Anti-entrapment and anti-dead head function
First Claim
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1. A pumping system for at least one aquatic application, the pumping system comprising:
- a pump;
a motor coupled to the pump;
an interface associated with the pump designed to receive input instructions from a user; and
a controller in communication with the motor,the controller designed to detect and respond to a blockage condition, which is at least one of an entrapment condition or a deadhead condition, based on a power consumption value of the motor, and further including an auto-restart function that is designed to allow the pump to automatically restart after detection of the blockage condition, the controller undertaking a fast detection method in response to the entrapment condition and the controller undertaking a slow detection method in response to the deadhead condition, the fast detection method designed to alert the controller upon a first occurrence of a blockage event and the slow detection method designed to alert the controller upon a plurality of blockage events.
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Abstract
In accordance with one aspect, the present invention provides a pumping system for at least one aquatic application. The pumping system includes a pump, a motor coupled to the pump, an interface associated with the pump designed to receive input instructions from a user, and a controller in communication with the motor. The controller determines a blockage condition based on a power consumption value of the motor, and further includes an auto-restart function that is designed to allow the pump to automatically restart after detection of the blockage.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A pumping system for at least one aquatic application, the pumping system comprising:
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a pump; a motor coupled to the pump; an interface associated with the pump designed to receive input instructions from a user; and a controller in communication with the motor, the controller designed to detect and respond to a blockage condition, which is at least one of an entrapment condition or a deadhead condition, based on a power consumption value of the motor, and further including an auto-restart function that is designed to allow the pump to automatically restart after detection of the blockage condition, the controller undertaking a fast detection method in response to the entrapment condition and the controller undertaking a slow detection method in response to the deadhead condition, the fast detection method designed to alert the controller upon a first occurrence of a blockage event and the slow detection method designed to alert the controller upon a plurality of blockage events. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A pumping system for at least one aquatic application, the pumping system comprising;
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a pump; a motor coupled to the pump; and a controller in communication with the motor, the controller determining a blockage condition based on a comparison of a current power consumption value of the motor to either a baseline value of power consumption of the motor or a previous power consumption value of the motor, the controller performing a condition cheek to determine whether a speed of the motor has recently changed, and the controller shutting down the pumping system based on the comparison of the current power consumption value only after determining that the speed change did not occur during a transition or stabilization stage of the speed change, the controller further calculating a power gradient baseline value based on the change in speed and corresponding oscillations in power consumption of the motor if the speed has recently changed. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification