KR101226105B1 - Sensor tag and system for quality index monitering of product used sensor tag - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A sensor tag and a product quality management system using the same are provided to manage product quality through temperature and a heat flux by measuring the temperature and the heat flux with a heat-flux meter. CONSTITUTION: A heat-flux sensor(202) is attached to a product or a packing container. The heat-flux sensor measures thermoelectromotive force and temperature corresponding to a heat flux. A storage unit(206) stores the measured thermoelectromotive force and temperature. A communication unit(208) transmits the stored thermoelectromotive force and temperature or the measured thermoelectromotive force and temperature and an identifier of the product to the outside. The transmitted thermoelectromotive force and temperature are discarded. [Reference numerals] (200) Control unit; (202) Heat-flux sensor; (206) Storage unit; (208) Communication unit

Description

Sensor tag and system for quality control using the same {Sensor Tag and System for quality index monitering of product used sensor tag}

The present invention relates to a sensor tag and a quality index and remaining shelf life monitoring system for articles including cosmetics, medicines, and blood products including foods, and more particularly, to measure heat flow rate and temperature of articles using a heat flux meter. And to control the quality of the article using the measured heat flux and temperature.

In recent years, with the improvement of living standards, various kinds of products necessary for living are circulated in large quantities, and much time and manpower are consumed to manage each product in the distribution process.

In particular, during the distribution of foods, it takes a lot of time and manpower to find and collect foods that have been distorted due to abnormal distribution or when food is in circulation. In the process, there was a problem that the recognition of the recovered product is almost impossible.

In addition, if the recalled food, such as a food subject to recall or the expiration date, is distributed to the final retailer, the food to be recovered may be delivered to the consumer, and when the food to be recovered is delivered to the consumer, the food is produced. There was a problem such as reducing the credibility of the company.

In general, the quality of fresh food is controlled using temperature sensors. The temperature sensor is located near fresh food or attached to a support near fresh food. The temperature sensor measures the temperature change near the fresh food and stores the measured temperature data in a memory included therein. The temperature sensor sends the required stored temperature data to an external server, which uses the received temperature data to monitor the quality of the fresh food.

Figure 1 shows a temperature sensor tag for measuring the temperature of a conventional fresh food. According to FIG. 1, the temperature sensor tag includes a measurement unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. Of course, other configuration may be included in addition to the above-described configuration.

The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the temperature sensor, and controls the operations of the measurement unit 102, the storage unit 104, and the communication unit 106 constituting the temperature sensor.

The measuring unit 102 measures the temperature around the fresh food according to the command of the control unit 100. The measurement unit 102 may measure the temperature around the fresh food at predetermined time intervals or, if necessary, the temperature around the fresh food according to the command of the controller 100. The measuring unit 102 transmits the measured temperature data to the storage unit 104.

The storage unit 104 stores the temperature data received from the measuring unit 102 according to the command of the control unit 100. The storage unit 104 stores the received temperature data in a set manner. The storage unit 104 may discard the first stored temperature data when the storage space is insufficient.

The communication unit 106 transmits the temperature data stored in the storage unit 104 or the temperature data measured by the measurement unit to an external server according to a command of the control unit 100.

As described above, the temperature sensor tag measuring the temperature of the fresh food does not measure the temperature of the fresh food but generally measures the temperature of the fresh food. Therefore, when fresh food is located in an open space instead of an enclosed space, it is not possible to accurately measure the amount of heat introduced into the fresh food by a temperature sensor. If it is not possible to accurately measure the amount of heat introduced into the fresh food by the temperature sensor, the temperature measured by the temperature sensor will be different until the actual food inside temperature and the ambient temperature become equal. As a result, the kinetic response constant (k value) for the quality change of food cannot be represented exactly from the food surface to the geometric center. The result is an error in the prediction of the shelf life of the quality index.

The problem to be solved by the present invention proposes a method for accurately measuring the quality index of fresh quality using a variety of information.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention proposes a method for quickly and accurately providing a quality index of fresh foods to consumers.

For the sensor tag of the present invention is attached to the article, the heat flux sensor for measuring the heat power and temperature corresponding to the magnitude of the heat flux flowing into or out of the inside, the storage unit for storing the heat power measured by the heat flux sensor, the It includes a communication unit for transmitting the thermoelectric power stored in the storage unit or the thermoelectric power measured by the heat flux sensor to the outside.

To this end, the article quality management system of the present invention is attached to the article, measuring the thermoelectric power corresponding to the magnitude of the heat flux flowing into or out of the sensor tag, and a sensor tag for storing the heat flux history including the thermoelectric power, from the sensor tag A server for calculating a quality index of the article using the received heat flux history, and a kiosk requesting the server for a quality index corresponding to an identifier extracted from the contacted article.

To this end, the article quality management system of the present invention is attached to the article, measuring the thermoelectric power and temperature corresponding to the size of the heat flux flowing into or out of the sensor, and a sensor for storing the heat flux and temperature history including the thermoelectric power and temperature And a kiosk that calculates and displays a quality index of the article using a heat flux and a temperature history received from the sensor tag.

The article quality monitoring system according to the present invention measures heat and internal temperature distribution substantially inside the article using a heat flux sensor to overcome the freshness determination error caused by measuring the quality index of the article using an existing temperature sensor. do. As such, the present invention can provide a more accurate quality index to the consumer by determining the quality index of the article by using the amount of heat introduced into the article using the heat flux sensor.

In addition, even when a consumer requests a quality index by directly contacting the product with a kiosk, a smartphone, or a hand held, the kiosk provides the quality index directly, thereby providing the quality index to the consumer more quickly.

1 illustrates a configuration of a sensor tag measuring a quality of a general fresh article,
2 illustrates a configuration of a sensor tag measuring a quality of a fresh article according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 schematically shows a layered heat flux sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 schematically shows a Gardon heat flux sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 illustrates a system for measuring a quality index of fresh goods according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 illustrates a system for measuring a quality index of fresh goods according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The foregoing and further aspects of the present invention will become more apparent through the preferred embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter will be described in detail to enable those skilled in the art to easily understand and reproduce through this embodiment of the present invention.

2 illustrates a sensor tag including a heat flux sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a sensor tag including a heat flux sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2.

According to FIG. 2, the sensor tag includes a heat flux sensor 202, a storage unit 206, a communication unit 208, and a control unit 200. Of course, in addition to the above-described configuration, other configuration may be included in the sensor tag. For example, the sensor tag may include a temperature sensor 204 for measuring an ambient temperature, and the temperature sensor may be included in a heat flux sensor. The present invention proposes a method of using a heat flux sensor 202 attached to fresh foods to accurately measure heat introduced into fresh foods according to changes in ambient temperature.

A representative method of measuring heat transfer amount is heat flux measurement. The heat flux can be measured indirectly by measuring the temperature of two or more points with a certain interval using a thermocouple and the like through a heat conduction equation or an inverse heat conduction equation. In order to measure heat flux directly, a measurement sensor such as a heat flux sensor is used. The heat flux sensor can measure the thermoelectric power signal proportional to the heat transfer and immediately calculate the heat flux through a relationship to known sensitivity.

Specifically, the heat flux sensor is a heat flux measurement sensor manufactured to have a structure of a thermopile through mechanical machining or micro machining. If the thermal conductivity (λ) is λ (kcal / mh ℃) and the thickness and d is sufficiently thin on the heat dissipation surface, the heat flux q flowing through the thin plate reaches a steady state. It is shown as Equation 1 later.

Where ΔT is the temperature difference between the two surfaces of the thin plate. Therefore, assuming that λ and d are known, q can be found by measuring ΔT, which is the basic measuring principle of the heat flux sensor.

The method of measuring heat flux corresponds to a method of measuring temperature change at a certain point over time, a layered type method of measuring thermoelectric power corresponding to a temperature difference of a heat resistant layer having a predetermined thickness, and a temperature difference of a circular thin film at a radiant heat flux. There are many forms, including the Gardon method of measuring thermoelectric power.

3 schematically shows a layered heat flux sensor. According to FIG. 3, in the layered heat flux sensor, metals such as copper (1), constantan, and copper (2) are formed in a thin film structure, and a thermal power at a contact point of copper (1) and constantan electromotive force) and another thermoelectric power at the constantan and copper (2) contacts. Connecting two or more of these two contacts in series is called a thermopile, which in turn amplifies the signal proportionally. When the heat flux sensor thus manufactured is attached to the surface where the heat flux exists, a voltage signal proportional to the minute temperature difference between the two contacts on the sensor is amplified through the thermopile, and the heat flux signal proportional to the temperature difference can be expressed in the form of a voltage signal.

4 is a schematic view of a Gardon heat flux sensor. Gardon heat flux sensors provide thermal power corresponding to the radiant energy they absorb. The circular constantan thin film is connected to the cylindrical copper block having an empty central portion and the edge portion thereof, and is connected to the constantan thin film center using another fine copper wire. When the sensor is exposed to the heat source, the heat absorbed by the thin film flows in the direction of the copper block, and the equilibrium temperature difference is formed within a few seconds at the center and the edge of the thin film. With copper and constantan, the equilibrium thermoelectric potential E between the thin film center and the edge changes in proportion to the heat flux absorbed by the thin film.

The heat flux sensor 202 measures the heat flowing into the fresh food substantially by measuring the heat flux due to the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the fresh food. Substantially, the heat flux sensor 202 measures a thermoelectric power proportional to the amount of heat transfer delivered.

A flow rate sensor is added to measure the temperature around the fresh food.

The heat flux sensor 202 may measure the thermoelectric power and the temperature according to a predetermined time interval or instructed by the controller 200. In addition, the heat flux sensor 202 may set different time intervals for measuring thermoelectric power and temperature measured by the heat flux sensor 202 when measuring environmental information at predetermined time intervals. That is, the heat flux sensor 202 measures the thermoelectric power at the A time interval and transmits the thermoelectric power to the storage unit 206, and measures the temperature at the B time interval and transmits the temperature to the storage unit 206.

The storage unit 206 stores the thermoelectric power and the temperature measured by the heat flux sensor 202. The storage unit 206 stores the thermoelectric power and temperature received from the heat flux sensor 202. The storage unit 206 discards the first stored thermoelectric power history and the temperature history when there is not enough space to store. Alternatively, the storage unit 206 may discard the history information when the thermoelectric power history and the temperature history transmitted to the external server through the communication unit 208 according to the control command of the controller. Of course, the storage unit 206 may store the stored thermoelectric history and the temperature history in various ways other than the above-described manner and discard it if necessary.

The communication unit 208 transmits the thermoelectric history and the temperature history stored in the storage unit to an external server according to a control command of the controller 200. If necessary, the communication unit 208 transmits the thermoelectric power and temperature measured by the heat flux sensor 202 to an external server according to a control command of the controller 200. That is, the communication unit 208 may directly transmit the information stored in the storage unit 206 or information measured by the heat flux sensor 202 if necessary.

The controller 200 controls the overall operation of the sensor tag. That is, the controller 200 controls the operations of the heat flux sensor 202, the storage 206, and the communication unit 208. The control unit 200 instructs to transfer the thermoelectric power and the temperature measured in units of measurement cycles set for the heat flux sensor 202 to the storage. The control unit 200 instructs to transmit the information history stored in the storage unit 206 through the communication unit 208, or directly transmits the information measured by the heat flux sensor 202 through the communication unit 208 without storing the storage unit. Can be directed.

Although not specifically illustrated in FIG. 2, the sensor tag may include a power supply unit for driving the tag.

In addition, in the context of the present invention, the sensor tag may be configured in the form of a probe in addition to the form attached to the article. Thus, when the sensor tag is configured in the probe type, it is possible to measure the temperature inside the food.

5 shows a fresh food quality monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a fresh food quality monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

According to FIG. 5, the quality monitoring system includes a sensor tag, a server, a kiosk installed in a store, a user terminal such as a smartphone or a handheld that can be used in a transportation or distribution center. Obviously, other configurations may be included in addition to the above configurations.

As described above, the sensor tag 500 is attached to the food to measure the temperature of the food and the heat flux (thermal electromotive force) introduced into the food, and transmits the measured temperature and the heat flux to the server 510 at regular time intervals. In addition to the sensor tag 500 and the temperature and heat flux, the food history information and the food identifier (ID) are transmitted to the server 510. That is, the sensor tag 500 transmits the information including the measured heat flux, the time of measuring the heat flux, the measured temperature, the time of measuring the temperature, and the identifier of the food to the server 510.

The server 510 generates and stores a quality history of the corresponding food using the measured heat flux, the time of measuring the heat flux, the measured temperature, the time of measuring the temperature, and the identifier of the food received from the sensor tag 500. .

To this end, the server 510 stores quality information according to heat flux, temperature, and food type. That is, the server 510 stores various quality information according to the heat flux and the temperature, the measured heat flux received from the sensor tag 500, the time of measuring the heat flux, the measured temperature, the time of measuring the temperature, the food The identifier is used to calculate the quality index for the food. For the convenience of the description below, the measured heat flux and the time when the heat flux is measured are called heat flux histories, and the measured temperature and the time when the temperature is measured are called temperature histories. Of course, the heat flux history and the temperature history include information on a plurality of sequential time points as well as information on a specific time point.

Table 1 below shows quality indexes related to freshness stored in the server 510.

score Quality index 200 points or more Very dangerous 150 to 199 points danger 100 points to 149 points usually 50 to 99 points Good 49 points or less Very good

If the calculated score is less than 49, the freshness of the food is very good. If the calculated score is 50 or more and 99 or less, the freshness of the food is good. If the calculated score is 100 or more and less than 149, the food is fresh. Usually, when the calculated score is 150 or more and 199 or less, the freshness of the food is dangerous, and when the calculated score is 200 or more, the freshness of the food is determined to be very dangerous.

Table 2 and Table 3 show an example of calculating the score associated with the freshness of the food using the information received from the server 510 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Temperature score Weight per 10 minutes -10 degrees or less 10 3 -10 degrees to 0 degrees 2 2 0 degrees to 10 degrees One 1.1 10 degrees to 20 degrees 3 1.5 Greater than 20 degrees 10 2

Heat flux (Kcal) score 1 to 10 10   11 to 20 15 21 to 30 20 31 to 40 25 More than 40 30

According to Table 2, the server 510 uses the received thermal power, temperature, time information to calculate the score. The server 510 of the present invention finally calculates a score related to the freshness of the food by summing the score calculated using the received thermal power and time information, and the score calculated using the temperature and time information.

For example, if the milk was stored in the refrigerator for 2 hours at 5 ℃, 20 minutes at 12 ℃, 30 minutes at 20 ℃, the score calculated by the freshness determination standard information for each food shown in Table 2 is as follows.

The score calculated at 5 ℃ is '1 point + 1.1 × 6 × 2 point (weighted value) = 14.2 point', and the score calculated at 12 ℃ is '3 point + 1.5 × 2 point (weighted value) = 5 point' The score calculated at 20 ° C becomes '5 points + 2 x 3 points (weighted values) = 16 points', and the total total score is 35.2 points.

According to the present invention, if the milk located in the refrigerator is all 15 kilocalories delivered by the heat flux sensor 202, the score calculated by the food freshness determination reference information shown in FIG. 6 is as follows.

That is, if 15 kilocalories were delivered into the food, the corresponding score would be 15 points. Therefore, since the score of the food calculated by the heat flux sensor 202 is 45.2, this score is less than 49 in Table 1, so that the milk stored in the refrigerator is determined to have very good freshness.

Of course, the server 510 may calculate the score using the information received from the heat flux sensor 202 whenever the temperature stored in the food changes. That is, the server 510 may calculate the heat flux during the time stored for 2 hours at 5 ° C., the heat flux for the time stored for 20 minutes at 12 ° C., and the heat flux for the time stored for 30 minutes at 20 ° C., respectively. have.

The server 510 stores the information and the quality index received from the sensor tag 500 together with the food identifier using the built-in storage unit. To this end, when the information is transmitted from the sensor tag 500, the server 510 calculates and updates a quality index for the corresponding food.

The kiosk 520 reads the food identifier from the sensor tag 500 attached to the fresh food when the consumer approaches the fresh food. The kiosk 520 transmits the read identifier to the server 510. The server 510 determines whether the food quality index corresponding to the identifier transmitted from the kiosk 520 is stored in the storage unit, and provides the food quality index to the kiosk 520 if stored in the storage unit. Of course, the server 510 may be stored in addition to the quality index to provide other information to the kiosk 520. For example, the server 510 may provide a temperature history, a heat flux history, and the like to the kiosk 520.

The kiosk 520 displays the quality index, the temperature history, and the heat flux history received from the server 510 on the display or outputs the audio output unit. In addition, the kiosk 520 may display a description of the heat flux for the convenience of the user by using the display unit, and may further display detailed information if necessary.

As described above, the present invention can provide a more accurate quality index for food by calculating and providing a food quality index using the heat flux history as well as the temperature history of the food.

Figure 6 shows a fresh food quality monitoring system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a fresh food quality monitoring system according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

According to FIG. 6, the quality monitoring system includes a sensor tag 500 and a kiosk 520 installed in a store. Obviously, other configurations may be included in addition to the above configurations. 6 illustrates a kiosk, but is not limited thereto. That is, instead of a kiosk, it may include a smartphone and a hand held.

The sensor tag 500 is attached to the food to measure the temperature of the food and the heat flux (thermal electromotive force) flowing into the food, the measured heat flux, the time of measuring the heat flux, the measured temperature, the time of measuring the temperature storage unit Store in

When the consumer approaches fresh food, the kiosk 520 reads a heat flux history and a temperature history including an identifier of the food from the sensor tag 500 attached to the fresh food.

The kiosk 520 calculates a quality index for the food using the read heat flux history and temperature history. To this end, the kiosk 520 stores information for calculating the scores associated with the quality index shown in Table 1 and the quality index shown in FIG.

The kiosk 520 uses the heat flux history and temperature history provided from the sensor tag 500 using information for calculating the quality index shown in Table 1 and the scores shown in Table 2, and the quality of the food. Calculate the index.

The kiosk 520 displays the calculated food quality index using the display unit or outputs it using the audio output unit. The kiosk 520 may provide the kiosk 520 with other information provided from the sensor tag 500 in addition to the quality index. For example, the kiosk 520 may provide a temperature history, a heat flux history, and the like to a consumer through a display unit. In addition, the kiosk 520 may display a description of the heat flux for the convenience of the user by using the display unit, and may further display detailed information if necessary.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention .

200: control unit 202: heat flux sensor
204: storage unit 208: communication unit
500: sensor tag 510: server
520: kiosk

Claims (16)

delete A heat flux sensor attached to an article or a packaging container and measuring a thermoelectric power and a temperature corresponding to the magnitude of the heat flux flowing into or out of the article;
A storage unit for storing the thermoelectric power and the temperature measured by the heat flux sensor;
It includes a communication unit for transmitting the thermoelectric power and temperature stored in the storage unit or the thermoelectric power and temperature measured by the heat flux sensor, the identifier of the article to the outside,
Discard the thermoelectric power and temperature transmitted through the communication unit of the thermoelectric power and temperature stored in the storage unit,
The sensor tag, characterized in that the measuring cycle of the thermoelectric power measured by the heat flux sensor and the measuring cycle of the temperature is different.
The method of claim 2, wherein the storage unit,
And a thermo history including a thermoelectric power measured by the heat flux sensor and a thermoelectric power measured time or a temperature history including a measured time of temperature and temperature.
The method of claim 3,
And a controller for converting the thermoelectric power measured by the heat flux sensor into heat flux.
A sensor tag attached to the article and measuring a thermoelectric power and a temperature corresponding to the magnitude of the heat flux flowing into or out of the article, and storing a thermal flux history including the thermoelectric power and a temperature history including the temperature;
A server for calculating a quality index of the article using a heat flux history and a temperature history received from the sensor tag and an identifier of the article;
It includes a terminal for requesting the server the quality index corresponding to the identifier extracted from the contacted article,
The sensor tag discards the thermoelectric power and temperature transmitted to the server among the stored thermoelectric power and temperature, and the measurement cycle of the thermoelectric power measured by the sensor tag and the measurement cycle of the temperature are different.
The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor tag,
A heat flux sensor attached to the article and measuring a thermoelectric power and a temperature corresponding to the magnitude of the heat flux flowing into or out of the article;
A storage unit for storing the thermoelectric power and the temperature measured by the heat flux sensor;
And a communication unit which transmits the thermoelectric power stored in the storage unit or the thermoelectric power measured by the heat flux sensor to the outside.
The method of claim 6, wherein the server,
And calculating the quality index of the article by using the heat flux history received from the sensor tag, and storing the calculated quality index and the identifier corresponding to the quality index.
The method of claim 6, wherein the server,
And calculating the quality index of the article using the heat flux history and the temperature history received from the sensor tag, and storing the calculated quality index and the identifier corresponding to the quality index.
The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the server,
And storing the freshness determination information of the article corresponding to the temperature history or the heat flux history.
The method of claim 9, wherein the terminal,
Consists of at least one of kiosk, smartphone, handheld,
And a display unit which displays a reader for reading the identifier of the sensor tag and a quality index of the article received from the server.
A sensor tag attached to an article or a packaging container, measuring a thermoelectric power and a temperature corresponding to a magnitude of a heat flux flowing into or out of the interior, and storing a thermoelectric history including the thermoelectric power and a temperature history including a temperature;
Comprising a terminal for calculating and displaying the quality index of the article using the heat flux and temperature history received from the sensor tag, the identifier of the article,
The sensor tag discards the thermoelectric power and temperature transmitted to the server among the stored thermoelectric power and temperature, and the measurement cycle of the thermoelectric power measured by the sensor tag and the measurement cycle of the temperature are different.
The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor tag,
A heat flux sensor attached to an article or a packaging container and measuring a thermoelectric power and a temperature corresponding to the magnitude of the heat flux flowing into or out of the article;
A storage unit for storing the thermoelectric power and the temperature measured by the heat flux sensor;
And a communication unit which transmits the thermoelectric power stored in the storage unit or the thermoelectric power measured by the heat flux sensor to the outside.
The method of claim 12, wherein the terminal,
And calculating the quality index of the article by using the heat flux history received from the sensor tag, and storing the calculated quality index and the identifier corresponding to the quality index.
The method of claim 12, wherein the terminal,
And calculating the quality index of the article using the heat flux history and the temperature history received from the sensor tag, and storing the calculated quality index and the identifier corresponding to the quality index.
The terminal of claim 13 or 14, wherein the terminal is
And storing the freshness determination information of the article corresponding to the temperature history or the heat flux history.
The method of claim 15, wherein the terminal
And a reader for reading the identifier of the sensor tag.

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