Soft-start/stop sump pump controller
First Claim
1. A controller for controlling the application of electric power from an AC power source to a sump pump comprisingan alternistor controlling power to said sump pump, anda microprocessor controlling said alternistor,said microprocessor including a clock,said microprocessor monitoring said source of AC power to find a zero voltage indicator of a cross over in an AC sine wave,said microprocessor using said voltage cross over to determine a timing of a current cross over,said microprocessor sending a trigger pulse to said alternistor to switch said alternistor to a conducting state,said microprocessor delaying said trigger pulse after said current cross over until a time near a peak voltage of said sine wave to apply reduced power to said sump pump,said microprocessor sending said trigger pulse to said alternistor immediately after said current cross over to apply full power to said sump pump, and said reduced power applied to said sump pump for an interval of time at a startup of said sump pump to provide a soft start.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sump pump control includes a microprocessor that sends a trigger pulse to an alternistor to turn the alternistor on and connect the sump pump to an NC power source. The microprocessor also monitors the power source to find a positive/negative crossover point. The microprocessor adjusts the trigger to apply full power to the pump motor during normal operation and delays the trigger to apply reduced power for a soft start and soft stop. The microprocessor also triggers an alarm in the event of failure of the device, including failure of the alternistor or the microprocessor.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A controller for controlling the application of electric power from an AC power source to a sump pump comprising
an alternistor controlling power to said sump pump, and a microprocessor controlling said alternistor, said microprocessor including a clock, said microprocessor monitoring said source of AC power to find a zero voltage indicator of a cross over in an AC sine wave, said microprocessor using said voltage cross over to determine a timing of a current cross over, said microprocessor sending a trigger pulse to said alternistor to switch said alternistor to a conducting state, said microprocessor delaying said trigger pulse after said current cross over until a time near a peak voltage of said sine wave to apply reduced power to said sump pump, said microprocessor sending said trigger pulse to said alternistor immediately after said current cross over to apply full power to said sump pump, and said reduced power applied to said sump pump for an interval of time at a startup of said sump pump to provide a soft start.
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9. A controller for controlling the application of electric power from an AC power source to a sump pump comprising
an alternistor controlling power to said sump pump, a microprocessor controlling said alternistor, said microprocessor including a clock, said microprocessor monitoring said source of AC power to find a zero voltage indicator of a cross over in an AC sine wave, said microprocessor using said voltage cross over to determine a timing of a current cross over, said microprocessor sending a trigger pulse to said alternistor to switch said alternistor to a conducting state, said microprocessor sending said trigger pulse to said alternistor immediately after a said current cross over to apply full power to said sump pump, said microprocessor delaying said trigger pulse after said current cross over until a time near a peak voltage of said sine wave to apply reduced power to said sump pump, and said microprocessor applying reduced power to said sump pump for an interval of time immediately prior to said turn off of said sump pump to provide a soft stop.
Specification