Electrical Interface for Engineless Refrigeration Unit Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transport refrigeration units (TERUs) require a vehicle engine to be running to power and control refrigeration systems, leading to unnecessary energy consumption and inefficiencies, and lack direct data communication with the controller, necessitating intermediate components like PTO units.
Innovation Solution
A control system with direct data and power connections to vehicle devices, allowing independent operation of TERUs without intermediate components, and utilizing vehicle safety logic to determine engine start-up safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the vehicle engine is running to power the refrigeration system through PTO, then the refrigeration unit can operate, but energy consumption increases and the system requires intermediate components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the controller from the PTO integration, creating an independent control unit with direct connections to the vehicle battery and refrigeration system. This separation eliminates the requirement for the vehicle engine to run through PTO, allowing the refrigeration system to operate independently using only battery power, thereby reducing energy consumption and eliminating intermediate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a direct electrical connection as an intermediary between the vehicle battery and the refrigeration system, replacing the mechanical PTO intermediary. This direct electrical pathway allows power transfer without requiring the vehicle engine to run, simplifying the system architecture and reducing energy losses associated with mechanical power take-off.
2Ease of operation
If the controller is integrated within the PTO, then power can be transmitted from the engine, but the vehicle engine must be running to control the refrigeration system
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is extracted from the PTO integration and positioned as an independent unit with direct access to the vehicle battery. This extraction allows the controller to remain active and accessible for controlling the refrigeration system without requiring the vehicle engine to be running, thereby improving ease of operation while eliminating the engine running requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller is designed to be self-sufficient by directly connecting to the vehicle battery, allowing it to operate independently without relying on the vehicle engine or PTO system. This self-service capability enables the controller to remain active and manage the refrigeration system at all times, improving operational accessibility while reducing energy consumption.
3Power
If intermediate components like PTO units are used, then power can be transmitted from the vehicle engine, but data communication requires relay through external routes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical PTO intermediary with a direct electrical connection intermediary, establishing a straight pathway for both power and data communication between the vehicle battery and refrigeration system. This direct connection eliminates the need for external relay routes, ensuring efficient data transmission without information loss while maintaining power transmission capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system (300) for a transport engineless refrigeration unit (301), the control system including: a controller (302) for communication between a vehicle (307) and a plurality of vehicle devices, the controller comprising: a vehicle data connection (306) for transmitting data to and from a vehicle; a vehicle engine on/off connection (308) for triggering start-up of the vehicle engine; a plurality of device data connections (314), each device data connection transmits data to and from at least one device external to the controller; and a device power connection (313), the device power connection supplies power from the controller to at least one device external to the controller.