REMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A maintenance system comprising:
- a plurality of containers, each of the containers being sealed and receiving a payload, each payload being sensitive to environmental conditions;
a plurality of sensors received within each of the containers;
wherein the sensors are configured to detect temperature and humidity within the container, and the sensors are further configured to detect vibration and shock on the container;
at least one logging device in communication with the sensors and configured to receive readings of detected temperature, humidity, vibration and shock from the sensors;
wherein the logging device is configured to store a plurality of successive readings of detected temperature, humidity, vibration and shock from the sensors for multiple years;
wherein the logging device interfaces with the sensors from each of the containers;
wherein the logging device is configured to output the readings of detected temperature, humidity, vibration and shock from the sensors to a computer program;
wherein the computer program is configured to compare the readings with known allowable levels for the payload in the container and produce a result indicating the likelihood of failure within the payload on a real time basis as a status indicator of the payload;
wherein the computer program is further configured to display the status indicator of the payload for all of the containers; and
wherein an operator of the computer program may determine which payload to utilize based upon the status indicator of the payload.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to systems and processes for environmental and condition monitoring of containerized assets. One illustrative system includes containers that are configured to enclose assets that are potentially hazardous and/or potentially sensitive to electromagnetic (EM)/radio frequency (RF) radiation or emissions. The assets may also be sensitive to various environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, shock and vibration. An exemplary system uses sensors to measure and track these environmental conditions inside a container for up to multiple years. An illustrative system may also use sensors to measure attributes of the asset. An illustrative system is configured to archive and report on the collected data. An illustrative system includes the ability to issue a warning when an asset may have been compromised. Additionally, the collected data may be used in predictive life analyses. More particularly, the collected data may be analyzed and compared to thresholds for container assets to reach deductive or inductive conclusions about the probability of damage, maintenance needs, or replacement needs.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A maintenance system comprising:
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a plurality of containers, each of the containers being sealed and receiving a payload, each payload being sensitive to environmental conditions; a plurality of sensors received within each of the containers; wherein the sensors are configured to detect temperature and humidity within the container, and the sensors are further configured to detect vibration and shock on the container; at least one logging device in communication with the sensors and configured to receive readings of detected temperature, humidity, vibration and shock from the sensors; wherein the logging device is configured to store a plurality of successive readings of detected temperature, humidity, vibration and shock from the sensors for multiple years; wherein the logging device interfaces with the sensors from each of the containers; wherein the logging device is configured to output the readings of detected temperature, humidity, vibration and shock from the sensors to a computer program; wherein the computer program is configured to compare the readings with known allowable levels for the payload in the container and produce a result indicating the likelihood of failure within the payload on a real time basis as a status indicator of the payload; wherein the computer program is further configured to display the status indicator of the payload for all of the containers; and wherein an operator of the computer program may determine which payload to utilize based upon the status indicator of the payload. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An environmental and condition monitoring system comprising:
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a plurality of containers, wherein each container contains an asset; wherein the asset is sensitive to the environment; first and second sensors operably coupled to the container; wherein the first sensors detect quasi-static environments in the container; wherein the second sensors detect dynamic environments on the container; a measurement device interfacing with the first and second sensors from the plurality of containers; a central computer including a computer program and a memory, wherein the measurement device reports sensor readings to the computer program; wherein the computer program is configured to compare the measurements with preset acceptable levels for the asset in the container and produce a result indicating the measurement status on a real time basis; wherein the computer program is configured to display the status of all of the containers; wherein the memory of the computer stores the measurements for a plurality of years; wherein the computer program is further configured to show the historical data of the readings for each container; and a user interface in communication with the central computer, wherein an operator of the computer program may access the real time status of all the containers and the historical data for each container. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of monitoring environmental conditions within a container, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting quasi-static environmental conditions within a container through a plurality of sensors; acquiring the detected quasi-static environmental conditions with a quasi-static measurement unit; detecting dynamic environmental conditions on the container through a plurality of sensors; acquiring the detected dynamic environmental conditions with a dynamic measurement unit; reporting measurement readings from the quasi-static measurement unit and the dynamic measurement unit to a central computer; comparing the measurement readings with preset acceptable levels for an asset within each container; producing a result indicating measurement status on a real time basis; displaying the measurement status for each of the containers; storing the detected measurement readings for each container for multiple years; displaying historical data of the measurement readings for each container. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A containment system comprising:
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a plurality of containers arranged in a group, each container including; an outer shell defining a chamber to receive an asset; and a lid operably coupled to the outer shell and configured to cover the chamber; a sensor suite associated with each of the plurality of containers, the sensor suite including; first sensors to detect quasi-static environmental conditions in the container, the first sensors received within the chamber of the container; and second sensors to detect dynamic environmental conditions on the container, the second sensors operably coupled to the outer shell and longitudinally spaced along the container; a controller in communication with the sensor suite, the controller including measurement devices and a central computer having a memory, the first and second sensors providing signals to the measurement devices, the measurement devices providing measurement readings to the central computer based upon the signals from the first and second sensors; a user interface including a display in communication with the controller; wherein the memory includes preset acceptable measurement levels, the computer program configured to compare the measurement readings with the preset acceptable measurement levels for the asset in the container; and wherein the display is configured to provide a graphical representation of the plurality of containers, each container representation including an indicator representative of the measurement status on a real time basis. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. An environmental and condition monitoring system comprising:
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a sensor suite associated with each of a plurality of containers, the sensor suite including; first sensors to detect quasi-static environmental conditions in the container; and second sensors to detect dynamic environmental conditions on the container; a controller in communication with the sensor suite, the controller including measurement devices and a central computer having a memory, the first and second sensors providing signals to the measurement devices, the measurement devices providing measurement readings to the central computer based upon the signals from the first and second sensors; a user interface including a display in communication with the controller; wherein the memory includes preset acceptable measurement levels associated with an asset in the container, the computer program configured to compare the measurement readings with the preset acceptable measurement levels for the asset in the container; wherein the controller is configured provide on the display an overview graphical representation of the plurality of containers, the overview graphical representation including an indicator representative of the measurement status of each container on a real time basis; and wherein the controller is further configured to provide on the display a detailed container graphical representation of an individual container, the detailed container graphical representation including status indicators for each sensor associated with the container and detailed measurement readings on a real time basis. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification