Electronic monitoring systems, shipment container monitoring systems and methods of monitoring a shipment in a container
View Patent ↗A shipping container has a passive radio antenna element having internal and external antennas. A connector spanning the wall joins the two antennas. An internal communications device is disposed within the container and an external communications device is disposed external to the container. Another shipping container has a repeater element having internal and external antennas. A repeater unit spans the wall joining the two antennas. A communications device is disposed within the container and another communications device is disposed externally. RF signals are re-radiated by the antennas. Methodology includes emitting RF signals from a communication device disposed at a first location, receiving the signals through an antenna comprised by an antenna element, and re-radiating the signal from a second antenna comprised by the element, where the element spans the wall of a shipping container. The re-radiated signal is received by a second communications device disposed at a second location.
1. An electronic monitoring system, comprising:
a container having a wall comprising a first side and an opposing second side;
an external communications device disposed external to the container;
an internal communications device disposed within the container; and
a passive radio antenna element comprising a first antenna disposed within the container, a second antenna disposed external to the container, and a connector spanning the wall and joining the first and second antennas, wherein at least a portion of the connector is insulated from the wall.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are of differing polarization relative to one another.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are of the same polarization relative to one another.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are the same antenna type relative to one another.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are differing antenna type relative to one another.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are in the same orientation relative to one another.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas differ in orientation relative to one another.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are of the same directionality relative to one another.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are of differing directionality relative to one another.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are the same gain relative to one another.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second antennas are of differing gain relative to one another.
12. The system of claim 1 further comprising an antenna housing mounted to the first side of the wall and covering the first antenna.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein the antenna housing is a first antenna housing and further comprising a second antenna housing mounted to the second side of the wall and covering the second antenna.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the internal communications device comprises an RF receiver and the external communications device comprises an RF transmitter.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the internal communications device comprises an RF transmitter and the external communications device comprises an RF receiver.