WO2016015167A1

WO2016015167A1 - Device for measuring atmospheric and/or ambient variables

Info

Publication number: WO2016015167A1
Application number: PCT/CL2014/000034
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juan Alejandro HASFURA BASCUÑAN
Original assignee: Ctrax Spa
Priority date: 2014-07-31
Filing date: 2014-07-31
Publication date: 2016-02-04

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable electronic device comprising sensors for measuring ambient and atmospheric parameters, a battery, and an information storage modal, inter alia, which allows the measurement, recording, transmission and/or storage of the measured ambient parameters.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION: Device for measuring atmospheric and / or environmental variables.

FIELD OF APPLICATION: Storage and / or export of products in controlled and modified atmospheres.

SUMMARY:

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device comprising sensors for measuring environmental and atmospheric parameters, a battery, an information storage modality, among others, which allows measuring, recording, transmitting and / or storing the measured environmental parameters. .

PRIOR ART:

At present, there is no equipment that stores, records and / or delivers information regarding the concentration of gases in modified media simultaneously with other variables to which products subjected to periods of prolonged storage and / or export are exposed . There are temperature and / or relative humidity meters, which are characterized by providing a service similar to that proposed for these parameters. However, the present invention relates to a device that delivers records of the measurement of multiple variables at the same time, such as temperature, relative humidity, concentration of C0 ₂ and 0 _{2 and} may include others such as the measurement of ozone or ethylene, depending on Market requirements

In the US, a service was developed that provided parameter measurements in real time, however, this initiative did not prosper since it was conditioned to the post-harvest ozone service.

The storage and / or transport of products is affected by the variation of environmental and / or atmospheric conditions. To measure and record variables during the storage and export process, the systems described below are currently used: a) Temperature and humidity device:

The use of monitors has been used for some years in the medium, a device, corresponds to the patent WO2003035505 "Method and device for quality assured transport" made in 2003 by Oskar Langeland. This device and method allows the measurement of temperature and humidity for the subsequent verification of these physical parameters, as well as access to goods, after transport and storage. The products are placed inside a container, together with the monitoring / recording apparatus, the products and the recording apparatus are sealed in the container by means of one or more breakable sealing means.

This system presents the following difficulty:

1) It only measures two fruit conservation parameters, there are others such as the use of gases that are excluded in this monitor. b) Controlled Atmosphere Systems: In general, the controlled atmosphere system consists of the modification and monitoring of carbon dioxide and oxygen gases. The main systems are described below.

The patent US4642996 of the year 1987, "Transport of groceries and in particular in containers and the means and methods suitable for such purposes" by the inventor Samuel Harris, describes it as a method and means for the transport of a quantity of edible products (preferably at low temperatures) where there is continuous monitoring of at least the oxygen level of the atmosphere to which the product being transported is subjected. Preferably, the level of carbon dioxide is also controlled. There is an automatic adjustment of the oxygen content and the carbon dioxide content in response to the monitoring that is carried out by introducing ambient air and removing it from the atmosphere to which the foodstuffs are being subjected. The groceries referred to, breathe, being the case of plants (either cut or uncut), fruits and vegetables and their transfer is done in a suitable container for shipping, with a container seal to ensure that less oxygen than is required can diffuse in the container being available for breathing. Another patent of the year 2008, US20080050481 "Controlled Atmosphere" by Stephen Morris, is described as the method, system and apparatus performed to maintain an atmosphere controlled that has a high carbon dioxide content in a sealed container. In the method, the container is substantially impermeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide and contains breathing fruit and vegetable products. The method comprises monitoring the oxygen or carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere and, when the oxygen content approaches a level at which the product becomes anaerobic, it injects oxygen into the container in such a way that the content of This in the atmosphere is again sufficient to allow the product to breathe. The high content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allows the life of the product in storage to be extended.

Another system is that of the 1995 patent, EP0687966, "Controlled atmosphere system for a refrigerated container" by Barry Cahill-O'Brien. This includes in the controlled atmosphere operation method, an electrical control system to carry out the gas flow regulation steps to achieve the oxygen set point and the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in response to the inputs from the oxygen sensor and the carbon dioxide sensor in a refrigerated system. Another method, registered in 1998 under patent ES2120429, "Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling atmospheres in containers for breathing perishable products" by Gregory Justice, responds to a removable system adapted for placement in a container wall refrigerated for perishable products that breathe, and to monitor and control, continuously and dynamically, for a desired and programmed time, the concentration of oxygen, and the concentration of carbon dioxide, in a container such that the concentrations of these gases They vary in time with the breathing of perishable products. The removable system includes devices for the detection, separately, of the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the container, devices for the establishment of setpoints or desired values of the concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide within the container, and to change the set points, over time, depending on the nature of the products and other variables, and for the maintenance of the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations at desired set points for scheduled times by admitting air into the container, as a source of oxygen, and by air purification to remove carbon dioxide, as necessary.

In general, controlled atmosphere systems have the following disadvantages: 1) They are devices that monitor and regulate only the variables of carbon dioxide and oxygen gases, leaving aside other variables associated with the conservation of fruits, such as other gases, temperature and relative humidity.

2) These devices monitor in order to regulate, not to deliver such information.

3) The devices that monitor and regulate controlled atmospheres are generally large and must be installed by modifying the structure of the container.

4) In order to obtain the information of the gas levels, it is usually required to disassemble the equipment installed in the containers, delaying this several days. c) Ozone monitors

In 2008, under the US20080159910 patent, the container ozonation system of the inventor Paul Dick was registered. This technology is more recent than the previous ones in the maintenance of fruit and vegetable products. In refrigerated containers, where air or gas is continuously circulating with oxygen, ozone is injected to preserve perishable food products that are susceptible to deterioration when stored for long periods of time. The ozone content of the circulating air is continuously monitored by an ozone sensor and adjustments to the amount and speed of injection are made continuously by a controller based on the sensor signals.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM THAT SOLVES: Chile is recognized as an agri-food power. Many of the Chilean products are destined for an export market, highlighting many perishable products, for example, fruit and vegetable products, which are sent to distant countries by sea, which can take up to 45 days in transit, keeping the product stored for at least this time and even more, if required at destination. To keep the products in optimal conditions, there are several mechanisms of atmospheric and environmental modification that are used controlling variables such as temperature, Relative Humidity (RH) and gases such as ethylene, 0 ₂ , C0 ₂ among others. One type of technology used is the Controlled Atmosphere (AC). The AC service, during the export of products, is performed by shipping companies. The AC consists of the modification of C0 ₂ and 0 ₂ at atmospheric level within a container, for example, maritime, which has as consequently a decrease in the metabolism, for example, of the fruit and therefore, a longer post-harvest life of the product.

Access to information regarding the data of the CA variables during transport, for example, maritime, is limited and is obtained, in many cases, at the wrong time or in a fragmented manner. This responds, among other reasons, to logistical problems recovering this information.

Currently, in case of uncertainty regarding the quality of the service provided by the shipping company or deterioration of the product due to inadequate concentrations of these gases, there is no tool to rule out, determine or know the cause or causes of this problem . This has a direct and strategic economic impact regarding the decisions that must be taken regarding the handling and final destination of the transported product.

The device proposed in the present invention measures and stores in internal memory the levels of C0 ₂ , 0 ₂ , temperature, relative humidity and possibly other variables, during the transit time and storage of the product in the containers permanently and / or periodic. This device is independent, autonomous, portable and reusable. The device is installed inside the container with the load or product to be transported or stored and records, stores and / or downloads the environmental and / or atmospheric variables by means of software. Once the container with the product arrives at its destination, the information registered and / or stored in the device is available by downloading instantly, or, the data can be transmitted via satellite in real time, through a communication module Satellite incorporated in the equipment.

The importance of having access to this information, allows to solve current problems concerning: 1. Measures against a bad service: If the products stored and / or exported arrive in poor conditions, it is necessary to know what happened and to whom the responsibility corresponds. (Ex: the cause of the problem is the levels of the atmospheric and / or environmental variables, such as, t °, HR, gases used in storage and / or export, or a management problem prior to storage and / or export ). This will depend on the response and actions of insurance companies involved in the quality of the products transported.

2. Commercial decisions: For example, if the products stored and / or exported arrive in good condition but the market price is not optimal, the products can stored more or less time, depending on the service provided and therefore, depending on the conditions in which the product is.

3. Experience and knowledge: If values of atmospheric variables are obtained for storage and / or export processes, such as, gases, T °, HR, among others, of certain products for different trips and varieties of perishable products, they can be identified which controlled atmosphere conditions and / or the parameters measured are optimal and which are not for a given product.

COMPARATIVE TECHNICAL ADVANTAGE: This device allows measuring, recording and storing parameters of atmospheric and / or environmental variables, simultaneously and with easy access to information, whether online, via satellite or downloaded through software once The device is recovered, by connecting the equipment to a computer via a USB cable or other means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES: Figure 1 shows a general device and a schematic and top plan view of a preferred distribution of its essential elements.

Figure 2 shows a general device and a side view of its elements. Figure 3 shows a general device and a front view of its elements.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention relates to a device for the measurement, transmission and / or storage of environmental and atmospheric parameters. The device consists of measuring sensors that may or may not include, but are not limited to, temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide gas (C0 ₂ ), oxygen gas (0 ₂ ), ozone, and ethylene gas together or dissociated, a battery system with their respective charges and connectors, a measurement and communication CPU, an electronic circuit, a memory unit, as well as a start button, ventilation, clock, alarm and operation indicator lights. Additionally, the device has a software for downloading and analyzing stored and / or recorded data. The device can be used at any time, ideally from the beginning of the storage of the products until the end of it. The device registers and stores since the information of the parameters to be measured periodically is turned on, according to the needs of the user the interval of this periodicity can range from one second to many hours. For the operation of the device using a measurement system with sensors programmed to perform periodic measurements associated with a hardware that allows the storage and operation of the sensor itself.

The parameters of interest, captured by the sensors, are stored in the memory, together with the date and time of the registration. This information can be retrieved from the device at any time after being loaded into the device's memory unit, obtained by connecting to a USB port and software associated with the device. Additionally, the information can also be delivered online, through additional software to the equipment via satellite as the parameter records are collected. Parameter measurements are made by sensors. In the case of temperature and humidity sensors, these may or may not be associated with the rest of the parameters to be measured. In the case of gas sensors, including those of C0 ₂ , 0 ₂ , and ethylene, these must have a wide range of collection registration, ranging from 0 to 100%.

The device can be used in any category, including, but not limited to closed storage environments such as containers, bags or others, for storage and transport of both perishable and non-perishable products, highlighting products and derivatives of fruits, fungi, vegetables, algae , shellfish, shellfish, fish, flowers, meat, dairy, wood, salts, minerals and other fruit and vegetable products, cattle ranchers, among others, where for its maintenance, transport, storage and / or post harvest life it is necessary to monitor, record and / or store one or more environmental and / or atmospheric parameters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The portable device (1) is turned on by pressing the start button (12), which is visually evident thanks to the operating indicator lights (8). Once the indicator lights (8) are on, the device is placed with the products in a container whose atmospheric variables will be monitored, recorded and / or stored. The device consists of a battery system (2), with its respective communication and battery charging connector port (7), which gives it autonomy. The device has a Real time clock (6) that keeps it in sync with date and time. Once the device is switched on, it starts periodically measuring one or more atmospheric variables through the temperature (17), humidity (16), C0 ₂ (14), 0 ₂ (15), and / or ethylene (18) sensors. and possibly a sensor of another parameter, for example, ozone (19), which have a wide range of registration, ranging from 0 to 100%. The air entering the device, through the vents (21) is incorporated and homogenized by a fan (20). The electronic operation of the equipment, as well as the registration and transmission of the variables, is done through a measurement CPU (9) and a communication CPU (5). Registered data is stored in a memory unit (4). The data may or may not be transmitted via satellite via a satellite communication module (11) and / or an external antenna connector (10). Once the device reaches its destination, through the communication and battery charging connector (7) the information is downloaded using software designed for this purpose. If the device detects measurements outside the range set as correct, it emits a signal by means of an audible alarm (13). If the device is open or intervened irregularly, it may or may not have a device Intervention Detection Device (3) which can detect if the equipment was opened, deleting or not data collected and / or rendering the device useless or not. equipment either by deleting the software of the equipment and / or the hardware through a corrosive liquid and / or a small explosive that destroys it. The device housing may or may not have its concave edges so that the vents are not obstructed. It may or may not have braces and fastening tape pins (22) and fixing hooks (23).

NUMERICAL REFERENCES:

I. Device

2. Batteries.

3. Device intervention detection device.

4. Memory unit.

5. Communication CPU

6. Real time clock.

7. Communication connector and battery charging.

8. Indicator lights.

9. CPU measurement.

10. Antenna connector.

II. Satellite communication module.

12. Power button.

13. Sound indicator. 14. Sensor C0 ₂

15. Sensor 0 ₂ .

16. Relative humidity sensor.

17. Temperature sensor:

18. Ethylene sensor.

19. Sensor of other parameters (Ex: ozone).

20. Fan.

21. Vents.

22. Supports and pins of fastening tape. 23. Fixing hook.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A portable electronic device, CHARACTERIZED because it comprises one or more sensors for measuring environmental and atmospheric parameters, one or more batteries, memory unit, two or more CPUs, a clock and a fan, among others.

2. The device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises a satellite communication module and an antenna connector.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the one or more batteries additionally comprises a battery charger and communication connectors.

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that it additionally comprises a device intervention detection device.

5. The device according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the CPU comprises a measurement CPU, a communication CPU and an electronic circuit.

6. The device of claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that it additionally comprises a power button, alarm and indicator lights, among others.

7. The device according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED in that the parameter measuring sensors are selected from temperature, relative humidity (RH), gases and others.

8. The device according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED in that the gases are selected from ethylene, oxygen, carbon dioxide, ozone and others.

9. Use of the device according to claims 1 to 8, CHARACTERIZED because it serves to measure, record, transmit and / or store the environmental parameters of claim 7.

10. A method for measuring environmental and atmospheric parameters, CHARACTERIZED because it comprises:

(a) press the start button and turn on the device of claims 1 to 8;

(b) place the device in a container;

(c) measure the environmental and atmospheric parameters;

(d) store the parameters in the memory unit

(e) download the environmental and / or atmospheric variables through software.

11. The method of claim 10, CHARACTERIZED in that it further comprises:

(f) transmit the parameters of (d) via satellite and / or an external antenna connector.