Repository and monitoring system therefor

• US 6,529,133 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tamaoki, Yuichi, Miyoshi, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T.
• Application Number:
  US09/819,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20010026224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584, 340/585, 340/587, 340/539, 340/870.07, 340/870.08, 340/870.09, 340/870.17, 340/870.16, 622/29, 62/79, 621/75, 623/35
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2116 of a condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2117 of an evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 7/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with cascade operation, i.e. with two or more circuits, the heat from the condenser of one circuit being absorbed by the evaporator of the next circuit F25B9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/122 of freezer compartments
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices

Abstract

A repository including: an input unit (3) for setting the temperature of the interior (2) of a repository (1); a measuring unit (5,6) for measuring the temperature of the interior of the repository (1); a controller (4) for holding ID data to specify the repository itself and communicatively outputting the measurement data to the external; and an auxiliary power source (13) for communicating the measurement data to the external even during interruption of power supply. A central controller 11 for collecting the measured data from each repository and judging whether abnormality occurs or not is connected to plural repositories to fabricate a monitoring system. When abnormality is detected, the measured data as well as ID data and time data are transmitted to a user through the Internet.

Claims

1. A repository having a main body for keeping things under a predetermined fixed environmental condition, the repository comprising:

an input unit for inputting a target internal temperature of the main body of said repository;

a measuring unit for measuring the internal temperature of the main body of said repository;

a controller for communicatively outputting the measurement data obtained by said measuring unit;

a central controller for receiving the measurement data obtained from said controller and outputting the measurement data obtained by said measuring unit to an external terminal upon the occurrence of a predetermined condition, said central controller combining ID data with said measurement data so that said output measurement data indicates in which repository said predetermined condition occurred; and

a unit for enabling said central controller to output the measurement data to the external terminal even during interruption of power supply.

2. The repository as claimed in claim 1, further including a two-stage refrigeration system having two refrigeration circuits which are cascade-connected to each other and perform heat exchange, and a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of a thermally-coupled portion of said two refrigeration circuits.

3. The repository as claimed in claim 2, wherein said thermally-coupled portion is a cascade-condenser of said two-stage refrigeration system.

4. The repository as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller holds ID data to specify said repository itself.

5. The repository as claimed in claim 1, wherein said unit is an auxiliary power source for applying power to said controller permitting the measurement data to be communicated between the controller and the central controller and to be communicatively output to the external terminal even during the interruption of power supply.

6. The repository as claimed in claim 1, further including:

a refrigeration circuit containing an evaporator equipped with a defrost sensor; and

another measuring unit for measuring the temperature of said defrost sensor, the measured data of the temperature of said defrost sensor being also output to the external terminal.

7. The repository as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is a condition when a difference between the measured internal temperature and a target internal temperature is greater than a threshold value.

8. A monitoring system for at least one repository having a main body for keeping things under a predetermined fixed environmental condition, including:

an input unit for inputting a target internal temperature of the main body of the repository;

a measuring unit for measuring the internal temperature of the main body of the repository;

a controller for receiving the measurement data from said measuring unit and communicatively outputting the measurement data;

a central controller for receiving the measurement data from said controller and comparing the measured internal temperature with the target internal temperature and outputting the measurement data obtained by said measuring unit to an external terminal when the difference between the measured internal temperature and the target internal temperature is larger than a threshold value, wherein said central controller combines the time data with the measured data and distributes the combined data together with the ID data representing the repository concerned to desired remote devices.

9. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said central controller adds time data to the measured data and distributes the measured data added with the time data together with ID data representing the repository concerned through the Internet to prescribed Internet addresses.

10. The repository as claimed in claim 8, further including an auxiliary power source for enabling the data communication between said controller and said central controller even during interruption of power supply.

11. The repository as claimed in claim 10, whereby the data communication between said controller and said central controller is carried out by using a predetermined communication protocol.

12. A monitoring system for a plurality of repositories for keeping things under a predetermined fixed environmental condition, comprising:

an input unit which is equipped to each repository to input a target physical quantity affecting the environmental condition of each repository;

a measuring unit which is equipped to each repository to measure the physical quantity affecting the environmental condition of said repository;

a controller which is equipped to each repository to hold ID data specifying said repository itself and output the measurement data of the physical quantity obtained by said measuring unit to the external;

a central controller for collectively receiving the measured data and the ID data from said controller of each repository, judging on the basis of the measured data whether some abnormality occurs in the physical quantity, and outputting the measured data and the ID data while adding the measured data with time data representing the measurement time if it is judged that some abnormality occurs in the physical quantity; and

a distribution unit for distributing the data output from said central controller to desired Internet addresses through the Internet if it is judged that some abnormality occurs in the physical quantity.

13. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the physical quantity is the temperature of the interior of each repository.

14. The monitoring system as claimed in claim 12, further including an auxiliary power source which is equipped to each repository to enable the data communication between said controller and said central controller even during interruption of power supply.