:

• Small footprint

• Low Profile • Lightweight

• Low Cost

• Omni-directional with the ability to manipulate beam shape for more focused requirements

• Performance Typical maximum gain responses are in the range of 0 to 3 dBi for half power beamwidths of up to 110 degrees. Boresight gain can exceed 6 dBi depending on size and beam shape. Increased gain results in decreased beamwidth and therefore antenna pointing becomes more of an issue.

Coverage of the uplink and downlink frequency range from 1980 MHz through to 2200 MHz is considered achievable on a single patch type antenna. Covering this frequency band as well as the GPS band within the one antenna without compromising antenna performance for the data links requires further research. Although the patch antenna is favoured, detailed study of the RTU may lead towards other antenna technologies.

The typical operating conditions of the RTU antenna in a livestock tracking installation will need to be taken into account. An RTU antenna may have a covering of dust or mud or other foreign material with no avenue for natural removal. This will have a negative effect on the link budget. Cattle may be active in areas of vegetation which will significantly increase the path losses. For this reason it is recommended to use lower data rates and less spectrally efficient modulation schemes in a trade-off against better longer term performance. Modem

The modem allows the transmission of tag data to the satellite and the receipt of commands and data from the satellite.

The exact modulation and coding scheme for the satellite up and down link from the tag is to be finalised in future design work. Initial feasibility of the link budgets was based on the successful closure of links with BPSK modulation with ¹A

FEC coding. However during the process of frequency co-ordination and review of potential inference sources it may be decided that spread spectrum technology may be necessary. All this must be considered with RTU cost and the power budget in mind.

These technologies have been developed and proven in the satellite mobile telephone market and may be exploited to achieve a compact and power efficient modem.

Spread spectrum technology is also in use in the current generation of satellite telephones (eg, Globalstar).

The modem design will be flexible in that the basic modem can be configured for different operation. Frequency agility may be based either in the modem or the transceiver.

Microprocessor Controller and Memory

The microprocessor is the heart of the RTU system and is responsible for controlling all functions of the RTU and managing the power of the RTU in order to have a suitable lifetime from the battery. The power requirements of each RTU subsystem will determine the

RTU battery requirement and hence size as well as the lifetime of the unit. The RTU is expected to be able to process satellite ephemeris data in order to determine the optimum times for operation of receivers and transmitters. The RTU will have the processing capability to determine the likelihood of a successful transmission into the network. By intelligently managing the subsystems of the RTU, minimum power up times are expected to be achieved. It is considered that power management is one of the key factors in building a feasible RTU considering the size and weight limitations that are likely to be applied to the cattle RTU.

The microprocessor controller and memory is expected to perform the following functions at minimum: • Receive Command decoding

• Transmit command encoding

• Control of RTU transceiver

• Control of RTU modem

• Control of GP S receiver • Encoding of RTU data

• Power Management of RTU subsystem ie. switch on and switch off

• Control of all RTU subsystems

• Computation of optimum periods for switch on of RTU

• Storage of tag position information Ground Segment

The ground segment consists of the Gateway Earth Stations, Data Processing Centres, Satellite Control Centres and the interconnecting Data Distribution Network. The following sections deal with these basic elements of the ground segment design. Gateway Earth Stations (GES)

There are 13 GES planned hi the network which are geographically distributed to provide the best coverage for the service. GES sites will also contain TT&C equipment with remote connection with the SCCs via the DDN.

Each GES will have two to four identical tracking antennas of approximately 5.4 m size providing the ability to track multiple satellites down to 5°.

These antennas provide the connection to and from the satellite for the network for each satellite that is within view of the GES. Parameters for the antenna are given in Table 3.

The number of satellites in view varies with latitude. Each antenna structure contains drive components for tracking of the antennas, High Power Amplifiers for transmission and Low Noise Amplifiers for reception. Equipment redundancy is provided to maximise availability of the earth station. Sites with TT&C capability will share the same RF and antenna equipment used for the feeder links, or TT&C may also be provided with an extra dedicated antenna. Antennas may be housed in radomes where protection from the local environment is required. The key functional blocks of a GES site are shown in Figure 3.

Table 3 - GES Antenna Parameters

The GES antennas interface to a building that houses the electronics equipment. This includes the transceiver subsystems (if not mounted on the antenna), modulation/demodulation subsystem, as well as data processing, data storage and network interface subsystems. For sites equipped with a TT&C capability these also contain the Telemetry and Command Processing subsystems, with data storage and network interface devices.

The modulation system provides the satellite network broadcast signals; command channels and acknowledgement channels for each satellite beam. The demodulation equipment demodulates each RTU response channel.

TT&C facilities will be provided at each GES. The TT&C equipment will be able to access each antenna and RF system at the GES as required. This will provide continuous TT&C cover to the satellites although the satellites are considered to be largely autonomous in operation. For this reason there could be a reduction of

GES equipped for TT&C. Short term data storage for the RTU and TT&C data should be provided at the GES sites so that network data is not lost if the GES should become isolated from the DDN. This also helps during maintenance and testing the network connections. The GES 's also have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system to keep the station powered during interruptions of prime power.

All subsystems of the GES are controlled and monitored by the GES management system. The GES management system is remotely controlled from the DPCs with the capability for local control. Data Processing Centres (DPC)

The DPCs acquire process, store and distribute data relating to each RTU. The DPCs control the GES operation via the GES Management subsystem. The two DPCs are in a prime and backup configuration for redundancy.

The network consists of two DPCs placed at two geographically diverse locations. Co-located with these data centres are the TT&C mission control centres.

Each DPC also contains an SCC centre providing a similar prime and backup configuration. The SCCs connect to the remote TT&C equipment located at the GES sites via the DDN. The DPC provides the storage for all RTU information and is the data source for RTU information requests from customers. The customer's information interface would be with the DPC either directly or indirectly through a service provider. All data on the DPC should be encrypted.

The DDN will use various forms of communications bearers such as submarine and land based fibre optic cable systems, satellite and terrestrial microwave in order to achieve a redundant global data distribution network.

Customer service providers will connect to the DPCs in order to access RTU data. Satellite Control Centre (SCC) The SCC is responsible for the operation of the system LEO satellite constellation. Redundant SCCs and redundancy within the SCC is considered a priority. The SCC will be co-located at both the DPC sites providing a prime and backup facility. These control centres are connected remotely to the TT&C equipment located at the GES via the DDN.

Common functions of the SCC are listed below: • Monitoring of spacecraft health via telemetry

• Commanding of spacecraft in order to maintain spacecraft health and normal operation

• Communications payload control

• Perform manoeuvres for Orbit control • Anomaly recovery

• Launch Mission Control

TT&C equipment is located at all 13 GES 's sites. Satellite telemetry can be stored on the satellite until downloaded by the TT&C sites. Similarly, commands for the satellite can be time tagged and stored on the satellite for autonomous activation as required. Data Distribution Network (DDN)

The DDN provides the interconnection for the ground segment components. The GES 's, DPC, TT&C and Customer Service provider's centres are all connected via the DDN. The DDN will consist of various communications bearers such as fibre optic, microwave and satellite in order to achieve redundancy the network.

GES sites will have provision for local secure storage of a minimum of 24 hours of data to ensure service continuity under conditions of maintenance or unlikely event of all DDN links being unavailable. System Availability The system availability shall be defined in terms of coverage resulting from the satellite constellation's footprint, effective link margins, and system reliability.

Satellite Coverage The design of the satellite constellation and the strategic location of gateway earth stations shall provide a near real time service to virtually the earth's entire surface.

Message Success Rate The RTU is capable of transmitting and receiving messages through the network infrastructure (satellite to DPC) with the attempted message success rate of 99%, assuming no physical obstruction between the RTU and satellite.

Link Criteria The message success rate and availability must be achieved while the link is experiencing the following conditions: a) The satellite is in view and at a minimum elevation of 10° (for the

RTU). b) The network is experiencing peak messaging traffic with interference occurring from other satellite operators. c) RTU will have a transmit power of 2 Watts or less with an antenna that is equivalent to quarter wavelength patch antenna. d) The link is experiencing shadowing and/or fading conditions that degrade the signal by up to 13 dB.

System Capacity These figures are based upon the RTU information payload only, ie. no overhead. Inbound is from the RTU. RTU deployments worldwide > 1 ,020,000,000

In-bound Out-bound

Average transmissions per terminal per month 1.25 0.825 Average transmission length (in bytes) 30 9 Average system-wide data flow (kbps) 118 23.3 Peak system-wide data flow (kbps) 708 140

Peak system-wide data flows including 832 328 acknowledgements (kbps)

Full system acknowledgement of all in-bound and all out-bound messages is required. It is assumed that an acknowledgement message consists of an 8 byte message. The acknowledgement of in-bound transmissions results in 31.4 kbps out-bound Acknowledgement (ACK) transmissions. The acknowledgement of outbound transmissions results in 20.7 kbps in-bound ACK transmissions.

Satellite Capacity The satellite design should cater for these peak rates only if there is not a significant increase in design complexity and cost. The analysis of any interference issues between the system and other satellite system operators within the same spectrum band should not be carried out using the peak data rates shown below because of the rates' unlikely occurrence and its very short duration. RTU deployments within the satellite's footprint >250,000,000

In-bound Out-bound

Average transmissions per RTU per month 1.25 0.83

Number of transmissions per second

Normal operations 120.5 80

Peak conditions 723 480

Including acknowledgements 850 1126.5

Average message length including acknowledgements

In bytes 26.7 8.4

In bits 213.6 67.2

System Spectrum The spectrum will be in S Band and C Band.

- Service Uplink:

Frequency: 1800 to 2010 MHz (S Band) Modulation: Spread spectrum Utilization: System must utilize 100% of 10 MHz of allocated bandwidth for data communications (minus guardband).

- Service Downlink:

Frequency: 2170 to 2200 MHz (S Band) Modulation: Spread spectrum Utilization: System must utilize 100% of 20 MHz of allocated bandwidth for data communications (minus guardband).

- Feeder Uplink:

Frequency: 5150 to 5250 MHz (C-band)

- Feeder Downlink: Frequency: 7025 to 7075 MHz (C-band)

User Downlink Synchronization Signal Each satellite shall transmit a synchronization signal or beacon to be used as a means of notifying RTUs of a satellite's presence. Messaging The messaging scheme and supporting features shall be designed to address these three primary types of services:

1) Remote Monitoring 2) Tracking

3) Messaging

Messaging Priority

Latency is the period measured from the time an RTU first determines a message is to be sent and when its first transmission attempt to a satellite occurs on inbound messages; and from the time that the DPC first receives a message from a service provider to when the DPC first schedules the message into the system through the appropriate GES on outbound commands Message Types

(a) Outbound Messages:

Outbound messages (or Commands) will be comprised of primarily two types: a minimum (fixed) outbound message shall consist of 32 bits of payload data, and a variable outbound command that can range from 65 bits up to a maximum of 1000 bits. Outbound messages of larger sizes can be accommodated (with multiple transmissions) with message fragmentation (handled by system protocol).

The Data Processing Center (DPC) can ascertain and store the geographic location of RTU's so that the latency of an outbound command is in accordance with requirements. The location of fixed RTU's may be established through the provisioning process. The DPC will track and update a location database for mobile and roaming RTU's. Effective re-try schemes must be implemented to ensure delivery of messages within the allotted time.

(b) Inbound Messages:

Inbound messages consist of a minimum data packet of 32 bits, and a variable message size of 65 bits up to a maximum of 1000 bits (TBD). Levels of priority will determine system latency. Messages larger than 1000 bits will be accommodated via message fragmentation.

Message Features The following have been extracted as relevant to the SATCOM network:

Time Update: The constellation shall periodically transmit as part of the header information the updated GPS time. Satellite Ephemeris Data: (OPTIONAL) The system satellite constellation shall routinely transmit as part of the header information the satellite ephemeris data.

The system supports the following network services:

• Remote monitoring - this service will require the network to support the ability to ping an RTU which will then return the desired status data. • Tracking - this service will require the network to support the ability to receive positional data from the RTU on a (varying) periodical basis.

• Messaging - this service will require the network to support the ability to exchange message packets with the RTU.

Space Segment The base-line satellite constellation has been identified as 6 spacecraft plus one operational spare in each of 4 equally-spaced polar orbits orbiting at an altitude of 2,000 km. The minimum angle of elevation at the ground terminal is 10 degrees.

The system should cater for any effects on messaging capacity or capability due to satellite footprint overlap. Any duplication of a message due to simultaneous reception by more than one satellite should be addressed. A "merge and purge" process to eliminate message duplication should be carried out at the GES and the DPC.

Ground segment The ground segment includes two Data Processing Centres (DPCs), one TT&C centre, 13 Gateway Earth Stations (GES) and numerous service provider facilities around the world, and the associated communication network that will link them together.

The base-line number and location of the gateway earth stations has been identified in accordance with the following table:

Gateways operate down to 5 degrees.

There will be 2-4 tracking antennas per GES. Each antenna subsystem within a GES will be capable of simultaneously tracking separate satellites. AU satellites that are visible to the GES shall be tracked.

The DPC must be capable of automatically re-routing message traffic to an alternate GES in the event of a GES failure. The system must recognize GES outage conditions and supply the appropriate GES LD. information (via satellite constellation) to the affected RTUs in an effort to successfully maintain normal message traffic.

Remote Terminal Unit (RTU)

General: The RTU will have access to positional data via an embedded GPS receiver and will incorporate WLAN and RFID capabilities.

Transmit Power Amplifier (P. A.): The LEO satellite transceiver is estimated to require around 2 watts of power while transmitting to the satellite.

The size and power dissipation of the RTU depends largely upon the application and keeping them to a minimum is of paramount importance. For the livestock tracking application it is essential that size and power dissipation of the RTU 'tag' are kept to a minimum. Power Consumption: The Transceiver board will have the capability to control various power modes. At a minimum, the application user shall have access to the power control of the transmitter, receiver, processor only, GPS receiver, and a sleep mode.

GPS receiver: The transceiver board will incorporate a GPS receiver providing commercially available position and timing accuracy and a time to first fix (TTFF) that is comparable with commercially available units (less than TBD seconds for a cold start). The GPS receiver shall contain a standalone processor that calculates position and passes the data to the application. The receiver shall be capable of providing cold, warm, and hot start capability. The GPS receiver should also comply with power consumption requirements outlined.

Antenna: The baseline antenna shall incorporate three ports to operate at the system transmit and receive frequencies and GPS downlink frequency. Nominal gain shall be >= -3 dBi at 10° elevation above the horizon. Size shall not exceed 5cm x 5cm x 1.25cm in size. The antenna shall be Left Hand Circular polarized for all ports and exhibit standard patch antenna patterns.

An embodiment of the system is now described in relation to livestock management. It is to be noted that the system can be used for any of the proposed uses referred to earlier in the document or other uses which may become apparent. APPLICATION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF SYSTEM In order to define the operational requirements of a system suitable for supporting the management of livestock within the industry, it is useful to document the characteristics of this industry throughout the world in general, and within Australia in particular. The Global Livestock Industry In order to define the operational requirements of a system suitable for supporting the management of livestock within the industry, it is useful to document the characteristics of this industry throughout the world in general, and within Australia in particular.

It is estimated that some 1.3 billion cattle exist throughout the world. The "top ten" producer countries encompass 789 million animals (in 2004) as illustrated in Table 4. In addition to the production of animals for domestic consumption, many meat and livestock exporting countries derive a considerable amount of their annual foreign trade revenues based upon cattle and/or cattle-based products - a trend which is accelerating due to the increasing volume of global trade in developing countries.

In addition to cattle, other livestock species, including sheep will require tracking and identification. Collectively, there are indeed many more head of other species than the world cattle population. These industries, including grazing corporations and small owner-operator graziers, are regulated by a complex web of national Government agencies, local (state/provincial/territorial) agencies, and by industry trade organizations, which typically focus upon:

■ Supporting productivity and the economic viability of the community and individual graziers

■ Promotion and promulgation of "best-practices" with respect to animal husbandry and production

^■ Effective integration of the rural community into the national and global economy

■ Protection and promotion of animal health

^■ Consumer health, and production safety and sanitation

Table 4. - Top Ten Beef & Veal Producers Source: FAO & USDA Australia is the most export dependant of the world's major beef producers. Our livestock industry enjoys a longstanding and acutely valuable reputation as a consistent supplier of 'safe' meat, from both disease-free status and from safety and production / testing standard view points. The chart of Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) events in the past decade have left a trail of major economic impacts around the globe: in the United Kingdom and European Union, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, the United States and most recently (November 05) Brazil, who basically lost 40 export markets overnight and over US$1.5 billion in orders in the first month The cost of these events is measured in terms of lost production, lost genetic/breeding capacity (slaughter of breeding livestock in the UK amounted to hundreds of thousands of head), cost of implementing control measures, loss of trade markets (US quickly lost 70 export markets) and vitally, in longer term impact, in loss of consumer confidence (witness the unprecedented surge in Australian lamb exports to US and Japan this year) as well as economic and social impact to regional production areas.

The direct loss of export income should not be viewed in isolation, examples of some of these costs are illustrated by Taiwan after the 1997 FMD outbreak in pigs: probable direct cost in stock losses amounted to US$ tens of thousands; eradication and disinfection costs - US$4 billion; lost export revenues - a further cumulative US$15 billion. An Italian FMD outbreak in 1993; again relatively minor direct costs, but estimated US$12 million in eradication and disinfection costs; US$120 million in lost trade revenues. It is too early to estimate the cost to the Brazilian cattle industry; however predictions are in the magnitude of at least US$20 billion, with the flow through effect to their whole agricultural sector being much larger.

Australia exports 70% of their beef production. Being so heavily export dependant, the economic and social costs of a major FAD in Australia would be truly catastrophic — beef and cattle are Australia's second largest agricultural export (after wheat), earning $6.9bn in 2004 from a gross livestock sector value of $17bn. The cattle sector would virtually collapse and the flow on effect to the entire agricultural industry would be enormous - beef production supplements most farming operations. USA and Brazil with massive internal consumption can absorb, to a large degree, loss of export markets, exporting just 10% and 16% respectively of their beef production. In fact the US market can survive events which would devastate Australia - the impact would be felt not just in Australian rural communities, but throughout the country.

Although Australia's reputation is as suppliers of 'clean, green' beef, in the regulatory controls can almost be described as under resourced and embryonic. Australia's status is due largely to physical isolation, but as witnessed with the avian flu pandemic, this isolation alone is not sufficient protection. The National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS), while being amongst the best available, uses pre-World War II RFID technology. As graphically illustrated by the drawn-out US Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) event(s), ineffective tracking and traceback systems ensure the impact of a single FAD event can have long term ongoing consequences; the US has never identified the balance of the herd from the first BSE case, allowing prolonged closure of export markets and further eroding consumer confidence.

Major weaknesses of current RFID systems are that it's entirely reliant on producer data input and also the timefrarne taken to do a full traceback audit with data integrity being questionable. Viewing the impact of US events and loss of 70 markets almost overnight, this timeframe will realistically be useless. Their BSE event has now been estimated to have cost US$12bn - a cost borne by the world's largest beef producer and consumer: the size of their domestic consumption has insured the livestock sector against crippling impact.

Effective, near real time GPS tracking/traceback is available, virtually at the press of a button. Satellite services will revolutionise the Australian livestock industry and ensure our claim as 'clean, green' suppliers is verified, adding to consumer and government confidence in our long standing track record.

The management of animal diseases is an issue of vital importance for all participants in the global livestock industry. A single FAD event can interrupt and halt trade for extended periods - potentially crippling an entire country's livestock sector within a matter of weeks. The flow through impact on that country's economy can be immense. Although the current RFID system adopted by Australia had set the world standard and was the most appropriate technology at the time of introduction, it is limited and ineffective in achieving its desired outcome. The technology is dated; inevitably cumbersome and expensive, with major inherent weakness including being solely reliant on producer and service provider data input. History shows that compliance with this type of system is difficult. In both the UK BSE outbreak and the recent Brazil FMD events, producers did not conform with a self governance model of stock movements and the provision of the required data. Restricted livestock movements in Brazil and neighbouring countries were not complied with (let alone enforced or measured), hence recent re-infection and outbreaks. The present invention specifically addresses these weaknesses. The system of the present invention, not relying on producer input, allows regular audits to be carried out literally "at the push of a button", providing total traceback history of the national herd, hi addition the system can notify all stock movements for movement outside a designated area or property.

GPS functionality within the system translates to effective and near immediate control: the current regulatory requirements require that a producer wishing to move stock ftom one location to another must first scan their cattle and provide the ID's and movement information to the NLIS within 48 hours of the cattle arriving at a new location. This may seem to be a simple function but in fact is time consuming and expensive, particularly for larger mobs, for example, if moving 300 head of cattle to better pasture on another property the producer would need to scan each beast manually with a wand that is no further than 1 metre from the RFID ear tag.

With the system of the present invention, a pen of 300 head can be recorded at a press of a button. Trial research showed that producers are moving cattle from property to property without scanning and notifying the NLIS. The system of the present invention will rectify the problem of unrecorded stock movement. A producer moving livestock across proscribed boundaries (the coordinates of their property) without the required notification or a single animal wandering can automatically generate an alert report by satellite readings, rather than being reliant on producer advice or knowledge. Any movement of tagged livestock across set boundaries, such as suspected infection sites, regions or states generates automatic records of each animal's movement, instantly. Only satellite technology can provide foil tracking and more importantly, traceback capability.

The real benefits however are not just the tracking and traceback audits. The system also effects containment from external contamination to 'safe' sites. In a hypothetical case, an FMD event on a single property in New England, NSW, would follow these steps:

1. At the press of a button, NLIS would, via GPS coordinates, quarantine that property for all livestock movement, or a larger area as defined by regulatory authorities - with boundary reporting sent to NLIS 2. NLIS could - again, at the press of a button - within minutes generate an audit on a particular beast and its historic movements, any animals it had been in contact with or that had visited common sites. Effective containment is achieved in a single day.

3. Effected animals are then treated or destroyed and quarantined areas monitored, restricted and ultimately reduced and eliminated.

If the United States had this system available, it can be argued that their

BSE event would have been fully traced and contained and loss of export markets would not have been enacted, as supply could continue from demonstrated safe zones.

Bio security has become a major issue on a country-by-country basis, as well as globally. As previously mentioned, in 1986, the world's first modern case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ("BSE," or "Mad Cow" disease) was identified in the UK. In 2003, the first case of BSE was identified in North America

(on a farm in Washington). To date, over 188,000 animals have tested positive for the disease — with over 97% of these in the UK; there have been over 158 instances of human beings known to have contracted a human form of this disease, known as

"variant Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease," or "vCJD." As recently as November 2005, a case of a human victim of vCJD was identified in the USA - specifically a British subject who was living in the United States, but who apparently contracted the disease several years ago in the UK (similar to the first known human case identified in the USA).

In 2000 and 2001, the UK was also beset with a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which led to the slaughter of millions of animals in order to halt the spread of the disease; economic losses topped A$20 billion during that crisis in the UK alone, hi the aggregate, FMD kills many more animals than does BSE. FMD is also highly contagious amongst the animals.

These disease outbreaks have had a number of monumental impacts upon livestock management, production, and trade regimes around the world. Such impacts have included export and/or import bans (from and/or to certain countries), an enhanced animal testing regime, and the call for exceptionally rigorous methods by which herd health can be monitored. The latter issue has led to the imposition of certain regulations and requirements which extend to tracking, monitoring, and tracing the life-history of individual animals throughout a country's "national herd. "

Much of the resulting regulation is driven by the principal beef importing countries

(most notably Japan), and by the desire of agencies within the beef producing countries to assuming a proactive role in the identification and containment of any new cases or outbreaks which could threaten human and animal health, and lead to an economic catastrophe with respect to the global beef and livestock industry. Today, similar concerns are also being felt with respect to the production of poultry products, given the desire to prevent or contain any global outbreak of the "Avian Flu." The Australian Livestock Industry

The livestock industry in Australia generates nearly A$17 billion in annual revenues, comprising some 2.7% of the total Australian economy, including approximately A$5.6 billion in annual exports (almost 1% of the total Australian economy, or 6.5% of total Australian exports). The term "livestock" encompasses a number of animals, including cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and others; totaling 200 million livestock units. The cattle industry includes a number of cattle products, such as meat

(beef and veal), dairy products, and live cattle exports, as well as leather goods. This industry also serves the Australian domestic consumption market.

The growth of Australia's livestock industry has been significant, making the industry itself a key national asset. In 1979, Australian cattle exports, for example, totaled less than A$1.3 billion; today, cattle exports are the number-one rural export product, generating A$5.6 billion in export value, with cattle-related goods being exported to over 100 countries outside of Australia. Beef exports to Japan alone today total over A$2.5 billion in value, representing nearly 3% of all Australian exports. While the national herd size has remained relatively stable, modern techniques and technologies enable graziers to produce nearly 55 kilos more saleable product per head - a significant increase in overall productivity. Accordingly, the Australian cattle and livestock industry have become ready adopters of new technologies to improve the ability of the industry to grow and to compete internationally.

Cattle are raised throughout Australia, with producing properties present in every state. Although there are all types of producing properties throughout Australia, there are a number of general characteristics across the country. In Southern areas of Australia, cattle properties are generally smaller, relying on introduced pasture lands to support relatively concentrated herds. In the Northern areas, cattle pastures often encompass very large areas, relying upon native grasses and vegetation. Since the 1980's, the use of feedlots has increased significantly. Cattle finished on feedlots are fed high-protein diets in order to yield market-specific characteristics among the animals, and to increase overall productivity with respect to time and meat quality. Feedlot capacity is approaching 2 million head; half of that capacity is concentrated in Queensland, with one-third in New South Wales.

It is expected that in the coming years, the national herd will increase significantly. Many properties are relatively under stocked, due to the effects of the drought in 2002 and 2003; nationally rainfall has improved since 2004, and should enhance the ability of graziers to increase herd size. Feedlot operations can also support more animals, and mitigate somewhat against the impact of adverse weather patterns. Record price levels for cattle products provide an incentive for growth and expansion of production. Growth prospects are good, with international trade agreements around the world and within the Asia-Pacific region buoying the industry. As a result, the Australian national herd size is expected to increase from 26.4 million animals in 2004 to some 30.4 million by 2009 - a nearly 13% overall increase.

As discussed above, the preferred embodiment of the system has a number of specific operational requirements with respect to the Livestock Tracking Network application. Some of these requirements may be broadly stated, while others will lead to the identification of specific day-to-day operational scenarios which must be supported by the overall system, including the Space and Ground Segments, the RTUs themselves, and the back-office and data management software (i.e., the Application Servers). These are outlined as follows:

^■ Scope (a) The system must be able to support operations around the world, providing coverage over all areas throughout the world that are cattle and livestock producing regions (i.e., all temperate land masses); world- wide coverage will support the economic viability of the underlying systems.

(b) The system must provide near-real-time coverage across all of Australia, including remote regions; the system must be able to support concentrations of animals in primary production areas within Australia without undue systemic congestion.

(c) The system must provide the capability to support individual animal location within a sale yard or other limited enclosure, which may or may not be open to the sky (i.e., indoors as well as outdoors).

(d) The system must provide adequate data management capabilities to support activities (i) nation-wide, (ii) state-wide, and (iii) by- owner/grazier, down to the individual animal.

^■ Scale (e) The system must be theoretically able to support individual RTUs for as many as (i) 1 billion animals world- wide, with (ii) archiving of data for a period of the life of the animals is required; re-use of unique RTU ID Numbers may be permitted/supported.

^■ Breadth (f) Each active RTU ID Number must be capable of being associated with a known, individually identifiable animal in the field for the life of the animal and a period of time thereafter (with appropriate systematic provisions for re-use of RTU ID Numbers).

(g) The application-specific database must be accessible by appropriate users on the basis of the unique RTU ID Number associated with each animal;

(see further discussion below as to Timeliness of data availability and Data Locality and accessibility); application-specific data will include the following parameters as a minimum:

^■ Current Owner

^■ Past Owner(s)

^■ Date of Animal's Birth ^■ Place of Animal's Birth

^■ Current Locale (e.g., name of property or other facility currently resident) and History

^■ Current Location (i.e., geographic coordinates at latest measurement) and Location History ^■ Vaccination Status (n number of vaccines ~ to be defined)

^■ Tabulated Health History (i.e., table driven summary on Terminal, details in database, to include general status, injuries, illnesses, etc)

^■ Weight History

^■ Sales History (e.g., chain of custody, dates of sale, deed numbers, etc)

^■ Type of Animal (i.e., breed, genetic history, color, gender, etc)

^■ Disposition (e.g., date of death, cause of death, etc)

^■ Other specific parameters as may be defined Timeliness and Related Operational Requirements (h) The system must be able to collect geographic location information for each individual animal on an automatic (non-polled) basis, for provision to the database and recording within the RTU itself, under the following circumstances: (i) daily, if the animal has moved outside a defined area (e.g. a property, defined by the geographical coordinates of its boundaries), or (ii) at least once a month if the animal remains within its defined area.

Further, the system will automatically notify the owner should the

Terminal indicate that the animal has not moved (that is, the Terminal has dropped-off or the animal is incapacitated or dead) with a 12-hour period.

(i) The system must support collection of data within Australia from any specific animal (i.e., any specific RTU ID Number) within 10 minutes of a polling request. The system may employ either the Space Segment, a terrestrial collector, or hybrid data pathway in order to fulfill this timeliness requirement.

(j) Collectively, the system must be capable of supporting a nation-wide GPS stock take throughout Australia within a period of 15 hours from the moment of issuance of such a collection request. ^■ Data Locality and Accessibility

(k) The Livestock Tracking Network Application Server must provide a comprehensive database management capability with respect to Australia's national cattle herd, with appropriate safeguards for proprietary data and confidentiality, to include on-line data accessibility, routine and customized report generation, and data archiving for the life of the animal.

Such database must be resident in Australia in a primary and back-up form.

(1) The system must provide the ability for each owner and/or grazier to have access to his proprietary data as appropriate (that is, appropriate historical data, along with comprehensive data accessibility during the period of ownership), with useful report generation capability.

(m)The system must provide for storage of an appropriate amount of data resident in the memory of the individual RTU itself (such data to be readable via satellite or terrestrial reader device), to include: ^■ Unique RTU ID Number

^■ Current Owner of Record

^■ Animal ' s D ate of Birth

^■ Animal ' s Place of Birth

^■ Location History (at least the last five available GPS locations) ■ Vaccination Status

^■ Tabulated Health History

^■ Specific Management Data

As illustrated in Figure 7, the system can be used for various operational scenarios, which include: ^■ Routine use of the system to track and monitor a herd and individual herd members in the bush. ^■ Use of the multi-mode RTU to monitor a number of animals in a stockyard. ^■ Use of the system to conduct a nation-wide stock take.

^■ Use of the system to monitor a number of animals in the whole value chain, including transport mode, also to and from properties, sale yards, slaughter houses and terminal destination. A typical satellite polling scenario for an RTU would be as follows:

• RTU is in sleep mode. The RTU has knowledge of when each satellite in the network will make a usable overhead pass. An RTU can be configured to switch on it's receive section for each satellite pass or on a timed basis.

• Prior to the usable satellite pass the RTU will turn on the GPS receiver to obtain a GPS fix. On average with good GPS satellite visibility this takes 90 seconds.

• After obtaining a GPS fix and before the usable satellite pass begins the data receive section of the RTU will switch on to monitor the Satellite Data Channel. From this channel the RTU will update itself as required with the satellite network ephemeris data and then obtain the command channel allocations for that beam. The satellite data channel indicates if a priority event is present so that RTU's operating on a timed update basis can switch off immediately, thereby saving power.

• RTU's that have not switched off at this point will tune to the command channel. The command channel will transmit commands in repetition to ensure that RTU's have multiple opportunities to receive their commands. An RTU command will include range of channels the RTU can respond on and an acknowledgement channel allocation.

• RTU's will process the command and select the response channel and time slot from the given channel range on a pseudo-random basis.

• As the RTU response is being transmitted and if an acknowledgement has been requested the RTU will tune to receive the acknowledgement channel and wait to receive the acknowledgment message from the GES. Otherwise the RTU will return to sleep mode. • If an acknowledgment is not received within a predetermined time the RTU will respond again within a time defined in the initial command. If a successful acknowledgement is not received within the defined period then the RTU will return to the sleep mode. If an acknowledgement messages is received then the RTU will return to sleep mode. • RTU returns to sleep mode and awaits the next usable satellite pass. Sale Yard Application as illustrated in Figure 9 A capability of an embodiment of interest to Governmental authorities is the ability to determine - with reasonable precision - the history of where each animal has been during the course of its lifetime. This capability includes the location history of the animal when it is not on extensive rangeland. Indeed, the animal's history when it is in proximity to other animals in sale yards, vaccination points, etc, is perhaps more important vis-ά-vis the prevention of the spread of a disease.

The multi-mode Cattle Tracking RTU of the preferred embodiment is capable of providing GPS-derived location information for collection in the centralized database. When access to the system and/or GPS satellites is obscured, other means will become necessary such as a terrestrial tracking station 25. Initial research indicates that UWB technology can not only provide continuity of connectivity to the Livestock Tracking Network, but can actually provide more accurate localized location information. UWB is only one technology with this capability and any suitable technology may be used. Given the appropriate geographic information system information (that is, the highly-accurate location of sale yards and other facilities, including detailed information concerning the interior of such facilities), a detailed and highly-accurate history of the specific location of a system- tagged animal can be maintained.

Upon entry into a stockyard equipped with system terrestrial equipment, the Cattle Tracking RTU can enter into a mode whereby data can be collected as to location - and other information, such as sale of the animal, vaccination, health examination or other inspection, or the like - as often as may be specified. This information would be relayed to the system Livestock Tracking Network database via the terrestrial data collector 25. A certain amount of data could also be stored within the RTU on a permanent basis, and for later back-up data transmission. This operation would be programmable and dynamic. Parts of this data could also be collected via RFID reader, and entered/transferred into the database system subsequently. Support of Various Property Management Tasks Figure 10

Perhaps the simplest and most straight-forward application for the system Livestock Tracking Network is tracking and collecting data from animals, that is, on-site management and movement in feedlots, paddocks, yards or extensive rangelands.

Each RTU provides GPS-derived location information. This information can not only be relayed back to the central database on a routine or as- polled basis, but can also be used by the RTU to report immobile (and possibly injured) animals, animals who have moved too far afield and are lost or separated from the herd - either at large on the range, or having been taken ("geo-fencing") as illustrated in Figure 10. The RTU's can also be set to broadcast an emergency message when they become disconnected from the animal. Stock-take of an entire herd can be done for a grazier, a state, or an entire nation; this can be done routinely, or on an event — at the press of a button. In addition to providing support to Government agencies and other organizations with respect to livestock tracking, the system can be used by graziers and the larger rural community to aid in their day-to-day work. If a particular grazier, for example, has access to a laptop computer and the Internet, they can not only "keep track of their own animals, but can also access other capabilities enabled by the application of the technology.

Many - if not most - properties are distributed across large areas. In order to manage such areas, a considerable amount of time, fuel, and other resources are employed. Oftentimes such work involves merely monitoring a well or animal watering site, for example. The system can support such monitoring by relaying data collected by sensors deployed in remote areas of a property. Gates can be mechanized to enable remote commands to be issued to open or close them - or simply to monitor whether they are in an opened or closed condition. The condition of other mechanical equipment, such as pumps, wind-powered generators, natural gas storage tanks, and the like, and be monitored by the system, with notifications and indications delivered to the grazier on a continuous basis - 24-hours per day. The system is also able to support numerous sensor networks for profiling and management, cell grazing, soil moisture, calving difficulty, mating etc. The system does not expect to eliminate the need to patrol the property or the bush in person. However, an individual can be equipped with a system-based data communication device which would enable table-driven reporting and requests for assistance - all using the same system being used to support livestock tracking and monitoring. (Such hand-held devices are used routinely in the maritime arena to request assistance at sea, to provide timely catch-reporting data ashore for the purpose of marketing and fisheries management, as well as other applications.) Such devices generally cost significantly less than satellite telephones, and further, can be integrated into the property's management system, reducing the need for yet further communications infrastructure, assuming that the system is used by authorities to monitor the property's cattle. In this way, the rural community can leverage the resources invested in the technology into other useful applications to aid in management, and personal safety. National Stock-Take A key feature of the system Livestock Tracking Network would be the ability to conduct a nationwide stock-take audit in near-real time. Assuming that a stock-take calls for a new location determination for every animal from a point in time ("S-O") forward, the sequence of events would be as follows:

S-O Nation-wide stock-take order issued.

Poll is issued to all RTUs for an immediate location transmission; for the initial pass, this is conducted on a non-acknowledged basis.

For certain at-risk animals, herd, or property, RTU acknowledgement may be issued. For certain at-risk regions or a specific state or territory, near-real time stock take is possible. For a whole of Australia stock take, the following would apply: S+3 hrs Some 25% of the national herd (30 million animals) has reported; selected analyses can begin on preliminary numbers. S+6 hrs Over 50% of the national herd has reported.

S+12 hrs 100% of the national herd has reported; non-reporting animal

RTUs are known, and polls are sent specifically to them. S+13 hrs An additional 1 million RTUs will/could have been collected; list of remaining; non-reporting RTUs ID Numbers provided to authorities.

These are system-specific numbers, and are representative - actual numbers may vary with further system design; however, these numbers appear to be reasonable given our current design. The nature of preliminary reports and subsequent analyses would be specified by the appropriate Government agencies and rural organizations.

Such scenarios can be built for activation on a State-wide basis, for particular owners, properties, regions, cattle being transported by a particular transporter, vaccinated with a particular vaccine lot - many factors can be used to

"sort" the circumstances or instances whereby the animals' RTU's would be polled/collected on an asynchronous basis.

In the present specification and claims (if any), the word "comprising" and its derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.

Claims

Claims:

1. An asset monitoring and tracking system including a. at least one global positioning system (GPS) satellite; b. at least one system satellite; c. at least one remote terminal unit (RTU) adapted to communicate with the at least one global positioning system satellite and the at least one system satellite; d. a data collection and distribution network including i. at least one earth station adapted for communication with the at least one system satellite; and ii. at least one user access device to access the data collection and distribution network to provide asset location information.

2. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 divided into a. a Space Segment including at least one GPS satellite and at least one system satellite; b. a Ground Segment including at least one Gateway Earth Station, data processing, and control facility; and c. a User Segment, including

(i) a plurality of multi-mode RTU' s, each associated with an asset; (ii) terrestrial data collectors; and

(iii)distributed data processing capabilities.

3. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the Space Segment includes a plurality of system satellites, each in low-Earth polar orbit, providing global coverage, with system-controlled frequencies to relay data packets containing GPS-derived location information and other user- defined data to and from the remote terminal units (RTUs).

4. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the Ground Segment includes a plurality of Gateway Earth Stations (GES), Operations Center facilities, and Data Processing capabilities associated with the control and operation of the Space Segment, and with the data processing and distribution capabilities of the overall system.

5. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 including a plurality of User Terminal Units customized to support application-specific capabilities, communicating to and from remote locations via the Space Segment.

6. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 including a plurality of Terrestrial Data Collector terminals deployed in various locations where satellite communications with the Space Segment is at least unreliable and adapted to gather data wirelessly, and relay the data via wireless to the system satellites.

7. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 including at least one RFID Reader device capable of reading an RFID chip installed in a User Terminal to collect data for later input and transmission to a centralized database.

8. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 including at least one Application Server processing equipment to provide application-specific data processing, analysis, and data display.

9. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the system satellites communicate with the Ground Segment in order to relay data directly from the RTU's in a "bent pipe or other type such as Store-and- Forward" approach.

10. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the system satellites are provided in a plurality of orbital planes, each having a plurality of system satellites in communication with the Ground Segment via a network of Gateway Earth Stations deployed around the world.

11. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the system satellites operate according to a bent pipe or Store-and-Forward processing system such that data processing and storage is done by the Ground

Segment.

12. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the Space Segment is controlled by a Network Control Center with basic Telemetry

Telecommand & Control for the system satellites carried out at each Gateway Earth Station, under the direction of the Network Control Center.

13. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 2 wherein the system functions to route system-derived data to the appropriate "owner" of each specific RTU, with each RTU registered with a Network Control Center to ensure proper data routing, the provision of value-added system services and other operational management issues.

14. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein each RTU supports a plurality of modes of communications.

15. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 14 wherein a first mode is satellite communication with at least two types of satellite, the RTU equipped to receive GPS signals, used to compute geographic location, and to communicate directly with the system satellites to track each asset in an outdoor environment.

16. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 15 wherein communication between the system satellites and the RTU is two-way, so the RTU can be polled for information and delivery of table-driven programming data can be delivered via the system satellite.

17. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 14 wherein a second mode of communications with the RTU is via a terrestrial wide area network (WAN) to connect with a terrestrial system data collector unit, to collect data from the RTU when the system satellite is obscured from view, or when the RTU is operating indoors.

18. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 14 wherein a third mode of communications with the RTU is based on providing the RTU with an RFID chip and communication with a locally-mounted or hand-held reader.

19. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU has a physical design which is adapted to suit the particular asset.

20. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU is adapted to be deployed in the field for a reasonable amount of time without replacement or refurbishment and able to function without routine battery or power supply change-out during the period of deployment.

21. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU is adapted to collect and hold an amount of data on-board the RTU.

22. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU includes an RFID component with an active component as well as a passive component.

23. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU is adapted to interact with other devices to monitor the status or condition of an asset.

24. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU is adapted to be loaded with different software modules to establish capabilities, via the system satellites when necessary.

25. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the RTU's can be used in groups consisting of inter-communicating RTU's.

26. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) components include power, antenna, RF frequency conversion, IF transceiver, baseband processing, communications link, microprocessor and memory and GPS/RFID/WLAN integration.

27. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein an RTU's are associated with an actuator to be used within a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system which permits user interaction with, and control of devices remotely via the SCADA system.

28. An asset monitoring and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the system is used in the field of any one of cattle and livestock tracking, defence asset tracking, shipping container tracking, vehicle tracking, or maritime asset tracking.

29. A method of tracking assets remotely including the steps of providing an asset monitoring and tracking system including a. at least one global positioning system (GPS) satellite; b. at least one system satellite; c. at least one remote terminal unit (RTU) adapted to communicate with the at least one global positioning system satellite and the at least one system satellite; d. a data collection and distribution network including i. at least one earth station adapted for communication with the at least one system satellite; and ii. at least one user access device to access the data collection and distribution network to provide asset location information wherein the at least one global positioning system communicates position data to the RTU which in turn communicates position data to the data collection and distribution network via the at least system satellite which users have access to via the at least one user access device, allowing users to locate assets provided with an RTU.

30. A remote terminal unit for use in a satellite based asset monitoring and location system, the remote terminal unit operable in at least two communication modes selected from the group comprising a satellite communication mode, a terrestrial wide area network mode and a radio frequency identification device mode.