Cargo Environment Profiles for Dynamic Refrigerated Transport Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature control systems in transport units for temperature-sensitive cargo rely on simple thermostats that manually adjust refrigeration based on a single setpoint temperature, lacking the ability to dynamically adjust conditions according to specific cargo requirements, which can lead to suboptimal preservation and extended shelf life.
Innovation Solution
An environment control system that includes a controller, user interface, and database to identify cargo and retrieve environment profiles with multiple control parameters, allowing sequential adjustments of conditions such as temperature and humidity based on predetermined intervals, ensuring optimal preservation of cargo.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a simple thermostat with single setpoint temperature is used to control the refrigeration unit, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to different cargo requirements deteriorates and manufacturing precision of environmental control worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The environment profile is segmented into multiple environment control parameters, each controlling the environment adjusting system for a respective predetermined interval. This segmentation allows the system to adapt to different cargo requirements at different time stages while maintaining operational simplicity through automated sequential execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static single setpoint thermostat to a dynamic multi-parameter control system. The controller automatically adjusts multiple environment control parameters sequentially based on predetermined intervals, enabling the system to adapt dynamically to different cargo types and their changing environmental requirements during transport.
2Device complexity
If a simple thermostat with single setpoint temperature is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision of environmental control and the ability to maintain optimal conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system stores multiple environment control parameters in advance within the controller's memory, each parameter pre-configured for specific predetermined intervals. This preliminary preparation of control parameters allows the system to execute precise environmental control sequences without real-time manual intervention, achieving high manufacturing precision while keeping the device interface simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller automatically retrieves and executes the sequence of environment control parameters from its stored memory without requiring complex external control systems. The system serves itself by autonomously managing the transition between different environmental parameters based on elapsed time, achieving precise environmental control through self-contained automated operation.
3Device complexity
If manual adjustment of thermostat is required for different setpoint temperatures, then the device complexity remains low, but the loss of time for reconfiguration increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple environment control parameters for different temperature setpoints and time intervals are pre-programmed and stored in the controller's memory. When a new cargo type is loaded, the operator simply selects the corresponding cargo identifier, and the controller automatically retrieves the appropriate parameter sequence, eliminating time-consuming manual reconfiguration while maintaining simple device operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses cargo identifiers as copies or proxies for complex environmental parameter sets. Each cargo identifier corresponds to a pre-defined environment profile containing multiple control parameters. This copying mechanism allows rapid switching between different environmental configurations by simply changing the identifier, dramatically reducing reconfiguration time without increasing device complexity.
4Device complexity
If a single setpoint temperature control is used, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of cargo preservation and shelf life extension deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The environmental control is segmented into multiple parameters executed in sequential intervals rather than relying on a single continuous temperature setpoint. This segmentation allows different stages of cargo preservation to receive optimized environmental conditions appropriate to their specific requirements, enhancing overall preservation reliability while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated sequencing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, etc.) according to pre-determined intervals and cargo-specific profiles. This parameter variation approach ensures that cargo receives optimal environmental conditions at different stages of transport, improving preservation reliability by adapting to the changing needs of the cargo rather than maintaining a fixed single setpoint.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An environment control system for a transport unit defining a cargo space. The environment control system comprises a controller in communication with a user interface such that the user interface identifies to the controller one kind of cargo within the cargo space, an environment adjusting system in communication with the controller and operable to regulate environment conditions inside the cargo space, and a database in communication with the controller for storing an environment profile as a function of the one kind of cargo such that the environment profile includes a plurality of environment control parameters, each environment control parameter controls the environmental adjusting system for a respective predetermined interval.