Cylinder tracking system and procedure

Abstract

Cylinder tracking system for tracking at least one cylinder (T) in which a fuel in fluid form is stored during its transport between a filling station, a retailer and the consumer, wherein the cylinder (T) comprises at least one body (1), at least one valve (2) positioned on the body and directing the fuel in fluid form from or into the body (1), at least one handle (3) on the body (1) and at least one collar (4) connecting the handle (3) to the body (1), characterized by - at least one identifier (5) within the collar (4), wherein the identifier (5) has at least one visual code (6) specific to the cylinder (T) to which it is connected;- at least one reading system (10) in the refilling system, with at least one reading unit (11) that reads the visual code (6) before and / or after filling the cylinder (T) and that resolves the read visual code (6) to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder (T); - at least one portable reading device (12) that reads the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder (T); - at least one server to which the identification information for the cylinder (T) determined by the reading system (10) and the portable reading device (12) is transmitted, wherein the identification information of the cylinder (T) and other data associated with the identification information are stored;

Description

Relevant Technical FieldThe present invention relates to a tracking system and method for tracking cylinders in which fuels are stored in fluid form.Background ArtGaseous fuels such as natural gas, propane, butane and LPG and the like are liquefied under high pressure and stored in cylinders so as to be supplied to the customer. The acquired cylinders are used by the consumer in such a way that they are connected to furnaces, heating boilers, water heaters and similar devices. When the fuel in the cylinders is exhausted, the consumer replaces the empty cylinder with a filled one. The empty cylinder is sent back from the vending dealer to a filling facility to be filled again. After filling, the cylinder is sent back to the consumer.Filling such refillable cylinders, returning the cylinders from the filling facility to the vending dealer, selling them to the consumer and keeping track of the delivery of empty cylinders coming from the consumer to the filling facilities are of all the greatest importance for safety. If a cylinder is not tracked, then subsequent to each jurisdiction, lawful action may be initiated against the dealer and serious security problems may arise including refilling the cylinder by unauthorized parties as well as selling these cylinders to the consumer. In addition, during such unauthorized filling, various additives can be introduced into the cylinder and the quality of the fuel can be reduced. This not only constitutes a danger for the safety of the consumer, but also reduces the mark value of the original cylinder.According to the prior art, as described in US 2012 187 197 A1, RFID (RFID= Radio Frequency Identification=identification with the aid of electromagnetic waves) elements can be used to track the cylinders. However, such RFID elements are expensive and easily damaged because they are influenced by the magnetic field. Given the number of fills of cylinders, RFID elements are not preferred for tracking cylinders.The object of the present invention is to provide:a cylinder tracking system and method for tracking cylinders in which fuel is stored in fluid form,a cylinder tracking system and method for tracking cylinders in a reliable and fast manner,a cylinder tracking system and method, wherein the identifier element is durable and durable on the cylinders.The object is achieved by the cylinder tracking system according to claim 1 and the method according to claim 14. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims.The present invention provides a cylinder tracking system and method for tracking the movements of the cylinders between a filling facility, a retail dealer, and a consumer. The tracking system comprises at least one cylinder with at least one body, at least one valve which is positioned on the body and conducts the fuel in fluid form out of the body or into the body, at least one handle on the body, at least one collar which connects the handle to the body, at least one identifier within the collar, wherein at least one visual code with identification information is provided on the identifier, which is specific to the cylinder to which it is connected; at least one reading system in the refill system, where a cylinder is filled with fuel, with at least one reading unit which reads out the visual code before and / or after filling the cylinder and resolves the read-out visual code in order to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder; at least one portable reader that reads out the visual code on the cylinder (for example during shipping of the filled cylinder to the sales dealer and during delivery thereof to the consumer and / or during collection of the empty cylinder from the consumer and during delivery thereof to the filling facility) and that resolves the read-out visual code to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder; at least one server to which the identification information for the cylinder determined by the reading system and the portable reader is transmitted, wherein other data associated with the cylinder identification information (for example serial number, date of manufacture, empty weight, date of replenishment, and test data, etc.) is stored.The method for tracking a cylinder comprises the steps of reading the visual code on the identifier on the collar of the cylinder by at least one reading system in the reading unit before and / or after refilling the cylinder in the refill facility to obtain identification information for the cylinder; transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information; reading the visual code on the filled cylinder by at least one portable reading device during delivery of the cylinder to the sales dealer to obtain identification information for the cylinder; transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information and information about the sales dealer to which the cylinder is delivered; reading the visual code on the cylinder by at least one portable reader during sale of the cylinder to the consumer to obtain identification information for the cylinder; transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information and information about the consumer to which the cylinder is sold; reading the visual code on the empty cylinder obtained by the consumer by at least one portable reader to obtain identification information for the empty cylinder; transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information.DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESThe exemplary embodiments of the cylinder tracking system according to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylinder used in the cylinder tracking system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed view of an identifier used in the cylinder tracking system according to the invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a reading system used in the cylinder tracking system of the invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portable reader used in the cylinder tracking system of the present invention.All the components shown in the drawings are individually provided with a reference numeral: T cylinder 1 body 2 valve 3 handle 4 collar 5 identifier 6 visual code 7 serial number 8 mark 9 hole 10 reading system 11 reading unit 12 portable reading deviceDESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONFuels in fluid form (for example liquefied petroleum gas such as LPG) are stored in cylinders and thus supplied to the consumers. The cylinders in which gaseous fuels are stored may have various shapes and sizes depending on the field of use and intended use (for example, 2 kg of camping cylinders, 12 kg of home-use cylinders, 24 and 45 kg of industrial-use cylinders, etc.). After the fuel in the cylinders has been exhausted, the cylinders are supplied to filling facilities to be refilled. Tracking the cylinders during their transport between the filling facilities, the retail dealers and the consumer is of utmost importance for safety and inventory tracking. For this reason, the present invention provides a cylinder tracking system and method for tracking cylinders.The cylinder tracking system according to the invention, as shown in Figures 1-4, comprises at least one cylinder (T) having at least one body (1), at least one valve (2) positioned on the body (1) and guiding the fuel in fluid form out of the body (1) or into the body (1), at least one handle (3) on the body (1) (e.g. preferably on the edge of the valve (2)), at least one collar (4) connecting the handle (3) to the body (1), and at least one identifier, preferably within the collar (4) (i.e. on the part facing the valve (2)), on which identifier (5) at least one visual code (6) with identification information is provided, which is specific to the cylinder (T) to which it is connected. It is also provided that at least one reading system in the filling installation, where the cylinder (T) is filled with fuel, comprises at least one reading unit (11), which reads out the visual code (6) before and / or after filling the cylinder (T) and resolves the read-out visual code in order to obtain identification numbers for the respective cylinder; at least one portable reading device (12), which reads out the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) (for example during the shipment of the filled cylinder to the sales dealer and during the delivery of the same to the consumer and / or during the collection of the empty cylinder from the consumer and during the delivery of the same to the filling installation) and resolves the read-out visual code (6) in order to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder (T); at least one server to which the identification information of the cylinder (T) determined by the reading system (10) and the portable reading device (12) is transmitted, wherein the identification information for the cylinder (T) and other data associated with the identification information (for example serial number, date of manufacture, empty weight, date of replenishment and test data, etc.) are stored.In an exemplary embodiment of the cylinder tracking system according to the invention, the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) to be filled with fuel in the filling plant is read out by the reading system (10) in order to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T). The obtained identification information is transmitted to the server. In the server, the data on each cylinder (T) is updated (for example, the date when the empty cylinder is read out is stored to the server) together with the time information and operation information (for example, which operation is applied to the cylinder (T)). After the cylinder (T) has been filled, the identification information obtained by reading out the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) by the reading system (10) is transmitted to the server. The data about the respective cylinder (T) is updated again together with the time information (for example, the fill date of the cylinder is stored on the server). Thus, information on the time at which a cylinder (T) is filled is stored. The visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) is read out by the portable reader (12) while the filled cylinders (T) are supplied to the vending machine, and the obtained identification information (together with the sales information) is transmitted to the server. It is also stored when and to which sales dealer a cylinder (T) is supplied. By reading the visual code (6) by the portable reader (12) during the sale of the cylinder (T) to the consumer (during the replacement of an empty cylinder at the consumer with a filled cylinder brought by the sales dealer), which cylinder is sold to whom is further stored. Reading out the visual code (6) on the empty cylinder (T) by the consumer makes it possible to detect the cylinders which are to be returned to the filling plant. In the cylinder tracking system according to the present invention, the cylinder (T) is prevented from being illegally filled and sold because the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) is read out in all steps of selling and refilling the cylinder (T) and the relevant information is transmitted to the server. This prevents low quality sales and hazardous fuels to the consumer.The method for tracking a cylinder using the cylinder tracking system according to the invention, the method being adapted to track at least one cylinder (T) during its transport between a filling facility, a sales dealer and a consumer, provides the following steps. reading the visual code (6) on the identifier (5) on the collar (4) of the cylinder (T) by at least one reading system (10) in the reading unit (10) before and / or after filling the cylinder (T) in the filling facility to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); transmitting the determined identification information to the server together with the time information (time and date on which the visual code (6) is read); reading the visual code (6) on the filled cylinder (T) by at least one portable reading device (12) during delivery of the cylinder (T) to the sales dealer to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information (time when the visual code (6) is read out) and information about the vending dealer to which the cylinder is supplied; reading the visual code (6) at the cylinder (T) by at least one portable reader (12) during the selling of the cylinder (T) to the consumer to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information (time when the visual code (6) is read out) and information about the consumer to which the cylinder is sold; reading the visual code on the empty cylinder (T) obtained by the consumer by at least one portable reader (12) to obtain identification information for the empty cylinder (T); transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information (time when the visual code (6) is read out).In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the reading unit (11) has at least one camera and at least one control unit. In this embodiment, the visual code (6) detected by the camera is analyzed by the control unit to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T). In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the visual code (6) is in the form of a barcode or a two-dimensional code. Based on the form of the visual code (6), the control unit generates numerical data or alphanumeric data (if the visual code (6) is in the form of a barcode, numerical data is obtained, if the visual code (6) is in the form of a two-dimensional code, alphanumeric data is obtained). Since the visual code (6) varies depending on the cylinder (T), the data (identification information) for each cylinder (T) obtained by analyzing the visual code by the control unit also varies. In this way, all cylinders (T) of a company can be tracked individually.In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the reading system (10) comprises at least two (preferably six) reading units (11). In this embodiment, due to the use of a plurality of reading units (11), the identifier (5) on the inside of the collar is read by one reading unit (11) even if it is not read by other reading units (11).In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the reading system (10) includes at least one drive system (not shown) that drives the reading unit (11) about an axis (e.g., a vertical arc passing through the valve (2) of the cylinder). In this embodiment, the drive system drives the reading unit (11) to assume a position to read the identifier (5) within the collar (4). In this way, the identifier (5) is read properly by the reading unit (11).In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the identifier (5) is in the form of a plate (for example a sheet metal) connected to the collar (4). In this embodiment, the identifier (5) comprises at least one hole (9) for connection to the collar (4). The hole (9) is preferably arranged in the center of the identifier (5). In this embodiment, the identifier (5) in the form of a plate is preferably connected to the collar (4) by a rivet. In this way, the identifier (5) is connected to the collar (4) in a practicable and reliable manner.In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the identifier (5) includes at least two visual codes (6). If one of the visual codes (6) is damaged or cannot be read properly, the other visual code (6) may be read.In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the identifier (5) includes at least one serial number (7). In another preferred embodiment, the identifier (5) includes at least one trade mark (8).In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the reading system (10) preferably comprises at least one reading unit (11) in the form of a camera which captures (by photographing) the images of the collar (4) on the cylinder (T) (the collar may be a collar with or without identifier (5)) and the identifier (5), and at least one scanner which analyzes the visual code (6) in an image (an image with the identifier (5)) captured by the reading unit (11) in order to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T), and at least one transmission element which transmits the identification information obtained by the captured image to the server.In this embodiment, when the photos of the collar are made with and without the identifier (5) and the photos of the collar with an identifier (5) as well as the identification information obtained by the visual code (6) of the identifier (5) are transmitted to the server, information such as the serial number (7), the date of manufacture, and the date of test collected from the whole photos are assigned to the identification numbers for the cylinder (T) (when there is different information on the identifier (5), the different information is also assigned to the identification information of the cylinder (T)). In this way, the information about the cylinder (T) in the server is matched in a quick and practicable manner. Further, when information in the identifier (5) is damaged, the damaged information may be restored by using other information in the identifier (5). For example, if the visual code (6) is corrupted, the serial number (7) in the identifier (5) may be used to determine the visual code (6) by matching with the serial number in the server.In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the portable reader (12) is in the form of a portable smart device (e.g., a mobile phone or a tablet) with dedicated software for reading the visual code (6).In the cylinder tracking system according to the invention, the visual code (6) on the identifier is protected from damage and the identifier (5) is long-lived because the identifier (5) is positioned on the cylinder (T) inside the collar (4). Furthermore, the identifier (5) within the collar (4) can be read out in a simple manner if the reading system (10) in the filling system has at least two reading units (11).

Claims

A cylinder tracking system for tracking at least one cylinder (T) in which a fuel in fluid form is stored during its transport between a filling facility, a sales dealer and the consumer, wherein the cylinder (T) comprises at least one body (1), at least one valve (2) positioned on the body and guiding the fuel in fluid form out of the body (1) or into the body (1), at least one handle (3) on the body (1) and at least one collar (4) connecting the handle (3) to the body (1), characterized by - at least one identifier (5) within the collar (4), wherein on the identifier (5) at least one visual code (6) is provided which is specific to the cylinder (T) to which it is connected; at least one reading system (10) in the refill system, comprising at least one reading unit (11) which reads out the visual code (6) before and / or after filling the cylinder (T) and which resolves the read-out visual code (6) in order to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder (T); at least one portable reading device (12) which reads out the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) in order to obtain identification information for the respective cylinder (T); at least one server to which the identification information for the cylinder (T) determined by the reading system (10) and the portable reading device (12) is transmitted, the identification information of the cylinder (T) and other data associated with the identification information being stored.Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the reading unit (11) comprises at least one camera and at least one control unit, wherein the visual code (6) detected by the camera is analysed to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the reading system (10) includes at least two reading units (11).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the reading system (10) includes six reading units (11).A cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the reading system (10) includes at least one drive system driving the reading unit (11) about an axis.Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterised in that the identifier (5) is provided in the form of a plate connected to the collar (4).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 6, characterised in that the identifier (5) comprises at least one hole (9).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifier (5) comprises at least two visual codes (6).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifier (5) includes at least one serial number (7).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifier (5) includes at least one mark designation (8).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the portable reading device (12) is provided in the form of an adapted device for reading the visual code (6).Cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the portable reading device (12) is a portable intelligent device with special software for reading out the visual code (6).The cylinder tracking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the reading system (10) comprises at least one reading unit (11) that acquires images of the collar (4) on the cylinder (T) and the identifier (5); at least one scanner that analyzes the visual code in an image acquired by the reading unit (11) to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); and at least one transmitting element that transmits the identification information obtained by the acquired image to the server.A method for tracking a cylinder using a cylinder tracking system according to any of the preceding claims, the method being adapted to track at least one cylinder (T) during its transport between a filling plant, a sales dealer and a consumer, characterized bythe steps of: - reading the visual code (6) on the identifier (5) on the collar (4) of the cylinder (T) by at least one reading system (10) in the reading unit (10) before and / or after refilling the cylinder (T) in the filling plant to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); - transmitting the determined identification information to the server together with the time information; reading the visual code (6) on the filled cylinder (T) by at least one portable reader (12) during the delivery of the cylinder (T) to the vending machine to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information and information about the vending machine to which the cylinder is delivered; reading the visual code (6) on the cylinder (T) by at least one portable reader (12) during the sale of the cylinder (T) to the consumer to obtain identification information for the cylinder (T); transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information and information about the consumer to which the cylinder is sold; reading the visual code on the empty cylinder (T) obtained by the consumer by at least one portable reader (12) to obtain identification information for the empty cylinder (T); transmitting the obtained identification information to the server together with the time information.A method according to claim 14, comprising the step of acquiring the images of the collar (4) on the cylinder (T) and the identifier (5) during the step of obtaining identification information for the cylinder (T).Method according to claim 15, characterised in that the recorded images are transmitted to the server when the identification information obtained is transmitted to the server together with the time information.The method of claim 16, comprising the step of restoring corrupted information using matched information in the server if the information in the identifier is corrupted.

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