Systems and methods for monitoring food processing and food storage

1. A cloud-based system for monitoring food processing, the system comprising:

at least one fixed sensor for installation in an environment to be monitored, wherein the at least one fixed sensor is configured to collect fixed location environment data relating to the monitored environment;

at least one handheld sensor for a user to collect mobile location environment data relating to the monitored environment;

a remote monitoring and reporting system located remote to the monitored environment, to collect the fixed location environment data and the mobile location environment data from the at least one fixed sensor and the at least one handheld sensor respectively;

a portable device comprising a processor configured to:

receive the mobile location environment data from the at least one handheld sensor; and

transmit a version of the received mobile location environment data to the remote monitoring and reporting system, wherein the version of the mobile location environment data is generated by the at least one handheld sensor and/or the portable device;

a hub device for installation within the monitored environment, wherein the hub device comprises a processor configured to:

receive fixed location environment data from the at least one fixed sensor; and

transmit a version of the fixed location environment data to the remote monitoring and reporting system, wherein the version of the fixed location environment data is generated by the at least one fixed sensor and/or the hub device;

wherein the monitoring and reporting system is configured to receive the version of the fixed location and mobile location environment data, to determine whether the version of the environment data indicates that the monitored environment is operating within the bounds of a model defining correct operation of a food process within the environment, and to output an alert if the version of the environment data indicates operation of said process within the monitored environment outside permitted bounds of said model;

wherein the portable device comprises a display screen and is configured to display a task to prompt a user to collect mobile location environment data relating to the monitored environment; and

the at least one handheld sensor comprises an identifier to indicate sensor type, wherein the at least one handheld sensor transmits the identifier to the portable device;

wherein the portable device processor is further configured to receive the identifier, and determine if the sensor type matches the sensor type required to perform the displayed task, wherein if the sensor type does not match, the portable device outputs a warning.

2. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 including a mechanism for auditing said monitoring, wherein:

said processor of said portable device is configured to transmit an auditable version of the received mobile location environment data to the remote monitoring and reporting system, wherein the auditable version of the mobile location environment data is generated by the at least one handheld sensor and/or the portable device;

said processor of said hub device is configured to transmit an auditable version of the fixed location environment data to the remote monitoring and reporting system, wherein the auditable version of the fixed location environment data is generated by the at least one fixed sensor and/or the hub device;

said monitoring and reporting system is configured to:

receive the auditable version of the fixed location and mobile location environment data, to

non-repudiably determine if the auditable version of the environment data indicates that the monitored environment is operating correctly, such that said monitoring and reporting system audits the collected data as coming from the at least one fixed sensor and the at least one handheld sensor; and to

output an alert if the auditable version of the environment data indicates operation of said process within the monitored environment outside permitted bounds of said model;

wherein the auditable version of the mobile location environment data comprises a version processed using a secret value associated with the at least one handheld sensor, such that the auditable version of the mobile location environment data is verifiable as originating from the at least one handheld sensor; and

wherein the auditable version of the fixed location environment data comprises a version processed using a secret value associated with the at least one fixed sensor, such that the auditable version of the fixed location environment data is verifiable as originating from the at least one fixed sensor.

3. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the portable device generates the auditable version of the mobile location environment data by adding a timestamp to the received mobile location environment data, and wherein the hub device generates the auditable version of the fixed location environment data by adding a timestamp to the fixed mobile location environment data.

4. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the portable device generates the auditable version of the mobile location environment data by adding a checksum to the received mobile location environment data, and wherein the hub device generates the auditable version of the fixed location environment data by adding a checksum to the fixed mobile location environment data.

5. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the checksum is an MD5 checksum.

6. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the auditable version of the fixed location environment data and the auditable version of the mobile location environment data is encrypted by the hub device and portable device respectively before being transmitted to the remote monitoring and reporting system.

7. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one handheld sensor transmits mobile location environment data to the portable device via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or ZigBee, and

the at least one fixed sensor transmits fixed location environment data to the hub device via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or ZigBee.

8. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hub is configured to communicate using one or more of the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee communication protocols, and the hub processor is configured to optimise data transfer in the system by:

performing radio frequency scan and determine which radio frequency band is not in use; and

selecting a radio frequency band to communicate with the at least one fixed sensor to reliably transfer data from the at least one fixed sensor to the hub.

9. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the hub processor is further configured to output radio network configuration data defining a radio network configuration for optimising data transfer in the system.

10. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one fixed sensor is configured to collect the fixed location environment data relating to the monitored environment at regular intervals.

11. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one fixed sensor is configured to continuously collect the fixed location environment data relating to the monitored environment.

12. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein one or both of the at least one handheld sensor and the at least one fixed sensor is a humidity sensor or a temperature sensor.

13. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the temperature sensor has a factory calibration defined by factory calibration data, and the system further comprises code to:

validate the temperature sensor by monitoring a deviation in the factory calibration over time by monitoring a sensed temperature of the temperature sensor in boiling water, wherein the monitoring of the deviation over time is performed for a substantially constant height of the temperature sensor above sea level; and

storing or outputting sensor validation data dependent upon the validation.

14. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 13 further comprising code to adjust the factory calibration by:

inputting a height above sea level of the temperature sensor;

inputting a reference sensed value from the temperature sensor when the temperature sensor is in boiling water at the inputted height;

adjusting the factory calibration dependent upon the reference sensed value and the inputted height.

15. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one fixed sensor senses whether a refrigerator or freezer door is open or closed.

16. The cloud-based monitoring system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hub device and the portable device are configured to store the fixed location and mobile location environment data respectively, until the environment data has been received by the remote monitoring and reporting system.