Patent Application
20130036068
The present invention is directed generally to systems and methods for the logistical management of a cargo shipment, and more specifically to modifying a logistical or movement protocol for the cargo shipment based on data analysis.
The present application is directed to systems and methods for logistical management of a cargo shipment. An exemplary method comprises receiving input data related to the cargo. An analysis of the input data may then be performed, and a logistical or movement protocol for the cargo shipment may be modified based on the results of the input data analysis. Various embodiments of the methods may also include comparing the input data to at least one predetermined standard and modifying the logistical or movement protocol if the input data deviates from the standard by at least a predetermined amount. The analysis of input data in various embodiments may comprise determining a remaining useful life of the cargo shipment, and calculating a freshness index for a perishable cargo shipment. The results of any of these analyses may be used to modify or adjust the logistical or movement protocol for the cargo shipment.
The present application is directed to systems and methods for determining logistical management of a cargo shipment. An exemplary method comprises receiving input data related to the perishability of the cargo. An analysis of the input data may then be performed, and a logistical or movement protocol for the cargo shipment may be modified based on the results of the input data analysis. Various embodiments of the methods may also include comparing the input data to at least one predetermined standard and modifying the logistical or movement protocol if the input data deviates from the standard by at least a predetermined amount. The analysis of input data in various embodiments may comprise determining a remaining useful life of the cargo shipment, and calculating a freshness index for the cargo shipment. The results of any of these analyses may be used to modify or adjust the logistical or movement protocol for the cargo shipment.
Many cargo shipments are comprised of perishable cargo, such as fruits, vegetables, meats, frozen items, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Even live animals are shipped as cargo, such as the shipment of live fish to fisheries and pet stores. For most perishable cargo, the quality of the cargo may degrade if certain conditions vary more than a predetermined amount from standard shipping parameters for the specific type of cargo. For example, fruits can decay at a faster rate if a standard temperature is exceeded during shipping. Likewise, the survivability of live animals may be impacted if the oxygen content in the shipping container falls below a standard amount. Studies have shown that as much as 20 percent of fresh produce shipments arrives damaged by decay. Considering that approximately 4 million refrigerated cargo containers are shipped annually, the economic impact of damage to perishable cargo is staggering. The methods of the present invention address the need to track data related to cargo shipments and predict how logistical or movement protocols associated with the cargo shipment may be modified to reduce damage to perishable cargo.
In
Apples
Potatoes
Shell Eggs
Standard shipping parameters may also be obtained from other sources, such as the University of California. The University of California has published a variety of documents to aid in the shipping of perishable cargo. One such publication is Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops, Publication 3311, Third Edition, Adel A. Kader, Technical Editor. An exemplary sample of this document is included as Appendix A. The information in the University of California publication provides more extensive data than the USDA publication discussed above. For example, in addition to storage temperature and humidity, the University of California publication includes ratings on the amount of ethylene production and ethylene sensitivity, storage life, beneficial controlled atmosphere conditions (such as percent oxygen and percent carbon dioxide), and response to controlled atmosphere conditions. A variety of other information relevant to shipping perishable cargo is also presented such as indices of maturity and controlled ripening procedures.
At step 230, a comparison is made between the input data and the standard shipping parameters. In various embodiments, the input data that corresponds to the standard shipping parameters is compared to the acceptable ranges for those parameters (for example, the input data for internal temperature is compared to the standard range for temperature). If the results of the comparison (step 240) indicate that the input data was in range, then the logistical or movement protocol may proceed unchanged (step 250). However, if the input data is not within range, then the logistical or movement protocol may be modified (step 260) and the cycle may repeat at step 210. The logistical or movement protocol may be further modified or modified in a different manner based on the severity of the out of range condition or the duration of the out of range condition.
In certain embodiments, the analysis of the input data is a simple comparison as described above. In various other embodiments, the comparison may involve a more complex algorithm. As may be evident from the excerpt of the USDA document above, a number of the input parameters may not have accepted standardized values or ranges established for them. In such cases, various embodiments may assign a weight to each of the input data parameters. The analysis of the input data may then involve calculating an overall value that takes into account the input data for each parameter, whether the input data is within the standard range when such a range is available, and the weighted value of each additional parameter input data.
As illustrated in
In various other embodiments, the result of the input data analysis may be a determination of the remaining useful life of the cargo. For example, the standard shipping parameters may relate how shipping conditions accelerate or retard decay of the cargo. The input data analysis may take into account each relevant parameter and determine the overall effect of the parameters on the remaining useful life of the cargo. Upon receipt of the shipment, various embodiments of the method may provide the recipient with an estimate of the remaining useful life of the cargo. Additionally, the analysis may also take into account the intended use of the cargo. For example, apples being shipped to a processing plant as raw material for the production of apple sauce may have a longer useful life than apples being shipped to a grocery store for consumer purchase.
The modification of the logistical or movement protocol under various embodiments may comprise changing any parameter or group of parameters for which input data are obtained, or triggering an event to occur that is not related to input data. For example, if the results of the input data analysis indicate that the cargo is decaying at a higher rate than expected because ethylene levels have increased in the shipping container, then ozone may be injected into the shipping container to slow the decay. Similarly, adjusting the temperature within the shipping container downward may achieve the same effect, or both ozone injection and a lower temperature may be needed to sufficiently control the rate of decay.
As illustrated in
External data obtained prior to shipment may also include time criticality of the shipment. The spoilage rate of the cargo may be extraordinarily high, requiring that the cargo shipment move without delay to its destination. Other cargo may have a slow spoilage rate, and thus has a lower time criticality. While the embodiments of the present invention are discussed primarily in terms crops and other organic products, inorganic cargo may also have a high time criticality. For example, delicate electronic components and devices may have a low heat tolerance. The recipient may need verification that a temperature threshold was not exceeded during shipment.
In the pharmaceutical realm, temperature extremes during shipment may also be critical to the stability of drugs or raw materials for manufacturing. Insulin is an example of a drug that is susceptible to extremes of both high and low temperatures. Exposure to temperatures outside recommended ranges during shipping may affect the quality of the insulin. Because serious health issues may result from improperly stored insulin, the recipient needs verification that proper storage conditions were maintained during shipment so that the insulin will meet the specifications for insulin in the United States Pharmacopeia upon distribution.
Beyond perishable cargo, other cargo may have requirements unrelated to storage conditions. For example, parts being shipped to an automobile assembly plant may be shipped on a just-in-time (JIT) schedule. The JIT schedule may dictate that the cargo arrive precisely on a certain date, or even at a specified hour on that date.
In various embodiments, internal data obtained during shipment primarily relates to the conditions to which the cargo was directly exposed during shipping. These conditions may be environmental, such as temperature, humidity, pressure, and concentration of chemical species or ionic species in the air surrounding the cargo (e.g., oxygen, nitrogen, ozone, methane, ethylene, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ultraviolet light, and pathogens); or the conditions may be physical, such as vibration, shock, acceleration forces, and lateral movement.
External data obtained during shipment, according to various embodiments of the present invention, are primarily associated with the physical systems related to the shipping container and mode of shipping (e.g., truck, train, container, ship, and airplane). For perishable cargo, the shipping container and/or the mode of shipping may be refrigerated; thus, external data obtained during shipment may relate to the functionality of refrigeration systems. For example, the external data may include monitoring of a power source, power status of the refrigeration unit, voltage fluctuations and amperage load of electrical input to the refrigeration unit, high and low condensing pressure, compressor cycling, refrigerant charge, door status, container integrity, and alarms associated with equipment malfunction. Other external data obtained during shipment may include GPS coordinates, transport time, and maintenance events. Other external data may be obtained from shipping documents that accompany the cargo shipment, such as route, pickup and delivery dates, pickup and delivery locations, booking information, specifications for the type of packaging used, number of individual packages in the shipment, weight of individual packages and the entire shipment, grouping with other cargo containers, and the like.
It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the above discussion of input data is exemplary and is not comprehensive. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that a wide variety of data other than that discussed above may be obtained and may be used as input data for the methods of the present invention.
Similarly, graph 510 in
The analysis of the data as illustrated in
In various embodiments, the input data may be received by a third party (other than the shipper, recipient of the cargo, or original owner of the cargo). The third party may track a number of shipments and receive input data on these shipments. Based on predetermined information such as shipping schedules and expected value (useful life, spoilage, freshness) of the cargo, the third party may generate a report that is sent to any or all of the shipper, recipient, original owner, insurance company, or any other entity that has an interest in the cargo. The report may provide the current status of the shipment and indicate whether there are any negative issues related to the shipment. Similarly, the report could be generated by the shipper, recipient, or original owner of the cargo.
In various embodiments, the methods of the present invention may be used to monitor and reduce energy consumption of the cargo container. Many perishable cargos are shipped in refrigerated containers. As discussed above, there may be a recommended range for the temperature within the cargo container. The shipper may deliberately set the temperature at the low end of the recommended range in an attempt to assure minimum spoilage. While this may have the desired effect on spoilage, keeping the temperature at the low end of the range will also result in maximum energy usage. Instead, the shipper may use the methods of the present invention to determine what temperature is required to meet the desired condition of the shipment at the point of delivery. For example, the recipient may accept as much as 8 percent spoilage while still paying full price for the cargo. Analysis of the input data may indicate that only 3 percent spoilage is expected when the temperature is maintained at the low end of the range, while 7 percent spoilage is expected when the temperature is maintained at the high end of the range. Based on this information, the shipper may make the decision to increase the temperature of the shipping container, thereby reducing energy consumption.
The methods of various embodiments of the present disclosure may also be used when there is a dispute over the condition of a shipment upon arrival at the recipient. In the above example, suppose that the cargo arrives with 10 percent spoilage rather than the expected 7 percent spoilage. The recipient may place the blame for the excess spoilage on the shipper and refuse to pay full price. The shipper may use the methods of the present invention to generate a report base on the input data and analysis of the input data indicating that the spoilage should have been within acceptable levels based on the actions taken by the shipper. This may indicate that the shipper is not at fault and perhaps the original quality of the cargo as received by the shipper was not at the level claimed by the original owner of the cargo.
The input data may come from a number of sources as indicted previously in
Data logging and communications system 610 may communicate with GPS system 625 to ascertain position and movement of the cargo container 605. In order to enable communication with systems outside the shipping container, data logging and communication system 610 may communicate through a hard-wired connection with a local area network (LAN) 620 or wirelessly through an Internet or cloud computing system 615. Communication links may then be established with a shipper computer or communications system 630, a recipient system 640, or third party system 635. These communication links may be two-way links such that the shipper, recipient, or third party may send information back to the data logging and communications system 610. However, the two-way communication may be limited depending on the entity sending the information. For example, only the shipper may be able to change environmental conditions within the shipping container 605, while the other entities may only have the ability to monitor the conditions.
The data logging and communications system 610 in various embodiments may be equipped to allow manual entry of data. An operator may scan a barcode or other identification symbols on the cargo as the cargo is placed in the shipping container 605. The operator may also manually enter an identification number into the data logging and communications system 610. In various other embodiments, the data logging and communications system 610 may be equipped to automatically read identification information for the cargo, for example by automatically reading an RF identification device attached to the cargo. In either case, once the cargo is associated with a cargo container 605, all previously acquired data for that cargo (such as crop data, processing and packaging data, prior shipping data, and other data as previously described) may then be associated with that cargo container 605. All of the available data may then be used as input data.
According to various embodiments, the input data distributed by the data logging and communications system 610 may be received and analyzed utilizing servers at a fixed location such as the recipient system 640, or the cloud-based computing environment 615 that collects, processes, analyzes, and publishes datasets. In general, a cloud-based computing environment is a resource that typically combines the computational power of a large grouping of processors and/or that combines the storage capacity of a large grouping of computer memories or storage devices. For example, systems that provide a cloud resource may be utilized exclusively by their owners, such as Google™ or Yahoo!™, or such systems may be accessible to outside users who deploy applications within the computing infrastructure to obtain the benefit of large computational or storage resources.
The cloud 615 may be formed, for example, by a network of web servers with each server (or at least a plurality thereof) providing processor and/or storage resources. These servers may manage workloads provided by multiple users (e.g., cloud resource customers or other users). Typically, each user places workload demands upon the cloud 615 that vary in real-time, sometimes dramatically. The nature and extent of these variations typically depend upon the type of business associated with the user.
The components shown in
Mass storage device 730, which may be implemented with a magnetic disk drive or an optical disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device for storing data and instructions for use by processor unit 710. Mass storage device 730 can store the system software for implementing embodiments of the present technology for purposes of loading that software into main memory 720.
Portable storage device 740 operates in conjunction with a portable non-volatile storage media, such as a floppy disk, compact disk or digital video disc, to input and output data and code to and from the computer system 700 of
User input devices 760 provide a portion of a user interface. User input devices 760 may include an alphanumeric keypad, such as a keyboard, for inputting alphanumeric and other information, or a pointing device, such as a mouse, a trackball, stylus, or cursor direction keys. Additionally, the system 700 as shown in
Graphics display system 770 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other suitable display device. Graphics display system 770 receives textual and graphical information, and processes the information for output to the display device.
Peripheral devices 780 may include any type of computer support device to add additional functionality to the computer system. Peripheral device(s) 780 may include a modem or a router.
The components contained in the computer system 700 of
Some of the above-described functions may be composed of instructions that are stored on storage media (e.g., computer-readable media). The instructions may be retrieved and executed by the processor. Some examples of storage media are memory devices, tapes, disks, and the like. The instructions are operational when executed by the processor to direct the processor to operate in accord with the technology. Those skilled in the art are familiar with instructions, processor(s), and storage media.
It is noteworthy that any hardware platform suitable for performing the processing described herein is suitable for use with the technology. The term “computer-readable storage media” as used herein refer to any media or media that participate in providing instructions to a CPU for execution. Such media can take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as a fixed disk. Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as system RAM. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, among others, including the wires that comprise one embodiment of a bus. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic media, a CD-ROM disk, digital video disk (DVD), any other optical media, any other physical media with patterns of marks or holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a FLASHEPROM, any other memory chip or data exchange adapter, a carrier wave, or any other media from which a computer can read.
Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to a CPU for execution. A bus carries the data to system RAM, from which a CPU retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received by system RAM can optionally be stored on a fixed disk either before or after execution by a CPU.
As used herein, the terms “having”, “containing”, “including”, “comprising”, and the like are open ended terms that indicate the presence of stated elements or features, but do not preclude additional elements or features. The articles “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural as well as the singular, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. Many variations of the technology will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. The scope of the technology should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
