Pump controller system and method

• US 10,642,287 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pentair Flow Technologies LLC (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Original Assignee: Pentair Water Pool And Spa Incorporated (Pentair Plc (Ireland))
• Inventors: Koehl, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stimpert, Philip E
• Application Number:
  US14/444,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20140334942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 318471-473
• 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 operating a pool pump, the method comprising:

providing at least one of a voltage and a frequency with a controller to a motor coupled to the pool pump;

sensing an operational temperature value of a heat sink of the controller with a temperature sensor positioned on the heat sink;

reducing the at least one of the voltage and the frequency provided by the controller to the motor if the operational temperature value is greater than a temperature lower limit and less than a temperature upper limit;

shutting down a variable speed motor drive for the motor of the pool pump after reducing the at least one of the voltage and the frequency in response to the operational temperature value being continuously above the temperature lower limit and below the temperature upper limit for a predefined period;

sensing a shutdown temperature value of the heat sink with the temperature sensor after shutting down the variable speed motor drive; and

attempting to restart the variable speed motor drive for the motor of the pool pump only if the shutdown temperature value is sensed to be less than the temperature lower limit and continuing to sense a second shutdown temperature value of the heat sink with the temperature sensor after shutting down the drive if the shutdown temperature value is sensed to be greater than the temperature lower limit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing the second shutdown temperature value of the heat sink with the temperature sensor comprises continuously monitoring the heat sink temperature after shutting down the variable speed motor drive to continuously update the second shutdown temperature value with an updated shutdown temperature value of the heat sink.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein attempting to restart the variable speed motor drive comprises controlling a plurality of drives via pulse-width modulation.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising sensing a proximate temperature value with another temperature sensor positioned with respect to the pool pump such that the proximate temperature value is representative of a pool pump temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature upper limit is 70 degrees Celsius;

and further comprising generating a fault condition code if the operational temperature value is greater than the temperature upper limit.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature lower limit is 60 degrees Celsius.

7. The method of claim 1 and further comprising generating and storing a fault condition code.

8. The method of claim 1 and further comprising setting the temperature lower limit based on an input voltage.

9. A pump system for a pool, the pump system comprising:

a motor connected to a variable speed motor drive;

a pool pump coupled to the motor;

a controller coupled to at least one of the motor and the pool pump, the controller including a heat sink and connected with the variable speed motor drive to provide at least one of a voltage and a frequency during operation;

a temperature sensor coupled to the heat sink, the temperature sensor sensing an operational temperature value of the heat sink;

the controller configured to reduce the at least one of the voltage and the frequency during operation if the operational temperature value is greater than a temperature lower limit and less than a temperature upper limit;

the controller configured to shut down the variable speed motor drive after reducing the at least one of the voltage and the frequency in response to the operational temperature value being greater than the temperature lower limit and less than the temperature upper limit for a predefined period;

the temperature sensor configured to sense a shutdown temperature value of the heat sink when the variable speed motor drive is shut down;

the controller configured to attempt to restart the variable speed motor drive only when the shutdown temperature value is sensed by the temperature sensor to be less than the temperature lower limit.

10. The pump system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to generate and store a fault condition code if the operational temperature value is greater than the temperature upper limit.

11. The pump system of claim 10, and further comprising at least one light emitting diode to indicate that the fault condition has occurred when the light emitting diode is energized.

12. The pump system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to continuously monitor the temperature sensor to sense updated shutdown temperature values of the heat sink after shutting down the variable speed motor drive and compare the updated shutdown temperature values to the temperature limit to attempt to restart the variable speed motor drive when the updated shutdown temperature values transition to less than the temperature lower limit.

13. The pump system of claim 9, wherein the variable speed motor drive comprises a plurality of drives configured to be controlled via pulse-width modulation.

14. The pump system of claim 9, and further comprising another temperature sensor that is positioned such that a proximate temperature value is representative of a pool pump temperature.

15. A pump system for a pool, the pump system comprising:

a motor connected to a variable speed motor drive;

a pool pump coupled to the motor;

a controller coupled to at least one of the motor and the pool pump, the controller including a heat sink and connected with the variable speed motor drive to provide at least one of a voltage and a frequency to the motor during operation;

a temperature sensor coupled to the heat sink,

wherein the controller is configured to reduce the at least one of the voltage and the frequency if an operational temperature value of the heat sink during operation of the variable speed motor drive is sensed by the temperature sensor to be greater than a temperature lower limit and less than a temperature upper limit;

wherein, after the controller reduces the at least one of the voltage and the frequency, the controller is configured to shut down the variable speed motor drive in response to the operational temperature value of the heat sink being sensed by the temperature sensor to be between the temperature lower limit and the temperature upper limit for a predefined period, and

wherein, after the controller shuts down the variable speed motor drive, the controller is configured to attempt to restart the variable speed motor drive only if a shutdown temperature of the heat sink is sensed by the temperature sensor to be less than the temperature lower limit.

16. The pump system of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to generate and store a fault condition code if the operational temperature value is greater than the temperature upper limit.

17. The pump system of claim 16, and further comprising at least one light emitting diode energizable to indicate that the fault condition has occurred.

18. The pump system of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to continuously monitor the temperature sensor to sense updated shutdown temperature values of the heat sink after shutting down the variable speed motor drive and compare the updated shutdown temperature values to the temperature limit to attempt to restart the variable speed motor drive when the updated shutdown temperature values transition to less than the temperature lower limit.

19. The pump system of claim 15, wherein the variable speed motor drive comprises a plurality of drives configured to be controlled via pulse-width modulation.

20. The pump system of claim 15, and further comprising another temperature sensor that is positioned such that a proximate temperature is representative of a pool pump temperature.