Auto configuration of refrigeration systems in cold chain
First Claim
1. An environmentally-controlled structure of a cold chain, the environmentally-controlled structure for storing goods including an identification device containing information about the goods, comprising:
- a sensor to sense a parameter indicative of an environmental condition in the environmentally-controlled structure;
an identification reader positioned relative to the structure and configured to read the information about the goods;
an environment implementer configured to modify the environmental condition inside the environmentally-controlled structure;
a controller configured to receive the indication of the environmental condition inside the environmentally-controlled structure from the sensor, to receive the information about goods entering and leaving the environmentally-controlled structure from the identification reader, to maintain an inventory of goods in the environmentally-controlled structure, to compare an optimum environment for goods entering the environmentally-controlled structure with the optimum environment of goods already in the environmentally-controlled structure, to determine an updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled structure based on the comparison between the optimum environment for goods entering the environmentally-controlled structure and on the optimum environment of goods already in the environmentally-controlled structure, and to control the environment implementer to adjust a desired environment inside the environmentally-controlled structure based on the updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled structure; and
an alarm configured to provide an indication to an operator when an optimum environment of a good entering the environmentally-controlled structure is incompatible with the optimum environments of goods already in the environmentally-controlled structure.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An environmentally-controlled structure for a cold chain. The structure includes a sensor, an identification reader, an environment implementer, and a controller. The sensor senses a parameter indicative of an environmental condition in the environmentally-controlled structure. The identification reader is positioned relative to the environmentally-controlled structure and reads information about the goods from an identification device associated with the goods. The environment implementer modifies the environmental condition inside the environmentally-controlled structure. The controller receives the indication of the environmental condition inside the environmental control structure from the sensor, receives the information about the goods from the identification reader, and controls the environment implementer to maintain a desired environment inside the environmentally-controlled structure based on the information about the goods and the indication of the environmental condition.
13 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An environmentally-controlled structure of a cold chain, the environmentally-controlled structure for storing goods including an identification device containing information about the goods, comprising:
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a sensor to sense a parameter indicative of an environmental condition in the environmentally-controlled structure; an identification reader positioned relative to the structure and configured to read the information about the goods; an environment implementer configured to modify the environmental condition inside the environmentally-controlled structure; a controller configured to receive the indication of the environmental condition inside the environmentally-controlled structure from the sensor, to receive the information about goods entering and leaving the environmentally-controlled structure from the identification reader, to maintain an inventory of goods in the environmentally-controlled structure, to compare an optimum environment for goods entering the environmentally-controlled structure with the optimum environment of goods already in the environmentally-controlled structure, to determine an updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled structure based on the comparison between the optimum environment for goods entering the environmentally-controlled structure and on the optimum environment of goods already in the environmentally-controlled structure, and to control the environment implementer to adjust a desired environment inside the environmentally-controlled structure based on the updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled structure; and an alarm configured to provide an indication to an operator when an optimum environment of a good entering the environmentally-controlled structure is incompatible with the optimum environments of goods already in the environmentally-controlled structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for controlling an environment of an environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container which is part of a cold chain including a plurality of environmentally-controlled transportation or storage containers, each environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container including a system for controlling the environment of the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage containers, the system comprising:
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an identification reader configured to read information from a plurality of identification elements, each identification element associated with a good to be stored in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container, the information associated with the good; a controller configured to receive the information from the identification reader, to maintain an inventory of goods in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container, to compare an optimum environment for goods entering the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container with the optimum environments of goods already in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container, and determine an updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally controlled transportation or storage container based on the comparison between the optimum environment for goods entering the environmentally controlled transportation or storage container and on the optimum environment of goods already in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container; an alarm providing an indication that an optimum environment for a good entering the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container is incompatible with the optimum environments of goods already in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container; and an environment implementation system configured to receive an indication of a desired environment for the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container and to adjust the desired environment in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container based on the updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of storing goods requiring environmentally-controlled conditions in an environmentally-controlled container, the method comprising:
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providing an identification element with information related to an environment for storing a good; linking the identification element with the good; reading by a sensor the identification element when the good enters an environmentally-controlled container; updating an inventory of goods in the environmentally-controlled container; determining by a controller an optimum environment for the good based on the information read from the identification element; comparing the optimum environment for the good to the optimum environments of the goods already in the environmentally-controlled container; determining an updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled container based on the comparison between the optimum environment for the good entering the environmentally-controlled container and on the optimum environments of the goods already in the environmentally-controlled container; controlling by the controller an environment of the environmentally-controlled container by adjusting a desired environment inside the environmentally-controlled container based on the updated optimum environment of goods in the environmentally-controlled container; and sounding an alarm when that an optimum environment for a good entering the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container is incompatible with the optimum environments of goods already in the environmentally-controlled transportation or storage container. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification