Capacitor Backup Power for Remote Telemetry Units
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional remote telemetry units (RTUs) with battery backup systems face issues such as periodic maintenance and replacement costs, potential failure to transmit power loss alarms, ventilation requirements for batteries, and reduced battery life due to temperature changes, which can lead to critical system failures.
Innovation Solution
A capacitor-based backup power system for RTUs, which eliminates the need for battery maintenance, allows for sealed enclosures, and is less sensitive to temperature changes, using capacitors to store energy for power failure notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a battery backup system is used in RTU, then power failure alarm transmission is enabled, but maintenance and replacement costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the battery component from the backup power system and replaces it with a capacitor-based system. This eliminates the need for periodic battery maintenance and replacement while maintaining the ability to transmit power failure alarms, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and maintenance costs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of energy storage from chemical (battery) to electrical (capacitor). This parameter change enables the system to maintain power failure detection capability without the degradation and replacement issues inherent in battery systems, addressing both reliability and maintenance cost concerns
2Reliability
If a battery backup system is used in RTU, then power failure alarm transmission is enabled, but the system requires ventilation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the battery from the system entirely and substitutes a capacitor-based power storage solution. Since capacitors do not generate gases requiring ventilation, this extraction eliminates the ventilation requirement while preserving the power failure alarm transmission function, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity
3Reliability
If a battery backup system is used in RTU, then power failure alarm transmission is enabled, but battery life is reduced due to temperature changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy storage mechanism from chemical (temperature-sensitive battery) to electrical (temperature-stable capacitor). This parameter change makes the backup power system insensitive to ambient temperature variations, ensuring consistent power failure alarm transmission capability across varying environmental conditions and eliminating the battery life reduction issue
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The capacitor-based system reduces maintenance costs, ensures reliable power failure alarm transmission, and provides a longer operational life for RTUs, making them suitable for sealed environments and varying temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
A remote telemetry unit having a power backup system comprised of at least one capacitor and a current charging system configured to charge the at least one capacitor
Data Source
AI summary
A system is presented that monitors the condition of a plurality of pumps in a system of pumps using a remote telemetry unit (RTU) associated with each pump. The RTUs have a sensor configured to detect when a power failure occurs and a power backup system that includes at least one capacitor that is configured to power the RTU in response to a power failure long enough for the RTU to transmit a power failure signal to a computer system that monitors the status of the pumps. The computer system initiates a delay timer in response to receiving a power failure signal and transmits a power failure signal to a technician if a power up signal is not received within the time set by the delay timer. Using capacitors instead of batteries allows the RTU to be sealed within a container and/or a potting compound.