A new transfer project of the SFB637 will start in 2008:
Autonomous agents, sensor- and communication systems for transport supervision of foods
[Press Release] Application of the Intelligent Container to Real World Logistics Begins in 2008
Two research groups of the University Bremen (MCB and ComNets) are in cooperation with four industrial partners (CCG, Rungis Express, Cargobull Telematics and Dole Fresh Fruit Europe) for the further development of the intelligent container.
Technology transfer of the 'intelligent container'
A prototype for the 'intelligent container' has been developed within the collaborative research centre 637 "Autonomous cooperating logistic processes" supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The aim of this transfer project is to adapt the system of the 'intelligent container' to requirements of transport companies. The main focus is the transport of foods, especially fruits.
Relevance for transport praxis
A large proportion of road transport is allotted to chilled foods. In contrast to 'deep-frozen' transports, the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in 'chilled / plus' transport is of almost the same order of magnitude as the transport duration. A possible loss of quality must be considered in the course of careful transport planning. The largest distributors in the food chain often have strict delivery commitments. In case of a quality loss, it is necessary to quickly organize a short-term replacement delivery. The extra costs of short-term replacement depend directly on the remaining time span. A system that not only monitors temperature but also supervises quality changes autonomously enables risk detection at the earliest possible stage. Necessary actions to prevent spoilage can be triggered automatically.
Importance of autonomous control
The assessment of detailed sensor data is beyond the abilities of a human operator. Emergent risks could be overlooked or recognized too late by a human operator. Autonomous supervision and data assessment avoids overwhelming the operator with redundant information. He only receives notifications about important changes in state of the freight items, but can request a complete sensor history if required.
The system inside the semi-trailer or container is robust against external communication failures by means of autonomous control. A future system could, for instance, directly inform the driver if the transport planning office cannot be contacted. Autonomous configuration of the supervision system replaces manual adjustments that are prone to errors.
Goals of the project
The aim of the project is to show that the concept of an 'intelligent container' can be applied to the food transport chain. An original size prototype of the system will be constructed and tested. Technical challenges must be identified and handled. The complete system, which consists of a wireless sensor network, RFID, external communication and local processing, must be adapted to meet the requirements of regular sea and road transport. In conjunction with our industrial partners, several test transports will be carried out and analyzed. Additionally, data concerning the communication link quality of the internal sensor network shall be collected.
The reports of detailed quality monitoring and complete sensor readings cannot be transferred over mobile networks due to the limited data bandwidth provided by current flat-rate communication tariffs. A second goal of the project is to demonstrate the possibility of reduced communication costs by combining mobile networks (GPRS, UMTS) and broadband free-of-charge WLAN networks. Larger amounts of sensor data will be transferred with delay if the WLAN option becomes available. However, shorter warning or alarm messages can be sent over GPRS or UMTS.