IVAN: intelligent van for the distribution of pharmaceutical drugs

Sensors (Basel). 2012;12(5):6587-609. doi: 10.3390/s120506587. Epub 2012 May 18.

Abstract

This paper describes a telematic system based on an intelligent van which is capable of tracing pharmaceutical drugs over delivery routes from a warehouse to pharmacies, without altering carriers' daily conventional tasks. The intelligent van understands its environment, taking into account its location, the assets and the predefined delivery route; with the capability of reporting incidences to carriers in case of failure according to the established distribution plan. It is a non-intrusive solution which represents a successful experience of using smart environments and an optimized Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) embedded system in a viable way to resolve a real industrial need in the pharmaceutical industry. The combination of deterministic modeling of the indoor vehicle, the implementation of an ad-hoc radiating element and an agile software platform within an overall system architecture leads to a competitive, flexible and scalable solution.

Keywords: RFID; deterministic 3D ray launching; incidences reporting; intelligent van; non-intrusive; pharmaceutical drugs traceability; wireless technologies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Motor Vehicles*
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations*
  • Radio Waves*

Substances

  • Pharmaceutical Preparations