Automatic conditioning of data accumulated by sensors monitoring supply chain processes

• US 7,142,110 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensitech Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sensitech Incorporated (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmidtberg, Rupert A., Leshuk, Jeffrey Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/934,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20050052284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.27, 340/539.26, 340/572.1, 340/571, 340/572.8, 340/539.31, 340/584, 700/228
• US Class Current: 340/539.27
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/00 Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems

Abstract

A product supply chain may be viewed not just as a series of discrete, unrelated shipment transactions, but as a “process” (or pipeline) that can be subject to statistical process control. The present invention is directed to novel systems and methods for collecting data concerning one or more aspects of a supply chain, for performing statistical analysis on the collected data to facilitate the identification of anomalies or inefficiencies in the process, and for communicating the results of such statistical analysis to those responsible for the supply chain so that remedial measures may be taken, if appropriate. Among other things, a method is disclosed for use in a system in which at least one first sensor is associated with at least one first item that is transported from a first shipping location to a first receiving location so that the at least one first sensor can monitor at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item as the at least one first item is so transported. The method comprises storing first data accumulated by the at least one first sensor in memory, with at least some of the first data reflecting changes in the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item that occurred when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item, and automatically identifying at least a portion of the first data as having been accumulated when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item.

Claims

1. A method for use in a system in which at least one first sensor is associated with at least one first item that is transported from a first shipping location to a first receiving location so that the at least one first sensor can monitor at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item as the at least one first item is so transported, the method comprising steps of:

(a) storing first data accumulated by the at least one first sensor in memory, at least some of the first data reflecting changes in the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item that occurred when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item; and

(b) using a computer, automatically identifying at least a portion of the first data as having been accumulated when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item and as being data upon which an analysis should be based.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item comprises a temperature of an environment in which the at least one first item was disposed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of:

(c) extracting first summary information from the identified portion of the first data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first summary information comprises at least one of a mean temperature, a minimum temperature, a maximum temperature, degree-minutes above a threshold temperature, degree-minutes below a threshold temperature, time above a threshold temperature, and time below a threshold temperature.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first summary information reflects the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item at only a single product location.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein, in the system, at least one second sensor is associated with at least one second item that is transported from a second shipping location to a second receiving location so that the at least one second sensor can monitor at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one second item as the at least one second item is so transported, and wherein the method further comprises steps of:

(d) storing second data accumulated by the at least one second sensor in memory, at least some of the second data reflecting changes in the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one second item that occurred when the at least one second sensor was associated with the at least one second item;

(e) automatically identifying at least a portion of the second data as having been accumulated when the at least one second sensor was associated with the at least one second item;

(f) extracting second summary information from the identified portion of the second data; and

(g) combining at least a portion of the first summary information with at least a portion of the second summary information to yield at least one parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising a step of generating a chart or graph based at least in part upon the at least one parameter.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item comprises a temperature of an environment in which the at least one first item was disposed; and

the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one second item comprises a temperature of an environment in which the at least one second item was disposed.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the first summary information and the second summary information comprises at least one of a mean temperature, a minimum temperature, a maximum temperature, degree-minutes above a threshold temperature, degree-minutes below a threshold temperature, time above a threshold temperature, and time below a threshold temperature.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first summary information and the second summary information reflect the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item and the at least one second item, respectively, at only a single product location.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second shipping locations are the same location.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second shipping locations are different locations.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second receiving locations are the same location.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second receiving locations are different locations.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second items are transported between the first and second shipping locations and the first and second receiving locations, respectively, on different vehicles.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensor is associated with the at least one first item such that the at least one first sensor remains associated with the at least one first item in substantially the same way before and after the at least one first item is loaded onto or removed from a vehicle carrying the at least one first item between the first shipping location and the first receiving location.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) comprises communicating at least one RF signal between the at least one first sensor and at least one of the first shipping location and the first receiving location to identify at least the portion of the first data as having been accumulated when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step (a) further comprises determining when to store the first data accumulated by the at least one first sensor in memory based upon the at least one RE signal communicated between the at least one first sensor and the at least one of the first shipping and the first receiving location.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) further comprises using location event information to automatically identify at least the portion of the first data as having been accumulated when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step (b) further comprises receiving the location event information from at least one carrier responsible for transporting the at least one first item from the first shipping location to the first receiving location.

21. A computer-readable medium for use with at least one processor included in a system in which at least one first sensor is associated with at least one first item that is transported from a first shipping location to a first receiving location so that the at least one first sensor can monitor at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item as the at least one first item is so transported, and in which first data accumulated by the at least one first sensor is stored in memory, with at least some of the first data reflecting changes in the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item that occurred when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item, the computer-readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a step of:

(a) using a computer, automatically identifying at least a portion of the first data as having been accumulated when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item and as being data upon which an analysis should be based.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item comprises a temperature of an environment in which the at least one first item was disposed.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, having additional instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the further step of:

(b) extracting first summary information from the identified portion of the first data.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first summary information comprises at least one of a mean temperature, a minimum temperature, a maximum temperature, degree-minutes above a threshold temperature, degree-minutes below a threshold temperature, time above a threshold temperature, and time below a threshold temperature.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the first summary information reflects the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item at only a single product location.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein, in the system, at least one second sensor is associated with at least one second item that is transported from a second shipping location to a second receiving location so that the at least one second sensor can monitor at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one second item as the at least one second item is so transported, and in which the second data accumulated by the at least one second sensor is stored in memory, with at least some of the second data reflecting changes in the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one second item that occurred when the at least one second sensor was associated with the at least one second item, and wherein the computer-readable medium has additional instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the further steps of:

(c) automatically identifying at least a portion of the second data as having been accumulated when the at least one second sensor was associated with the at least one second item;

(d) extracting second summary information from the identified portion of the second data; and

(e) combining at least a portion of the first summary information with at least a portion of the second summary information to yield at least one parameter.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, having additional instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the further step of:

(f) generating a chart or graph based at least in part upon the at least one parameter.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein:

the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item comprises a temperature of an environment in which the at least one first item was disposed; and

the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one second item comprises a temperature of an environment in which the at least one second item was disposed.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein each of the first summary information and the second summary information comprises at least one of a mean temperature, a minimum temperature, a maximum temperature, degree-minutes above a threshold temperature, degree-minutes below a threshold temperature, time above a threshold temperature, and time below a threshold temperature.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the first summary information and the second summary information reflect the at least one physical or environmental condition of the at least one first item and the at least one second item, respectively, at only a single product location.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the step (a) further comprises using location event information to automatically identify at least the portion of the first data as having been accumulated when the at least one first sensor was associated with the at least one first item.