Freezer with remote management

• US 10,330,378 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reflect Scientific Inc.
• Original Assignee: Reflect Scientific Inc.
• Inventors: Tran, Bao, Moon, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Ma, Kun Kai
• Application Number:
  US15/708,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20190086145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 702178
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 19/005 the refrigerant being a liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2201/14 using subatmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/30 Quick freezing
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/122 of freezer compartments
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/123 more than one sensor measuring the inside temperature in a compartment
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/001 for cryogenic fluid systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/008 Alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 3/105 Movable containers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2654 Fridge, refrigerator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06

Abstract

A freezer includes a plurality of evaporators coupled to a payload bay with a multiplicity of coolant tubes in each evaporator, wherein each tube enters and then exits the payload bay, further comprising one or more cryogenic valves coupled to the coolant tubes; a pump to force coolant flowing through the evaporators; sensors coupled to the evaporators of the freezer to monitor vital parameters of the freezer; a processor; a wireless telemetry system to communicate one or more measured characteristics of the freezer in accordance with a service level agreement to a remote computer; and at least one notification component that provides a notification associated with a specific customer responsive to the measured characteristic of the service crossing a pre-defined threshold.

Claims

1. A freezer, comprising:

cryogenic evaporators coupled to a payload bay with one or more cryogenic valves coupled to the coolant tubes, wherein one of the one or more cryogenic valves is located at an exhaust port of the freezer;

a rubber pneumatic seal is placed between a freezer door and the payload bay;

a pneumatic latch for latching the freezer door;

wherein the rubber pneumatic seal and the pneumatic latch are powered by pressure derived from an exhaust gas;

a pump to force a coolant flowing through the cryogenic evaporators with a pressure of at least 90 psi to supply the coolant at each of the cryogenic evaporator with at least 20 gallons per hour of coolant flow rate;

a plurality of fans to circulate cooled air in the payload bay;

sensors coupled to the cryogenic evaporators of the freezer to monitor parameters of the freezer;

a processor;

a wireless transceiver to communicate one or more measured characteristics of the freezer in accordance with a service level agreement (SLA) including mean time between failures (MTBF) to a remote computer; and

wherein the processor provides a notification associated with a specific customer responsive to the measured characteristic of the service crossing a predefined threshold.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the service is a temperature service.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor with maintenance prediction code predicts when maintenance is needed.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor sends a message addressed to the specific customer to notify the specific customer about the measured characteristic crossing the pre-defined threshold.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor sends a notification message addressed to a service to notify a service provider about the measured characteristic crossing the pre-defined threshold.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein at least one of a trouble ticket and a billing credit associated with the specific customer is generated in response to the notification message.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor sends a message addressed to a monitoring entity that is independent of a service provider providing the service.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the characteristic measured includes temperature and humidity level, and the pre-defined threshold is a minimum level necessary for delivery of the temperature service.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor determines ultra low temperature (ULT) performance.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein measurements are captured by a plurality of sensors.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to communicate statistical information based on measurements of performance or energy consumption of the freezer.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the sensors is configured to communicate analytical information based on a statistical analysis of measurements of performance of the freezer.

13. A method to provide ultra low temperature processing for a freezer comprising:

providing one or more cryogenic valves coupled to the coolant tubes, wherein one of the one or more cryogenic valves is located at an exhaust port of the freezer;

providing a rubber pneumatic seal placed between a freezer door and a payload bay;

providing a pneumatic latch for latching a freezer door;

wherein the rubber pneumatic seal and the pneumatic latch are powered by pressure derived from an exhaust gas;

providing a pump to force a coolant flowing through the evaporators with a pressure of at least 90 psi to supply the coolant at the evaporators with at least 20 gallons per hour of coolant flow rate;

providing a plurality of fans to circulate cooled air in the payload bay;

cryogenically cooling one or more compartments contained in a payload bay with cryogen fluid;

measuring a characteristic of service being provided to a specific customer; and

generating a notification associated with the specific customer responsive to the measured characteristic of the service crossing a pre-defined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising sending a message addressed to the specific customer to notify the specific customer about the measured characteristic crossing the pre-defined threshold.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising sending a notification message addressed to a service to notify a service provider about the measured characteristic crossing the pre-defined threshold.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein at least one of a trouble ticket and a billing credit associated with the specific customer is generated in response to the notification message.

17. The method of claim 13, comprising sending a message addressed to a monitoring entity that is independent of a service provider providing the service.

18. The method of claim 13, comprising predicting when freezer maintenance is needed based on a mean time between failures (MTBF).