Pump monitoring system

• US 20060078435A1
• Filed: 08/09/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Metropolitan Industries, Inc. (Emecole Metro, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Metropolitan Industries, Inc. (Emecole Metro, LLC)
• Inventors: Burza, Joseph K.
• Application Number:
  US11/199,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20060078435A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/279
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers

Abstract

A plurality of pump related monitoring devices can communicate wirelessly with displaced user circuits. The user circuits can in turn acquire data via a respective monitoring device associated with a pump, pump control system, pump motor, backup batteries and the like all without limitations. If desired, the user circuits can carry out a polling process relative to a plurality of monitoring devices.

Claims

1. A pump monitoring system comprising

at least one sensor of a pump related condition;

control circuitry coupled to the at least one sensor;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the control circuits, the control circuits, in response to a received wireless control signal transfer received information from at least one sensor to the transceiver for transmission.

2. A system as in claim 1 which includes a plurality of sensors of different pump related conditions, members of the plurality are coupled to the control circuits.

3. A system as in claim 1 where the control circuits include a programmable processor and control software.

4. A system as in claim 3 where the software responds to the received wireless control signal.

5. A system as in claim 4 where the software responds to a device identifier in the received wireless control signal.

6. A system as in claim 5 where the software compares the received device identifier to a pre-stored value.

7. A system as in claim 6 where, responsive to a match between the received identifier and the stored value, the software carries out a function received in the wireless control signal.

8. A system as in claim 1 where the control circuits sense a pre-established unit address.

9. A system as in claim 8 where the control circuits receive and store a unit address, via the transceiver, when in a first mode.

10. A system as in claim 9 where the control circuits receive a unit address, via the transceiver, and compare same to the pre-stored unit address when in a second mode.

11. A system as in claim 10 where the software, in response to a match, transmits received sensor information via the transceiver.

12. A system as in claim 11 which includes a plurality of sensors of pump related conditions coupled to the control circuits.

13. A system as in claim 12 which includes a displaced base element having a base transceiver that transmits wireless control signals to the transceiver.

14. A system as in claim 13 where at least some of the transmitted wireless control signals each include a unit address.

15. A system as in claim 13 where the base unit includes a multi-mode circuitry with one mode responsive to a received request, assigning and transmitting a unit address.

16. A system comprising:

a plurality of pump monitoring units, each of the units including at least one pump-related sensor and a wireless transceiver;

a base unit that includes multi-mode control circuits with one mode that assigns unit addresses to respective pump monitoring units and another mode that requests information from addressed monitoring units.

17. A system as in claim 16 where at least some of the monitoring units each include a plurality of pump-related sensors.

18. A system as in claim 16 where the multi-mode control circuits include software for one of retrieving pre-assigned monitoring unit addresses, or, generating pre-assigned monitoring addresses.

19. A system as in claim 16 where at least some of the monitoring units store a respective assigned unit address.

20. A system as in claim 19 where at least some of the monitoring units each include a plurality of pump-related sensors.

21. A system as in claim 20 where at least some of the sensors are selected from a class which include at least pump motor sensors, fluid level sensors, battery condition sensors, power sensors, pressure sensors, and fluid flow sensors.

22. A method comprising:

sensing a plurality of conditions relative to at least one pump and associated circuits;

generating signals indicative of respective sensed conditions;

receiving at least one wireless command signal, and

responsive thereto, wirelessly transmitting indicia corresponding to sensed conditions.

23. A method as in claim 22 which includes receiving and storing a designator.

24. A method as in claim 23 which includes comparing a received designator to a stored designator.

25. A system comprising:

a motor condition sensor;

control software that acquires motor condition information from the sensor, then control software is responsive to a received identifier that matches a previously stored identifier to forward the acquired motor condition information at least in part wirelessly, to a displaced location.

26. A system as in claim 25 which includes a plurality of sensors the members of which provide respective condition information to the software.

27. A system as in claim 26 which includes circuitry that stores the identifier.

28. A system as in claim 27 where the software has a first mode of operation where it receives an identifier and stores same in the circuitry.

29. A system as in claim 28 where the software has a second mode which responds to the received identifier and compares it to the stored identifier.

30. A system as in claim 29 which includes a wireless transceiver.

31. A system as in claim 30 which includes a displaced command unit in wireless communication, via the transceiver, with the software.

32. A system as in claim 31 where the command unit includes command software for communicating with a plurality of displaced transceivers.

33. A system as in claim 31 where the command unit includes circuitry to store, at least in part, information relative to a plurality of motor conditions.

34. A system as in claim 33 where the command unit includes motor condition analysis software which compares received motor condition information to at least one set point.

35. A system as in claim 34 where the command unit includes alarm indicating software responsive to results of analysis software comparisons.

36. A system as in claim 35 where the command unit provides at least one of a visual and/or an audible alarm indicator.