Control system

Abstract

A monitoring and control system (100) for containers (3). The containers (3) respectively have a container opening (5) for supplying and dispensing of stored goods. Each container (3) has a sensor unit (10) which has at least one sensor capturing environmental impacts, one processor evaluating sensor signals (13) and one interface unit (14) which operates in a contact-free manner.

Claims

1. A monitoring and control system (100) for containers (3), wherein the containers (3) respectively have a container opening (5) for filling in and dispensing goods, each container (3) comprising a sensor unit (10) which has at least one sensor which captures an environmental impact, a processor (13) which evaluates sensor signals, and one interface unit (14) which operates in a contact-free manner, wherein a dip tube (4) opening out at the container opening (5) is present in each container (3), wherein the dip tube (4) is lockable at its outlet at the container opening (5) with a dip tube closure (9), and wherein the sensor unit (10) is arranged in the dip tube closure (9).

2. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the container or containers (3) are part of a dispensing system (1).

3. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the dispensing system (1) has a dispense head (2) connectable to the container opening (5) of a container (3), wherein goods can be dispensed from or filled into the container (3) via the dispense head (2).

4. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor unit (10) is an encapsulated unit.

5. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the container opening (5) is lockable with a container closure, and in that the sensor unit (10) is integrated into the container closure.

6. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that goods in the form of liquids are stored in the containers (3).

7. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor unit (10) has a temperature sensor (12).

8. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that the temperature of a gas phase present in the respective container (3) is measured by means of the temperature sensor (12).

9. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor unit (10) has a vibration sensor (16).

10. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that the vibration sensor (16) is designed in the form of an acceleration sensor.

11. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor (13) is operable in sleep mode.

12. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor unit (10) has a charging device (15) which can be coupled to an external charging station in a contact-free manner.

13. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 12, characterized in that the charging device (15) is an NFC charging device.

14. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the interface unit (14) has an NFC interface module.

15. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that output signals are generated in the processor (13) in response to sensor signals from the at least one sensor, which are read out to a mobile terminal device via the interface unit (14).

16. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 15, characterized in that the output signals are forwarded from the mobile terminal device to a cloud-based computer system (18).

17. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 15, characterized in that the output signals are linked to an identifier clearly identifying the sensor unit (10).

18. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 17, characterized in that each container (3) is identified with a container identifier stored in an RFID chip, wherein the container identifier can be read out into the cloud-based computer system (18) and is linkable there with the identifier of the sensor unit (10).

19. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 15, characterized in that a binary status signal is generated in the sensor unit (10) as an output signal, the signal statuses of which indicate whether the status of the container (3) is faulty or not.

20. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 19, characterized in that a release signal or a lock signal is generated in the cloud-based computer system (18) in response to the status signal, wherein the dispensing or filling of goods [from or] into the respective container (3) is only released with a release signal.

21. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 20, characterized in that the container (3) for which the release signal or lock signal is generated is identified by means of the container identifier.

22. The monitoring and control system (100) according to claim 15, characterized in that a binary status signal is generated in the cloud-based computer system (18) from output signals generated in the sensor unit (10), the signal statuses of which indicate whether the status of the container (3) is faulty or not.

23. A method for operating a monitoring and control system (100) for containers (3), wherein the containers (3) respectively have a container opening (5) for filling in and dispensing goods, characterized in that each container (3) has a sensor unit (10) which has at least one sensor which captures an environmental impact, one processor (13) which evaluates sensor signals, and one interface unit (14) which operates in a contact-free manner, wherein a dip tube (4) opening out at the container opening (5) is present in each container (3), wherein the dip tube (4) is lockable at its outlet at the container opening (5) with a dip tube closure (9), and wherein the sensor unit (10) is arranged in the dip tube closure (9).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is explained in the following with reference to the drawings. They show:

(2) FIG. 1: A schematic illustration of a dispensing system with an associated container.

(3) FIG. 2: Dip tube of the container according to FIG. 1 with an assigned dip tube closure and a radio transmitter.

(4) FIG. 3: First exemplary embodiment of a sensor unit for a container.

(5) FIG. 4: Second exemplary embodiment of a sensor unit for a container.

(6) FIG. 5: Exemplary embodiment of the monitoring and control system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIG. 1 shows a dispensing system 1 in schematic form. The dispensing system 1 comprises a dispense head 2 that can be attached to a container 3 which can be designed particularly in the shape of a barrel. A liquid is stored as good in the container 3. Liquids stored in such containers 3 are in particular liquid specialty chemicals.

(8) The container 3 has a dip tube 4. The dip tube 4 is mounted in a bung head which sits in a container opening 5 of the container 3 and is thus securely connected to the container 3. The longitudinal axis of the dip tube 4 runs in the vertical direction.

(9) The dispense head 2 is used for dispensing liquids from the container 3. The dispense head 2 can also be used for filling containers 3. For this purpose, the dispense head 2 has a liquid connection 2a at its upper end. A line 6 that leads to a pump 7 is connected to this liquid connection 2a. The line 6 can be constituted in the form of a hose.

(10) The pump 7 is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

(11) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the upper region of the dip tube 4, which, at its upper end, has a head part 8 that is mounted in the container opening 5. In the present case, the head part 8 is screwed into the container opening 5. For this purpose, the head part 8 has an outer thread 8a.

(12) The opening at the upper end of the dip tube 4 can be closed with a dip tube closure 9. In this case, the dip tube closure 9 is screwed onto the dip tube 4. For this purpose, the dip tube closure 9 has an outer thread 9a, and the head part 8 has a corresponding inner thread 8b.

(13) The container 3 closed with the dip tube closure 9 forms a transportable unit. In order to be able to identify the container 3, an RFID chip (not shown) is present on the container 3, for example on the dip tube closure 9 or on the dip tube 4 itself in which RFID chip a container identifier is stored.

(14) According to the invention, a sensor unit 10 is provided in the dip tube closure 9. Examples of such sensor units 10 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The components of the sensor unit 10 are encapsulated in a housing 11. The sensor unit 10 generally has at least one sensor for capturing environmental impacts acting on the container 3.

(15) The sensor unit 10 according to FIG. 3 has a temperature sensor 12 with which the temperature of the gas phase in the container 3 is measured. The temperature sensor 12 can, for example, be designed in the form of an infrared temperature sensor 12, wherein the housing 11 is then transparent to infrared radiation.

(16) The sensor unit 10 also has a processor 13 in which the sensor signals from the temperature sensor 12 are evaluated. Advantageously, the evaluation is not carried out continuously, but within discrete time intervals. For this purpose, the processor 13 is operated in an energy-saving sleep mode.

(17) Output signals generated in the processor 13 are output to external units via an interface unit 14 which operates in a contact-free manner. Advantageously, the interface unit 14 has an NFC interface module.

(18) Furthermore, the sensor unit 10 has a charging device 15 which can be used to carry out contact-free charging processes in order to ensure the power supply to the components of the sensor unit 10. Advantageously, the charging device 15 is designed as an NFC charging device.

(19) The sensor unit 10 according to FIG. 4 differs from the embodiment according to FIG. 3 only in that, in addition to the temperature sensor 12, a vibration sensor 16 is also present, wherein such vibration sensor's 16 output signals are also evaluated in the processor 13. Advantageously, the vibration sensor 16 is designed in the form of an acceleration sensor. The vibration sensor 16 captures vibrations of the container 3. In particular, shock loads acting on the container 3 are captured.

(20) A monitoring and control system 100, an example of which is shown in FIG. 5, is provided with the sensor unit 10 of the containers 3. FIG. 5 shows a container 3 without dip tube 4. In this case, the sensor unit 10 is integrated in a container closure 3a. Output signals generated in the processor 13 of a sensor unit 10 are read out via the interface unit 14 to a mobile terminal device, which in this case is a smartphone 17. The sensor unit 10 also sends a website address that is used to connect the smartphone 17 to a cloud-based computer system 18.

(21) This allows the output signals of the sensor unit 10 to be fed to a cloud-based computer system 18, i.e. a cloud, via the smartphone 17.

(22) The monitoring and control system 100 may generally have a plurality of containers 3 with sensor units 10 which are also spatially distributed. The output signals from the sensor unit 10 are stored and evaluated in the cloud-based computer system 18 in a spatially completely decoupled manner. Customers and suppliers of the containers 3 can access the cloud-based computer system 18, preferably by entering access codes or other authorizations.

(23) Advantageously, the output signals for each container 3 are linked to an identifier that clearly identifies the sensor unit 10.

(24) The data and the identifier are linked in the cloud-based computer system 18 with the container identifier present in the RFID chip of the respective container 3, whereby the output signals of the sensor unit 10 can be uniquely assigned to the respective containers 3.

(25) The evaluation of the signals from the sensor(s) in the processor 13 is advantageously carried out in such a way that by means of a threshold value evaluation a binary status signal is generated from the sensor signals.

(26) If the signal from the temperature sensor 12 exceeds the respective threshold value, a critical temperature is present, which can lead to impairment of the good in the respective container 3. If the signal from the vibration sensor 16 exceeds the respective threshold value, a critical vibration is present, which can lead to impairment of the good in the respective container 3.

(27) In the cloud-based computer system 18, the status signals from the sensors of the sensor unit 10 are advantageously evaluated in such a way that if a signal status above the threshold value is registered at a sensor, i.e. at the temperature sensor 12 in the embodiment of FIG. 3 and at the temperature sensor 12 or the vibration sensor 16 in the embodiment of FIG. 4, a lock signal is generated for the respective container 3. A release signal is only generated in the cloud-based computer system 18 if none of the sensors of the sensor unit 10 of a container 3 receives a signal status above the threshold value.

(28) The release or lock signal for a container 3 is linked in the cloud-based computer system 18 with the container identifier of the RFID chip, thus providing a clear assignment of this container 3.

(29) The release and lock signals via the cloud-based computer system 18 also monitor and control the dispensing system 1. A dispensing of liquid from a container 3 is only released for the dispensing system 1 if the release signal is present for the container 3. If, on the other hand, the lock signal is stored for a container 3, the dispensing system 1 is locked accordingly so that no liquid can be dispensed from the container 3.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(30) (1) dispensing system (2) dispense head (2a) liquid connection (3) container (3a) container closure (4) dip tube (5) container opening (6) line (7) pump (8) head piece (8a) outer thread (9) dip tube closure (9a) outer thread (10) sensor unit (11) housing (12) temperature sensor (13) processor (14) interface unit (15) charging device (16) vibration sensor (17) smartphone (18) cloud-based computer system (100) monitoring and control system