Pump controller system and method

• US 7,751,159 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pentair Flow Technologies LLC (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Original Assignee: Sta-Rite Industries LLC (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Inventors: Koehl, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin; Rita
• Application Number:
  US11/981,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20080131294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 361/1, 361/31, 361/33, 417/18, 417/321, 318/807, 318/806, 318/798, 318/490
• US Class Current: 361/33
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/065 and making use of computers
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/10 Other safety measures
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0088 Testing machines
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/02 Stopping of pumps, or operating valves, on occurrence of unwanted conditions
• 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: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37371 Flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 16/202 actuated by an electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0852 directly responsive to abnormal temperature by using a temperature sensor in a control circuit H02H7/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/00 Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors, appropriate for both AC and DC motors arrangements for starting electric motors H02P1/00; arrangements for stopping or slowing electric motors H02P3/00; control of motors that can be connected to two or more different electric power supplies H02P4/00; regulating or controlling the speed or torque of two or more electric motors H02P5/00; vector control H02P21/00

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a pump control system. One or more embodiments of the invention include a pump controller that can perform a self-calibrating procedure, can provide precise motor speed control, can provide a limp mode before shutting down the motor when system parameters are exceeded and/or fault conditions occur, can detect fault conditions, and can store fault conditions for later retrieval.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a fault condition in a motor of a pump, the method comprising:

sensing a first bus current value;

starting a timer if the first bus current value is less than a pre-set threshold;

sensing a second bus current value after a pre-set time period has elapsed;

determining whether a drive to the motor is operating at a full speed;

generating a fault condition code if the second bus current value is also less than the pre-set threshold and if the drive to the motor is operating at the full speed;

shutting down the drive to the motor for a time period; and

restarting the drive to the motor after the time period has elapsed.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising sensing a second bus current value after a about one second has elapsed.

3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising generating a fault condition code if the second bus current value is less than about 1.5 amps and if the drive to the motor is operating at the full speed.

4. The method of claim 1 and further comprising shutting down a drive to the motor for about 30 seconds.

5. The method of claim 1 and further comprising indicating to a user that a fault condition code has been generated.