Wireless liquid level sensing assemblies and grinder pump assemblies employing the same
First Claim
1. A liquid level sensing assembly for wirelessly transmitting a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to a first coil of a transceiver/controller of a grinder pump, said liquid level sensing assembly comprising:
- at least one liquid level sensor operable in response to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank;
a second coil positionable adjacent to the first coil of the transceiver/controller of the grinder pump;
a transponder for extracting electrical energy using said second coil in response to the first coil, said transponder operably connected to said at least one liquid level sensor and operable to wirelessly transmit from said second coil to the first coil said plurality of signals based on the state of the at least one liquid level sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; and
wherein said transponder is operable to wirelessly transmit a first signal from said second coil to turn on the grinder pump, operable to wirelessly transmit a second signal from said second coil to turn off the grinder pump, and operable to wirelessly transmit a third signal from said second coil to indicate a third level of the wastewater for activation of an alarm.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A liquid level sensing assembly employs an inductive or magnetic coupling to wirelessly communicate a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to a first coil of a pump/alarm control circuit in the grinder pump. The assembly includes at least one liquid level sensor operable in response to the changing level of the wastewater, a second coil positionable adjacent to the first coil in the grinder pump, and a transponder for extracting electrical energy using the second coil in response to the first coil. The transponder is operably connected to the at least one liquid level sensor and operable to wirelessly transmit from the second coil to the first coil the plurality of signals based on the state of the at least one liquid level sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A liquid level sensing assembly for wirelessly transmitting a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to a first coil of a transceiver/controller of a grinder pump, said liquid level sensing assembly comprising:
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at least one liquid level sensor operable in response to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; a second coil positionable adjacent to the first coil of the transceiver/controller of the grinder pump; a transponder for extracting electrical energy using said second coil in response to the first coil, said transponder operably connected to said at least one liquid level sensor and operable to wirelessly transmit from said second coil to the first coil said plurality of signals based on the state of the at least one liquid level sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; and wherein said transponder is operable to wirelessly transmit a first signal from said second coil to turn on the grinder pump, operable to wirelessly transmit a second signal from said second coil to turn off the grinder pump, and operable to wirelessly transmit a third signal from said second coil to indicate a third level of the wastewater for activation of an alarm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A liquid level sensing assembly for wirelessly transmitting a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to a control unit having a first coil disposed in a grinder pump, said liquid level sensing assembly comprising:
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a sealed housing; a first and a second air columns, upper ends of which being operably connected to said sealed housing and lower ends of which being positionable in the wastewater; a first pressure sensor operably connected to said sealed housing and responsive to pressure in said first air column for detecting to a low wastewater level; a second pressure sensor operably connected to said sealed housing and responsive to pressure in said second air column for detecting an alarm high wastewater level; a second coil positionable adjacent to the first coil of the transceiver/controller of the grinder pump; and a transponder disposed in said sealed housing for extracting electrical energy from said second coil in response to the first coil, said transponder operably connected to said first and second pressure sensors and operable to wirelessly transmit from the second coil to the first coil said plurality of signals based on a combination of the states of the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A grinder pump assembly comprising:
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a grinder pump comprising a first coil and a transceiver/controller; and a liquid level sensing assembly for wirelessly transmitting a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to said first coil of said transceiver/controller of said grinder pump, said liquid level sensing assembly comprising; at least one liquid level sensor operable in response to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; a second coil positionable adjacent to said first coil of said transceiver/controller of said grinder pump; and a transponder for extracting electrical energy using said second coil in response to said first coil, said transponder operably connected to said at least one liquid level sensor and operable to wirelessly transmit from said second coil to said first coil said plurality of signals based on the state of said at least one liquid level sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A liquid level sensing assembly for wirelessly transmitting a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to a first coil of a transceiver/controller of a grinder pump, said liquid level sensing assembly comprising:
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at least one liquid level sensor operable in response to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; a second coil positionable adjacent to the first coil of the transceiver/controller of the grinder pump; and a transponder for extracting electrical energy using said second coil in response to the first coil, said transponder operably connected to said at least one liquid level sensor and operable to wirelessly transmit from said second coil to the first coil said plurality of signals based on the state of the at least one liquid level sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; and wherein said at least one liquid level sensor comprises a low-level/on-off sensor and a high-level sensor, and said transponder and said second coil are operable based on the states of the combination of the said low-level/on-off sensor and said high-level sensor.
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44. A liquid level sensing assembly for wirelessly transmitting a plurality of signals based on a changing level of wastewater in a tank to a first coil of a transceiver/controller of a grinder pump, said liquid level sensing assembly comprising:
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at least one liquid level sensor operable in response to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; a second coil positionable adjacent to the first coil of the transceiver/controller of the grinder pump; and a transponder for extracting electrical energy using said second coil in response to the first coil, said transponder operably connected to said at least one liquid level sensor and operable to wirelessly transmit from said second coil to the first coil said plurality of signals based on the state of the at least one liquid level sensor due to the changing level of the wastewater in the tank; and a generally inverted U-shaped housing for containing said transponder.
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Specification