Wastewater fluid level sensing and control system

• US 7,151,459 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2006
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: S.J. Electro Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chandler Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Chandler, William D. Jr., Wolfe, Aaron R.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US11/279,094
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 340/618, 340/612, 340/620, 700/17
• US Class Current: 340/618
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/14 by measurement of pressure

Abstract

A wastewater fluid level sensing and control system is provided. The system comprises a control panel, a reservoir, at least one pump and a fluid level sensing device. The control panel comprises a housing and user interface input and output devices for use with configuring the operation of the control panel. The control panel may be configured to turn on one or more of the pumps to lower the level of fluid in the reservoir. When the level is above a selectable level, the control panel is operative to cause at least one alarm signal to be output. The control panel may include a touch sensor pad mounted to an inner wall of the housing. Changes in capacitance in the pad as a result of a hand being placed adjacent the sensor on the outside of the housing is operative to cause the control panel to silence the alarm.

Claims

1. A control panel apparatus for a wastewater system comprising:

a housing;

at least one processor mounted within the housing, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to receive at least one condition signal representative of a condition associated with a reservoir comprising a fluid;

at least one alarm output device in operative connection with the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is operative responsive to the at least one condition signal to cause the at least one alarm output device to output an alarm signal; and

at least one contact relay mounted within the housing, wherein the at least one contact relay is operative to open and close at least one AC circuit which is operative to power run windings of at least one motor of at least one pump, wherein the at least one pump is operative to change a depth level of the fluid level in the reservoir responsive to the at least one condition signal, wherein the at least one processor is operative to cause the at least one contact relay to at least one of open and close the at least one AC circuit responsive to the at least one condition signal and responsive to at least one of current and voltage of the at least one AC circuit being within a predetermined amount of time of a cross-over point.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one start relay mounted within the housing and adapted to open and close at least one further circuit which powers start windings of the at least one motor of the at least one pump;

wherein the at least one processor is operative to start the at least one motor of the at least one pump responsive to the at least one condition signal by causing the at least one contact relay to close the at least one AC circuit and by causing the at least one start relay to close the at least one further circuit;

wherein responsive to a current associated with the run windings corresponding to a predetermined level, the at least one processor is operative to cause the at least one start relay to open the at least one further circuit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing complies with at least the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) 4X standard for fluid penetrations.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one input device in operative connection with the at least one processor, wherein the at least one input device is operative to specify at least one alarm level, wherein the at least one processor is operative to cause the at least one alarm to output the alarm signal responsive to the at least one alarm level and the at least one condition signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the housing includes an opening and a door that is operative to close the opening, wherein the housing further includes a sub-door in hinged connection with an inside portion of the housing, wherein the at least one processor is mounted to the sub-door.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the reservoir;

at least one fluid level sensing device positioned within the reservoir and in operative connection with the at least one processor, wherein the at least one condition signal is produced responsive to the at least one fluid level sensor device and is representative of the depth level of the fluid in the reservoir.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one fluid level sensing device comprises a pressure bell positioned in the reservoir.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one fluid level sensing device comprises at least one float device positioned in the reservoir.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the fluid includes wastewater.

10. A method comprising:

a) monitoring at least one condition signal with at least one processor of a control panel apparatus, which at least one condition signal corresponds to a depth level of a fluid in a reservoir, wherein the apparatus includes at least one contact relay operative to open and close at least one AC circuit operative to power run windings of at least one motor of at least one pump;

b) determining with the at least one processor that the at least one condition signal corresponds to at least one predetermined condition associated with the fluid in the reservoir;

c) responsive to (b) controlling operation of the at least one pump, including;

i) determining that at least one of current and voltage associated with the at least one AC circuit is within a predetermined amount of time of a cross-over point;

ii) causing with the at least one processor the at least one contact relay to at least one of open and close the at least one AC circuit responsive to (i).

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus includes at least one start relay, wherein the start relay is operative to open and close at least one further circuit which powers start windings of the at least one motor of the at least one pump, wherein (c) includes causing with the at least one processor, the at least one pump to change the depth level of the fluid level in the reservoir, wherein (c)(ii) includes causing with the at least one processor the at least one contact relay to close the at least one AC circuit, wherein (c) further includes:

iii) causing with the at least one processor the at least one start relay to close the at least one further circuit.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein (c) further includes:

iv) determining with the at least one processor that the current associated with the run windings corresponds to a predetermined level;

v) responsive to (iv) causing with the at least one processor, the at least one start relay to open the at least one further circuit.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein in (iv) the predetermined level of current corresponds to the at least one motor of the at least one pump operating at least at 75% of full speed.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein (c) further includes:

iv) determining with the at least one processor that an amount of time has elapsed since (iii) which corresponds to a predetermined amount of time;

v) responsive to (iv) causing with the at least one processor, the at least one start relay to open the at least one further circuit.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

d) responsive to (b) causing with the at least one processor, at least one alarm output device in operative connection with the apparatus to output an alarm signal.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a housing which includes the at least one contact relay therein, wherein the housing includes an opening and a door that is operative to close the opening, wherein the housing further includes a sub-door in hinged connection with an inside portion of the housing, wherein the apparatus comprises a main circuit board in operative connection with the sub-door, wherein the main circuit board includes the at least one processor, wherein while the apparatus is in operative connection with at least one fluid level sensing device positioned within the reservoir further comprising:

d) installing an optional circuit board in operative connection with the sub-door, wherein the optional circuit board includes a second at least one processor, wherein the optional circuit board includes a code upgrade;

e) upgrading the at least one processor on the main circuit board responsive to the code upgrade accessed from the optional circuit board;

f) communicating data associated with the at least one condition signal from the at least one processor on the main circuit board to the second at least one processor on the optional circuit board.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus comprises a housing which includes the at least one contact relay therein, wherein the housing includes an opening and a door that is operative to close the opening, wherein the housing further includes a first sub-door in hinged connection with an inside portion of the housing, wherein the apparatus comprises a main circuit board in operative connection with the first sub-door, wherein the main circuit board includes the at least one processor, wherein while the apparatus is in operative connection with at least one fluid level sensing device positioned within the reservoir further comprising:

d) replacing the first sub-door with a second sub-door, wherein the second-sub door includes a main circuit board and an optional circuit board, wherein the optional circuit board is operative to at least one of;

display information representative of at least one condition signal through a digital display device of the optional circuit board;

display information representative of at least one alarm level through a digital display device of the optional circuit board;

store pump operating data in at least one data store of the optional circuit board; and

store data in a data store of the optional circuit board, which data is representative of the depth level of the fluid in the reservoir over time.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the housing includes at least two parallel rails adjacent opposed corners of the housing, wherein each of the two parallel rails includes mounted thereto a hinge bracket, wherein each hinge bracket includes at least one projection, wherein the projections of the at least two hinge brackets are coaxially aligned, wherein in (g) the first and second sub-doors include a concave portion which is adapted to mount to the projections of the hinge brackets.

19. A method comprising:

a) monitoring at least one condition signal with at least one processor of a control panel apparatus, wherein the at least one condition signal is generated by a fluid level sensing device positioned within a reservoir, wherein the at least one condition signal corresponds to a depth level of a fluid in the reservoir, wherein the apparatus includes a housing, wherein the housing includes therein at least one relay operative to open and close at least one AC circuit operative to power run windings of at least one motor of at least one pump, wherein the housing includes an opening and a door that is operative to close the opening, wherein the housing further includes a first sub-door in hinged connection with an inside portion of the housing, wherein the first sub-door includes the at least one processor thereon;

b) determining with the at least one processor that the at least one condition signal corresponds to at least one predetermined condition associated with the fluid in the reservoir;

c) responsive to (b) controlling operation of the at least one pump with the at least one processor to change a depth level of the fluid in the reservoir, including causing with the at least one processor the at least one relay to at least one of open and close the at least one AC circuit; and

d) replacing the first sub-door with a second sub-door, wherein the second-sub door includes at least one second processor operative to carry out (a), (b) and (c), wherein the second sub-door includes an optional circuit, wherein the optional circuit is operative to at least one of;

i) display information representative of at least one condition signal through a digital display device in operative connection with the second sub-door;

ii) display information representative of at least one alarm level through a digital display device in operative connection with the second sub-door;

iii) store pump operating data in a memory device in operative connection with the second sub-door; and

iv) store data in a memory device in operative connection with the second sub-door, wherein the data is representative of the depth level of the fluid in the reservoir over time.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein (c) includes determining that at least one of current and voltage associated with the at least one AC circuit is within a predetermined amount of time of a cross-over point, wherein (c) includes causing with the at least one processor the at least one relay to at least one of open and close the at least one AC circuit responsive to determining that the at least one of current and voltage associated with the at least one AC circuit is within a predetermined amount of time of a cross-over point.