KR20090045596A - System for monitoring of refrigerating container and special container, and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a monitoring system and a method for monitoring a refrigerated container and a special container for effectively monitoring and managing the frozen container and the special container. The present invention is composed of a plurality of sensor nodes which are located at least one in each container and generates and wirelessly transmits state information indicating the state of the container based on environmental information including the temperature and humidity of the container. A wireless sensor network system; A gateway system that collects state information received from sensor nodes of the wireless sensor network system, converts the collected state information into a TCP / IP communication protocol, and transmits the state information to an integrated control system; It is composed of an integrated control system that displays the database of the status information transmitted from the gateway system, and displays according to the set conditions, so as to effectively communicate the current status of the refrigeration and special containers to the relevant parties, and to immediately respond to abnormal conditions do.

Refrigerated container, special container, environmental information, temperature, humidity, information collection

Description

Monitoring system for refrigerated containers and special containers and its method {SYSTEM FOR MONITORING OF REFRIGERATING CONTAINER AND SPECIAL CONTAINER, AND METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly, to a monitoring system and method for monitoring a refrigerated container and a special container for effectively monitoring and managing a frozen container and a special container.

In general, the freezing container is designed to transport frozen cargo, fruits, vegetables, and other cargo that requires cold storage more efficiently, and depending on the cooling method, using ice, dry ice, liquid nitrogen, or using a freezing device have. Refrigeration containers are most commonly used for refrigerated containers used for long distance international transport. As the method of driving the refrigerating device, the motor driving method is most commonly used from the viewpoint of corrosion prevention and maintenance. In addition, there is a method of driving by LPG engine or diesel engine, etc., but it is rarely used in recent years, but there are some examples of using in combination with the motor driving method.

Refrigerated containers should be designed and constructed to be suitable for land and sea connection transportation of refrigerated and refrigerated cargo and to operate smoothly in each country. In other words. Since the power supply voltage is different in each country, a method such as a built-in transformer or a double rated motor should be taken. In addition, since not only the sea but also the land continuously receive various impacts such as vibration, it should have sufficient strength so that it does not interfere with driving. In addition, in consideration of corrosion by seawater, sea wind, etc., materials or coatings should be sufficiently careful about corrosion resistance, and should have airtight structure against wind and rain. And it must be manufactured to satisfy predetermined temperature conditions, pressure resistance conditions, airtight conditions, heat dissipation conditions, etc. for the most important original purpose. However, depending on various transportation environments, the environment inside the refrigeration container, especially the temperature, may change, which is fatal to the transportation of cargo that has to maintain a certain temperature, so that the manager can monitor the temperature information inside the refrigeration container. need. However, the conventional refrigerated container management is not a management according to the real-time status because the laborer directly checks the container status. In addition, labor is passively managed, which requires a lot of time, and there is a risk of laborers' accidents in the terminal and the sea during bad weather, and the demand for automation increases due to labor shortages and rising labor costs. In particular, as the volume of containers is increasing around the world, management based on rapid and accurate monitoring is needed, and thus an integrated management system is urgently needed.

Therefore, the present invention is designed to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to monitor the refrigeration container and special container in real time and to perform the management according to the monitoring system and method of the special container In providing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring system and a method for monitoring a refrigerated container and a special container that can prevent a human accident.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system and method for monitoring a refrigerated container and a special container capable of removing unnecessary work nodes and performing quick and economical monitoring and management.

In order to achieve the above object, the monitoring system of the refrigerated container and the special container according to an embodiment of the present invention, the container is located on the basis of the environmental information including at least one of each container and the temperature and humidity of the container A wireless sensor network system comprising a plurality of sensor nodes for generating and wirelessly transmitting state information indicating a state of the sensor; A gateway system that collects state information received from sensor nodes of the wireless sensor network system, converts the collected state information into a TCP / IP communication protocol, and transmits the state information to an integrated control system; It may be configured to include an integrated control system to database the state information transmitted from the gateway system, and to display according to the set conditions.

Preferably, the sensor node, the environment information generation unit for generating at least one of the temperature information and humidity information based on the history of the memory area of the refrigeration container; It may be configured to include a transmission unit for receiving the environmental information from the environmental information generation unit for generating the state information and wireless transmission.

Preferably, the gateway system includes a relay node and a sink node for collecting state information received from sensor nodes; It may be configured to include a gateway for receiving the collected state information is converted to the TCP / IP communication protocol and transmitted to the integrated control system.

Preferably, the integrated control system includes a database server for storing the database state information transmitted from the gateway system; And display means for displaying the status information according to a set condition.

In order to achieve the above object, the monitoring method of a refrigerated container and a special container according to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of generating each of the environmental information of the plurality of containers; Generating and wirelessly transmitting state information based on the generated environment information; Collecting and wirelessly transmitting status information; Storing the collected state information in a database; And providing the stored state information.

The monitoring system and method for monitoring a refrigerated container and a special container according to the present invention have an effect of easily monitoring the condition of a container by collecting the container's temperature or humidity-related state information in real time and providing it to a related person.

In addition, the present invention by delivering the information in real time to cope with the abnormal state of the container immediately, there is an effect that can be stored more securely cargo to maintain a constant environment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the same elements in the figures are represented by the same numerals wherever possible. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system for a refrigerated container and a special container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring system of a refrigerated container and a special container is located in at least one of each container (a freezing container or a special container) and based on environmental information including the temperature and humidity of the container. A wireless sensor network system 100 comprising a plurality of sensor nodes 110 for generating and wirelessly transmitting state information indicating a state; Gateway system for collecting the state information received from the sensor nodes 110 of the wireless sensor network system 100, converts the collected state information into a TCP / IP communication protocol and transmits to the integrated control system 300 ( 200); It may be configured to include an integrated control system 300 to database the state information transmitted from the gateway system 200, and to display according to the set conditions.

The sensor node 110 may include an environment information generator 120 generating at least one of temperature information and environment information based on a history of a memory area of a corresponding container; Receiving the environmental information from the environmental information generation unit 120 may be configured to include a transmission unit 130 for generating the state information and wireless transmission.

The environmental information generating unit 120 and the transmitting unit 130 may be connected to each other according to an asynchronous communication interface method such as RS232. For example, each having a serial communication terminal can be connected to each other by an RS232 connector.

The transmission unit 130 includes a conversion unit 132 for converting analog information (for example, temperature and humidity) input from the environment information generation unit 120 into digital information; A controller 134 for generating state information indicating the state of the container based on the information digitized by the converter 132; It may be configured to include a wireless communication unit 136 for wirelessly transmitting the generated state information.

The converter 132 is an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The converter 132 converts analog environment information input from the environment information generation unit 120 into digital format for each predetermined information unit.

The controller 134 may be a micro controller unit (MCU), and analyzes environmental information digitized by the converter 132 to generate state information indicating the states of the refrigerated container and the special container. The state information indicates the set temperature / humidity and current temperature / humidity of the refrigerating container and the special container, and the current state of the refrigerating container (eg, normal, abnormal low or abnormal low humidity, abnormal high or abnormal high humidity, etc.) based on the same. May contain information. In addition, the controller 134 controls the wireless communication unit 136 to wirelessly transmit the generated state information.

For example, if the temperature set based on the environmental information is -25 ° C and the current temperature of the freezing container or special container is 0 ° C, the controller 134 generates state information indicating abnormal high temperature. In addition, the state information is transmitted through the wireless communication unit 136 to notify the occurrence of an abnormal state of the container.

The wireless communication unit 136 may be a short range wireless communication module such as a Bluetooth module or a ZigBee module.

The gateway system 200 includes a relay node 210 and a sink node 220 for collecting state information received from the sensor nodes 110; The gateway 230 may be configured to receive the collected state information, convert the TCP / IP communication protocol, and transmit the converted state information to the integrated control system 300.

The relay node 210 receives the state information of the corresponding container received from the plurality of sensor nodes 110 and transmits it to the sink node 220. The relay node 210 may include a short range wireless communication unit 212 for data transmission and reception; A microcontroller unit (214) for controlling data transmission and reception; It may be configured to include a battery 216 for supplying power to the relay node.

The short range wireless communication unit 212 may be a short range wireless communication module such as a Bluetooth module or a ZigBee module, and adopts the same communication method as the wireless communication unit 136.

The sink node 220 collects state information of a refrigerated container or a special container from other relay nodes 210 and transmits the state information to the gateway 230. The sink node 220 may be one of the relay nodes 210. That is, the relay node 210 may have the same configuration.

The gateway 230 receives the status information and converts it into a TCP / IP communication protocol so that an internal user or an external user can view the information through a network, and transmits the converted information to the integrated control system 300.

The integrated control system 300 may be a Reefer Container Monitoring System (RCMS) console, and includes a database server 310 for storing and storing state information transmitted from the gateway system 200; And display means 320 for displaying the state information according to a set condition.

The integrated control system 300 may further include middleware 330 (eg, USN M / W) connecting the gateway 230 and the database server 310.

Internal users (e.g., administrators, monitoring personnel) or external users (e.g., sender / recipients, carriers, etc.) access the database server 310 via a network to view the status information to check the status of refrigerated containers and special containers. You can check in real time.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a method for monitoring a freezing container and a special container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a monitoring method of a freezing container and a special container includes generating environmental information of a plurality of containers, respectively; Generating and wirelessly transmitting state information based on the generated environment information; Collecting and wirelessly transmitting status information; Storing the collected state information in a database; And providing the stored state information.

That is, in step S210, the sensor node 110 generates environment information (temperature, humidity, etc.) based on the history of the memory area of the container. Subsequently, in step S220, the sensor node 110 generates and wirelessly transmits state information indicating a state of a corresponding container based on the generated environment information. As described above, the state information may be set to the set temperature / humidity and current temperature / humidity of the corresponding container, and the current state (eg, normal, abnormal low / low humidity, abnormal high / high humidity, etc.) of the refrigerating container and the special container based thereon. Information) may be included.

In step S230, the relay node 210 collects state information received from the sensor node 110 and wirelessly transmits it to the sink node 220. In step S240, the sink node 220 is received from the relay nodes. The state information is collected and wirelessly transmitted to the gateway 230.

As described above, wireless transmission of the sensor node 110, the relay node 210, and the sink node 220 may be performed by a short range wireless communication method such as Bluetooth or Zigbee. It is preferable to use.

In step S250, the gateway 230 receives the state information, converts it into a TCP / IP communication protocol, and delivers the integrated information to the integrated control system 300.

Subsequently, in step S260, the integrated control system 300 stores the state information as a database and displays the data according to the condition set in step S270.

In the above, specific preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made by any person having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention attached to the claims. .

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system for a refrigerated container and a special container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a method for monitoring a refrigerated container and a special container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (13)

A wireless sensor network system including a plurality of sensor nodes positioned at least one in each container and generating and wirelessly transmitting state information indicating a state of a container based on environmental information including temperature and humidity of a corresponding container; A gateway system that collects state information received from sensor nodes of the wireless sensor network system, converts the collected state information into a TCP / IP communication protocol, and transmits the state information to an integrated control system; System for monitoring the refrigeration container and the special container, characterized in that the database comprises the state information transmitted from the gateway system, including an integrated control system for displaying according to the set conditions. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor node is An environment information generation unit generating environment information based on a history of a memory area of the container; Receiving the environmental information from the environmental information generating unit for generating a state information and a wireless transmission unit for monitoring the system characterized in that it is configured to include a wireless container. The method of claim 2, wherein the environment information generating unit and the sending unit Monitoring system for refrigerated containers and special containers, characterized in that connected to each other according to the asynchronous communication interface method. The method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting unit A conversion unit for converting analog environment information input from the environment information generation unit into digital information; A controller configured to generate state information indicating a state of the container based on the information digitized by the converter; And a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly transmit the generated state information. The method of claim 4, wherein the status information And a set temperature and current temperature of the container, set humidity and current humidity, and information indicating the current state of the container based thereon. The wireless sensor network system of claim 1, wherein A monitoring system for refrigerated containers and special containers, which adopts a Zigbee communication method. The system of claim 1, wherein the gateway system is A relay node and a sink node for collecting state information received from the sensor nodes; Receiving the collected state information is converted into a TCP / IP communication protocol and the gateway comprising a gateway for transmitting to the integrated control system, characterized in that configured to include. The method of claim 7, wherein the relay node is A short range wireless communication unit for transmitting and receiving data; An MCU for controlling data transmission and reception; Monitoring system for a refrigerated container and a special container, characterized in that it comprises a battery for power supply of the relay node. The method of claim 8, wherein the sink node is Monitoring system for a refrigerated container and a special container, characterized in that one of the relay node. According to claim 1, wherein the integrated control system A database server for storing and storing state information transmitted from the gateway system; And a display means for displaying the state information according to a set condition. Generating environment information of a plurality of containers, respectively; Generating and wirelessly transmitting state information based on the generated environment information; Collecting and wirelessly transmitting status information; Storing the collected state information in a database; Monitoring method for the refrigerated container and special container comprising the step of providing the stored state information The method of claim 11, wherein the status information And a method for indicating a set temperature and a current temperature of the container, a set humidity and a set temperature, and information indicating a current state of the container based on the set temperature. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the wireless transmission steps Monitoring method for a refrigerated container and a special container, which is performed by a Zigbee communication method.

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