System for remote refrigeration monitoring and diagnostics

• US 20050028539A1
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Retail Solutions Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Abtar Singh, Neal Starling, Paul Wickberg, Thomas J. Mathews
• Inventors: Singh, Abtar, Mathews, Thomas J., Wickberg, Paul, Starling, Neal
• Granted Patent: US 7,644,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/127
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 9/00 Frozen sweets, e.g. ice confectionery, ice-cream; Mixtures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/00 Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising, sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs preserving foods or foodstuffs in association with packaging B65B55/00
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/36 Freezing; Subsequent thawing; Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/075 with parallel compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/22 Refrigeration systems for supermarkets
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/195 of the condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/005 of safety devices F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 5/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity with cascade operation F25B7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/36 Visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/14 Sensors measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator or freezer
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/16 Sensors measuring the temperature of products
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system for monitoring and managing a refrigeration system of a remote location includes a management center in communication with a refrigeration system through a communication network. The management center receives performance information of the refrigeration system. The management center employs software modules to analyze the performance information; diagnose system conditions; provide alarms for food safety issues, food quality issues and refrigeration system component failure; indicate maintenance conditions; and configure the refrigeration system.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and managing a refrigeration system, the system comprising:

a refrigeration system including a controller;

a communication network; and

a management center located remotely to and in communication with said refrigeration system through said communication network, said management center receiving information regarding performance of the refrigeration system and including a system configuration tool operable to initially configure said controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said management center includes diagnostic software for analyzing performance of said refrigeration system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said management center includes a post-processing system in communication with the controller and operable to gather performance information of said refrigeration system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said post-processing system includes data storage operable to store said performance information.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said post-processing system includes diagnostic software operable to analyze said performance information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said diagnostic software is operable to calculate a food quality index for food within said refrigeration system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said diagnostic software is operable to alarm as a function of a spoiler bacterial multiplication limit.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said management center is operable to advise manipulation of operation of said refrigeration system as a function of a value of said food quality index.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein said diagnostic software is operable to calculate a food safety index for food within said refrigeration system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said diagnostic software is operable to alarm as a function of a pathogen bacterial multiplication limit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said management center is operable to advise manipulation of operation of said refrigeration system as a function of a value of said food safety index.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein said diagnostic software is operable to evaluate energy performance of said refrigeration system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said management center is operable to advise manipulation of operation of said refrigeration system as a function of said energy performance evaluation.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein said diagnostic software is operable to determine maintenance measures for said refrigeration system.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote computer in communication with said management center and said refrigeration system, said remote computer capable of monitoring said performance of said refrigeration system.

16. A system for monitoring and managing a refrigeration system at a remote location, the system comprising:

a management center including a maintenance module, a work order module and a data warehouse, said management center receiving information regarding performance of the refrigeration system, said maintenance module processing said information, said work order module generating work orders, and said data warehouse storing said information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said management center processes said information to assess at least one of food safety and food quality.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said management center advises manipulation of operation of said refrigeration system of the remote location as a result of said processing by said energy analysis module.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a remote computer in communication with said management center and said refrigeration system.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said maintenance module recommends maintenance procedures for the refrigeration system.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said maintenance procedures include preventative maintenance.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein said maintenance procedures include routine maintenance.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein said management center includes an alarming function providing notification based on analysis of said information.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein said management center includes a system configuration tool.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said system configuration tool provides initial configuration of a controller for the refrigeration system.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein said work-order module tracks work orders for the refrigeration system.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein said management center includes an asset-management module for tracking assets of the refrigeration system.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said asset-management module stores an asset history.

29. The system of claim 16, further comprising an energy-analysis module including a core calculator that receives information from an input block and provides outputs to an efficiency block and a design block.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said input block provides one or more of:

weather data, actual site data, and equipment operational parameters.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein said core calculator calculates projected energy use.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein said efficiency block includes a power-monitoring tool to provide an evaluation of equipment power usage.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said evaluation includes comparing a predicted power usage to an actual power usage.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein said efficiency block includes an alarming tool for providing notification when equipment efficiencies fall below a limit value.