System and method for determination of required environmental conditions for transport and storage of goods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12214643-B2
Application number	US-202217738602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2022
Priority date	May 8, 2021
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A system, for determination of required environmental conditions for transport and storage of goods, that includes one or more boxes to be placed in a vehicle. Each box has an indicator code, on the exterior surface of the box, that includes information related to environmental conditions required to be maintained. A scanning device associated with the vehicle and configured to read said indicator code from each box. A control circuitry is operationally connected to the scanning device The control circuitry is configured to compute the readings of the indicator codes from each box to determine the required environmental conditions to be maintained inside the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of boxes to be placed in a vehicle, wherein each box of the plurality of boxes has an indicator code on the exterior surface of the box, and wherein the indicator code stores information defining environmental conditions required to be maintained;
a scanning device associated with the vehicle and configured to read said indicator code from each box of the plurality of boxes;
a control circuitry operationally connected to the scanning device, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine the required environmental conditions to be maintained inside the vehicle in response to the indicator codes from the plurality of boxes;
wherein the control circuitry determines an average acceptable set of environmental conditions for the plurality of boxes having different environmental condition requirements in response to the indicator codes from the plurality of boxes.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the environmental condition, is at least one of temperature or humidity level.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine the average acceptable set of environmental conditions relative to environmental conditions external to the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the scanning device and the control circuitry are installed in a transport container.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a user device, wherein the average acceptable set of environmental conditions computed by the control circuitry are transmitted to a user device.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuity transmits the average acceptable set of environmental conditions to the user device via a wired connection or a wireless connection.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises an environmental condition regulation system.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the environmental condition regulation system is at least one of a fan, a cooler, a refrigerator, a humidifier or a dehumidifier, or a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system placed in the vehicle.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the user device is configured to set the environmental condition of the vehicle via the environmental condition regulation system.

10. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuitry provides a warning indication to the user device if the scanning device data indicates that the environmental condition of the vehicle is outside a threshold range.

11. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control circuitry provides a warning indication to the user device, when the power system of the vehicle is off for a threshold period of time, wherein the power system provides power to the environmental condition regulation system.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the indicator code is at least one of a barcode, Quick Response (QR) code, a printed text, or an image.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the indicator code is imprinted on each of the plurality of boxes or imprinted on a sticker placed each of the plurality of boxes.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the scanning device is a camera.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the control circuitry comprises an image processing system that processes the images received from the camera to determine characteristics of the plurality of boxes, and wherein the control circuitry uses the information received from the image processing system to determine the average acceptable environmental conditions for the storage compartment of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is connected to one or more weight sensors placed in the vehicle that determines the weight of the plurality of boxes, and wherein the control circuitry uses the information received from the weight sensors to determine the average acceptable environmental conditions for the storage compartment of the vehicle.

17. A method comprising:
reading, via a scanning device an indicator code from each of a plurality of boxes placed inside a vehicle, wherein the indicator code stores information defining environmental conditions required to be maintained;
determining required environmental conditions inside the vehicle in response to the indicator codes from each box of the a plurality of boxes;
determining an average acceptable set of environmental conditions when the scanning device reads indicator codes of the plurality of boxes having different environmental condition requirements;
communicating the average acceptable set of environmental conditions to a user device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method includes:
providing a warning indication to the user device if the scanning device data indicates that the environmental condition of the vehicle is outside a threshold range.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the method includes:
providing a warning indication to the user device, when the power system of the vehicle is off for a threshold period of time, wherein the power system provides power to an environmental condition regulation system that regulates the environmental condition inside the vehicle.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Gopavaram Subhash Reddy
• Mukundala Sumanth Kumar

Classifications

• B60P3/20

  Refrigerated goods vehicles (air treatment of goods space B60H; {air-conditioning means for freight cars, isothermic wagons B61D27/0027; superstructures for refrigerated goods vehicles B62D33/048}) · CPC title

• B60H3/02

  Moistening {; Humidity control} · CPC title

• B60H1/00878

  the components being temperature regulating devices · CPC title

• B60H1/00378

  for tractor or load vehicle cabins · CPC title

• B60H1/00014

  for load cargos on load transporting vehicles · CPC title