DEVICE FOR ELECTRONICALLY SEALING CONTAINER USING PROXIMITY WIRELESS COMMUNICATION, AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SAME

• US 20160217665A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S-WINNUS Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: S-WINNUS Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHOI, Hyungrim, KIM, Jaejoong, LEE, Jaekee, HONG, Soongoo, KIM, Chaesoo, KWARK, Gwanghoon, LEE, Gangbae, LEE, Eunkyu, SON, Jungrock, CHOI, Sungpill, MOON, Youngsik, SHIN, Joongjo, LEE, Jinwook, SON, Heemok, KIM, Yoonji, KIM, Minho, JUNG, Junwoo, PARK, Hansoo, KIM, Minjung, OH, Jaeseong, CHOI, Woocheol
• Granted Patent: US 10,055,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 13/002 locking the handle E05B13/10, E05B47/0657 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 39/005 Locks with means for tracking the location of locked items, e.g. freight containers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/126 for a housing, e.g. a box, a safe, or a room

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to provide a device for electronically sealing a container using proximity wireless communication for controlling the sealing of a container door from a remote distance by applying a proximity wireless communication technique to the device for electronically sealing a container, so that unlocking a container becomes more convenient, rapid, and safer, and to provide a system and a method for operating the device for electronically sealing a container. The device for electronically sealing a container is coupled to a keychain outside of the container, so that whether the container door is open or closed can be checked in real time, and various types of information related to the container can be relayed, in real time, to a shipper or persons associated with tracking the container, thereby fundamentally eliminating the possibility of illegal opening and closing of container doors associated with existing container-locking devices, and also allowing convenient, rapid, and safe unlocking of container doors.

Claims

1. A device for electronically sealing a container using proximity wireless communication, comprising:

a main body unit which includes a driving control unit disposed inside thereof and is installed detachable at a container main body wall surface and a container door; and

a locking unit which is able to unlock the container door in accordance with a control signal of the driving control unit provided inside of the main body unit, wherein the driving control unit comprises;

a mobile communication unit which is able to communication with a server located outside;

a GPS (Global Positioning System) which is provided to locate the current position of a container electronic sealing device;

a storing unit which is able to store an internal information of the container and an ID (Identification) of a NFC (Near Field Communication) tag;

a sealing detection sensor unit which is able to check if the container door has been illegally opened;

a NFC unit which is provided to control the sealing by unlocking the container door by employing a NFC (Near Field Communication) method; and

a setting processing unit which is provided to control an operation wherein a transmission data (a state on if the sealing is broken or not, and a GPS information, etc.) checked by the sealing detection sensor unit is transmitted to a server or a user terminal at a cycle set by a user, and if an illegal opening and closing and a deviation at a set path occur, an event data is transmitted in real time to the server or the user terminal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the driving control unit further comprises a container internal and external detection sensor unit which is provided to sense a surrounding information inside and outside of the container door which is formed of one or more than one selected among a temperature, a humidity, a position, a sealing, an impact, and a luminance.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the ID of the NFC tag is an ID which is used to break the sealing of the container door and can be received in such a way to transmit a request data (Init Packet) including a dedicated ID of the container electronic sealing device to a server via a mobile communication unit.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the storing unit is able to store a request data (Init Packet) information on a request to the server after the sealing of the container electronic sealing device is broken, a sealing breaking information, a log on the transmission of information to a user, and an equipment state log.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmission data includes a sealing breaking state checked by the sealing detection sensor unit, and a surrounding information inside and outside of the container door checked by the container internal and external detection sensor unit.

6. A method for electronically sealing a container using proximity wireless communication, comprising:

a step (A) wherein when the sealing of a container electronic sealing device is completed, a request data (Init Packet) including a dedicated ID of the container electronic sealing device which has been previously set and stored as it is connected to an external server via a mobile communication network is transmitted;

a step (B) wherein a request response data (Init Ack Packet) is received, which includes an ID of a NFC tag, which is used to break the sealing of the container electronic sealing device based on the dedicated ID of the container electronic sealing device via the server, a data storing cycle, and a data transmission cycle;

a step (C) wherein when the request response data (Init Ack Packet) is inputted from the server, an information data (Data Packet) including a sensing information obtained by detecting a surrounding information inside and outside of the container door is transmitted to the server using the mobile communication network at a data storing cycle included in the request response data;

a step (D) wherein an information response data (Data Ack Packet) corresponding to the check from the server which receives an information data (Data Packet), and a command data are received from the container electronic sealing device;

a step (E) wherein a command response data (Command Ack Packet) is transmitted to the server after a function corresponding to a command data (Command Packet) received from the server is carried out;

a step (F) wherein when the container electronic sealing device arrives at a destination, the breaking of the sealing is tried using the NFC tag; and

a step (G) wherein when the sealing of the container electronic sealing device is broken, the container electronic sealing device is rebooted.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the command data includes a command data (Command Packet) on a server IP, a port change, a data storing cycle change, a data transmission cycle change, a NFC tag ID addition and deletion.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sending information on the surrounding information sensed in the step (C) includes a temperature, a humidity, a position, a sealing, an impact, and a luminance, and the sensing information has a previously set threshold value, and if the value is out of a regional range of the set threshold value, an event data is transmitted in real time to a server or a user terminal.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein in the step (E), an estimated movement path of the container electronic sealing device is received from the server, and if the received path is out of a corresponding region or if the illegal opening of the container door occurs, an alarm is transferred in real time to the server or the user terminal.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein in the step (F), if there is not any NFC tag that the container electronic sealing device can break with the sealing, a predetermined GPS value can be inputted, and it can be opened at a corresponding region.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein in the step (F), if the container electronic sealing device does not arrive at a desired destination within a predetermined time in a state where an operation time of the container electronic sealing device is inputted, an alarm is transmitted to the server.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein in the step (G), the storing unit stores a request data (Init Packet) information, a sealing breaking information, a log on the transmission of the information to the user, and an equipment state log.

13. A system for operating a device for electronically sealing a container, comprising:

a container electronic sealing device including a main body unit which is installed detachable at a container main body wall surface and a container door, and a locking unit provided to unlock the container door in accordance with a control signal of a driving control unit installed inside of the main body unit; and

a server which is configured to transmit or receive a data, wherein the server includes;

an information transmission and receiving interface unit which is configured to transmit and receive information with the container electronic sealing device;

an information encoding and decoding unit which is configured to encode and decode a data with respect to the container electronic sealing device via the information transmission and receiving interface unit;

an information analyzing unit which is able to analyze the content of the information data received via the information transmission and receiving interface unit;

a NFC tag pre-matching unit which is provided to generate a NFC tag ID used to break the sealing of the container electronic sealing device based on a dedicated ID of the container electronic sealing device received from the container electronic sealing device and check the matching state of the NFC tag ID received from the container electronic sealing device when the container electronic sealing device arrives at a destination;

a transfer information packet generation unit which is able to generate in the form of a packet the data which is transmitted to the container electronic sealing device;

a state setting unit which is configured to set the sealing state of the container electronic sealing device based on a data transmission and reception with the container electronic sealing device; and

a manager interface unit which is able to transmit or receive a setting change and a setting change completion information by a manager based on the state setting unit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the number of the IDs of the NFC tag generated by the NFC tag pre-matching unit is multiple, and the sealing-breakable NFC tag ID of the container electronic sealing device, the sealing-breakable NFC tag of which is lost, in a remote area be able to reset at the server if the NFC tag is lost, and can be transmitted via a mobile communication unit.

15. A method for operating a device for electronically sealing a container, comprising:

a step (a) wherein a request data (Init Packet) including a dedicated ID of a container electronic sealing device is transmitted from the container electronic sealing device connected to a server via a mobile communication network;

a step (b) wherein a request response data (Init Ack Packet) is transmitted, which includes a data storing cycle and a data transmission cycle together with the ID of a previously matched NFC tag wherein the sealing of the container electronic sealing device can be broken based on an inputted dedicated ID of the container electronic sealing device;

a step (c) wherein an information data including a surrounding information sensed by the container electronic sealing device is transmitted using the mobile communication network at a data transmission cycle included in the request response data;

a step (d) wherein when an information data (Data Packet) is inputted from the container electronic sealing device, an information response data (Data Ack Packet) to check the reception of the data or a command data (Command Packet) including a server IP/port change, a data storing cycle change, a data transmission cycle change, a NFC tag ID addition and deletion is transmitted to the container electronic sealing device;

a step (e) wherein a command response data (Command Ack Packet) is transmitted after the container electronic sealing device carries out a corresponding function based on the command data (Command Packet);

a step (f) wherein an estimated movement path is transmitted to the container electronic sealing device, and if a corresponding region is deviated, an alarm is received;

a step (g) wherein as the container electronic sealing device arrives at a destination, and a sealing breaking is tried using the NFC tag, the matching state of the NFC tag ID which has been received by receiving the used NFC tag is checked, and when a checking is completed, a sealing breaking setting information for breaking the sealing of the container electronic sealing device is transmitted; and

a step (h) wherein when the sealing of the container electronic sealing device is broken, the container electronic sealing device is rebooted.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the NFC tag used in the step (g) allows to reset the NFC tag ID which is able to break in real time the sealing in such a way to use a mobile communication when the container electronic sealing device is using based on the step (d).

17. A method for operating a device for electronically sealing a container, comprising:

a step wherein when a request data (Init Packet) including a dedicated ID of a container electronic sealing device is received from the container electronic sealing device connected via a mobile communication network, a sealing-breakable NFC tag ID which has been previously matched with the transmitted dedicated ID of the container electronic sealing device is transmitted to the container electronic sealing device;

a first check step wherein when an information data (Data Packet) is received from the container electronic sealing device, it is checked what the received information data contains;

a step wherein as a result of the first check, if the information data received from the container electronic sealing device is an alarm information, the received alarm information is checked, and the opening of a container door is reported via either SMS or e-mail through a manager and user terminal;

a step wherein as a result of the first check, if the information data received from the container electronic sealing device is a sealing breaking information, the current position information and the NFC tag ID of the container electronic sealing device are detected among the received sealing breaking information, thus checking if the container electronic sealing device has arrived at a destination and checking a matching state of the NFC tag ID;

a second check step wherein as a result of the first check, if the information data received from the container electronic sealing device is an information on cycles, and if there is a setting change information, it is checked what information of the container electronic sealing device is to be changed;

a step wherein as a result of the second check, if it is checked that the setting change information corresponds to a change of a server information, an information transmission server IP and port change information of the container electronic sealing device are transmitted;

a step wherein as a result of the second check, if it is checked that the setting change information corresponds to a change of a cycle setting information, a GPS, an information storing, and an information transmission cycle change information of the container electronic sealing device are transmitted; and

a step wherein as a result of the second check, if it is checked that the setting change information corresponds to a change of the NFC tag information, a sealing-breakable NFC tag ID change (an addition and a deletion) information of the container electronic sealing device is transmitted.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

a step wherein if the information data has been checked in the first check step, an information response data is transferred to check a normal reception of the information data received from the container electronic sealing device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

a step wherein a setting change completion information corresponding to a setting change information transmitted from the container electronic sealing device is received after the setting change information is transmitted to the container electronic sealing device in the second check step.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

a step wherein an information normal reception check response data transmitted from the container electronic sealing device is transferred again to the container electronic sealing device if the change completion information is received as a result of the second check.