Power distribution for end-point failure detection and recovery for a transport refrigeration system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerated shipping containers and truck trailers face system failures due to cascading faults, leading to operational downtime and loss of perishables, as existing power management systems lack redundancy and fault tolerance, causing inefficiencies and profitability issues.
Innovation Solution
A fault-tolerant power management system is implemented, utilizing multiple segregated power supplies and sensors, where critical and non-critical components are isolated to ensure system operability, with sensors and power supplies configured to operate independently and switch in case of faults, facilitating intelligent diagnostics and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single power supply is used for all sensors, then device complexity is reduced, but system reliability deteriorates due to cascading failures
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system is segmented into multiple independent power supplies, where each power supply is dedicated to specific critical sensors. This segmentation prevents a single point of failure from affecting the entire system, as each power supply operates independently and can maintain its associated sensors even when other power supplies fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates redundant power supplies and backup sensors before failures occur. When a power supply fails, the system has pre-configured alternative power sources and backup sensors ready to take over, ensuring continuous operation without interruption. This prior cushioning approach eliminates downtime by having failover mechanisms in place beforehand.
2Reliability
If redundant sensors and power supplies are implemented, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides sensors into critical and non-critical groups, with critical sensors having dedicated redundant power supplies and backup sensors, while non-critical sensors share power supplies without redundancy. This selective segmentation provides fault tolerance for essential functions while avoiding unnecessary complexity for non-essential components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the system receive different levels of redundancy based on their criticality. Critical sensors have dedicated backup power supplies and backup sensors, while non-critical sensors use shared power supplies without backup. This local quality approach ensures that complexity is applied only where it provides actual value for system reliability.
3Device complexity
If critical and non-critical components share the same power supply, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to cascading faults
Solution Approach 1:
The power distribution system is segmented into separate power supply groups, with critical components having dedicated power supplies isolated from non-critical components. This segmentation prevents cascading faults because a failure in the power supply for non-critical components cannot affect the power supply for critical components, maintaining system operability during faults.
4Device complexity
If backup sensors are powered from the same power supply as primary sensors, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Backup sensors are powered from separate power supplies than their corresponding primary sensors. This segmentation ensures that when a power supply fails, the backup sensor can still receive power and become active, maintaining sensor functionality during power faults without requiring complex shared power management.
Data Source
AI summary
A transport refrigeration system including a method for fault tolerant power management. The system includes a first sensor identified as required for operation of the transport refrigeration system and a second sensor operable as a backup for the first sensor. The system also includes a first power supply operably connected to the first sensor and configured to operate the first sensor and a second power supply operably connected to the second sensor and configured to operate the second sensor. The system further includes a controller operably connected to at least the first power supply as well as the first sensor and the second power supply as well as the second sensor, the controller configured to monitor at least the first power supply and the second power supply, if a fault is detected in the first power supply, operate the transport refrigeration system from the second sensor.