Transportation security system and associated methods

Abstract

A security system for monitoring a shipping container being transported by a cargo transport vehicle has a Container Security Device (CSD) removably coupled to a shipping container wall. The CSD monitors cargo inside the container and detects intrusions into the vehicle and damage to the container wall. The CSD includes an anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller, and a communication device. The microcontroller generates an alarm signal based on a signal from the anti-tamper sensor and records container events. The anti-temper sensor undergoes individual and integrated sensor processing procedures. The integrated sensor processing procedure determines the overall container alert status using an alarm signal from at least one sensor. The system also has a Network Operations Center (NOC) for communicating with a telecommunications network. The NOC receives data from each CSD, includes a data storage medium for storing sensor data, and has an archive of the container events.

1 . A security system for monitoring at least one shipping container being transported by at least one cargo transport vehicle, the system comprising:
 a Container Security Device (CSD) configured to be removably coupled to the at least one freight shipping container wall thereby utilized for monitoring a cargo inside the container and detection of intrusion violations accompanied with partial destruction of the container wall when in a coupled condition, the CSD including at least one anti-tamper sensor, a microcontroller and a communication device;   wherein the microcontroller generates an alert status based on an output data generated by least one anti-tamper sensor being subjected to an individual sensor processing procedure and then to an integrated sensor processing procedure, the integrated sensor processing procedure makes determination of the overall container alert status based on the output data from said at least one sensor; and   a Network Operations Center (NOC), the NOC including a NOC communications facility configured to communicate with at least one telecommunication network, the NOC being configured to receive data from each of a plurality of the CSDs and including a data storage medium configured to store sensor data and contained an archive of the container events.