Climate Control Verification Data Isolation With Co-Processor Memory

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current transport climate control systems face challenges in ensuring data integrity for regulatory compliance, particularly in maintaining independent temperature monitoring and logging to prevent data corruption during transportation, which often requires additional hardware modules.

Innovation Solution

A transport climate control system with a main processor and a separate co-processor, where the co-processor is dedicated to monitoring an independent sensor and communicates via a dedicated bus, ensuring data integrity by keeping verification data separate from the main control system, thus eliminating the need for additional hardware modules.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an independent data logger is added to ensure verification data integrity, then data integrity and regulatory compliance are improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata integrityVSAvoidhardware module quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the independent data logger functionality into the existing controller housing, combining verification data logging with the main climate control functions. The co-processor and verification memory are integrated into the same housing as the main processor, eliminating the need for a separate standalone data logger module while maintaining data integrity requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The controller is designed to serve multiple functions: it performs both climate control operations and verification data logging. The single housing contains both the main processor for climate control and the co-processor for verification data, making the system universal and eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware modules.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Device complexity

If verification memory is integrated with the main processor, then device complexity is reduced, but data integrity and independence are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehardware structureVSAvoiddata independence
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the controller into functionally independent parts: the main processor for climate control and the co-processor for verification data logging. The verification memory is electrically connected only to the co-processor, creating an independent data path that prevents main processor access. This segmentation maintains data independence while achieving integration within a single housing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The co-processor acts as an intermediary between the independent sensor and the verification memory. It receives verification data from the sensor and stores it in the verification memory, which is not accessible by the main processor. This intermediary structure ensures data independence while integrating components in a single housing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If a separate co-processor is used for monitoring independent sensors, then data integrity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveverification data integrityVSAvoidprocessor quantity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The co-processor is merged with the main processor in the same housing, combining multiple processing functions in a single integrated unit. This reduces the need for separate standalone modules while maintaining the functional independence required for verification data integrity through dedicated electrical connections and separate memory access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3905161B1Data integrity of verification data for a transport climate control system
Publication Date: 2024.01.03 THERMO KING CORP
  • EP3905161B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3905161B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3905161B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

A controller for a transport climate control system is provided. The controller includes a main processor, a co-processor and a verification memory. The main processor is configured to control operation of a compressor of the transport climate control system. The co-processor is separate from the main processor. The verification memory is connected in electronic communication with only the co-processor and is not in electronic communication with the main processor. The co-processor is configured to receive verification data from an independent sensor and wherein the independent sensor is not in communication with the main processor.