JP2018054161A - Freezer monitoring device, freezer monitoring method and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a user's monitoring load of a freezer.SOLUTION: A freezer monitoring device as an embodiment of the invention includes an information acquisition part, and an information transmission part. The information acquisition part acquires information about a measurement temperature in a tank of a freezer through a network. The information transmission part transmits notification information on the basis of whether the measurement temperature belongs to a warning temperature range set between a normal temperature range of temperature in the tank of the freezer and an operation start temperature of an auxiliary cooling device of the freezer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a freezer monitoring device, a freezer monitoring method, and a computer program.

  In the cryogenic freezer used in the field of medical biology, a valuable biological sample is generally stored for a long period of time. Due to accidents such as freezer failure, the temperature in the tank rises and these samples are often destroyed. In order to prevent this, a freezer monitoring device is provided, and when an abnormality is detected, a method such as notifying the mobile phone of a researcher who is a freezer user (user) with a warning sound is generally adopted. ing. For this reason, researchers must always have a mobile phone and pay attention to the operating status of the freezer. This hinders researchers from devoting themselves to original academic research. In addition, warnings issued late at night and on holidays give great stress to researchers.

JP 2001-343184 A JP 2002-366223 A

  The present invention provides a freezer monitoring apparatus, a freezer monitoring method, and a computer program that reduce a monitoring load on a user.

  The freezer monitoring apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit and an information transmission unit. The said information acquisition part acquires the information regarding the measured temperature in the tank of a freezer via a network. The information transmission unit is based on whether or not the measured temperature belongs to a warning temperature range set between a normal temperature range of the freezer tank temperature and an operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device of the freezer. To send notification information.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the freezer monitoring system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The functional block diagram of a freezer monitoring apparatus. The figure for demonstrating a warning temperature range. The figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of a freezer monitoring apparatus. The flowchart of an example of operation | movement by a freezer monitoring apparatus. The flowchart following FIG. The flowchart of the other example of operation | movement by a freezer monitoring apparatus. The flowchart of the further another example of the example by a freezer monitoring apparatus. The flowchart of the further another example of the operation | movement by a freezer monitoring apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a freezer monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system of FIG. 1 includes a freezer monitoring device 1, a freezer system 2, an administrator device 3, and a user device 4, which are connected via a communication network 5.

  The freezer system 2 includes a gateway device 11, one or more ultra-low temperature freezers 12, a commercial power supply 13, an emergency power supply 14, an auxiliary cooling device 15, and a room temperature sensor device 16. An ultra-low temperature freezer 12, a commercial power supply 13, an emergency power supply 14, an auxiliary cooling device 15, and a room temperature sensor device 16 are disposed in the installation room 17. However, some elements such as the emergency power supply 14 may exist outside the installation room 17.

  The gateway apparatus 11 collects information on the measured temperature in the tank and information on opening / closing of the door of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 from the ultra-low temperature freezer 12. Further, the gateway device 11 collects information regarding the operation status from the auxiliary cooling device 15. The gateway device 11 collects information on the room temperature of the installation room 17 from the room temperature sensor device 16. The gateway device 11 collects information on the power supply state of the commercial power supply 13 (energization state with the ultra-low temperature freezer 12) and information on the power supply state of the emergency power supply 14 from the ultra-low temperature freezer 12. If information on the power supply state can be acquired directly from the commercial power supply 13 and the emergency power supply 14, the information may be collected directly from these power supplies. The gateway device 11 may acquire information other than that described here. For example, information regarding the set temperature (management temperature) may be acquired from the ultra-low temperature freezer 12. Further, when the auxiliary cooling device 15 is battery driven, information regarding the remaining battery capacity may be acquired.

  The gateway device 11 receives the information via a network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or a network of a proprietary standard. The gateway device 11 collects such information, for example, at regular time intervals. The collection time interval may be the same or different for each information collection source. The gateway device 11 shapes the collected information into a packet format, and transmits the packet to the freezer monitoring device 1 via the communication network 5. As an example, the gateway device 11 communicates with the communication network 5 according to a protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), but the protocol is not limited to this.

  The gateway device 11 may individually transmit the collected information for each type of information, or a data set in which all or some of the information is collected into one (for example, the temperature inside the tank, the room temperature, the door Data set of open / close, auxiliary cooling operation status, commercial power supply state, emergency power supply state) may be generated and the data set may be transmitted.

  The administrator device 3 is a device owned or managed by a company or business owner who provides the ultra-low temperature freezer remote monitoring service to users (users) of the ultra-low temperature freezer, and an administrator in charge belonging to the company or business owner. Operate. The administrator apparatus 3 includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display unit, an input unit including an operation unit such as a keyboard or a touch panel, a processor such as a CPU that performs arithmetic processing, and a communication circuit that performs wired or wireless communication. It is.

  The user device 4 is a terminal owned by a user of the ultra-low temperature freezer. The user device 4 is a computer device that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display unit, an input unit including an operation unit such as a keyboard or a touch panel, a processor such as a CPU that performs arithmetic processing, and a communication circuit that performs wired or wireless communication. is there. The user device 4 is a device such as a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a mobile phone, or a tablet terminal.

  The user is an individual who contracts the remote monitoring service or an individual who belongs to an organization that contracts the remote monitoring service. The user is, for example, a researcher who uses an ultra-low temperature freezer for storage of biological samples, medicines, and the like, and uses an ultra-low temperature freezer or the like arranged in a laboratory facility. Note that the use of the ultra-low temperature freezer is not limited to the storage of biological samples. In this embodiment, an ultra-low temperature freezer is used as the freezer. However, as long as it has a cooling function, the freezer is not limited to the ultra-low temperature freezer, and any freezer may be used. The installation room 17 of the freezer system 2 may be a part of a building of a laboratory facility, or may be a casing such as a container provided by a business operator.

  The communication network 5 is a wide area network such as the Internet. The user device 4 and the manager device 3 are connected to the communication network 5 via a wired or wireless access line provided by a communication carrier or a provider.

  The freezer monitoring device 1 monitors the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 based on the information collected from the gateway device 11. The freezer monitoring device 1 transmits notification information to the administrator device 3 or the user device 4 according to the monitoring result. The freezer monitoring device 1 and the manager device 3 implement a remote monitoring service for an ultra-low temperature freezer. The gateway device 11, the auxiliary cooling device 15, the room temperature sensor 18, and the installation room 17 included in the freezer system 2 may be provided by a provider as part of a remote monitoring service for the ultra-low temperature freezer.

  The freezer monitoring device 1 basically transmits notification information to the administrator device 3, and the administrator who has confirmed the notification information by the administrator device 3 installs the cryogenic freezer according to the contents (site). Dispatch workers to the site or arrange for the preparation of an alternative cryogenic freezer. By using a remote monitoring service that performs such work on behalf of the user, the user can reduce the monitoring load of the cryogenic freezer. However, the freezer monitoring device 1 transmits notification information such as a warning caused by the user's action such as forgetting to close the door of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 or the room temperature of the installation room 17 being high. Of course, the operator may provide a service corresponding to such forgetting to close the door or adjusting the room temperature.

  The freezer monitoring device 1 may also transmit notification information to be transmitted to the administrator device 3 to the user device 4. Thereby, the user can grasp what is currently happening. Moreover, the freezer monitoring apparatus 1 may also transmit the notification information transmitted to the user to the administrator apparatus 3 as well. As a result, the administrator can confirm that the user has been surely notified.

  The freezer monitoring device 1 determines an appropriate instruction according to the monitoring situation, and transmits notification information including the decided instruction to the manager device 3, thereby making it possible to take an appropriate action according to the situation. For example, it is possible to prevent unnecessary confusion by appropriately determining whether it is necessary to rush workers to the site immediately or whether the next day should be dealt with and sending notification information according to the determination. .

  When the manager device 3 is a stationary computer device, it may be located in the same facility as the freezer monitoring device 1 or may be located in a different facility from the freezer monitoring device 1.

  Hereinafter, the freezer system 2 will be described in more detail. The ultra-low temperature freezer 12 in the freezer system 2 is a low-temperature storage that accommodates objects to be cooled such as biological samples and pharmaceuticals in a tank, and cools and holds the inside of the tank at a predetermined temperature (management temperature). The ultra-low temperature freezer 12 performs a cooling operation based on electric power supplied from at least one of the commercial power supply 13 and the emergency power supply 14.

  The ultra-low temperature freezer 12 includes a heat insulating casing including a tank (accommodating portion), a door disposed on the front surface of the heat insulating casing, and a drive chamber including a driving device that performs an operation of cooling and holding the inside of the tank. It has a typical configuration. The ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is mounted with a control circuit for performing various controls, a memory for storing various information, a clock, and the like at any location such as a driving chamber or a heat insulating housing.

  A measurement sensor for measuring temperature is provided in the tank of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12. With the measurement sensor, the measurement temperature in the tank is acquired at regular intervals. In-tank temperature information including the measured temperature and measurement time is stored in the memory. The ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is connected to the gateway device 11 by wire or wirelessly, and transmits the in-bath temperature information stored in the memory to the gateway device 11 at regular time intervals. Each time the temperature in the tank is measured, the temperature information in the tank may be transmitted in real time. Or the acquisition request | requirement of the tank temperature information may be transmitted from the gateway apparatus 11 by a fixed time interval, and the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 may transmit the tank temperature information accumulate | stored in memory according to this.

  The ultra-low temperature freezer 12 includes an opening / closing sensor that detects opening / closing of the door. The open / close sensor is disposed, for example, at the joint with the door on the front surface of the heat insulating housing. The door opening / closing information in which the value of the opening / closing detection signal of the opening / closing sensor (signal indicating opening or closing) is associated with the time is stored in the memory. The door opening / closing information stored in the memory is transmitted to the gateway device 11 at regular time intervals. The transmission method may be any method as in the tank temperature information.

  The emergency power supply 14 is equipped with a storage battery or has a power generation function, and automatically detects this when the power supply from the commercial power supply 13 to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is interrupted (for example, when the breaker is activated). Thus, power is supplied to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 instead of the commercial power supply 13. When the commercial power supply 13 is restored by re-operating the breaker, the emergency power supply 14 may detect this and stop the power supply. Alternatively, even if the commercial power supply 13 is restored, power supply may be continued for a certain period in order to confirm the stable state of the commercial power supply 13.

  Information about the power supply status from the commercial power supply 13 and the emergency power supply 14 (whether or not power is supplied, etc.) is transmitted to the gateway device 11 at regular intervals. This information may be transmitted from the cryogenic freezer 12 to the gateway device 11, or may be transmitted directly from the commercial power supply 13 and the emergency power supply 14 to the gateway device 11.

  A room temperature sensor device 16 is provided in the installation chamber 17. The room temperature sensor device 16 measures the room temperature of the installation room at regular intervals, and stores room temperature information including the measured room temperature and time in a memory. The room temperature sensor device 16 is connected to the gateway device 11 by wire or wirelessly, and transmits the room temperature information stored in the memory to the gateway device 11 at regular time intervals. Every time the room temperature is measured, the room temperature information may be transmitted in real time. Alternatively, the room temperature information acquisition request may be transmitted from the gateway device 11 at regular time intervals, and the room temperature sensor device 16 may transmit the room temperature information stored in the memory in response thereto.

  The auxiliary cooling device 15 starts the auxiliary cooling operation when detecting that the temperature inside the tank of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature. It is detected as follows that the temperature inside the tank is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature. For example, the auxiliary cooling device 15 detects the measured value of the temperature sensor in the tank from the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 at regular intervals, and compares this with a threshold value to detect whether the temperature in the tank is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature. To do. Alternatively, when the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 sends the notification to the auxiliary cooling device 15 when the temperature inside the tank becomes equal to or higher than the threshold temperature, the auxiliary cooling device 15 indicates that the temperature inside the tank becomes equal to or higher than the threshold temperature. May be detected.

  The auxiliary cooling device 15 includes one or a plurality of liquefied gas cylinders (such as liquefied carbon dioxide gas and liquefied nitrogen gas). By injecting the gas, the temperature in the tank is controlled to fall within a certain range with respect to the threshold temperature. As the number of gas cylinders increases, and the gas capacity (remaining capacity) of one gas cylinder increases, the auxiliary cooling operation can be performed continuously for a longer time. That is, the operable time length depends on the capacity of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (the number of gas cylinders, the remaining amount of gas, etc.), the number of ultra-low temperature freezers 12 to be auxiliary cooled, the size in the tank, and the like. Further, when the auxiliary cooling device 15 is battery-driven, the time over which the cooling operation can be performed depends on the remaining battery level.

  As described above, the gateway device 11 collects information such as the temperature in the tank, the door opening / closing, the auxiliary cooling device operating status, the room temperature in the installation room, the power supply status of the commercial power supply 13, and the power supply status of the emergency power supply 14. The collected information is transmitted to the freezer monitoring apparatus 1 via the communication network 5.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the freezer monitoring apparatus. The freezer monitoring device 1 includes a control unit 51, a communication unit 61, a storage unit 71, and a clock 81. When the freezer monitoring device 1 also serves as an administrator device, the administrator may include an input unit for inputting data or instructions and a display unit for displaying data. In this case, the administrator device and the freezer monitoring device 1 may be configured integrally.

  As an example, the control unit 51 implements a function configured by a processor such as a CPU executing a program according to the present embodiment. The control unit 51 is connected to the communication unit 61, the storage unit 71, and the clock 81. The control unit 51 manages time using a clock 81.

  The communication unit 61 is a communication circuit having a wired or wireless communication interface. The communication circuit is a circuit that executes an arbitrary communication method such as a wireless LAN, an Ethernet, or a mobile phone line. The communication unit 61 receives the packet transmitted from the gateway device 11 via the communication network 5 and supplies information included in the packet to the control unit 51. Further, the communication unit 61 shapes the information passed from the control unit 51 to the gateway device 11 into a packet format corresponding to the communication method, and transmits the packet. The communication unit 61 may include one or a plurality of antennas when configured to perform wireless communication.

  The storage unit 71 is a storage device that stores information or data. The storage unit 71 stores information acquired from the gateway device 11 via the communication unit 61. That is, the storage unit 71 includes information such as the temperature in the tank, the door opening / closing history, the operating status of the auxiliary cooling device 15, the room temperature of the installation chamber 17, the power supply state of the commercial power supply 13, and the power supply state of the emergency power supply 14. Stored. The storage unit 71 can be accessed from the control unit 51. The control unit 51 can store information in the storage unit 71 and read information from the storage unit 71. The control unit 51 receives information from the gateway device 11 via the communication unit 61 and stores the received information in the storage unit 71. In addition, the time included in the received information may be the information set by the gateway device 11 when the information is received, in addition to the information source. When the information does not include time, the control unit 51 may set the information reception time in the information when the information is acquired.

  The storage unit 71 is configured by a memory or a storage. Alternatively, the storage unit 71 may include both a memory and a storage. The volatile memory may be a volatile memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or MRAM (Magnetically Random Access Memory), FRAM (FRAMA, etc.). May be a memory. The storage may be a drive device such as a hard disk drive or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a device that reads information from an optical recording medium such as a CD-R or CD-ROM.

  The control unit 51 includes, as basic functions, an information acquisition unit 52, an information transmission unit 53, a bath temperature monitoring unit 54, a door opening / closing confirmation unit 55, a power supply confirmation unit 56, a room temperature confirmation unit 57, and an auxiliary cooling monitoring unit 58. The temperature range setting unit 59 is provided, and the super low temperature freezer 12 is monitored using these functional units. For example, the control unit 51 sequentially calls these function units to execute the function units.

  The information acquisition unit 52 acquires various types of information from the gateway device 11 via the communication unit 61. The acquired information is stored in the storage unit 71. Information is accumulated in the storage unit 71 in time series, so that an information history is generated. When performing TCP / IP communication, the information acquisition part 52 is provided with the information acquisition function of the application of TCP / IP and a higher layer as an example. However, TCP / IP may use a function of an operating system (OS). In this case, the information acquisition unit 52 only needs to have an application information acquisition function.

  The information transmission unit 53 transmits various types of notification information to the administrator device 3 or the user device 4 via the communication unit 61. When performing TCP / IP communication, the information transmission part 53 is provided with the information transmission function of the application of a layer higher than TCP / IP as an example. However, TCP / IP may use a function included in the operating system (OS). In this case, the information transmission unit 53 only needs to have an application information transmission function.

  The bath temperature monitoring unit 54 monitors the bath temperature of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 based on the bath temperature information in the storage unit 71.

  The door opening / closing confirmation unit 55 confirms the door opening / closing status of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 based on the door opening / closing information in the storage unit 71.

  The power supply confirmation unit 56 confirms whether power is supplied from the commercial power supply 13 to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 based on the power supply status information of the commercial power supply 13. Further, the power supply confirmation unit 56 confirms whether power is supplied from the emergency power supply 14 to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 based on the power supply status information of the emergency power supply 14.

  The room temperature confirmation unit 57 confirms the room temperature of the installation room 17 based on the room temperature information.

  The auxiliary cooling monitoring unit 58 confirms the operation status of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (for example, whether or not an auxiliary cooling operation is being performed) based on the operation status information of the auxiliary cooling device 15.

  The temperature range setting unit 59 sets one or more warning temperature ranges for the ultra-low temperature freezer 12. When there are a plurality of ultra-low temperature freezers 12, the warning temperature region may be different or the same for each ultra-low temperature freezer. In the present embodiment, the same case is assumed.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of warning temperature ranges A, B, and C are set based on the normal temperature range. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the warning temperature ranges A, B, and C. FIG. A transition example of the temperature in the tank is shown in a coordinate system in which the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is the temperature in the tank.

  The normal temperature range of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is set to a range of −84 ° C. or higher and −72 ° C. or lower. In this case, when the control temperature in the tank is set to −80 ° C., the range of −5% to + 10% is the normal operation range. -84 ° C usually corresponds to the lower limit temperature, and -72 ° C usually corresponds to the upper limit temperature.

  The alert temperature range C corresponds to a range of less than -84 ° C. Cooling in this temperature range is supercooling.

  The warning temperature range B is a range greater than -72 ° C and less than -65 ° C. “T (a−b)” represents the staying time in the warning temperature range B.

  The warning temperature range A is a range larger than −65 ° C.

−60 ° C. included in the warning temperature range A is the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (CO ₂ auxiliary cooling start point of FIG. 3. In this example, a CO ₂ gas cylinder is used), and the above-described threshold temperature Corresponding to Therefore, a warning temperature range B and a part of the warning temperature range A are set between the normal temperature range and the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device 15. The auxiliary cooling device 15 controls the temperature in the tank within a certain temperature range with respect to the operation start temperature.

  The range of each warning temperature range and the operation start temperature shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples, and different ranges and values may be set. In addition, there are two warning temperature ranges B and A between the normal temperature range and the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device 15, but there may be three or more warning temperature ranges. Only the temperature range may be present.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the freezer monitoring device 1. FIG. 4 shows a computer 100. A computer 100 in FIG. 4 includes a processor 101, an input device 102, a display device 103, a communication module 104, and a storage device 105. The processor 101, the input device 102, the display device 103, the communication module 104, and the storage device 105 are connected to each other via a bus 106. However, some elements, such as not including the display device 103 or the input device 102, may not be present. In addition, elements not shown may be additionally provided. The gateway device 11, the administrator device 3, and the user device 4 can also be realized by a similar hardware configuration.

  The processor 101 is an electronic circuit including a control unit and a calculation unit of the computer 100. Examples of the processor 101 include a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and a program Possible logic circuits (PLDs) and combinations thereof can be used.

  The processor 101 performs arithmetic processing based on data or a program input from each device (for example, the input device 102, the communication module 104, and the storage device 105) connected via the bus 106, and outputs a calculation result and a control signal. And output to each device (for example, the display device 103, the communication module 104, and the storage device 105) connected via the bus 106. Specifically, the processor 101 executes an OS (operating system) of the computer 100, a computer program, and the like, and controls each device constituting the computer 100.

  The computer program is a program that causes the computer 100 to realize the above-described functional configurations of the freezer monitoring device 1. The computer program is stored in a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium. The storage medium is, for example, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, a flash memory, or a semiconductor memory, but is not limited thereto. When the processor 101 executes the computer program, the computer 100 functions as the freezer monitoring apparatus 1.

  The input device 102 is a device or a circuit for inputting information to the computer 100. The input device 102 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a remote control receiving unit, and a touch panel, but is not limited thereto.

  The display device 103 is a device for displaying images and videos. The display device 103 is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display), a CRT (CRT), and a PDP (plasma display), but is not limited thereto. The display device 103 can display any information stored, generated or acquired by the freezer monitoring device 1.

  The communication module 104 is a circuit for the computer 100 to communicate with an external device wirelessly or by wire.

  The storage device 105 is a hardware storage medium that stores the OS of the computer 100, data necessary for execution of the computer program, data generated by execution of the computer program, and the like. The storage device 105 includes a main storage device and an external storage device. The main storage device is, for example, a DRAM or SRAM, but is not limited thereto. The external storage device is, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a flash memory, and a magnetic tape, but is not limited thereto. The storage unit 71 of the freezer monitoring device 1 may be built on the storage device 105, or may be built on an external server connected via the communication module 104.

  The computer 100 may include one or more processors 101, input devices 102, display devices 103, communication modules 104, and storage devices 105, respectively.

  Moreover, the freezer monitoring apparatus 1 may be comprised by the single computer 100, and may be comprised as a system which consists of the some computer 100 mutually connected. The plurality of computers 100 may be connected via a network.

  Furthermore, the computer program may be stored in advance in the storage device 105 of the computer 100, may be stored in a storage medium outside the computer 100, or may be uploaded on the Internet. In any case, the function of the freezer monitoring device 1 is realized by installing and executing the computer program in the computer 100.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of an operation performed by the freezer monitoring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  The control unit 51 of the freezer monitoring device grasps the management temperature of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 (S101). The management temperature may be specified in advance, or information on the management temperature may be acquired from the ultra-low temperature freezer 12. Here, the management temperature is set to −80 ° C. described above.

  The control unit 51 acquires information on the temperature in the tank (denoted as T) at regular intervals (S102), and records the information in the storage unit 71 (S103). The controller 51 confirms the temperature T in the tank, and the temperature T in the tank is a normal temperature range (−84 ° C. ≦ T ≦ −72), a warning temperature range C (T <−84 ° C.), a warning temperature range B (− 72 ° C. <T ≦ −65 ° C.) or a warning temperature range A (T> −65 ° C.) is determined (S104).

  When the tank temperature T belongs to the normal temperature range (S105), the process returns to step S102, and the tank temperature T after the next fixed time is confirmed.

  When the temperature T in the tank belongs to the warning temperature range C (T <−84 ° C.) (S106), it is determined that the cooling of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is currently supercooling, and the supercooling warning is sent to the manager device 3. Is sent (S107). In the case of supercooling, the temperature in the tank is unnecessarily maintained at a low temperature, and there is a risk that power will be consumed unnecessarily, or a biological sample to be stored will be adversely affected. In the administrator device 3, the supercooling alarm received from the freezer monitoring device 1 is displayed on the screen, and the administrator confirms the content of the supercooling information and takes necessary actions. For example, the administrator may transmit a message indicating that overcooling has occurred to the user device 4 using the administrator device 3. Alternatively, the fact of supercooling may be recorded and used as a reference when checking the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 or the like.

  The control unit 51 may transmit notification information every time it is determined that it belongs to the warning temperature range C in this step, or once it is determined that it belongs to the warning temperature range C in this step, As long as it continues to be determined to belong to the warning temperature range C, the transmission of the notification information for the second time or later may be omitted. In this case, the manager device 3 may continue to display the first supercooling alarm received on the screen until the notification of the cancellation of the supercooling alarm is received.

  In addition, once it is determined that the in-tank temperature T belongs to the warning temperature range C, the control unit 51 may send notification information to that effect to the manager device 3 when the warning temperature range C is removed. Good. Specifically, when the in-tank temperature T returns to the normal temperature range, notification information indicating that the in-tank temperature T has returned to the normal operating range may be transmitted to the manager device 3. Or what is necessary is just to transmit another notification information according to the said warning temperature range, when the temperature T in a tank will belong to another warning temperature range.

  When the tank temperature T belongs to the warning temperature range B (−72 ° C. <T ≦ −65 ° C.) (S108), the freezer monitoring device 1 displays the notification information of the temperature rise alarm (medium warning level), The data is transmitted to the administrator device 3 (S109). The manager device 3 displays a temperature rise warning on the screen based on the notification information. For example, an orange warning is displayed as medium warning level notification information. As another method, a lamp corresponding to a moderate alert that can be controlled from the manager device 3 may be turned on, or a sound representing a moderate alert may be output from a speaker. The manager who has recognized the temperature rise warning pays attention to the transition of the tank temperature T thereafter. When the administrator device 3 and the freezer monitoring device 1 are integrated, the transition of the tank temperature T may be displayed on the screen of the freezer monitoring device 1, or the freezer monitoring device 1 may display the tank temperature information to the administrator device 3. Etc. may be transmitted to display the temperature transition in the tank on the manager device 3.

  The control unit 51 of the freezer monitoring device 1 determines that if the in-bath temperature T continues for a certain time (for example, 3 hours) or longer and belongs to the warning temperature range B (Yes in S110), the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 has failed. Or notification information instructing preparation of an alternative freezer is transmitted to the manager device 3 (S111). The notification information may include the identification number of the corresponding ultra-low temperature freezer 12. The notification information may include the reason for replacement. For example, it may be included in the notification information on the reason that the temperature T in the tank stays in the warning temperature range B for a certain time or more. The manager who has recognized the instruction for preparing the alternative freezer issues a request to arrange for the preparation of the alternative freezer. A detailed schedule such as the date of replacement may be determined by contacting the user separately.

  The control unit 51 may transmit notification information every time it is determined that it belongs to the warning temperature range B in this step, or once it is determined that it belongs to the warning temperature range B in this step, As long as it continues to be determined to belong to the alert temperature range B, the transmission of the notification information for the second time and later may be omitted. In this case, the manager device 3 may continue to display the first received temperature increase alarm on the screen until the notification of cancellation of the temperature increase alarm (medium warning level) is received.

  In addition, once it is determined that the in-tank temperature T belongs to the warning temperature range B, the control unit 51 may send notification information to that effect to the manager device 3 when the warning temperature range B is removed. Good. Specifically, when the in-tank temperature T returns to the normal temperature range, notification information indicating that the in-tank temperature T has returned to the normal operating range may be transmitted to the manager device 3. Or what is necessary is just to transmit another notification information according to the said warning temperature range, when the temperature T in a tank will belong to another warning temperature range.

  When the tank temperature T belongs to the warning temperature range A (T> −65 ° C.) (S112), the freezer monitoring device 1 transmits notification information of the temperature rise warning (high warning level) to the manager device 3. (S113). The manager device 3 displays a temperature increase warning on the screen based on the notification information. As notification information of a high alert level, for example, a red alert is displayed. The administrator who has recognized this temperature rise warning determines that there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the ultra-low temperature freezer 12.

  The control unit 51 checks the door opening / closing status based on the door opening / closing information of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 (S114). When the door is open (Yes in S114), it is confirmed whether or not a certain time (for example, 3 minutes) has elapsed since the door opened. If the door is open continuously for a certain period of time (Yes in S115), notification information of a door opening alarm is transmitted to the user device 4 (S116).

  As a specific example, notification information indicating that the door is open or notification information requesting to close the door promptly is transmitted. The user device 4 displays the notification information received from the freezer monitoring device 1, and the user confirms the content of the notification information. When the user grasps that the door is open, the user immediately rushes to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 and performs an action such as closing the door.

  In addition, as a part of the remote control service, when providing a service for closing the door when a door opening alarm is issued, the notification information of the door opening alarm may be transmitted to the manager device 3. In this case, the administrator performs an act such as arranging to dispatch a worker to the installation place promptly.

  On the other hand, when the door is closed as a result of confirming the opening / closing state of the door (No in S114), the control unit 51 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 (S117). At this time, it may be added as a condition for determining that an abnormality has occurred that a certain period of time has passed since the door was closed. This is because the temperature T in the tank is expected to return to the normal temperature range as time passes when the user closes the door promptly after notifying the user of the door opening alarm in step S116. Because.

  If it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the ultra-low temperature freezer 12, the control unit 51 determines whether or not the tank temperature T has reached the operation start temperature (threshold temperature) of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (S118). When the tank temperature T has not reached the operation start temperature (No in S118), notification information of a caution alarm is transmitted to the manager device 3 (S119). As a specific example, there is information indicating that the in-tank temperature T is approaching the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device 15 or information indicating that there is a possibility that an immediate action instruction may be issued thereafter. The manager who has recognized the content of the caution alert may take action such as arranging in advance a worker who rushes to the site in preparation for an instruction for immediate action, for example.

  When the tank temperature T has reached the operation start temperature (Yes in S118), as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 following FIG. 5, the control unit 51 confirms the operation status information of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (S201). ), It is determined whether the auxiliary cooling device 15 is operating normally (S202). The normal operation means that the auxiliary cooling device 15 has started the auxiliary cooling operation. As a requirement for normal operation, it may be added that no error signal is generated from the auxiliary cooling device 15. In addition, when the operation status information after the time necessary for the determination cannot be acquired, an operation status information acquisition request is transmitted to the gateway device 11 in real time, and the current operation status information of the auxiliary cooling device 15 is acquired. Also good. The time necessary for the determination is, for example, the time when the abnormality of the auxiliary cooling device 15 is determined in step S117 or the acquisition time of the in-tank temperature T that causes the abnormality to be determined.

  When the auxiliary cooling device 15 is not operating normally (No in S202), the control unit 51 transmits notification information including an immediate action instruction (emergency response instruction) to the administrator device 3 (S203). The immediate action instruction is an instruction to immediately go to the installation place of the auxiliary cooling device 15 and the ultra-low temperature freezer. The administrator who recognizes the immediate action instruction performs an action such as arranging a worker so as to go to the place where the auxiliary cooling device 15 is installed. The notification information may include a reason for instructing immediate action. For example, the temperature inside the tank reaches the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device, but may be included because the auxiliary cooling device does not operate normally.

  On the other hand, when the auxiliary cooling device 15 is operating normally (Yes in S202), the control unit 51 calculates the operation duration of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (S204). Specifically, the operation duration is calculated based on the capacity of the auxiliary cooling device 15 (the number of gas cylinders, the remaining capacity of gas per one, etc.), the number of ultra-low temperature freezers 12 to be auxiliary cooled, and the like. In accordance with the calculated operation duration, a time limit for responding to the abnormality of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is determined, and notification information including a response instruction corresponding to the determined time limit is transmitted to the administrator device 3 (S205). For example, the calculated operation duration or a time shorter than this (determined as X1) is determined, and notification information instructing to cope with the abnormality of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is transmitted within the time X1. As a specific example, if the operation duration is 10 hours, considering the margin of 2 hours, determine 8 hours as the time X1, rush to the installation place within 8 hours, and instruct with the notification information To do.

  In the operation flow described above, when notification information is transmitted to the user device 4 and the user performs an action such as closing the door of the ultra-low temperature freezer or adjusting the room temperature, notification information to that effect is sent from the user device 4. You may transmit to the administrator apparatus 3. FIG. In addition, when an operator prepares an alternative freezer, or an operator visits the installation site of the ultra-low temperature freezer and performs work such as replacement or maintenance, notification information to that effect is sent from the administrator device 3 to the user device 4. You may send it.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 5, an example in which monitoring is performed based on the in-tank temperature T is shown, but an example in which monitoring is performed without using the in-tank temperature T will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of another example of the operation performed by the freezer monitoring apparatus 1. The control unit 51 acquires door opening / closing information from the gateway device 11 at regular intervals (for example, every few seconds), and records the acquired door opening / closing information in the storage unit 71 (S301).

  The control unit 51 checks whether the door is open or closed based on the door opening / closing information (S302). When the door open / close information changes from closed to open, it is then monitored whether the door is continuously open for a certain time (for example, 3 minutes) (S303). If the door is closed before a certain time (No in S303), the control unit 51 resets the monitoring operation, and the process returns to S301. On the other hand, when the door has been open for a certain period of time or longer (Yes in S303), the control unit 51 transmits notification information of a door opening alarm to the user device 4 (S304). The user who has confirmed the door release warning immediately rushes to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 and closes the door.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of still another example of the operation performed by the freezer monitoring apparatus 1. The control unit 51 acquires the power supply state information of the commercial power supply 13 and the emergency power supply 14 from the gateway device 11 at regular intervals, and records the acquired power supply state information in the storage unit 71 (S401).

  The control unit 51 confirms the state of the commercial power supply 13 and the emergency power supply 14 (S402), and if power is supplied to the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 by at least one, that is, if one of them is energized (S403). Yes), it is determined that the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is normal, and the process returns to S401. On the other hand, if power is not supplied from either the commercial power supply 13 or the emergency power supply 14 (No in S403), the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 determines that it is abnormal (S404).

  When it is determined that there is an abnormality, the control unit 51 transmits notification information instructing preparation of an alternative freezer to the manager device 3 (S405). The notification information may include the identification number of the corresponding ultra-low temperature freezer 12. The notification information may include the reason for replacement. For example, it may be included in the notification information on the reason that the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 is in an energized state. The manager who recognizes the preparation instruction for the alternative freezer arranges the preparation for the alternative freezer. A detailed schedule such as the date of replacement may be determined by contacting the user separately.

  Note that there is a possibility that the reason for the inability to energize is not the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 but the commercial power supply 13 or the emergency power supply 14 side. Therefore, after confirming that there is no abnormality on the commercial power supply 13 or the emergency power supply 14 side, the administrator may issue a preparation instruction for an alternative freezer. Whether there is any abnormality on the commercial power supply 13 or the emergency power supply 14 side may be confirmed by actually going to the installation location or by contacting the user. Alternatively, when the information indicating whether the commercial power supply 13 or the emergency power supply 14 is normal can be acquired from the gateway device 11, the information is acquired and the control unit 51 determines whether the commercial power supply 13 or the emergency power supply 14 is normal. You may decide whether.

  In the operation flow of FIG. 8, it is determined that the cryogenic freezer 12 is abnormal when neither the commercial power supply 13 nor the emergency power supply 14 is energized, but other variations are possible. For example, when the breaker is activated and the power supply from the commercial power supply 13 is stopped, even if the breaker is operated again after that, the energization with the commercial power supply 13 is still not started within a certain time. 12 may be determined to be abnormal. Also, the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 may be determined to be abnormal even when energization from the emergency power supply 14 is not detected within a certain time after the supply of power from the commercial power supply 13 is stopped. At this time, after confirming that the emergency power supply 14 is normal, the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 may be determined to be abnormal.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of still another example of the operation performed by the freezer monitoring apparatus 1. The control unit 51 acquires room temperature information of the installation room of the ultra-low temperature freezer 12 from the gateway device 11 at regular intervals, and records the acquired room temperature information in the storage unit 71 (S501). The control unit 51 confirms that the room temperature is the predetermined temperature (S502), and determines whether the state where the room temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature has continued for a certain period of time (S503, S504).

  When the state where the room temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature continues for a certain time or longer (Yes in S503, Yes in S504), the control unit 51 transmits notification information of a room temperature rise alarm to the user device 4. The user who has confirmed the room temperature rise alarm immediately rushes to the installation room and checks the air conditioning.

  On the other hand, if the room temperature is not equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, or if the time for which the state of the predetermined temperature or higher continues is less than a predetermined time, it is determined that the room temperature is normal (No in S503 or No in S504), and the process proceeds to S501. Return.

  7 to 9 may be executed individually or in parallel with the operation flow of FIG. Further, at least one operation flow in FIGS. 7 to 9 may be combined with the operation flow in FIG. 5. For example, the operation flow using the room temperature in FIG. 9 may be added to any part of the operation flow in FIG. Further, the operation flow using the energized state of FIG. 8 may be added to any part of the operation flow of FIG.

  In the operation flows of FIGS. 5 to 9 described above, the notification information transmitted to the administrator device 3 and the notification information transmitted to the user device 4 are examples, and various other notification information configurations are possible. The content of the notification information may be appropriately determined according to the service content provided to the user by the remote monitoring service.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the warning temperature range is set between the normal temperature range and the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device, and the notification information is based on whether the temperature in the tank belongs to the warning temperature range. Send. Thereby, notification information with appropriate contents can be transmitted to the manager or user according to the state of the ultra-low temperature freezer.

  Moreover, two warning temperature ranges B and A are set between the normal temperature range and the operation start temperature of the auxiliary cooling device, and it is determined which warning temperature range the tank temperature belongs to. Thus, the state of the ultra-low temperature freezer can be determined more appropriately. Furthermore, more appropriate judgment can be made by considering the door opening / closing information, the power supply status from the commercial power supply and the emergency power supply, room temperature, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to transmit notification information with more appropriate contents.

  Also, by setting a warning temperature range in a temperature range lower than the normal temperature range, even in the case of overcooling, this can be detected and notification information can be transmitted.

  Further, by calculating the operable time of the auxiliary cooling device and transmitting notification information according to the calculation result, it is possible to specify the deadline for dealing with the abnormality of the ultra-low temperature freezer with the notification information.

  By providing the ultra-low temperature freezer remote monitoring service described in this embodiment, the monitoring load on the ultra-low temperature freezer by the user can be reduced. Specifically, the burden on the user can be reduced by notifying the administrator of at least part of the notification information that has been transmitted directly to the user in the past. In addition, by dealing with abnormalities in the ultra-low temperature freezer with the remote monitoring service, the user does not have to deal with abnormalities by himself / herself. By notifying the user only of matters that are under the user's management, such as forgetting to close the door or adjusting the room temperature, the user only needs to take the minimum necessary measures.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various constituent elements of the present invention can be embodied. In addition, the present invention can be formed by appropriately expanding, changing, deleting, or combining each component in the above embodiment. It is also possible to add another component to form the present invention.

1: Freezer monitoring device 2: Freezer system 3: Administrator device 4: User device 5: Communication network 11: Gateway device 12: Ultra-low temperature freezer 13: Commercial power supply 14: Emergency power supply 15: Auxiliary cooling device 16: Room temperature sensor device 51 : Control unit 52: Information acquisition unit 53: Information transmission unit 54: In-tank temperature monitoring unit 55: Door open / close confirmation unit 56: Power supply confirmation unit 57: Room temperature confirmation unit 58: Auxiliary cooling monitoring unit 59: Temperature range setting unit 61 : Communication unit 71: Storage unit 81: Clock 100: Computer 101: Processor 102: Input device 103: Display device 104: Communication module 105: Storage device 106: Bus

Claims (16)

An information acquisition unit that acquires information on the measured temperature in the freezer tank via the network;
Notification information is transmitted based on whether or not the measured temperature belongs to a warning temperature range set between a normal temperature range of the freezer tank temperature and an operation start temperature of the freezer auxiliary cooling device A freezer monitoring device comprising: The information acquisition unit acquires opening / closing information of the freezer door,
The information transmission unit transmits notification information that warns that the door is open when the measured temperature belongs to the warning temperature range and the door is open for a predetermined time or longer. The freezer monitoring device described. The freezer monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information transmission unit transmits notification information that warns of an abnormality of the freezer when the measured temperature belongs to the warning temperature range and the door is closed. The information transmission unit provides notification information for instructing to deal with the abnormality of the freezer within a time limit when the measured temperature has reached the operation start temperature and the auxiliary cooling device is operating normally. The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The freezer monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the time limit is determined in accordance with an operation sustainable time period of the auxiliary cooling device based on a capability of the auxiliary cooling device. The information transmitting unit is dispatched to at least one of the freezer and the auxiliary cooling device when the measured temperature has reached the operation start temperature and the auxiliary cooling device is not operating normally. The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein notification information for instructing is transmitted. The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the notification information when the measured temperature belongs to the warning temperature range for a predetermined time. The freezer monitoring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the notification information includes an instruction to prepare an alternative freezer for the freezer. The freezer according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the notification information based on whether or not the measured temperature belongs to another warning temperature range lower than the normal temperature range. Monitoring device. The information acquisition unit acquires information on the room temperature of the installation room in which the freezer is installed via the network,
The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the notification information when a state where the room temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature continues for a certain time or longer. The information acquisition unit acquires information on the energization state of the freezer via the network,
The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the notification information according to the energization state of the freezer. The freezer monitoring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the information regarding the energization state of the freezer includes a power supply state from a commercial power supply to the freezer and a power supply state from an emergency power supply to the freezer. The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the notification information to an administrator device. The freezer monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the notification information to a user device. Receiving information on the measured temperature in the freezer tank via the network;
A step of transmitting notification information based on whether the measured temperature belongs to a warning temperature range set between a normal temperature range of the freezer tank temperature and an operation start temperature of the freezer auxiliary cooling device Freezer monitoring method with and. Receiving information on the measured temperature in the freezer tank via the network;
A step of transmitting notification information based on whether the measured temperature belongs to a warning temperature range set between a normal temperature range of the freezer tank temperature and an operation start temperature of the freezer auxiliary cooling device A computer program that causes a computer to execute and.

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