System for the operation and management of a fleet of refrigerated autonomous containers

• US 9,062,908 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2007
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: Weidlich, Jochen, Jouvaud, Dominique, Kostelitz, Michel, Morel-Jean, Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Gart, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARIKH, HARSHAD R
• Application Number:
  US12/162,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,081 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/003 for movable devices
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/10 using liquefied gases, e.g. liquid air for cooling semiconductor devices H01L23/445
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

System for the operation and management of a fleet of refrigerated autonomous containers for transporting perishable goods, comprising: containers provided with a passive tag comprising identification information and with an active tag comprising a temperature probe and a recorder connected to said probe and capable of recording the measured temperature values; a gun or means for injecting a refrigerant into the container, which means is provided with a device capable of reading the passive tag of the container, so as to be cognizant of the identification number of the passive tag; and a data acquisition and processing unit capable of carrying out the following operations: receiving said identification information from said device and linking this identification number of the passive tag with the number of the active tag in the container; calculating, as a function of data associated with the logistic travel of the container and physical data of a refrigerant, an amount of liquefied gas to be injected into the container; and providing said gun or injection means with the characteristics of the injection of liquefied gas to be injected into the container.

Claims

1. A system for the operation and management of a fleet of refrigerated containers for transporting perishables, which containers are able to be supplied with chilling fluid, comprising:

a plurality of containers each furnished with a passive Tag comprising an item of information identifying the container, an active Tag comprising a temperature probe, and a recorder linked to said probe and able to record temperature values measured by said probe;

a supply element configured and adapted to supply one or more of the containers with chilling fluid, said supply element furnished with a device able to read the passive Tag of the container presented thereto so as in particular to take cognizance of an identification number of the passive Tag; and

a data acquisition and processing unit, suitable for the following operations;

for receiving said identification item of information from said device, and for linking the passive Tag identification number with a number of the active Tag situated in the container; and

for calculating, by taking account of one or more data related to a logistic journey of the container, to a structural and insulation characteristics of the container, and to a physical data of the fluid used, a quantity of fluid to be injected into the container and for prescribing said supply element the characteristics of the fluid injection to be carried out into the container.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the containers are container crates comprising a cryogenic compartment and a compartment for storing products, and furnished with connection arrangements.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the containers are trucks.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said device able to read the passive Tag consists of a passive Tag reader and of its associated antenna or else of an antenna able to read the passive Tag which is presented thereto, which antenna is connected to a remote passive Tag reader.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an antenna which makes it possible to read the data of said active Tag.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the antenna makes it possible to read the data of said active Tag from a hundred meters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the containers are container crates of the type comprising a cryogenic compartment and a compartment for storing products, and furnished with connection arrangements enabling said managed containers to be hooked up to a source of the chilling fluid.

8. A method for the operation and management of a fleet of refrigerated containers for transporting perishables, which containers are able to be supplied with a chilling fluid, the method comprising the steps of:

furnishing each of the refrigerated containers with a passive Tag comprising an item of information identifying the refrigerated container, an active Tag comprising a temperature probe, and a recorder linked to said temperature probe and able to record temperature values measured by said temperature probe;

providing a supply element adapted and configured to supply the refrigerated container with chilling fluid, said supply element being furnished with a device able to read the passive Tag of the refrigerated container, so as in particular to take cognizance of an identification number of the passive Tag concerned;

providing a data acquisition and processing unit, and the following operations are performed with the aid of said data acquisition and processing unit;

receiving said identification number from said device, and linking the identification number with a number of the active Tag situated in the refrigerated container;

calculating a quantity of chilling fluid to be injected into the refrigerated container by taking account of one or more data related to a logistic journey of the refrigerated container, to the structural and insulation characteristics of the refrigerated container, and to the physical data of the chilling fluid used;

prescribing said supply element the characteristics of the chilling fluid injection to be carried out into the refrigerated container.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data acquisition and processing unit performs, as often as necessary, in a programmed manner or on the specific request of an operator, a scan of a given space where the fleet of refrigerated containers is situated, so as to take stock of all the refrigerated containers present in this space through all the associated active Tags situated in this space.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said scan makes it possible to log within the fleet situated in the space all the refrigerated containers which, at the instant of the scan, are unknown to the data acquisition and processing unit, and in that the data acquisition and processing unit then makes a list of said refrigerated containers which are unknown to it, by associating with each logged active Tag the associated passive Tag number for each refrigerated container.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the given space may range a hundred meters from the data acquisition and processing unit.