JP7470831B2 - Transportation method, transportation support method, transportation support device, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transportation method, a transportation support method, a transportation support device, and a program.

Currently, fruits and vegetables and other cargo are transported from shipping bases to destinations in refrigerated transport vehicles. When transporting refrigerated cargo using refrigerated transport vehicles, not only does the cargo have uneven refrigeration temperatures depending on where it is loaded inside the vehicle, but the refrigeration effect is also reduced due to full loads, mixed loads, and unloading. Furthermore, when using refrigerated transport vehicles, cargo may need to be reloaded along the way, or it may be left at room temperature when it arrives. For this reason, even if the cargo is kept refrigerated, it is difficult to maintain a low temperature until it reaches its destination.

In recent years, a technology has been proposed in which a refrigerant storage space is provided in an insulated container for storing luggage to store a refrigerant such as dry ice, ice, ice packs, or cold storage materials, and cold air is supplied from the refrigerant stored in the refrigerant storage space to the luggage (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). It is believed that by adopting such a technology, the cold air supplied from the refrigerant can maintain the low temperature of the luggage.

JP 2004-43020 A JP 2008-256336 A JP 2015-9838 A Patent No. 6436822

However, when using conventional technologies such as those described in Patent Documents 1 to 4, it is necessary to prepare a refrigerant such as dry ice in advance and to replenish or replace it during transportation, which makes the work of preparing, refilling, and replacing the refrigerant cumbersome. In addition, because a refrigerant storage space is provided inside the insulated container, the space for storing the luggage is narrowed, which reduces the luggage load and reduces the transportation efficiency.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a transportation method that can maintain a low temperature state of an object without using a refrigerant such as dry ice, and can achieve high transportation efficiency. In addition, the present invention aims to provide a method, device, and program that can accurately set pre-cooling conditions for fresh products when transporting them at room temperature, and support room temperature transportation.

To achieve the above object, the transportation method according to the present invention includes a pre-cooling step of pre-cooling an object, a surrounding step of surrounding the pre-cooled object with insulation panels, and a transport step of transporting the object surrounded by the insulation panels. In the pre-cooling step, the object can be pre-cooled to within a range of -60 to 20°C.

When this method is adopted, the pre-cooled object is surrounded by a thermal insulation panel for transportation, and the space inside the thermal insulation panel allows the object to function as a refrigerant, so that the low temperature of the object can be maintained even during transportation. Therefore, for example, even if the outside air temperature is higher than the temperature of the object, the object can be prevented from being heated by the outside air temperature, and deterioration of the quality of the object can be prevented. Also, even if the outside air temperature is lower than the temperature of the object, the object can be prevented from being supercooled by the outside air temperature, and low-temperature damage to the object (e.g., fruits and vegetables) can be prevented. Since this method does not require the use of a refrigerant such as dry ice, it is possible to eliminate the work of separately preparing a refrigerant or refilling or replacing it during transportation, and since the space for storing the refrigerant can be eliminated, the load capacity can be increased and high transportation efficiency can be achieved.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, in the pre-cooling process, when the temperature of the object when it arrives at the destination (arrival temperature) is set, the pre-cooling temperature can be set by calculating the heat transfer based on the outside air temperature, the amount of the object (bulk density or volume), the specific heat of the object, the transportation time, and the thermal resistance value of the insulation panel so that this arrival temperature is achieved.

By adopting this method, the pre-cooling temperature can be appropriately set based on the outside air temperature, etc. so that the temperature of the object when it arrives at the destination (arrival temperature) is achieved.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, in the pre-cooling step, the objects are divided into at least two groups of objects, and the groups of objects can be pre-cooled under different pre-cooling conditions. In this case, in the surrounding step, each of the groups of objects pre-cooled in the pre-cooling step can be surrounded by a different insulation panel.

By adopting this method, each group of objects can be transported at an appropriate pre-cooling temperature range to maintain freshness.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, in the pre-cooling step, the objects are divided into at least two groups of objects, and the groups of objects can be pre-cooled under different pre-cooling conditions. In this case, in the surrounding step, the groups of objects pre-cooled in the pre-cooling step can be surrounded by the same insulation panel.

By adopting this method, one group of objects acts as a cooling agent for the other group of objects, allowing the objects to be transported while maintaining their freshness as a whole. This is particularly effective when objects with different heat capacities are mixed together.

In the transportation method of the present invention, in the enclosing process, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the space inside the insulation panel can be set to 30% or more, or the density of the object inside the insulation panel can be set to 30 kg/ ^m3 or more.

When this method is adopted, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the space inside the insulation panel (volume occupancy) is set to a specific value (30%) or more, or the density of the object inside the insulation panel is set to a specific value (30 kg/ ^m3 ) or more, so that the desired refrigerant effect can be maintained. If the volume occupancy rate is less than 30% or the density is less than 30 kg/ ^m3 , the desired refrigerant effect cannot be maintained, which is not preferable.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, the enclosing step can use a heat insulating panel made of a heat insulating material having a thermal resistance of 50 ^m2 ·K/W or less.

When this method is adopted, the object is surrounded by insulation panels made of insulation material having a specific thermal resistance (50 ^m2 ·K/W or less), so that the insulation effect can be effectively maintained.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, the surrounding step can use an insulation panel made of an insulation material having a thermal resistance of 0.3 ^m2 ·K/W or more per 10 mm thickness.

By adopting this method, it is possible to ensure thermal resistance even if the thickness of the insulation panel is reduced, and it is possible to increase the transport capacity.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, the surrounding step can use an insulation panel made of an insulation material having a bending strength of 0.15 N/mm ² or more.

When this method is adopted, the object is surrounded by an insulation panel made of an insulation material having a specific bending strength (0.15 N/ ^mm2 or more), which prevents deformation of the insulation panel during transportation and absorbs vibration and impact to prevent crushing, thereby reliably protecting the object and effectively maintaining the insulation effect.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, in the enclosing step, the object can be enclosed in an airtight enclosure made of insulating panels with a gas exchange rate of 1 time per hour or less.

When this method is adopted, the object is surrounded by a case made of insulating panels and having a specific airtightness (gas exchange rate of 1 time/hour or less), so the gas concentration (e.g., _CO2 concentration) inside the case can be controlled. Therefore, for example, if the object is fruit or vegetables, the respiration of the fruit or vegetables can be suppressed to maintain their freshness.

The transportation support method according to the present invention is a method executed by a computer to support the transportation of fresh produce at room temperature, and includes an acquisition step of acquiring request information including information on the type and quantity of fresh produce and information on the transportation destination, a calculation step of calculating pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh produce based on the request information, and an output step of outputting the pre-cooling conditions.

The program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the transportation support method already described.

The transportation support device according to the present invention is a device for supporting the transportation of fresh products at room temperature, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires request information including information on the type and amount of fresh products and information on the transportation destination, a calculation unit that calculates pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh products based on the request information, and an output unit that outputs the pre-cooling conditions. Note that "room temperature transportation" in this specification includes transportation without cooling or heating. For example, transportation may be performed using a transportation means that does not have a cooling device, or a transportation means that does not have a heating device.

By adopting such a configuration and method, it is possible to obtain request information including information regarding the type and quantity of fresh products and information regarding the transport destination, calculate pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh products based on this obtained request information, and output these calculated pre-cooling conditions. Therefore, it is possible to output appropriate pre-cooling conditions using the request information provided by the requester as input, and provide these output pre-cooling conditions to the fresh product storage. Then, the storage person who receives such pre-cooling conditions can appropriately pre-cool the fresh products before shipping using the appropriate pre-cooling conditions, making it possible to maintain the quality of the fresh products at the transport destination.

In the calculation step in the transportation support method according to the present invention, the transportation time required to transport fresh produce to a transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transportation are calculated based on the request information, and the pre-cooling conditions can be calculated based on the transportation time and the temperature fluctuation. Here, the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transportation can be calculated based on the incoming heat entering the inside of a container for transporting the fresh produce during transportation, and the weight and specific heat of the fresh produce stored in the container. The incoming heat can be calculated based on the air temperatures inside and outside the container, and the heat transfer area and overall heat transfer coefficient of the container. The overall heat transfer coefficient can be calculated based on the heat transfer coefficients inside and outside the container, and the thickness and thermal conductivity of the insulating material that constitutes the container.

By adopting this method, the transportation time required to transport the fresh produce to the transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transportation can be calculated based on the request information, and the pre-cooling conditions can be calculated based on the transportation time and temperature fluctuation. At this time, the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transportation can be accurately calculated based on information about the container in which the fresh produce is transported (heat transfer coefficient inside and outside the container, air temperatures inside and outside the container, thickness and thermal conductivity of the insulating material that makes up the container) and the weight and specific heat of the fresh produce stored in the container. Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately calculate the pre-cooling conditions.

In the calculation process of the transportation support method according to the present invention, the pre-cooling conditions can be calculated so that the temperature of the fresh produce when it arrives at the transportation destination (or the accumulated temperature of the fresh produce until it arrives at the transportation destination) is less than a predetermined threshold value.

By adopting this method, it is possible to accurately calculate pre-cooling conditions so that the temperature of the fresh produce when it arrives at the transport destination (or the accumulated temperature of the fresh produce up to the time it arrives at the transport destination) is below a predetermined threshold.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a transportation method that can maintain the low temperature of an object without using a refrigerant such as dry ice and can achieve high transportation efficiency. It is also possible to provide a method, device, and program that can accurately set pre-cooling conditions for fresh products when transporting them at room temperature and support room temperature transportation.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a heat-insulating container used in the transportation method according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled insulated container used in the transportation method according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a state in which a support member is placed on a base of an insulated container used in a transportation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which each part of the insulated container used in the transportation method according to the embodiment of the present invention is stacked to reduce its volume. 1 is a functional block diagram for explaining a functional configuration of a transportation support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining a physical configuration of a transportation support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a flowchart illustrating each step of a transportation support method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely preferred application examples, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to these.

<Transportation method>
First, a transportation method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The transportation method according to this embodiment is a method for transporting a predetermined object in a pre-cooled state, and includes a pre-cooling step of pre-cooling the object, a surrounding step of surrounding the pre-cooled object with insulation panels, and a transport step of transporting the object surrounded by the insulation panels. The object is, for example, fruit and vegetables, meat, fresh fish, beverages, processed foods, grains, cosmetics, medicines, flowers, tea leaves, coffee beans, etc., and also includes a state in which these are stored in a case (such as a cardboard box or an iron container).

In the pre-cooling process, the object is pre-cooled within the range of -60 to 20°C. For example, if the object is fresh fruit or vegetables, it is pre-cooled within the range of 0 to 15°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is meat or fresh fish, it is pre-cooled within the range of -60 to 10°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is a beverage (such as canned coffee or paper-packaged beverages), it is pre-cooled within the range of -5 to 5°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is a processed food (such as refrigerated foods), it is pre-cooled within the range of -5 to 5°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is a grain (such as rice or wheat), it is pre-cooled within the range of -5 to 5°C in the pre-cooling process. If the object is a cosmetic, it is pre-cooled within a range of -20 to 20°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is a pharmaceutical product, it is pre-cooled within a range of -60 to 10°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is flowers, it is pre-cooled within a range of 0 to 15°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is tea leaves, it is pre-cooled within a range of -20 to 15°C in the pre-cooling process; if the object is coffee beans, it is pre-cooled within a range of -20 to 15°C in the pre-cooling process.

In the pre-cooling process, when the temperature of the object when it arrives at the destination (arrival temperature) is set, the pre-cooling temperature can be set by calculating heat transfer based on the outside air temperature, the amount of the object (bulk density or volume), the specific heat of the object, the transportation time, and the thermal resistance value of the insulation panel so that this arrival temperature is achieved. In this way, the pre-cooling temperature can be appropriately set based on the outside air temperature, etc. so that the temperature of the object when it arrives at the destination (arrival temperature) is achieved. Also, in the pre-cooling process, the objects can be divided into at least two object groups, and the object groups can be pre-cooled under different pre-cooling conditions.

In the enclosing process, the group of objects pre-cooled in the pre-cooling process can be enclosed with different insulation panels. For example, cabbage and carrots pre-cooled to 5°C can be placed in a first insulated container, peppers and tomatoes pre-cooled to 10°C can be placed in a second insulated container, and onions pre-cooled to 1°C can be placed in a third insulated container, and these first, second, and third insulated containers can be transported in a single transport vehicle. In this way, the group of objects can be transported at the appropriate pre-cooling temperature range to maintain freshness (in contrast, transportation using conventional refrigerated vehicles can only transport objects at one pre-cooling temperature range).

In addition, in the enclosing process, the group of objects pre-cooled in the pre-cooling process can be enclosed in the same insulating panel. In this way, one group of objects acts as an ice pack for the other group of objects, allowing the objects to be transported while maintaining their freshness as a whole. This is particularly effective when objects with different heat capacities are mixed. For example, a group of objects that are unlikely to change temperature and pre-cooled to 3°C (such as potatoes) and a group of objects that are easily changed in temperature and pre-cooled to 1°C (such as spinach and other leafy vegetables) can be mixed and transported in a single insulated container.

In the surrounding process, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the space inside the insulation panel (volume occupancy) is set to 30% or more, or the density of the object inside the insulation panel is set to ³⁰ kg/m3 or more. Since the volume occupancy of the object is set to a specific value or more in this way, or the density of the object is set to a specific value or more, a desired refrigerant effect can be maintained. If the volume occupancy is less than 30% or the density is less than 30 kg/ ^m3 , it is not preferable because the desired refrigerant effect cannot be maintained.

In the enclosing process, a heat insulating panel made of a heat insulating material having a thermal resistance of 50 ^m2 ·K/W or less is used. Since the object is surrounded by a heat insulating panel made of a heat insulating material having a specific thermal resistance, the heat insulating effect can be effectively maintained. In addition, in the enclosing process, a heat insulating panel made of a heat insulating material having a thermal resistance of 0.3 ^m2 ·K/W or more per 10 mm of thickness can be used. In this way, the heat resistance can be ensured even if the thickness of the heat insulating panel is thin, and the space for storing luggage can be increased.

In addition, in the surrounding process, a heat insulating panel made of a heat insulating material having a bending strength of 0.15 N/ ^mm2 or more is used. Since the object is surrounded by a heat insulating panel made of a heat insulating material having a specific bending strength, deformation of the heat insulating panel during transportation can be suppressed, and vibration and impact can be absorbed to suppress crushing, so that the object can be reliably protected and the heat insulating effect can be effectively maintained. In addition, in the surrounding process, the object is surrounded by a housing made of a heat insulating panel and having an airtightness with a gas exchange rate of 1 time/hour or less. Since the object is surrounded by a housing having a specific airtightness, the gas concentration (e.g., _CO2 concentration) inside the housing can be controlled. Therefore, for example, when the object is fruit or vegetables, the respiration of the fruit or vegetables can be suppressed to maintain freshness.

<Insulated container>
Here, the configuration of a heat-insulating container 1 used in the transportation method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

1 and 2, the insulated container 1 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped insulated container including a front plate 10, a rear plate 20, a pair of left and right side plates 30, a bottom plate 40, and a top plate 50, which are made of insulating material panels. As already mentioned, the insulating material panels that make up the front plate 10, rear plate 20, side plates 30, bottom plate 40, and top plate 50 are made of insulating material having a thermal resistance of ⁵⁰ m2·K/W or less and a bending strength of 0.15 N/ ^mm2 or more.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the front plate 10 is a flat plate having a predetermined thickness and a generally rectangular shape in plan view. In this embodiment, the front plate 10 is an upper front plate 11 arranged above the insulated container 1, and a lower front plate 12 arranged below the insulated container 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower front plate 12 is configured to fit into a groove 61 formed in a base 60 installed at a predetermined location and rise vertically upward, and the upper front plate 11 is configured to be arranged above the lower front plate 12 and rise vertically upward. The edges of the upper front plate 11 and the lower front plate 12 are connected to each other via hook-and-loop fasteners 70, which will be described later.

The heights of the upper front panel 11 and the lower front panel 12 are approximately the same, but the width of the upper front panel 11 is set slightly larger than the width of the lower front panel 12 (by twice the thickness of the side panel 30). The height, thickness, and width of the front panel 10 can be set appropriately depending on the size of the insulated container 1, the type of object to be stored in the insulated container 1, the strength of the insulation panel that makes up the front panel 10, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rear plate 20 is a flat plate having a predetermined thickness and a generally rectangular shape in a plan view, which is foldable. In this embodiment, the rear plate 20 has a first rear plate portion 21 disposed generally perpendicular to the bottom plate 40, a second rear plate portion 22 connected to an edge portion 21a of the first rear plate portion 21 opposite the bottom plate 40 via a film 24 and bendable toward the inside of the container relative to the first rear plate portion 21, and a third rear plate portion 23 connected to an edge portion 22a of the second rear plate portion 22 opposite the first rear plate portion 21 via a film 25 and bendable toward the inside of the container relative to the second rear plate portion 22. The film 24 is attached to the inner surfaces of the edges of the first rear plate portion 21 and the second rear plate portion 22 so as to enable folding of the second rear plate portion 22 toward the inside of the container relative to the first rear plate portion 21. The film 25 is attached to the inner surface of each edge of the second rear plate portion 22 and the third rear plate portion 23 so as to enable folding of the third rear plate portion 23 toward the inside of the container relative to the second rear plate portion 22.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the first rear plate portion 21 is fitted into a groove 62 formed in a base 60 arranged at a predetermined location, and is configured to rise vertically upward to approximately the same height as the second support portion 82 of the support member 80 described later. As shown in Fig. 4, the second rear plate portion 22 functions to cover the upper part of the laminate P consisting of the front plate 10, the side plate 30, and the top plate 50, and has approximately the same area as the bottom plate 40. As shown in Fig. 4, the third rear plate portion 23 functions to cover the front of the laminate P consisting of the front plate 10, the side plate 30, and the top plate 50, and has an area slightly smaller than that of the first rear plate portion 21. The height, thickness, and width of the entire rear plate 20 can be appropriately set depending on the size of the insulated container 1, the type of object to be stored in the insulated container 1, the strength of the insulation panel that constitutes the rear plate 20, etc.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the side plate 30 is a flat plate having a predetermined thickness and a generally rectangular shape in plan view. In this embodiment, the side plate 30 is an upper side plate 31 arranged above the insulated container 1 and a lower side plate 32 arranged below the insulated container 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower side plate 32 is configured to fit into a groove 63 formed in a base 60 installed at a predetermined location and rise vertically upward, and the upper side plate 31 is configured to be arranged above the lower side plate 32 and rise vertically upward. The edges of the upper side plate 31 and the lower side plate 32 are connected to each other via hook-and-loop fasteners 70 described below.

The height of the upper side plate 31 and the lower side plate 32 are approximately the same, but the width of the lower side plate 32 is set slightly larger (by the thickness of the front plate 10) than the width of the upper side plate 31. The height, thickness, and width of the side plate 30 can be set appropriately depending on the size of the insulated container 1, the type of object to be stored in the insulated container 1, the strength of the insulation panels that make up the side plate 30, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom plate 40 is a flat plate having a predetermined thickness and a generally rectangular shape in plan view, and is fixed in a generally rectangular area (see FIG. 3) surrounded by grooves 61, 62, and 63 on the upper surface of a base 60 that is installed in a predetermined location. The thickness and length of each side of the bottom plate 40 can be set appropriately depending on the size of the insulated container 1, the type of object to be stored in the insulated container 1, the strength of the insulating panels that make up the bottom plate 40, etc.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the top plate 50 is a flat plate having a predetermined thickness and is generally rectangular in plan view, and is disposed above the front plate 10, rear plate 20, and side plate 30. The thickness and length of each side of the top plate 50 can be appropriately set according to the size of the insulated container 1, the type of object to be stored in the insulated container 1, the strength of the insulating panels that make up the top plate 50, etc.

The edges of the front panel 10, rear panel 20, side panel 30, and top panel 50 are connected to each other via hook-and-loop fasteners 70 (shaded areas in FIG. 2). The width W of the hook-and-loop fasteners 70 along each edge is set to 2% or more of the length L of each edge. Since the width of the hook-and-loop fasteners 70 is set to a specific value (2% or more of the length of each edge) in this manner, the insulating function and airtightness of the insulated container 1 can be maintained, and the leakage of heat and gas from the insulated container 1 can be suppressed. In addition, the front panel 10, side panel 30, and top panel 50 are stacked on the first support portion 81 of the support member 80 (described later) in a mutually separated state as shown in FIG. 4 to form a stack P.

As shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, the insulated container 1 is provided with a support member 80 that functions as a guide when loading objects to be stored in the container. The support member 80 is configured by rigidly joining a flat first support portion 81 made of a rigid material and a flat second support portion 82 made of a rigid material in an L-shaped cross section. In this embodiment, the first support portion 81 of the support member 80 is fixed to the bottom plate 40 in a state where it is stacked on the bottom plate 40 approximately parallel (approximately horizontally) as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The second support portion 82 of the support member 80 is arranged near the first rear plate portion 21 of the rear plate 20 as shown in Fig. 1, and is configured to rise vertically upward to approximately the same height as the height of the stack P (when all parts are arranged) arranged on the first support portion 81 as shown in Fig. 4.

The first support portion 81 and the second support portion 82 of the support member 80 have a bending rigidity of 700 N/mm or more. Since the bending rigidity of the first support portion 81 and the second support portion 82 is set to a specific value in this way, deformation or damage to the support member 80 during loading can be suppressed, and damage to the insulated container 1 that causes heat and gas inside the container to leak can be suppressed. The bending rigidity of the first support portion 81 and the second support portion 82 is preferably 2500 N/mm or more. The material of the support member 80 may be any material that achieves the above bending rigidity, and for example, a metal material or the like can be used.

<How to use the insulated container>
Next, a method of using the insulated container 1 in each step of the transportation method according to this embodiment will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom plate 40 constituting the insulated container 1 is placed and fixed on the pedestal 60 placed in a predetermined location, and the first support part 81 of the support member 80 is placed and fixed on the bottom plate 40. Next, the object is loaded on the first support part 81 of the support member 80 using the second support part 82 as a guide, and in this state, it is pre-cooled by ventilation in a pre-cooling box (pre-cooling process).

Next, the lower front panel 12, the first rear panel portion 21 of the rear panel 20, and the lower side panel 32 that constitute the insulated container 1 are fitted into the grooves 61, 62, and 63 of the base 60, respectively, and raised vertically upward, and then the upper front panel 11 and the upper side panel 31 are placed above the lower front panel 12 and the lower side panel 32, respectively, to cover the luggage from all sides, and the edges of the front panel 10, rear panel 20, and side panel 30 are connected to each other using hook-and-loop fasteners 70. Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the top panel 50 is placed above the front panel 10, rear panel 20, and side panel 30, and the top panel 50 is connected to the front panel 10, rear panel 20, and side panel 30 using hook-and-loop fasteners 70 to seal the insulated container 1. This causes the pre-cooled object to be surrounded by the insulation panels (surrounding process).

After this, the insulated container 1 containing the object is transported to the specified destination using a refrigerated transport vehicle or the like (transportation process).

When the object is transported to a specified destination using the insulated container 1, the top plate 50 of the insulated container 1 is first removed, and then the front plate 10 and the side plate 30 are removed from the grooves 61 and 63 of the base 60, respectively, to form a laminate P consisting of the front plate 10, the side plate 30, and the top plate 50, as shown in FIG. 4. Next, the laminate P is loaded onto the first support portion 81 of the support member 80, using the second support portion 82 as a guide. At this time, the height of the second support portion 82 of the support member 80 is approximately the same as the height of the laminate P when all parts are present, so that any missing plates that make up the laminate P can be easily recognized visually.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the second rear plate portion 22 of the rear plate 20 is folded toward the inside of the container relative to the first rear plate portion 21 to cover the top of the stack P, and further, the third rear plate portion 23 of the rear plate 20 is folded toward the inside of the container relative to the second rear plate portion 22 to cover the front of the stack P. This ensures that the stack (front plate 10, side plate 30, top plate 50) P is protected, and the insulated container 1 is stored in a specified location in this state.

<Action and effect>
In the transportation method according to the embodiment described above, the pre-cooled object is surrounded by the insulation panels (front panel 10, rear panel 20, side panel 30, bottom panel 40, and top panel 50) and transported, so that the object can function as a refrigerant in the space inside the insulation panels (internal space of the insulated container 1), and the low temperature state of the object can be maintained even during transportation. Therefore, even if the outside air temperature is higher than the temperature of the object, for example, the object can be prevented from being heated by the outside air temperature, and the quality deterioration of the object can be prevented. Also, even if the outside air temperature is lower than the temperature of the object, the object can be prevented from being supercooled by the outside air temperature, and low temperature damage of the object (for example, fruits and vegetables) can be prevented. In this method, since it is not necessary to use a refrigerant such as dry ice, the work of separately preparing a refrigerant or refilling or replacing it during transportation can be omitted, and the refrigerant storage space can be omitted, so that the load capacity of the cargo can be increased and high transportation efficiency can be achieved.

In addition, in the transportation method according to the embodiment described above, the ratio (bulk occupancy rate) of the volume of the object to the total volume of the space inside the insulation panel (the internal space of the insulated container 1) is set to a specific value (30%) or more, or the density of the object inside the insulation panel (inside the insulated container 1) is set to a specific value (30 kg/ ^m3 ) or more, so that the desired refrigerant effect can be maintained.

Furthermore, in the transportation method according to the embodiment described above, the object is surrounded by insulation panels (front panel 10, rear panel 20, side panels 30, bottom panel ⁴⁰ and top panel 50) made of insulation material having a specific thermal resistance (50 m2·K/W or less), so that the insulation effect can be effectively maintained.

Furthermore, in the transportation method according to the embodiment described above, the object is surrounded by insulation panels (front panel 10, rear panel 20, side panels 30, bottom panel 40, and top panel ⁵⁰ ) made of insulation material having a specific bending strength (0.15 N/mm2 or more), which prevents deformation of the insulation panels during transportation and absorbs vibrations and impacts to prevent crushing, thereby reliably protecting the object and effectively maintaining the insulation effect.

In the transportation method according to the embodiment described above, the object is surrounded by a case (insulated container 1) made of insulating panels and having a specific airtightness (gas exchange rate of 1 time/hour or less), so the gas concentration (e.g., _CO2 concentration) inside the case can be controlled. Therefore, for example, when the object is fruit or vegetables, the respiration of the fruit or vegetables can be suppressed to maintain their freshness.

<Modification of the Insulated Container>
In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the support member 80 having an L-shaped cross section and the heat insulating panel were separate members, but the support member can also serve as part of the heat insulating panel (part of the support member can be made up of the heat insulating panel). In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the support member 80 having an L-shaped cross section was used, but such a support member is not essential, and the object can be surrounded by only the heat insulating panel. In this case, it is preferable to surround the object with a housing having a specific airtightness and made up of a heat insulating panel having a specific thermal resistance and bending rigidity. In addition, when surrounding the object with the heat insulating panel, it is preferable to set the volume occupancy rate of the object to a specific value or more, or to set the density of the object to a specific value or more.

Next, we will explain an example of the present invention.

Example 1
In this embodiment, the target object was fruits and vegetables (cabbage, carrots, radishes, etc.) stored in a rectangular parallelepiped cardboard box with a volume of 0.047 ^m3 . First, the target object was pre-cooled by ventilation at 5°C in a pre-cooling chamber so that the temperature at the time of arrival was 15°C or less (pre-cooling process). Next, the pre-cooled target object was enclosed in an airtight insulated container with a gas exchange rate of ¹ time/hour, which was made of an insulating material panel with a thermal resistance of 2.5 ^m2 ·K/W and a bending strength of 0.45 N/mm2 (enclosing process). In the enclosing process, the ratio of the volume of the target object to the total volume of the internal space of the insulated container (bulk occupancy rate) was set to 96%, and the density of the target object inside the insulated container was set to 250 kg/ ^m3 . Then, the target object stored in the insulated container was transported from the shipping base to the destination by a transport vehicle (transportation process). The total transportation time was 48 hours. The average outside temperature during transportation was 25°C. In this embodiment, the temperature of the object when it landed was 11° C., and the target temperature when it landed was achieved. In addition, when the temperature of the object was measured at regular intervals, no sudden temperature increase was observed. Furthermore, in this embodiment, no deterioration of the object was observed.

Example 2
First, the same object as in Example 1 was pre-cooled by ventilation at 5°C in a pre-cooler so that the arrival temperature would be 15°C or less (pre-cooling process). Next, the pre-cooled object was enclosed in an airtight insulated container with a gas exchange rate of 1 time/hour, which was made of an insulating material panel with a thermal resistance of 1.5 ^m2 ·K/W and a bending strength of 0.25 N/ ^mm2 (enclosing process). In the enclosing process, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the internal space of the insulated container (bulk occupancy rate) was set to 96%, and the density of the object inside the insulated container was set to 250 kg/ ^m3 . Then, the object stored in the insulated container was transported by a transport vehicle from the shipping base to the destination (transportation process). The total transportation time was 48 hours. The average outside air temperature during transportation was 25°C. In this embodiment, the arrival temperature of the object was 13°C, and the target arrival temperature was achieved. In addition, when the temperature of the object was measured at regular intervals, no sudden temperature increase was observed. Furthermore, in this example, no degradation of the object was observed.

Example 3
First, the same object as in Example 1 was pre-cooled by ventilation at 5°C in a pre-cooling chamber (pre-cooling process). Next, the pre-cooled object was enclosed in an insulated container made of an insulating material panel with a bending strength of 0.14 N/ ^mm2 (enclosing process). In the enclosing process, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the internal space of the insulated container (bulk occupancy rate) was set to 96%, and the density of the object inside the insulated container was set to 250 kg/ ^m3 . Then, the object stored in the insulated container was transported from the shipping base to the destination by a transport vehicle (transportation process). The total transportation time was 48 hours. The average outside air temperature during transportation was 25°C. In this embodiment, the temperature of the object at the time of arrival was 13°C, and the target temperature at the time of arrival was achieved. On the other hand, when the temperature of the object was measured at regular intervals, there was a time period in which the temperature increase rate was large. This is presumed to be due to the outside air entering the insulated container due to the impact during transportation. No deterioration was observed in the object.

Example 4
First, the same object as in Example 1 was pre-cooled by ventilation at 5°C in a pre-cooling chamber (pre-cooling process). Next, the pre-cooled object was enclosed in an airtight insulated container composed of an insulating panel with a thickness of ⁵⁰ mm, a thermal resistance of 2.5 ^m2 ·K/W, and a bending strength of 0.45 N/mm2, and a gas exchange rate of 2 times/hour (enclosing process). In the enclosing process, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the internal space of the insulated container (bulk occupancy rate) was set to 96%, and the density of the object inside the insulated container was set to 250 kg/ ^m3 . Then, the object stored in the insulated container was transported by a transport vehicle from the shipping base to the destination (transportation process). The total transportation time was 40 hours. The average outside air temperature during transportation was 25°C. In this example, the arrival temperature of the object was 15°C, and it was found that the target arrival temperature could be achieved if the transportation time was shorter than that of Example 1. No deterioration was observed in the object.

Example 5
First, the same object as in Example 1 was pre-cooled by ventilation at 5°C in a pre-cooling chamber (pre-cooling process). Next, the pre-cooled object was enclosed in an airtight insulated container with a gas exchange rate of 1 time/hour, which was made of an insulating material panel with a thickness of ⁵⁰ mm, a thermal resistance of 2.5 m2·K/W, and a bending strength of 0.45 N/ ^mm2 (enclosing process). In the enclosing process, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the internal space of the insulated container (bulk occupancy rate) was set to 39%, and the density of the object inside the insulated container was set to 29 kg/ ^m3 . Then, the object stored in the insulated container was transported by a transport vehicle from the shipping base to the destination (transportation process). The total transportation time was 10 hours. The average outside air temperature during transportation was 25°C. In this example, the temperature at the time of arrival of the object was 14°C, and it was found that the target temperature at the time of arrival could be achieved if the transportation time was shorter than that of Example 1. No deterioration was observed in the object.

Comparative Example
First, the same object as in Example 1 was pre-cooled by ventilation at 5°C in a pre-cooling chamber (pre-cooling step). Next, the pre-cooled object was enclosed in a container (thickness 10 mm, thermal resistance 0.0002 ^m2 ·K/W, bending strength 270 N/ ^mm2 , gas exchange rate 1 time/hour) without a heat insulating panel (enclosing step). In the enclosing step, the ratio of the volume of the object to the total volume of the internal space of the container (bulk occupancy rate) was set to 96%, and the density of the object inside the container was set to 250 kg/ ^m3 . Then, the object stored in the container was transported by a transport vehicle from the shipping base to the destination (transportation step). The total transportation time was 48 hours. The average outside air temperature during transportation was 25°C. In the comparative example, the temperature of the object when it arrived was 25°C, which was much higher than that of Example 1, and about 10% of the object was deteriorated.

<Transportation Support Device>
Next, the functional configuration of the transportation support device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The transport support device 100 according to this embodiment is for supporting the normal temperature transport of pre-cooled fresh produce, and includes an information acquisition unit 101 for acquiring various information such as request information sent from a requester C, an information calculation unit 102 for calculating various information such as pre-cooling conditions, an information output unit 103 for outputting various information such as pre-cooling conditions calculated by the information calculation unit 102 to a custodian P, and various databases 104 (request information database 104A, fresh produce information database 104B, transport information database 104C, packaging information database 104D) for recording various information. In this embodiment, "fresh produce" refers to food that deteriorates due to temperature changes during transport, and includes, for example, fruits and vegetables (vegetables and fruits), meat, fresh fish, grains, tea leaves, coffee beans, flowers, etc. In this embodiment, "fresh produce" also includes frozen foods.

The information acquisition unit 101 functions to acquire request information sent from the requester C and accept various information input by the user of the transportation support device 100, and is composed of a communication unit 140 (described later in FIG. 6) and an input unit 150 (described later in FIG. 6). As shown in FIG. 5, the request information is input from a terminal U _C owned by the requester C through a communication network N to the information acquisition unit 101 of the transportation support device 100. As the terminal U _C , various electronic devices (desktop PC, notebook PC, smartphone, etc.) having an information display unit, an information input unit, and a communication means can be adopted. The communication network N is an information communication network capable of connecting multiple computers to each other, and may be, for example, a global information communication network such as the Internet. The request information acquired through the information acquisition unit 101 is stored in a request information database 104A.

The request information includes information on the type and amount of fresh produce. For example, the request information includes "cucumbers (600 kg)," "green peppers (300 kg)," "eggplant (200 kg)," "lettuce (200 kg)," and "potatoes (150 kg)." In this embodiment, fresh produce information (e.g., "respiratory heat" and "frictional heat") related to fresh produce with high respiration rates such as "corn" and "okra" and fresh produce that is easily rubbed by vibration during transportation such as "soybeans" is recorded in the fresh produce information database 104B. When these fresh produce are included in the request information, the fresh produce information related to the fresh produce is read from the fresh produce information database 104B and used to calculate the pre-cooling conditions described below. The request information also includes information related to the transportation destination (such as the location information of the transportation destination).

The information calculation unit 102 functions to calculate pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling fresh produce based on the request information acquired by the information acquisition unit 101 and information (fresh produce information, transport information, packaging information) read from various databases 104 based on the request information. Specifically, the information calculation unit 102 calculates the transport time required to transport the fresh produce to the transport destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transport, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions based on the transport time and the temperature fluctuation.

The transportation time required to transport fresh produce to the transportation destination can be calculated based on the information on the transportation destination included in the request information, as well as on the initial information (location information of the storage location of the fresh produce, specifications of the transportation vehicle, etc.) that has been set in advance, and on various transportation-related information (transportation route, transportation distance, etc.) that has been set based on the information on the transportation destination, etc. These initial information and transportation-related information are recorded as transportation information in the transportation information database 104C, and when information on the transportation destination is input as request information, the transportation information on the transportation destination is read from the transportation information database 104C. For example, if the location information of the storage location of the fresh produce is "Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture," the location information of the transportation destination is "Ota Ward (Ota Market), Tokyo," and the transportation route is "land and sea," the expected transportation distance can be calculated as "1,050 km," and the average cruising speed is assumed to be "70 km/h" based on the specifications of the transportation vehicle, so the transportation time is calculated as "15 hours."

The temperature change of fresh produce during transportation can be calculated based on the heat entering the insulated container 1 (see Figures 1 to 4) during transportation, and the weight and specific heat of the fresh produce stored in the insulated container 1. Here, the heat entering the insulated container 1 during transportation can be calculated based on the air temperatures inside and outside the insulated container 1, and the heat transfer area and heat transfer coefficient of the insulated container 1. The heat transfer coefficient of the insulated container 1 can be calculated based on the heat transfer coefficients inside and outside the insulated container 1, and the thickness and thermal conductivity of the insulating material that constitutes the insulated container 1. The heat entering can also be a negative value. In other words, if heat is released from the insulated container 1 during transportation, the heat entering will be a negative value.

The overall heat transfer coefficient _CHTR of the insulated container 1 is determined by the design specifications of the insulated container 1. In other words, if the heat transfer coefficient inside the insulated container 1 is _CHTI , the heat transfer coefficient outside the insulated container 1 is _CHTO , the thickness of the insulation panels (the front panel 10, rear panel 20, side panel 30, bottom panel 40, and top panel 50 already mentioned) that make up the insulated container 1 is T _H , and the thermal conductivity of the insulation panels is C _TC , then the overall heat transfer coefficient _CHTR of the insulated container 1 is calculated by the following formula (1).
C _HTR = 1 / {1 / C _HTO + ( T _H / C _TC )} + 1 / C _HTI ... (1)
Once the design specifications of the insulated container 1 have been finalized, the user of the transportation support device 100 can calculate the overall heat transfer coefficient C _HTR of the insulated container 1, input the value via the information acquisition unit 101, and record it as packaging information in the packaging information database 104D installed in the transportation support device D.

In addition, if the air temperature inside the insulated container 1 is I _T , the air temperature outside the insulated container 1 is O _T , and the heat transfer area of the insulated container 1 is A _T , the incoming heat H _P entering the inside of the insulated container 1 during transportation is calculated by the following formula (2).
_HP = ( _{OT -IT} ) x _AT x _CHTR ... (2)
The heat transfer area A _T of the insulated container 1 can also be recorded in advance as packaging information in the packaging information database 104D. The temperature I _T inside the insulated container 1 can be the product temperature (for example, one hour before the calculation) of the fresh product stored in the insulated container 1. The temperature O _T outside the insulated container 1 can be the temperature of the transport destination input as the request information.

Then, assuming that the weight of the fresh produce stored in the insulated container 1 is W and the specific heat of the fresh produce is S, the temperature fluctuation ΔT of the fresh produce during transportation is calculated by the following formula (3).
ΔT = (H _P /W) × S ... (3)
The specific heat S of a fresh product is recorded as fresh product information in fresh product information database 104B, and when the type of fresh product is input as request information, the specific heat S of the fresh product is read from fresh product information database 104B and used to calculate the temperature fluctuation. If the fresh product is a vegetable, its specific heat S can be assumed to be the same value as the specific heat of water.

The temperature fluctuation may take into consideration the heat of respiration generated by the fresh produce per unit time. Such heat of respiration may be a constant value or may be expressed as a function of the temperature inside the box, _CO2 concentration, etc. Specific values of the heat of respiration may be, for example, values described in Journal of the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery 55(2): 69-75, 1993 69. The temperature fluctuation may take into consideration frictional heat during transportation. Such frictional heat can be calculated from the friction coefficient for each variety, the surface pressure according to the packaging state of the fresh produce, the speed of movement, the amount of frictional heat per unit movement, etc.

In this way, the pre-cooling conditions can be calculated using information about the heat of respiration and heat of friction of the fresh produce, which is set based on the request information (information about the fresh produce). Therefore, even when the fresh produce is a product with a high respiration rate, such as "corn" or "okra," and therefore the "heat of respiration" cannot be ignored, or when the fresh produce is a product that is easily rubbed due to vibration during transportation, such as "soybeans," and therefore the "heat of friction" cannot be ignored, the pre-cooling conditions can be accurately calculated.

The information calculation unit 102 can calculate the temperature fluctuation ΔT of the fresh product during transportation using the above formulas (1) to (3) based on the request information acquired by the information acquisition unit 101 and the information read from the various databases 104 based on the request information. When the temperature fluctuation ΔT is positive, it is also called a "temperature increase", and when ΔT is negative, it is also called a "temperature decrease". The information calculation unit 102 then calculates the pre-cooling conditions based on the temperature fluctuation ΔT calculated in this way and the transportation time calculated separately. At this time, the information calculation unit 102 can calculate the pre-cooling conditions so that the temperature of the fresh product at the time of arrival at the transportation destination (arrival temperature) satisfies a predetermined condition. As an example, the information calculation unit 102 can calculate the pre-cooling conditions so that the arrival temperature is less than a predetermined threshold value. For example, if the fresh product is a potato and the temperature fluctuation ΔT after the calculated transportation time has elapsed is "5°C", the initial product temperature T ₀ of the potato is set (calculated) to "5°C" so that the arrival temperature of the potato is less than a predetermined threshold value (10°C). The initial product temperature _T0 here is an example of a pre-cooling condition. The threshold value used here can be recorded in the fresh product information database 104B for each type of fresh product.

The information calculation unit 102 can also calculate the pre-cooling conditions so that the accumulated temperature of the fresh product until it arrives at the transportation destination satisfies a predetermined condition. As an example, the pre-cooling conditions can be calculated so that the accumulated temperature is less than a predetermined threshold value. In this case, the information calculation unit 102 calculates the temperature fluctuations ΔT ₁ , ΔT ₂ , ..., ΔT _N of the fresh product for each preset time, for example, every hour from the start of transportation, calculates the product temperatures T ₁ , T ₂ , ..., T _N of the fresh product for each hour based on each temperature fluctuation ΔT ₁ , ΔT ₂ , ..., and calculates the accumulated temperature ΣT by accumulating these product temperatures T ₁ , T ₂ , ..., T _N of the fresh product for each hour until the transportation is completed. The product temperature T ₁ of the fresh product one hour after the start of transportation is obtained by adding the temperature fluctuation ΔT ₁ from 0 to 1 hour to the initial product temperature T ₀ . Further, the fresh product temperature T ₂ two hours after the start of transportation is obtained by adding the temperature fluctuation ΔT ₂ from one to two hours to the product temperature T ₁ one hour later. Similarly, the fresh product temperature T _{N N N} hours after the start of transportation is obtained by adding the temperature fluctuation ΔT _N from (N-1) to N hours to the product temperature T _N-1 from (N-1) hours later. The information calculation unit 102 calculates the accumulated temperature ΣT by integrating the fresh product temperatures T ₁ , T ₂ , ..., T _N for each hour until the transportation is completed, and can set (calculate) the initial product temperature T ₀ of the fresh product so that the calculated accumulated temperature ΣT is less than a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value used here can also be recorded in the fresh product information database 104B for each type of fresh product.

In order to optimize the arrival temperature (or accumulated temperature) of the fresh product, the information calculation unit 102 can also repeat the simulation by changing the initial product temperature T ₀ once set. For example, in a case where the arrival temperature of a certain fresh product is calculated to be "5°C" when the initial product temperature T ₀ is set to "0°C", the arrival temperature is calculated to be "10°C" when the initial product temperature T ₀ is set to "5°C", and the arrival temperature is calculated to be "15°C" when the initial product temperature T ₀ is set to "10°C", if it is determined that the quality of the fresh product will not deteriorate if it is below "10°C", deterioration of the fresh product upon arrival at the transportation destination can be avoided even if the initial product temperature T ₀ is not set to "0°C", so that unnecessary pre-cooling can be avoided by setting the initial product temperature T ₀ to "5°C". Note that the information calculation unit 102 can also change the content amount (kg) of the fresh product and the design specifications of the insulated container 1 as necessary during the simulation. In addition, the information calculation unit 102 may estimate (calculate) the pre-cooling conditions by statistical processing, machine learning, etc., using a correlation history between request information and pre-cooling conditions when fresh products were transported in the past.

In this embodiment, the "pre-cooling conditions" are not limited to the initial product temperature T ₀ , but may include storage conditions for fresh products before the start of transportation (including not only "pre-cooling" but also "pre-heating"). For example, the pre-cooling conditions may be the set temperature of a pre-cooling box for pre-cooling fresh products to a predetermined initial product temperature T ₀ , the pre-cooling temperature of the insulated container 1 for storing fresh products, the pre-cooling temperature of a packing box for packing fresh products in small portions for each predetermined weight (pre-defined volume), etc. As the storage conditions, the set temperature of a pre-cooling box for pre-heating fresh products to a predetermined initial product temperature T ₀ , the pre-heating temperature of the insulated container 1 for storing fresh products, the pre-heating temperature of a packing box for packing fresh products in small portions for each predetermined weight (pre-defined volume), etc. may also be used.

The initial product temperature T ₀ (pre-cooling condition) can be calculated for each type of fresh product. In this case, the initial product temperature T 0 is calculated for a case in which only one type of fresh product is stored in a predetermined volume inside the insulated container 1 and the remaining space in the insulated container 1 is assumed to be air (the worst case in which the temperature is most likely to fluctuate). By adopting such a method, the temperature fluctuation of each fresh product is suppressed more than in the worst case when other types of fresh products are stored in the remaining space (because each fresh product has _a larger specific heat than air and is less susceptible to temperature fluctuation). In addition, the initial product temperature T ₀ can be calculated for each type of fresh product using the above method, and the average value of the initial product temperatures T ₀ of all types can be calculated, and the average value can be used as the pre-cooling temperature (pre-cooling condition) of the insulated container 1. In this case, instead of adopting the average value, the initial product temperature T ₀ of the fresh product with the heaviest weight can be used as a representative value, and the representative value can be used as the pre-cooling temperature (pre-cooling condition) of the insulated container 1.

The information output unit 103 functions to output various information such as the pre-cooling conditions calculated by the information calculation unit 102 to the custodian P, and is composed of a communication unit 140 (described later in FIG. 6) and a display unit 160 (described later in FIG. 6). The pre-cooling conditions calculated by the information calculation unit 102 and various information read from various databases 104 and used to calculate the pre-cooling conditions are output from the information output unit 103 of the transportation support device 100 to a terminal U/ _P held by the custodian P via a communication network N, as shown in FIG. As the terminal U/ _P , various electronic devices having an information display unit, information input unit, and communication means can be used, similar to the terminal U/ _C .

Next, the physical configuration for realizing the transportation support device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the transportation support device 100 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 120, a ROM (Read only Memory) 130, a communication unit 140, an input unit 150, and a display unit 160, and these components are connected via a bus so that they can transmit and receive data to each other. In this example, the transportation support device 100 is configured from one computer, but the transportation support device 100 may be configured from multiple computers. For example, the display unit 160 may be configured from multiple displays. In addition, the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is only an example, and some of these components may not be included. Furthermore, some of the components may be provided in a remote location. For example, part of the ROM 130 may be provided in a remote location and configured to be able to communicate via a communication network.

The CPU 110 is a calculation unit that performs calculation processing and the like in this embodiment by executing computer programs and the like recorded in the ROM 130 and the like, and constitutes the information calculation unit 102. The CPU 110 is equipped with a processor. The CPU 110 receives various information (including process data) from the RAM 120, the ROM 130, the communication unit 140, the input unit 150 and the like, and displays the calculation processing results and the like on the display unit 160 and stores them in the RAM 120 and/or the ROM 130.

RAM 120 functions as a cache memory and can constitute part of the information calculation unit 102. RAM 120 may be composed of volatile semiconductor memory elements such as SRAM and DRAM.

The ROM 130 functions as a main memory and can constitute a part of the information calculation unit 102. The ROM 130 can be constituted by, for example, a non-volatile semiconductor memory element such as a flash memory that allows information to be electrically rewritten, or a HDD that allows information to be magnetically rewritten. The ROM 130 can store, for example, computer programs and data for executing various arithmetic processes in this embodiment.

RAM 120 and ROM 130 constitute the various databases 104 (request information database 104A, fresh product information database 104B, transport information database 104C, and packaging information database 104D) of the transport support device 100.

The communication unit 140 is an interface for connecting the transportation support device 100 to other devices, and constitutes the information acquisition unit 101 and the information output unit 103. The communication unit 140 is connected to a communication network N such as the Internet.

The input unit 150 accepts data input and graph selection from the operator, and can constitute a part of the information acquisition unit 101. The input unit 150 may include, for example, a keyboard or a touch panel.

The display unit 160 visually displays the results of calculations performed by the CPU 110, and can constitute a part of the information output unit 103. The display unit 160 can be composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

In the physical configuration described above, the CPU 110 mainly executes a computer program to realize each of the functional units that make up the transport support device 100. The transport support device 100 may be configured as a tablet terminal. By configuring the transport support device 100 as a tablet terminal, the transport support device 100 can be carried around, and the transport support device 100 can be used while moving, for example.

<Transportation support method>
Next, a transportation support method using the transportation support device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the information acquisition unit 101 of the transportation support device 100 acquires request information sent from a terminal U _C owned by a requester C via a communication network N (request information acquisition step: S1). The request information acquired in the request information acquisition step S1 includes information on the type and amount of fresh produce and information on the transportation destination.

Next, the information calculation unit 102 of the transportation support device 100 calculates the pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling fresh products based on the request information acquired in the request information acquisition step S1 (pre-cooling condition calculation step: S2). In the pre-cooling condition calculation step S2, the transportation time required to transport the fresh products to the transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh products during transportation are calculated based on the request information, and the pre-cooling conditions are calculated based on the transportation time and the temperature fluctuation. The specific calculation method of the pre-cooling conditions has already been described. That is, the information calculation unit 102 first calculates the overall heat transfer coefficient based on the heat transfer coefficient inside and outside the insulated container 1 and the thickness and thermal conductivity of the insulation panel that constitutes the insulated container 1. Next, the information calculation unit 102 calculates the inflow heat based on the air temperatures inside and outside the insulated container 1 and the heat transfer area and overall heat transfer coefficient of the insulated container 1. Next, the information calculation unit 102 calculates the temperature fluctuation based on the calculated inflow heat and the weight and specific heat of the fresh products stored in the insulated container 1. Then, based on the calculated temperature fluctuation and the separately calculated transportation time, pre-cooling conditions (e.g., initial product temperature _T0 ) are calculated so that the temperature of the fresh product upon arrival at the transportation destination (or the accumulated temperature of the fresh product until it arrives at the transportation destination) is below a predetermined threshold value.

Next, the information output unit 103 of the transportation support device 100 outputs the pre-cooling conditions calculated in the pre-cooling condition calculation step S2 to the terminal U _P held by the keeper P via the communication network N (pre-cooling condition output step: S3). The keeper P who has received the pre-cooling conditions can pre-cool the fresh products before shipping according to the pre-cooling conditions, and can ship the fresh products when pre-cooling is completed.

The information calculation unit 102 of the transportation support device 100 according to this embodiment can also be used to calculate the total volume required (number of insulated containers 1) based on the type and weight of the fresh produce to be transported. For example, if the fresh produce to be transported is "cucumbers (600 kg)," "green peppers (300 kg)," "eggplants (200 kg)," "lettuce (200 kg)," and "potatoes (150 kg)," the total volume is calculated as follows:

First, if "cucumbers (600 kg)" are divided into 15 L (10 kg) packing boxes, 60 packing boxes will be required, and the total volume of these 60 packing boxes will be 900 L. Next, if "green peppers (300 kg)" are divided into 10 L (4 kg) packing boxes, 75 packing boxes will be required, and the total volume of these 75 packing boxes will be 750 L. Next, if "eggplants (200 kg)" are divided into 15 L (8 kg) packing boxes, 25 packing boxes will be required, and the total volume of these 25 packing boxes will be 375 L. Next, if "lettuce (200 kg)" is divided into 30 L (10 kg) packing boxes, 20 packing boxes will be required, and the total volume of these 20 packing boxes will be 600 L. Finally, to divide "potatoes (150 kg)" into packing boxes of 15 L each (15 kg), 10 packing boxes are required, and the total volume of these 10 packing boxes is 150 L. Therefore, the total volume required is (900 + 750 + 375 + 600 + 150 =) 2775 L. If the volume of one insulated container 1 is 1500 L, then two insulated containers 1 are required to store all the fresh produce with a total volume of 2775 L.

When the type and weight of fresh products to be transported are input, the information calculation unit 102 of the transport support device 100 refers to the weight and volume per packing box for each fresh product that have been stored in advance in a table, calculates the total volume of each fresh product and its sum (total volume), and can provide information regarding the total volume (number of insulated containers 1 required) to the custodian P via the information output unit 103. The custodian P who receives such information can allocate the fresh products appropriately between the two insulated containers 1.

For example, the custodian P can allocate the heavier fresh produce ("cucumbers (600 kg)" and "green peppers (300 kg)") between two insulated containers 1, and then allocate the remaining fresh produce so that the volumes and weights in each insulated container 1 are roughly equal. For example, the custodian P can allocate "cucumbers (600 kg: 900 L)" and "eggplants (200 kg: 375 L)" to the first insulated container 1, while the custodian P can allocate "green peppers (300 kg: 750 L)", "lettuce (200 kg: 600 L)", and "potatoes (150 kg: 150 L)" to the second insulated container 1 (first allocation method).

Alternatively, the custodian P can divide the weight of each fresh product by the number of insulated containers 1 required (2) to determine the amount to be packed into each insulated container 1. That is, 300 kg (450 L) of "cucumbers," 150 kg (375 L) of "green peppers," 100 kg (187.5 L) of "eggplants," 100 kg (300 L) of "lettuce," and 75 kg (75 L) of "potatoes" can be allocated to each of the two insulated containers 1 (second allocation method).

<Action and effect>
In the transportation support method according to the embodiment described above, request information having information on the type and amount of fresh products and information on the transportation destination is acquired, pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh products are calculated based on the acquired request information, and the calculated pre-cooling conditions can be output. Therefore, the request information provided by the requester C is used as input to output appropriate pre-cooling conditions, and the output pre-cooling conditions can be provided to the fresh product storage person P. Then, the storage person P who receives such pre-cooling conditions can appropriately pre-cool the fresh products before shipping using the appropriate pre-cooling conditions, thereby making it possible to maintain the quality of the fresh products at the transportation destination.

In addition, in the transportation support method according to the embodiment described above, the transportation time required to transport fresh produce to the transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transportation are calculated based on the request information, and the pre-cooling conditions can be calculated based on the transportation time and temperature fluctuation. At this time, the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during transportation can be accurately calculated based on information about the insulated container 1 used to transport the fresh produce (heat transfer coefficient inside and outside the insulated container 1, air temperatures inside and outside the insulated container 1, thickness and thermal conductivity of the insulating panels that make up the insulated container 1) and the weight and specific heat of the fresh produce stored in the insulated container 1. Therefore, it becomes possible to accurately calculate the pre-cooling conditions.

In addition, in the transportation support method according to the embodiment described above, the pre-cooling conditions can be accurately calculated so that the temperature of the fresh produce when it arrives at the transportation destination (or the accumulated temperature of the fresh produce until it arrives at the transportation destination) is less than a predetermined threshold.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and designs to which a person skilled in the art has made appropriate design modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they comprise the characteristics of the present invention. In other words, the elements of the above-described embodiments and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc. are not limited to those exemplified, but can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, the elements of the above-described embodiments can be combined to the extent technically possible, and combinations of these are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they comprise the characteristics of the present invention.

1...Insulated container (housing)
10...Front panel (insulation panel)
20... Rear panel (insulation panel)
30...Side panel (insulation panel)
40...Bottom plate (insulation panel)
50…Tabletop (insulation panel)
100: Transportation support device 101: Information acquisition unit 102: Information calculation unit 103: Information output unit S1: Request information acquisition step S2: Pre-cooling condition calculation step S3: Pre-cooling condition output step

Claims (8)

1. A computer-implemented method for assisting in the transportation of perishable goods, comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
A calculation step of calculating pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh product based on the request information;
and an output step of outputting the pre-cooling condition,
A transportation support method in which the calculation process calculates the transportation time required to transport the fresh produce to the transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during the transportation based on the request information and fresh produce information including information regarding the respiratory heat or frictional heat of the fresh produce identified from the request information, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions based on the transportation time and the temperature fluctuation. 1. A computer-implemented method for assisting in the transportation of perishable goods, comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
A calculation step of calculating pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh product based on the request information;
and an output step of outputting the pre-cooling condition,
The calculation process calculates temperature fluctuations of the fresh products during the transportation based on the request information, calculates product temperatures of the fresh products during the transportation based on the temperature fluctuations, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions so that an accumulated temperature of the product temperatures up to the point at which the transportation is completed is less than a predetermined threshold value. A program for causing a computer to execute a method for assisting in the transportation of perishable goods, the method comprising:
acquiring request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
A calculation step of calculating pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh product based on the request information;
and an output step of outputting the pre-cooling condition,
In the calculation process, a program calculates the transportation time required to transport the fresh produce to the transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during the transportation based on the request information and fresh produce information including information regarding the respiratory heat or frictional heat of the fresh produce identified from the request information, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions based on the transportation time and the temperature fluctuation. A program for causing a computer to execute a method for assisting in the transportation of perishable goods, the method comprising:
an acquisition step of acquiring request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
A calculation step of calculating pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh product based on the request information;
and an output step of outputting the pre-cooling condition,
In the calculation process, the program calculates the temperature fluctuation of the fresh product during the transportation based on the request information, calculates the product temperature of the fresh product during the transportation based on the temperature fluctuation, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions so that the accumulated temperature of the product temperature up to the point at which the transportation is completed is less than a predetermined threshold value. A transportation support device for supporting transportation of perishable goods, comprising:
an acquisition unit that acquires request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
A calculation unit that calculates pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh product based on the request information;
An output unit that outputs the pre-cooling condition,
The calculation unit calculates the transportation time required to transport the fresh produce to the transportation destination and the temperature fluctuation of the fresh produce during the transportation based on the request information and fresh produce information including information regarding the respiratory heat or frictional heat of the fresh produce identified from the request information, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions based on the transportation time and the temperature fluctuation. A transportation support device for supporting transportation of perishable goods, comprising:
an acquisition unit that acquires request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
A calculation unit that calculates pre-cooling conditions for pre-cooling the fresh product based on the request information;
An output unit that outputs the pre-cooling condition,
The calculation unit calculates the temperature fluctuation of the fresh goods during the transportation based on the request information, calculates the product temperature of the fresh goods during the transportation based on the temperature fluctuation, and calculates the pre-cooling conditions so that the accumulated temperature of the product temperature up to the time when the transportation is completed is less than a predetermined threshold value. A method of packaging perishable goods for transport, comprising the steps of:
A pre-cooling step of pre-cooling the fresh produce ;
and surrounding the pre-cooled fresh produce with insulation panels ;
In the pre- cooling step,
obtaining request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
Calculating a transportation time required to transport the fresh product to the transportation destination and a temperature fluctuation of the fresh product during the transportation based on the request information and fresh product information including information on the respiratory heat or frictional heat of the fresh product identified from the request information, and calculating pre-cooling conditions based on the transportation time and the temperature fluctuation;
The packaging method includes pre-cooling the fresh product based on the calculated pre-cooling conditions . A method of packaging perishable goods for transport, comprising the steps of:
A pre-cooling step of pre-cooling the fresh produce ;
and surrounding the pre-cooled fresh produce with insulation panels ;
In the pre- cooling step,
obtaining request information including information regarding the type and amount of the fresh produce and information regarding a transportation destination;
Calculate a temperature fluctuation of the fresh product during the transportation based on the request information, calculate a product temperature of the fresh product during the transportation based on the temperature fluctuation, and calculate a pre-cooling condition such that an integrated temperature obtained by accumulating the product temperature up to the completion of transportation is less than a predetermined threshold value;
The packaging method includes pre-cooling the fresh product based on the calculated pre-cooling conditions .