JP2005096963A - Environment optimization system for article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control environment situation for an article and prevent deterioration of the article. <P>SOLUTION: In this system, a radio tag 1 has an IC chip 2, an antenna 3, and a temperature sensor 4. Distinguishing information of the article to which the radio tag is attached and environment conditions are written in a storage part of the IC chip 2 in advance. This radio tag 1 is bonded to the article. A reading device 6 is provided with an antenna 7 and an IC chip 8. The reading device 6 decodes information transmitted from the radio tag 1 in a decoder part 8a, determines the decoded result in a determining part 8b, and transmits distinguishing information of foods and environment conditions to an environment controller 10 by wire line. The environment controller 10 controls a motor 12a for a compressor of a cooling device which is environment control instrument through an inverter circuit 13 in accordance with information given from the reading device 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an environment optimization system for an article that includes a wireless tag that transmits article identification information stored therein by wireless communication and controls the environment of the article.

Conventionally, a wireless tag storing the identification information of the article is attached to the article such as food, and the identification information of the article is obtained by a reader that wirelessly communicates with the wireless tag to identify the article. Further, in the process of distributing food, the food is sometimes transported by a cold car or stored in a cold warehouse. In view of this, a temperature sensor is provided in the wireless tag, and the temperature history is sequentially stored in the storage unit of the wireless tag and transmitted to the reading device to check the temperature history.
JP 2002-35859 A

However, in the conventional art, although the temperature history of the article can be grasped, it is difficult to prevent deterioration of the article because the article itself does not control the temperature state, that is, the environmental state.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an environment optimization system for an article that can control the environmental condition of the article and prevent the deterioration of the article.

The invention of claim 1 is an environment control device for controlling the environment for an article;
A wireless tag that includes a storage unit that is associated with the article and can store article identification information of the article, and transmits the article identification information by wireless communication;
Environment detection means provided on the wireless tag for detecting the environment of the article;
Reading means for reading article identification information in the wireless tag transmitted from the wireless tag;
Environmental condition storage means capable of storing environmental conditions corresponding to the article identification information;
An article comprising: control means for reading out the environmental condition corresponding to the article identification information read by the reading means and controlling the environmental control device based on the environmental condition and an environment detection result by the environment detection means. Environment optimization system.

  The article identification information in the wireless tag is read by the reading means. An environmental condition such as a temperature condition and a humidity condition corresponding to the article identification information is read from the environmental condition storage unit, and the control means, based on the environmental condition and the environmental detection result, the cold storage device or refrigerator in the cold storage car or the cold storage warehouse. Control environmental control equipment such as refrigeration cycle. Therefore, it is possible to provide an optimal environment for the article and prevent the article from being deteriorated.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, in FIG. 1, a wireless tag 1 has an IC chip 2, an antenna 3, and a temperature sensor 4 as environment detection means, and these are packaged with a film 1a (see FIG. 2). Although not shown, the IC chip 2 includes a storage unit, a power generation unit, a communication unit, and the like, and the storage unit includes identification information, an article name, and a manufacturing time of an article to which a wireless tag is attached. The serial number and environmental conditions can be stored, and these information and items are written in advance. This storage unit also serves as (includes) environmental condition storage means. An example of the environmental condition is a storage temperature. The wireless tag 1 is attached to a box (article) 5 (see FIG. 3) in which food is packed.

  The reading device 6 serving as a reading unit includes an antenna 7 and an IC chip 8. The IC chip 8 includes a CPU, a storage unit, and the like, but functionally a decoder unit 8a and a determination unit. 8b is included. The reading device 6 is provided, for example, in a cold room 9a (see FIG. 4) of the cold car 9. The reader 6 communicates by emitting radio waves to the wireless tag 1. In this case, the wireless tag 1 generates power based on the received radio waves and uses it as a power source, and reads information stored in the storage unit by wireless communication. Transfer to device 6.

The reading device 6 decodes the information transferred from the wireless tag 1 by the decoder unit 8a, determines the decoded result by the determination unit 8b, and identifies the food identification information, the article name, the manufacturing time, the manufacturing number, The environmental conditions are transferred to the environmental control device 10 by wire, for example.
The environmental control device 10 serving as a control means is mounted on the cold storage vehicle 9 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. According to information given from the reading device 6, an environmental control device 10 is provided. A motor 12 a (FIG. 1) for the compressor 12 (see FIG. 4) of the cooling device 11, which is a control device, is controlled via the inverter circuit 13. The cooling device 11 includes a compressor, a condenser 14 and a cooler (evaporator) (not shown), and includes the compressor 12, the motor 12a, an inverter circuit 13 for changing the driving frequency of the motor 12, a blower fan, and the like. It is prepared for. Increasing or decreasing the driving frequency increases or decreases the rotational speed of the motor 12a and increases or decreases the cooling capacity.

  The operation of the above configuration will be described. First, food identification information, article name, manufacturing time, manufacturing number, and environmental conditions are written in the wireless tag 1 by a writing device (not shown). In this case, the environmental condition is a storage temperature condition, which is a temperature optimum for storage and an allowable maximum temperature. The wireless tag 1 is attached to a box 5 packed with food. The box 5 is housed and transported in a cold insulation chamber 9a of the cold insulation vehicle 9. At this time, the reading device 6 outputs a radio wave to read information from the wireless tag.

The wireless tag 1 obtains a power source as described above based on this radio wave, and detects the temperature by the temperature sensor 4. Then, the temperature detection result, the food identification information, the article name, the manufacturing time, the manufacturing number, and the environmental condition (storage temperature condition) are transmitted, and the transmission information is read by the reading device 6. Then, the reading information is transferred from the reading device 6 to the environment control device 10.
The environmental control device 10 determines whether the number of boxes 5 is one, or the contents of the food in the same temperature condition even if there are a plurality of boxes 5, and if any of them, the temperature detection result is displayed. Control the temperature close to the optimum temperature. That is, when the temperature detection result is higher than the optimum temperature, the drive frequency of the motor 12a is raised, and when the temperature detection result is lower than the optimum temperature, the drive frequency of the motor 12a is lowered. As a result, the temperature state of the food can be optimized.

  Moreover, the environment control apparatus 10 controls as follows when there are a plurality of boxes 5 and the food in the container is under different storage temperature conditions.

箱体５が例えば５個あって（図５に符号５ａ〜５ｅにて示す）、中身の食品の温度条件が表１に示すように異なる（同じものもある）。このようなときには、環境制御装置１０は、最適な温度を平均化し、その平均温度となるように制御する。なお且つ、この場合、許容最高温度のうち最も高温度である「１５℃」を超えないように制御する。これにより食品の温度状態の最適化が図れる。

For example, there are five box bodies 5 (indicated by reference numerals 5a to 5e in FIG. 5), and the temperature conditions of the contents food are different as shown in Table 1 (some are the same). In such a case, the environment control device 10 averages the optimum temperature and controls to obtain the average temperature. In this case, control is performed so as not to exceed “15 ° C.” which is the highest temperature among the allowable maximum temperatures. As a result, the temperature state of the food can be optimized.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wireless tag 1 is attached to the article, the identification information of the article is recognized by the wireless tag 1, the environmental condition according to the article, in this case, the temperature condition is read, and the environment control device 10 Since the cooling device 11 is controlled so as to satisfy this temperature condition, it is possible to provide an optimum temperature environment for the article (food).
Further, since the wireless tag 1 is configured to obtain power by radio waves from the reading device 6, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated battery for the wireless tag 1, and it can be used semipermanently. Further, since temperature detection by the temperature sensor is performed at the time of reading with respect to the wireless tag 1, it can be performed when the power source can be secured, and unnecessary detection is not required.

Furthermore, since the environmental condition storage means is included in the storage unit of the wireless tag 1, that is, the wireless tag 1 stores the temperature condition which is the environmental condition, the temperature condition can be read for each article. In addition, you may memorize | store this temperature condition by making the memory | storage means (for example, ROM and non-volatile memory) of the environmental control apparatus 10 respond | correspond with the identification information of articles | goods.
Further, the reading device 6 may be provided with a writing function. In this case, the temperature detection result may be written (stored) in the wireless tag 1 together with information on the detected date and time.

  FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the environment detection means is composed of a temperature detection means 21 having a temperature indicating member whose color changes depending on the temperature. The detection means 21 is attached to the wireless tag 1. For example, the color of the temperature indicating member may be identified by a color identification device such as a CCD camera to detect the temperature, and the detection result may be transferred to the control means.

  The environment detection means may be humidity detection means. The environmental control device may be a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerator. Further, the reading means may be a reader / writer having reading and writing functions. In addition, information or the like may be stored in the storage unit or the environmental condition storage unit by a general user after manufacturing the wireless tag.

The block diagram of the whole structure of the environment optimization system of the articles | goods which shows 1st Example of this invention Top view of wireless tag A perspective view of the wireless tag attached to the box Perspective perspective view of a cold car Conceptual diagram of a state in which a plurality of articles are accommodated in the inside of the cold insulation chamber The perspective view of the radio | wireless tag which attached the temperature detection means provided with the temperature indicator regarding 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

In the drawings, 1 is a wireless tag, 2 is an IC chip (storage unit, environmental condition storage means), 4 is a temperature sensor (environment detection means), 5 is an article, 6 is a reading device (reading means), 9 is a cold car, 9a is a cool room, 10 is an environmental control device (control means), 11 is a cooling device (environment control device), and 21 is a temperature detection means.

Claims (6)

Environmental control equipment for controlling the environment for the article;
A wireless tag that includes a storage unit that is associated with the article and can store article identification information of the article, and transmits the article identification information by wireless communication;
Environment detection means provided on the wireless tag for detecting the environment of the article;
Reading means for reading article identification information in the wireless tag transmitted from the wireless tag;
Environmental condition storage means capable of storing environmental conditions corresponding to the article identification information;
An article comprising: control means for reading out the environmental condition corresponding to the article identification information read by the reading means and controlling the environmental control device based on the environmental condition and an environment detection result by the environment detection means. Environmental optimization system.   The environment optimization means according to claim 1, wherein the environment detection means is a temperature detection means provided with a temperature indicating member whose color changes depending on the temperature, and detects the temperature based on the color of the temperature indicating member. system. The wireless tag obtains power by radio waves from the reading means,
2. The environment optimization system for an article according to claim 1, wherein the environment detection by the environment detection means is performed when the wireless tag is read.   The system for optimizing an environment for an article according to claim 1, wherein the detection result by the environment detection means is stored in the storage unit together with the detected date and time information.   2. The environment optimization system for articles according to claim 1, wherein the environmental condition storage means is included in a storage unit of the wireless tag. The environmental detection means is a temperature detection means, the environmental condition information is storage temperature information,
2. The environment optimization system for an article according to claim 1, wherein when there are a plurality of articles, the control means controls so as not to exceed a maximum storage temperature.

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