DESCRIPTION

Application field of the invention

The present invention refers to an electronic system, and a relating method, for monitoring the state of products and/or goods during their transport, by measuring and storing physical and environmental parameters.

Description of the prior art

Some technical solutions are currently known in the art in order to provide the product traceability, especially in the food industry. It is the case, for example, of the system for the traceability of bovine meat, which allows to use a barcode to associate the product sold to all the information relating to the history of the head of cattle and of the farm it belonged to, up to single details relating to the processing steps along the distribution chain. Consumers finds an abstract of such information on the label, thus it represents a certificate of origin of the product itself.

Further traceability systems are used for example by post offices or by courier services, in order to keep under control the geographical position of an object, for example letters or parcels sent by certified mail, within the offices or along the distribution chain, in order to make sure that such object is not lost or stolen in any of the steps of the distribution. Also these systems use barcodes or more recent technology of radio- frequency devices (Rfid).

All the known solutions, however, have a series of drawbacks, above all when the traceability systems are applied to particular goods and/or products, such as perishable goods that have to be kept in specific temperature and humidity conditions, such as for example food and frozen food products, fine wines, pharmaceutical products; or valuable and particularly fragile goods, such as works of art, paintings by famous painters, historic furniture or books; or also biological products in hospitals, such as fluids for transfusions, organs and tissues for transplants; or particular chemical substances, such as for example inflammable liquids and dangerous goods.

Firstly, by assigning a code to the product and by registering each time its passage in the various steps of the distribution, one is not able to know anything of the intermediate steps, of the environmental conditions which the product was exposed to, and one is not able either to determine if the product is exactly the same that was sent or if it was replaced along its journey by keeping the same identification code.

Secondly, by using external monitoring systems, it is not possible to know or to register the conditions of the products during the transport, for example inside metal containers that usually shield the electromagnetic field and thus make the systems based on the communication with satellite and/or telecommunication apparatuses useless.

Summary of the invention

Therefore the aim of the present invention is to provide an electronic system, and a relating method, for monitoring the state of products and/or goods during their transport, by measuring and storing physical and environmental parameters which aims to overcome all the aforementioned drawbacks.

An aim of the present invention is to provide each single set of products and/or goods travelling, with an electronic device, contained in the same container as the products, able to register during the whole journey some physical and environmental parameters, such as for example: temperature, humidity, light intensity and presence of mechanical shocks or overturns.

Another aim is that the device associates such environmental conditions to certain products and/or goods belonging to a specific set of products being transported, contained in the container, wherein each product is univocally identified by the following elements: serial code, barcode, two-dimensional barcode (QR-code), radio- frequency tag (TAG-RFID).

A further aim is that the information registered by and stored in the electronic device can be immediately transferred, once the container is opened, to an electronic management system. Thus, by an appropriate connection to the management system, such information is immediately available to the manufacturer (who organized the shipping), to the intermediaries, to the receivers, users or consumers of such products and/or goods, so that the latter can have a guarantee of the data of origin, of the state of repair, and of the environmental conditions which such goods and/or products were exposed to along the whole transport and distribution step.

A further aim is also to guarantee the quality of perishable goods, such as food or pharmaceutical product, which have to be kept in rigorous environmental conditions; furthermore to guarantee the safety in terms of fraudulent replacement and/or theft of the products, and to guarantee the integrity when transporting biological products for hospitals, such as fluids for transfusions, organs and tissues for transplants, or the safety for particular chemical substances, such as for example inflammable liquids and dangerous goods.

An object of the present invention is a method for monitoring the state of products and/or goods during their transport , characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

- providing an electronic device adapted to detect and to register physical and environmental parameters inside a container of products and/or goods during their transport, and adapted to provide at the output said physical and environmental parameters at the end of the transport, each one of said products being preliminarily identified univocally by one or more univocal identification elements;

- providing a management system adapted to: initialize said electronic device, create a univocal association between said one or more univocal identification elements of products and/or goods and said container, receiving and storing descriptive information of said products and/or goods, and said physical and environmental parameters detected by the electronic device at the end of the transport, carry out comparisons between said physical and environmental parameters detected and pre-recorded acceptable thresholds and conditions, in order to detect the trend in time of said physical and environmental parameters detected and alarm conditions, to communicate said detected data upon request of one or more computer terminals.

It is also an object of the present invention an electronic system for monitoring the state of products and/or goods during their transport, characterized in that it comprises:

- an electronic device comprising means to detect and to register physical and environmental parameters inside a container of products and/or goods during their transport, and adapted to provide said physical and environmental parameters in output at the end of the transport, each one of said products being preliminarily identified univocally by one or more univocal identification elements;

- a management system comprising: means for initializing said electronic device, means for creating a univocal association between said one or more univocal identification elements of products and/or goods and said container, means for receiving and storing descriptive information of said products and/or goods, and said physical and environmental parameters detected by the electronic device at the end of the transport, means for carrying out comparisons between said physical and environmental parameters detected and pre-recorded acceptable thresholds and conditions, in order to detect the trend in time of said physical and environmental parameters detected and alarm conditions, means for communicating said detected data upon request of one or more computer terminals.

Further objects of the present invention are also an electronic device and a computer terminal adapted to be used in said electronic system..

It is a particular object of the present invention an electronic system, and a relating method, for monitoring the state of products and/or goods during their transport, by measuring and storing physical and environmental parameters, as better described in the claims, that are an integral part of the present description.

Brief description of the figures

Further aims and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof (and of its alternative embodiments) and from the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non- limiting example, wherein:

- figure 1 shows a front view of an electronic device that is object of the invention, adapted to be inserted in the container of the set of travelling goods and/or products, and which acquires a series of physical and environmental parameters in real time, in order to make such data subsequently available to external computer devices;

- figure 2 shows a block diagram of the components of the electronic device of figure l;

- figure 3 shows a functional block diagram of the method for monitoring the state of products and/or goods during their transport, object of the present invention.

The same reference numbers and letters in the figures identify the same elements or components.

Detailed description of embodiments

In the following, an embodiment of the computer system that is object of the invention is described.

Figure 1 shows an electronic device 10 that is object of the invention, adapted to be associated to a set of travelling goods and/or products, and contained together with the latter in an appropriate container, and adapted to acquire a series of physical and environmental parameters in real time, in order to make such data subsequently available to external computer devices.

In particular, in the example of figure 1, the physical and environmental parameters acquired are values of temperature 11, humidity 12, light intensity 13, acceleration and orientation in space 14.

The external computer devices that are adapted to carry out the functions described more in detail below can be:

- computer terminals in general, in particular workstations, smartphones 17, tablets or the like, comprising functions to connect to the Internet and/or to wi-fi or mobile networks, such as GSM, LTE, etc., and to manage software applications, in addition to bluetooth and external GPS connectivity;

- management system with dedicated server 18.

Said computer devices are per se known, thus their technical characteristics will not be further specified in the following.

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the basic components belonging to an electronic device 70, in accordance with particular characteristics of the present invention.

It comprises essentially: real-time detection means of physical and environmental parameters 83, sensors; means for acquiring and coding 71 data in digital format, means for processing and storing 74 of such data in a suitable internal memory 72, means for reading the same data from said memory 72; means for transmitting the data towards the outside 78, 79 and means for acquiring configuration parameters from the outside 79, by means of one or more suitable input/output interfaces 73, 75.

In such example, the real-time detection means of physical and environmental parameters 83 comprise: a thermometer, a hygrometer, a luxmeter, a gyroscope and an accelerometer, to measure temperature, humidity, light intensity, acceleration and orientation in space, respectively.

In order to prepare and initialize an electronic box device 70 before its use, the following is essentially provided: data transmission means from the same workstation to the electronic device 70 by means of an interface 75; means for selecting and for activating detection means of physical and environmental parameters; means for defining processing parameters described in detail below; means for defining the format of the data in memory 72; means for defining the format of the alarm messages when a threshold is exceeded and means for storing them in a suitable register file. Each travelling product and/or good belonging to the aforementioned set is univocally identified.

To this end, the sender, for example the manufacturer, has means adapted to associate the following elements to each product: a serial code, a barcode, a two-dimensional barcode (QR-code), a radio-frequency tag (Rfid).

Said elements, of the type per se known, allow to identify univocally the product to which they are associated in all the steps of the life of the product itself, from production, to packaging, transport, distribution and final use. They allow also to obtain the safety against tampering, counterfeiting or fraud attempts and product replacement, in order to ensure the actual univocal association with the product and the impossibility to replace it. The TAG-RFID identifier is univocal for each parcel of products. The direct reading and use of the TAG-RFID implies the availability of an appropriate interface system with antenna.

In addition to the TAG-RFID, the product is also associated to a QR-code, which is univocal as well, which is printed and thus visible and which can be read by means of a photo shot, for example, by the camera of a mobile phone or the like, and interpreted by an appropriate application software installed in the mobile phone: this code contains an Internet address which automatically connects the mobile phone to the server of the management system that, as explained below, once it has univocally identified the product by means of the code, replies by sending immediately the data relating to the product.

The product is also associated to a serial code, possibly associated to a barcode. Such code can be appropriately read and typed on a suitable interface, as described below, or read by a barcode reader, in order to access directly the server to obtain information about the product.

Thus, according to the type of reading and interface means available to a generic user, it is possible to use one or more of said elements to identify univocally the product in the electronic system.

The electronic device 70, to be inserted in the container of the aforementioned set, further comprises means for initializing and inserting the data identifying products and/or goods belonging to the same set, associated to the aforementioned codes and/or Rfid tags in the internal memory.

The data stored in an electronic device 70 are made available subsequently, after the transport, to external computer devices. Such external devices can be represented for example by the aforementioned management system, placed in a predetermined geographical location.

Said data stored in the electronic device 70, are read, displayed and transmitted to the management system, by means of computer terminals equipped with means for detecting the aforementioned uni vocal codes.

Thus the management system represents a convergence point for the electronic devices connected to it, by means of computer terminals available to the different subjects involved in the procedure that communicate with the manager in different ways.

It is possible to provide a further type of device, a so-called "info-point", namely a computer station or tablet equipped with TAG reader, made available to the user by the receiver of the products, in order to access the information stored in the management system, relating to the products contained in the container. Or a software application, for example downloadable by Internet, can be made available to the user, which the user can install on his/her smartphone in order to access the information.

The goods and/or products to be monitored can be one or more of the following objects: perishable goods, such as food or pharmaceutical products, which have to be kept in rigorous environmental conditions; particularly valuable goods, to guarantee the safety in terms of product replacement and/or theft; biological products for hospitals, such as fluids for transfusions, organs and tissues for transplants to guarantee the integrity when transporting; particular chemical substances, inflammable liquids and dangerous goods, to guarantee the safety during transport.

In the following the method that is object of the invention is described, first in a qualitative way, then in reference to figure 3.

A determined series of codes described above is assigned by a manager of the service originating the shipping (in the following, for the sake of simplicity, defined manufacturer, not to be intended in limitative sense), and preliminary registered in the system, in order to ensure that the manufacturer uses those codes and do not other codes, thus guaranteeing the safety against fraud attempts or illegal use or supplying of codes.

Data descriptive of the products to be inserted in the container, as well as of the conditions that have to be detected during the transport, namely the acceptability thresholds of the values of the parameters to be detected, are sent to the management system by the manufacturer, before organizing a shipping. Said data are stored in the server.

The QR-code, the TAG-RFID, the product code previously received by the system, are applied to each product, and a set of product to be inserted in a respective container is defined.

A TAG-RFID identifier is preferably applied to the container, thus linking the codes applied to each one of the products to the one of the container.

The container is associated to an electronic device, in the sense that the identification data of the container and the of electronic system that is initialized and activated are sent to the system.

The electronic device is included in the container and initialized. If necessary, a series of containers can be inserted in a bigger container (freight container, pallet...).

In the subsequent shipping step, transport of container, the electronic device records the physical data, relating to the parameters detected by the sensors, in its memory, for example temperature, humidity, acceleration, overturning, possible opening of the container detected with the light sensor.

Once the destination is reached, for example a distributor, or a shop, the container is opened, and its integrity is checked. The electronic device is removed from the container and a local check of the recorded parameters can start, for example by connecting a PC, smartphone or tablet using a bluetooth connection or other Internet connection.

The detected data are downloaded and furthermore they are sent to the server and stored therein, checked and compared to the acceptable limits and conditions fixed when the parcel was sent, making a graph of all the physical parameters detected in time, and determining alarm messages, following the detection of anomalous conditions.

The management system communicates anomalous conditions and alarm messages also to the distributor, which thus becomes co-responsible of the compliance of the sending condition, or it sends them to the manufacturer only.

The electronic device is preferably returned to the manager of the service.

Figure 3 shows a non limitative example of a functional block diagram 300 of the method that is object of the invention.

Such method 300 comprises the following steps:

acquisition of univocal identification data 301 associated to each single travelling product and/or good belonging to a specific set 302;

association 303 of an electronic device to the aforementioned set of travelling products and/or goods, confined in a container having determined dimensions, initializing and inserting the identification data of each product and/or good in the internal memory;

preparation 307 of the electronic device to the detection of physical and environmental parameters, by means of sensors included therein, such as for example a thermometer, a hygrometer, a luxmeter, a gyroscope and an accelerometer, to measure temperature, humidity, light intensity, acceleration and orientation in space, respectively;

definition of processing parameters, such as minimum and maximum threshold values, processing algorithms, sampling intervals.

Said processing algorithms are adapted to record the trend in time of the detected parameters, to determine the alarm conditions following the detection of the parameters, which take into account not only the possible exceeding of the threshold values, but also the duration in time of possible situations when the thresholds are exceeded, for example by calculating the integral of the bi-dimensional surface given by the value exceeding the threshold and the time.

Said algorithms are also adapted to detect the combination of the variations of the different parameters in time, for example temperature and humidity, to determine, for example, the condensate formation.

recording of the aforementioned physical and environmental parameters in said electronic device, in real time, during the transport of the set of products and/or goods 303, 304;

- acquisition of the data 305 of the electronic device once the destination is reached and transmission of the data to the management system 308;

possibility to access and to acquire such data 310 from the management system (by intermediaries, receivers, users or consumers of the aforementioned goods and/or products) by means of user's computer devices, able to read the aforementioned univocal identification data 301 and to communicate with the aforementioned central processing device 308;

- processing of the data received in said management system, in order to determine said trend in time of the detected parameters, and said alarm conditions and communication to enabled subjects.

The data can be encrypted during recording in the electronic device and sent encrypted to the system.

The main characteristics of the invention are thus pointed out:

- initial univocal identification of the product, by means of three technical elements: TAG association, internationally recognized univocal code; QR-code for an easy and direct reading by the user, and a printed code;

- aggregation of a set of products in a container, communicating the association to the server;

- association of an electronic device to the container, with communication to the management system;

- protection of the product during its transport, with recording of the data acquired by the electronic device;

- at the end of the shipping, sending of the acquired data from the electronic device to the management system, in a computerized way;

- check of the data in the management system and determination of the critical situations;

- sending of the info about the results of the parameter check by the management system to requiring subjects (manufacturer and/or receiver);

- final check of the parameters also by the final user or consumer, by means of computer connection.

A further function that can be performed by the management system is to identify the geographical areas from which the final users require such data, and provide such information to the manufacturer, for example to facilitate the retrieval of data about geographical areas having a higher commercial and product distribution interest.

The present invention can be advantageously realized by a computer product which comprises product code means to perform one or more steps of the method, when said product is run on a computer. For this reason the scope of the present patent is meant to cover also said computer program and the computer-readable means that comprise a recorded message, such computer-readable means comprising the program code means for performing one or more steps of such method, when such program is run on a computer.

It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that other equivalent embodiments, and their combinations, of the invention can be conceived and reduced to practice without departing from the scope of the invention.

The elements and the characteristics shown in the different preferred embodiments can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present patent. The advantages deriving from the application of the present invention described above are clear. It is possible to establish a system for controlling the quality and the integrity of the product, from its origin up its final consumption or use, all the subjects involved in the treatment of the product being able to use the system, even the final user or consumer, who can thus realize the possible alarm situation occurred.

The following types of subjects can be involved:

- manufacturer, who originates the shipping;

- receiver, who receives the goods, for example buyer or intermediary or retailer;

- final user: benefits of the data made available by the system.

Receiver and final user can be the same subject (for example a big final user, restaurant, etc.) who can be interested in using such system directly.

In addition to the possibility of guaranteeing the quality of perishable goods, such as food or pharmaceutical products, which have to be kept in rigorous environmental conditions; it is also possible to guarantee the safety in terms of replacement and/or theft of the products, and to guarantee the integrity when transporting biological products for hospitals, such as fluids for transfusions, organs and tissues for transplants, or the safety for particular chemical substances, such as for example inflammable liquids and dangerous goods.

From the description set forth above the person skilled in the art is able to realize the object of the invention without introducing further constructive details.