Water supply

• US 6,922,348 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2001
• Issued: 07/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Inventors: Kajiwara, Kenichi, Kishi, Masahiko, Higaki, Nobuhiro, Nakajima, Kaoru, Murai, Yukio, Kawai, Masahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Rajnikant B.
• Application Number:
  US10/332,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20030174450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• Field of Search: 307/44, 307/61, 307/87, 307/80, 307/85, 323/222, 323/299, 323/906, 323/303, 363/95, 363/97, 363/130, 363/135, 363/137, 417/18, 417/44, 417/45, 417/53, 417/12, 417/63, 318/430, 318/807, 318/805, 318/729
• US Class Current: 363/95
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/006 Solar operated
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 47/06 having motor-pump units situated at great depth
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/068 Battery powered
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0236 Lack of liquid level being detected by analysing the parameters of the electric drive, e.g. current or power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/906 Solar cell systems

Abstract

According to the present invention, in a water supply apparatus which converts output power of a solar cell with an inverter to drive a motor pump for pumping up water, a DC brushless motor having no sensor for detecting a position of a rotatable shaft is used as a motor for driving the pump. Further, the water supply apparatus, having a pump and a frequency converter for supplying electric power to the pump and controlling a rotational speed of the pump, includes a standard current value table in which rotational frequencies of the pump and standard current values as criteria for shutoff operation at the rotational frequencies are associated with each other, a rotational frequency detecting device for detecting a rotational frequency of the pump, a standard current value acquiring device for acquiring a standard current value corresponding to the rotational frequency detected by the rotational frequency detecting device with reference to the standard current value table, a current detecting device for detecting a current value supplied to the pump, and a comparing device for comparing the current value detected by the current detecting device with the standard current value acquired by the standard current value acquiring device.

Claims

1. A water supply apparatus comprising:

an inverter for converting power output from a solar cell;

a DC brushless motor for receiving converted power from said inverter so as to drive a pump such that water is pumped, said DC brushless motor having no sensor for detecting a position of a rotatable shaft;

means for measuring an operating parameter so as to provide a measured operating parameter; and

means for automatically setting the measured operating parameter.

2. The water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said inverter includes means for detecting a racing operation of the pump based on a set current value for each operating frequency.

3. The water supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said means for measuring an operating parameter comprises means for measuring resistance of wiring from said inverter to said DC brushless motor such that said means for automatically setting the measured operating parameter comprises means for automatically setting a measured resistance of the wiring from said inverter to said DC brushless motor.

4. The water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said means for measuring an operating parameter comprises means for measuring resistance of wiring from said inverter to said DC brushless motor such that said means for automatically setting the measured operating parameter comprises means for automatically setting a measured resistance of the wiring from said inverter to said DC brushless motor.

5. A water supply apparatus comprising:

a solar cell;

an inverter for converting a direct-current output of said solar cell to an alternating-current output and supplying the alternating-current output to a DC brushless motor having no sensor for detecting a position of a rotatable shaft;

a pump to be driven by said DC brushless motor;

a water storage tank for temporarily storing water that is to be pumped by said pump; and

a controller, having a start condition and a stop condition for said pump, for automatically causing said pump to be driven based on the start condition and the stop condition.

6. The water supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said inverter and said controller are at ground level,

said pump and said DC brushless motor are within a well, and

said inverter and said DC brushless motor are interconnected only by cable wiring for supplying the alternating-current output to said DC brushless motor.

7. The water supply apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

said controller is for automatically causing said pump to be driven based on the start condition and the stop condition by

(i) causing said pump to be started when electric power capable of being generated by said solar cell is greater than a predetermined value, and

(ii) causing said pump to be stopped when electric power generated by said solar cell is less than a predetermined value.

8. The water supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said controller is for automatically causing said pump to be driven based on the start condition and the stop condition by

(i) causing said pump to be started when electric power capable of being generated by said solar cell is greater than a predetermined value, and

(ii) causing said pump to be stopped when electric power generated by said solar cell is less than a predetermined value.

9. A water supply apparatus comprising:

standard current value acquiring means for acquiring a standard current value as a criterion for a shutoff operation of a pump;

current detecting means for detecting value of a current supplied to the pump;

means for comparing the value of the current supplied to the pump with the standard current value as acquired by said standard current value acquiring means so as to determine whether the pump is in the shutoff operation; and

means for stopping the pump after a first certain period of time when it is determined that the pump is in the shutoff operation.

10. The water supply apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said means for stopping the pump after a first certain period of time when it is determined that the pump is in the shutoff operation comprises means for automatically stopping the pump after a period of time that is less than a period of time which would result in overheating of the pump were the pump continued to be operated therefor.

11. The water supply apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for restarting the pump after a second certain period of time from when the pump is stopped.

12. The water supply apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said means for restarting the pump after a second certain period of time from when the pump is stopped comprises means for automatically restarting the pump after a period of time from when the pumped is stopped sufficient to cool the pump if overheated to a certain extent.

13. The water supply apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

mean for restarting the pump after a second certain period of time from when the pump is stopped.

14. The water supply apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said means for restarting the pump after a second certain period of time from when the pump is stopped comprises means for automatically restarting the pump after a period of time from when the pumped is stopped sufficient to cool the pump if overheated to a certain extent.

15. The water supply apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said means for stopping the pump after a first certain period of time when it is determined that the pump is in the shutoff operation comprises means for stopping the pump after the first certain period of time when it is determined, by said means for comparing, that the value of the current as detected by said current detecting means is less than the standard current value as acquired by said standard current value acquiring means.

16. The water supply apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

said means for stopping the pump after the first certain period of time when it is determined, by said means for comparing, that the value of the current as detected by said current detecting means is less than the standard current value as acquired by said standard current value acquiring comprises means for stopping the pump after a period of time that is predetermined for each rotational frequency of the pump.

17. The water supply apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a standard current value table in which rotational frequencies of the pump, and standard current values as criteria for the shutoff operation of the pump at the rotational frequencies, are associated with each other.

18. The water supply apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a frequency converter for supplying electric power to the pump and controlling a rotational speed of said pump.

19. The water supply apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a standard current value table in which rotational frequencies of the pump, and standard current values as criteria for the shutoff operation of the pump at the rotational frequencies, are associated with each other.

20. The water supply apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

said means for stopping the pump after a first certain period of time when it is determined that the pump is in the shutoff operation comprises means for stopping the pump after a period of time that is predetermined for each rotational frequency of the pump.