Method and Device for Temperature Regulation in Refrigeration Units Using Multiple Targeted Readings

Abstract

Disclosed are refrigeration monitoring and regulation systems and techniques. Air temperature sensors, probe temperature sensors, simulated refrigerated items and relay controllers are described to monitor and control a refrigeration unit while conserving energy and prolonging equipment life compared to conventional refrigeration units.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/399,139 filed on Sep. 23, 2016 entitled "Method and Device for Temperature Regulation in Coolers Using Targeted Readings," content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and should be considered a part of this specification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention relates generally to refrigeration units, and more particularly, to refrigeration techniques using targeted temperature readings to save on energy and equipment cost.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Conventional refrigeration units approach the task of refrigeration with the same operating principles as air conditioning units which is monitoring the air temperature in the room. The temperature of air inside the refrigeration unit is monitored via temperature sensors and if the air temperature rises above a set temperature, the refrigeration unit is turned on to cool the inside air. The temperature of the refrigerated items is presumed to follow the temperature of the air inside the refrigeration unit. There are a few slight modifications to this approach such as by monitoring the refrigerant temperature or pressure within the system. But since the refrigerant directly and immediately responds to the temperature of the air, monitoring the refrigerant mirrors monitoring the air.

[0004] However, air temperature fluctuates more than temperature of solids and liquids stored in the refrigeration unit. A rise in the temperature of the air inside the refrigeration unit does not immediately translate to a rise in the temperature of the solids or liquids stored inside the refrigeration unit. FIG. 5 shows these differences. Air temperature fluctuations 502 are considerably more pronounced than refrigerated item temperature fluctuations 501 due to both the ambient air's freedom to flow and its thermal mass. Conventional refrigeration units can turn on the cooling mechanism more frequency than is necessary to maintain the stored items at a desired temperature. Consequently, there is a need in the industry for methods and systems that address this issue and provide savings in energy usage and prolong the life of refrigeration equipment by various techniques, including reducing or eliminating the unnecessary power cycling of the cooling system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] One aspect of the invention is a refrigeration monitoring and regulation system for installation in a refrigeration unit that comprises one or more air temperature sensors for providing air temperature data that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit, one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors for providing surface temperature data from refrigerated items, wherein the one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors are able to be affixed within the refrigeration unit, wherein the refrigerated item temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the refrigerated item by infrared (non-contact temperature sensor), or printed temperature sensor (contact temperature sensor), wherein one or more electromagnetic or solid-state relays close or open the circuits that provide power to the one or more compressors and/or the one or more evaporator fans that circulate the ambient air, wherein each of the one or more temperature sensors and the one or more relays are connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to a processing device, and wherein the air temperature data and the refrigerated item temperature data are aggregated and analyzed at set or random time intervals within the processing device, and wherein the one or more relays are triggered and open or close the circuits to the one or more compressors and/or the one or more evaporator fans, wherein the processing device contains a computer program that interfaces with a user and the user or computer program is able to control the temperature of the refrigeration unit based on the air temperature data and the refrigerated item temperature data at the set or random time intervals.

[0006] Another aspect of the invention is a refrigeration monitoring and regulation system for installation in a refrigeration unit that comprises one or more air temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing air temperature data, one or more simulant temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing simulant temperature data, wherein the simulant contains a synthetic or natural material or both simulating refrigerated items to be temperature controlled in the refrigeration unit, wherein the simulant temperature sensors include internal sensors (such as in the form of probes) and surface sensors, and wherein the simulant temperature sensors provide temperature data from the surface of the simulant and internal sensors provide internal temperature data of the simulants, wherein one or more electromagnetic or solid-state relays close or open the circuits that provide power to the one or more compressors and/or the one or more evaporator fans that circulate the ambient air, wherein the one or more temperature sensors and the one or more relays are connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to a processing device, and wherein the air temperature data and the simulant temperature data are aggregated and analyzed at set or random time intervals within the processing device, and wherein the one or more relays are triggered and open or close the circuits to the one or more compressors and/or the one or more evaporator fans that circulate the ambient air, wherein the processing device contains a computer program that interfaces with a user and the user or computer program is able to control the temperature of the refrigeration unit based on the air temperature data and the simulant temperature data at the set or random time intervals. In one embodiment, the processing device is a desktop computer, a portable computer, a rack-mounted computer, an industrial computer, a single-board computer such as a BeagleBone.TM. or Raspberry Pi.TM., or a single-board microcontroller such as an Arduino Uno.TM..

[0007] In another embodiment, the one or more air temperature sensors and the one or more said simulant temperature sensors are one or more combination air and simulant temperature sensors.

[0008] In one embodiment, the analysis parameters include air temperature within the refrigeration unit, air temperature outside the refrigeration unit, humidity within the refrigeration unit, and/or moisture within the refrigeration unit.

[0009] In another embodiment, the analysis done within the processing device is through simple arithmetic such as calculating a weighted average of the various temperatures, through statistical methods, or through artificially intelligent machine-learning algorithms.

[0010] In still another embodiment, the refrigeration monitoring and regulation system further comprises one or more refrigerant leak sensors connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to the processing device.

[0011] In another embodiment, there is a combination of one or more refrigerated item sensors and one or more simulant sensors.

[0012] In another embodiment, the wireless electronic connection to the relay is by Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), IEEE 802.15.4, Bluetooth.TM., BLE.TM., Zigbee.TM. or Z-Wave.TM..

[0013] In another embodiment, the simulant contains a synthetic or natural material or both, simulates meat produce, vegetable produce, fruit produce and/or combinations of meat, vegetable and/or fruit produce, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, or pharmaceuticals.

[0014] In another embodiment, the simulant material, whether synthetic or natural material or both, has similar specific heat and thermal mass as the refrigerated items at the temperature range for the food the material is simulating.

[0015] In another embodiment, there is a combination of multiple types of simulants that represent multiple types of refrigerated items.

[0016] In another embodiment, the synthetic or natural material is a wax, balsa wood, or a material that has a specific heat of around 0.8 BTU/lb.degree. F. in medium temperature applications.

[0017] In another embodiment, the synthetic or natural material is solid plastic, cork, dry cement, or a material that has a specific hear of around 0.4 BTU/lb.degree. in low temperature applications.

[0018] Other aspects of the present include methods of using the device for monitoring and regulation of a refrigeration unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] These drawings and the associated description herein are provided to illustrate specific embodiments of the invention and are not intended to be limiting.

[0020] FIG. 1: shows a block diagram of a refrigeration system whose operation can be improved by using the embodiments described herein.

[0021] FIG. 2: shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, including sensors, relays, router, processing device, and gateway.

[0022] FIG. 3: shows a block diagram of a potential placement of sensors in, on, and around the simulant.

[0023] FIG. 4: shows a block diagram of a potential placement of sensors on and around a refrigerated item.

[0024] FIG. 5: shows a typical temperature graph over time showing temperature fluctuations of food or other refrigerated items and ambient air temperature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The following detailed description of certain embodiments presents various descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by this specification and claims. In this description, reference is made to the drawings where like reference numerals may indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

[0026] Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning as are commonly understood by one skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. All patents, patent applications and publications referred to throughout the disclosure herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the event that there is a plurality of definitions for a term herein, those in this section prevail.

[0027] The term "about" as used herein refers to the ranges of specific measurements or magnitudes disclosed. For example, the phrase "about 10" means that the number stated may vary as much as 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, 10%, 15% or 20%. Therefore, at the variation range of 20% the phrase "about 10" means a range from 8 to 12.

[0028] When the terms "one", "a" or "an" are used in the disclosure, they mean "at least one" or "one or more", unless otherwise indicated.

[0029] "Temperature sensor", "temperature sensors", "probe temperature sensors" and "probe temperature sensor" as used herein refer to the same temperature sensor that obtains temperature readings that are not air temperature readings within the refrigeration unit.

[0030] "Cooling mechanisms" as used herein refer to among other components of a refrigeration unit, the one or more compressors and/or one or more evaporator fans that assist in maintaining a given desired temperature within the refrigeration unit.

[0031] "Refrigerated item" or "refrigerated items" as used herein are defined as consumable or non-consumable items which include fresh food, vegetables, meat, dairy products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, frozen food items, and consumable and non-consumable pharmaceuticals. Unless otherwise indicated, refrigerated items do not include the simulated item or material that mimics the refrigerated item.

[0032] "Relay" or "relays" as used herein refers to electrically operated switches such as those that turn "On" or "Off" the refrigeration system of a refrigeration unit.

[0033] "Simulant" as used here refers to the item that stands in for refrigerated items and has similar thermal properties to the refrigerated items and may be natural or synthetic or a combination of both.

[0034] "Refrigeration unit" or "refrigeration units" are in use to store and preserve consumable or non-consumable items. Fresh food, vegetables, meat, dairy products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, frozen food items, and consumable and non-consumable pharmaceuticals are among typical items refrigerated or stored in a commercial, industrial, or residential refrigeration unit. A refrigeration unit may refer to any enclosure that maintains a certain temperature range for its contents. Typically, refrigeration units can be classified into three categories based on environment temperatures:

[0035] 1. high temperature refrigeration typically ranges from about 47 to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and may contain flowers and candy;

[0036] 2. medium temperature refrigeration, what we typically think of as simply "refrigeration", typically ranges from 28 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and may contain fresh foods; and

[0037] 3. low temperature refrigeration, also referred to as freezers, typically ranges from 20 degrees Fahrenheit and below and may contain frozen meats, frozen vegetables, and ice cream. This invention applies to all classifications of refrigeration.

[0038] Conventional refrigeration units use ambient temperature sensors to measure the air temperature inside a refrigeration unit and control when the refrigeration unit turns on or off based on that temperature. When ambient temperature readings are above a predetermined set temperature, the refrigeration unit is turned on. The operation of these conventional units is based on the principle that the temperature of a refrigerated item follows the temperature of the ambient or air temperature of the refrigeration unit. These conventional units operate similar to air conditioning systems by attempting to maintain an ambient temperature below a set temperature. This approach is inefficient because the ambient temperature inside a refrigeration unit can fluctuate more than the temperature of the refrigerated items. For example, in residential or commercial refrigeration units, every time the door to the unit is opened and/or closed, the ambient air temperature can fluctuate widely while the refrigerated item actually experiences little or no changes in temperature. A conventional refrigeration unit will often turn on the unit to compensate for a rise in ambient air temperature, when the refrigerated item has not experienced the same rise in temperature. Consequently, a conventional unit can unnecessarily cycle through on and off states causing unnecessary wear and tear on the unit and unnecessary power consumption.

[0039] Some installers of refrigeration units have at times encased air temperature probes in a sleeve or casing to trick the cooling mechanism, but such methods are inadequate as they allow for a measurement of only the center of the casing and without adequate regard to the composition of the casing and its temperature range application as well as the contents of the refrigeration unit. Air temperature and the surface of the casing as well as other factors are critical to the correct functioning of the system. In addition, such rudimentary methods end up controlling the compressors only and not the evaporator fans.

[0040] The embodiments described herein can utilize temperature sensors to measure the temperature of the refrigerated items and/or simulants that have similar temperature behavior to the refrigerated items. These temperature readings can be used to control the refrigeration function in addition to, or in lieu of, air temperature readings alone.

[0041] Depending on the items stored in a refrigeration unit, it may be undesirable or impractical to affix or implant a temperature sensor on or within a refrigerated item. In this case, temperature sensors can be affixed to an external surface of or implanted in one or more simulants that mimic the temperature behavior of the refrigerated items. The simulant can contain materials that are synthetic, natural, or a combination of those. For example, temperature sensors can be affixed to an external surface of or be implanted in materials such as plastic, wax, balsa wood, wood, cork, resin, various polymers, dry cement or other materials that mimic the temperature behavior of the refrigerated items.

[0042] The specific heat of a potential simulated refrigerated material can be used to help choose suitable material and suitable shape for simulating the temperature behavior of refrigerated items. The specific heat (also called specific heat capacity) of an object can be defined as the amount of heat required to change a unit mass (or unit quantity, such as mole) of a substance by one degree in temperature. Different simulated refrigerated items may be selected based on the range of environment temperatures in which the simulated refrigerated items are intended to mimic.

[0043] In addition to specific heat, however, there must also be consideration to thermal mass of the simulated food, as the combination allows for a better representation of how much heat is absorbed and/or expelled by the material for a particular duration. Specific heat alone does not make for an accurate representative food material as, for example, a very thin material with very low thermal mass will change in temperature very quickly, oftentimes almost as quickly as the ambient air temperature.

[0044] Refrigerated items can be separated into three categories based on environment temperatures under which they are refrigerated. Items, such as flower or candy, are refrigerated at relatively high temperatures, ranging from 47 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Items, such as fresh food, are refrigerated at relatively medium temperatures, ranging from 28 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Items, such as frozen meats, frozen vegetables and dairy, are refrigerated at relatively low temperatures, ranging from 0 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

[0045] A simulated refrigerated item can be chosen to have a similar specific heat in a given temperature range to the items refrigerated in that range. For example, fresh food and wax or balsa wood have a specific heat of about 0.8 BTU/lb.degree. F. for storage in relatively medium temperatures, ranging from 28 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Wax, balsa wood or other material having specific heat of about 0.8 BTU/lb.degree. F. can be used to simulate the temperature behavior of fresh foods stored at relatively medium temperatures. For relatively low temperatures, ranging from 0 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, plastic, cork, dry cement or other material with specific heat of about 0.4 BTU/lb.degree. F. can be used to simulate the temperature behavior of frozen meats, vegetables and dairy products because the specific heat of these refrigerated items is also about 0.4 BTU/lb.degree. F.

[0046] A variety of temperature sensors can be utilized to take temperature measurements relevant or useful to optimizing temperature control of the refrigeration unit. Temperature sensors can detect temperatures at set, predetermined or random intervals. For example, a temperature sensor may be configured to take 10-20 readings within a 20-minute interval. In other embodiments, temperature readings may be conducted as a function of time of day, activity level (such as people coming in and out of the refrigeration unit), and the temperature reading itself, as well as at random.

Air Temperature Sensors

[0047] Air temperature sensors may be used to provide air temperature data readings from inside the refrigeration unit. A variety of sensors are available commercially and may be purchased from Thermo Sensors Corporation in Garland, Tex., Thermal Devices in Mt. Airy, Md., and Thermocouple Technology, LLC in Quakertown, Pa. The air temperature readings can be used with other sensor readings (e.g., such as simulated food sensor readings) and analyzed to determine the frequency of power cycling of a refrigeration unit.

[0048] Air temperature sensors placed outside a refrigeration unit may be used to provide temperature of the environment in which a refrigeration unit is placed. Outside temperature readings can be considered to run the refrigeration unit more efficiently and can be used to fine-tune the timing of the engagement of the relays.

Refrigerated Item Temperature Sensors and Simulant Temperature Sensors

[0049] In addition to, or in lieu of, air temperature sensors, various temperature sensors can be utilized to implement the described embodiments. Contact or non-contact temperature sensors may be used to measure the temperature of the refrigerated items and the sensors' readings in combination with user-defined or automatically-defined refrigeration parameters may be analyzed and used to control a refrigeration unit.

[0050] Examples of non-contact temperature sensors include thermal imaging cameras and/or infrared temperature sensors. Infrared temperature sensors can be implemented using pyrometers or other similar technology.

[0051] Various companies and manufacturers offer non-contact temperature sensors. Examples include: Omega Engineering, Inc. of Norwalk, Conn.; Micro-Epsilon of Raleigh, N.C. and Keyence Corporation of Itasca, Ill.

[0052] In some embodiments, contact temperature sensors may be used to measure the temperature of the refrigerated items (both consumables and non-consumables) and/or to measure the temperature of items chosen to simulate the refrigerated items, referred to as simulants. Contact temperature sensors may be used to measure both interior temperature of the simulants as well as surface temperatures of refrigerated items such as actual food. Printed circuit technology may be used where actual foodstuffs or pharmaceuticals can be laid upon a rack equipped with such printed circuit technologies. Internal contact temperature sensors may include material, mechanisms, and/or technology to accomplish reading of the temperatures that mimic the internal portions of refrigerated items. Surface temperature sensors may include material, mechanisms and/or technology to accomplish reading of the temperature of the simulant that mimics the thermal behavior of surface portions of refrigerated items.

[0053] Examples of contact temperature sensors that can be used include: thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermistors, and/or printed sensors. They can be used to implement the simulant temperature sensors. Persons of ordinary skill in the art can use other contact temperature sensors without departing from the teachings herein.

[0054] Various companies and manufacturers offer thermocouples, RTDs and thermistors. Examples include: Thermo Sensors Corporation of Garland, Tex.; Thermal Devices of Mt. Airy, Md.; Thermocouple Technology, LLC of Quakertown, Pa.; Siemens Process Instrumentation of Spring House, Pa. and Thermometrics Corporation of Northridge, Calif.

[0055] Various companies and manufacturers offer printed temperature sensors. Examples include: Interlink Electronics, Inc. of Westlake Village, Calif.; KWJ Engineering, Inc. of Newark, Calif.; Thin Film Electronics ASA of Norway; ISORG of Grenobles, France and Peratech Holdco, Ltd. of Richmond, United Kingdom.

Placement of Simulant Temperature Sensors

[0056] Contact or non-contact temperature sensors can be placed in locations where they can more accurately measure the temperature of refrigerated items. Compared to the air surrounding the refrigerated items, the surface temperature of a refrigerated item can provide a more accurate measure of the temperature of that item. In this regard, contact sensors may be used wherein the sensor junction of a thermocouple sensor, or the surface of a printed temperature sensor, is placed on an exterior surface of a refrigerated item, or that the refrigerated item is laid upon such sensors, and used to take temperature readings from the surface of that item.

[0057] In other instances, refrigeration parameters may control the temperature of the refrigeration unit by taking into account surface temperature of the refrigerated items in addition to, or in combination with, the temperature of the environment of the refrigerated items. Contact-based temperature sensors may be placed on an external surface or implanted in an internal portion of a simulant.

[0058] For example, the sensor junctions of thermocouple sensors can be adhered to an external surface or implanted within a mass of simulant to provide surface and internal temperatures. It is suggested that multiple internal sensors be used of varying distances from the surface to gather a much better representation of the movement of heat within the simulant. Such detail and fidelity allows for a more accurate control of when the relays are engaged. For example, if there is a rapid warming of the simulant, regardless of the ambient air temperature and the overall temperature of the simulant, the one or more relays that control cooling can be engaged a few seconds earlier to make sure that the refrigerated items and the simulant do not go beyond the temperature threshold.

[0059] Similarly, the sensor portion of an RTD, thermistor and/or printed temperature sensor may be placed (e.g., affixed) on an external surface of a refrigerated item, or may be placed on an external surface of a material chosen to simulate the refrigerated item or can be implanted within a mass of material chosen to simulate the refrigerated items.

[0060] Non-contact temperature sensors such as infrared temperature sensors can be placed in positions within the refrigeration unit to be able to measure the surface temperatures of refrigerated items and/or simulants chosen to simulate refrigerated items.

[0061] The simulant sensors need not be static or stationary nor take measurements of only one item or location within the refrigeration unit. In some embodiments, robotic pyrometers can be used to take temperature measurements of multiple items or areas within the refrigeration unit and the temperature readings may be used to control the refrigeration unit.

[0062] FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of placement of temperature sensors affixed on, within, and around a simulant 310. Internal air temperature sensors 303 and external air temperature sensors 304 may be similar to existing air temperature sensors currently used with conventional refrigeration units. In addition, the simulant 310 has affixed to its surface, a surface temperature sensor 301 and interior temperature sensors (probes) 302. The surface temperature sensor may be in the form of contact sensors or non-contact sensors.

[0063] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of placement of temperature sensors affixed to and around a refrigerated item 410. Internal air temperature sensors 403 and external air temperature sensors 404 may be similar to existing air temperature sensors currently used with conventional refrigeration units. In addition, the refrigerated item 410 has affixed to its surface, a surface temperature sensor 401 in the form of printed contact temperature sensors or non-contact sensors such as those using infrared technology.

Relays

[0064] A refrigeration unit may include one or more relays to cycle one or more compressors and/or one or more evaporator fans of the refrigeration unit between the on and off states, thereby turning the cooling functionality of the refrigeration unit on or off. In some embodiments, the processing device may be used to communicate with the relay and command the relay to turn the power to the one or more compressors and/or the one or more evaporator fans on or off.

[0065] In existing conventional refrigeration units, evaporator fans run continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In this invention, one or more of these evaporator fans are turned on and off in the same manner as the one or more compressors, thereby turning on and off the forced circulation of the air within the refrigeration unit.

[0066] The relay may also be in connection and/or wired or wireless communication with one or more temperature sensors, a processing device, a router, a display device, a computing device of a user, and/or a cloud provider.

[0067] Various companies and manufacturers offer relays. Examples include: Teledyne Relays of Hawthorne Calif.; Omron of Kyoto, Japan and Crydom Relays of San Diego, Calif.

Refrigeration Systems

[0068] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a refrigeration system 100 whose operation can be improved by installing the embodiments described herein. The refrigeration system 100 includes a refrigeration unit 102, an ambient temperature sensor 104, a compressor unit 106 and a relay 108. The ambient temperature sensor 104 is placed inside the refrigeration unit 102, is connected to the relay 108 and communicates the air temperatures within the refrigeration unit 102 to the relay 108. When the air temperature inside the refrigeration unit 102 rises above a preset temperature, called the "cut in", the relay closes an electrical circuit and connects the compressor to electrical power. The compressor turns on and the refrigeration cycle cools the air inside the refrigeration unit 102. When the ambient temperature sensor 104 communicates a temperature at or below the preset temperature, called the "cut out", to the relay 108, the relay 108 opens the electrical circuit providing electrical power to the compressor 106 and turns the compressor off. These operations continue and the air temperature inside the refrigeration unit 102 is maintained at or near the preset temperature. In existing conventional refrigeration units, evaporator fans 107 run continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

[0069] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a refrigeration system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Not every component depicted may be necessary to all described embodiments. Some components and modules may be combined and manufactured as a single component. Some components shown may be outfitted or adapted to existing refrigeration systems to improve their refrigeration efficiency and equipment life cycle.

[0070] The refrigeration system 200 may include a refrigeration unit 202, one or more compressor units 204, one or more evaporator fans 207, and one or more relays 206 whose operations are similar to similarly named components in the refrigeration system 100.

[0071] The refrigeration system 200 may include internal sensors 208 and external sensors 210 in relation to the refrigeration unit 202. The internal sensors 208 are included inside the refrigeration unit 202 and provide refrigeration related data pertaining to the interior of the refrigeration unit 202. Internal sensors 208 may be one or more of air temperature sensors, one or more refrigerated food temperature sensors, and one or more simulant temperature sensors including contact and non-contact temperature sensors described above, or a combination of two or more of these sensors, as may be envisioned by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0072] The placement of the internal sensors 208 inside the refrigeration unit 202 may depend on the type of sensor and desired functionality. For example, for an interior area near the door of the refrigeration unit 202, where frequent air temperature fluctuations may exist, a surface temperature sensor as described above may be utilized to monitor the surface temperature of refrigerated items or both surface and probe temperature sensors may be utilized to monitor the surface temperature and interior temperatures of a simulant instead of an ambient temperature sensor. As described, non-stationary and/or robotic temperature sensors may also be used.

[0073] The external sensors 210 may be placed outside the refrigeration unit 202 to provide environment data as they relate to the refrigeration function of the system 200. The external sensors 210 may for example include ambient temperature sensors of the environment in which the refrigeration unit 202 is located, whether inside a building or out in an outdoors environment.

[0074] The internal and external sensors 208 and 210 may be in wired or wireless communication with a processing device 214. In some embodiments, the sensors 208 and 210 may directly communicate with one or more relays 206 to turn the electrical power to the compressor 204 and/or evaporator fan on or off. In other embodiments, the sensors 208 and 210 may communicate with the relay 212 via a router 216.

[0075] In some embodiments, the sensors 208 and 210 may be in wired or wireless communication via the router 216 or directly through a peer-to-peer protocol, with the processing device 214, which can receive and analyze data from the sensors 208 and 210 and command the one or more relays 206 to turn the electrical power to the one or more compressors 204 and/or the one or more evaporator fans 207 on or off. Examples of wireless technology that may be used include: Wi-Fi (IEEE 805.11), Bluetooth.TM., Bluetooth Low Energy.TM. (BLE.TM.), IEEE 805.15.4, Zigbee.TM., Z-Wave.TM. or other wireless technologies. Wired connection may be implemented using Ethernet, 1-wire, or other wired connection technology.

[0076] The wireless connection may utilize mesh or non-mesh (either peer-to-peer or infrastructure using a router 216) protocols for communication between different components of the system 200. For systems or installations where wireless protocols are used, but sensors 208, 210, relays 206, and/or the processing device 214 cannot enjoy an unobstructed line of sight communication, or where components may be at relatively large distances from one another, mesh protocol may be used to improve reliability of the wireless connection. Examples of mesh network, which may be used, include Z-wave.TM. and Zigbee.TM..

[0077] The router 216 may be connected to the internet and a cloud provider via an internet gateway 218. The user of the refrigeration system 200 may monitor the system and/or set refrigeration parameters via a cloud provider or via the processing device 214. In some embodiments, the processing device 214, the router 216 and a display may be manufactured as internal components of the processing device 214. The processing device 214 may provide data from sensors 208 and 210, the relay 206, and analyzed and aggregated data, status, and alerts to an external program such as a building management system or energy management system 215 directly or through the cloud and the internet gateway 218. The processing device 214 may also receive data and commands from the building management system 215 as well as a user accessing the processing device 214 directly or through the cloud and the internet gateway 218.

[0078] The processing device 214 may include processor, memory, storage, input/output interfaces and other interfaces for communicating with internal and external components. The processing device 214 may include an internal or external display component. The display component may be a touch or non-touch display allowing local interactions with the refrigeration system 200.

[0079] In some embodiments, the processing device 214 may be a dedicated computing device or may incorporate the functionalities of sensors 208, 210, relays 206, as well as the router 216, and internet gateway 218. In other embodiments, the processing device 214 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a rack-mounted computer, an industrial computer, a single-board computer such as a BeagleBone.TM. or Raspberry Pi.TM., or a single-board microcontroller such as an Arduino Uno.TM.. The input/output interfaces may provide wired or wireless communication with the components of the refrigeration system 200 such as relay 206, router 216, internet gateway 218, sensors 208, 210, the display, the building management system 215, and the user of the system 200.

[0080] The storage of the processing device 214 may include a refrigeration management program in executable code. The refrigeration management program may be loaded into the memory and executed by the processor of the device 214. The user of the system 200 may interact with the refrigeration management program via a cloud provider, a keyboard, a touch display or other input means to enter refrigeration parameters into the processing device 214.

[0081] Examples of refrigeration parameters may include desired refrigeration temperature, type of refrigerated items, desired internal and/or external temperature of the refrigerated items, intended duration of refrigeration of items, and desired frequency of operation and temperature detection by internal and external sensors 208 and 210. In some embodiments, the user may want to specify alarm conditions or set up notifications based on sensor data. For example, a user may specify to receive an alarm if the surface temperature of a refrigerated item rises above a threshold. Other refrigeration parameters may be automatically calculated and stored in the storage by the refrigeration management program. The refrigeration management program may automatically calculate or adjust a desired refrigeration temperature based on input from the user and sensor data from internal and/or external sensors 208 and 210. For example, the user might input the type of a refrigerated item, quantity and desired duration of refrigeration and the refrigeration management program may determine and store in storage the appropriate refrigeration temperature. In other embodiments, the user may overwrite the refrigeration management program and directly set the refrigeration temperature for quick and simple operation.

[0082] Refrigeration parameters may be stored in the storage of the device 214. The processing device 214 may receive sensor data from internal and external sensors 208 and 210 via router 216 or directly via peer-to-peer communication or via I/O interfaces. The refrigeration management program may analyze the sensor data in relation to the user defined or automatically defined refrigeration parameters and determine whether the refrigeration unit should be turned on or off. The processing device 214 may communicate with the relay 206 via router 216 or directly via peer-to-peer communication or via I/O interfaces. The refrigeration management program may signal the one or more relays 206 to turn the power to the one or more compressors 204 and/or the one or more evaporator fans 207 on or off.

[0083] In some embodiments, the processing device 214 may be an internal component of one or more of the internal sensors 208. Such intelligent sensors may directly communicate with the relay 206 without the router 216 via wired or wireless communication. In some embodiments, the processing device 214 may be an internal component of one or more of the relays 206. Such intelligent controls may directly communicate with each other without the router 216 via wired or wireless communication. In other embodiments, the processing device 214 may reside as a virtual machine in the cloud. While some of the described components are depicted outside the refrigeration unit 202, such placement may not be convenient, necessary, or practical. For example, the router 216 need not be a component external to the refrigeration unit 216 in every embodiment. A person of ordinary skill in the art may envision various arrangements of the components shown in FIG. 2 based on specific residential and/or commercial and/or industrial applications without departing from the spirit of the described technology.

[0084] The embodiments described are not limited to single compressor refrigeration systems. For example, for larger commercial or walk-in refrigeration units, and/or for dual or multiple compressor systems, multiple internal sensors 208 and relay controllers may be utilized and networked together via the router 216 and managed by single or multiple instances of the processing device 214.

[0085] Not all components depicted in FIG. 2 are necessary for all implementations of the system 200. For example, Bluetooth.TM. wireless electrical connection or other wireless connection may be used without using the router 216 or creating a local area network. In other embodiments, the refrigeration system 200 may be locally managed as opposed to managed via a cloud provider. In other embodiments, remote management of the refrigeration system 200 may be provided via the internet gateway 218 without using a cloud provider.

[0086] The wireless electrical connections described herein may be implemented by a variety of means and technologies, such as, but not limited to, Wi-Fi (IEEE 805.11), Bluetooth.TM., Bluetooth Low Energy.TM. (BLE.TM.), IEEE 805.15.4, Zigbee.TM., Z-Wave.TM. or other wireless technologies.

[0087] Various companies and manufacturers offer wireless technology. For example, Texas Instruments of Dallas, Tex. may be contacted to obtain wireless equipment, such as those compliant with IEEE 802.15.4 standard, Zigbee.TM., and Bluetooth.TM. technologies. Digi International, Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn. may be contacted to obtain wireless equipment, such as those compliant with IEEE 802.15.4 standard, Zigbee.TM., Bluetooth.TM. and BLE.TM. technologies. Sigma Designs, Inc. of Fremont, Calif. may be contacted to obtain wireless equipment compliant with Z-Wave.TM. technology. Qualcomm of San Diego, Calif. may be contacted to obtain wireless equipment such as Wi-Fi equipment.

Test Results

[0088] Refrigeration equipment implemented using the described technology has been tested to perform realizing a 20-40% reduction in energy usage compared to conventional units. Additionally, the equipment life expectancy of a refrigeration unit built according to the described technology or retrofitted with the described technology may be twice that of conventional units.

Claims

1. A refrigeration monitoring and regulation system for installation in a refrigeration unit, said system comprising: a) one or more air temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing air temperature data; b) one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing refrigerated items temperature data, wherein said temperature sensors are non-contact sensors or contact sensors on which the consumables may be laid upon; and c) a processing device connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to each of said one or more air temperature sensors and said one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors; and d) one or more relays, connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to said processing device, wherein said one or more relays regulate cooling mechanisms of said refrigeration unit, wherein said processing device receives said air temperature data and said refrigerated item temperature data at set or random time intervals, and based on said data determines whether to turn on or to turn off said relays, and, wherein said processing device has a programmable interface allowing a user or external program to establish one or more set parameters for said refrigeration unit.

2. A refrigeration monitoring and regulation system for installation in a refrigeration unit, said system comprising: a) one or more air temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing air temperature data; b) one or more simulant temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing simulant temperature data, wherein said simulant temperature sensors are affixed to a synthetic or natural material simulating consumables or non-consumables to be temperature-controlled in said refrigeration unit, wherein said simulant temperature sensors include surface temperature sensors and internal temperature sensors, and wherein said simulant temperature sensors provide temperature data from both said internal and surface portions of said synthetic or natural material; wherein there are one or more simulant temperature sensors embedded within the simulant to measure temperatures at various distances from the center and the surface of the simulant; and c) a processing device connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to each of said one or more air temperature sensors and said one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors; and d) one or more relays, connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to said processing device, wherein said one or more relays regulate the cooling mechanisms of the refrigeration unit, wherein said processing device receives said air temperature data and said simulant temperature data at set or random time intervals, and based on said data determines whether to turn on or to turn off said relays, and, wherein said processing device has a programmable interface allowing a user or external program to establish one or more set parameters for said refrigeration unit.

3. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 1, wherein the processing device is a desktop computer, portable computer, rack-mounted computer, industrial computer, single-board computer or a single-board microcontroller.

4. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein the processing device is a desktop computer, portable computer, rack-mounted computer, industrial computer, single-board computer or a single-board microcontroller.

5. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more air temperature sensors and one or more of said refrigerated item temperature sensors are one or more combination air and refrigerated item temperature sensors.

6. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said one or more air temperature sensors and one or more of said simulant temperature sensors are one or more combination of air and simulant temperature sensors.

7. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 1, wherein said one or more set parameters include air temperature within said refrigeration unit.

8. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said one or more set parameters include air temperature outside said refrigeration unit.

9. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless electronic connection to said processing device is by Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth.TM., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), IEEE 802.15.4, Zigbee.TM., Z-Wave.TM., WiMesh.TM., or proprietary wireless protocols.

10. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said wireless electronic connection to said processing device is by Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth.TM., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), IEEE 802.15.4, Zigbee.TM., Z-Wave.TM., WiMesh.TM., or proprietary wireless protocols.

11. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said synthetic or natural material or both simulates meat produce, vegetable produce, fruit produce, and/or combinations of meat, vegetable and/or fruit produce, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, or pharmaceuticals.

12. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said synthetic or natural material or both has similar specific heat and thermal mass as a refrigerated item at a temperature range for said refrigerated item the material is simulating.

13. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said synthetic or natural material or both is a wax, balsa wood, or a material that has a specific heat of around 0.8 BTU/lb.degree. F.

14. The refrigeration monitoring and regulation system according to claim 2, wherein said synthetic or natural material or both is solid plastic, cork, dry cement, or a material that has a specific heat of around 0.4 BTU/lb.degree. F.

15. A method for monitoring and regulation of a refrigeration unit comprising the steps of: installing a refrigeration monitoring and regulation system into said refrigeration unit, wherein said refrigeration monitoring and regulation system comprises one or more air temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing air temperature data; one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing refrigerated items temperature data, wherein said refrigerated item temperature sensors are non-contact sensors or contact sensors on which the refrigerated items may be laid upon; and a processing device connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to each of said one or more air temperature sensors and said one or more refrigerated item temperature sensors; and one or more relays, connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to said processing device, wherein said one or more relays regulate the cooling mechanisms of the refrigeration unit, wherein said processing device receives said air temperature data and said refrigerated item temperature data at set or random time intervals, and based on said data determines whether to turn on or to turn off said relays, and, wherein said processing device has a programmable interface allowing a user or external program to establish one or more set parameters for said refrigeration unit; and activating said refrigeration monitoring and regulation system installed in said refrigeration unit.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the processing device is a desktop computer, portable computer, rack-mounted computer, industrial computer, single-board computer or single-board microcontroller.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said one or more air temperature sensors and one or more of said refrigerated item temperature sensors are one or more combination air and refrigerated item temperature sensors.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein said one or more set parameters include air temperature within said refrigeration unit.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein said wireless electronic connection to said processing device is by Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth.TM., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), IEEE 802.15.4, Zigbee.TM., Z-Wave.TM., WiMesh.TM., or proprietary wireless protocols.

20. A method for monitoring and regulation of a refrigeration unit for consumables comprising the steps of: installing a refrigeration monitoring and regulation system into said refrigeration unit, wherein said refrigeration monitoring and regulation system comprises one or more air temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing air temperature data; one or more simulant temperature sensors that are able to be affixed within said refrigeration unit for providing refrigerated items temperature data, wherein said simulated temperature sensors are non-contact sensors or contact sensors on which said consumables may be laid upon; and a processing device connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to each of said one or more air temperature sensors and said one or more simulant temperature sensors; and one or more relays, connected by wire or wireless electronic connection to said processing device, wherein said one or more relays regulate the cooling mechanisms, wherein said processing device receives said air temperature data and said refrigerated item temperature data at set or random time intervals, and based on said data determines whether to turn on or to turn off said relays, and, wherein said processing device has a programmable interface allowing a user or external program to establish one or more set parameters for said refrigeration unit and activating said refrigeration monitoring and regulation system installed in said refrigeration unit.