SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING ELECTRIC POWER BY OPTIMIZING WATER TURBIDITY, SUSPENDED SOLIDS, CIRCULATION AND FILTRATION IN POOLS, SPAS, WATER FEATURES, AND OTHER CLOSED BODIES OF WATER

• US 20110253638A1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Breakpoint Commercial Pool Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Breakpoint Commercial Pool Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Easland, Steven Richard, Easland, Mark William
• Application Number:
  US13/168,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20110253638A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/745
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/004 using large scale industrial sized filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/76 with halogens or compounds of halogens C02F1/4674 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/42 from bathing facilities, e.g. swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/006 comprising a software program or a logic diagram
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/10 Solids, e.g. total solids [TS], total suspended solids [TSS] or volatile solids [VS]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/11 Turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/152 Water filtration

Abstract

One feature of the present invention provides a method for optimizing water filtration in a closed body of water. The method includes circulating the water through a closed loop filtration system to remove contaminates, where a pump forces the water from the closed body of water through plumbing to a filter; measuring a clarity of the water passing through the plumbing using one or more sensors connected to the plumbing; providing an output of the one or more sensors to a system controller operatively coupled to a motor of the pump, via a motor controller for comparing the measured water clarity to a desired water clarity to determine an optimal filter rate and time to achieve the desired water clarity; and providing power to the motor, via the motor controller, driving the motor to operate the pump at the optimal filter rate and time.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing water filtration in a closed body of water, comprising:

circulating the water through a closed loop filtration system to remove contaminates, where a pump forces the water from the closed body of water through plumbing to a filter;

measuring a clarity of the water passing through the plumbing using one or more sensors connected to the plumbing;

providing an output of the one or more sensors to a system controller operatively coupled to a motor of the pump, via a motor controller for comparing the measured water clarity to a desired water clarity to determine an optimal filter rate and time to achieve the desired water clarity; and

providing power to the motor, via the motor controller, driving the motor to operate the pump at the optimal filter rate and time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors measure the turbidity in the water and wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a turbidity sensor and a suspended solids sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor is selected from the group consisting of a single speed motor, a multiple speed motor and a variable speed motor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor is an alternating current motor (AC) or a direct current (DC) motor.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a chemical clarifier is to be dispersed into the water to obtain the desired water clarity; and

providing a command signal to a clarifier chemical and dispenser module if a determination is made to disperse the chemical clarifier into the water.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the optimal filter rate and time includes selecting a speed in which to run or stop the motor and selecting a length of time in which to run the motor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the motor controller is at least one of a switch, contactor, variable-frequency drive (VFD) and direct current drive (DCD).

8. A filtration system for optimizing water filtration in a closed body of water, comprising:

means for circulating the water through a filtration system to remove contaminates, where a pump forces the water from the closed body of water through plumbing to a filter;

means for measuring a clarity of the water passing through the plumbing using one or more sensors connected to the plumbing;

means for providing an output of the one or more sensors to a system controller operatively coupled to a motor of the pump, via a motor controller for comparing the measured water clarity to a desired water clarity to determine an optimal filter rate and time to achieve the desired water clarity; and

means for providing power to the motor, via the motor controller, driving the motor to operate the pump at the optimal filter rate and time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors measure suspended solids in the water and wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a turbidity sensor and a suspended solids sensor.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the motor is selected from a group consisting of a single speed motor, a multiple speed motor and a variable speed motor.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors measure suspended solids in the water.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

means for determining if a chemical clarifier is to be dispersed into the water to obtain the desired water clarity; and

means for providing a command signal to a clarifier chemical and pump module if a determination is made to disperse the chemical clarifier into the water.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein determining the optimal filter rate and time includes selecting a speed in which to run or stop the motor and selecting a length of time in which to run the motor.

14. A controller module, comprising:

a memory device;

a receiver coupled to the memory device, the receiver for receiving data from one or more sensors; and

a processing circuit coupled to the memory device and the receiver, the processing circuit configured to;

receive a measured water clarity from the one or more sensors, the measured water clarity identifying turbidity in water in a closed body of water;

determine an optimal filter rate and time to achieve a desired water clarity in the closed body of water by comparing the measured water clarity to the desired water clarity; and

drive a motor, via a motor controller, to operate a pump at the optimal filter rate and time for filtering the water.

15. The controller module of claim 14, wherein the motor is selected from a group consisting of a single speed motor, a multiple speed motor and a variable speed motor.

16. The controller module of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to:

determine if a chemical clarifier is to be dispersed into the water to obtain the desired water clarity; and

provide a command signal to a clarifier chemical and dispenser module if a determination is made to disperse the chemical clarifier into the water.

17. The controller module of claim 16, wherein the command signal is transmitted to the clarifier chemical and dispenser module via a second transmitter, the second transmitter coupled to the processing circuit.

18. The controller module of claim 14, wherein control signals are transmitted to the motor controller via a first transmitter, the first transmitter coupled to the memory device and the processing circuit.

19. The controller module of claim 14, wherein determining the optimal filter rate includes selecting a speed in which to run the motor and selecting a length of time in which to run the motor.

20. The controller module of claim 14, wherein the optimal filter rate and time are determined locally or in a network environment.