BE1023856B1 - Isothermal box with cooling plates, built-in wireless temperature sensor and intelligent cloud application - Google Patents

Abstract

Isothermal box for transporting temperature-sensitive goods with a fixed temperature sensor that registers the ambient temperature in the box and wirelessly forwards it to a web platform where an algorithm translates the measured ambient temperature into an approximate core temperature. Alerts are generated from the web platform to the stakeholders.

Description

Isothermal box with cooling plates, built-in wireless temperature sensor and intelligent cloud application

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of isothermal boxes with cooling plates or cooling bags to transport food or medication already exists in different variants: boxes with vacuum panels, boxes of EPS, XPS, boxes that use polyurethane as insulation material, boxes made of recycled cork.

In addition, there are also many flexible insulation bags or blankets that are often used for shorter transport times or for pallet insulation.

However, this type of application has several drawbacks: vacuum panels are relatively heavy and expensive, polyurethane swells at high temperatures, XPS is relatively weak and breaks easily, EPS is limited to a limited extent and is less reusable. The flexible applications are only re-usable to a limited extent and often pose hygiene problems because the insulation bags are easily dirty and difficult to clean. WO2011051561 describes a method for temperature controlled transport, in which a passive transport is used and in which the temperature is monitored wirelessly during transport. EP1624267 describes an active cooling in which it is to be avoided that excessive cooling causes the surface of an object to freeze. GB2465376 describes cooling boxes in which cooling elements are arranged in the walls of the box. GB2512128 deals with the problem of opening a refrigerator where the air temperature suddenly rises and the compressor starts while the temperature of the food is barely influenced by the short influx of warm air.

Summary of the invention

The invention relates to an isothermal box with cooling plates and an enclosed thermal sensor that forwards the measured sensor temperatures to a cloud application.

The invention works with a passive cooling solution: that is, the isothermal box is cooled on the basis of pre-frozen cooling plates which are added to keep the enclosed goods at the desired temperature for a certain time. The combination of a high-quality insulation material (EPP with a lambda value of 0.037 or lower), a minimum box thickness of 40 mm with the addition of frozen cooling plates and their specific placement in the isothermal box ensures that the enclosed goods reach the desired temperatures during the entire transport process. stay.

Without limiting the invention thereto, the object of the present invention is to bring foodstuffs or medication to the recipients under controlled conditions and at the right temperatures on the basis of passively cooled boxes. The recipients of the invention are primarily, but not exclusively, end users.

Detailed description of the invention

The invention combines the strengths of the said materials and resolves the weaknesses by using EPP. EPP is a good insulator, but also strong and can be reused dozens of times. The invention uses EPP boxes with a lambda value of 0.037 or lower and a wall thickness of more than 40 mm, so that they are not only stronger, but also guarantee a longer lead time as comparable products present in the market.

The invention is made in one piece and is not foldable, so that the sturdiness and service life of the box is guaranteed in normal use.

The invention will use this material to manufacture boxes in various dimensions to be used primarily in last mile transports. The invention aims to provide an answer to the growing trend in internet purchases, whereby more and more products to be cooled are also being purchased.

Cooling vans with active cooling are often used for this, which has the disadvantage that it is difficult for the transporter to combine different products on the same transport: products to be cooled and not to be cooled cannot be combined on the same transport, unless the van is adjusted for this . Adjustments to the vans with compartments to still be able to combine the various products remain relatively expensive.

In that context, the invention offers an additional advantage: the isothermal box with passive cooling allows such a combination of different goods in a simple manner.

The growing volume of groceries purchased via the internet puts the active cooling model for last mile applications under considerable pressure: the proportion of goods to be chilled or frozen in the basket of groceries remains relatively low, but does bring a high additional costs for the shipper and the transporter: investments in moving material, cold stores, higher energy consumption, low density zones, high fuel consumption and the relatively low value of the goods.

Food has the additional complexity that the cold chain must be maintained throughout the entire process. Active cooling often involves the transhipment of goods to bring the product from the merchant's warehouses to the consumer. The risk that the cold chain will be broken several times is not imaginary.

This risk is virtually completely excluded with passive cooling: the boxes are prepared and closed at the sender and remain closed until delivery to the consumer.

The invention ensures, via the enclosed sensor, that the temperature of the goods is constantly monitored from the start of the process until delivery.

The boxes can easily be handled and moved by 1 person. Such boxes are not new on the market: EPP boxes in various sizes with the addition of different cooling bags or cooling plates are increasingly being used to send food and medication, but in practice use is made of separate temperature loggers placed between the goods to monitor the temperatures.

Equally often, no temperature loggers are placed between the goods, but the box composition, that is, the cool box with a certain number of cooling bags or cooling plates, is tested in a lab to simulate different ambient temperatures and to validate the box composition.

Based on this validation, the box composition is applied without the addition of data loggers to measure the temperatures. It is then assumed that the validated box composition always guarantees a temperature within certain limits of the enclosed goods if the box is delivered within a certain time range.

At most, then how temperature measurements are taken to validate the applied box composition. This is a frequently used practice, especially in food: expensive investments in temperature monitoring based on passively cooled boxes during last mile transport are not made due to the relatively low value of the goods to be transported.

In practice, the box composition with ad how temperature readings entail a lot of risks, so that potential temperature problems are not detected. Human errors during preparation or material defects are not detected in this way: • the added cooling plates or cooling bags have not been sufficiently frozen or have moved during transport, as a result of which the core temperature of the goods has remained insufficiently within the specified limits. • the added goods already had a core temperature before shipment that was higher than the permitted limits. • the box with enclosed goods has been on the road for longer than anticipated according to the box composition • the box was opened during the process, as a result of which the cold chain was broken. • the eutectic of the cooling bags or cooling plates is insufficiently effective

The invention aims to minimize these types of risks through a permanent temperature control of the enclosed goods. The enclosed calibrated sensor, which is located at a fixed location in the side wall of the box, always registers the air temperature in the isothermal box in the same way at regular intervals.

Due to the fact that the sensor is always at the same place in the box, the temperature measurement is always carried out uniformly by the sensor, which guarantees a reliable measurement method and is important for the interpretation of the measurement results.

This is often not the case with other temperature measurement methods, such as adding a temperature logger that is placed separately in the box with the goods and therefore does not record temperature data from a fixed location.

The measurement results that such methodology yields are therefore variable and unreliable. The logger is always located at a different location in the box, can shift during transport and will transmit strongly changing temperature data.

Another method is to put the logger between the goods. The advantage of this method is that the logger will approach the core temperature of the goods fairly well without damaging them. The disadvantage is that this is a method that requires a lot of handling, with a relatively large amount of human intervention, as a result of which errors can occur: the logger must be activated manually, the logger must be stopped manually during unpacking and the results must also be loaded manually to be and read out. These are many actions where errors can occur and which, moreover, take a lot of time and require proper training of the personnel involved.

More recent methods consist of inserting wireless thermal sensors between the goods, especially in pharmaceuticals and bulk deliveries of great value.

This results in fairly reliable measurements: the loggers are placed between the goods and the advantage is that the measurement results are also transmitted wirelessly to a cloud platform. But the disadvantage is that a human intervention is still needed to place the logger and remove it again at each box. This requires good logistical follow-up and training.

The invention avoids such human intervention: the logger is not removed at all, but is pushed into the wall and remains there. It is not pushed between the goods, but will always take and send measurements from the same place.

The recorded temperatures are read out as soon as the signal from the sensor is received by a reader or receiver present on a mobile device, which in turn forwards the signal to a software platform. The invention uses, but does not want to limit itself to, RFID sensors. Any sensor that is permanently placed in the wall of the box and that wirelessly transmits signals to a software platform on a regular basis can be used for this.

In the software platform, the registered air temperatures are translated to the presumed core temperature of the goods via an algorithm. The following parameters are important for the elaboration of the algorithm: • The nature of the goods: meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruit, medication ... since their composition has an influence on the thermal development in the box • The started temperature of the goods: the core temperature of the goods at the time the box is closed for shipment • The volume of the goods: the weight and mass of the goods plays a role in the temperature evolution in the box • The dimensions of the box: a a different dimensioning of the box leads to a different temperature development in the box

• The lambda value of the EPP: the thermal conductivity of the EPP

• The thickness of the EPP • The lead time of the goods • The volume and dimensions of the cooling plates • The phase transition of the cooling plates • The placement of the cooling plates

The algorithm is a self-learning algorithm that, using the above parameters and thousands of recorded data, will predict the core temperatures of the enclosed goods better and better. In addition, the algorithm will gradually predict more accurately from when the goods threaten to exceed the specified temperature ranges, which is important for traders and transporters when planning their journeys. The algorithm can work on the basis of linear regression or random forest, depending on the complexity and volume of the data.

The traders and carriers using the invention will be able to receive various warnings based on the interpretation of the measurement data provided by the algorithm. Expensive training and detailed instructions to staff are no longer necessary. They only receive a warning if there is a risk that a box would not have remained within the set temperature limits at the time of delivery.

The phase transition of the used cooling plates is also an essential part of the invention: cooling plates with varying phase transitions are always used which give the best results for the different categories of goods: fruit and vegetables have a different temperature development than meat or fish and also serve within different temperature ranges transported. The transport of medication also requires different temperature zones, so that the placement and the number of required cooling plates, as well as the required phase transition, will look different.

For each of these goods categories, a solution is sought that guarantees optimum results: the longest possible lead time within the specified temperature ranges at outside temperatures that can vary widely. In addition, the aim is to not only respect the food safety rules in force for food, but also to keep the quality of the food transported as high as possible. An aggressive cold transfer from the cooling plates to the enclosed goods can absolutely be avoided: the more gradual the cold transfer from the cooling plates to the enclosed goods, the longer the lead time and the higher the quality of the enclosed goods remains.

The dimensions of the cooling plates can vary depending on the dimensions of the box, but standard sizes are always used in accordance with the gastron standard and with high-quality cooling plates whose plastic casing does not expand or deform upon freezing.

Explanations of the drawings Drawing 1

Example of transport of the isothermal boxes together with other packages.

Drawing 2

Example of an opened isothermal box with placement of the cooling plates.

Drawing 3

Example of a closed isothermal box.

Drawing 4

Top view of the opened isothermal box.

Drawing 5

Top view of the lid of the isothermal box.

Drawing 6 and 7

Bottom view of the lid of the isothermal box.

Drawing 8

Cross section of the box via the short side.

Drawing 9

Cross section of the box via the long side 1.

Drawing 10

Cross section of the box via the long side 2.

Drawing 11

Example of a cooling plate.

The isothermal box will in the first instance be used for the transport of last mile packages as shown in drawing 1. A van (a) is shown in which goods are transported that must be stored and transported under different temperature ranges. Hereby both refrigerated, deep-frozen (b) and non-refrigerated goods (c) are transported together in the same van. The temperature-sensitive goods are transported in the isothermal boxes with cooling plates (b), or - for deep-frozen goods - with dry ice.

In addition to the fact that this methodology allows savings on fuel and means of transport, a more flexible planning can be achieved through passive cooling: the goods can remain in the preparation room longer or be stored until the complete journey planning and combination with other goods has been completed.

With regard to hygiene and food safety, the sealed boxes offer the additional advantage that the seepage of foreign substances is practically excluded, as a result of which the enclosed goods are protected against potentially harmful influences.

Expensive investments in cooling rooms are not necessary, the isothermal boxes with cooling plates guarantee a temperature curve in the boxes that meets the standards of the enclosed goods, if these are delivered to customers in time.

As already mentioned, different dimensions of the boxes and cooling plates are possible, depending on the needs of the customers. The lid of the boxes is designed in such a way that several boxes can be stacked on top of each other on pallets.

In a first embodiment, boxes will be manufactured that can be palletized, but it is not excluded that other dimensions will be produced in the future.

A box thickness was chosen, in combination with a lambda value and cooling plates that enable a transport path of at least 36 hours for products that must be stored and transported between 0 and 4 ° C.

Longer lead times (up to 72 hours) are possible for goods that allow a higher temperature limit, eg from 2 to 8 ° C.

Extensive tests with test models have shown that with different stress settings that simulate extreme summer and winter conditions in vans where the temperature is not regulated or adjusted, the invention successfully passes a 36-hour route if the correct start parameters are applied: • The goods start at the required start temperature • The cooling plates have been sufficiently frozen or pre-cooled • The correct phase transition of cooling plates has been used • The cooling plates have been placed correctly • Sufficient cooling plates have been installed (depending on the ambient temperatures, more or fewer cooling plates may be required) • The boxes are not stored or transported for long periods (= more than 1 hour) at temperatures higher than 50 ° C or lower than the freezing point

The box concept makes it possible to quickly install and remove multiple heat sinks, as shown in drawing 2. An example of an opened isothermal box with placement of the heat sinks is shown here. Through recesses in the EPP material (d), the cooling plates can easily be retracted and subsequently removed again.

The placement of the cooling plates as provided in drawing 2d also appears to guarantee a particularly successful temperature retention of the enclosed goods, provided that the cooling plates with the correct phase transition are used and the starting temperature of the goods approaches the bottom of the set temperature range as closely as possible, without that the goods risk freezing.

In drawing 91 it can be seen how the cooling plates can be pushed in laterally via the recesses. The box makes it possible to place 2 cooling plates on the sides. This can be logistically interesting: after the cargo has been delivered, it is possible to place cooling plates that were present on top of the box box next to each other in the box box after delivery.

A recess for a cooling plate was also provided on the bottom as seen in drawing 9n. Another recess is provided on top of the box crate, so that 1 cooling plate can be placed on top if desired (drawing 9m).

The material of the cooling plates (drawing 11) is made of hard plastic that only expands to a limited extent when freezing. This avoids problems when placing the heat sinks in the box and extends the life of the heat sinks.

An important element in the concept of the box is the closing. This appears to be a weak point with many isothermal packaging. In practice, closures with zippers or click systems often prove to be weaknesses in the box construction, as a result of which the internal temperature is adversely affected. A poorly closed box will function sub-optimally and will not produce the desired results. The invention solves this weakness in that the EPP lid connects very closely to the box box and as a result closes the box box substantially hermetically, as can be seen in drawing 3.

This means that the lid cannot be removed unintentionally. Some force must be applied to install and remove the cover. This guarantees optimum retention of the internal temperature and minimizes the risk of external contamination. Even if the box should accidentally fall from a pallet, there is little chance that the lid will come off the box.

Removal of the lid is done through the recesses on the corners, as seen in drawing 3e.

For goods that must be stored and transported between 0 and 2 ° C, it is possible to opt for the installation of additional cooling plates between the crate and the lid at outside temperatures of 25 ° C or more. The box case was specially adapted for this: adding 2 cooling plates on top of the box case is possible: drawing 4g and 4h. But you can also opt to only add 1 cooling plate to the box. A recess was also provided for this (drawing 9n).

Studs were provided on the bottom of the box to optimize the cold circulation in the box (drawing 4f and 8j). Tests have in fact shown that the cold is more evenly distributed in the box by applying such studs.

In order to stack several boxes without problems on top of each other, the lids were provided with an upside, as shown in drawing 5. This ensures that the stacked boxes do not shift during transport.

Markings such as batch number, recyclability and food safety markings are provided on the underside of the lid, as shown on drawings 6 and 7.

Halfway through one of the long sides of the box box, a recess was provided on the inside that allows the sensor to be fitted at half the height of the box box, as shown in drawing 8i. The sensor will remain in the box until it or the box needs to be replaced (3 to 5 years). As the sensor is watertight, it is possible to clean the box crate with the sensor inserted in a car wash.

Drawing 10p shows the retracted sensor in the side wall of the box box. The recess was dimensioned to the dimensions of the temperature sensor to be installed.

The enclosed sensor registers the ambient temperature data inside the box, stores it and forwards it to a reader as soon as it is within range.

The reader forwards the data in its neighborhood to the web platform where the translation takes place and the approximate core temperature is calculated.

The algorithm will not only take into account the content of the shipment, but also the lead time of the logistics process and the delivery time.

Depending on the product content that was previously linked to the shipment, the distributor will receive a notification that the shipment has remained within the required temperature range or not. If the temperature is exceeded, he will receive a message via a device (smartphone or other device) stating that the shipment may not be delivered.

The same happens if the product threatens to exceed the temperature limit at the expected delivery time. The algorithm constantly takes into account the historical data that is being built up and will thus also have an increasingly predictive function. As a result, the dispatcher or logistics service provider can give priority in its planning to products that are in danger of exceeding the temperature.

The sensor has a service life of 3 to 5 years. At the first commissioning of the box and the sensor, both are linked to each other: 1 unique box ID to 1 unique sensor ID. Every box is scanned for every shipment, so that it is always known who the sender is and what the content of the shipment is. The details of the shipment (shipper, product categories, lead time, required temperature ranges ...) are recorded online.

The box can be transported manually by 1 person via the recesses provided for the handles, as shown in drawing 9k. The handles allow the box to be transported over short distances, but the recesses were deliberately kept limited to safeguard the thermal properties as much as possible.

Claims (6)

Adapted conclusions for BE2016 / 0028 An isothermal box for storing and transporting temperature-sensitive goods, wherein a temperature sensor is provided in the box that can be read remotely, characterized in that the temperature sensor is located in a recess on the inside of the box and characterized in that use is made of it is a self-learning algorithm that indicates the difference between the core temperature of the goods and the measured air temperature in the box. The isothermal box according to claim 1, wherein this box is made from expanded polypropylene (EPP) with a box thickness of at least 40 mm and a lambda value of 0.037 or lower. The isothermal box according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the box consists of a box box made of 1 piece and a lid. The isothermal box according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor is fixed halfway the height of one of the long sides via a recess on the inside of the box box. The isothermal box according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising one or more cooling plates. The isothermal box according to any of claims 1 to 5, with recesses in the side walls, on the bottom and at the top of the box box for placing cooling plates with gastronorm dimensions.