Patent Application
20090058239
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transport system, especially an air-ground transport system and method for delivering multi-temperature goods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, in-flight meals are prepared and get ready in a flight kitchen center before being placed inside an in-flight meal service cart for fresh keeping purposes. However, because traditional in-flight meal service carts are made of plywood, they are short of thermal insulation structures and unable to keep food cold. In addition, when airplanes are in stand-by, which includes cleaning and other preparation work, there is no way for them to provide cooling energy, either. Therefore, whenever in-flight meals are prepared in the flight kitchen center, dry ice must be placed on the top portion of the in-flight meal service cart to keep the meals fresh during ground support operations. However, while the in-flight meal service cart requires dry ice to retain its desired temperature, it does not do a good job in terms of thermal insulation. Therefore, it is both ineffective and consumptive when using in-flight meal service carts to store meals. Worse still, with the low temperature of the dry ice, which usually goes down to approximately −79° C., and the instability of the temperature, food tends to suffer from frost damage or becomes frozen as a result of the very low temperature.
Usually, in-flight meal service carts must get to the airport two hours prior to take-off, during which dry ice is used to keep food cold. Once on board, the in-flight meal service cart will rely on the started airplane's refrigeration system for cooling energy. Traditionally, the refrigeration system in the airplane's temporary food storage and preparation area is either a centralized system or an individualized system.
In an individualized refrigeration system, on the other hand, every single temporary food storage and preparation area on the airplane is reliant on individual air chillers for cooling energy. Each air chiller is in communication with an in-flight meal service cart in the temporary food storage and preparation area through an air circulation duct, within which an air-supply channel and an air-returned channel are provided and work in a way that air inside the in-flight meal service cart is drawn to the evaporator in the air chiller for cooling purposes through the air-returned channel before being sent back to the inside of the in-flight meal service cart through the air-supply channel, so that the inside of the in-flight meal service cart can be kept cold.
So, during long-haul flights, it is the refrigeration system (may it be a centralized one or an individualized one) that supplies cooling energy to the in-flight meal service cart to maintain the temperature inside the cart. A flight journey usually takes more than 10 hours (usually with a 14-hour-or-so interval between the first mealtime and the last mealtime), serving up to 2-3 meals. Not only does the first meal require the airplane to provide cooling energy to keep the food cold, but the second or the third meal also does, too. Since it is fuels that are converted into power to run the refrigeration system, the fuel consumption of a flight will increase as a result of the inefficiency and the weight of the refrigeration system.
The objective of the present invention is to provide an air-ground transport system and method for delivering multi-temperature goods, so that airplanes can transport meals and goods with multi-temperature requirements in a single attempt, and the in-flight meal service carts can keep food fresh without excessive airplane fuel consumption.
To achieve the objective, the air-ground transport system for delivering multi-temperature goods according to the present invention includes a flight kitchen distribution center, a transporter, an airport facility and an aircraft. The flight kitchen distribution center is where food is prepared before being placed on meal-serving devices for being stored inside a thermal insulated and cold-keeping in-flight meal service cart, which is equipped with a cold plate that goes with the food temperature to keep the freshness and coolness of the food during delivery. The in-flight meal service cart is subsequently loaded onto the transporter to be delivered to the airport, with the transporter being a multi-temperature transport vehicle. The in-flight meal service cart is either directly delivered to the aircraft by the transporter en route the airport facility or unloaded from the transporter to the conveyer included in the airport facility, such as a loading vehicle, for being transferred to the temporary food storage and preparation area in the aircraft to be secured.
The transporter is loaded with a plurality of in-flight meal service carts, which store food and keep it fresh. Food with different temperature requirements is stored in in-flight meal service carts with corresponding temperatures, within which cold plates with corresponding temperatures are provided. The transporter delivers the in-flight meal service carts, provided by the flight kitchen distribution center, to the airport facility or directly to the aircraft. The transporter also takes the in-flight meal service carts back to the kitchen distribution center from the airport facility or from the aircraft.
The present invention also provides a plurality of thermal insulation containers storing goods with same temperatures or different temperatures. The transporter delivers the thermal insulation containers, provided by the flight kitchen distribution center, to the airport facility or directly to the aircraft. The transporter also takes the thermal insulation containers back to the kitchen distribution center from the airport facility or from the aircraft.
The flight kitchen distribution center is provided with a freezer, in-flight meal service carts and/or thermal insulation containers, and cold plates with different temperature ranges.
The thermal insulation container includes a storage space and contains a reusable cold plate/or hot plate, so as to maintain the required temperature of the stored food or goods during delivery.
To make it easy to manage the in-flight meal service cart or the thermal insulation container, every single in-flight meal service cart or the thermal insulation container is provided with a wireless ID tag, such as RFID, to track the goods during delivery, and to further track the temperature of the goods through the wireless ID tag.
The tracking of the in-flight meal service cart or the thermal insulation container is made possible by setting up a computer and a reader at one point of the transport system, such as the flight kitchen distribution center, so as to put the number and the location of the in-flight meal service carts or the thermal insulation containers under control. Through the reader that reads the information contained in the ID tag on the in-flight meal service cart, the computer in every flight kitchen distribution center is able to upload the information to the management center in a continuous and real-time manner. The management center is able to demand different flight kitchen distribution centers to adjust the number of the in-flight meal service carts or the thermal insulation containers following the acquisition of the required information through the flight kitchen distribution center allowed to access such information. Thanks to the request, flight kitchen distribution centers can make prompt adjustment of the number of the in-flight meal service carts or the thermal insulation containers, so that reasonable distribution of resources can be achieved. Through the system, each of the flight kitchen distribution centers is able to obtain correct information about the number and other information of the in-flight meal service carts or the thermal insulation contains at any time.
The wireless ID tag can also be a wireless sensor ID tag for temperature sensing and recording. In addition to containing the ID of the in-flight meal service cart or the thermal insulation container, the tag also takes the current temperature of the in-flight meal service cart on a regular basis according to the set time-interval, and saves the information, along with the time stamp, in the memory inside the electronic tag. The sensor RFID tag will transmit the values recorded in the memory (such as several sets of temperatures and time stamps) to the reader upon receiving the signal from the reader requesting for the reading of the information. Then, the reader will upload the information to the management center for the registration and tracking of the temperature of the in-flight meal service cart or the thermal insulation container during delivery.
The air-ground transport method for delivering multi-temperature goods according to the present invention includes:
providing an in-flight meal service cart for containing the prepared food, so as to complete a tallying and packing process;
providing a cold plate to be placed in the in-flight meal service cart to be loaded on a transporter and delivered to an airport facility, so as to complete an assembling and transporting process;
delivering the in-flight meal service cart to an aircraft directly through the transporter or through a conveyer, so as to complete an assembling and stand-by process;
providing the meal-serving devices to the passengers, so as to complete a serving and dinning process and proceed to an empty container stand-by process;
retrieving the meal-serving devices and putting them back to the in-flight meal service cart, so as to complete an empty container transporting process; and
delivering the in-flight meal service cart to the transporter to be transported to a flight kitchen distribution center for cleaning, so as to complete an empty container reuse process.
To ensure a full understanding of the purposes, the structural features, and the functions of the present invention, details will be described in the embodiment section by reference to the drawings.
The air-ground transport system for delivering multi-temperature goods according to the present invention includes a flight kitchen distribution center 10, an airport facility 20, a transporter 30, and an aircraft 40. The flight kitchen distribution center 10 is where food is prepared, including a freezer 11, one in-flight meal service cart 12, and at least one cold plate 13, so that the prepared food can be placed on a meal-serving device (not shown) to be stored inside the in-flight meal service cart 12 to complete the tallying and packing process. The cold plate 13 keeps its cooling capacity inside the freezer and, when reaching the desired temperature, is retrieved for use in the in-flight meal service cart 12. Food can be made as same-temperature or multi-temperature, depending on the situation, before proceeding to the assembling and transporting process, during which the in-flight meal service cart 12 ready with food inside is equipped with the cold plate 13 and loaded onto the transporter 30 (a transport vehicle) to be delivered to the airport facility 20 in preparation for the assembling and stand-by process. Next, either through direct delivery of the transporter or through the transfer of a conveyer (not shown) in the airport facility 20, such as a loading truck, the in-flight meal service cart 12 is delivered to the temporary food storage and preparation area in the aircraft 40, such as an airplane, to be secured, with the cold plate still providing cooling energy keeping fresh the food stored inside the in-flight meal service cart 12.
During the serving and dinning process after the aircraft 40 takes off, the flight attendants serve meals to the passengers through the in-flight meal service carts 12, and retrieve the dishes after dinning. Usually main course is only heated by microwave before serving, so it is particularly important for the main course to be stored inside a thermal insulation container 14 to be kept cold by the cold plate 13 until being heated in the temporary food storage and preparation area, ready to be placed on the meal-serving device for serving. When the passengers are dinning, the in-flight meal service cart 12 is under the empty container stand-by process, ready to receive the dishes again. After the passengers finish dinning, the flight attendants place the meal-serving devices back to the in-flight meal service cart 12. Because passengers do not always finish their meals, the cold plate 13 is still required to keep the leftovers cold, so that it will not subject to instant decay and smell under the empty container transporting process before cleaning. After the aircraft 40 lands, the in-flight meal service cart 12 will be delivered to another flight kitchen distribution center 15 for waste treatment, either through the transfer of the conveyer in the airport facility 21 or through the direct delivery of the transporter 31. The waste treatment process is undertaken to remove the leftovers inside the in-flight meal service cart 12 in preparation for the empty container reuse process. Namely, after cleaning, the in-flight meal service cart 12 is ready to store the prepared meals again, under the tallying and packing process. Meanwhile, the used cold plate 13 is put into the freezer 11 again to keep its cooling capacity until it reaches the desired temperature and is retrieved for use in the in-flight meal service cart 12 ready with food inside, followed by the repeat of the cycle through the assembling and transporting process, the assembling and stand-by process, the serving and dinning process, the empty container stand-by process, the empty container transporting process, and the empty container reuse process, etc. During the whole process, the cold plate 13 serves as a cooling energy supplier to keep the food fresh.
During the serving and dinning process after the aircraft 80 takes off, the flight attendants serve meals to the passengers through the in-flight meal service carts 12, and retrieve the dishes after dinning. The preservation of tray meals should be a critical issue on a long-haul flight, during which several meals (usually 2-3 meals) are required. Usually main course is only heated by microwave before serving, so it is particularly important for the main course to be stored inside a thermal insulation container 14 to be kept cold by the cold plate 13 until being heated in the temporary food storage and preparation area, ready to be placed on the meal-serving device for serving. When the passengers are dinning, the in-flight meal service cart 12 is under the empty container stand-by process, ready to receive the dishes again. After the passengers finish dinning, the flight attendants place the meal-serving devices back to the in-flight meal service cart 12. Because passengers do not always finish their meals, the cold plate 13 is still required to keep the leftovers cold, so that it will not subject to instant decay and smell under the empty container transporting process before cleaning. After the aircraft 80 lands at the second airport facility 62, the in-flight meal service cart 12 will be delivered by the second transporter 63 to the second flight kitchen distribution center 61 for waste treatment after being transferred from the conveyer in the second airport facility 62. Alternatively, the in-flight meal service cart 12 can also be delivered to the second flight kitchen distribution center 61 directly through the second transporter 63. The waste treatment process is undertaken to remove the leftovers inside the in-flight meal service cart 12 in preparation for the empty container reuse process. Namely, after cleaning, the in-flight meal service cart 12 is ready to store the prepared meals again, under the tallying and packing process. Meanwhile, the used cold plate 13 is put into the freezer 11 again to keep its cooling capacity until it reaches the desired temperature and is retrieved for use in the in-flight meal service cart 12 ready with food inside, followed by the repeat of the cycle through the assembling and transporting process, the assembling and stand-by process, the serving and dinning process, the empty container stand-by process, the empty container transporting process, and the empty container reuse process, etc. to deliver the in-flight meal service cart from the second flight kitchen distribution center 61 to the third flight kitchen distribution center 71. Similarly, the in-flight meal service cart 12 is prepared in the third flight kitchen distribution center 71 to be delivered to the aircraft 80 to serve the passengers, followed by going over each of the processes in the lower end of the process cycle described above to deliver the in-flight meal service cart 12 to the first flight kitchen distribution center 51 to complete the transporting process among airports. In the whole transporting process among the flight kitchen distribution centers 51, 61, 71, the clod plate 13, by alternating between keeping and losing its cooling capacity, releases cold and keeps the desired temperature in compliance with the requirement of the in-flight meal service cart 12, so that the freshness of the food can be kept and the leftovers of the in-flight meals will not subject to instant decay. Moreover, each of the flight kitchen distribution centers 51, 61, 71 can be used to prepare food, to tally and pack, to clean empty containers, to reuse empty containers, and to keep the cooling capacities of the cold plates, etc.
The present invention also allows preservation of foods with all temperature requirements, as shown in the following table:
Goods with various temperature requirements include hot food (above 60° C.), room temperature food (normal temperature), fresh food products (at a constant 18° C.), refrigerated products (0° C.˜+7° C.), chilled products (−2° C.˜2° C.), frozen products and iced products (below −18° C.), ultra-low-temperature products (below −30° C.), and their arbitrary combinations. Since the in-flight meal service cart and the thermal insulation container according to the present invention are configured, respectively, to keep fresh food and cooked meals, they are able to transport food with different temperature requirements.
As shown in
As shown in
According to the air-ground transport system for the delivery of multi-temperature goods by reference to
The flight kitchen distribution center 10 can access the information stored in the management center 104 whenever it needs information about the number and location of the in-flight meal service carts 12 or the thermal insulation containers 14 dispatched by other flight kitchen distribution centers 10. The management center 104 automatically updates real-time information obtained from worldwide flight kitchen distribution centers 10 and tells whether there is goods shortage or surplus according to the number of in-flight meal service carts 12 or thermal insulation containers 14 desired by every flight kitchen distribution centers 10. As a result, the flight kitchen distribution centers 10 can make prompt adjustment of the number of the in-flight meal service carts or the thermal insulation containers, so that reasonable distribution of resources can be achieved. Through the system, each of the flight kitchen distribution centers 10 is able to obtain correct information about the number and other information of the in-flight meal service carts 12 or the thermal insulation contains 14 at any time.
The wireless ID tag 128 is also a wireless sensor ID tag for temperature sensing and recording. In addition to containing the ID of the in-flight meal service cart 12 or the thermal insulation container 14, the tag 128 also takes the current temperature of the in-flight meal service cart 12 or the thermal insulation container 14 on a regular basis according to the set time-interval, and saves the information, along with the time stamp, in the memory unit 1285 inside the electronic tag 128. Upon the reading of the information contained in the tag 128 by the reader 102, the sensor RFID tag 128 will transmit the values recorded in its memory unit 1285 (such as several sets of temperatures and time stamps) to the workstation 101, through the contact between the communication interface unit 1284 and the reader 102, before uploading the recorded values to the management center 104, so as to register and track the temperature of the in-flight meal service cart 12 or the thermal insulation container 14 during delivery.
The air-ground transport system for delivering multi-temperature goods can transport meals and goods with multi-temperature requirements in a single attempt, and enable the in-flight meal service carts to keep food fresh without excessive airplane fuel consumption. Features of the present invention are listed as follows:
Several embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in the examples. However, the examples should not be construed as a limitation on the actual applicable scope of the invention, and as such, all modifications and alterations without departing from the spirits of the invention and appended claims, including the other embodiments, shall remain within the protected scope and claims of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96132200 | Aug 2007 | TW | national |
