Delivery unit and delivery system

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current delivery systems fail to provide immediate confirmation of the quality of the cooling environment within containers during transportation, as quality certificates cannot be generated and verified at the delivery destination, leading to uncertainties in the preservation conditions of temperature-sensitive goods.

Innovation Solution

A delivery unit equipped with a temperature measurement unit, memory for chronological data storage, a quality-data generation unit, a print-data editing unit, and a printing unit that generates and prints a quality certificate with a graphic representation of the cooling environment's quality on a recording medium, including serial numbers and liquid level data, allowing for immediate verification upon arrival.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If temperature data is transmitted wirelessly to a server for storage and access, then temperature management capability is improved, but communication costs increase and immediate on-site verification is not possible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature management capabilityVSAvoidcommunication costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The delivery unit is equipped with both temperature measurement capability and printing functionality in a single integrated system. The printing unit can directly print quality certificates containing temperature history data onto packaging materials or accompanying documents, eliminating the need for separate wireless transmission to remote servers while providing both data recording and immediate verification capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The delivery unit performs self-verification by internally storing temperature data in memory and generating quality certificates autonomously through the printing unit. This self-service capability allows immediate on-site verification of temperature conditions without requiring external server access or communication infrastructure, thereby reducing communication costs while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If quality certificates are generated and printed at the delivery destination, then immediate verification of cooling environment quality is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimmediate verification capabilityVSAvoiddelivery unit structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple functions including temperature measurement, data storage in memory, quality data generation, and printing capabilities into a single integrated delivery unit. By merging these previously separate systems into one compact device, the patent achieves immediate verification capability while managing device complexity through functional integration rather than proliferation of separate components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Measurement precision

If temperature data is stored chronologically in memory, then quality assessment accuracy is improved, but memory requirements and data management complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality assessment accuracyVSAvoiddata management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The delivery unit continuously and chronologically records temperature data in memory throughout the delivery process, performing the data collection action in advance before delivery completion. This preliminary action ensures that complete temperature history is already organized and stored when the quality certificate needs to be generated, eliminating the need for complex post-delivery data retrieval and management while maintaining high measurement precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables immediate confirmation of the cooling environment's quality at the delivery destination, ensuring the preservation conditions of temperature-sensitive goods are verified and documented, enhancing the reliability of the delivery process.

Implementation Method 1

a temperature measurement unit that measures a temperature inside the container

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTemperature measurement:

Implementation Method 2

a liquid-level measurement unit that measures a liquid level of the liquefied cooling gas filled in the container

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLiquid level measurement:

Data Source

PatentEP3770088B1Delivery unit and delivery system
Publication Date: 2024.07.31 MEDIPAL HLDG CORP
  • EP3770088B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3770088B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3770088B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

The present invention is to issue a quality certificate on which a graphic image representing the quality in chronological order of a cooling environment in a container accommodating articles therein is printed on a recording medium, upon arrival of the articles at a delivery destination. A delivery unit 15 is mounted on a vehicle 21 and is used to deliver the articles accommodated in a storage container 33 filled with a cooling gas. The delivery unit 15 includes a thermometer Se1 that measures a temperature in the storage container 33, a memory unit 53 that memorizes therein data of the measured temperature in chronological order, a quality-data generation unit 55a that generates quality data of articles based on temperature data acquired from the memory unit 53, a print-data editing unit 55h that edits print data relating to a quality certificate including a graphic image representing the quality in chronological order of the cooling environment in the storage container 33 accommodating articles therein during delivery based on a serial number of the article and the quality data, and a printer 27 that prints print data relating to the quality certificate on a recording medium.