Redundant Refrigeration Systems and Associated Method

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 63/705,656, filed Oct. 10, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by referenced herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally in the field of refrigeration systems.

BACKGROUND

Commercial refrigeration systems are often used to maintain a refrigerated space at or below a defined setpoint temperature. For example, the refrigerated space may be a refrigerated space may be a room or other type of enclosure that includes perishable items, such as food or medicine. However, if the refrigeration system malfunctions or is otherwise unable to properly maintain the temperature within the refrigeration space at or below the setpoint temperature, then the perishable items that are stored within the refrigeration space may potentially perish.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram for an exemplary refrigeration system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2A illustrates a system including redundant refrigeration systems, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2B illustrates a wiring diagram for the controllers of FIG. 2A, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system including grouped redundant refrigeration systems, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4A illustrates another system including grouped redundant refrigeration systems, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4B illustrates a wiring diagram for controllers of a grouped redundant refrigeration system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary controller, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for controlling a redundant refrigeration system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a computing device, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to redundant refrigeration systems and associated methods. As an example, the redundant refrigeration systems and method may be applicable in commercial refrigeration systems (high level examples of some of the components that may be included in such systems are illustrated in FIGS. 1-4B) that are used to maintain a refrigerated space at or below a defined setpoint temperature. For example, the refrigerated space may be a room or other type of enclosure that includes perishable items, such as food or medicine. The redundant system protects product integrity in case of a primary system failure and also ensures that the refrigeration system as a whole is able to provide sufficient cooling for the refrigerated space at any given time. However, this is not necessarily intended to be limiting and the systems and methods described herein may also be applicable in other types of commercial systems. The systems and methods may also be applicable in various types of residential systems as well.

In embodiments, the refrigeration system may include a plurality of individual refrigeration sub-systems. Generally, a single refrigeration sub-system may include at least the minimum necessary components to cool at least a portion of the refrigerated space. For example, a refrigeration sub-system may include a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator (as shown in FIG. 1). One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that a refrigeration sub-system may also include any other standard components as well. The overall refrigeration system may be formed by multiple of such refrigeration sub-systems that are configured to cool the refrigerant space individually or in conjunction. A simplified example of a refrigeration system including two refrigeration sub-systems is shown in FIG. 2A.

Control actions associated with the refrigeration system may be performed using one or more controllers (a non-limiting example of such a controller is shown in at least FIG. 5). In embodiments, one or more of the controllers may be designated as “primary” controller(s) and one or more of the controllers may be designated as “secondary” controller(s). The primary controller(s) may be responsible for data processing and providing control instructions to their associated refrigeration sub-systems as well as the secondary controller(s) such that the secondary controller(s) may then control their own associated refrigeration sub-systems based on the instructions from the primary controller(s). That is, the primary controllers may be primarily responsible for managing operations of the refrigeration system as a whole, including the lead-lag operations as described herein.

The lead-lag sequence may involve iteratively switching the refrigeration sub-system that is responsible for cooling the refrigerated space at any given time. This lead-lag operation balances compressor runtime between both sub-systems by periodically alternating between both sub-systems after a predetermined runtime limit has been reached. If the active sub-system is unable to meet load demand (for example, due to equipment malfunction), the second sub-system may be activated to maintain refrigerated space at the desired temperature setpoint. An alarm may also be provided to a user indicating that the transition has occurred (for example, through a smartphone application, via a display or a speaker of the refrigeration system, and/or in any other suitable manner).

In some instances, the refrigeration system may not necessarily transition between different sub-systems maintaining the temperature of the refrigerated space even if the designated amount of time has elapsed. For example, if one refrigeration sub-system is undergoing a defrost cycle, then the other sub-system may remain de-activated while the defrost cycle is active. The refrigeration system may also refrain from transitioning between sub-systems for any other number of reasons.

The controllers may either be provided locally to the refrigeration sub-systems or may be provided remotely from the refrigeration sub-systems. In the figures, the controllers are shown as being provided on or within a component (e.g., the evaporator) of the refrigeration sub-systems that include controllers. However, this is not intended to be limiting and the controllers may also be provided on or within any other components of the refrigeration sub-systems (or may be standalone components of the refrigeration sub-systems).

The redundant system is also not necessarily limited to only including two refrigeration sub-systems. Instead, any other number of refrigeration sub-systems may be provided at a particular refrigerated space. Depending on various factors, such as the parameters of the refrigerated space (e.g., size, temperature requirements, etc.) and the capacity of the components of the refrigeration sub-systems, any number of refrigeration sub-systems may be provided and each of the refrigeration sub-systems may include and number of corresponding components (and these multiple sub-systems may be grouped into one or more groups). For example, if a single evaporator does not have the requisite capacity to handle cooling for the entire refrigerated space, then a second evaporator may be provided in the sub-system (with both evaporators combined having the capacity to cool the space).

As a first example (shown in further detail in FIG. 3), the refrigeration system may include three or more refrigeration sub-systems. The refrigeration sub-systems may be separated into two groups, with each group being responsible for performing cooling operations at a given time. For example, the first group may initially perform the cooling of the refrigerated space and then the second group of refrigeration sub-systems may take over cooling operations for the first group once a condition is satisfied (for example, a pre-determined amount of time has elapsed, a user provides a manual indication for the switch to occur, and/or any other conditions). This configuration may be desirable for example, if a single refrigeration sub-system is not able to sufficiently cool the refrigerated space to the desired temperature on its own.

In some embodiments, each of the refrigeration sub-systems may also include an individual controller. The controllers for one of the groups may be designated as the primary controllers that are responsible for sending control instructions for all of the refrigeration sub-systems. Using an example in which two groups, each including two refrigeration sub-systems are provided, the refrigeration sub-systems in the first group may include two controllers and the refrigeration sub-systems in the second group may also include two controllers.

In configurations in which multiple sub-systems (and multiple controllers) are grouped together, one or more of the controllers in a group may be designated as the “primary” controllers and one or more controllers in the group may be designated as the “secondary” controllers. A primary controller may generally refer to a controller that is configured to manage operations of another, secondary controller, whether the primary controller and secondary controller are within the same group or different groups.

As an example, within a first group including two sub-systems, the primary controller of the first refrigeration sub-system may send control instructions to the secondary controller of the second refrigeration sub-system. Continuing the example, the second group including two additional refrigeration sub-systems may also include a primary controller and a secondary controller. The primary controller in the second group may be responsible for managing the secondary controller in the second group.

This controller configuration is merely exemplary, and any other configurations may also be possible. For example, rather than including two primary controllers and two secondary controllers, there may only be one primary controller in the first group and the remaining controllers (including the second controller in the first group) may be secondary controllers. That is, one controller in one of the groups may be responsible for managing operations of all of the remaining controllers in the same and/or different groups. Additionally, in some instances, a first primary controller of one group may be responsible for managing a second primary controller in another group. For example, the first primary controller in the first group may send instructions to the second primary controller in the second group, and then the second primary controller may manage the operations of the second secondary controller in the second group. As yet another example, all of the controllers may be “primary” controllers and may serve the same purpose as the primary controllers indicated above. As another example, only some of the refrigeration sub-systems may include controllers (that is, a single controller may be responsible for controlling operations of multiple refrigeration sub-systems).

As a second example, shown in further detail in FIG. 4A), the refrigeration system may include refrigeration sub-systems that include multiple of the same types of components. For example, a single refrigeration sub-system may include one condenser and multiple evaporators, multiple condensers and multiple evaporators, etc. These refrigeration sub-systems may also be operated in a similar manner as described above. For example, there may be two of these such refrigeration sub-systems and one refrigeration sub-system with one condenser and two evaporators may operate to cool the refrigerated space and then another refrigeration sub-system with one condenser and two evaporators may operate to cool the refrigerated space in a lead-lag configuration. There may also be groups including multiple of such refrigeration sub-systems that operate in conjunction.

The communications between the different controllers of the refrigeration sub-systems that make up the refrigeration system may be performed using any suitable wireless or wired communications. As one non-limiting example, the communications may be performed via wired communications through RS-485 EcoNet® ports on the controllers. Additionally, the configuration of the refrigeration system may be performed manually by a user. For example, a user may manually configure settings through any suitable device, such as a smartphone application, an input/output device of the refrigeration system (or each individual refrigeration sub-system or one or more of the sub-systems), and/or any other suitable device. For example, the user may manually indicate which of the controllers are to be primary controllers and which are to be secondary controllers. The user may also manually indicate the setpoint temperature below which the temperature in the refrigerated space should be maintained. The user may also manually indicate the conditions that trigger the transition of cooling being performed by one refrigeration sub-system (or groups of refrigeration sub-systems) to another refrigeration sub-system (or groups of refrigeration sub-systems). For example, the condition may be an amount of run time that the user may manually indicate. Other conditions may also be used, such as that the temperature of the refrigerated space falls below the setpoint temperature (the system may wait a period of time to determine whether the current refrigeration sub-system (or group) is able to return the setpoint temperature to the desired level. The user may also perform other manual control functions, such as manually indicating that a transition between refrigeration sub-systems (or groups of refrigeration sub-systems) should occur. The user may also configure when alarms are generated. Any other settings associated with the operation of the refrigeration system may also be established.

Any of these settings may also be automatically established and/or dynamically updated without manual user intervention as well. That is, any of these (or other) settings may be automatically initialized by the refrigeration system (such as via any of the controllers of the refrigeration system, as a non-limiting example). The settings may also be automatically adjusted over time by the refrigeration system. As one example, without any user settings having been manually configured, the primary controller may determine that a transition should occur before a time period has elapsed if the current refrigeration sub-system is unable to maintain the temperature of the refrigerated space below the setpoint temperature. This is merely one example to illustrate the automated functionality of the refrigeration system and the refrigeration system may also dynamically and automatically control any other functions based on any other conditions.

The general approach employed to perform the lead-lag operation of the refrigeration system may be as follows (for a simplified system including a primary sub-system and a redundant sub-system). It should be noted that this approach is exemplary and not intended to be limiting in any way. Under redundant lead lag operation, it may be assumed that each refrigeration sub-system in a group can meet the required load associated with cooling the refrigerated space without the need for additional sub-systems to run simultaneously. Initially, the currently active system maintains the setpoint temperature. The backup/inactive sub-system may remain off and inactive (e.g., no fans running, no cooling operations, etc.). The system may maintain a balanced runtime among the paired lead-lag sub-systems by shifting the active system assignment to a different sub-system when the configured compressor runtime hours have elapsed (e.g., 24-168 hours, though more or fewer runtime hours may be used). The system may also shift active duties to the secondary system if the currently active system is unable to satisfy load after a configured amount of time (and an alarm may be provided to a user).

If the primary sub-system by itself can bring down (or maintain) the temperature of the refrigerated space to satisfy the setpoint temperature, then the sub-system ends a current cooling cycle and sets a request variable to “no”. For the next cooling cycle, if the configured number of compressor runtime hours has not expired, then the primary sub-system may start the next cooling cycle by setting its own request variable to “yes”. When the configured number of compressor runtime hours has been reached, the active primary sub-system shifts cooling functions to the redundant sub-system. The compressor runtime hour counter then resets. For the next cooling cycle, if the configured number of compressor runtime hours has not expired, then the redundant sub-system starts the next cooling cycle by setting its request variable to “yes”. This is to ensure a balanced runtime between the two sub-systems. When the configured number of compressor runtime hours on the redundant sub-system is reached, then cooling functions shift back to the primary sub-system. The cumulative runtime counter again resets.

Switching between the primary sub-system and the redundant sub-system based on run time hours balances wear and tear between each sub-system. Switching based on run time hours is in contrast to load balancing based on operating cycles (e.g., switching between the primary sub-system and redundant sub-system each time a cooling demand occurs). Depending on the cooling demand, different amounts of run time may occur between different operating cycles, thereby leading to unbalanced wear and tear if the switching occurred based on operating cycles.

If during a cooling cycle, the active sub-system is unable to maintain the temperature at or below the setpoint, then the active sub-system may remain operational and the inactive sub-system may also turn on without waiting for the cumulative compressor runtime on the active sub-system to expire. Both the primary and the redundant sub-systems may then remain active until each system satisfies its own setpoint. Each sub-system may shut down independently as their respective setpoint is satisfied. The counter for cumulative compressor run time resets to zero and active cooling is transitioned to the redundant system from that point forward. The redundant system is then the active system in subsequent cooling cycles until the number of compressor run time hours expires again.

If at any time the sub-systems are unable to communicate, each sub-system may act as a standalone unit and continue working to satisfy its own setpoint.

This redundant system provides a number of advantages. For example, the system allows for the coordination of two independent refrigeration systems (primary and backup) to handle cooling demands in a common refrigerated space. The system also provides for the equalization of compressor run time for each system by periodically switching refrigeration duties between the two. If one system is unable to satisfy the cooling demands (i.e. system malfunction, setpoint alarm), the other system can automatically start and run to meet cooling demand to preserve product integrity. These and other advantages are described in further detail below with respect to the figures.

Turning to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary refrigeration system 100. As indicated above, the refrigeration system 100 described herein may be applicable to commercial refrigeration use cases, such as refrigeration systems used to refrigerate perishable items such as food, medication, etc. However, the same redundant refrigeration systems and associated method described herein are not necessarily limited to commercial refrigeration use cases and may also be applicable in other commercial or residential use cases as well. The components illustrated within FIG. 1 are not intended to be comprehensive but merely intended to illustrate some of the general components that may be included in a refrigeration system 100. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the refrigeration system 100 may be provided in other configurations as well.

In embodiments, the refrigeration system 100 may include one or more evaporators 102, one or more compressors 104, one or more condensers 106, one or more expansion valves 110, and one or more controllers 112. The refrigeration system 100 is shown as being provided in a refrigeration space 114. However, in some instances, some of the components may be located within the refrigeration space 114 and some may be located outside of the refrigeration space 114.

The general functionality of the refrigeration system 100 may be as follows. Refrigerant flows from the compressor 104 through the condenser 106. The condenser 106 converts the refrigerant from a vapor form to a liquid form and emanates heat. In air-cooled process chillers, moisture increases higher than the air going through the condenser. In water-cooled process refrigeration systems, the refrigerant vapor passes through a higher temperature than the water going through the condenser. The refrigerant then progresses through the expansion valve 110 and the pressure of the refrigerant is reduced. Finally, the refrigerant reaches the evaporator 102, which collects heat from the refrigeration space 114 and the refrigerant is turned into a vapor again. Finally, the refrigerant returns to the compressor 104, and the cycle repeats.

The one or more controllers 112 may be used to provide control instructions to various components of the elements of the refrigeration system 100. Examples of varying configurations of systems including controllers are shown in FIGS. 2A-3C. Additionally, FIG. 5 provides an example of a controller 500 that may be used. In some embodiments, the one or more controllers 112 may be located at the one or more evaporators 102 (for example, within or on the one or more evaporators). In some instances, each evaporator 102 may include its own individual controller. However, other configurations may also be possible in which only one evaporator includes a controller 112 or a subset of all available evaporators 102 in the refrigeration system 100 include controllers 12.

Additionally, while reference is made to the one or more controllers 112 located on or within the one or more evaporators 102, this is not intended to be limiting and the one or more controllers 112 may also be provided at any other location or combination of different types of locations within the refrigeration system 100. As other non-limiting examples, the one or more controllers 112 may be located on and/or within the one or more compressors 104 and/or the one or more condensers 106. The controllers 112 may also be provided as standalone components within the refrigeration system 100, rather than being provided on and/or within the one or more evaporators 104, compressors 104, condensers 106, etc.

Furthermore, the one or more controllers 112 may not necessarily be local (or all be local if multiple controllers are used) to the other components of the refrigeration system 100. That is, one or more of the controllers 112 may also be located remotely from the other components of the refrigeration system 100 and may perform remote processing as well. For example, the one or more compressors 104 and/or the one or more condensers 106 may be located outside of the refrigeration space 114. In another example, a local controller may perform communications with a remote controller and the local controller and/or the remote controller may process data received from the other components of the refrigeration system 100 and/or may provide control instructions to the other components of the refrigeration system 100 or the one or more controllers may also be located remotely from the refrigeration system 100. In instances in which all of the one or more controllers are located remotely from the refrigeration system 100, the remote controller(s) may perform the processing and transmit the control instructions to the other components of the refrigeration system 100 using any suitable wired or wireless communication protocol.

FIG. 2A illustrates a refrigeration system 200 including redundant refrigeration sub-systems. As indicated above, each of the individual refrigeration systems that form the overall system may also be referred to as “refrigeration sub-systems” or just “sub-systems” herein in some instances as well. FIG. 2A depicts an exemplary environment 214. The environment 214 may be a location that is desired to be maintained at or below a setpoint temperature. For example, the environment 214 may be a refrigerated space that is used to store perishable items that are required to be stored in the range of temperatures to prevent the items from perishing.

To maintain the environment 214 at or below the setpoint temperature, two refrigeration sub-systems are shown as being provided at the environment 214 (however, any other number of redundant sub-systems may also be provided). For example, a first refrigeration sub-system 201 is shown as including a first condenser 202 and a first evaporator 204. A second refrigeration sub-system 207 is also shown as including a second condenser 208 and a second evaporator 210. Although not shown in FIG. 2A, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that each of the refrigeration sub-system may also include a compressor, expansion valve, and/or any other components of a standard refrigerant loop. This statement may also be applicable to any other system illustrated in any of the other figures described herein.

In the exemplary configuration shown in FIG. 2A, each of the refrigeration sub-systems 201 and 207 may individually have sufficient capacity to maintain the environment 214 within the range of temperatures without the other refrigeration system being operational. That is, the first refrigeration sub-system 201 may operate without the second refrigeration sub-system 207 being operational and vice versa. However, this specific configuration is not intended to be limiting and other configurations including additional refrigeration sub-systems may also be possible. Additionally, a single refrigeration sub-system is not necessarily limited to one condenser and one evaporator. As will be described below with respect to at least FIGS. 3A-3C, refrigeration systems may also include groups of like components as well.

Each of the refrigeration sub-systems may also include a controller that may be configured to process data and/or provide control instructions for controlling the operation of the refrigeration sub-system. For example, the first refrigeration sub-system 201 is shown as including first controller 206 and the second refrigeration sub-system 207 is shown as including second controller 212. As mentioned with respect to FIG. 1, the controllers may be provided on and/or within the evaporators of the first refrigeration sub-system 201 and the second refrigeration sub-system 207, however, this is not intended to be limiting. As another example, the controllers may be provided on and/or within the condensers or any other location local to or remote from the environment 214.

In embodiments, the first refrigeration sub-system 201 and the second refrigeration sub-system 207 may be redundant systems that are configured to operate in a “lead-lag” configuration. In this configuration, the first refrigeration sub-system 201 may operate to maintain the environment at or below the setpoint temperature for a first period of run time. After the period of time has elapsed, the first refrigeration sub-system 201 may cease operation and the second refrigeration sub-system 207 may initiate operations to begin maintaining the environment 214 within the desired range of temperatures in place of the first refrigeration sub-system 201. This process is then iterated such that the first refrigeration sub-system 201 may again take over maintaining the temperature of the environment 214 after the period of run time has elapsed again.

To ensure that the first refrigeration sub-system 201 and the second refrigeration sub-system 207 operate in this “lead-lag” manner, one of the controllers may be designated as a primary controller that is responsible for providing instructions to the refrigeration sub-systems to indicate when a particular refrigeration sub-system should be operational at any given time. The assignment of a particular controller as the primary controller may be manually performed by a user within settings of the controllers, however, the primary controller designation may also be performed in any other suitable manner. For example, the first controller 206 may be designated as the primary controller and the second controller 212 may be designated as the secondary controller 212. The first controller in this example may then be responsible for sending control instructions to both the first refrigeration sub-system 201 and the second refrigeration sub-system 207 to control operation of the two refrigeration systems depending on which of the two refrigeration sub-systems should currently be operational. In this manner, the first controller 206 and the second controller 212 may communicate via any suitable wired communication protocol. FIG. 2B illustrates an example wiring diagram 220 for the first controller 206 and the second controller 212 in which the two controllers are wired to perform wired communications with one another.

This configuration involving the use of a primary controller and one or more secondary controllers (depending on the number of refrigeration sub-systems that are included within the environment 214) is not intended to be limiting. Alternatively, each of the controllers may individually provide control instructions to its own refrigeration sub-system. For example, the first controller 206 may indicate to the first refrigeration sub-system 201 when the first refrigeration system 201 should be operational, and the second controller 212 may indicate to the second refrigeration sub-system 207 when the second refrigeration sub-system 207 should be operational, rather than the first controller controlling operations of both the first refrigeration sub-system 201 and the second refrigeration sub-system 207.

As indicated above, the operation of the multiple refrigeration sub-systems in the lead-lag configuration may be based on run time. That is, the primary controller (or any other controller or controllers that are responsible for controlling the operation of the refrigeration systems) may maintain a timer that tracks how long that sub-system is operating. When the timer elapses, the controller may provide a control instruction for the refrigeration sub-system that is currently operating to cease operation and may also provide a control instruction for another refrigeration sub-system to initiate operations to take over for the current refrigeration sub-system. The controller may then reset the timer and the process may iterate in this manner. A controller may also determine when the pre-determined amount of time has passed in any other suitable manner other than the use of a timer. As another non-limiting example, the controller may include an internal clock to track the amount of time that has elapsed.

The period of time that is used to transition operations between the redundant refrigeration sub-systems may either be consistent or may change over time. When the time is consistent, the refrigeration system may iteratively transition between the sub-systems at the same time interval as long as the refrigeration system is used to maintain the temperature of the refrigerated space. However, in some instances, it may be desired for the transition time to change. For example, if a particular sub-system has been in use for a lengthy period of time and has reduced ability to maintain the setpoint temperature of the refrigerated space, then the amount of time that the sub-system is operated before transitioning to the redundant sub-system may be reduced. This may be automatically performed by the refrigeration system (e.g., a controller) or may be manually indicated by a user via settings. This is merely one example of a condition for the dynamic time and the time may be adjusted automatically or manually for any other number of reasons.

The operation of the refrigeration systems is not necessarily limited to only being based on run time. As another non-limiting example, the system 200 may transition between different refrigeration systems when the temperature within the environment 214 raises above the setpoint temperature or is increasing at a threshold rate indicative that the temperature is expected to eventually raise above the setpoint at a point. That is, if it is determined at any time that the currently active sub-system is unable to maintain the temperature at or below the setpoint temperature, then the redundant sub-system may be called in to assist. the redundant sub-system may be instructed to operate, but instead of taking over operations for the currently active sub-system, both sub-systems may operate simultaneously. This may be advantageous because it may reduce the load on the redundant sub-system.

FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary refrigeration system 300 including grouped redundant refrigeration sub-systems (in contrast with the simplified redundant system shown in FIG. 2A including a single primary sub-system and a single secondary sub-system). In the exemplary configuration shown in FIG. 3, four total refrigeration sub-systems are provided in the environment 326 (which may be a refrigerated space), including a first refrigeration sub-system 301, a second refrigeration sub-system 307, a third refrigeration sub-system 313, and a fourth refrigeration sub-system 319 (however, any other number of refrigeration sub-systems may also be provided). Multiple refrigeration sub-systems may be grouped together, for example, if a single refrigeration sub-system does not have the capacity to maintain the setpoint of the refrigerated space on its own. Thus, the multiple sub-systems of the group may operate in parallel such that are able to maintain the setpoint based on their combined operation.

Similar to the refrigeration sub-systems shown in FIG. 2A, each of the refrigeration sub-systems shown in FIG. 3 also include a condenser and an evaporator. For example, first refrigeration sub-system 301 includes first condenser 302 and first evaporator 304, second refrigeration sub-system 307 includes second condenser 308 and second evaporator 310, third refrigeration sub-system 313 includes third condenser 314 and third evaporator 318, and fourth refrigeration sub-system 319 includes fourth condenser 320 and fourth evaporator 322. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that these refrigeration sub-systems (or any other refrigeration sub-systems described herein) may also include any other components traditionally found in a refrigerant loop, as indicated above.

Each of the refrigeration sub-systems is also shown as including an associated controller. For example, first refrigeration sub-system 301 includes first controller 306, second refrigeration sub-system 307 includes second controller 312, third refrigeration sub-system 313 includes third controller 318, and fourth refrigeration sub-system 319 includes fourth controller 324. As indicated elsewhere here, any other number of controllers may also be provided. Additionally, the controllers may be located at any of the components of the refrigeration sub-systems and/or may be provided remotely from the refrigeration sub-systems.

In contrast with the example shown in FIG. 2A in which there is one primary controller and one secondary controller, in the example shown in FIG. 3, there may be two primary controllers and two secondary controllers (hence forming two groups of sub-systems with the first group including the first refrigeration sub-system 301 and the third refrigeration sub-system 313 and the second group including the second refrigeration sub-system 307 and the fourth refrigeration sub-system 322).

In this configuration, each group may include a primary controller and a secondary controller. For example, in the first group, the first controller 306 may be the primary controller and the third controller 318 may be the secondary controller (however, the opposite may also be true). In the second group, the second controller 312 may be the primary controller and the fourth controller 324 may be the secondary controller (however, the opposite may also be true).

Accordingly, a “primary” controller may refer to any controller that is responsible for managing other controllers. This includes, in a configuration in which only two refrigeration sub-systems are used in a refrigerated space, managing the controller associated with the second refrigeration sub-system. This also includes, in a configuration in which groups of multiple refrigeration sub-systems are used, managing operation of the other refrigeration sub-system(s) in its same group and/or managing operations of refrigeration sub-system(s) in other groups.

As indicated above, the primary controller(s) may be responsible for data processing and providing control instructions to their associated refrigeration sub-systems as well as the secondary controller(s) such that the secondary controller(s) may then control their own associated refrigeration sub-systems based on the instructions from the primary controller(s). That is, the primary controllers may be primarily responsible for managing operations of the refrigeration system as a whole, including turning on its own associated refrigeration sub-system to maintain the temperature of a refrigerated space at or below a setpoint temperature and instructing other controllers to turn on other refrigeration sub-systems to operate in a similar manner. A primary controller may also be responsible for turning off its own refrigeration sub-system (for example, when it is time for another refrigeration sub-system to take over maintaining the setpoint temperature) or instructing other controllers to turn off other refrigeration sub-systems. The primary controller may also perform any other functions associated with managing the lead-lag operation of two refrigeration sub-systems or groups of refrigeration sub-systems as described herein.

In some instances, it may be desirable for one group of sub-systems to supplement another group of sub-systems in cooling the environment 326. For example, if it is determined that the first group is unable to maintain the temperature within the environment 326 at or below the setpoint temperature, then the second group ( ) may be instructed to perform cooling operations to supplement the first group.

The example shown in FIG. 3 is illustrative of one approach for redundant group operations using the refrigeration system as described herein. FIG. 4A illustrates another exemplary configuration and approach for a system 400 including grouped redundant refrigeration sub-systems. In this exemplary configuration, rather than each refrigeration sub-system including a single condenser and a single evaporator and groups comprising two separate refrigeration sub-systems, each “group” is a refrigeration sub-system that includes a single condenser and multiple evaporators. This configuration may be used, for example, when each individual evaporator may not necessarily be configured to maintain the temperature of the environment 420 without the second evaporator that is also provided in the particular refrigeration sub-system. Specifically, FIG. 4A shows a first refrigeration sub-system 401 (a first “group”) including first condenser 403, first evaporator 404, and second evaporator 406 and a second refrigeration sub-system 409 (a second “group”) including second condenser 410, third evaporator 412, and fourth evaporator 414. Any other number of groups may also be provided and each of the groups may include any other number of components. For example, another refrigeration sub-system may be provided that includes one condenser and three evaporators, two condensers and two evaporators, etc.

FIG. 4A also shows that each of the groups includes a controller. For example, the first refrigeration sub-system 401 includes first controller 408 and the second refrigeration sub-system 409 includes second controller 416. However, this configuration is not intended to be limiting and each of the refrigeration sub-systems may also include multiple controllers as well. For example, each of the evaporators may include its own individual controller. As with the other sub-systems described herein, the controllers may also be provided at any other component or components of the refrigeration sub-systems or may be provided remotely from the refrigeration sub-systems.

The refrigeration sub-systems shown in FIG. 4A may function in a lead-lag manner similar to other sub-systems described herein. As an example, the first controller 408 may serve as the primary controller and therefore the first refrigeration sub-system 401 may be the primary refrigeration sub-system that may initially operate maintain the temperature of the environment 420. When it is desired to transfer operation to other refrigeration sub-systems (for example, based on a pre-determined amount of time or any other factors described herein or otherwise), the first controller 408 may instruct the secondary controller (for example, second controller 416) to initiate operation of the second refrigeration sub-system 409 to take over maintaining the temperature of the environment 420. The first controller 408 may then cease operation of the first refrigeration sub-system 401 until it is time for the first refrigeration sub-system 401 to take over operation from the second refrigeration sub-system 409 (and this process may iterate any number of times). However, the transition between refrigeration sub-systems may be initiated in any other suitable manner.

Similar to the system 300, in some instances, it may be desirable for one group of sub-systems to supplement another group of sub-systems in cooling the environment 420. For example, if it is determined that the first group is unable to maintain the temperature within the environment 420 at or below the setpoint temperature, then the second group (or a portion of the second group) may be instructed to perform cooling operations to supplement the first group.

FIG. 4B illustrates a wiring diagram 450 for controllers of a grouped redundant refrigeration system in which four controllers (for example, controllers 452-458) are wired together such that the controllers are able to communicate with one another. While the controllers are shown as being hardwired together, the controllers may also be configured to perform wireless communications as well.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary controller 500 (which may be the same as, or similar to any of the controllers described herein, such as controllers 112, 206, 212, 306, 213, 318, 324, 408, 416, 500, etc.). In the specific configuration shown in FIG. 5, the controller 500 includes sensor connectors 502, a wire harness connector terminal 504, a power supply connector 506, a communication terminal 508 (which may be an EcoNet® port that may be used to hardwire controllers to perform wired communications), digital input terminals 510, an analog fan control terminal 512, auxiliary relay outputs 514, defrost relay outputs 516, a main power terminal 518, and a controller I/O 520 (such as a display) The configuration of the controller 500 is merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting in any way.

The controller 500 may be located in any of the components of the refrigeration system (for example, the evaporator 102, the compressor 104, the condenser 106, and/or any other component that may be included in a refrigeration system. In some instances, multiple controllers may also be provided and the controllers may be in wired or wireless communication with one another. Additionally, the controller or controllers do not necessarily need to be located at the refrigeration system itself but may also be located remotely from the refrigeration system as well. The remote controller or controllers may send wired or wireless instructions to the refrigeration system to cause the refrigeration system to perform any of the actions described herein. The remote controller or controllers may also receive data from the refrigeration system, such as temperature data (or any other types of data).

Furthermore, while the refrigeration system may perform any of these functions described herein automatically without requiring manual user intervention, a user may be able to interact with the refrigeration system either locally via the controller 500 or remotely using a separate device (for example, a smartphone, laptop or desktop computer, tablet, or any other type of device). For example, an application may be provided on the device that presents a user interface to the user. The user interface may present any types of information to the user, such as data from any sensors, the current status of the heating element(s), whether the refrigeration system is in a defrost cycle, etc. The user may also be able to provide inputs to the application to manually control the operation of the refrigeration system via the controller 500.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an example method 600 for redundant refrigeration systems is shown. Some or all of the blocks of the process flows or methods in this disclosure may be performed in a distributed manner across any number of devices or systems (for example, any of the controllers, such as controllers 112, 206, 212, 306, 213, 318, 324, 408, 416, 500, etc., computing device(s) 600, etc.). The operations of the method 600 may be optional and may be performed in a different order.

At block 602 of the method 600, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to cause the first refrigeration sub-system to cool an environment, wherein the first refrigeration sub-system comprises a first condenser and a first evaporator. At block 604 of the method 600, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to determine that a pre-determined amount of time has elapsed. At block 606 of the method 600, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to sending, based on the determination that the pre-determined amount of time has elapsed, an instruction to a first secondary controller of a second refrigeration sub-system to initiate operation of the second refrigeration sub-system to cool the environment, wherein the second refrigeration sub-system comprises a second condenser and a second evaporator. At block 608 of the method 600, computer-executable instructions stored on a memory of a system or device may be executed to cause the first refrigeration sub-system to cease cooling the environment.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a schematic block diagram of one or more illustrative computing device(s) 700 is shown. The computing device(s) 700 may include any suitable computing device including, but not limited to, a server system, a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, a wearable device, or the like; a desktop computer; a laptop computer; or the like. The computing device(s) 700 may correspond to an illustrative device configuration for any of the devices (e.g., any of the controllers described herein, such as controllers 112, 206, 212, 306, 213, 318, 324, 408, 416, 500, etc.).

The computing device(s) 700 may be configured to communicate via one or more networks. Such network(s) may include, but are not limited to, any one or more different types of communications networks such as, for example, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet), private networks (e.g., frame-relay networks), wireless networks, cellular networks, telephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network), or any other suitable private or public packet-switched or circuit-switched networks. Further, such network(s) may have any suitable communication range associated therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks (PANs). In addition, such network(s) may include communication links and associated networking devices (e.g., link-layer switches, routers, etc.) for transmitting network traffic over any suitable type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire (e.g., twisted-pair copper wire), optical fiber, a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, a microwave medium, a radio frequency communication medium, a satellite communication medium, or any combination thereof.

In an illustrative configuration, the computing device(s) 700 may include one or more processors (processor(s)) 702, one or more memory devices 704 (generically referred to herein as memory 704), one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 706, one or more network interfaces 708, one or more sensors or sensor interfaces 710, one or more transceivers 712, one or more optional speakers 714, one or more optional microphones 716, and data storage 720. The computing device(s) 700 may further include one or more buses 718 that functionally couple various components of the computing device(s) 700. The computing device(s) 700 may further include one or more antenna(e) 734 that may include, without limitation, a cellular antenna for transmitting or receiving signals to/from a cellular network infrastructure, an antenna for transmitting or receiving WiFi signals to/from an access point (AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna for receiving GNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmitting or receiving Bluetooth signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting or receiving NFC signals, and so forth. These various components will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The bus(es) 718 may include at least one of a system bus, a memory bus, an address bus, or a message bus, and may permit the exchange of information (e.g., data (including computer-executable code), signaling, etc.) between various components of the computing device(s) 700. The bus(es) 718 may include, without limitation, a memory bus or a memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and so forth. The bus(es) 718 may be associated with any suitable bus architecture including, without limitation, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), an Enhanced ISA (EISA), a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) architecture, an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) architecture, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) architecture, a PCI-Express architecture, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) architecture, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) architecture, and so forth.

The memory 704 of the computing device(s) 700 may include volatile memory (memory that maintains its state when supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when not supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), and so forth. Persistent data storage, as that term is used herein, may include non-volatile memory. In certain example embodiments, volatile memory may enable faster read/write access than non-volatile memory. However, in certain other example embodiments, certain types of non-volatile memory (e.g., FRAM) may enable faster read/write access than certain types of volatile memory.

In various implementations, the memory 704 may include multiple different types of memory such as various types of static random access memory (SRAM), various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), various types of unalterable ROM, and/or writeable variants of ROM such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and so forth. The memory 704 may include main memory as well as various forms of cache memory such as instruction cache(s), data cache(s), translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further, cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache organized as a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

The data storage 720 may include removable storage and/or non-removable storage, including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical disk storage, and/or tape storage. The data storage 720 may provide non-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data. The memory 704 and the data storage 720, removable and/or non-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used herein.

The data storage 720 may store computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loadable into the memory 704 and executable by the processor(s) 702 to cause the processor(s) 702 to perform or initiate various operations. The data storage 720 may additionally store data that may be copied to the memory 704 for use by the processor(s) 702 during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 702 may be stored initially in the memory 704, and may ultimately be copied to the data storage 720 for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage 720 may store one or more operating systems (O/S) 722; one or more database management systems (DBMSs) 724; and one or more program module(s), applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, one or more data management module(s) 726, one or more data analysis module(s) 728, and/or one or more OBD module(s) 730. Some or all of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 720 may include any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware may include computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loaded into the memory 704 for execution by one or more of the processor(s) 702. Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage 720 may support functionality described in reference to corresponding components named earlier in this disclosure.

The data storage 720 may further store various types of data utilized by the components of the computing device(s) 700. Any data stored in the data storage 720 may be loaded into the memory 704 for use by the processor(s) 702 in executing computer-executable code. In addition, any data depicted as being stored in the data storage 720 may potentially be stored in one or more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS 724 and loaded in the memory 704 for use by the processor(s) 702 in executing computer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, but are not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like.

The processor(s) 702 may be configured to access the memory 704 and execute the computer-executable instructions loaded therein. For example, the processor(s) 702 may be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions of the various program module(s), applications, engines, or the like of the computing device(s) 700 to cause or facilitate various operations to be performed in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 702 may include any suitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input, processing the input data in accordance with stored computer-executable instructions, and generating output data. The processor(s) 702 may include any type of suitable processing unit including, but not limited to, a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor, a complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a system-on-a-chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so forth. Further, the processor(s) 702 may have any suitable microarchitecture design that includes any number of constituent components such as, for example, registers, multiplexers, arithmetic logic units, cache controllers for controlling read/write operations to cache memory, branch predictors, or the like. The microarchitecture design of the processor(s) 702 may be capable of supporting any of a variety of instruction sets.

Referring now to functionality supported by the various program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6, the module(s) 726 may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s) 702 may perform any of the functions associated with the redundant refrigeration systems as described herein.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being stored in the data storage 720, the O/S 722 may be loaded from the data storage 720 into the memory 704 and may provide an interface between other application software executing on the computing device(s) 700 and the hardware resources of the computing device(s) 700. More specifically, the O/S 722 may include a set of computer-executable instructions for managing hardware resources of the computing device(s) 700 and for providing common services to other application programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among various application programs). The O/S 722 may include any operating system now known or which may be developed in the future, including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

The DBMS 724 may be loaded into the memory 704 and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulating data stored in the memory 704 and/or data stored in the data storage 720. The DBMS 724 may use any of a variety of database models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a variety of query languages. The DBMS 724 may access data represented in one or more data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including, but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which the computing device(s) 700 is a mobile device, the DBMS 724 may be any suitable lightweight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the computing device(s) 700, the input/output (I/O) interface(s) 706 may facilitate the receipt of input information by the computing device(s) 700 from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information from the computing device(s) 700 to one or more I/O devices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capture device, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may be integrated into the computing device(s) 700 or may be separate. The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, and so forth.

The I/O interface(s) 706 may also include an interface for an external peripheral device connection such as a universal serial bus (USB), FireWire, Thunderbolt, Ethernet port or other connection protocol that may connect to one or more networks. The I/O interface(s) 706 may also include a connection to one or more of the antenna(e) 734 to connect to one or more networks via a wireless local area network (WLAN) (such as WiFi) radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and/or a wireless network radio, such as a radio capable of communication with a wireless communication network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, WiMAX network, 3G network, etc.

The computing device(s) 700 may further include one or more network interface(s) 708 via which the computing device(s) 700 may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s) 708 may enable communication, for example, with one or more wireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more web servers, and the like via one or more networks.

The antenna(e) 734 may include any suitable type of antenna depending, for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receive signals via the antenna(e) 734. Non-limiting examples of suitable antennae may include directional antennae, non-directional antennae, dipole antennae, folded dipole antennae, patch antennae, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennae, or the like. The antenna(e) 734 may be communicatively coupled to one or more transceivers 712 or radio components to which or from which signals may be transmitted or received.

As previously described, the antenna(e) 734 may include a cellular antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), 3G standards (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), CDMA2000, etc.), 4G standards (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, etc.), direct satellite communications, or the like.

The antenna(e) 734 may additionally, or alternatively, include a WiFi antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(e) 734 may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals within any suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum.

The antenna(e) 734 may additionally, or alternatively, include a GNSS antenna configured to receive GNSS signals from three or more GNSS satellites carrying time-position information to triangulate a position therefrom. Such a GNSS antenna may be configured to receive GNSS signals from any current or planned GNSS such as, for example, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the GLONASS System, the Compass Navigation System, the Galileo System, or the Indian Regional Navigational System.

The transceiver(s) 712 may include any suitable radio component(s) for—in cooperation with the antenna(e) 734—transmitting or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 700 to communicate with other devices. The transceiver(s) 712 may include hardware, software, and/or firmware for modulating, transmitting, or receiving—potentially in cooperation with any of antenna(e) 734—communications signals according to any of the communications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to, one or more WiFi and/or WiFi direct protocols, as standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or more cellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s) 712 may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSS signals. The transceiver(s) 712 may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocols utilized by the computing device(s) 700. The transceiver(s) 712 may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, a digital baseband, or the like.

The sensor(s)/sensor interface(s) 710 may include or may be capable of interfacing with any suitable type of sensing device such as, for example, inertial sensors, force sensors, thermal sensors, and so forth. Example types of inertial sensors may include accelerometers (e.g., MEMS-based accelerometers), gyroscopes, and so forth.

The speaker(s) 714 may be any device configured to generate audible sound. The microphone(s) 716 may be any device configured to receive analog sound input or voice data.

It should be appreciated that the program module(s), applications, computer-executable instructions, code, or the like depicted in FIG. 6 as being stored in the data storage 720 are merely illustrative and not exhaustive and that processing described as being supported by any particular module may alternatively be distributed across multiple module(s) or performed by a different module. In addition, various program module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), application programming interface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable code hosted locally on the computing device(s) 700, and/or hosted on other computing device(s) accessible via one or more networks, may be provided to support functionality provided by the program module(s), applications, or computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 6 and/or additional or alternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularized differently such that processing described as being supported collectively by the collection of program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6 may be performed by a fewer or greater number of module(s), or functionality described as being supported by any particular module may be supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition, program module(s) that support the functionality described herein may form part of one or more applications executable across any number of systems or devices in accordance with any suitable computing model such as, for example, a client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. In addition, any of the functionality described as being supported by any of the program module(s) depicted in FIG. 6 may be implemented, at least partially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number of devices.

It should further be appreciated that the computing device(s) 700 may include alternate and/or additional hardware, software, or firmware components beyond those described or depicted without departing from the scope of the disclosure. More particularly, it should be appreciated that software, firmware, or hardware components depicted as forming part of the computing device(s) 700 are merely illustrative and that some components may not be present or additional components may be provided in various embodiments. While various illustrative program module(s) have been depicted and described as software module(s) stored in the data storage 720, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being supported by the program module(s) may be enabled by any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. It should further be appreciated that each of the above-mentioned module(s) may, in various embodiments, represent a logical partitioning of supported functionality. This logical partitioning is depicted for ease of explanation of the functionality and may not be representative of the structure of software, hardware, and/or firmware for implementing the functionality. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that functionality described as being provided by a particular module may, in various embodiments, be provided at least in part by one or more other module(s). Further, one or more depicted module(s) may not be present in certain embodiments, while in other embodiments, additional module(s) not depicted may be present and may support at least a portion of the described functionality and/or additional functionality. Moreover, while certain module(s) may be depicted and described as sub-module(s) of another module, in certain embodiments, such module(s) may be provided as independent module(s) or as sub-module(s) of other module(s).

One or more operations of the methods, process flows, and use cases of FIGS. 1-3 may be performed by a device having the illustrative configuration depicted in FIG. 6, or more specifically, by one or more engines, program module(s), applications, or the like executable on such a device. It should be appreciated, however, that such operations may be implemented in connection with numerous other device configurations.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processing capabilities described with respect to a particular device or component may be performed by any other device or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations and architectures have been described in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to example embodiments. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be implemented by execution of computer-executable program instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, according to some embodiments. Further, additional components and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of the block and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Program module(s), applications, or the like disclosed herein may include one or more software components, including, for example, software objects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such software component may include computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution, cause at least a portion of the functionality described herein (e.g., one or more operations of the illustrative methods described herein) to be performed.

A software component may be coded in any of a variety of programming languages. An illustrative programming language may be a lower-level programming language such as an assembly language associated with a particular hardware architecture and/or operating system platform. A software component including assembly language instructions may require conversion into executable machine code by an assembler prior to execution by the hardware architecture and/or platform.

Another example programming language may be a higher-level programming language that may be portable across multiple architectures. A software component including higher-level programming language instructions may require conversion to an intermediate representation by an interpreter or a compiler prior to execution.

Other examples of programming languages include, but are not limited to, a macro language, a shell or command language, a job control language, a script language, a database query or search language, or a report writing language. In one or more example embodiments, a software component including instructions in one of the foregoing examples of programming languages may be executed directly by an operating system or other software component without having to be first transformed into another form.

A software component may be stored as a file or other data storage construct. Software components of a similar type or functionally related may be stored together such as, for example, in a particular directory, folder, or library. Software components may be static (e.g., pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g., created or modified at the time of execution).

Software components may invoke or be invoked by other software components through any of a wide variety of mechanisms. Invoked or invoking software components may include other custom-developed application software, operating system functionality (e.g., device drivers, data storage (e.g., file management) routines, other common routines, and services, etc.), or third party software components (e.g., middleware, encryption, or other security software, database management software, file transfer or other network communication software, mathematical or statistical software, image processing software, and format translation software).

Software components associated with a particular solution or system may reside and be executed on a single platform or may be distributed across multiple platforms. The multiple platforms may be associated with more than one hardware vendor, underlying chip technology, or operating system. Furthermore, software components associated with a particular solution or system may be initially written in one or more programming languages, but may invoke software components written in another programming language.

Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto a special-purpose computer or other particular machine, a processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particular machine, such that execution of the instructions on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus causes one or more functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams to be performed. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement one or more functions or operations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process.

Additional types of CRSM that may be present in any of the devices described herein may include, but are not limited to, programmable random access memory (PRAM), SRAM, DRAM, RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the information and which can be accessed. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of CRSM. Alternatively, computer-readable communication media (CRCM) may include computer-readable instructions, program module(s), or other data transmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, or other transmission. However, as used herein, CRSM does not include CRCM.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.