Temperature and light control in the refrigerator
using the TL-BLE wireless sensor
Country: Belarus
Industry: trade
Client: wholesale company
Activity: frozen fish supplies
Equipment: TL-BLE temperature and light sensor
Dealer: ITELMA, supplier of equipment for M2M
Tasks of the client and the integrator
While transporting perishable products in refrigerators, it is always necessary to monitor the performance of refrigeration equipment and strictly observe temperature conditions. Deviations from the desired parameters lead to melting and damage to the goods. Naturally, this entails losses and negatively affects the business reputation of the supplier company.
Along with this, violations in the operation of the refrigeration unit reduce its service life, cause fuel overspending, lead to wear of the engine and compressor of the refrigerator. Also, companies that are engaged in the transportation of perishable goods are often faced with the negligent attitude of drivers to comply with climatic conditions and even with direct theft of goods on the way.
To overcome these problems and improve business efficiency, the customer needed to organize constant remote monitoring of the temperature inside the refrigerators. The integrator of transport monitoring systems was tasked with implementing a solution that would allow to:
- be aware of temperature changes in all refrigerated trucks in real time;
- record the facts and the duration of the opening/closing of the van doors;
- receive instant notifications about important events;
- analyze the situation for individual cars and the entire fleet for any period.
Decision
The integrator company offered a combined solution, including:
- GPS / GLONASS trackers for monitoring the location of objects;
- telematics sensors for monitoring the situation in the refrigerator truck;
- a monitoring platform with software modules that allow you to remotely monitor changes in the conditions of transportation of perishable goods, determine the causes of violations and respond urgently to emergency situations.
Trackers of the Teltonika brand were installed in the cabs of all cars. Inside the refrigerators themselves, temperature and light sensors Escort TL-BLE were installed, integrated with trackers. Together with a high level of accuracy and reliability, the advantage of the sensors is that they are wireless and transmit readings to the tracker via the Bluetooth LE radio channel.
Therefore, while installing the TL-BLE, it is not necessary to lay cables, they can be fixed in any place and, if necessary, change the location. The sensors are easily configured from a smartphone, are unpretentious in maintenance and work independently for up to 3 years from the built-in battery.
Equipment installation example
The readings recorded by the temperature and light sensors are sent to the Wialon system. In the dispatching program and in the mobile applications of this system, it is possible to track temperature changes in refrigerators and learn about the facts of opening and closing doors based on data on the level of illumination in the van. The operation of transport can be monitored online and further analyzed using detailed reports for past periods.
The function of configuring user notifications to email and phone allows you to take timely measures to correct the situation. Dispatchers and management immediately receive messages about violations of temperature parameters and about cases of opening the van outside the loading and unloading zones of goods.
Example of control in a satellite monitoring system
The screenshot from the dispatcher program shows how the system displays information about opening and closing the doors of the refrigerator van. This is evidenced by the increase and decrease in the level of illumination, which is recorded by the TL-BLE sensor with reference to a specific place and time. According to these data, it is possible to understand how the work regulations are observed during the transportation of products and whether unauthorized actions with the cargo occur on the way.
Result
Due to the installation of TL-BLE sensors, the management of the trading company is now always aware of the conditions of transportation of perishable products, is able to quickly respond to deviations from the required temperature parameters and detect suspicious manipulations with the cargo.
For example, one of the first sensors that was installed as part of this project helped to prevent an attempt of stealing frozen fish by an unscrupulous driver. At night, the management received a message from the monitoring system that the light level in the refrigerator van increased – at an unplanned time and in an unplanned place. Having left to check the situation, the owner of the business found the driver who was transferring the cargo to another car. The theft was stopped, and the driver was dismissed.
In general, due to the constant and accurate monitoring of the situation inside the refrigerators, the risk of melting and damage to the cargo is minimized. TL-BLE temperature and light monitoring sensors allow you to avoid losses, discipline personnel and increase the efficiency of deliveries.
This solution is a universal way to control the transportation of not only fresh frozen fish, but also other perishable food products, as well as flowers, medicines and chemical industry goods.