KR20200009048A - Multi-pump system with system check - Google Patents

Abstract

Design solutions are provided to mitigate the following four fatal flaws in conventional pump system designs; That is, four fatal defects include (1) surprising pump-failure in a single pump design that can result in costly flooding; (2) the risk of fatal high-voltage electric shock events in flood situations; (3) no energy supply to support grid outages resulting in flooding and the required pumping power; (4) Odor from foil water settled in the well after a period of low shiping rate with or without activated pumping. The principles are described in this disclosure, and the proposed designs can fully mitigate the four deadly design problems above.

Description

Multi-pump system with system check

Millions of homes in the United States have built basements. Many of these houses use pumping systems that operate in the sunk wells below the basement floor. Such pump systems are referred to as "sunk" pump systems. The sunk pump system operates to pump water that leaks from the outside (eg, due to high groundwater, flooding, or other forms of leakage) and thus collects in the sunk wells of the basement. The pumped water is sent out of the house again, thereby keeping the basement dry.

Conventional existing sunk pump systems are powered by a high voltage electrical grid to which houses are connected. Such existing pumps often operate at a fixed pumping rate and include a single pump with the capacity to meet the worst flood conditions expected. The pump is typically activated by a "high" water level sensor to pump out the water in the sunk well. After activation, the pump stops when the "low" water level sensor is triggered. Typical conventional pump systems are hereinafter referred to as "conventional pump systems".

If a conventional pump system has insufficient pumping to accommodate a large amount of water flooding into the home, inadequate pumping can cause flooding. Likewise, if there is an unexpected pump failure, or grid outage period, the pump will not operate at all, again causing flooding. Such floods can typically cost thousands of dollars to repair. In addition, when the seeping rate is low and the pump is not activated for a long period of time, relatively standing water can begin to release mold and odor, thereby degrading the quality of life of the inhabitants.

The claimed subject matter is not limited to embodiments that solve any shortcomings or operate only in circumstances such as those described above. Rather, this background is provided only to illustrate one exemplary technical area in which some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

Statistically, when using conventional pump systems, the most frequent cause of severe flooding is due to unexpected pump failures leading to basement flooding. Unexpected pump failures are Akley's heel of conventional pump systems that operate using a single pump. The second most frequent cause of the greatest flooding when using conventional pump systems is due to grid outages. However, the use of conventional pump systems also has other potential concerns besides flooding. For example, when there is a flood, there is a risk of high voltage electric shock.

The principles described herein include pump systems of many smaller pumps, and just turning pumps on or off at a granularity up to a single pump to better match the water shiping rate. This system reduces the serious consequences of a pump failure since there are now spare pumps in case of failure of any given pump. To mitigate the risk of electric shock and exposure to grid outages, embodiments of the pump system convert high voltage (e.g., greater than 100 volts) AC grid power into low voltage (e.g., less than 72 volts) DC power, and then temporarily convert power. Store in an energy store. This DC energy store provides low voltage DC power to the pump system along with grid power that is converted to charging DC power. During grid outages, the reservoir alone can provide the pump system with the necessary emergency power (eg, as a UPS without an inverter) for a design duration (eg, 6 hours). Thus, the proposed design concept not only provides pumping power support during grid outages; Mitigates the risk of high voltage shock in basement flooding situations.

Embodiments described herein may also use a regulator to manage charge and discharge of the reservoir. As will be described later, the system inspection device may perform a scheduled periodic inspection of the functions of the system according to a designed procedure, and the communication device may be used to transmit survey results to prevent flooding due to unexpected pump failures. Can be used The proposed system check and communication devices can also monitor / detect and send appropriate messages in real time when important events occur. These events may include pump failure, grid outage and recovery during normal operation, water inflow rate beyond the capacity of the pump system, and the like. When these events occur, messages are sent to the person or people (assigned by the owner) via channels (also designated by the owner), so that someone can determine what action to take to minimize upcoming results. . For example, an individual may choose to run home at an early stage to prevent flooding.

The principles described herein can also correct at least two other disadvantages of conventional pump system designs. First, a single large pump is designed with a fixed pumping rate to handle the expected maximum leak flow. As a result, during a normal shiping rate, there is a periodic short pulse start-and-stop pumping operation that can shorten the life of the motor and also waste a lot of electrical energy. The system described herein turns on or off small pumps one by one at the granularity of a single pump to better match the shiping rate resulting in even less wasted motor operations. Second, a single large pump is designed without a reserve pumping capacity to handle a shiping rate greater than the maximum shiping rate designed. Although the shiping rate exceeds the pumping rate by only 10% for a short time; There may still be floods. The system described herein can have a total maximum pumping rate that is greater than or equal to the single pump capacity of a conventional pump system, then adding at least one pump as a "guaranteed spare part" of the system; This results in higher doses.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

To describe how the above-listed and other advantages and features can be obtained, a more specific description of various embodiments will be provided with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that these shortcomings merely illustrate sample embodiments and therefore are not to be considered limiting the scope of the invention, which embodiments will be described and elucidated with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
1A schematically illustrates a conventional pump system.
FIG. 1B schematically illustrates an embodiment of a pump system according to the principles described herein, and may be compared with FIG. 1A to illustrate new differences.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an assembly that includes water level sensors and a corresponding switch and may operate within the pump system of FIG. 1B.
3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for checking pump functionality in accordance with the principles described herein.
4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for checking an energy store in accordance with the principles described herein.

Section 1: Conventional Pump Systems.

Statistically, when using conventional pump systems, the most frequent cause of severe flooding is due to unexpected pump failures leading to basement flooding. Unexpected pump failures are Achill Hill in conventional pump systems that operate using a single pump. The second most frequent cause of the greatest flooding when using conventional pump systems is due to grid outages. However, the use of conventional pump systems also has other potential concerns besides flooding. For example, when there is a flood, there is a risk of high voltage electric shock.

1A schematically illustrates a conventional pump system 1000A. In contrast, FIG. 1B schematically illustrates an embodiment of a pump system 1000B in accordance with the principles described herein. As depicted in FIG. 1A, a conventional pump system 1000A includes (1) a power subsystem (or “energy subsystem”) 1100A for supplying AC power from a high voltage power source; (2) a water pump subsystem 1200A consisting of a single AC-powered water pump 1201A for pumping the water in the shank well; (3) a system regulator 1300A consisting of a single level sensor assembly 1311W containing a pair of high and low level sensors 1311H and 1311L; And (4) power switch subsystem 1400A comprised of a single pump switch 1411A.

AC electrical power subsystem 1100A is connected via a pump switch 1411A to power AC-powered pump 1201A. Switch 1411A is activated by high water level sensor 1311H to turn on electrical power to drive pump 1201A; And is deactivated by the low water level sensor 1311L to turn off the electrical power to stop the pump 1201A.

Typically, the water pump 1201A is powered by the high voltage AC power of the electrical grid. The level sensor assembly 1311W is a buoy-spring device that often uses water buoyancy to detect water levels. When water reaches above the buoy's position, the buoy-weight is reduced by the water buoyancy; When the water level drops below the buoy position, the buoy restores its normal weight. This weight difference generates separate high and low signals that activate the spring and turn the switch 1411A on and off.

Typically, a single assembly includes switch 1411A and water level sensors 1311W as a combined unit and is termed “pump-control-switch” assembly in the art; And as "assembly" or "assembly module" herein. As used herein, the assembly module has the same labels as the water level sensor in each of FIGS. 1A and 1B. Thus, the water level sensor (or assembly module of the same number) may also transmit control signals herein unless otherwise specified. By way of example, an “assembly” combining switch 1411A and level sensor 1311W is also numbered as assembly 1311W; And also transmit signals for controlling the functions of FIG. 1A. Likewise, assemblies combining switches 1311W, 1312W, and 1313W of FIG. 1B, respectively, may transmit signals for controlling the functions of the individual pumps 1201B, 1202, and 1203 of FIG. 1B, respectively.

In other words, conventional pump designs use AC grid power to drive a single large pump controlled by a single pump-control-switch assembly. When the water level reaches the high level, the assembly turns the switch on and transmits AC power to drive the pump to pump water. When the water level drops below the low level, the assembly turns off the power to the pump to stop the pumping of the water. Thus, any unexpected grid outage, or assembly failure, or pump failure can cause basement flooding, which causes significant damage and introduces high voltage electric shock opportunities.

Section 2: Pump system in accordance with the principles described herein.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1B, the water pump systems 1000B including the principles described herein, unlike the conventional pump system 1000A, are power subs that provide low voltage (eg, 36 volt DC) electrical power. System 1100B. In addition, unlike conventional pump systems, power subsystem 1100B also includes an energy store 1102. Also, unlike conventional pump systems, the water pump system 1000B includes a water pump subsystem that includes multiple water pumps (three pumps 1201B, 1202 and 1203 in the illustrated example) to pump water from the wells. 1201A. The water pump system 1000B further includes a subsystem of the regulators 1300B to regulate the management functions of the pump system. The water pump system 1000B further includes switch groups 1400B consisting of groups of switches. Each switch may be activated to turn on or off the electrical power supplied to a particular module when instructed.

The water pump system 1000B also includes a subsystem of the check / monitoring device 1500 for performing designed functional checks and monitoring for particular individual subsystems or modules; A valve (or “water inlet regulator”) subsystem 1600 for turning on / off the freshwater inlet through a group of valves in the procedure of system checking and flushing; A communication module 1700 for communicating appropriate communications to interested parties; An AC-DC converter 1800 for converting AC power to charge the reservoir 1102; And a charge / discharge controller 1900 for regulating the charge and discharge of the energy store of 1100. The functions of the above subsystems, devices, components and modules will be described below.

Instead of being designed and equipped with only one large pump 1201A as in a conventional pump system, the principles described herein are based on a number of smaller pumps (ie, 1201B, 1202, and 1203 as depicted in FIG. 1B). Use Note that the pump 1201B of the water pump system 1000B is different (eg, smaller and / or DC powered) than the single pump 1201A of the conventional pump system 1000A and therefore has a different label. Power delivery routes to these pumps are controlled by a group of pump-control-switch assemblies (or “assemblies”) 1311W, 1312W and 1313W, respectively. The total maximum capacity of many small pumps is proposed to be equal to or exceed the expected worst inflow rate, and thus a "guaranteed spare" pump ( S) at least one additional pump. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1B, the total pumping capacity of the pumps 1201B and 1202 is equal to or exceeds the capacity of the expected worst water inlet rate; Pump 1203 is a "guaranteed spare" pump.

FIG. 1B depicts the proposed multiple pump system 1000B with three smaller pumps and additional devices 1500 and 1700, which are not in the conventional pump system depicted in FIG. 1A. As described above, an unexpected pump failure is Achill Hill of a conventional pump system 1100A operating using a single pump 1201A. According to the multiple pump system described herein, the result of the expected single pump failure is decisively much smaller than the result of conventional pump system designs; It is even smaller, especially when there is an additional guaranteed reserve pump. Nevertheless, the addition of devices of the system check / monitoring subsystem 1500 and the communication subsystem 1700 can further reduce the consequences of an unexpected single pump failure. Thus, the multiple pump system described herein clearly improves the state of the art in the art.

The regulator subsystem 1300B includes sensors that include a sensor 1310G for detecting grid outages and recoveries. The regulator 1300B also includes a group 1310W of water level sensing assemblies (eg, sensors 1311W, 1312W, 1313W, etc.). These water level sensing assemblies 1310W are positioned to detect water levels and are therefore also referred to herein as “water level sensors”. A switch and a pair of high and low level sensors can be embedded in each of these level sensing assemblies. As examples, assembly 1311W may have a built-in switch 1411B and high / low water level sensors 1311H and 1311L that control the power delivery of pump 1201B. Assembly 1312W may have a built-in switch 1412 and high / low sensors 1312H and 1312L to control power delivery of pump 1202. Similarly, assembly 1313W may have a built-in switch 1413 and high / low sensors 1313H and 1313L to control power delivery of pump 1203. This continues for as many pumps as can exist in the multiple pump system 1000B. Regulator subsystem 1300B also includes a system check assembly 13SC1 that includes two flow sensors 1361F and 1362F, and a high level sensor 13SCH.

The principle of operation of these assemblies may be the same as the buoy-spring plus switch assembly described in the previous section (section 1). Thus, these assemblies 1311W, 1312W, 1313W, etc. may also control the devices to transmit level signals to perform the designed control functions. 2 also depicts an assembly 1311W consisting of a high / low level sensor 1311H, 1311L and an assembly 1411B capable of transmitting control signals. The assemblies 1312W and 1313W can be similarly configured, each with separate high / low level sensors and a switch.

For example, when the sipping rate increases such that the water level reaches the high water level 1311H; The sensor activates switch 1411B to turn on electrical power to drive pump 1201B. When the water level further increases to reach beyond the other high water level 1312H (located above the first high water level 1311H), the sensors 1312H (pump 1201B driven by the switch 1411). In addition, switch 1412 is further activated to turn on electrical power to drive pump 1202. When the combined pumping and shiping rate reduces the water level; And if the water level is reduced below sensor 1312L but above sensor 1311H, sensor 1312L activates switch 1412 to turn off pump 1202; Sensor 1311H may still continue to operate pump 1201B.

As described, the design of the embodiment of FIG. 1B allows three pumps to be turned on / off to better match the shiping rate to properly handle the expected maximum shiping rate (pump 1201B and pump 1202). Three assemblies 1311W, 1312W, and 1313W for controlling 1201B, 1202, and 1203; It also has at least one guaranteed reserve pump (pump 1203) for the purposes described above.

Section 3: System Checks:

At a particular schedule, the system controller 1300B performs a system check. At a particular scheduled check time, the regulator 1300B activates the system check module 1530 as a system check coordinator. The system check module 1530 then sends a signal to activate the communication device 1700 to register this activation with the record keeping module 1701, and performs a system check / monitoring device to perform the scheduled system check. 1533) is activated. After completing the system check, the coordinator device 1530 activates the message delivery component 1702 to send the completed check report.

For example, when the system check shows normal operation, the completed check report shows that the water pump system of [name or address] is scheduled at [yy / mm / dd / hh] (year, month, day and time). The check was performed. Results are as follows: All subsystems are in normal condition. " Can be. As another example, when the system check shows that the pump 1202 and / or its associated control assembly is not operating normally, the completed inspection report is a "Warning !! System check of the water pump system of [name or address] May report a malfunction (s)-pump 1202 not functioning. " As another example, when a system check did not complete at the scheduled time, the completed inspection report reads "Warning !! System check of the water pump system of [name or address] failed to perform its scheduled system check" Can be.

Section 4: Pump Check Procedure:

Because the reliability of each subsystem can be very different, subsystem checks can be performed at different frequencies. For example, a check of the pump subsystem may be performed every half year, while a check of the energy storage may be performed every season. In addition, the fresh water inlet flow rate may be adjusted such that the flow rate is below the worst designed flooding rate (eg, below the total pumping capacity of the pumps 1201B and 1202).

During the pump check, the check and monitoring subsystem 1500 activates the check adjusting device 1530 (illustrated in FIG. 2) to adjust the pump check. As a starting point, the subsystem 1500 records the operating state of the system in the record keeping module 1701. For example, in the initial state of the pump check, the pump 1201B is running; Pumps 1202 and 1203 are not operated. The device 1530 keeps the system in operation; Begin performing the pump check procedure. At the end of the pump check, the subsystem 1500 is reset back to its initial operating state. The next check sequence assumes that the initial state is as mentioned above (ie pump 1201B is running; pumps 1202 and 1203 are not running).

3 illustrates a flowchart of a method 300 for checking pump functionality in accordance with the principles described herein. As depicted in the start-up phase 301 (ie, freshwater inflow phase), the system check regulator 1530 is a series-connected valve controlled by inflow switches 1460, which include switches 1462 and 1462, respectively. Activate freshwater inflow regulator 1600 to introduce freshwater through a set of fields 1601 and 1602. In the initial state, the valve 1601 is shut off while the valve 1602 is open. The water inlet regulator 1600 allows the fresh water to flow into the well through the valve 1601 (detected by the flow sensor 1361F) and the valve 1602 (detected by the flow sensor 1362F) to the well. To open their valve. Signals of water flow through the valves 1601 and 1602 are transmitted to the regulator 1530 by flow sensors 1361F and 1362F of the assembly 13SC1 and indicate that the water inlet valves are properly opened. ) Is recorded. Commercial water flow sensors are available. For example, commercial water flow sensors are used in flow activated gas igniters or flow activated electric shower heaters.

Then, the water level can then be increased to reach the designed water level (water level SC1H in assembly 13SC1). Level SC1H is higher than the highest pump control assembly (level 1313H as in the embodiment of FIG. 1B). The assembly 13SC1 sends a signal to the coordinator 1530 when the switch reaches the water level SC1H, so that the event is recorded by the record keeping module 1701, which is completed by the inflow step 301 being completed. Is displayed. The coordinator 1530 then performs step 302 (blocking the water inlet).

As depicted at step 302, the water inlet regulator 1600 activates and blocks the valve 1602 so that fresh water cannot flow through the valve 1602. The resulting flow shortage is detected by the flow sensor 1362F, and the resulting signal that the water flow is shut off is then set to the water inlet regulator 1600. The water inlet regulator 1600 then activates and shuts off the valve 1601. When the valve 1601 is completely shut off and a signal is sent to the water inlet regulator 1600, the water inlet regulator 1600 activates and reopens the valve 1602. If valve 1601 is shut off and valve 1602 is actually reopened, for a while, some water flow will be detected by flow sensor 1362F rather than flow sensor 1361F. However, after an appropriate time delay, the water flow sensors 1361F and 1362F do not sense freshwater flow through the valves 1601 and 1602.

This step 302 may detect whether the valves are functioning properly. When inlet regulator 1600 determines that valves 1601 and 1602 return to their initial state (valve 1601 is closed and valve 1602 is open) and no water flows through the valves, ok " signal is sent to the regulator 1530, indicating that the valves 1601 and 1602 are properly closed and open, respectively.

Steps 301 and 302 not only perform water inlet and water shutoff for the purposes of checking the pumps, but also check the valves to prevent the malfunction of freshwater inlet valves that can lead to basement flooding. Perform water ingress and water shutoff to Any valve failure is detected and reported before any two of the valves are likely to fail. Manual valves at the inlet source can block water flow when valve repair is required. Coordinator 1530 records the completion of step 302 to record keeping module 1701; Activate step 303.

As depicted in step 303, the pump function is checked for all pumps. The coordinator 1530 turns on all pumps 1203, 1202 and 1201B through its control assemblies, specifically 1313H of 1313W, 1312H of 1312W and 1311H of 1311W. The water level decreases with time to reach a level 1313L for turning off the pump 1203. Then, if the pump 1202 is not operated in the initial state, the water level decreases with time to reach 1312L for turning off the pump 1202. Then, if the pump 1201B is not operated in the initial state, the water level decreases with time to reach 1311L for turning off the pump 1201B. When the pumps are activated one by one by the control assemblies to pump water and one by one by the control assemblies to return to the initial state described above, the regulator 1530 indicates that the pumps and their control assemblies are functioning properly. We can conclude. Coordinator 1530 records the completion of step 303 to record maintainer 1701; Proceed to step 304. As an alternative embodiment, one flow sensor may be directly mounted to each pump to determine whether each pump and its control assembly are functioning properly.

As depicted at step 304, the pump subsystem is analyzed and reported. System check coordinator 1530 activates system check analyzer 1510 to analyze pumps based on the records generated in steps 301-303. Based on this analysis, the analyzer 1510 concludes whether the pumps are functioning properly and produce a formatted report as designed. Upon completion, the analyzer signals the coordinator 1530 to activate the message delivery module 1702 to deliver the report to everyone involved via predetermined means such as e-mail, twitter or phone messages.

Section 5: Checking the Energy Storage:

When the scheduled energy storage check time is reached, the system controller 1300 activates the system check coordinator 1530 to perform the check sequential block diagram depicted in FIG. 4.

As depicted in step 401, the DC charging inlet power of the AC / DC converter is turned off. As depicted in step 402, fresh water is blown in accordance with step 301 of the pump check described above. In other words, fresh water is blown through valves 1601 and 1602 (again under the control of individual switches 1541 and 1462) such that the water level activates at least two of the pumps 1201B, 1202 and 1203. do. The water inlet is then turned off according to the procedure described above for step 302 of the pump check. After the energy reservoir supplies the pumping power of the three pumps for about one hour or after the water level reaches 13SC1H, the pump (s) continue to operate for another time before proceeding to the next step 403.

As depicted at step 403, the regulator 1530 activates the regulator 1910 to measure terminal voltage and determines whether the energy storage level is above 60%. If greater than 60%, the reservoir is functioning properly. If less than 60%, the reservoir needs to be replaced by a new reservoir within about one to three months.

The charge / discharge regulator 1900 is designed in a robust manner and continuously monitored by the monitoring module 1520. Thus, in some embodiments, the charge / discharge regulator is not checked. Other subsystems, including AC / DC converters, are commercially available units. Other subsystems will be maintained and checked according to the instructions specific to the user's manual. Thus, other subsystems are not included in the specific system checks of this disclosure.

Section 6: System Monitoring:

The mentioned system-checking and communication devices 1500 and 1700 not only perform scheduled system checks, but also report results, as well as perform real-time checks and when important events are detected (eg, pump- during normal operation). Failure, grid outage, water inflow rate exceeding maximum pump system capacity) Send appropriate messages to the owner's list of designated telephone numbers. Thus, one can determine what actions should be taken to mitigate the upcoming consequences (such as running home to prevent flooding at an early stage; or requiring no immediate action but repair or replacement assistance within a month). Or; or other actions).

For example, module 1310G may monitor and report grid outages and recoveries in real time. Therefore, owner-specified people receive this information via owner-specified channels. Pumps are also monitored in real time. When any pump failure occurs, it will report to owner-designated people via owner-specified communication channels. The water level assembly 13OF1 is disposed near and above the level of the assembly 13SC1; Thus, when an abnormal flood rate enters the well, it is detected and reported to owner designated people through owner designated communication channels.

To alleviate the problem of unpleasant odors released from the soaking water of the sunk-well mentioned in the background section, the automatic water wash controller 1350 periodically cleans the sunk well using a time clock. When the pumps are not running, the clock counts to a preset time period. When the preset time period has been reached since the last pump was activated, the washing is started. To avoid fresh water waste, the cleaning procedure can be arranged to match the system-check schedules. For example, whenever the regulator decides to clean the sunk well, the system check performs a pump check. After all system checks have been performed, the clock of the 1350 will be reset to begin counting.

Section 7: Other Benefits:

The principles proposed herein can also correct at least two other disadvantages of conventional pump system designs. First, in conventional pump systems, a single large pump is designed with a fixed pumping rate to handle the rarely expected maximum leakage conditions. As a result, there is an induced periodic short pulse start-and-stop motor-operation that shortens the life of the motor and also wastes a lot of electrical energy during regular normal shiping. On the other hand, the proposed design turns on and off additional small pumps to better match the shiping rate. Second, single pumps of conventional design often do not have a pre-pumping capacity to handle rates greater than the typical maximum design leak rate (ie 36 gallons per minute). In contrast, the principles described herein propose to have a total maximum pumping rate (ie, 18 gallons per minute for each pump, 54 gallons per minute for each pump) that is substantially greater than a single pump capacity; There is also a built-in guaranteed spare pump.

Section 8: Detailed Description of Other Subsystems

To describe the power subsystem 1100 in detail, as depicted in FIG. 1B, the converter 1800 converts high voltage AC to low voltage DC power, and the DC power is temporarily stored in the energy store 1100. When grid power is normal, the combined DC power from the converter and the reservoir operates a pump system that includes DC pumps 1201, 1202 and 1203. While there is no grid power, the system directly powers the system in low-voltage DC form within a time-duration (no inverter required) designed by the energy store alone.

This power subsystem works with embedded sensors to self check in real time; The vitality of the reservoir is also regularly checked by the system-check coordinator 1530 as described above. Therefore, the vitality of the UPS energy store during grid outages can be ensured.

The principles described herein include that converter 1800 is purchased in the commercial market; It is safety certified (using UL and CE) and is designed to be waterproof; Or suggest that it should be located where there is no water. All other subsystems, devices, modules and motors are proposed to operate with low voltage DC power. Thus, the safety from fatal electrocution of this pump system as well as its UPS energy storage can be ensured.

To describe the water pump subsystem 1200 in detail, as depicted in FIG. 1B, a number of smaller pumps 120B, 1202 and 1203 are low voltage DC powered (ie 36, 24 or 12 volts) without the risk of electric shock. May be). Pump motors are DC motors, such as simple brushless DC motors or variable frequency brushless DC motors.

Water pumps are mounted at the bottom of the well at the same height; Mounted in wells at different heights; Or mounted on the well. These water pumps will be activated by the water level sensors 1310W to start / stop water pumping. For example, the water pump 1201B is activated by the level sensor 1311H to start water pumping and by 1311L to stop pumping; Water pump 1202 is activated by water level sensor 1312H to start water pumping and by 1312L to stop pumping; And so on. In another embodiment, when the pumps are mounted at or above the same height as the wells, the water level sensors can transmit their signals to the device 1310W; The device 1310W may be designed to determine which pump is turned on or off.

Among the designed functions, the system-checking device 1500 may perform periodic system checks for all standby functions in accordance with the designed procedure. Combined devices 1300B and 1500 also provide real-time operational capabilities of the system—grid power is normal or outage, converters are delivering or not delivering DC power, pumps fail or fail in the middle of operation, and so on. Included-can be monitored. The communication device 1700 may communicate these results to the right people through the right messages at the right time.

The device 1900 is designed to appropriately regulate the charge of the UPS by grid power conversion and discharge to the pump system. For example, when the energy storage of the energy store reaches or exceeds 95%, the regulator 1360 stops charging until the energy store decreases to or below 75% storage, where the regulator 1900 Allows recharging. On the other hand, when the energy storage storage level decreases below 5%, the regulator 1900 stops discharging; The regulator 1900 then allows discharging again until charging is restored to at least 15% of the energy store. In so doing, the regulator prevents battery overcharge and overdischarge; Thus the batteries in the reservoir are well protected to have a long designed life.

All electronic signals between sensors, regulators and switches can be transmitted via standard industrial telecommunication cables, or via wireless equipment, such as blue-tooth; It is converted into optical signals and uses an optical cable for intercommunication between these devices.

Section 9: Summary

In summary, the principles described herein suggest using multiple smaller pumps in the pumping subsystem 1200B instead of a single large pump design as in conventional pump systems. The principles described herein add a system-checking device 1500 to monitor operation in real time and periodically check all the functions of the overall system. The principles described herein also add a communication device 1700 to send messages to owner-designated people over owner-designated communication channels for periodic inspections, or for results in the event of a significant event.

The principle described herein is further designed such that the total capacity of smaller pumps is larger than the capacity in the worst case scenario expected; Preferably at least one pump is added as a guarantee spare. Therefore, there will be little chance of basement flooding when grid power is normal.

As described above, the principles described herein further comprise freshwater inlet valve sets and regulators 1601, 1602 and 1600, to perform system functional checks and sunk well cleaning. The freshwater inlet regulator 1600 introduces a designed freshwater volume through the inlet valve sets 1601 and 1602 to fill the sunk well to the designed water level sensor position SC1H, and then shuts off the valve; Thus, water level sensors can activate all pumps as scheduled. By monitoring the operations of the sensor signals and monitoring the switching on / off of each water pump, the system-checking device 1500 may or may not collect all the necessary data to determine the functionality of the subsystem. The results of the system check described above can be sent to the appropriate persons via the communication device 1700. The inlet valve 1600 is designed to have at least two inlet valves 1601 and 1602 connected in series so that the inlet water can be shut off even if one valve fails; Note that the basement flooding caused by a valve failure can be prevented. A message of valve malfunction will also be sent.

The principles described herein further suggest converting high voltage AC power to low voltage DC power and also temporarily storing DC energy in an energy store; The pump system is therefore operated in the form of low voltage DC. The designed energy storage capacity of the reservoir will support the operation of the system for the desired duration. Therefore, the principles described herein propose the use of low voltage DC pumps in a pumping subsystem to realize embodiments without any inverter.

Principles further suggest that a converter that converts high voltage AC to low voltage DC power should be located in a location free of water flooding or manufactured with a waterproof design. By doing so, it is possible to ensure that the system not only is safe and free of high voltage shock events, but also provides reliable UPS energy to maintain the pumping function during grid outages.

The charge / discharge regulator is also integrated to ensure that the energy storage level of the reservoir is maintained above the designed level, as well as regulating the reservoir to properly charge and discharge. This not only ensures the ability to support energy to withstand grid outages, but also the long life of the batteries.

As mentioned above, when including the principles described herein, there will be little chance of flooding during normal grid power or grid outages. Additional advantages of including the principles described herein include mitigating any risk from catastrophic high voltage electric shock and reducing the odor emissions due to stagnant water. All wells, including basement sunk wells, where the term " well " Alternatively, note that it covers any lower ground container than the location containing the liquid (water) to be pumped.

Although the system described above is referred to as a "water" pump system, many modifications and changes can occur to those skilled in the art; For example, a pump system can be designed that pumps liquid from a lower position to a higher position and overcomes similar obstacles described above. Or a pump system for pumping water from a water well to a tank (reservoir) using a given water head using the principles described herein to obtain some desired advantages. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations as fully within the spirit of the invention; Thus the term "liquid" is used in the claims to replace "water".

The invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims (21)

Liquid pump system,
A plurality of liquid pumps powered by an electrical power source for pumping liquid from a pump well; And
And turn on each of the plurality of liquid pumps one at a time as a liquid level rises in the pump well, and turn off each of the plurality of liquid pumps as the liquid level falls in the pump well. Liquid Level Sensor Subsystem Configured
Liquid pump system comprising a. The method of claim 1,
System inspection device; And
Communication device
Further comprising;
The system check device is:
System monitoring device,
An analyzer, and
System check coordinator
Wherein the system check coordinator is activated based on a designed procedure indicative of one or more scheduled functional checks, causing the system monitoring device to perform scheduled checks of at least a plurality of pumps and the analyzer to perform the plurality of pumps. Verify communications of at least one, and cause communications to be sent to one or more recipients if at least a scheduled check detects a pump failure of the subset of the plurality of liquid pumps; The communication device is:
A record keeping module; And
Messaging component
And in response to the scheduled functional check, the system check coordinator registers the scheduled check with the record keeping module, and upon completing the scheduled functional check, the system check coordinator includes the message delivery component. A liquid pump system to cause a message to be sent to the one or more recipients. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the liquid is water. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the number of the plurality of pumps is one or more than necessary to cause the pumping rate to be equal to or above the expected maximum seeding rate of the liquid into the pump well. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a set of fresh liquid inlet valves and a liquid inlet regulator to control the amount of inlet liquid blown in during the scheduled check of the plurality of pumps, wherein the set of fresh liquid inlet valves may cause one valve to malfunction. And at least two inlet valves connected in series such that the inlet regulator can block inlet liquid flow even when the inlet regulator is closed. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the electrical power source comprises an electrical power grid. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the electrical power source comprises an auxiliary power comprising a gasoline or diesel generator. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the electrical power source comprises a low voltage power source. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the electrical power source comprises an AC / DC converter for converting AC power into low voltage DC power to power the pump system. 10. The liquid pump system of claim 9, wherein the electrical power source further comprises an energy store for storing the converted DC energy. The liquid pump system of claim 10, wherein the energy reservoir comprises at least one battery. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of pumps comprises a brushless DC motor. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of pumps are located at approximately the same horizontal level in the pump wells. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein at least two pumps of the plurality of pumps are located within the pump wells, but at different horizontal levels in the pump wells. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of pumps is located at a different horizontal level in the pump well. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein at least one pump of the plurality of pumps is located on or above ground with respect to the pump well. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein all pumps are located at or above ground with respect to the pump well. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of liquid level sensors of the liquid level sensor subsystem are located inside the pump well. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein at least one liquid level sensor of the plurality of liquid level sensors of the liquid level sensor subsystem is located outside the pump well. The liquid pump system of claim 2, wherein all signals communication from the liquid pump system pass through electrical cables. The liquid pump system of claim 1, wherein the pump well is a soak well in a cellar of a residence.

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