System, method and computer program product for monitoring temperature

• US 8,870,453 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shockwatch Incorporated (Media Recovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Shockwatch Incorporated (Media Recovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Branch, Clinton A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAPLAN VERBITSKY, GAIL
• Application Number:
  US12/942,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20120114010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 374100-106, 374/109, 374/141, 374/208, 374/170, 702/130, 702132-136, 702/182, 702/183, 702/118, 702/187, 340/588, 340/584, 116/216, 703/2, 712/220
• US Class Current: 374/170
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/04 in respect of time

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a device and technique for monitoring temperature of an environment of a sensitive object is disclosed. The device includes a housing configured to be disposed within or affixed to a transport container for the object, a sensor coupled to the housing and configured to obtain a plurality of temperature readings, and monitor logic configured to compare the plurality of temperature readings to a temperature threshold. The device also includes counter logic configured to generate an excursion count indicating a quantity of time periods the temperature readings exceeded the temperature threshold, generate a consecutive count indicating a quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold, and generate a cumulative count indicating a cumulative quantity of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold.

Claims

1. A temperature monitoring device, comprising:

a housing configured to be disposed within or affixed to a transport container;

a sensor coupled to the housing and configured to obtain a plurality of temperature readings;

monitor logic configured to compare the plurality of temperature readings to a temperature threshold; and

counter logic configured to;

generate and display an excursion count indicating a quantity of excursion time periods the temperature readings exceeded the temperature threshold, the excursion count incremented in response to a series of temperature readings initially exceeding the temperature threshold;

generate and display a consecutive count indicating a maximum quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on a plurality of different excursion time periods; and

generate and display a cumulative count indicating a cumulative quantity of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on the plurality of different excursion time periods.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the counter logic is configured to:

determine whether a first temperature reading exceeds the temperature threshold; and

responsive to an immediately preceding temperature reading not exceeding the temperature threshold, increment the excursion count.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the counter logic is configured to:

compare a quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold occurring during a first excursion time period with the consecutive count; and

responsive to the quantity of consecutive temperature readings occurring during the first excursion time period exceeding the consecutive count, incrementing the consecutive count.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the monitor logic is configured to vary a rate at which the temperature readings are obtained based on whether the temperature readings exceed the temperature threshold.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the counter logic is configured to:

determine a quantity a consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for a first excursion time period;

determine a quantity a consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for a second excursion time period; and

in response to the quantity of the consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for the second excursion time period being greater than the quantity of the consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for the first excursion time period, increment the consecutive count to a value corresponding to the quantity of the consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold of the second excursion time period.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the counter logic is configured to increment the cumulative count for each temperature reading exceeding the threshold for the first and second excursion time periods.

7. A temperature monitoring device, comprising:

a housing means configured to be disposed within or affixed to a transport container;

means, coupled to the housing means, for obtaining a plurality of temperature readings;

means for comparing the plurality of temperature readings to a temperature threshold; and

means for;

generating and displaying an excursion count indicating a quantity of excursion time periods the temperature readings exceeded the temperature threshold, the excursion count incremented in response to a series of temperature readings initially exceeding the temperature threshold;

generating and displaying a consecutive count indicating a maximum quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on a plurality of different excursion time periods; and

generating and displaying a cumulative count indicating a cumulative quantity of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on the plurality of different excursion time periods.

8. A temperature monitoring device, comprising:

a housing configured to be disposed within or affixed to a transport container;

a sensor coupled to the housing and configured to obtain a plurality of temperature readings; and

a display configured to visually indicate;

an excursion count indicating a quantity of excursion time periods the temperature readings exceeded a temperature threshold, each excursion time period corresponding to an instance where a current temperature reading exceeds the threshold and a preceding temperature reading did not exceed the threshold;

a consecutive count indicating a maximum quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on a plurality of different excursion time periods; and

a cumulative count indicating a cumulative quantity of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on the plurality of different excursion time periods.

9. The device of claim 8, further comprising logic configured to:

compare a quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold occurring during a first excursion time period with the consecutive count; and

responsive to the quantity of consecutive temperature readings occurring during the first excursion time period exceeding the consecutive count, increment the consecutive count.

10. The device of claim 8, further comprising logic configured to:

determine a quantity a consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for a first excursion time period;

determine a quantity a consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for a second excursion time period; and

in response to the quantity of the consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for the second excursion time period being greater than the quantity of the consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold for the first excursion time period, increment the consecutive count to a value corresponding to the quantity of the consecutive temperature readings exceeding the threshold of the second excursion time period.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising logic configured to increment the cumulative count for each temperature reading exceeding the threshold for the first and second excursion time periods.

12. A computer program product for monitoring temperature during transport or storage of an object, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising computer readable program code configured to;

obtain a plurality of temperature readings;

generate an excursion count indicating a quantity of excursion time periods the temperature readings exceeded a temperature threshold, each excursion time period corresponding to an instance where a current temperature reading exceeds the threshold and a preceding temperature reading did not exceed the threshold;

generate a consecutive count indicating a maximum quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on a plurality of different excursion time periods;

generate a cumulative count indicating a cumulative quantity of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on the plurality of different excursion time periods; and

vary a frequency at which the temperature readings are obtained based on whether the temperature readings exceed the temperature threshold.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to increment the excursion count responsive to a first one of a series of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

determine whether a first temperature reading exceeds the temperature threshold; and

responsive to an immediately preceding temperature reading not exceeding the temperature threshold, increment the excursion count.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

compare a quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold occurring during a first excursion time period with the consecutive count; and

responsive to the quantity of consecutive temperature readings occurring during the first excursion time period exceeding the consecutive count, incrementing the consecutive count.

16. A method, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of temperature readings of an environment corresponding to a transport container;

comparing the plurality of temperature readings to a temperature threshold stored in a memory; and

generating and displaying, by a processor unit;

an excursion count indicating a quantity of excursion time periods the temperature readings exceeded the temperature threshold, each excursion time period corresponding to an instance where a current temperature reading exceeds the threshold and a preceding temperature reading did not exceed the threshold;

a consecutive count indicating a maximum quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on a plurality of different excursion time periods; and

a cumulative count indicating a cumulative quantity of temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold based on the plurality of different excursion time periods.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

comparing a quantity of consecutive temperature readings exceeding the temperature threshold occurring during a first excursion time period with the consecutive count; and

responsive to the quantity of consecutive temperature readings occurring during the first excursion time period exceeding the consecutive count, incrementing the consecutive count.