Smart Shipping Container State Verification via Blockchain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current supply chain management lacks real-time monitoring and verification of shipment conditions during transit, leading to uncertainties about the handling and state of items, which can result in damage or spoilage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a smart shipping container equipped with sensors and a blockchain-based system that collects and verifies measurements and attributes during transit, using trust values to determine if items were mishandled or properly handled, and providing location data to stakeholders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional barcode scanning is used for tracking shipments, then basic location tracking is achieved, but real-time monitoring of shipment conditions and handling quality is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces smart containers as intermediary devices between the shipment and the tracking system. These containers equiped with sensors, processors, and communication modules act as mediators that continuously monitor temperature, humidity, shock, and other conditions during transit, then transmit this data to remote servers for verification and analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual barcode scanning with automated sensor-based monitoring systems. Instead of relying on mechanical scanning at discrete points, the system uses electronic sensors to continuously capture and transmit shipment condition data automatically throughout the entire transit process.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive sensor monitoring is implemented in smart containers, then real-time shipment condition data is obtained, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The smart container is designed as a multi-functional integrated system where a single device performs multiple functions: location tracking via GPS, environmental monitoring via temperature and humidity sensors, shock detection via accelerometers, and data communication. This universal approach reduces overall system complexity compared to separate specialized devices for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors multiple physical parameters (temperature, humidity, shock, location) simultaneously to comprehensively assess shipment conditions. By changing from monitoring a single parameter to multiple parameters, the system achieves more precise measurement of the overall shipment state while using standardized sensor technologies.
3Reliability
If multiple measurements with trust values are collected and verified, then high confidence in shipment condition accuracy is achieved, but data processing time and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously collecting and pre-processing measurement data during transit, assigning trust values to each measurement based on sensor reliability and environmental factors. This preliminary processing allows for faster final verification when shipments arrive, as the heavy computational work is distributed throughout the transit period.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where measurements and trust values are continuously transmitted to remote servers, which verify the data and provide feedback on shipment condition compliance. This ongoing feedback loop allows for real-time monitoring and reduces the need for intensive batch processing at the end of transit.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques described herein are directed to verifying a state of an item during transit. In some embodiments, shipment data including sensor data and/or user input may be obtained by one or more sensor(s) and/or input device(s) of a shipping container (e.g., box, conveyance, custom container, receptacle, smart container, tote) that houses the item during transit. Shipment data may be transmitted to a data store (e.g., blockchain, immutable ledger, distributed ledger technology). At suitable time(s), the location of the shipping container may be estimated and/or identified from the shipment data obtained from the data store. A state of the item may be verified at least in part by analyzing the sensor data and/or user input obtained from the data store. Utilizing the techniques herein, a determination may be made as to whether the item was mishandled and a likelihood that the item was affected (e.g., damaged, spoiled, etc.) during transit.