INTERFACES FOR SETUP OF A TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION SYSTEM AND PROVIDING TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION TO A USER

• US 20130285831A1
• Filed: 03/21/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermo King Corporation (Trane Technologies plc)
• Original Assignee: Robertshaw Controls Company (Schneider Electric SE), Thermo King Corporation (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: SANDERS, Russell Lee, LEASURE, Mark Daniel, VITKUS, Kim, JOHNSON, Mark, PASEK, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 9,144,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.01
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00 Heating, cooling or ventilating [HVAC] devices heating, cooling or ventilating devices providing other air treatment, the other treatment being relevant, B60H3/00; ventilating solely by opening windows, doors, roof parts, or the like B60J; heating or ventilating devices for vehicle seats B60N2/56; vehicle window or windscreen cleaners using air, e.g. defrosters, B60S1/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00014 for load cargos on load transporting vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/07 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/003 for movable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/02 Power saving arrangements in wired systems H04L12/12; signaling of mobile application services, e.g. low battery notifications H04W4/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The embodiments described herein are directed to setup of a transport refrigeration system and providing transport refrigeration system diagnostic information to a user. In particular, interfaces on a wireless end node and a network coordinator of a wireless communication system are configured to provide setup and diagnostic functionality of the wireless communication system to a user with limited expertise in wireless communication systems.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system for a transport refrigeration system of a refrigerated transport unit comprising:

one or more wireless end nodes, each of the one or more wireless end nodes configured to monitor a property of the transport refrigeration system, each of the one or more wireless end nodes including a multicolored light emitting diode;

a network coordinator configured to manage, command, direct and regulate behavior of the one or more wireless end nodes, the network coordinator including a display and a pushbutton;

wherein each of the one or more wireless end nodes are configured to send sensor data to the network coordinator, and

wherein the wireless node is configured to indicate diagnostic information of the wireless end node to a user via the multicolored light emitting diode.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the display of the network coordinator includes a plurality of multicolored light emitting diodes that are configured to indicate diagnostic information of the transport refrigeration system.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes include one or more of a power/status light emitting diode, a proximity pairing light emitting diode, one or more zone status light emitting diodes, a door light emitting diode, a fuel light emitting diode, a temperature light emitting diode, a graphical user interface light emitting diode, an unpair light emitting diode, and one or more modifiable light emitting diodes.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the multicolored light emitting diode is configured to use a combination of different blinking patterns and colors for indicating different diagnostic information of the wireless end node to a user.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of multicolored light emitting diodes are configured to use a combination of different blinking patterns and colors indicate diagnostic information of the wireless communication system to a user.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the pushbutton of the network coordinator is configured to allow a user to interface with the network coordinator for commissioning the one or more wireless end nodes, obtaining transport refrigeration system diagnostic information.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator is configured to provide one or more of:

commissioning the one or more wireless end nodes to the wireless communication system;

indicating, via the display, a number of wireless end nodes commissioned to a zone of the transport refrigeration system;

indicating, via the display, a number of communicating wireless end nodes commissioned to the zone of the transport refrigeration system;

indicating, via the display, a lowest link quality of the wireless end nodes commissioned to the zone of the transport refrigeration system;

decommissioning one or more of the one or more wireless end nodes from the wireless communication system;

indicating, via the display, status information for each of the one or more wireless end nodes;

indicating, via the display, power information for each of the one or more wireless end nodes;

selecting, via the pushbutton, a configuration for each of the one or more wireless end nodes; and

resetting, via the pushbutton, the wireless communication system back to a factory default configuration.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the network coordinator and the one or more wireless end nodes are configured to communicate via a Zigbee communication protocol.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more wireless end nodes is one of a door sensor, an air space temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a cargo temperature sensor and a fuel tank level sensor.

10. A method for commissioning a wireless end node to a wireless communication system of the transport refrigeration system of a refrigerated transport unit, comprising:

the wireless end node detecting a magnetic swipe pattern;

the wireless end node sending a commissioning request when the wireless end node detects the magnetic swipe pattern;

a network coordinator of the transport refrigeration system entering, via a pushbutton of the network coordinator, a discovery mode for commissioning the wireless end node;

the network coordinator receiving the commissioning request from the wireless end node of the wireless communication system when the network coordinator is in the discovery mode; and

the network coordinator commissioning the wireless end node to the wireless communication system of the transport refrigeration system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the wireless end node activating upon detecting a magnetic swipe.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the wireless end node detecting the magnetic swipe pattern when the wireless end node detects a number of magnetic swipes within a time threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the number of magnetic swipes is three and the time threshold is six seconds.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising a multicolored light emitting diode of the wireless end node indicating activation to a user when the magnetic swipe is detected.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising a multicolored light emitting diode of the wireless end node and a display network coordinator indicating that the wireless end node is commissioned to the wireless communication system of the transport refrigeration system.