Cold Chain Refrigeration Auto-Configuration Using Goods Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the transportation of refrigerated goods, each link in the cold chain requires manual configuration and reprogramming to maintain the proper environmental conditions, leading to potential errors and damage to goods due to incorrect or missed programming.
Innovation Solution
An environmentally-controlled structure equipped with sensors, identification readers, and controllers that read information from identification devices associated with the goods to automatically maintain the desired environmental conditions, ensuring optimal storage and transportation through a network of environmentally-controlled containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual configuration and reprogramming is performed at each link in the cold chain, then environmental conditions can be adjusted for different goods, but errors and damage occur due to incorrect or missed programming
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the environmentally-controlled container automatically reads identification elements (barcodes, RFID tags) on goods and configures environmental parameters without human intervention. The controller autonomously determines optimal temperature, humidity, and other conditions based on the read information, eliminating manual programming errors while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (physical programming of environmental settings) with automated electronic systems. Identification readers optically or electromagnetically scan goods, and electronic controllers automatically adjust environmental parameters, substituting human-operated mechanical processes with automated sensor-actuator systems that eliminate transcription errors and missed configurations.
2Measurement precision
If automated environmental control is implemented using sensors and controllers, then precision and consistency of climate control are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller serves multiple functions: it reads identification elements, stores product environment profiles, processes sensor data from multiple sensors (temperature, humidity, etc.), determines optimal environmental parameters, and controls multiple environment implements simultaneously. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate dedicated devices into a single integrated control unit, managing complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the identification reading function, environmental monitoring function, and environmental control function into an integrated automated system. The controller combines data from identification readers and multiple sensors to simultaneously manage temperature, humidity, and other environmental parameters, reducing the number of separate control devices needed while improving overall system precision and consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
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.