Real time monitoring of ship cargo
AssigneeAPL Corporation
InventorAh Huat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Remote monitoring and control of the interior environment of a refrigerated shipping container is described. A communications and monitoring device is coupled to a data communications port of a controller of a shipping container. The device is able to receive an operational parameter directly from the controller, without having to install additional instrumentation within the interior of the refrigerated shipping container, and send the operational parameter to a remote station. The device is also able to receive data to control the operation of the refrigerated shipping container from a remote station and send this control data to the controller of the refrigerated shipping container through the data communications port.
Claims20
An apparatus for communicating with a shipping container comprising:
- a power interface coupled to a power source to provide electrical power to the apparatus;
- a data interface coupled to a data communications port on the shipping container configured to communicate with a controller of the shipping container, wherein the controller monitors an operational parameter associated with the shipping container;
- a communications interface coupled to a transmitter;
- and
- a control circuit configured to receive power from the power interface, receive the operational parameter associated with the shipping container from the data interface, and transmit the operational parameter, or a derivative thereof, associated with the shipping container using the communications interface.
A method for communicating with a shipping container comprising:
- receiving an operational parameter associated with the shipping container from a controller of the shipping container;
- determining, with a processor, if the operational parameter associated with the container should be transmitted to a receiving station;
- and
- transmitting the operational parameter, or a derivative thereof, associated with the shipping container to the receiving station based on the determination.
A system for communicating with a shipping container comprising:
- a monitoring and communications controller configured to communicate with a controller of a shipping container to receive an operational parameter associated with the shipping container and send the operational parameter, or a derivative thereof, associated with the shipping container to a data server computer;
- and
- the data server computer configured to receive the operational parameter associated with the shipping container from the monitoring and communications controller and send the operational parameter associated with the shipping container to a user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.