Determining an extreme temperature location from a plurality of locations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132695-B2
Application number	US-201415030983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2014
Priority date	Oct 21, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A device for determining an extreme temperature location from a plurality of locations connects along a daisy chain of devices each of which mounts to a respective location from the plurality of locations. The device includes an input terminal operably connected to a remote device at a remote location from the plurality of locations via the daisy chain. The input terminal receives a remote temperature signal indicative of a remote temperature corresponding to the remote location and a remote location signal indicative of the remote location. The device also includes a local temperature determining logic that generates a local temperature signal indicative of a local temperature corresponding to the location of the device, and at least one comparator operably connected to the input terminal and to the local temperature determining logic and configured to compare the local temperature signal to the remote temperature signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for a system for determining an extreme temperature location from a plurality of locations, the system comprising a plurality of devices connected in a daisy chain, the device configured to be one of the devices in the plurality of devices connected in the daisy chain, each of the devices in the plurality of devices connected in the daisy chain configured to mount at a respective location from the plurality of locations, the device comprising:
at least one input terminal configured to operably connect via the daisy chain to a remote device from the plurality of devices connected in the daisy chain, the remote device located at a remote location, from the plurality of locations, remote from a location of the device, also from the plurality of locations, the at least one input terminal configured to receive a remote temperature signal including data indicative of a remote temperature corresponding to the remote location and a remote location signal including data indicative of the remote location;
a local temperature determining logic configured to generate a local temperature signal including data indicative of a local temperature corresponding to the location of the device;
at least one comparator operably connected to the at least one input terminal and to the local temperature determining logic and configured to compare the local temperature signal to the remote temperature signal to determine which is higher of the local temperature and the remote temperature;
at least one output terminal; and
an output logic configured to:
if the remote temperature is higher than the local temperature, output a temperature signal including data indicative of the remote temperature and a location signal including data indicative of the remote location via the at least one output terminal, and
if the local temperature is higher than the remote temperature, output a temperature signal including data indicative of the local temperature and a location signal including data indicative of the location of the device via the at least one output terminal.

2. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a temperature sensor that forms part of the local temperature determining logic; and
a printed circuit board on a first side of which the temperature sensor is mounted, the printed circuit board configured to mount to the location with a second side opposite the first side facing the location so that the printed circuit board electrically insulates the temperature sensor from the location.

3. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a temperature sensor that forms part of the local temperature determining logic; and
a printed circuit board on a first side of which the at least one input terminal, the local temperature determining logic including the temperature sensor, the at least one comparator, and the at least one output terminal are mounted, the printed circuit board configured to mount to the location with a second side opposite the first side facing the location so that the printed circuit board electrically insulates the at least one input terminal, the local temperature determining logic including the temperature sensor, the at least one comparator, and the at least one output terminal from the location.

4. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a printed circuit board on a first side of which the at least one input terminal, the at least one comparator, and the at least one output terminal are mounted, the printed circuit board configured to mount to the location with a second side opposite the first side facing the location so that the printed circuit board electrically insulates the at least one input terminal, the at least one comparator, and the at least one output terminal from the location.

5. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a printed circuit board on a first side of which at least one of the at least one input terminal, the at least one comparator, and the at least one output terminal are mounted, wherein the location corresponds to a portion of a current carrying bus bar at a certain potential, wherein the printed circuit board mounts to the current carrying bus bar and effectively insulates the at least one input terminal, the at least one comparator, or the at least one output terminal mounted to the circuit board.

6. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a temperature sensor that forms part of the local temperature determining logic;
a printed circuit board on a first side of which the temperature sensor is mounted, wherein the location corresponds to a portion of a current carrying bus bar at a certain potential, wherein the printed circuit board operably mounts to the current carrying bus bar and effectively insulates the temperature sensor mounted to the circuit board while permitting the temperature sensor to effectively sense a temperature corresponding to the portion of the current carrying bus bar.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the output logic is configured to:
if the remote temperature is higher than the local temperature, output one of the remote location signal and the remote location signal plus an offset as the location signal including data indicative of the remote location.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the output logic is configured to:
if the remote temperature is higher than the local temperature, output the remote location signal plus an offset of between 0.45 and 0.55 volts as the location signal including data indicative of the remote location.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the output logic is configured to:
if the local temperature is higher than the remote temperature, output one of substantially zero volts and between 0.45 and 0.55 volts as the location signal including data indicative of the location of the device.

10. A method of determining a hottest location from a plurality of locations by using a plurality of devices communicatively connected in a daisy chain, each device from the plurality of devices located at a respective location from the plurality of locations, the plurality of devices including a local device and a remote device, the local device located at a location from the plurality of locations and the remote device located at a remote location from the plurality of locations remote to the location of the local device, the method comprising:
receiving, at the local device from the remote device a remote location signal indicative of the remote location;
receiving, at the local device, a remote temperature signal indicative of a remote temperature corresponding to the remote location;
obtaining at the local device a local temperature signal indicative of a local temperature;
comparing at the local device the remote temperature signal to the local temperature signal; and
if the remote temperature is higher than the local temperature, the local device transmitting an output signal indicative of the remote temperature and an output signal indicative of the remote location; or
if the local temperature is higher than the remote temperature, the local device transmitting an output signal indicative of the local temperature and an output signal indicative of the location of the local device.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising:
at the remote device located at the remote location:
transmitting a signal indicative of the remote temperature to be received by the local device as the remote temperature signal indicative of the remote temperature, and
transmitting a signal indicative of the remote location to be received by the local device as the remote location signal indicative of the remote location.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining the local temperature includes

Assignees

• Parker Hannifin Corp

Inventors

• Leighton Ii Harold Raymond

Classifications

• G01K3/14 Primary

  in respect of space · CPC title

• G01K1/026

  arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing · CPC title

• G01K2003/145

  Hotspot localization · CPC title