Pump control and management system
First Claim
1. A pump control and management system comprising:
- a sump pump adapted for pumping water out of a sump pit;
a level sensing assembly positioned within the sump pit for detecting a level of water in the sump pit, anda control assembly operationally coupled to said sump pump, said control assembly being operationally coupled to said level sensing assembly, said control assembly activating said sump pump when said level sensing assembly signals that water in the sump pit has reached a predetermined level; and
wherein said control assembly periodically performs diagnostic tests of said sump pump to determine operability of said sump pump, said diagnostic tests includes periodic activation of said sump pump and monitoring of current drawing by said sump pump, no current being drawn indicating an open motor or electrical connection failure, initial high current consumption indicating potential binding of an impeller of said sump pump, continuous high current indicating a locked rotor, said control assembly providing a user alarm for each one of no current, initial high current, and continuous high current results of said diagnostic tests.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pump control and management system for monitoring and controlling sump pumps as well as providing supplemental controls and alarms. The pump control and management system includes a sump pump, a level sensing assembly, a control assembly, and at least one local sensor. The sump pump is designed for pumping water out of a sump pit. The level sensing assembly is preferably positioned within the sump pit for detecting a level of water in the sump pit. The control assembly is electrically coupled between an electrical service connection and the sump pump. The control assembly monitors electrical current drawn by the sump pump. The control assembly is also operationally coupled to the level sensing assembly. The control assembly activates the sump pump when the level sensing assembly signals that water in the sump pit has reached a predetermined level.
168 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A pump control and management system comprising:
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a sump pump adapted for pumping water out of a sump pit; a level sensing assembly positioned within the sump pit for detecting a level of water in the sump pit, and a control assembly operationally coupled to said sump pump, said control assembly being operationally coupled to said level sensing assembly, said control assembly activating said sump pump when said level sensing assembly signals that water in the sump pit has reached a predetermined level; and wherein said control assembly periodically performs diagnostic tests of said sump pump to determine operability of said sump pump, said diagnostic tests includes periodic activation of said sump pump and monitoring of current drawing by said sump pump, no current being drawn indicating an open motor or electrical connection failure, initial high current consumption indicating potential binding of an impeller of said sump pump, continuous high current indicating a locked rotor, said control assembly providing a user alarm for each one of no current, initial high current, and continuous high current results of said diagnostic tests. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A pump control and management system comprising:
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a sump pump adapted for pumping water out of a sump pit; a level sensing assembly positioned within the sump pit for detecting a level of water in the sump pit; and a control assembly being electrically coupled between an electrical service connection and said sump pump, said control assembly monitoring electrical current drawn by said sump pump, said control assembly being operationally coupled to said level sensing assembly, said control assembly activating said sump pump when said level sensing assembly signals that water in the sump pit has reached a predetermined level, said control assembly periodically performs diagnostic tests of said sump pump to determine operability of said sump pump, said diagnostic tests includes periodic activation of said sump pump and monitoring of current drawing by said sump pump, no current being drawn indicating an open motor or electrical connection failure, initial high current consumption indicating potential binding of an impeller of said sump pump, continuous high current indicating a locked rotor, said control assembly providing a user alarm for each one of no current, initial high current, and continuous high current results of said diagnostic tests, said control assembly attempts to free the locked rotor by repeatedly applying electrical current to said sump pump to jog the rotor a predetermined number of times, said control assembly providing a user alarm if the attempt to free the locked rotor fails; wherein said level sensing assembly comprises a plurality of thermistors positioned in the sump pit, each one of said plurality of thermistors changing resistance when in contact with water whereby the level of water in the sump pit is determinable; at least one local sensor for detecting a water level outside of the sump pit, said local sensor being operationally coupled to said control assembly; and an information display panel operationally coupled to said control assembly, said information display panel including a strobe light for providing a visual indication of an alarm condition, said information display panel including a speaker for providing an aural indication of an alarm condition, said information display panel including a display output for providing a visual representation of an system status and alarm condition, said information display panel including a keyboard assembly for facilitating data input into said system by a user. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A pump control and management system comprising:
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a sump pump adapted for pumping water out of a sump pit; a level sensing assembly positioned within the sump pit for detecting a level of water in the sump pit; and a control assembly being electrically coupled between an electrical service connection and said sump pump, said control assembly monitoring electrical current drawn by said sump pump, said control assembly being operationally coupled to said level sensing assembly, said control assembly activating said sump pump when said level sensing assembly signals that water in the sump pit has reached a predetermined level, said control assembly periodically performs diagnostic tests of said sump pump to determine operability of said sump pump, said diagnostic tests includes periodic activation of said sump pump and monitoring of current drawing by said sump pump, no current being drawn indicating an open motor or electrical connection failure, initial high current consumption indicating potential binding of an impeller of said sump pump, continuous high current indicating a locked rotor, said control assembly providing a user alarm for each one of no current, initial high current, and continuous high current results of said diagnostic tests, said control assembly attempts to free the locked rotor by repeatedly applying electrical current to said sump pump to jog the rotor a predetermined number of times, said control assembly providing a user alarm if the attempt to free the locked rotor fails; wherein said level sensing assembly comprises a plurality of thermistors positioned in the sump pit, each one of said plurality of thermistors changing resistance when in contact with water whereby the level of water in the sump pit is determinable; at least one local sensor for detecting a water level outside of the sump pit, said local sensor being operationally coupled to said control assembly; a secondary level detection assembly for detecting water overflowing from the sump pit, said secondary level detection assembly being operationally coupled to said control assembly; and a secondary pump operationally coupled to said control assembly, said secondary pump being activated when said secondary level detection assembly detects a fluid above a predetermined secondary level; a modem operationally coupled to said control assembly, said modem being coupleable to a conventional telephone system, said modem being for dialing out on the conventional telephone system to relay an alarm condition from said control assembly to a remote location; a backup battery system for providing electrical power to said control assembly and said modem in the event of electrical failure whereby said alarm condition from said control assembly may be relayed during power failure; wherein said modem relays at least one of a plurality of predetermined voice messages associated with said alarm condition whereby a person listening at the remote location can determine the alarm condition; said control assembly further comprises a generator control assembly for selectively signaling an electrical generator to start in the event of a power failure, said control assembly being operationally coupled to an output of the generator for facilitating routing of electrical power from the electrical generator; said control assembly further comprises a computer interface for operationally coupling said control assembly to a conventional computer whereby data may be exchanged between said control assembly and the conventional computer; said computer interface further includes a power line modem for routing data over existing in-situ power lines thereby decreasing a need for custom wiring of the system for installation; a flood detection assembly operationally coupled to said control assembly, said flood detection assembly detecting rising flood waters and signaling said control assembly, said flood detection assembly detecting receding flood water and signaling said control assembly; an information display panel operationally coupled to said control assembly, said information display panel including a strobe light for providing a visual indication of an alarm condition, said information display panel including a speaker for providing an aural indication of an alarm condition, said information display panel including a display output for providing a visual representation of an system status and alarm condition, said information display panel including a keyboard assembly for facilitating data input into said system by a user; a sewage ejector interface system including a sewage level detection assembly operationally coupled to said control assembly, said sewage level detection assembly indicating at least a stop level detection, a start level detection, and a high level alarm detection, said sewage ejector interface system including at least one sewage ejector pump interface for selectively controlling operation of a sewage ejection pump; and a manual pump actuation assembly for providing a user with a means of actuating said sump pump on demand, said manual pump actuation assembly being operationally coupled to said control assembly. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification