CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/408,179, filed on Sep. 20, 2022, co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/348,047, filed on Jun. 2, 2022, and co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/342,881, filed on May 17, 2022, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Submersible pumps are used in a variety of situations in which fluid from a fluid reservoir needs to be transferred (e.g., drainage in floods, sewage pumping, or emptying ponds). The pump draws the fluid into the pump and discharges the fluid to a location remote from the fluid reservoir. The pump typically includes a hose, or other channel, to assist in transporting the fluid out of the fluid reservoir.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides, in one aspect, a pump comprising a housing, a motor disposed within the housing, and an impeller driven by the motor and configured to create a low-pressure region to draw fluid into the housing. The pump further includes a battery electrically coupled to the motor and configured to selectively supply electrical current to the motor and a controller operable to control operation of the motor.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, a pump including a housing, a motor disposed within the housing, and an impeller driven by the motor and configured to create a low-pressure region to draw fluid into the housing. The pump further includes a battery receptacle configured to receive a battery that may selectively supply electrical current to the motor and a controller operable to control operation of the motor. The pump further includes a user interface in communication with the controller and operable to adjust at least one operational characteristic of the pump.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, a pump including a housing, a motor disposed within the housing, and an impeller driven by the motor and configured to create a low-pressure region to draw fluid from a fluid volume into the housing. The pump further includes a battery receptacle configured to receive a battery that may selectively supply electrical current to the motor and a fluid leveling system that is configured to control the motor based on an amount of fluid in the fluid volume.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, a method of operating a pump including providing a housing having a motor and an impeller disposed within the housing, operating the motor with electrical current supplied by a battery to displace fluid from a fluid volume, and detecting a depth of the fluid in the fluid volume using a sensor disposed within the housing. The sensor measuring a characteristic value of the fluid volume indicative of the depth of the fluid. The method further includes maintaining operation of the motor when the characteristic value is not yet equal to a predetermined characteristic value, deactivating the motor when the characteristic value equals the predetermined characteristic value, and after deactivation of the motor, delaying reactivating the motor by a predetermined time interval.
The present invention provides, in another aspect, a method of operating a pump including providing a housing having a motor and an impeller disposed within the housing, activating the motor with electrical current supplied by a battery to displace fluid from a fluid volume, deactivating the motor for an amount of time to allow the fluid volume to fill to a maximum fluid level, recording the time for the motor to empty the maximum fluid level when the motor is reactivated at a first speed, and calculating a second speed for the motor to operate by multiplying the first speed by the quotient of amount of time and the recorded time.
Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a pump in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2A is a schematic view of the pump of FIG. 1, illustrating a battery and a pump controller being disposed remotely from a pump housing.
FIG. 2B is a schematic view of a pump in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, illustrating the battery being disposed remotely from the pump housing and the pump controller being disposed within the pump housing.
FIG. 2C is a schematic view of a pump in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, illustrating the battery and the pump controller being disposed within the pump housing.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a pump in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the invention, illustrating a user interface capable of activating and deactivating the pump.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a pump in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the invention, illustrating a fluid leveling system.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a pump in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the invention, illustrating the pump daisy-chained to other pumps.
FIG. 6A is a schematic of a pump in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the invention, illustrating multiple batteries connected in series to supply power to the pump.
FIG. 6B is a schematic of a pump in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the invention, illustrating multiple batteries connected in parallel to supply power to the pump.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a method of operating a pump in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the method of operating the pump of FIG. 7 when a fill rate of a fluid volume is constant.
FIG. 9 is another graphical representation of the method of operating the pump of FIG. 7 when the fill rate of the fluid volume is increasing.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 illustrates a pump 10 suitable to displace fluid from a fluid volume 12 (e.g., a fluid reservoir) during a pumping operation. The pump 10 is at least partially submersible in the fluid during a pumping operation. The pump 10 includes a housing 15, a motor 30 (e.g., a brushless direct-current electric motor) disposed within the housing 15, an output shaft 32 rotatably driven by the motor 30, and an impeller 35 coupled to the output shaft 32 for co-rotation therewith. The housing 15 further includes an inlet port 50 and an outlet port 55, both of which extend from the housing 15. When the motor 30 is activated, the impeller 35 creates a suction within the inlet port 50 (and within any hose or conduit connected upstream of the inlet port 50) for drawing fluid into the housing 15. The rotating impeller 35 pressurizes the fluid and discharges it from the outlet port 55. A hose 60 may be removably coupled to the outlet port 55 via a quick disconnect mechanism (e.g., threaded fitting, double lever mechanism, bayonet style, etc.) to transport fluid from the outlet port 55 to a new location that is remote from the fluid volume 12.
In some embodiments, the pump 10 further includes a tether 65 coupled to the housing 15. The tether 65 may vary in length and is suitable for carrying the pump 10. Specifically, the tether 65 may be grasped by a user to lower the pump 10 into or retrieve the pump 10 from the fluid volume 12. The tether 65 may be a rope, electrical cord, or some other similar cord. In other embodiments, a user may simply grab the hose 60 to lower the pump 10 into or retrieve the pump 10 from the fluid volume 12, such that the tether 65 is superfluous and omitted entirely.
With reference to FIG. 2A, the pump 10 includes a battery 40 electrically coupled to the motor 30 and configured to selectively provide electrical current to the motor 30. In some embodiments, the battery 40 may be configured as a power tool battery pack having a nominal voltage of at least 12 Volts and capable of supplying up to 30 Amperes of current to the motor but also capable of supplying as little as 1 Ampere of current. In some embodiments, the battery 40 may supply up to 60 Amperes of current to the motor 30. In other embodiments, the battery 40 may supply up to 80 Amperes of current to the motor 30. Still, in other embodiments, the battery 40 may supply up to 100 Amperes of current to the motor 30. Yet, in other embodiments, the battery 40 may supply up to 120 Amperes of current to the motor 30. The pump 10 further includes a controller 75 configured to selectively direct electrical current from the battery 40 to the motor 30. In the illustrated embodiment of the pump 10, both the battery 40 and the controller 75 are disposed within a battery receptacle 44, which is remotely provided from the housing 15, permitting the housing 15 to be submerged within the fluid volume 12 while the battery receptacle 44 remains outside of the fluid volume 12 during a pumping operation. A watertight battery enclosure 42 may be provided to encase the battery 40, the battery receptacle 44, and the controller 75 to inhibit damage of internal electrical components if the battery enclosure 42 is inadvertently dropped into the fluid. In the illustrated embodiment, the battery 40 may be removed from the battery receptacle 44 for replacement, recharging, or removal. In other embodiments, the battery 40 may be permanently affixed to the battery receptacle 44 inside the battery enclosure 42. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2A, the tether 65 is an electrical cord that extends between the battery receptacle 44 and the housing 15 to electrically couple the battery 40 to the motor 30. In some embodiments, a first end of the tether 65 is provided with a connector 48, such that the tether 65 is removably coupled to the battery receptacle 44. In other embodiments, the tether 65 may be permanently affixed between the battery receptacle 44 and the housing 15. The tether 65 may also be used to facilitate lowering the housing 15 into the fluid volume 12 or retrieving the housing 15 from the fluid volume 12.
The pump 10 may be daisy-chained to an additional pump 10 (FIG. 5), such that a series of one or more additional pumps 10 may be coupled together and powered by multiple batteries 40. In some embodiments, multiple pumps 10 may be connected in series (i.e., daisy-chained) and powered by a single power source (i.e., one battery 40; FIG. 5). In other embodiments, multiple power sources (e.g., multiple batteries 40) may be connected to the pump either in series (FIG. 6A) or parallel (FIG. 6B) to power the single pump 10. In any case, the one or more batteries 40 may be electrically connected to the housing 15 via one or more tethers (FIGS. 5-6B).
FIG. 2B illustrates a pump 110 according to another embodiment. The pump 110 is like the pump 10 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A, with like reference numerals being used to identify like features. However, in this embodiment, the controller 75 is provided within the housing 15 instead of the battery receptacle 44, such that the motor 30 and the controller 75 are submersible in the fluid during a pumping operation. In the illustrated embodiment, the watertight battery enclosure 42 encases only the battery 40 and the battery receptacle 44 to inhibit damage of internal electrical components if the battery enclosure 42 is inadvertently dropped into the fluid. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2B, the tether 65 is an electrical cord that extends between the battery receptacle 44 and the housing 15 to electrically couple the battery 40 to the motor 30. A first end of the tether 65 is provided with a connector 48, allowing the tether 65 to disconnect from the battery receptacle 44. In other embodiments, the tether 65 may be permanently affixed to the battery receptacle 44 and the housing 15.
FIG. 2C illustrates a pump 210 according to another embodiment. The pump 210 is like the pump 10 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2A, with like reference numerals being used to identify like features. In this embodiment, both the battery 40 and the controller 75 are provided within the housing 15 of the pump 210, such that the motor 30, the battery 40, and the controller 75 are submersible in the fluid volume 12 during a pumping operation. Accordingly, there are no separate enclosures present in this embodiment because all the components are encased within the housing 15. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2C, the tether 65 is a rope because all of the electrical components of the pump 210 are located within the housing 15. However, in other embodiments, the tether 65 may alternatively be an electrical cord that can be plugged into an A/C wall outlet to recharge the battery 40 or to another battery in series/parallel to supply additional power to the motor 30.
In each of the pumps 10, 110, 210, the housing 15 is watertight to inhibit fluid from damaging any internal electrical components therein (e.g., the motor 30, the controller 75, etc.).
With reference to FIG. 3, the pump 10, 110, 210 further includes a user interface 80 for adjusting operation of the motor 30. In some embodiments (e.g., the pump 210), the user interface 80 is disposed on the housing 15, whereas in other embodiments (e.g., the pump 10, 110), the user interface 80 is provided on the battery receptacle 44. Still, in other embodiments, the user interface 80 may be disposed on a remote controller 84 that is operable to communicate wirelessly with the controller 75, such that a user may remotely adjust operation of the motor 30. Yet, in other embodiments, the user interface 80 may be disposed on each of the housing 15, the battery receptacle 44, and the remote controller 84. Since the motor 30 can be controlled via the user interface 80 on housing 15, the battery receptacle 44, and/or the remote controller 84, a user can control the pump 10, 110, 210 from a variety of locations including: near the housing 15, near the battery receptacle 44, or at a remote location away from the pump 10, 110, 210.
With continued reference to FIG. 3, the user interface 80 includes a power switch for activating and deactivating the motor 30. The user interface 80 also includes a speed switch 88 for adjusting the amount of electrical current delivered from the battery 40 to the motor 30. That is, the speed switch 88 is operable to adjust a rotational speed of the motor 30 and the impeller 35, and thereby a volumetric flow rate of fluid being displaced by the pump 10, 110, 210. As such, the speed switch 88 allows a user to use the pump 10, 110, 210 in a variety of operational manners. To provide some background, the relationship is cubic between the rotational speed of the motor 30 and shaft power (i.e., shaft power=current*voltage*motor efficiency). So, a user may manipulate the speed switch 88 to increase the rotational speed of the impeller 35 (e.g., in a “fast mode”), resulting in an increased volumetric flow rate, decreased run time of the battery 40, and therefore, decreased overall fluid displacement per energy unit. On the other hand, a user may manipulate the speed switch 88 to decrease the rotational speed of the impeller 35 (e.g., in an “economy mode”), resulting in a decreased volumetric flow rate, increased run time of the battery 40, and therefore, increased overall fluid displacement per energy unit. The speed switch 88 may be in the form of a digital input, a switch, a scrolling dial, a series of buttons, a knob, a scroll wheel, a slider, or other mechanisms. As such, a user may, for example, simply activate an “economy mode” button of the speed switch 88, at which point the run time of the battery 40 is prioritized over volumetric flow rate produced by the impeller 35. Similarly, a user may, for example, simply activate a “fast mode” button of the speed switch 88, at which point volumetric flow rate produced by the impeller 35 is prioritized over run time of the battery 40. Finally, a user may, for example, activate a “standard mode” button, at which point run time of the battery 40 and volumetric flow rate produced by the impeller 35 are both optimized. Rather than discrete modes, the speed switch 88 may alternatively be adjusted to an infinite number of positions so that the volumetric flow rate produced by the impeller 35 is continuously adjustable.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, the pump 10, 110, 210 further includes a fluid leveling system 90a, 90b, 90c configured to deactivate the motor 30 during a pumping operation in response to the fluid of the fluid volume 12 reaching a predetermined depth. The fluid leveling system 90a, 90b, 90c may alternatively be configured to decrease the motor 30 speed, rather than deactivate the motor 30, in response to the fluid 12 volume reaching the predetermined depth. The fluid leveling system 90a, 90b, 90c is in electrical communication with the controller 75 and is configured to detect a fluid level of the fluid volume 12. In response to the fluid leveling system 90a, 90b, 90c detecting that the fluid level is below the predetermined depth, the fluid leveling system 90a, 90b, 90c sends a signal to the controller 75 to deactivate the motor 30. The user interface 80 may also include fluid leveling controls 92 for adjusting the predetermined depth using a variety of methods, as described in further detail below. Although the user interface 80 and the corresponding fluid leveling controls 92 are shown on the battery receptacle 44, in other embodiments, the user interface 80 may also be disposed on the housing 15 and/or the remote controller 84. The fluid leveling system 90a,90b, 90c advantageously prevents wasting energy stored in the battery 40 and mitigates overheating of the motor 30.
With continued reference to FIG. 4, the fluid leveling system 90a includes a float 94, a retraction mechanism 95, and a string 96. A first end of the string 96 is coupled to the float 94 and a second end of the string 96 is coupled to the retraction mechanism 95. The string 96 is stored within the housing 15 and is capable of extending from the housing 15 or retracting into the housing 15. The retraction mechanism 95 biases the string 96 to be retracted into the housing such that the string 96 will be retracted into the housing 15 in the absence of an external force pulling on the float 94, such as a buoyant force. However, when the housing 15 is submerged in the fluid volume 12, a buoyant force is exerted on the float 94 that is greater than the biasing force of the retraction mechanism 95, and the float 94 will remain at the top of the fluid volume 12 and extend the string 96 from the housing 15. In such an embodiment, the fluid leveling system 90a further includes a sensor that measures how far the string 96 is extended from the housing 15. The predetermined depth can be set by a user pulling the float 94 and string 96 to a desired distance, corresponding to the predetermined depth, and pressing a button on the fluid leveling controls 92. As such, during a pumping operation, the motor 30 of the pump 10, 110, 210 is deactivated when the depth of the fluid volume 12 is at the predetermined depth because the string 96 is extended from the housing 15 at the desired distance.
With continued reference to FIG. 4, the fluid leveling system 90b includes a pressure sensor 98 that detects fluid pressure and sends a signal to the controller 75 indicative of the fluid pressure experienced by the housing 15. The controller 75 is configured to calculate the depth of the housing 15 in the fluid volume 12 based on the fluid pressure. When the detected pressure as measured by the pressure sensor 98 reaches a predetermined pressure programmed in the controller 75, the controller 75 deactivates the motor 30 of the pump 10, 110, 210. The motor 30 is reactivated when the pressure sensor 98 detects that the pressure is greater than the predetermined pressure. The controller 75 of the fluid leveling system 90b is also configured to approximate (after several minutes of pumping) the duration of time needed to empty the fluid volume 12. Here, the controller 75 is already programmed with the volumetric flow rate that corresponds to different impeller speeds, so the fluid leveling system 90b simply determines the pressure difference after a few minutes of pumping to calculate and display to a user the length of time needed to empty the fluid volume 12. The fluid leveling controls 92 may include a digital input, knob, dial, or other mechanism for adjusting the predetermined pressure.
With reference to FIG. 1, the fluid leveling system 90c includes a load sensor (i.e., current sensor located on or simply in electrical connection with the motor 30) that is configured to detect the amount of current being drawn by the motor 30. To provide some background, the load on the motor 30 (i.e., the electrical current drawn by the motor 30 to achieve a target operating speed) decreases when the fluid volume 12 is emptied and the pump 10, 110, 210 begins sucking up only air. When the load sensor detects that the load on the motor 30 is below a predetermined value, the controller 75 deactivates the motor 30. The controller may periodically reactivate the motor 30 at predetermined time intervals to determine whether the load on the motor 30 is still below the predetermined value. If not, then the motor 30 is reactivated until the load on the motor 30 once again falls below the predetermined value. In such an embodiment, the fluid leveling controls 92 (FIG. 4) may include a digital input, knob, dial, or other mechanism for adjusting the predetermined load and the predetermined time intervals. In other embodiments, the load sensor may detect the amount of power (i.e., power=voltage*current) drawn by the motor 30.
The pump 10, 110, 210 is also capable of wirelessly communicating with a remote device (e.g., telephone, computer, etc.) regarding the status of the job, such as whether the fluid volume 12 is empty, the predetermined depth is reached, the remaining charge level of the battery 40, and/or whether the battery 40 should be replaced.
With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the pump 10, 110, 210 can further operate in a “smart mode” to empty the fluid volume 12 without the use of any external sensors. As previously described, optimization of the rotational speed of the motor 30 has exponential (i.e., cubic) effects on the runtime of the battery 40, so “smart mode” is configured empty the fluid volume 12 in an efficient manner. At step 301 of the smart mode, the motor 30 is activated at maximum speed and the max speed empty time (tpf) is recorded for all the fluid to be removed from the fluid volume 12, as reflected in phase 1 on the graph of FIG. 8. At this point, the fluid volume 12 is empty and the pump 10, 110, 210 is deactivated for a certain amount of time (tf) via the controller 75, as shown in step 302 of FIG. 7 and phase 2 of FIG. 8. Meanwhile, the fluid volume 12 begins to refill during the amount of time (tf), which essentially allows the user to control a maximum fluid level 112 of the fluid volume 12. Once the amount of time (tf) has lapsed, the controller 75 reactivates the motor 30 of the pump 10, 110, 210 at max speed and the max speed empty time (tpf) is recorded, once again, for all the fluid to be removed from the fluid volume 12, as reflected in step 303 of FIG. 7 and phase 3 of FIG. 8. During step 303, the controller 75 records the time (tpi) it takes for the pump 10, 110, 210 to empty the maximum fluid level 112 when the motor 30 is activated at maximum speed. At step 304, the motor 30 is deactivated for the amount of time (tf) and the fluid essentially fills to the maximum fluid level 112 so long as the rate at which the fluid volume 12 is filled (i.e., fill rate) is constant, as reflected in step 304 of FIG. 7 and phase 4 of FIG. 8. At this point, the controller 75 determines a new, more efficient speed for the motor 30 to operate which requires less power. At step 305 (reflected by phase 5 of FIG. 8), the controller 75 determines the new speed (speed2) for the motor 30 using the following “motor speed optimization calculation”:
where (speed1) equals the speed of the motor 30 during the previous cycle, (speed2) equals the new speed of the motor 30, (tf) equals the amount of time to fill the fluid volume 12, (tpi) equals the recorded time for the pump 10, 110, 210 to empty the maximum fluid level 112, and (sf) equals a safety factor greater than 1 to ensure the volumetric flow rate of the pump 10, 110, 210 is greater than the fill rate.
At step 306 (reflect by phase 6 of FIG. 8), the pump 10, 110, 210 is once again deactivated for the amount of time (tf) and the fluid essentially fills to the maximum fluid level 112 so long as the fill rate of the fluid volume 12 is constant. At step 307 (reflected by phase 7 of FIG. 8), the controller 75 once again determines the new speed (speed2) for the motor 30 using the “motor speed optimization calculation” to continue to optimize performance of the pump 10, 110, 210. Steps 306 and 307 are repeated until the runtime of the battery 40 expires, as reflected in step 308 of FIG. 7.
In some embodiments, the load sensor (i.e., current sensor located on or simply in electrical connection with the motor 30 to detect current or power) of fluid leveling system 90c is the only sensor used to accomplish steps 301-308. In other embodiments, other various internal sensors may be employed to perform steps 301-308.
Now, the graph of FIG. 8 illustrates the “smart mode” operating when the fill rate is constant over many cycles. However, in scenarios where the fill rate suddenly increases, the motor 30 may not be operating at an appropriate speed to ensure the maximum fluid level 112 is not exceeded. To account for this scenario, as shown in FIG. 9, a “fill rate check” is implemented, where the controller 75 increases the motor 30 to maximum speed and the max speed empty time (tpf) is recorded. This is performed if the amount of time to empty (tp1) exceeds the amount of time to fill (tf) as compared to the previous cycle time to empty (tp0), indicating that the water level has exceeded the maximum fluid level 112. Since time to fill (tf) is proportional to a maximum water level 112 set by the user, a new target time (tfn) needs to be determined to maintain the same maximum water level 112 in response to the changing flow rate. In this case, the controller 75 uses the total pump time (i.e., tp1+tpf) to determine the new speed (speed2) required for the motor 30 to empty the fluid volume 12 in the time to fill (tf). The new speed (speed2) is determined using the following “motor speed optimization calculation”:
where (speed1) equals the speed of the motor 30 during the previous cycle, (speed2) equals the new speed of the motor 30, (f) equals the amount of time to fill the fluid volume 12, (tp1) equals the recorded time for the pump 10, 110, 210 at (speed1) to empty a portion of the fluid volume 12, (tpf) equals the recorded time for the pump 10, 110, 210 at maximum speed to empty the remainder of the fluid volume 12, and (sf) equals a safety factor greater than 1 to ensure the volumetric flow rate of the pump 10, 110, 210 is greater than the fill rate. Thus, the controller 75 is constantly adjusting the speed of the motor 30 to empty the fluid volume 12 in the time to fill (tf) regardless of whether the time to fill (tf) is increasing or decreasing, while optimizing runtime of the battery 40.
Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
