Unitell: Universal Intelligent Control Platform

This universal intelligent control platform is flexible, modular, and distributed, allowing it to be applied to multiple products. By combining sensors, actuators, and other intelligent peripheral devices with microprocessor technology, UniTell enhances the peripherals’ intelligence and increases their flexibility. This proven technology has a powerful processor, increased display choices, a suite of commercially available software design tools, downloadable software, and sufficient memory for demanding control applications. A laptop service tool provides configuration flexibility, machine monitoring, software downloading capability, and enhanced service features. Trane’s UniTell technology is a welcome improvement to the control engineer and the service technician and decreases production costs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Additional technical details are presented below. For more information about this licensing opportunity, please contact:

, (919) 303-5874


	Benefits Applications Technology Details Commercial Opportunity Printable Brochure Contact Information		This universal intelligent control platform is flexible, modular, and distributed, allowing it to be applied to multiple products. By combining sensors, actuators, and other intelligent peripheral devices with microprocessor technology, UniTell enhances the peripherals’ intelligence and increases their flexibility. This proven technology has a powerful processor, increased display choices, a suite of commercially available software design tools, downloadable software, and sufficient memory for demanding control applications. A laptop service tool provides configuration flexibility, machine monitoring, software downloading capability, and enhanced service features. Trane’s UniTell technology is a welcome improvement to the control engineer and the service technician and decreases production costs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Additional technical details are presented below. For more information about this licensing opportunity, please contact: , (919) 303-5874



	Introduction Benefits Applications Technology Details Commercial Opportunity Printable Brochure Contact Information		Decreases component cost: Because the peripherals are interchangeable from product to product, economies of scale allow higher volume manufacture and a commensurate decrease in cost. Increases hardware design efficiency: Units include only the controls needed for the specific application. Additional control points can be added, designed, or redesigned quickly and easily. Enables upgrades and service via the Internet: Custom control software can be downloaded on demand by the end user. Through the service tool feature, users can conveniently leverage experienced technicians to diagnose problems remotely. Increases flexibility: Functions can be controlled at the peripherals and/or at a master controller, providing greater control flexibility to the user. A plug-and-play approach allows most digital and analog input and output devices to be used in a system. Minimizes hardware redesign: Because the peripherals are infinitely configurable, they do not need to be redesigned when incorporated into new products. Controllers are less susceptible to obsolescence caused by the phase-out of any one component.



	Introduction Benefits Applications Technology Details Commercial Opportunity Printable Brochure Contact Information		OEMs in many industrial markets can benefit from Trane’s UniTell technology. Applications include those that use sensors and actuators for electric power, mechanics, hydraulics, and temperature: Automotive equipment (e.g., semi brake systems) Agricultural and construction equipment (e.g., cranes) Industrial automation Manufacturing production lines Processing plants (e.g., chemical, food, energy) Motion control devices Building controls (e.g., security systems, elevators, boilers)



	Introduction Benefits Applications Technology Details Commercial Opportunity Printable Brochure Contact Information		How it Works A leading OEM of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, integrated equipment controls, and building automation systems, Trane developed and implemented the UniTell technology to control its many and diverse HVAC products. Control systems traditionally have been custom designed for each specific product—an inefficient and costly process. Engineers at Trane embarked on three generations of design to successfully develop an intelligent control platform. Trane’s new universal intelligent control platform—UniTell—enables flexible and modular control system designs that can be used in multiple product lines. The UniTell technology is based upon distributed control, a powerful 32-bit processor, commercially available development software design tools, a laptop-based service tool, and intelligent peripheral devices such as sensors and actuators. By combining these peripherals with commercial-off-the-shelf microprocessor technology, Trane engineers made them more intelligent, increasing their flexibility within the control system. Whereas previously a controller was designed for use with only one product, UniTell’s enhanced controller, intelligent peripherals, and laptop service tool allow the technology to be applied in many product lines. Using intelligent peripherals also reduces the number of sensor and actuator varieties that must be maintained in inventory. For example, Trane previously stocked 19 temperature sensors for its various products; now only 2 are required. Trane’s UniTell technology enables reduced costs and complexities in control system design. The laptop service tool expedites machine service and software upgrades and includes specific features to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the service technician.



	Introduction Benefits Applications Technology Details Commercial Opportunity Printable Brochure Contact Information		UniTell has been tested, and Trane has been successfully using the technology in its products for years. The UniTell technology is applicable to most controlled devices and control applications. For OEMs, licensing Trane’s UniTell technology rather than developing their own system will yield substantial savings. Trane’s UniTell technology includes specific peripheral designs, a process for quickly and cost-effectively developing custom peripherals, and the architecture to link the peripherals. The suite of intellectual property protecting UniTell includes copyrighted software, trade secret know how, data from thousands of hours of testing in Trane’s R&D facilities, and at least five pending U.S. patents. Trane also owns 23 legacy patents that protect inventions and/or applications related to UniTell. Trane is offering its UniTell technology for use in all non-HVAC applications and will consider HVAC license queries on a case-by-case basis. Trane will entertain nonexclusive, coexclusive, and exclusive licensing proposals in various fields of use. More information can be provided for licensing candidates under a nondisclosure agreement.



	Introduction Benefits Applications Technology Details Commercial Opportunity Printable Brochure Contact Information		To learn more about Trane’s UniTell technology and to pursue licensing interest, please contact: , (919) 303-5874
			This technology is owned by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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