ES2394701B1 - CONTROL AND REGULATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EQUIPMENT INTENDED FOR POOL ACTIVITIES - Google Patents

Abstract

System and method of control and regulation for equipment for activities in swimming pools. # This system and method of control and regulation allows the user to adapt the use and configuration of the equipment to their needs, using at all times the electricity strictly necessary for operation required, and adding options and scalability to conventional equipment, with friendly features, and with great flexibility and adaptability. # Mainly includes electronic control and processing means configurable by the user through a screen, adapted to govern parameters training of a swimming session or other similar physical activity inside the pool, which is connected to at least one frequency converter module that adapts the pump power of the countercurrent swimming equipment according to the parameters set by the user.

Description

System and method of control and regulation for equipment for activities in swimming pools.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION:

This control and regulation system and method is preferably applied to countercurrent swimming equipment installed in swimming pools, and to equipment intended for other activities, for example physical, in swimming pools.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:

These types of installations of countercurrent swimming equipment are already known and have the mission of producing a water jet of adjustable power and with the possibility of being bubbling by the regulated addition of air, whose installations are generally mounted recessed in the pool wall and allow the user to swim against the tide and massage his body. Such countercurrent equipment can also be mounted suspended from the pool vessel.

However, there are no known control and regulation systems to achieve friendly performance in its use and configuration.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION:

The main object of the invention is the design of a control and regulation system and method for countercurrent swimming equipment or other physical activities in swimming pools, which allows the user to adapt the use and configuration of the equipment to their needs, using at all times the electrical energy strictly necessary for the required operation, and adding options and scalability to conventional swimming equipment or similar, offering friendly benefits in the use and configuration of such swimming equipment.

Another purpose of the invention is the great flexibility and adaptability of the system to be able to be installed in existing countercurrent swimming equipment, and also to be able to incorporate new modules / future applications in said countercurrent swimming equipment, and also to be able to be used in swimming equipment countercurrent composed of one or multiple pumps with their respective countercurrent devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

For this, the control and regulation system object of the invention mainly comprises electronic control and processing means configurable by the user through a screen, adapted to govern training parameters of a swimming session or other similar physical activity within the pool, which is connected to at least one frequency converter module that adapts the pump power of the countercurrent swimming equipment according to the parameters set by the user.

The configurable electronic control and processing means govern training parameters of a swimming session that are preferably at least: the intensity of the exercise (for example by the level of power delivered to the pump), the rest time and the time of training, although other parameters related to a training session can also be governed, for example the evolution of the training, and / or the remaining time.

These means are also adapted to govern or manage different predetermined training systems or routines in the system that will be displayed on the screen.

Alternatively, the control and regulation system comprises a single electronic control and processing means configurable by the user through a single screen connected to multiple groups formed by at least one frequency converter module that delivers the selected power to the respective pumps of the countercurrent swimming equipment.

The said screen used is preferably a graphic touch screen with a friendly and easy to use interface, although other types of screens can be used without altering the essentiality of the present invention.

This recommended system can be complemented by the provision of a submersible screen (preferably of LED's) to work in the water that offers real-time information on parameters of the current training plan (for example: training evolution, remaining time, time spent , and / or exercise intensity level), which is connected to the graphic touch screen in parallel with the frequency converter; or by other additional elements such as a distance sensor that is also connected to the graphic touch screen in parallel with the frequency converter module through which the user

ES 2 394 701 A1

You can modify the control and regulation parameters of the countercurrent equipment. Other additional elements may also be a user's heart rate monitor during physical activity, or a Kcal log. consumed by the user.

The frequency converter module used is newly designed and has very advantageous structural and functional characteristics, since it also includes an integrated 24 V power supply integrated in the same element, adapted to feed the touch screen, as well as a Galvanic isolation adapted to provide security to the user against leakage currents. By integrating in the same element the three elements (frequency converter, power supply and galvanic isolation), there are great advantages in terms of cost and space reduction.

In order to transmit the information to the different elements that make up the system of the invention, a communication bus is preferably used, so that the system is intercommunicated through a data bus and the Master (HMI) is unique and He is able to govern and send / receive information from the different Slaves. Preferably, this data bus is linear.

With this flexible configuration, applications can be conceived in which the Master unit activates different groups of motor pumps, with different training plans, which allows this system to be applicable in individual and group activities. Therefore, this system is modular, being able to create an operating platform.

In order that the parameters of the electronic means of control and processing are configurable by the user through a graphic touch screen, an interface with the user is defined based on an interactive menu system. This interface is used to configure the different training systems and routines, or to configure the training parameters for the simple enjoyment of a swimming session to taste.

Another object of the invention is to design the control and regulation method for countercurrent swimming equipment in swimming pools, characterized in that it comprises the following stages:

-

 the user selects certain control parameters of the desired training plan on a graphic touch screen,

-

 electronic control means emit a setpoint corresponding to the control parameters selected by the user to a frequency converter module,

-

 upon receiving the frequency converter module said setpoint, it adapts the system to the regulatory needs of the equipment and delivers the necessary power to a pump connected to the counter current device.

Another object of the invention is the computer program and also the computer program code adapted to perform the steps described in the control and regulation method.

These and other characteristics will be better derived from the detailed description that follows, to facilitate which is accompanied by four sheets of drawings in which practical case studies have been represented that are cited only by way of example not limiting the scope of the present invention

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

 In the drawings:

Figure 1 schematically represents a countercurrent swimming equipment equipped with the basic elements of the control and regulation system according to the main object of the invention;

Figure 2 schematically represents a countercurrent swimming equipment equipped with the basic elements of the control and regulation system according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 schematically represents a countercurrent swimming equipment equipped with the basic elements of the control and regulation system according to a third embodiment of the invention;

Figures 4a-4f schematically represent some of the interactive menus that can be programmed and displayed on the touch screen; Y

Figure 5 schematically represents the control and regulation method for countercurrent swimming equipment in swimming pools, also object of the invention.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION:

In accordance with Figure 1, the conventional countercurrent swimming equipment comprising the cover (2) with the controls and a water propulsion nozzle mixed with air, and comprising means connected to a pump, is shown with reference (1) (3) that produces the aspiration and the impulsion of the water. It also incorporates the control and regulation system formed by electronic means of control and processing

(6) configurable by the user through a graphic touch screen (4), adapted to govern training parameters of a swimming session or other similar physical activity inside the pool (for example the level of Wi power delivered to the pump, rest time and training time), see figure 5, which is connected by a wiring (10) to a frequency converter module (5) whose mission is to adapt the power of the pump (3) of the countercurrent swimming equipment depending on the parameters (Pi) set by the user.

As shown in Figure 2, and according to another possible embodiment of the present invention, the control and regulation system further comprises a submersible LED display (7) for working in water that offers real-time information on parameters of the ongoing training plan (for example training evolution, remaining time, time spent, and / or intensity level of the exercise), which is connected to the graphic touch screen (4) in parallel with the frequency converter (5) ; and by other additional elements such as a distance sensor (8) that is also connected to the graphic touch screen (4) in parallel with the frequency converter module (5), and a user's heart rate monitor (9) during the realization of physical activity.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention (Figure 3), the control and regulation system comprises a single central electronic control and processing means (6) configurable by the user through a single screen (4) connected to multiple groups ( 1a, 1b, 1c) formed by a frequency converter module (5a, 5b, 5c) that delivers the selected power to the respective pumps (3a, 3b, 3c) of the countercurrent swimming equipment.

Figures 4a-4f show different interface options of the program with the user based on a menu system or interactive training profiles to be selected by the user, which are generally characterized by containing a graphical or numerical definition based on the evolution Temporary power delivered (Wi) by the pump. You can also govern, configure, and select other training parameters, such as: the evolution of the training, the remaining time, the time spent, the level of intensity of the exercise, and / or access to predetermined routines (for example "basic "," intermediate "," advanced "). On the other hand, they can also incorporate access and selection of information by user names.

After selecting the user name (Ni) and the training plan (Pi formed by the default parameters (p1 (Pi), p2 (Pi), ..., pn (Pi)), the control electronics issues a setpoint to the module frequency converter that delivers the necessary instantaneous power (Wi (t)) to the pump for the defined training plan.

By way of example only, figure 4a could be the "configuration" screen, figure 4b the "nothing only" screen, figure 4c the "user" or "predefined and other customizable workouts" screen, figure 4d the "customizable training plan" screen, figure 4e the "specific parameter settings" screen, and figure 4f the "HMI brightness and background screen settings" screen.

Figure 5 shows a scheme of the control and regulation method for countercurrent swimming equipment in swimming pools, defined by the following stages:

-

 the user selects at least some desired control parameters (p1, p2, ..., pn) on a graphic touch screen (4),

-

 electronic control and regulation means (6) receive and process said inputs and issue corresponding setpoints (X1, X2, ..., Xn) corresponding to the selected control parameters (p1, p2, ..., pn) as minimum frequency converter module (5),

-

 upon receiving the frequency converter module (5) said input setpoint (Xi), it adapts it to the equipment according to its regulatory needs and delivers the necessary power (Wi (t)) to a pump connected to the counter-current device (1 ).

Described sufficiently the present invention in correspondence with the attached figures, it is easy to understand that any modifications of detail that are deemed convenient may be introduced therein, as long as they do not alter the essence of the invention which is summarized in the following claims.

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Claims (17)

one.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, characterized in that it comprises electronic control and processing means configurable by the user through a screen, adapted to govern training parameters of a countercurrent swimming session or other physical activity , which is connected to at least one frequency converter module that adapts the system to the regulatory needs of the equipment and delivers the selected power to the swimming equipment pump.

2.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1, characterized in that the configurable control electronics is connected to multiple groups formed by at least one frequency converter module that delivers the selected power to the respective pumps of the equipment of countercurrent swimming.

3.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the training parameters governed by the electronic means of control and processing are: the intensity of the exercise, the rest time and the time of training.

Four.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 3, characterized in that the intensity of the exercise is measured with the parameter of the power level delivered to the pump.

5.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 3, characterized in that the electronic control and processing means also govern the parameters of: training evolution, and / or the remaining time.

6.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the screen used is a graphic touch screen.

7.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the converter module comprises integrated in a same compact element a frequency converter, a power supply adapted to feed the touch screen, and Galvanic isolation adapted to provide security to the user against leakage currents.

8.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises a submersible information display that provides real-time information on parameters of the current training plan, and is connected to the screen Touch graphic in parallel with the frequency converter.

9.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises a distance sensor that is connected to the graphic touch screen in parallel with the frequency converter.

10.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that it comprises a user's heart rate monitor during physical activity, which is connected to the graphic touch screen with the converter frequency.

eleven.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a communication bus is used to transmit the information to the different elements that make up the system of the invention, so that the system is intercommunicated through a data bus and the Master (HMI) is unique and is able to govern and send / receive information from the different Slaves.

12.

 Control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 1, characterized in that the training parameters governed by the configurable control electronics are: the temporal evolution of the power delivered by the pump, the evolution of the training, the remaining time, the time spent, and / or the intensity level of the exercise.

13.

 Control and regulation method for equipment for activities in swimming pools, characterized in that it comprises the following stages:

-

 the user selects at least some desired control parameters (p1, p2, ..., pn) on a graphic touch screen,

-

 electronic control and regulation means (6) receive and process said inputs and issue corresponding setpoints (X1, X2, ..., Xn) corresponding to the selected control parameters (p1, p2, ..., pn) as minimum frequency converter module (5),

-

 upon receiving the frequency converter module (5) said input setpoint (Xi), it adapts it to the equipment according to its regulatory needs and delivers the necessary power (Wi (t)) to a pump connected to the counter current device (1).

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14.

 Control and regulation method for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 13, characterized in that it comprises a computer program with a code adapted to perform said steps.

fifteen.

 Control and regulation method for equipment for activities in swimming pools, according to claim 13, characterized in that the computer program executes said method.

SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 201031842 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 14.12.2010 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: See Additional Sheet RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

56 Documents cited Claims Affected

X

DE 19736079 A1 (UWE UNTERWASSER ELECTRIC GMBH) 02/25/1999, column 2, line 31 1-6, 8-15

column 3, line 40; figure.

TO

GB 2222073 A (ISHIKAWAJIMA HARIMA HEAVY IND) 02/28/1990, page 5, line 29-page 7, 1-6, 8, 12, 13

line 15; Figures 3, 4.

TO

US 2007261160 A1 (LOGOTHETIS ALEXIOS) 11/15/2007, paragraphs 5-13; figures. 1-6, 8, 9, 12

TO

GB 2214800 A (LANGHAM KEVIN BARRY) 09/13/1989, page 3, lines 6-16; Figure 1. 1-6, 12, 13

TO

US 2007 039092 A1 (MURDOCK JAMES ET AL.) 02/22/2007, paragraphs 34-39; figure 8. 1-6, 12, 13

TO

US 2008148470 A1 (FERRISS DAVID A ET AL.) 06/26/2008, paragraphs 27-30; figure 3. 1-6, 12, 13

TO

EN 2288491 T3 (POLAR ELECTRO OY) 01/16/2008, page 4, lines 41-44. 10

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of completion of the report 18.12.2012

Examiner M. J. Lloris Meseguer Page 1/5

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE CLASSIFICATION OBJECT OF THE APPLICATION G05D7 / 06 (2006.01) A63B69 / 12 (2006.01) E04H4 / 12 (2006.01) Minimum documentation sought (classification system followed by classification symbols) G05D, A63B, E04H Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENTIONS, EPODOC, WPI  WRITTEN OPINION Date of Completion of Written Opinion: 18.12.2012 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 2-12 1, 13-15 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 7 1-6, 8-15 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. WRITTEN OPINION  1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

DE 19736079 A1 (UWE UNTERWASSER ELECTRIC GMBH) 25.02.1999

D02

GB 2222073 A (ISHIKAWAJIMA HARIMA HEAVY IND) 28.02.1990

D03

US 2007261160 A1 (LOGOTHETIS ALEXIOS) 11.15.2007

D04

GB 2214800 A (LANGHAM KEVIN BARRY) 13.09.1989

D05

US 2007 039092 A1 (MURDOCK JAMES et al.) 02/22/2007

D06

US 2008148470 A1 (FERRISS DAVID A et al.) 06.26.2008

D07

ES 2288491 T3 (POLAR ELECTRO OY) 01/16/2008

 2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement Of all the documents recovered from the state of the art, document D01 is considered to be the closest to the request being analyzed. The claims of the application are then compared with document D01. Claim 1 Document D01 describes a control and regulation system for equipment for activities in swimming pools, comprising electronic control and processing means configurable by the user through a screen (56), adapted to govern training parameters of a countercurrent swimming session, which are connected to a frequency converter module (38) that adapts the system to the regulatory needs of the equipment and delivers the selected power to the pump (24) of the swimming equipment. After the analysis of document D01, the features described in independent claim 1 are disclosed by said document, so claim 1 does not meet the requirement of novelty according to article 6.1 LP. Claim 2 The invention defined in claim 2 differs from document D01 in that it specifies that the configurable control electronics are connected to multiple groups formed by at least one frequency converter module that delivers the selected power to the respective pumps of the countercurrent swimming equipment . However, it is considered that this solution would be obvious to an expert in the field who was faced with the problem of controlling and regulating multiple countercurrent swimming equipment at the same time. Therefore claim 2 is considered to lack inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claims 3 and 4 Document D01 indicates that through the electronic control and processing means (56) the intensity of the exercise can be set, which will depend on the level of power delivered to the pump (24). The invention defined in claim 3 differs from document D01 in that it indicates that the electronic control and processing means also govern rest time and training time. However, it is considered obvious possibilities that the person skilled in the art would select when determining the possible operating parameters of the equipment to be controlled, through the electronic means of control and processing. Therefore, it is considered that claims 3 and 4 lack inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claim 5 Claim 5 indicates that the electronic control and processing means also govern the parameters of: training evolution and / or the remaining time. If, as mentioned in relation to claims 3 and 4, the control and processing means govern the training time, they must also govern the remaining time. On the other hand, the evolution of training is considered one of the obvious possibilities that the person skilled in the art would select when determining the possible operating parameters of the equipment to be controlled, through the electronic means of control and processing. Therefore, claim 5 lacks inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claim 6 The invention defined in claim 6 differs from document D01 in that it indicates that the screen used is a graphic touch screen. However, it is considered that it would be one of the possibilities that the person skilled in the art would select when determining the type of system screen. Therefore, this claim lacks inventive activity according to Article 8.1 LP  WRITTEN OPINION Claim 7 Claim 7 indicates that the converter module comprises integrated in a same compact element a frequency converter, a power supply adapted to feed the touch screen, and a galvanic isolation adapted to grant security to the user against leakage currents . The objective technical problem thus solving the claim is to integrate the frequency converter, the power supply of the touch screen and the galvanic isolation into the same element. None of the documents cited in the State of the Art Report, or any relevant combination thereof, reveals such a possibility. Therefore, claim 7 presents novelty and inventive activity as set forth in Articles 6.1 and 8.1 LP. Claim 8 The invention defined in claim 8 differs from document D01 in that it indicates that the system comprises a submersible information display that provides real-time information on parameters of the current training plan, and that it is connected to the graphic touch screen in Parallel with the frequency converter. However, this difference is not considered to confer any element of inventive significance with respect to the known state of the art, as, for example, documents D02 and D03 illustrate, thus not fulfilling the requirement of inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claim 9 Document D01 indicates that the system comprises a distance sensor (42, see figure). Therefore, it can be concluded that, in view of the state of the known art, claim 9 does not meet the requirement of inventive activity according to the article 8.1 LP. Claim 10 The invention defined in claim 10 differs from document D01 in that it indicates that the system comprises a user's heart rate monitor during physical activity, which is connected to the graphic touch screen with the frequency converter. However, this difference is not considered to confer any element of inventive significance with respect to the known state of the art, as for example illustrated in document D07, thus not fulfilling the requirement of inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claim 11 Claim 11 indicates that a communications bus is used to transmit the information to the various elements that make up the system of the invention, so that the system is intercommunicated through a data bus and the Master is unique and is able to govern and send / receive information from the different Slaves. This possibility does not derive directly from the disclosure made in D01, but it would be one of the possible design options for the person skilled in the art when determining the interconnection possibilities of the system elements. Therefore claim 11 is considered to lack inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claim 12 Document D01 indicates that the intensity level of the exercise can be controlled through the configurable control electronics (56). The invention defined in claim 12 differs from document D01 in that it indicates that through the configurable control electronics, the temporal evolution of the power delivered by the pump, the evolution of the training, the remaining time and the time invested are also governed. However, it is considered obvious possibilities that the person skilled in the art would select when determining the possible operating parameters of the equipment to be controlled, through the configurable control electronics. Therefore, it is considered that claim 12 lacks inventive activity according to article 8.1 LP. Claims 13-15 Document D01 describes a control and regulation method for equipment intended for activities in swimming pools comprising the following steps: The user selects desired control parameters through electronic control and processing means comprising a screen (56). The electronic control and processing means (56) receive and process the inputs and issue the instructions corresponding to the control parameters selected to the frequency converter module (38). -When receiving the frequency converter module (38) the input setpoint, adapts it to the equipment according to its regulatory needs and delivers the necessary power to a pump (24) connected to the countercurrent device. In addition, the equipment comprises a computer program with a code adapted to perform the previous stages. After the analysis of document D01, the features described in claims 13-15 are disclosed by said document, so claims 13-15 do not meet the novelty requirement according to article 6.1 LP.