Pump controller system and method

• US 8,641,385 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• 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): BERTHEAUD, PETER JOHN
• Application Number:
  US11/981,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20080131296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,288 Days
• Field of Search: 417/18, 417/44.2, 417/53, 417/44.4
• US Class Current: 417/44.2
• 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 pressure sensor failure in a water distribution system, the water distribution system connected to a pump with a motor, the method comprising:

detecting a first pressure sensor signal from a first pressure sensor;

automatically removing power from a drive to the motor if the first pressure sensor signal is outside of a sense range indicating a failure of the first pressure sensor;

automatically reapplying power to the drive after a time period has elapsed after the failure;

attempting to detect a second pressure sensor signal after the power has be reapplied to the drive in order to determine if a second pressure sensor has been installed to replace the first pressure sensor after the failure;

automatically removing power from the drive again if the second pressure sensor signal is not detected; and

repeating the steps of automatically reapplying power to the drive, attempting to detect the second pressure sensor signal, and removing power from the drive again until the second pressure sensor signal is detected.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising automatically removing power from the drive to the motor if the first pressure sensor signal is outside of a sense range of about 25 to about 95 pounds per square inch.

3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising generating a fault condition code while automatically removing power from the drive to the motor.

4. The method of claim 3 and further comprising indicating to a user that a fault condition code has been generated.

5. The method of claim 1 and further comprising automatically detecting a type of pressure sensor that is generating at least one of the first pressure sensor signal and the second pressure sensor signal.