Smart Cold Chain Monitoring

Some special materials, such as blood or medicine must be kept refrigerated. When transporting these materials, you have to monitor the ambient temperature, the location, and lid status of a transport case in real time. Temperature sensors can detect the ambient temperature in real time, and if the ambient temperature exceeds a specified threshold, the exception is promptly reported to the remote monitoring center. The remote monitoring center can query the location of these materials in real time, and on-site position sensors can periodically report their location. If a transport case is unlocked, the sensor can detect that in time and report the unlocked status.

Existing smart cold chain logistics use 2G or 3G networks to transmit data (such as temperature, location, and lid status) of a transport case. In scenarios where signal attenuation or shielding is a serious issue, for example, in cold storage (refrigerator) or cold chain logistics vehicle compartments, 2G and 3G networks have insufficient coverage depth and cannot ensure that data will be reported accurately. 2G and 3G terminals use considerably more power than new LoRaWAN™ backend. Battery lifespan is as little as 7 days, which is insufficient for long-distance transportation. The application of smart cold chain requires a more up-to-date communications technology.