Condensate Removal Pump Controller Using Acoustic Liquid Level Sensor

• US 20110091330A1
• Filed: 10/21/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gmj Design Group, LLC
• Original Assignee: Gmj Design Group, LLC
• Inventors: DeOliviera, Marcelo
• Application Number:
  US12/603,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20110091330A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 417/44.1
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 23/028 the pump being mounted on top of the reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/222 for evacuating condensate
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/296 Acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2962 Measuring transit time of reflected waves

Abstract

A pump controller is provided for removing liquid condensate from a reservoir in a condensate pump removal system which collects condensate from an air conditioning/refrigeration system. The pump controller comprises a liquid level sensor in the form of an acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver which are used to measure the time of flight of the acoustic signal, to thereby indicate the level of the liquid and determine whether the pump should be switched on and off.

Claims

1. A pump controller for controlling the operation of a condensate removal pump which removed liquid condensate in an air conditioning/refrigeration system, comprising:

an acoustic transmitter/receiver for transmitting an acoustic signal towards a liquid disposed in a container from above the liquid level, for receiving the reflected acoustic signal reflected by the liquid, and for producing a signal indicating the transit time of the acoustic signal;

a comparator which compares the transit time signal to a first reference value, and a second reference value and which produces a pump-on signal when the transit time signal is below a first reference level, and produces a pump-off signal when the liquid level signal exceeds the second reference level; and

a pump in a condensate reservoir which is connected to receive the pump-on and pump-off signals, and switch on and off, respectively, in response thereto, to remove the condensate liquid in the reservoirs.

2. The pump controller of claim 1, wherein

the acoustic transmitter/receiver is mounted in a housing having walls angled downwardly away, to reduce noise.

3. The pump controller of claim 1, further

including a safety float which de-energizes an air conditioning/refrigeration condenser unit if the liquid level reaches a certain level.

4. The pump controller of claim 1, wherein

the acoustic transmitter/receiver comprises an acoustic transmitter and a separate acoustic receiver.

5. The pump controller of claim 1, wherein

the acoustic transmitter/receiver receives a multi-cycle burst of a square wave signal which is used to produce an acoustic signal.

6. The pump controller of claim 1, wherein

the pump-on and pump-off signal are connected to the pump through a triac.

7. The pump controller of claim 1, wherein

the comparator comprises a micro-controller.

8. The pump controller of claim 1, further including a pump motor.

9. The pump controller of claim 8, further including

a pump in a condensate reservoir which is connected to receive the pump-on and pump-off signals, and switch on and off, respectively, in response thereto, to remove the condensate liquid in the reservoir.

10. A method of operating a pump controller for controlling the operation of a condensate removal pump, to remove liquid in a condensate reservoir, comprising:

transmitting an acoustic wave to the top of the liquid from above the liquid;

receiving the acoustic wave reflected off the top of the liquid;

comprising the amount of time the acoustic wave took from transmission to reception with first and second reference values, representing fluid level heights;

producing a pump-on signal to turn on the condensate removal pump when the time is less than a first reference level, and producing a pump-off signal to turn off the condensate removal pump when the time exceeds a second reference level.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein

the transmitting, receiving, and comparing, are performed repetitively to repetitively measure the fluid level height.