ES1295698U - Monitoring system for refrigeration equipment (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Monitoring system (1) for refrigeration equipment, where each refrigeration equipment (100) comprises at least one refrigeration device connected to an electrical power source, characterized in that it comprises: a) a plurality of sensors and/or actuators ( S1, S2; A1) based on IoT that are installed in each refrigeration equipment (100), where said sensors and/or actuators (S1, S2; A1) at least comprise: a1) a geolocator (S1) configured to obtain the geographical position of the refrigeration equipment (100); a2) a state sensor (S2) configured to determine whether the cooling device is on or off; and a3) an actuator relay (A1) configured to selectively cut off the electrical power to the refrigeration equipment (100) or a component thereof. b) a processing means (2) also located in the refrigeration equipment (100) to which the sensors and/or actuators (S1, S2; A1) are connected; and c) a remote server (3) in communication with the processing means (3) to receive data from the sensors (S1, S2) and send orders to the actuators (A1) according to indications received from a user through an interface. .

Description

DESCRIPTION

Monitoring system for refrigeration equipment

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention belongs to the field of industrial monitoring, and more particularly to the monitoring of refrigeration equipment located in a plurality of geographically dispersed establishments.

The object of the present invention is a new monitoring system based on IoT that allows to know the status of the different components of a refrigeration equipment, for example a beer refrigeration equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The refrigeration of beverages, such as beer, is carried out using equipment made up of a set of components. There are different types of refrigeration equipment, although in the specific case of beer refrigeration, at least the following elements are necessary:

- A tank that contains the beer to be dispensed, such as a keg.

- A carbon dioxide feed source directly or indirectly connected to the tank to inject the gas into the beer, such as a carbon dioxide canister.

- A conduit for transporting the beer from the tank to the dispensing point.

- A tap connected to the end of the conduit to serve the beer to the customer, for example a shooter.

- A cooling device to cool the beer properly. Refrigeration can be accomplished in many different ways, from the use of a refrigerator in which the tank containing the beer is stored, to the arrangement of refrigerant-fed heat exchangers that cool the beer as it travels through the conduit from the tank to the faucet.

In this context, it is of great importance for the quality of the final product to ensure that each of the components of a refrigeration unit works properly. This is particularly relevant in the case of beer, whose organoleptic properties are highly dependent on the temperature at which it is served. For example, depending on the type of refrigeration device used, parameters such as the temperature of the refrigerant or inside the cooler have a direct effect on the quality of the beer dispensed to customers.

In particular, the temperature at which the beer is served is the most important parameter in relation to quality. The temperature of the beer should be within a narrow range recommended by the manufacturer. When the temperature of the beer served to customers goes out of said range, especially when it rises above the upper limit of said range, it is urgent to solve the problem immediately. This implies looking for the cause of the inadequate cooling of the beer and solving it as soon as possible. Currently, the only way to monitor the health of a beer cooler is to visually check that all of its components are operating within set parameters. This implies that a person must physically go to the place where the refrigeration equipment in question is to check the status of all its components.

The same problem occurs in relation to refrigeration equipment of other types, such as refrigerated display cabinets, with or without doors, of the type commonly used in supermarkets and the like.

Therefore, there is currently a need in this field for systems that allow the components of a refrigeration unit to be monitored remotely.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The inventors of the present application have developed a monitoring system specially designed for refrigeration equipment, in particular beer refrigeration equipment and refrigerated display cabinets. The monitoring system of the invention is based on the arrangement of a plurality of IoT sensors and/or actuators in different elements of each refrigeration equipment that provide real-time information about relevant operating parameters, so that a user can monitor its status and act on certain elements if necessary, for example to disconnect the equipment.

This new monitoring system is particularly advantageous to ensure correct maintenance of refrigeration equipment installed in different geographically dispersed establishments. Specifically, the system of the present invention makes it possible to carry out said maintenance in a centralized manner, identifying specific failures immediately to optimize the time invested in repairs.

Furthermore, as will be seen in greater detail later in this document, the scope of application of the monitoring system of the invention is not restricted to beer refrigeration equipment, but is also applicable to other types of refrigeration equipment. For example, the system of the invention can be applied to monitor the status of refrigerated display cases of the type used in supermarkets, food stores, bars, etc.

The present invention, therefore, is directed to a monitoring system for refrigeration equipment, most preferably beer refrigeration equipment. In this context, it is understood that each refrigeration equipment comprises at least one refrigeration device connected to an electrical power supply. In principle, the type of refrigeration device can be any, although it normally includes a set of elements (compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator) through which a refrigerant fluid passes through a thermodynamic refrigeration cycle of any of conventionally known types.

Well then, the system of the present invention is characterized in that it also comprises the following elements: sensors and/or actuators, processing means, and server. Each of these elements is described in more detail below.

a) Sensors and/or actuators

It is a plurality of sensors and/or actuators based on IoT that are installed in each refrigeration equipment. Any type of sensor can be used to measure any parameter that is useful in monitoring the status of the equipment in question, including current, voltage, temperature, position, presence, distance, conductivity, flow sensors, and many more. Similarly, any type of actuator can be used, although normally the most common is to use relays or valves that allow remote cutting of the electrical supply, pneumatic or hydraulic.

The reference to IoT related to the sensors and/or actuators refers to the fact that they are equipped with IoT functionality, in the sense that they have means to communicate with the processing medium that is described below. The means of communication with the processing means can be of various types, both wired and wireless, including communication via the Internet (for example, via WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, radio frequency, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, GPRS, UMTS, GSM, infrared, or in general any suitable communication technology.

In particular, the sensors and/or actuators of the system of the invention include at least the following:

a1) Geolocator: it is a locator configured to obtain the geographical position of the refrigeration equipment. The geolocator can work using any known technology, such as GPS.

a2) Status Sensor: It is configured to determine if the cooling device is on or off. Any similar sensor capable of determining if the equipment is consuming power and therefore operating can be used.

a3) Actuator relay: it is configured to selectively cut off the power supply to the refrigeration equipment, or to a particular component thereof. It can also be located in the electrical connection to the equipment in such a way that, when activated, it opens the circuit to cut off the electrical supply.

b) Processing medium

The processing medium, to which the sensors and/or actuators are connected, is also located in the refrigeration equipment. The processing means can be located in any place of the equipment in question that is protected from any undesired tampering, such as inside a box of the equipment that is only accessed for maintenance tasks.

In general, the processing means can be any type of device endowed with sufficient connectivity, processing and communication capacity to carry out the tasks described in this document. The processing means may include, for example, a microcontroller, microprocessor, ASIC, FPGA, DSP, or any other. An electronic board equipped with a sufficient number of inputs/outputs on which the necessary components are arranged can also be used.

c) Server

It is a remote server in communication with the processing means to receive data from the sensors and send commands to the actuators according to indications received from a user through an interface.

In this context, the term "remote" refers to the fact that the server is physically located in a location far from the one where the computers in question are located, or at least some of them. For example, the server can be hosted in the cloud , while the equipment is arranged in hospitality establishments in geographically dispersed locations.The communication between the server and the processing medium can be carried out in any possible way including, for example, internet, radio frequency, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G , GPRS, UMTS, GSM or others.

The interface is the means through which users access the information obtained by the sensors and can act on the refrigeration equipment through the actuators. The interface may include, for example, an application installed on a mobile phone, tablet, computer, or the like.

This system can be used to monitor very different types of refrigeration equipment, including those that are basically made up of a refrigerated display case, for example a refrigerated display case of the type used in supermarkets and food stores. For these pieces of equipment, the system can also comprise an interior temperature sensor configured to determine the temperature inside the refrigerated cabinet, and/or a door opening sensor configured to detect whether a door of the refrigerated display case is open or closed.

In any case, as previously described in this document, the system of the invention is particularly designed for the monitoring and control of beer refrigeration equipment. In this case, it is understood that the mentioned refrigeration device comprises a water tank inside which runs a coil that forms part of a dispensing conduit that carries the beer from a tank, for example a barrel or "bag in box", even a column equipped with a shooter. The water tank is cooled by means of a refrigerant that goes through a refrigeration cycle, where the refrigeration cycle comprises a compression stage carried out in a compressor and an evaporation stage carried out in an evaporator. The evaporator is located inside the water tank, which allows the water to be cooled down to the desired temperature.

In this context, the system of the invention preferably further comprises a temperature sensor configured to determine the temperature of the water in the water tub. This sensor can simply be a temperature probe arranged at any suitable location inside the tub.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises a sensor configured to determine the coolant temperature. This sensor can be located at any suitable position within the refrigeration cycle that the refrigerant travels through, such as at the condenser inlet.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises a sensor configured to estimate the amount of beer dispensed through the shooter. For this, a flowmeter can be arranged in the beer line. Alternatively, magnetic elements that detect whether the handle is in an open or closed position can be installed in the handle tap. For example, the sensor can comprise a first element installed on the handle and a second element installed on the column next to the handle, one of the elements being a magnet and the other a magnetic pickup. In this way, the distance between the magnet and the magnetic pickup changes when the faucet alternates between an open position and a closed position, which makes it possible to know if the handle is in the open or closed position. Alternative configurations could be based on presence sensors, either magnetic or ultrasonic, on inclination sensors, or any other that makes it possible to detect whether the handle is in the open or closed position.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises a ambient temperature sensor. The room temperature sensor can be located in any position outside any cover or casing that the equipment may have.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the system also comprises a conductivity sensor for the water in the tub configured to detect the formation of ice inside it. Through the conductivity probe, the size of the ice bank formed around the evaporator arranged inside the tank can be determined to ensure that it matches the manufacturer's specifications.

According to yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the system further comprises a current sensor configured to detect the current consumed by the compressor. This sensor can be installed in a power cable to the compressor, for example.

Sometimes, the cooling system may further comprise a beer cooling conduit that collects water from the vat, passes around the dispensing conduit along the column, and returns the water to the vat. For this purpose, a turbine is also provided that drives the water along said cooling conduit and that, in addition, causes the agitation of the water in the tank to standardize its temperature.

In this context, the system of the invention can also comprise an intensity sensor configured to detect the intensity consumed by said turbine. For example, this sensor can be installed in a power cable to the turbine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a system according to the invention for monitoring four beer coolers.

The Figs. 2a and 2b respectively show a perspective view and a schematic diagram of a system according to the invention installed in a refrigerated display case.

The Figs. 3a and 3b respectively show a perspective view and a schematic diagram of a system according to the invention installed in refrigeration equipment comprising a refrigerator provided with a column with a handle.

The Figs. 4a and 4b respectively show a schematic view and a schematic diagram of a system according to the invention installed in refrigeration equipment that It comprises a low-temperature water tank with a coil.

The Figs. 5a and 5b respectively show a schematic view and a schematic diagram of a system according to the invention installed in refrigeration equipment comprising a tank with a coil and a cooling duct in the column.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a monitoring system (1) that allows monitoring four beer refrigeration units (100). As has been mentioned, the system (1) is made up of a set of sensors (described in detail later) installed in each of said pieces of equipment (100). In each of these pieces of equipment (100) there is installed a processing means (2) connected to the sensors, and this processing means (2) communicates wirelessly with a server (4). In this specific example, the computers (100) are located in four catering establishments located in different locations, while the server (4) is hosted in the cloud.

Thanks to the system (1) of the present invention, a user can know at all times and in real time the status of different parameters representative of the proper functioning of the equipment, which allows him to optimally manage maintenance tasks. Although it is not shown in this figure, an interface is used for this that can consist of an app installed on the user's mobile phone.

Some particular examples of monitoring systems (1) according to the present invention applied to different types of refrigeration equipment are described below, making reference to figures 2-4.

First example: Refrigerated display case

The Figs. 2a and 2b show refrigeration equipment (100) in the form of a refrigerated showcase. This showcase is made up of a housing (101) open on its front side, inside which there are a series of shelves on which the products are arranged. At the bottom there is a compartment that houses the different elements of a refrigeration machine (compressor, evaporator, expansion valve, condenser). An electrical power cable connects those elements of the cold machine that consume work to the electrical network (AC).

Note that this showcase is only an example, and that it would be possible to use the system (1) of the invention to monitor showcases of any other type, such as a closed showcase with doors.

As described in detail below, four sensors (S1, S2, S3, S4) and an actuator (A1) are installed in this refrigerating equipment (100).

A first sensor (S1) is a geolocation sensor that allows the distributor to know at all times where the equipment (100) is located.

A second sensor (S2) is a power sensor that serves to determine whether the display case is in operation. For this, the second sensor (S2) can be arranged at any point of the power supply line to the refrigerated machine, since naturally when the display case is working there is electrical consumption.

A third sensor (S3) is an indoor temperature sensor. This sensor can be installed at any suitable point within the housing (101) where the refrigerated products are arranged.

A fourth sensor (S4) is a door opening sensor. This sensor (S4), which can be implemented in many known ways (for example, presence sensor, electrical contact, etc.), makes it possible to determine if the door of the showcase is open. The showcase model shown in Fig. 2a does not have a door, and therefore the system (1) of the invention lacks a door opening sensor (S4) in this case.

The actuator (A1) is a relay installed in such a way that it allows cutting off the power supply to the refrigeration machine or to a component of it. This allows the user to turn off the equipment in the event that the information received from the sensors advises this measure, as well as in other possible cases in which this is necessary (for example, theft, non-payment, etc.).

All these sensors are connected to the processing means (3), which in this example is an electronic card equipped with the necessary components to carry out the tasks described in this document. Specifically, the card has sufficient inputs/outputs, a means of communication equipped with an antenna and SIM, and a processor, such as a microcontroller, connected to the rest of the elements for their control. The processing medium (3) thus receives the data from the sensors through the inputs/outputs of the card and forwards them, through the communication medium, to the server (4).

This system (1) allows the user to know at all times if the refrigeration equipment (100) is working correctly. The combination of the data offered by various sensors also makes it possible to know what is failing at any given time. For example, if the temperature sensor (S3) detects an increase in the temperature inside the cabinet and the power sensor (S2) detects that there is no power, it can be deduced that there is a power supply problem. On the other hand, if the temperature rise is detected but the power is still on, and when there is a door, it is detected to be open, it can be inferred that the open door is the cause of the temperature rise.

Second example: refrigerator

The Figs. 3a and 3b show a beer refrigeration unit (100) comprising a refrigerated housing (101) equipped with a column (105) and handle (106). A barrel (200) is housed inside the refrigerated housing (101), which appears in the figure with the door (102) open. In this example, the system (1) of the invention comprises the same sensors that have been previously described in relation to the showcase: geolocation sensor (S1), power sensor (S2), interior temperature sensor (S3), sensor door open (S4), and on/off actuator (A1).

The operation of the system (1) of the invention in this second example is essentially the same as that described in relation to the first example, except that in this case there is a door opening sensor (S4).

Third example: tank with coil and column refrigeration

The Figs. 4a and 4b show a beer refrigeration equipment (100) of the conventional type of coil tank and column refrigeration. This type of equipment (100) cools the beer by passing it through a coil (104) submerged in very cold water contained in a vat (103). To cool the water, a cold machine is used that comprises the usual elements: compressor, expansion valve, evaporator (107) and condenser (only the evaporator (107) is shown in the figures). The evaporator (107) of this cold machine is submerged in the water in the tank (103) parallel to its side walls. Thus, the heat necessary to evaporate the refrigerant that cycles through the cold machine is taken of the water contained in the vat (103), which is thus kept cold, ideally at a temperature between 1.5° and 2.0°. On the other hand, the beer is initially stored in a barrel (200), from which it leaves through a conduit. A bottle (300) of CO2 provides carbon dioxide which pushes the beer out of the flue. The beer continues through the conduit, passes through the coil, and the conduit goes up through the column (105) until it reaches the shooter (106), from which it is served to the consumers. The equipment (100) also includes a cooling conduit (108) that collects cold water from the vat (103), runs through the column (105) around the beer dispensing conduit, and finally returns the water to the vat (103). ). In order to drive the cold water along this cooling conduit (103), the equipment (100) comprises an electrically driven turbine (109). This turbine (109) also causes agitation of the water in the tank (103) in order to standardize its temperature. This system is advantageous because the refrigeration conduit (108) keeps the beer cold throughout the entire length of the column (105) almost up to the shooter (106). Naturally, Fig. 4a is merely schematic, so that the position or configuration of all the represented elements does not necessarily coincide with those corresponding to any specific real piece of equipment (100).

The system (1) of this example comprises two of the sensors (S1, S2) that were previously described (specifically, geolocation and power sensors, whose operation is similar to those described above in this document), as well as additional ones. (S5, S6, S7). It also has an actuator (A1) to turn off the equipment (100) if necessary.

This system (1) comprises a temperature sensor (S5) in this case arranged inside the vat (103) to determine the temperature of the water at all times and avoid high service temperatures of the beer or freezing of the vat water.

This system (1) also comprises a refrigerant temperature sensor (S6) that is arranged at some point in the refrigeration cycle that the refrigerant goes through in the cold machine to determine if it is working properly. In particular, this sensor (S6) is arranged at the inlet of the condenser (not shown in the figures).

This system (1) also has a sensor (S7) of the beer that is served through the shooter (106). This sensor (S7) is based on the arrangement of two elements in the handle, one a magnet and the other a magnetic pickup. One of them is placed in an area of the column close to the shooter (106), while the other is placed on the shooter himself (106).

Since the handle (106) is essentially a rocking lever, the movement of the handle (106) that occurs when the tap is turned on causes the magnet and the magnetic pickup to move closer or further away. As a result, the signal obtained by the magnetic pickup makes it possible to deduce whether the handle (106) is in the open or closed position. The information about how long the handle (106) is in the open position is used to obtain a whole series of useful parameters, such as the volume of beer served as a function of time (in terms of volume, or in terms of number of rods), the moments of greater or lesser demand, and a long etcetera.

As before, this information is sent to the server (4) through the processing means (3), so that the distributor and/or the clients can consult it through the interface.

Fourth example: tank with coil and column refrigeration

The Figs. 5a and 5b show a refrigeration unit (100) equal to that of the previous example, and therefore it is not necessary to describe it in detail here. As previously indicated, Fig. 5a is merely schematic, so that the position or configuration of all the represented elements does not necessarily coincide with those corresponding to any specific real piece of equipment (100).

The system (1) of the invention installed in this equipment (100) includes the sensors described in the previous example, specifically the geolocation sensor (S1), the feeding sensor (S2), the tank temperature sensor (S5) , the coolant temperature sensor (S6), as well as the on/off actuator (A1).

This system (1) also includes a sensor for the beer served through the shooter (106), although in this case it is implemented by means of a flowmeter located at any point of the beer dispensing duct.

This system (1) further comprises an ambient temperature sensor (S8) to determine the temperature in the environment of the refrigeration equipment (100).

The system (1) also comprises a conductivity sensor (S9) that is arranged inside the tub (103) to monitor the ice bank formed around the evaporator (107) in the water in the tub (103).

The system (1) also includes a sensor (S10) of the intensity consumed by the compressor that allows knowing if the cold machine is working.

The system (1) also comprises a sensor (S11) of the current consumed by the turbine that drives the water from the tub (103) along the cooling conduit (108).

The information captured by these sensors is transmitted to the processing means (3), which sends it wirelessly to the server (4), so that they are immediately available through the interface. This information allows the distributor and/or the customer to have a complete picture of the equipment's operating status (1) and to act quickly in the event of a fault. In addition, by combining the information obtained from various sensors, a complete diagnosis of the state of the equipment can be made (1).

Claims (11)

1. Monitoring system (1) for refrigeration equipment, where each refrigeration equipment (100) comprises at least one refrigeration device connected to an electrical power supply, characterized in that it comprises: a) a plurality of IoT-based sensors and/or actuators (S1, S2; A1) that are installed in each refrigeration unit (100), where said sensors and/or actuators (S1, S2; A1) at least comprise: a1) a geolocator (S1) configured to obtain the geographical position of the refrigeration equipment (100); a2) a status sensor (S2) configured to determine if the cooling device is on or off; Y a3) an actuator relay (A1) configured to selectively cut off the power supply to the refrigeration equipment (100) or to a component thereof. b) a processing means (2) also located in the refrigeration equipment (100) to which the sensors and/or actuators (S1, S2; A1) are connected; Y c) a remote server (3) in communication with the processing means (3) to receive data from the sensors (S1, S2) and send commands to the actuators (A1) according to indications received from a user through an interface . 2. System according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device comprises a water tank (103) inside which runs a coil (104) that forms part of a beer dispensing conduit from a keg (200) to a column (105) equipped with a handle (106), where the water tank (103) is cooled by means of a refrigerant that goes through a refrigeration cycle, where the refrigeration cycle comprises a compression stage carried out in a compressor and a evaporation stage carried out in an evaporator (107) located inside the water tub (103), which also comprises a temperature sensor (S5) configured to determine the temperature of the water in the water tub (103). System according to claim 2, further comprising a sensor (S6) configured to determine the coolant temperature. System according to any of the claims 2-3, further comprising a sensor (S7) configured to estimate the amount of beer dispensed through the shooter (106). System according to claim 4, wherein the sensor (S7) for estimating the amount of beer served is a flowmeter arranged in the beer duct. System according to claim 4, wherein the sensor (S7) for estimating the amount of beer served comprises magnetic elements arranged in a handle tap that detect whether the handle is in an open position or in a closed position. System according to claim 6, wherein the sensor (S7) to estimate the amount of beer served comprises a first element installed on the handle (106) and a second element installed on the column (106) next to the handle (106). ), one of the elements being a magnet and the other a magnetic pickup, such that the distance between the magnet and the magnetic pickup changes when the handle (106) alternates between an open position and a closed position. System according to any of the claims 2-7, further comprising an ambient temperature sensor (S8). 9. System according to any of claims 2-8, further comprising a conductivity sensor (S9) of the water in the tank configured to detect the formation of ice inside it. System according to any of claims 2-9, further comprising a current sensor (S10) configured to detect the current consumed by the compressor. 11. System according to any of claims 2-10, wherein the cooling device further comprises a cooling conduit (108) that collects water from the tub (103), passes around the dispensing conduit along the column ( 106), and returns the water to the tank (103), and a turbine (109) that drives the water along said cooling conduit, which also includes an intensity sensor (S11) configured to detect the intensity consumed by said turbine (109).