Speed control

• US 10,502,203 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2016
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pentair Water Pool And Spa Incorporated (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Original Assignee: Pentair Water Pool And Spa Incorporated (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Inventors: Stiles, Jr., Robert W., Berthelsen, Lars Hoffmann, Robol, Ronald B., Yahnker, Christopher, Hruby, Daniel J., Murphy, Kevin, Runarsson, Einar Kjartan, Hansen, Arne Fink, Lungeanu, Florin, Westermann-Rasmussen, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lettman, Bryan M
• Application Number:
  US15/017,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20160153456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1245 Recirculating pumps for swimming pool water
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1281 Devices for distributing chemical products in the water of swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/129 Systems for heating the water content of swimming pools solar collectors using pools F24S10/17, F24S10/10; by solar radiation F24S20/02
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/148 Lighting means
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/103 Responsive to speed
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/20 by changing the driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/06 the pump being electrically driven
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0077 Safety measures F04D15/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 27/004 by varying driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49817 with other than ancillary treating or assembling

Abstract

A pumping system for an aquatic application includes a motor to be coupled to a pump and a controller in communication with the motor. The controller is configured to determine a speed of the motor, determine a current performance value of the pumping system, compare the current performance value to a referenced performance value, determine an adjustment value based upon the comparison of the reference and current performance values, and adjust a speed of the motor based on the adjustment value.

Claims

1. A control system for at least one aquatic application, the control system comprising:

a pump;

a motor configured to be coupled to the pump;

a controller including a processor, memory, and a variable speed drive, the controller is in communication with and configured to control the motor; and

a user interface coupled to the controller, the user interface including

a first speed button associated with a first speed value stored in the memory, the controller configured to retrieve the first speed value from memory and drive the motor at a constant speed based on the first speed value upon actuation of the first speed button,

a second speed button associated with a second speed value stored in the memory, the controller configured to retrieve the second speed value from memory and drive the motor at a constant speed based on the second speed value upon actuation of the second speed button, and

an increase button and a decrease button, the controller configured to alter one of the first speed value and the second speed value to a current speed value upon actuation of one of the increase button and the decrease button and drive the motor at the current speed value,

the controller configured to store the current speed value to the memory in place of one of the first speed value to associate the current speed value with the first speed button and the second speed value to associate the current speed value with the second speed button based on user input via the user interface.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a visual indicator associated with and adjacent to each of the first speed button and the second speed button.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a visual display configured to display the current speed value.

4. The control system of claim 1 and further comprising an auxiliary device in communication with the controller.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to retrieve one of the first speed value and the second speed value from memory and drive the motor at a constant speed based on one of the first speed value and the second speed value based on input from the auxiliary device.

6. The control system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to alter one of the first speed value and the second speed value to the current speed value based on input from the auxiliary device.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the auxiliary device includes a plurality of auxiliary devices, and wherein the controller is configured to select the current speed value based on one of the plurality of auxiliary devices having a highest order in a hierarchy.

8. The control system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to one of delay and reschedule alerting one of the first speed value and the second speed value to the current speed value based on input from the auxiliary device when a water operation is being performed in the aquatic application.

9. The control system of claim 4 and further comprising a two-way communication system between the controller and the auxiliary device.

10. The control system of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary device is in communication with the controller via a relay.

11. The control system of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary device includes one of a water heating device, a chemical dispersion device, a water dispersion device, a second pump, a valve, a switch, a lighting device, and a sensor.

12. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user input via the user interface includes a touch and hold actuation of one of the first speed button and the second speed button.

13. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to drive the motor at the current speed value by initially ramping from one of the first speed value and the second speed value to the current speed value.

14. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a stop button and the controller is configured to stop operation of the motor when the stop button is actuated.

15. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a start button and the controller is configured to start operation of the motor when the start button is actuated.

16. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a cover.

17. The control system of claim 1, wherein one of the first speed value and the second speed value is associated with a water operation performed in the aquatic application.

18. The control system of claim 1, wherein the first speed value and second speed value are factory defaults stored in the memory.