Variable speed hydromassage pump control

• US 5,151,017 A
• Filed: 05/15/1991
• Issued: 09/29/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sears, Lawrence, Wall, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scheuermann, David W.
• Application Number:
  US07/700,278
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 417/45, 417/63, 4/541, 4/544, 318/807, 388/811, 388/827
• US Class Current: 417/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/0075 with opto-electric switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/005 Electrical circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/0087 Therapeutic baths with agitated or circulated water
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/60 Components specifically designed for the therapeutic baths of groups A61H33/00 plumbing E03C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2207/044 of the rotational speed of the driving motor
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0676 by action on flow sources G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence

Abstract

A control for a hydromassage pump motor and pump controls the speed thereof at one of a plurality of predetermined speeds. The control includes a high voltage motor power control which is connected to the AC lines and to the motor to affect energization thereof and a low voltage user interface. The low voltage user interface is powered by a low cost, small, limited energy power supply which limits the current to the user interface and which provides electrical isolation from the AC lines.

Claims

1. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto to one of a plurality of predetermined preset speeds to thereby control the flow of water through the hydromassage pump comprising a low voltage user interface and a high voltage motor power control which is connected to, but electrically isolated from, said user interface, said low voltage user interface including storage means for storing therein a plurality of preset speeds, each of which is indicative of a desired pump motor speed, said storage means providing an output signal indicative of one of said plurality of said preset speeds, a first input means for energizing the pump motor at a speed indicated by said output signal of said storage means, second input means connected to said storage means for indexing the output signal of said storage means to the next sequential preset speed of said plurality of preset speeds, and display means responsive to said output signal of said storage means for usually displaying an indication of the speed of the pump motor, said high voltage power control including a solid state switch means adapted to be connected in series with the pump motor and a source of high voltage electrical energy to energize the pump motor when the solid state switch means is conductive, controller means for controlling the conduction of said solid state switch means and means including an opto-isolator for coupling said output signal from said storage means to said controller means to control the conduction of said switch means in dependence upon the output signal of said storage means.

2. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 1 wherein said output signal from said storage means has a predetermined duty cycle which is proportional to the desired pump motor speed.

3. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 2 further including filtering means for coupling the opto-isolator to said controller means, said filtering means filtering the output of said opto-isolator to establish a DC output signal from said filter means to said controller means which is indicative of the desired pump motor speed and is proportional to the duty cycle of said output signal from said storage means.

4. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 1 further including filtering means for coupling the opto-isolator to said controller means, said filtering means filtering the output of said opto-isolator to establish a DC output signal from said filter means to said controller means which is indicative of the desired pump motor speed.

5. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 1 further including a limited energy power supply having an output for energizing said storage means, said display means, and said first, second and third input means.

6. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 5 wherein said limited energy power supply includes a high frequency transformer having a primary coil connected to a source of high voltage electrical energy and a secondary coil coupled to said primary coil, and current limiting resistor means series connected with said primary coil for a limiting current flow through said primary coil.

7. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 6 wherein said limited energy power supply further includes voltage regulating means connected to the output thereof for regulating the voltage at an output of said limited energy power supply.

8. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 7 wherein said voltage regulating means comprises a zener diode connected to said output of said limited energy power supply.

9. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 1 wherein said solid state switch means comprises a triac, said source of high voltage energy comprises an AC power supply and said controller means controls the conduction of said triac at a conduction angle with respect to the phase angle of the AC power supply which is proportional to the duty cycle of said output signal from said storage means to thereby control the speed of the hydromassage pump motor and the volume of fluid flow through the hydromassage pump.

10. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 9 wherein said display means comprises a liquid crystal bar graph for visually displaying the output speed of the pump motor as indicated by the output signal from said storage means.

11. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 10 wherein said output signal from said storage means is pulse width modulated.

12. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 9 wherein said second input means is operable to index said storage means to the next higher sequential preset speed of said plurality of presets speeds.

13. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 9 wherein said second input means is operable to index said storage means to the next lower sequential preset speed of said plurality of presets speeds.

14. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto to one of a plurality of predetermined preset speeds to thereby control the flow of water through the hydromassage pump comprising a low voltage user interface and a high voltage motor power control which is connected to, but electrically isolated from, said user interface, said low voltage user interface including storage means for storing therein a plurality of preset speeds, each of which is indicative of a desired pump motor speed, said storage means providing an output signal indicative of one of said plurality of said preset speeds, input means for energizing the pump motor at a speed indicated by said output signal of said storage means, and display means responsive to said output signal of said storage means for visually displaying an indication of the speed of the pump motor, said high voltage power control including a solid state switch means adapted to be connected in series with the pump motor and a source of high voltage electrical energy to energize the pump motor when the solid state switch means is conductive, controller means for controlling the conduction of said solid state switch means, and a limited energy power supply having an output for energizing said storage means, said display means and said input means.

15. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 14 further including an opto-isolator for coupling said output signal from said storage means to said controller means to control the conduction of said switch means in dependence upon the output signal of said storage means.

16. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 14 wherein said limited energy power supply includes a high frequency transformer having a primary coil connected to a source of high voltage electrical energy and a secondary coil coupled to said primary coil, and current limiting resistor means series connected with said primary coil for a limiting current flow through said primary coil to allow saturation of said transformer without excessive current buildup.

17. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 16 wherein said output signal from said storage means has a predetermined duty cycle which is proportional to the desired pump motor speed.

18. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 17 further including filtering means for coupling the opto-isolator to said controller means, said filtering means filtering the output of said opto-isolator to establish a DC output signal from said filter means to said controller means which is indicative of the desired pump motor speed and is proportional to the duty cycle of said output signal from said storage means.

19. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 16 wherein said limited energy power supply further includes voltage regulating means connected to the output thereof for regulating the voltage at said output of said limited energy power supply.

20. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 19 further including second current limiting resistor means series connected to said secondary coil of said transformer to limit the current at said output of said limited energy power supply.

21. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 16 wherein said solid state switch means comprises a triac, said source of high voltage energy comprises an AC power supply and said controller means controls the conduction of said triac at a conduction angle with respect to the phase angle of the AC power supply which is proportional to the duty cycle of said output signal from said storage means to thereby control the speed of the hydromassage pump motor and the volume of fluid flow through the pump.

22. A control for a hydromassage pump motor for controlling the speed of a pump motor and a pump connected thereto as defined in claim 21 wherein said display means comprises a liquid crystal bar graph for visually displaying the output speed of the pump motor as indicated by the output signal from said storage means.

23. A control for a pump motor for controlling the speed of the pump motor and a pump connected thereto to one of a plurality of predetermined preset speeds to thereby control the flow of water through the pump comprising in combination:

a low voltage user interface and a high voltage motor power control which is connected to, but electrically isolated from, said user interface, said low voltage user interface including storage means for storing therein a plurality of preset speeds, each of which is indicative of a desired pump motor speed, said storage means providing an output signal indicative of one of said plurality of said preset speeds, a first input means for energizing the pump motor at a speed indicated by said output signal of said storage means, second input means connected to said storage means for indexing the output signal of said storage means to the next sequential preset speed of said plurality of preset speeds, and display means responsive to said output signal of said storage means for visually displaying an indication of the speed of the pump motor, said high voltage power control including a solid state switch means adapted to be connected in series with the pump motor and a source of high voltage electrical energy to energize the pump motor when the solid state switch means is conductive, controller means for controlling the conduction of said solid state switch means and means including an opto-isolator for coupling said output signal from said storage means to said controller means to control the conduction of said switch means in dependence upon the output signal of said storage means.