Pump assembly having an integrated user interface

• US 9,360,017 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grundfos Pumps Corporation (POUL DUE Jensen's FOND)
• Original Assignee: Grundfos Pumps Corporation (POUL DUE Jensen's FOND)
• Inventors: Hansen, Kim Hoerdum
• Primary Examiner(s): Coughlin, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAROKHROOZ, FATIMA N
• Application Number:
  US12/358,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20100189572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,692 Days
• Field of Search: 417/43, 417/44.11, 417/44.1, 417/63
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0027 Varying behaviour or the very pump F04D15/0055 and F04D29/46 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0227 Lack of liquid level being detected using a flow transducer

Abstract

A pump assembly includes a permanent magnet motor having a stator with coil windings, a rotor assembly having a shaft and an impeller attached to the shaft, with the shaft being driven by the stator and the impeller driving fluid through the pump assembly, and a control module having a controller and a user interface. The controller measures characteristics of the stator, the controller determines at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid moved through the pump assembly based on the characteristics measured, and the user interface is configured to display an output representative of the flow rate. A method of operating a pump includes the steps of measuring at least one operating characteristic of the pump utilizing the controller integrated with the pump, determining a flow characteristic of the pump based on the at least one measured operating characteristic, and displaying the determined flow characteristic on a user interface integrated with the pump.

Claims

1. A pump assembly for a hydronic heating system, the pump assembly comprising:

a permanent magnet motor having a stator with coil windings;

a rotor assembly having a shaft and an impeller attached to the shaft, the shaft being driven by the stator, the impeller driving fluid through the pump assembly;

a pump housing holding the permanent magnet motor and the rotor assembly the pump housing having a suction end configured to be coupled to a supply pipe of the hydronic heating system and the pump housing having a discharge end configured to be coupled to a discharge pipe of the hydronic heating system, the impeller moves the fluid of the hydronic heating system to pump fluid through the hydronic heating system; and

a control module mounted to the pump housing, the control module having a controller and a user interface, the controller measuring operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator, the controller determining at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid moved through the pump assembly based on the operating characteristics measured of at least one of the motor and the stator, and the controller controlling power supply to the coil windings based on the operating characteristics measured of at least one of the motor and the stator, and the user interface being accessible at an exterior of the pump housing, the user interface being configured to display an output representative of at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid determined by the controller based on the measured operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator.

2. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is coupled to the stator for supplying power to the coil windings, the controller configured to measure the amount of power used to drive the permanent magnet motor, the controller configured to determine at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid moved through the pump assembly based on a power balance formula.

3. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is coupled to the stator for supplying power to the coil windings, the controller configured to measure at least one of a current and a voltage of the permanent magnet motor, the controller configured to determine at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid moved through the pump assembly based on the current or the frequency measured.

4. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to measure characteristics relating to a power consumed by the stator and a speed of the rotor to determine at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid moved through the pump assembly.

5. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the control module determines the flow rate and the pressure without the use of a flow sensor.

6. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the control module is housed within a pump housing.

7. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the user interface is provided on an outer surface of the pump assembly.

8. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the coil windings are electrically connected to the controller and the user interface is electrically connected to the controller.

9. The pump assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine a power consumption of the pump assembly based on the characteristics measured and the user interface is configured to display an output representative of the power consumption.

10. The pump assembly of claim 1, further comprising a hydronic heating system comprising a supply pipe and a discharge pipe, the pump housing being coupled to the supply pipe, the pump housing being coupled to the discharge pipe.

11. A control module for a permanent magnet motor pump, the control module comprising:

a controller configured to be housed by a pump housing of the permanent magnet motor pump and configured to be coupled to a stator of the permanent magnet motor pump, the controller being configured to be coupled to a power source, the controller supplying power to coil windings of the stator and the controller measuring operating characteristics of the stator, wherein the controller determines a flow characteristic of the fluid moved by the permanent magnet motor pump based on the measured operating characteristics of the stator, the controller controlling power supply to the coil windings based on the measured operating characteristics; and

a user interface integrated with the controller, the user interface displaying, at an exterior of the pump housing such that the user interface is visible when looking at the pump housing, an output representative of the flow characteristic of the fluid determined by the controller based on the measured operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator.

12. The control module of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to measure a current supplied to the coil windings and the controller is configured to measure a voltage of a power supply to the pump, the controller is configured to determine the flow characteristic based on the current measured and the voltage measured.

13. The control module of claim 11, wherein the controller measures characteristics relating to a power consumed by the stator and a speed of a rotor driven by the stator to determine the flow characteristic including a flow rate and a pressure.

14. The control module of claim 11, wherein the controller includes a circuit board, the user interface being mechanically and electrically connected to the circuit board.

15. A method of operating a pump having a permanent magnet motor with a stator and coil windings, the method comprising:

measuring at least one operating characteristic of at least one of the motor and the stator of the pump utilizing a controller integrated with the pump;

determining a flow characteristic of the fluid moved through the pump using the controller based on the at least one measured operating characteristic of at least one of the motor and the stator;

controlling power supply to the coil windings by the controller based on the measure operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator; and

displaying the determined flow characteristic based on the measured operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator on a user interface integrated with the pump.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of measuring at least one operating characteristic of the pump includes measuring a current supplied to the pump and measuring a speed of a rotor of the pump.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the pump comprises a permanent magnet motor pump having a stator, the step of measuring at least one operating characteristic of the pump includes measuring at least one operating characteristic of the stator of the permanent magnet motor pump.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the pump comprises a permanent magnet motor pump having a stator with coil windings, the step of measuring at least one operating characteristic of the pump includes measuring a voltage frequency of the coil windings.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining is performed without the use of a flow sensor measuring the flow rate of the throughput of the pump and without the use of a pressure sensor measuring the flow pressure of the throughput of the pump.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the controller within a housing of the pump, wherein the user interface is mechanically and electrically coupled to the controller.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising coupling a power source to the controller, wherein the step of measuring at least one operating characteristic of the pump includes measuring a power supply provided to the pump, and wherein the step of determining includes determining the flow rate of the pump based on a power balance equation.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting an operation of the pump based on the determined flow characteristic.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said displaying the determined flow characteristic comprises displaying a flow rate of the fluid.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said displaying the determined flow characteristic comprises displaying a power consumption of the pump assembly.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein said displaying the determined characteristic comprises displaying the determined characteristic on a display provided on an outer surface of the pump assembly such that the display is visible when looking at the pump assembly.

26. A hydronic heating system comprising:

at least one pipe routed in a zone to be heated; and

a pump assembly coupled to the at least one pipe, the pump assembly comprising;

a permanent magnet motor having a stator with coil windings;

a rotor assembly having a shaft and an impeller attached to the shaft, the shaft being driven by the stator, the impeller driving fluid through the pump assembly;

a pump housing holding the permanent magnet motor and the rotor assembly, the pump housing being coupled in fluid communication with the at least one pipe to pump fluid through the at least one pipe; and

a control module mounted to the pump housing, the control module having a controller and a user interface being accessible at an exterior of the pump housing, the controller measuring operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator, the controller determining at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid moved through the pump assembly based on the operating characteristics measured of at least one of the motor and the stator, the controller controlling power supply to the coil windings based on the operating characteristics measured of at least one of the motor and the stator, and the user interface being configured to display an output representative of at least one of the flow rate and the pressure of the fluid determined by the controller based on the measured operating characteristics of at least one of the motor and the stator.

27. The hydronic heating system of claim 26, wherein the hydronic heating system include multiple circuits each having at least one pipe, the pump assembly being fluidly coupled to the at least one pipe of each of the circuits for pumping fluid through each of the circuits.

28. The hydronic heating system of claim 26, further comprising valves for controlling fluid flow in corresponding circuits.

29. The hydronic heating system of claim 26, wherein the user interface is provided on an outer surface of the pump assembly such that the output is visible when looking at the pump assembly.