This invention relates in general to monitoring and security for containers and, more particularly, to devices that provide automated monitoring and security for shipping containers.
A variety of different products are shipped in cargo containers. Products are packed into the container by a shipper, after which the container doors are closed and then secured with some type of lock. The container is then transported to a destination, where a recipient removes the lock and unloads the container.
The shipper often finds it advantageous to have some form of monitoring while the container is being transported. For example, the cargo within the container may be relatively valuable products such as computers or other electronic devices, and thieves may attempt to break into the container and steal these products if the container is left unattended during transport. Alternatively, the cargo may be products such as fresh fruit, for which it is advantageous to continuously monitor environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, in order to avoid or minimize spoilage.
It is not cost-feasible to have a person watch a container at all times in order to provide security and/or monitoring. Accordingly, electronic systems have previously been developed to provide a degree of automated security and/or monitoring. Although these pre-existing systems have been generally adequate for their intended purposes, they have not been satisfactory in all respects.
A better understanding of the present invention will be realized from the detailed description that follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The container 11 is a conventional shipping container of a well-known type, and in particular complies with an industry-standard specification known as an ISO 668:1995(E) Series 1 freight container. The vast majority of containers that are currently in commercial use conform to this ISO standard. This particular type of container is shown by way of example. The present invention is not limited to this particular type of container, or to containers in general.
The container 11 is made almost entirely of steel or aluminum, except that a not-illustrated floor within the container may be made of either wood or metal. The container 11 has at one end a large opening 14 with an approximately square shape. Two rectangular doors 16 and 17 are supported by hinges for pivotal movement about respective spaced vertical axes 18 and 19. The axes 18 and 19 are located near respective side edges of the opening 14. The doors 16 and 17 are each shown in a closed position in
The doors 16 and 17 each have a respective vertical outer edge 21 or 22, which is disposed adjacent the associated pivot axis 18 or 19. In addition, each of the doors 16 and 17 has a respective inner edge portion 23 or 24. When the doors 16 and 17 are in the closed position of
In order to secure the doors 16 and 17 in their closed positions, the door 16 has two vertical rods 31 and 32 rotatably supported thereon, and the door 17 has two vertical rods 33 and 34 rotatably supported thereon. Each of the rods 31-34 has a respective handle 36-39 thereon. The handles 36-39 can be used to manually rotate the rods 31-34 between locked and released positions. In the locked position, each handle can engage a retention bracket mounted on the associated door, and the bracket maintains the handle and rod in the locked position. As each rod is pivoted between its locked and released positions, each end thereof can move into or out of engagement with a locking bracket or locking recess provided on the container 11.
The door 16 has three corrugations or recesses 43-45 that extend horizontally and are vertically spaced. Similarly, the door 17 has three corrugations or recesses 46-48 that extend horizontally and are vertically spaced.
When the container 11 has been packed with products that are to be shipped, various considerations can come into play. First, there are situations in which it is desirable to be able to monitor environmental conditions within the container. For example, products such as fresh fruit may keep better if environmental conditions within the container 11 remain within certain acceptable limits, and so it is desirable to monitor relevant environmental conditions such as temperature or humidity. Another consideration is that, once the doors 16 and 17 have been closed and secured at the point of shipment, there are situations in which it is desirable to have some form of security and monitoring in order to verify that the doors are not opened again until the container arrives at its destination. For example, while the container is in transit, thieves may attempt to break into the container 11 in order steal valuable cargo therein, such as computers or other electronic devices. In order to handle these various different types of situations, the device 12 provides security and monitoring capability with respect to both environmental conditions and container intrusion.
When the device 12 is being installed on the edge portion 24 of the door 16 (
After the door edge portion 23 is fully received within the support clip 61, the inclined surface portion 81 engages an inner corner of the rectangular door edge portion 23. In association with the resilience of the support clip 61, the inclined surface portion 81 continuously and yieldably urges the support clip 61 in the direction of the arrow 83 with respect to the door edge portion 23. This maintains the support clip 61 in place, and actively resists its unintended removal. In fact, as the support clip 61 is being installed on the edge portion 23, and once the inclined surface 81 has moved into engagement with an inner corner of the edge portion 23, the surface 81 and the resilience of the support clip 61 will tend to cause the support clip 61 to automatically snap to its final position.
The device 12 can be removed from the door edge portion 23 by manually pulling the device 12 in a direction opposite the arrow 83. The engagement of the inclined surface 81 with an inner corner of the edge portion 23 will help to spread the leg portions 71 and 72 against the resilience of the support clip 61. In addition, if necessary, the tab 64 and the inclined portion 78 or 77 can be grasped and manually pulled apart, in order to help spread the leg portions 71 and 72.
The inner side of the leg portion 71 has a plurality of approximately hemispherical bosses 86, which each project toward the opposite leg portion 72. The bight portion 73 has a plurality of similar bosses 87 on the inner side thereof. The bosses 86 and 87 serve as gripping structure that helps resist movement of the support clip 61 relative to the door edge portion 23. In particular, the bosses resist detachment of the support clip 61 due to movement in a horizontal direction opposite the arrow 83, and also resist vertical downward sliding movement of the support clip 61 along the door edge portion 23. In place of the bosses 86 and 87, it would alternatively be possible to provide gripping structure in the form of a non-slip sheet 88 that is securely mounted to one or more of the inner surfaces of the support clip 61. The sheet 88 could, for example, be made of rubber or some other suitable non-slip material.
A sensor module 91 is mounted on the leg portion 72 of the support clip 61. An outer housing of the sensor module 91 is visible in
A metal lever 92 is disposed behind the anti-tamper part 62. The lever 92 can move in relation to the anti-tamper part 62, in a manner described in detail later. A pivot axle 94 is fixedly supported near an outer end of the lever 92, and pivotally supports a door-engaging member 93, as described in more detail later. In the disclosed embodiment, the member 93 is made of plastic, but it could alternatively be made of any other suitable material. The member 93 has a door-engaging surface 96, which can slidably engage an inner surface of the door edge portion 24 of the door 17 (
Two plastic supports 111 and 112 are fixedly mounted at spaced locations on the outer end of the lever 92, and fixedly support the pivot axle 94. The door-engaging member 93 has two spaced side portions that cooperate with the ends of the axle 94, so that the member 93 can pivot on the axle 94 with respect to the lever 92 and the supports 111 and 112. Two coil springs 113 and 114 encircle the axle 94 between the supports 111 and 112. The coil spring 113 has one end coupled to the support 111, and its other end coupled to the member 93. Similarly, the coil spring 114 has one end coupled to the support 112, and its other end coupled to the member 93. The coil springs 113 and 114 urge the member 93 to pivot relative to the lever 92, in a direction indicated by an arrow 118.
The base plate 131 has two rearwardly-projecting flanges 133 disposed on opposite sides thereof, and two spaced holes 134 are provided through each flange 133. The fasteners 89 (
Two spaced metal studs 137 are fixedly mounted on the base plate 131. The lever 92 extends between the studs 137, and has in each side edge a not-illustrated recess that receives a respective stud 137, in order to prevent any significant lengthwise movement of the lever 92. A retainer 138 extends between the studs 137, and has holes that receive the studs 137 with a friction fit. The lever 92 can rock or pivot about a pivot axis located adjacent and parallel to the retainer 138. A conical coil spring 139 is disposed between the base plate 131 and the right end of the lever 92. The spring 139 resiliently urges the right end of the lever 92 in a rearward direction away from the base plate 131, which means that the left end of the lever 92 is resiliently urged in a forward direction, as indicated by an arrow 140.
Four parallel cylindrical supports 140 are each fixed at one end to the base plate 131, and project outwardly therefrom. A circuit board 142 is secured to the outer ends of the supports 141 by a plurality of screws 143. The device 12 includes a not-illustrated battery, which provides electrical power to circuitry within the device 12, including the circuitry on the circuit board 142. Since
In this regard, four sockets 151-154 are all mounted on the side of the circuit board 142 facing away from the lever 92, and are each coupled electrically to a bus that is part of the circuitry on the circuit board 142. The sockets 151-154 permit sensors to be easily added to and removed from the device 12 in a modular fashion.
A known type of light sensor 162, such as a photocell, is mounted on the circuit board 142 adjacent one edge thereof. The housing for the sensor module 91 has a small opening in one side thereof, which is not visible in the drawings. This opening is adjacent to the light sensor 162, and permits the light sensor 162 to monitor whether or not there is visible light within the container.
A ribbon cable 164 has one end electrically coupled to the circuit board 142. From the circuit board 142, the ribbon cable 164 extends through aligned openings in the lever 92, the base plate 131, and the leg portion 72 of the support clip 61, and then extends along inner surfaces of the bight portion 73 and the leg portion 71 of the support clip 61. The ribbon cable 164 is adhesively secured to these inner surfaces of the support clip 61, but could alternatively be held in place in any other suitable manner. The ribbon cable 164 then passes through an opening 167 provided in the leg portion 71, and into the wireless communication module 63. This end of the ribbon cable 164 is electrically coupled to not-illustrated circuitry that is provided within the wireless communication module 63.
Two Hall effect sensors 177 and 178 are provided on the side of the circuit board 142 facing the lever 92, and serve as proximity sensors. Two magnets 181 and 182 are fixedly mounted on the adjacent end of the lever 92, in a manner so that each magnet is aligned with a respective one of the Hall effect sensors 177 and 178. As the lever 92 undergoes reciprocal pivotal movement, the magnets 181 and 182 move toward and away from the Hall effect sensors 177 and 178, and serve as magnetic field generators that actuate and deactuate the Hall effect sensors. The stop 174 ensures that the magnets 181 and 182 can come close to the sensors 177 and 178 but do not touch the sensors, for example to avoid damage to or wear of the magnets or sensors.
The foregoing discussion includes an explanation of how the security and monitoring device 12 can be removably installed on the door 16 of the container 11, and removed from the door. Now, a brief explanation of the operation of the device 12 will be provided. For the purpose of this discussion, it is assumed that the device 12 has already been installed on the edge portion 23 of the door 16.
With reference to
As a specific example, assume that the container door 16 with the device 12 thereon is in its closed position, and that the container door 17 is being moved from its open position to its closed position. The edge portion 24 of the door 17 will engage the door-engaging surface 96 on the member 93, and press the member 93 toward the interior of the container. As the member 93 is moved inwardly, the member 93 will not initially pivot with respect to the lever 92, but instead the lever 92 will pivot against the force of the coil spring 139. The coil spring 139 will be compressed and, with reference to
At some point, the lever 92 will reach the end of its effective range of pivotal movement. Then, as the door 17 continues to close, the lever 92 will remain stationary, and the door-engaging member 93 will pivot about the axle 94 in relation to the lever 92, until the door 17 is in its closed position. The provision of the movable member 93, in association with the relative strengths of the various springs, ensures that the lever 92 will be moved to and maintained in its actuated position, even if the doors 16 and 17 are not entirely coplanar, or if one of the doors is bent or otherwise has some skew. That is, the movable member 93 and the relative strengths of the springs permit the movable member 93 to accommodate misalignment or play in the positions of the two container doors, while ensuring that the lever 92 is reliably moved between its actuated and deactuated positions as the door 17 is moved to and from its closed position.
Assume now that, after both of the containers doors 16 and 17 have been moved to and secured in their closed positions, the container 11 is dispatched for transport to a remote destination. In addition, assume that someone opens the door 17 without authorization while the container is en route to its destination. As the door 17 is being opened, the springs 113 and 114 will initially pivot the door-engaging member 93 back to its original position, while the lever 92 remains stationary. Then, as the door 17 continues to open, the spring 139 will pivot the lever 92 back to its original position, which is shown in
The circuitry on the circuit board 142 can then send signals through the ribbon cable 164 to the wireless communication module 63. The module 63 contains a not-illustrated radio frequency (RF) antenna of a known type, as well as not-illustrated support circuitry of a known type, including a radio transceiver and a microprocessor. The wireless communication module 63 can respond to the information received through the ribbon cable 164 by transmitting a wireless signal that indicates the container door 17 has been opened. A not-illustrated reader of a known type, which is at a remote location, can receive this wireless signal and take appropriate action. For example, security personnel can be dispatched to check on the container 11, and may arrive in time to apprehend the person who opened the container without authorization.
The member 93, springs 113-114, lever 92, spring 139, magnets 181-182 and Hall-effect sensors 177-178 can be collectively viewed as a sensing portion that monitors the closed status of the container doors. Within this sensing portion, the springs 113-114, the lever 92, the spring 139, the magnets 181-182 and the sensors 177-178 collectively serve as a detection arrangement for detecting movement of the member 93, and the magnets 181-182 and sensors 177-178 effectively serve as a sensing arrangement within the detection arrangement.
With reference to
Still referring to
With reference to
A person who is familiar with the device 12 might try to defeat its operation by inserting a thin object through the gap between the edge portions 23 and 24 of the closed container doors. In order to make this difficult or impossible, the device 12 includes the anti-tamper part 62. On a more specific level, if the anti-tamper part 62 were omitted, a thin object could be inserted between the doors, and could be used to hold the lever 92 in its actuated position while opening the door 17. Consequently, the device 12 might not detect a problem and generate an alarm. However, the anti-tamper part 62 serves as an obstruction that prevents such an inserted object from easily contacting the lever 92. Further, the tabs 106 and 107 are provided at the top and bottom edges of the anti-tamper part 62, in order to make it difficult for a thin object to be inserted around either the top or the bottom of the anti-tamper part 62.
As discussed above, the resilient support clip 61 securely and removably holds the device 12 in place on a container. This is in contrast to a variety of existing devices, which are attached to containers in a permanent or semi-permanent manner, for example using adhesives, bolts, rivets, or the like. The resilient support clip 61 thus permits the device 12 to be quickly and easily installed, and to be quickly and easily removed. This allows the owner of the device 12 to easily move the device 12 from container to container, as needed. In this regard, shippers often lease containers, and it is the shipper rather than the container owner who has the most concern about security and monitoring of the cargo. The device 12 can be owned by a shipper, can be easily installed by the shipper on a leased container, and can later be easily removed by the shipper when the container is to be returned to its owner. As discussed above, the device 12 is specifically designed to be compatible with a particular ISO standard, and the vast majority of containers that are currently in commercial use conform to this particular ISO standard. A shipper will thus find that the device 12 can be readily interchanged among the vast majority of containers that are in commercial use. Of course, while the device 12 is advantageous in association with this particular type of shipping container, it is not limited to use with such a container.
With respect to a given container, the device 12 can be easily and quickly repositioned on the container, for example to avoid interference between the device and a particular cargo packed inside the container, or to position the device 12 for optimum monitoring of a specific environmental condition in the container during a particular shipment. In this regard, it may be desirable in some circumstances to monitor temperature near the top of the container interior, or to check for heavier-than-air gases near the bottom of the container interior.
Although the device 12 can be positioned at a variety of locations along the edges of a container door, an advantage of the device 12 is that it can be mounted on one door so that it is adjacent to and monitors an edge of another door, where the monitored edge is opposite from the hinges of the other door. This permits the device 12 to be more sensitive to a door-opening condition than units that are installed on or near a door hinge. This is because, during a given amount of pivotal movement of a door, the leading edge of the door moves significantly farther than a portion of the door near the hinge.
In the disclosed embodiment, and with reference to
Although a selected embodiment has been illustrated and described in detail, a variety of substitutions and alterations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims.
This application claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. provisional application No. 60/514,968 filed Oct. 27, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3597753 | Tabankin | Aug 1971 | A |
3665449 | Elder et al. | May 1972 | A |
3878539 | Gooding | Apr 1975 | A |
4258359 | McLamb | Mar 1981 | A |
4438428 | Ober et al. | Mar 1984 | A |
4484181 | Schwartz | Nov 1984 | A |
4683461 | Torre | Jul 1987 | A |
4688244 | Hannon et al. | Aug 1987 | A |
4808974 | Cantley | Feb 1989 | A |
5072212 | Sorenson | Dec 1991 | A |
5247279 | Sato | Sep 1993 | A |
5341123 | Schuman, Sr. et al. | Aug 1994 | A |
5422627 | Tap et al. | Jun 1995 | A |
5448220 | Levy | Sep 1995 | A |
5499014 | Greenwaldt | Mar 1996 | A |
5572191 | Lundberg | Nov 1996 | A |
5615247 | Mills | Mar 1997 | A |
5729199 | Cooper et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5844482 | Guthrie et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5907812 | Van De Berg | May 1999 | A |
5917433 | Keillor et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5936523 | West | Aug 1999 | A |
5939982 | Gagnon et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
6236911 | Kruger | May 2001 | B1 |
6271753 | Shukla | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6483473 | King et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6497656 | Evans et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6512455 | Finn et al. | Jan 2003 | B2 |
6608554 | Lesesky et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
6736316 | Neumark | May 2004 | B2 |
6744352 | Lesesky et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6747558 | Thorne et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6748292 | Mountz | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6753775 | Auerbach et al. | Jun 2004 | B2 |
6844829 | Mayor | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6919803 | Breed | Jul 2005 | B2 |
6975224 | Galley et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
20040012502 | Rasmussen | Jan 2004 | A1 |
20040119588 | Marks | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040233041 | Bohman et al. | Nov 2004 | A1 |
20040263329 | Cargonja et al. | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20060012481 | Rajapakse et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0 467 036 | Jan 1992 | EP |
0 825 554 | Feb 1998 | EP |
0 984 400 | Mar 2000 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20050151643 A1 | Jul 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60514968 | Oct 2003 | US |