Method and system for monitoring the integrity of freight containers

• US 9,828,174 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2012
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Original Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Inventors: Busch, Wolfgang, Hornbostel, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US14/123,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,023 Days
• Field of Search: 702182
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 90/48 Arrangements of indicating or measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for monitoring the integrity of a freight container along a transport route, the container having a sensor monitoring the container integrity, wherein the sensing of an event violating the container integrity is followed by event data representing the integrity violation being transmitted to an analysis center, wherein the event data is rated using predetermined criteria in respect of either a sanctioned or an unsanctioned integrity violation, and wherein opening or closing of the container is rated as a sanctioned integrity violation if an electronic authorization code representing the sanction is sent to the analysis center for the event data representing this integrity violation. Different types of opening and/or closing operations are distinguished by using authorization codes from different function groups, and the analysis center uses the type of function code to determine what type of opening operation and/or closing operation has taken, or is meant to take, place.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the integrity of one or more freight containers along a transport route, wherein at least one freight container has a monitoring device (10) associated therewith that has at least one monitoring sensor (12) monitoring the integrity of the freight container, comprising:

sensing of an event violating the freight container integrity by the monitoring sensor (12);

transmitting event data, representing the integrity violation, to an analysis device (18) associated with an analysis center (14),

wherein the analysis device (18) associated with the analysis center (14) rates the transmitted event data using predetermined criteria in respect of either a sanctioned or authorized or an unsanctioned or unauthorized integrity violation of the freight container, and

wherein opening or closing of the freight container is rated as a sanctioned or authorized integrity violation if an electronic authorization code representing the sanction for the opening operation or the closing operation is sent to the analysis center (14) for the event data representing this integrity violation; and

distinguishing different types of opening operations and/or different types of closing operations by using respective authorization function codes from different function groups, as result of which the analysis center (14) uses the type of the respectively received function code to determine what type of opening operation and/or what type of closing operation has taken place or is meant to take place.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

authorizing a first-time closing operation for a freight container at the beginning of transport using a different type of function code than for authorizing a later further closing operation; and

authorizing a first-time interim opening of the freight container prior to the conclusion of transport using a different type of function code than for authorizing a later, further authorized opening operation, such as a final opening upon the conclusion of the transport.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the function codes of the same type or from the same function group have a shared identification that the analysis center (14) uses to distinguish function codes of different function code types in respect of the function group affiliation thereof.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the analysis center (14) does not continue to rate transmitted event data from a first sensor or from a first group of sensors of the monitoring device (10), such as from at least one door sensor that monitors the closed versus open state of the door of the freight container, after the analysis center (14) has received a function code for authorized interim opening and also the event data associated with the relevant interim opening operation for the freight container, but in that the analysis center (14) continues to rate event data from a second sensor or from a second group of sensors of the monitoring device (10), such as from at least one sensor for measuring the temperature inside the freight container.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the analysis center (14) continues to evaluate neither event data from the first sensor or from the first group of sensors nor those from the second sensor or from the second group of sensors as soon as it has received a function code for authorized final opening of the freight container or as soon as it has received both this function code and the event data associated with the relevant final opening operation for the freight container.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising, for authorized interim opening of the freight container, using a function code from a function group, which function code is designed such that the analysis center (14), after having received said function code, rates the next closing operation that follows for the freight container as having taken place with authorization.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the function codes for authorized opening and/or closing of the freight container, such as for authorized interim opening, are in a form such that the associated physical opening or closing operation for the freight container is rated as having taken place with authorization only if the associated opening or the associated closing takes place within a prescribed period of time after the function code has been received by the analysis center.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a function code that has been used for authorized opening and/or closing for which the physical opening or closing operation has taken place outside the prescribed period of time loses its validity, as a result of which it cannot be used again for authorizing an opening or closing operation.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each function code can be used only for authorizing a single opening operation or a single closing operation for the freight container, as a result of which, after a function code has been used for the first time, this function code cannot be used to authorize a further opening or closing operation.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein when a plurality of freight containers are monitored, each freight container has a dedicated associated monitoring device (10), wherein each monitoring device (10) has an explicitly assigned set of function codes, and wherein, after the freight container associated with the respective monitoring device (10) has been closed for the first time, the function codes assigned to the respective monitoring device (10) from the set of function codes can be used only for authorizations for opening or closing operations for that freight container that has the associated monitoring device (10) assigned to the set of function codes, as a result of which these function codes cannot be used to authorize opening or closing operations for other freight containers with other monitoring devices (10).

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a computer device in the analysis center (14), which computer device has suitable computer software, computer memory, and computer algorithms for distinguishing the different types of opening operations and/or different types of closing operations by using the respective authorization function codes from different function groups, as result of which the analysis center (14) uses the type of the respectively received function code to determine what type of opening operation and/or what type of closing operation has taken place or is meant to take place.

12. A system for monitoring the integrity of one or more freight containers along a transport route, such as for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein comprising at least one freight container having a monitoring device (10) associated therewith that has at least one monitoring sensor (12) monitoring the integrity of the freight container,

wherein the sensing of an event violating the freight container integrity by the monitoring sensor (12) is followed by event data, representing the integrity violation, being transmitted to a remote analysis device (18) associated with an analysis center (14),

wherein the analysis center (14) using the associated analysis device (18) rates the transmitted event data using predetermined criteria in respect of either a sanctioned or authorized or an unsanctioned or unauthorized integrity violation of the freight container,

wherein opening or closing of the freight container is rated as a sanctioned or authorized integrity violation if an electronic authorization code representing the sanction for the opening operation or the closing operation is available to the analysis center (14) for the event data representing this integrity violation, and

wherein different types of opening operations and/or different types of closing operations are distinguished by using respective authorization function codes from different function groups, as result of which the analysis center (14) uses the type of respectively received function code to determine what type of opening operation and/or what type of closing operation has taken place or is meant to take place.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a computer device in the analysis center (14), which computer device has suitable computer software, computer memory, and computer algorithms for distinguishing the different types of opening operations and/or different types of closing operations by using the respective authorization function codes from different function groups, as result of which the analysis center (14) uses the type of the respectively received function code to determine what type of opening operation and/or what type of closing operation has taken place or is meant to take place.