SYSTEM FOR THE REAL TIME INVENTORY AND LOCALIZATION OF REFRIGERATING CONTAINERS AND RELATED METHOD

• US 20100258643A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smartfreeze SRL
• Original Assignee: Smartfreeze SRL
• Inventors: Del Cogliano, Davide, Glielmo, Luigi, De Santis, Corrado
• Granted Patent: US 7,975,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 236/51
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

System (10) for remotely controlling and monitoring a food refrigerator (1), and its content, of the type intended to be given in rental or in free loan from a manufacturer to a vendor of cold products, comprising a control unit (2) for checking and storing a plurality of functioning parameters of the food refrigerator (1), an RFID reader (3) intended to read data stored in a plurality of RFID tags attached to the cold products, a communication unit (4) for interconnecting an external device, the RFID reader (3) comprising means for retrieving data from said RFID tags when the cold products are still stocked inside the food refrigerator (1) and the communication unit (4) localization means for transmitting information to the external device about a geographical localization of the food refrigerator (1). System (10) according to claim 1 wherein said means produce a radio frequency signal at predetermined time intervals for activating said RFID tags. The data stored in said RFID tag comprises a unique identification number. The communication unit (4) is a GSM/GPRS unit. The external devices might be a second food refrigerator, residing in a same local area network (LAN). The external device is a remote server (5) located outside the local area network (LAN) equipped with a management information system.

Claims

1. A system for remotely controlling and monitoring a refrigerator, comprising:

a control unit for checking and storing a plurality of functioning parameters of said refrigerator, the plurality of functioning parameters including at least a refrigerator current absorption;

a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader for reading data stored in a plurality of RFID tags attached to products stocked in the refrigerator, a communication unit for interconnecting an external device for obtaining information on a geographical localization of said refrigerator,

said RFID reader comprising means for retrieving said data from said RFID tags when said products are still stocked inside said refrigerator and said communication unit comprising localization means for transmitting information to said external device on a geographical localization of said refrigerator, and

means for transmitting said functioning parameters and a delocalization message from the communication unit to a remote server, said delocalization message being transmitted when a number of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission cells connected by the communication unit before a power off and overlapping to GSM/GPRS transmission cells connected by the communication unit after a successive power on is not greater than a predetermined threshold.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit comprises an input, the input receiving a signal associated to an activation of a compressor of said refrigerator.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the input of said control unit further receives a signal associated to a current absorption of said compressor.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said signal of current absorption is coupled to a corresponding time signal.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said control unit is programmed to receive said signal of current absorption each 1.5 seconds and to store a plurality of signals of current absorption in a time period of three hours.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit detects a malfunction of said compressor.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein said remote server receives said signals and provides for their elaboration based on said current absorption.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said means of said RFID reader emit a radio frequency signal at predetermined time intervals for activating said RFID tags.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said communication unit is a GSM/GPRS unit or similar cell-based communication system.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said external device is a second refrigerator.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said refrigerator and said second refrigerator reside in a same local area network (LAN) interconnecting respective communication units.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said external device is a remote server located outside said local area network (LAN).

13. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of box-cases for hosting said products.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said box cases are mono-use boxes or plastic wrap.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein said localization means retrieve localization data from a connection between said communication unit and a set of transmission cells of a GSM/GPRS network.

16. A method for remote control of a refrigerator, comprising the following phases:

checking, through a control unit, a plurality of functioning parameters of said refrigerator, the plurality of functioning parameters including at least a refrigerator current absorption;

reading, through a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) reader, data stored inside a plurality of RFID tags attached to product stocked in said refrigerator, said phase of reading being executed when said products are still stocked inside said refrigerator;

interconnecting, through a communication unit, an external device, obtaining information on a geographical localization of said refrigerator; and

transmitting said functioning parameters and a delocalization message from the communication unit to a remote server, said delocalization message being sent when a number of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission cells connected by the communication unit before a power off and overlapping to GSM/GPRS transmission cells connected by the communication unit after a successive power on is not greater than a predetermined threshold.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising the step of transmitting from said control unit to the remote server a signal associated to an activation of a compressor of said refrigerator.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of transmitting from said control unit to the remote server a signal which is associated to a current absorption of said compressor.

19. The method according to claim 18, including the step of coupling said signal of current absorption to a corresponding time signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, including the step of receiving said signal of current absorption each 1.5 seconds and storing in said control unit a plurality of signals of current absorption received for a time period of three hours.

21. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of detecting a malfunction of said compressor with said control unit.

22. The method according to claim 17, comprising the step of providing an elaboration of current absorption in said remote server.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein said data are grouped in an inventory data file comprising a number of products sold and/or their permanence inside the refrigerator and/or their production date and or their sale date.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein said inventory data file is transmitted at predetermined time intervals from said communication unit to said remote server.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein said functioning parameters are sent at predetermined time intervals from said communication unit to said remote server.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein said geographical localization is derived by an analysis of a connection between said communication unit and real-time detectable Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) transmission cells.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein said remote server stores a log, comprising said functioning parameters of said refrigerator, relative to corresponding functioning periods.

28. The method according to claim 16, wherein a transmission of said data or functioning parameters to said remote server is triggered by a fault detected by said control unit.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the delocalization message is transmitted, from said communication unit to said remote server, when a change of transmission cells of a GSM/GPRS network is detected time by said communication unit after a power fault.

30. The method according to claim 16, wherein a transmission of said data or functioning parameters to said remote server is triggered by sending a phone call to said control unit.