Carrier’s Virtual Tech diagnostics

As part of its new APX control system, Carrier Transicold has introduced Virtual Tech, a "comprehensive" diagnostic application that continually monitors trailer refrigeration units to help avert potential problems.

The Virtual Tech application helps take the guesswork out of refrigeration-unit service, the company says, making troubleshooting easier and faster, and improving equipment uptime in the process. It does away with the need for extra troubleshooting hardware, testing kits, and complex troubleshooting trees to diagnose problems, says Carrier, because it’s all automatic.

Found only on refrigeration units equipped with the APX control system, the application continuously monitors the operation of all unit components – refrigeration, mechanical and electrical – as well as the APX control system itself.

Unlike earlier controls, the APX control system uses no mechanical relays. This means the Virtual Tech application can monitor more system operations, with the ability to identify more than 250 different alarm conditions.

If it senses a problem, it activates the refrigeration unit’s amber external warning light to alert the driver, and the alarm LED flashes on the control system display module. When the alarm button is pushed, a text message describing the problem will appear on the APX display module. If a specific control module needs repair or replacement, that module’s red fault light glows for easy identification. For units equipped with telematics capability, the Virtual Tech application is capable of relaying system status and faults to a centralized dispatcher by way of Carrier's DataTrak option.

When the APX control system is operating in 'technician mode,' Virtual Tech provides analytic and diagnostic information on the display module’s dashboard. The APX control system dashboard generates more diagnostic information in fewer keystrokes than existing control systems and can simultaneously show data from up to five sensors, providing a better overview of system performance.

The Virtual Tech application also records system operation data so that detailed performance reports can be downloaded for review on a computer.

The APX control system is standard with Carrier’s new 2500 APX and 2100 APX models in the X2 series of trailer refrigeration units.