Methods and systems for monitoring and displaying energy use and energy cost of a transport vehicle climate control system or a fleet of transport vehicle climate control systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020101820-A1
Application number	US-201816147704-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for monitoring and displaying energy use and energy cost of a transport vehicle climate control system is provided. The method includes a controller monitoring and measuring energy parameters of the transport vehicle climate control system. The method also includes calculating energy utilization of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the energy parameters. Also, the method includes calculating energy costs of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the calculated energy utilization. Further, the method includes displaying the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system on a user interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for monitoring and displaying energy use and energy cost of a transport vehicle climate control system, the method comprising:
a controller monitoring and measuring energy parameters of the transport vehicle climate control system; calculating energy utilization of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the energy parameters; calculating energy costs of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the calculated energy utilization; and displaying the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system on a user interface.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying operation of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the controller sending the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system to a remote server,
wherein the remote server provides the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system to the user interface.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the controller sending the energy parameters of the transport climate control system to a remote server,
wherein calculating the energy utilization of the transport vehicle climate control system is performed by the remote server, wherein calculating energy costs of the transport vehicle climate control system is performed by the remote server, and wherein the remote server provides the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system to the user interface.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transport vehicle climate control system includes a compressor, and
wherein the energy parameters include one or more of an operating time of the compressor, a rotational velocity of the compressor, an operational frequency of the compressor, and a voltage and/or current supplied to the compressor.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transport vehicle climate control system includes an air moving device, and
wherein the energy parameters include one or more of an operating time of the air moving device, a rotational velocity of the air moving device, an operational frequency of the air moving device, and a voltage and/or current supplied to the air moving device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transport vehicle climate control system includes a compressor, and
wherein the energy parameters include one or more of an operating time of the compressor, a rotational velocity of the compressor, an operational frequency of the compressor, and a voltage and/or current supplied to the compressor.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the user interface displaying a graphical comparison of the transport vehicle climate control system compared to a fleet of transport vehicles with climate control systems, wherein the graphical comparison is at least one of a total energy utilization comparison, an energy use per unit of time in operation comparison, a total energy cost comparison, and an energy cost per unit of time in operation comparison.

9 . A climate control system for a transport vehicle comprising:
a refrigeration circuit configured to control an environmental condition of an internal space of the transport vehicle, wherein the refrigeration circuit includes a compressor, an exterior heat exchanger, and an interior heat exchanger; and a controller configured to control operation of the climate control system, wherein the controller is configured to:
monitor and measure energy parameters of a transport vehicle climate control system,
calculate energy utilization of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the energy parameters, and
calculate energy costs of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the calculated energy utilization;
wherein a user interface is configured to receive the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs and is configured to display the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system.

10 . The climate control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to modify operation of the transport vehicle climate control system based on the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs.

11 . The climate control system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to send the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system to a remote server,
wherein the remote server is configured to provide the calculated energy utilization and the calculated energy costs of the transport climate control system to the user interface.

12 . The climate control system of claim 9 , wherein the energy parameters include one or more of an operating time of the compressor, a rotational velocity of the compressor, an operational frequency of the compressor, and a voltage and/or current supplied to the compressor.

13 . The climate control system of claim 9 , further comprising an air moving device, wherein the energy parameters include one or more of an operating time of the air moving device, a rotational velocity of the air moving device, an operational frequency of the air moving device, and a voltage and/or current supplied to the air moving device.

14 . The climate control system of claim 9 , wherein the energy parameters include one or more of an operating time of the compressor, a rotational velocity of the compressor, an operational frequency of the compressor, and a voltage and/or current supplied to the compressor.

15 . The climate control system of claim 9 , wherein the user interface is configured to display a graphical comparison of the transport vehicle climate control system compared to a fleet of transport vehicles with climate control systems, wherein the graphical comparison is at least one of a total energy utilization comparison, an energy use per unit of time in operation comparison, a total energy cost comparison, and an energy cost per unit of time in operation comparison.

Assignees

• Thermo King Corp

Inventors

• Wenger Scott
• Holmstrom Katherine

Classifications

• B60H1/00735

  Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models · CPC title

• B60H1/00371

  for vehicles carrying large numbers of passengers, e.g. buses · CPC title

• B60H1/00985 Primary

  Control systems or circuits characterised by display or indicating devices, e.g. voice simulators (characterised by the input of sound using a voice synthesizer B60H1/00757; B60H1/00978 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60H1/0073

  Control systems or circuits characterised by particular algorithms or computational models, e.g. fuzzy logic or dynamic models · CPC title

• G05D23/1934

  each space being provided with one sensor acting on one or more control means · CPC title