Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MULTI-PUMP SYSTEM WITH SYSTEM CHECK
BACKGROUND
[0001] Millions of houses in the United States of America are built with
a basement. Many
of these houses use a pump system that operates from a sunk well below the
basement floor.
Such a pump system is referred to as a "sunk" pump system. A sunk pump system
operates to
pump water that has leaked from outside (e.g., due to a high water table,
flooding, or other forms
of leakage) and that has thus gathered into the sunk well in the basement. The
pumped water is
channeled out back out of the house, thereby allowing the basement to stay
dry.
[0002] The typical existing sunk pump system is powered by a high
voltage electrical grid to
which the houses are connected. Such existing pumps often comprise a single
pump that
operates at a fixed pumping rate, and which has a capacity that meets the
anticipated worst-case
flooding conditions. The pump is typically activated by a "high" water level
sensor to pump
water in the sunk well to the outside. After activation, the pump is stopped
upon a "low" water
level sensor being triggered. The typical existing pump system is referred
hereinafter as "the
conventional pump system".
[0003] If the convention pump system has insufficient pumping to
accommodate a large
volume of water flooding into the house, the inadequate pumping can result in
water damage.
Likewise, if there is an unexpected pump failure, or a period of grid power
outage, the pump
will not operate at all, again resulting in water damage. Such water damage
can typically costs
thousands of dollar to repair. Furthermore, when there is a low seeping rate,
and the pump is
not activated for a long period of time, the relatively stagnant water can
begin to emit a musty
and foul odor, thereby diminishing the quality of life of the occupants.
[0004] The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments
that solve any
disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described
above. Rather, this
background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where
some
embodiments described herein may be practiced.
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BRIEF SUMMARY
[0005] Statistically, when using the conventional pump system, the most
frequent cause of the
serious water damages is due to unexpected pump failures that lead to basement
flooding.
Unexpected pump failure is the Akeley's heel of the conventional pump system
which operates
using a single pump. The second most frequent cause of major water damage when
using the
conventional pump system is due to grid power outages. But use of the
conventional pump
system also has other potential concerns, in addition to water damage. For
instance, there is a
threat of high voltage electrocution when there is flooding.
[0006] The principles described herein comprises a pump system of
multiple smaller pumps,
and that only turns on or off pumps at the granularity down to a single pump
to better match the
water seeping rate. This system reduces the severe consequences of pump
failure, since
redundant pumps now exist in case of failure of any given pump. To mitigate
the risk of
electrocution and exposure to grid power outage, the embodiments of the pump
system convert
the high voltage (e.g., above 100 volts) AC grid power to a low voltage (e.g.,
below 72 volts) DC
power and then temporarily stores the power in an energy reservoir. This DC
energy reservoir
supplies a low voltage DC power for the pump system together with the grid
power that is
converted into the charging DC power. During a grid power outage, the
reservoir alone can
provide the needed emergency power to the pump system (e.g., as an UPS but
without an inverter)
for a design duration time (e.g., six hours). Thus, the proposed design
concept not only provides
pumping power support during grid power outage; but also alleviates the threat
of high voltage
electrocution in basement flooding situations.
[0007] Embodiments described herein also may use a regulator to manage
the charging and
discharging of the reservoir. As described later, a system check device may
perform a scheduled
periodic check on the system's functions according to a designed procedure,
and uses a
communication device to send out the findings so as to prevent flooding due to
unexpected pump
failure. The proposed system check and communication devices can also
monitor/detect in real
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time and send out proper messages when important incidents occur. These events
might include
pump failure during normal operation, grid power outage and recovery, water
influx rate
exceeding the pump system's capacity, and so forth. When these events occur,
the messages are
sent out to a person or persons (as specified by the owner) via channels (as
also specified by the
owner) such that someone can judge what action he/she should take to minimize
the upcoming
consequence. For instance, an individual might choose to rush to the house to
contain the water
damage at its early stage.
[0008] The principles described herein can also correct at least two
other shortcomings of the
conventional pump system design. Firstly, a single big pump is designed with a
fix pumping rate
.. to handle the largest anticipated water leak-in flow. As a result, during
the normal seeping rate,
there is a periodic short pulsed start-then-stop pumping action that can
shorten the motor's life and
also waste a lot of electric energy. The system described herein turns on or
off the small pumps
one by one at the granularity of a single pump to better match the seeping
rate that results in much
less wasteful motor actions. Secondly, a single big pump is designed with no
spare pumping
capacity to handle a larger than designed maximum seeping rate. Even if the
seeping rate
exceeds the pumping rate by just 10% for a short time; there may still be
water damage. The
system described herein can have a total maximum pumping rate that equals or
exceeds the
single pump capacity of the conventional pump system, and then add at least
one pump as a
system's "assurance spare"; resulting in a higher capacity.
[0009] 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 as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other
advantages and
features can be obtained, a more particular description of various embodiments
will be rendered
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by reference to the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings
depict only sample
embodiments and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of the scope
of the invention,
the embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity
and detail through
the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
[0011] Figure 1A schematically illustrates a conventional pump system;
[0012] Figures 1B schematically illustrates an embodiment of a pump
system in accordance
with the principles described herein, and may be compared with Figure 1A to
show the novel
differences;
[0013] Figure 2 schematically illustrates an assembly that includes a
water level sensors and a
corresponding switch, and which may operate within the pump system of Figure
1B;
[0014] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of method for checking a pump
function in accordance
with the principles described herein; and
[0015] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for checking an
energy reservoir in
accordance with the principles described herein;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Section One: Conventional pump systems.
[0017] Statistically, when using the conventional pump system, the most
frequent cause of the
serious water damages is due to unexpected pump failures that lead to basement
flooding.
Unexpected pump failure is the Akeley's heel of the conventional pump system
which operates
using a single pump. The second most frequent cause of major water damage when
using the
conventional pump system is due to grid power outages. But use of the
conventional pump
system also has other potential concerns, in addition to water damage. For
instance, there is a
threat of high voltage electrocution when there is flooding.
[0018] Figure 1A schematically illustrates a conventional pump system
1000A. In contrast,
Figure 1B schematically illustrates an embodiment of a pump system 1000B in
accordance with
the principles described herein. As depicted in Figure 1A, a conventional pump
system 1000A
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includes (1) a power supply subsystem (or "energy subsystem") 1100A to supply
AC electric
power from a high voltage power source; (2) a water pump subsystem 1200A
consisting of a
single AC-powered water pump 1201A to pump the water in a sunk well; (3) a
system regulator
1300A consisting of single water level sensor assembly 1311W in which there is
built-in a pair of
high/low water level sensors 1311H and 1311L; and (4) a power switch subsystem
1400A
consisting of a single pump switch 1411A.
[0019] The AC electric power supply subsystem 1100A connects through the
pump switch
1411A to power the AC-powered pump 1201A. The switch 1411A is activated by the
high level
sensor 1311H to turn on the electric power supply to drive the pump 1201A; and
is deactivated by
the low water level sensor 1311L to turn off the electrical power supply to
stop the pump 1201A.
[0020] Typically, the water pump 1201A is powered by the high voltage AC
power of an
electrical grid. The water level sensor assembly 1311W is often a buoy-spring
device that uses
the water buoyancy to detect water levels. When water reaches above the
location of the buoy, the
buoy-weight is reduced by the water buoyancy; when the water level falls below
the buoy
location, the buoy recovers its normal weight. This weight difference
activates the spring and
produces a distinct high/low signals that turn the switch 1411A on and off
[0021] Typically, a single assembly contains the switch 1411A and the
water level sensors
1311W as a combined unit and is named as the "pump-control-switch" assembly in
the art; and is
referred to as "the assembly" or "assembly module" herein. As used herein, the
assembly module
has the same labels as the water level sensor in each of Figures 1A and 1B.
Accordingly, the
water level sensor (or the same numbered assembly module) can also send out
control signals
herein, unless otherwise specified. As example, "the assembly" that combines
the switch 1411A
and the water level sensor 1311W is also numbered as assembly 1311W; and can
also send out
signals for control functions in Figure 1A. Likewise, the assemblies that
respectively combine
the switches 1311W, 1312W, and 1313W of Figure 1B can send out signals for
control functions
of respective pumps 1201B, 1202 and 1203, respectively, of Figure 1B.
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[0022] To reiterate, the conventional pump designs use an AC grid power
to drive a single big
pump controlled by a single pump-control-switch assembly. When a water level
reaches above a
high level, the assembly turns on the switch and sends in the AC power to
drive the pump to pump
water. When the water level falls below a low level, the assembly turns off
the power to the pump
.. to stop pumping of the water. Thus, any unexpected grid power outage, or
assembly failure, or
pump failure could allow basement flooding to occur; causing significant
damage, and
introducing a chance of high voltage electrocution.
[0023] Section Two: Pump System in accordance with the Principles
Described Herein.
[0024] As an embodiment depicted in Figure 1B, water pump systems 1000B
that incorporate
.. the principles described herein include a power supply subsystem 1100B
that, unlike the
conventional pump system 1000A, supply low voltage (e.g., 36 volts DC)
electrical power.
Furthermore, unlike the conventional pump system, the power supply subsystem
1100B also
includes an energy reservoir 1102. Also, unlike the conventional pump system,
the water pump
system 1000B includes a water pump subsystem 1201A that includes multiple
water pumps (three
.. pumps 1201B, 1202, and 1203 in the illustrated example) to pump the water
from a well. The
water pump system 1000B further includes a subsystem of regulators 1300B to
regulate
management functions of the pump system. The water pump system 1000B further
includes
switch groups 1400B consisting of groups of switches. Each switch can be
activated to turn on or
turn off the electric power that is supplied to a specific module when
dictated.
[0025] The water pump system 1000B also includes a subsystem of a
check/monitoring
device 1500 to perform the designed functional checking and monitoring for
specific individual
subsystems or modules; a valve (or "water inlet regulator") subsystem 1600 to
turn on/off fresh
water inlet through a group of valves in the procedure of system check and
flushing; a
communication module 1700 to deliver proper communications to people of
concern; an AC to
DC converter 1800 to convert AC power to charge the reservoir 1102; and a
charging/discharging
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regulator 1900 to regulate the charging and discharging of the energy
reservoir in 1100. The
functions of the above subsystems, devices, components, and modules will be
described later.
[0026] In lieu of being designed and equipped with only one big pump
1201A as in the
conventional pump system, the principles described herein uses multiple
smaller pumps (say,
1201B, 1202, and 1203 as depicted in Figure 1B). Note that pump 1201B of the
water pump
system 1000B is different (e.g., smaller and/or DC powered) than the single
pump 1201A of the
convention pump system 1000A and thus has a different label. The power
delivery routes to
these pumps are controlled by a group of pump-control-switch assemblies (or
the "assemblies")
1311W, 1312W and 1313W, respectively. The total maximum capacity of the
multiple small
pumps is proposed to be equal to or just exceed the anticipated worst influx
rate, and thereto add at
least one additional pump as the "assurance spare" pump(s) to mitigate the
consequence of pump
failure that might occur in the middle of operation or other unexpected
situations. In the
embodiment depicted in Figure 1B, the total pumping capacity of the pumps
1201B and 1202 is
equal to or exceeds of the capacity of anticipated worst water in-flux rate;
while the pump 1203 is
the "assurance spare" pump.
[0027] Figure 1B depicts the proposed multiple pump system 1000B with 3
smaller pumps
and the additional devices 1500 and 1700, which are absent in the conventional
pump system
depicted in Figure 1A. As described above, unexpected pump failure is the
Akeley's heel of the
conventional pump system 1100A which operates using a single pump 1201A. In
accordance
with the multiple pump system described herein, the consequence of expected
single pump failure
is definitively much less than those of the conventional pump system designs;
especially when
there is an additional assurance spare pump. Even so, the addition of the
devices of the system
checking/monitoring subsystem 1500 and the communication subsystem 1700 can
even further
reduce the consequence of an unexpected single pump failure. Thus, the
multiple pump system as
described herein clearly improves the technical state of the art.
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[0028] The regulator subsystem 1300B comprises sensors that include a
sensor 1310G to
detect the grid power outage and recovery. The regulator 1300B also includes a
group 1310W of
level sensing assemblies (e.g., sensors 1311W, 1312W, 1313W, and so forth).
These level sensing
assemblies 1310W are positioned to detect water levels and are thus also
referred as "the water
level sensors" herein. A switch and a pair of high/low water level sensors may
be built into each of
these level sensing assemblies. As examples, the assembly 1311W may have a
built-in switch
1411B and high/low water level sensors 1311H and 1311L that controls the power
delivery of the
pump 1201B. The assembly 1312W may have a built-in switch 1412 and high/low
sensors
1312H and 1312L that controls the power delivery of the pump 1202. Likewise,
the assembly
1313W may have a built-in switch 1413 and high/low sensors 1313H and 1313L
that controls the
power delivery of the pump 1203. Such continues for as many pumps as there may
exist in the
multiple pump system 1000B. The regulator subsystem 1300B also includes a
system check
assembly 135C1, that includes two flow sensors 1361F and 1362F, and high level
sensor 13 SCH.
[0029] The working principle of these assemblies can be the same as the
buoy-spring plus
switch assembly described in the previous section (Section One). Thus, these
assemblies (1311W,
1312W, 1313W, and so forth) can also send out water level signals to control
devices to perform
the designed control functions. Figure 2 depicts the assembly 1311W which
consisting high/low
water level sensors 1311H, 1311L and assembly 1411B that can also send out
control signals.
The assemblies 1312W and 1313W may be similarly structured, each with their
respectively
high/low water level sensors and switch.
[0030] For instance, when the seeping rate increases such that water
level reaches the high
water level 1311H; the sensor activates the switch 1411B to turn on the
electric power to drive the
pump 1201B. When the water level increases further to reach above another high
water level
1312H (located above the first high water level 1311H), the sensors 1312H
further activates the
switch 1412 to turn on the electric power to drive pump 1202 (in addition to
pump 1201B being
driven by switch 1411). When the combined pumping and seeping rate results in
a decreasing
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water level; and the water level decreased to below the sensor 1312L but above
the sensor 1311H,
the sensor 1312L activates the switch 1412 to turn off the pump 1202; but the
sensor 1311H can
still keep the pump 1201B running.
[0031] As described, the design of the embodiment Figure 1B is equipped
with 3 assemblies
(1311W, 1312W, and 1313W) to control the 3 pumps (1201B, 1202, and 1203) that
can be turned
on/off to better matching the seeping rate to adequately handle the
anticipated maximum seeping
rate (pump 1201B plus pump 1202); and also have at least one more assurance
spare pump (pump
1203) for purposes described above.
[0032] Section Three: System Checking:
[0033] At a specified schedule, the system regulator 1300B performs a
system check. At the
specified scheduled check time, the regulator 1300B activates the system check
module 1530 as
the system check coordinator. The system check module 1530 then sends out a
signal to activate
the communication device 1700 so as to register this activation into the
record keeping module
1701, and activates the system check/monitoring device 1533 to perform the
scheduled system
check. After finishing the system check, the coordinator device 1530 activates
the message
delivery component 1702 to send out the finalized check report.
[0034] As an example, when the system check shows normal operation, the
finalized check
report might be "The water pump system of [name or address] performed a
scheduled system
check at [yy/mm/dd/hh] (dating the year, the month, the day, and the hour).
The results are as
follows: All subsystems are in normal condition.". As another example, when
the system check
shows the pump 1202 and/or its related control assembly is not operating
normally, the finalized
check report might be "Alert!! The system check of the water pump system of
[name or address]
reports the following malfunction(s): pump 1202 not functioning". As yet
another example,
when the system check failed to finish at the scheduled time, the finalized
check report might be
.. "Alert!! The system check of the water pump system of [name or address] did
not perform its
scheduled system check".
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[0035] Section Four: Pump Check Procedure:
[0036] Since the reliability of each subsystem may be very different,
the subsystem checks
may be performed at different frequencies. For instance, the check of the pump
subsystem may be
performed semiannually while the check of the energy reservoir may be
performed every season.
Also, the fresh water inlet flow rate might be adjusted such that the flow
rate is less than the
designed worst flooding rate (e.g., less than the total pumping capacity of
pumps 1201B and
1202).
[0037] During the pump check, the checking and monitoring subsystem 1500
activates the
check coordination device 1530 (depicted in Figure 2) to coordinate the pump
checking. As the
starting point, the subsystem 1500 records the system's running state into the
record keeping
module 1701. For instance, at the initial state of pump check, pump 1201B is
running - but pumps
1202 and 1203 are not. The device 1530 keeps the system running state as is;
and starts to perform
the pump checking procedure. At the end of pump check, the subsystem 1500
resets back to the
initial running state. The following checking sequence assumes the initial
state is as stated above
(i.e., pump 1201B is running, but pumps 1202 and 1203 are not).
[0038] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of method 300 for checking a
pump function in
accordance with the principles described herein. Depicted in the starting step
301 (i.e., the fresh
water inlet step), the system check coordinator 1530 activates a fresh water
inlet regulator 1600 to
let-in the fresh water through a set of series-connected valves 1601 and 1602,
which are
respectively controlled by inlet switches1460, which includes switches 1461
and 1462. At the
initial state, the valve 1601 is shut while the valve 1602 is open. The water
inlet regulator 1600
activates the valve 1601 to open its valve such that fresh water can flow
through valve 1601
(detected by flow sensor 1361F) and valve 1602 (detected by flow sensor 1362F)
and into the
well. Signals of water flow through valve 1601 and 1602 are sent out by flow
sensors 1361F and
1362F of the assembly 135C1 to the coordinator 1530 and are recorded by the
record keeping
module 1701 indicating the water inlet valves properly opened. Commercial
water flow sensors
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are available. For instance, they are used in the flow activated gas ignitor
of water heaters or in
flow activated electric shower heaters.
[0039] Thereafter, the water level may then be increased to reach a
designed water-level (level
SC1H at the assembly 13 SC1). The level SC1H is higher than the highest pump
control assembly
(level 1313H as in the embodiment of Figure 1B). The assembly 13SC1 sends out
a signal to the
coordinator 1530 when the water level reaches level SC1H, resulting in the
event being recorded
by the record keeping module 1701, which indicates that the inlet step 301 has
been performed
and is completed. The coordinator 1530 then performs the step 302 (the step of
shutting off the
water inlet).
[0040] As depicted in step 302, the water inlet regulator 1600 activates
the valve 1602 to shut
off such that fresh water cannot flow through valve 1602. The resulting lack
of flow is detected
by flow sensor 1362F, and a resulting signal that the water flow is off is
then set to water inlet
regulator 1600. The water inlet regulator 1600 then activates the valve 1601
to shut off When
valve 1601 is completely shut off, and the signal sent to the water inlet
regulator 1600, the water
inlet regulator 1600 then activates the valve 1602 to reopen. If the valve
1601 is shut off and the
valve 1602 is indeed reopened, then for a short while, there will be some
water flow detected by
flow sensor 1362F but not by flow sensor 1361F. However, after a proper time
delay, the water
flow sensors 1361F and 1362F sense no fresh water flow through valves 1601 and
1602.
[0041] This step 302 can detect whether the valves are function properly
or not. When the
inlet regulator 1600 determines that the valves 1601 and 1602 return to their
initial state (valve
1601 is closed and valve 1602 is open) and also no water flows through the
valves, an "ok" signal
is then sent to the coordinator 1530 indicating the valves 1601 and 1602 are
properly closed and
opened, respectively.
[0042] The steps 301 and 302 not only perform water inlet and water shut
off for purposes of
checking the pumps, but also for purposes of checking the valves to prevent
the malfunctioning of
the fresh inlet valves, which could also lead to basement flooding. Any valve
failure is detected
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and reported before there is the potential for any two of the valves to have
failed. A manual valve
at the inlet source can shut off the water flow when a valve repair is needed.
The coordinator 1530
records the completion of step 302 into the record keeping module 1701; and
activates the step
303.
[0043] As depicted in step 303, pump function is checked for all pumps. The
coordinator
1530 turns on all the pumps (1203, 1202, and 1201B) through their control
assemblies;
specifically 1313H of 1313W, 1312H of 1312W, and 1311H of 1311W. The water
level decreases
with time to reach level 1313L to turn off the pump 1203. The water level
shall then decrease with
time to reach 1312L to turn off the pump 1202, if the pump 1202 was not
running at the initial
state. The water level shall then decrease with time to reach 1311L to turn
off the pump 1201B, if
the pump 1201B was not running at the initial state. When the pumps are
activated one by one by
the control assemblies to pump water and turned off one by one by the control
assemblies to return
to the initial state described above, the coordinator 1530 can conclude that
the pumps and their
control assemblies are functioning properly. The coordinator 1530 records the
completion of step
303 into the record keeper 1701; and proceeds to step 304. As an alternative
embodiment, one can
directly equip each pump with one flow sensor to determine whether each pump
and its control
assembly is functioning properly or not.
[0044] As depicted in step 304, the pump subsystem is analyzed and
reported about. The
system check coordinator 1530 activates the system check analyzer 1510 to
analyze the pumps
based on the records produced in step 301 to step 303. Based on this analysis,
the analyzer 1510
concludes as to whether the pumps are function properly and fill in a
formatted report as designed.
When finished, the analyzer sends a signal for the coordinator 1530 to
activate the message
delivery module 1702 to deliver the report to all people concerned via
predetermined means such
as e-mail, TWITTER, or phone messages.
[0045] Section Five: Energy Reservoir Check:
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[0046] When the time for the scheduled energy reservoir checking
arrives, the system control
1300 activates the system check coordinator 1530 to perform the checking
sequential block
diagram depicted in Figure 4.
[0047] As depicted in the step 401, the DC charge inlet power of the
AC/DC converter is
turned off As depicted in step 402, fresh water is taken in in accordance with
the step 301 of the
pump check described above. In other words, fresh water is taken in through
the valves 1601 and
1602 (which are again at the control of respective switches 1461 and 1462)
such that the water
level activates at least two of the pumps 1201B, 1202, and 1203. The water
inlet is then turned
off in accordance with 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 an
hour or after the
water level reaches 13 SC1H, the pump(s) is/are kept running for another hour
before proceeding
to the next step 403.
[0048] As depicted in the step 403, the coordinator 1530 activates the
regulator 1910 to
measure the terminal voltage and determine whether or not the energy storage
level is larger than
60%. If it is larger than 60%, the reservoir is functioning properly. If it is
smaller than 60%, the
reservoir needs to be replaced by a new reservoir in about one to three
months.
[0049] The charge/discharge regulator 1900 is designed in a robust way
and monitored
continuously by the monitoring module 1520. Accordingly, in some embodiments,
the
charge/discharge regulator is not checked. Other subsystems are commercially
available units,
including the AC/DC converter. They shall be maintained and check in according
with the
guidelines specified in their user's manual. Thus, they are not included in
the specified system
check of this disclosure.
[0050] Section Six: System monitoring:
[0051] The stated system-check and communication devices 1500, 1700 can
perform not only
scheduled system checks and resulting reporting, but may also perform real-
time checks and send
out proper messages as important incidents are detected (e.g., pump-failure in
the middle of
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normal operation, grid power outage, the water influx rate exceeding the
maximum pump
system's capacity) to a list of owner specified phone numbers. Accordingly,
someone can judge
that what action should be taken to mitigate the upcoming consequence (such as
rushing to the
house to contain the water damage at its early stage; or no immediate action
needed but call for
repair or replacement help in a month; or other action).
[0052] For instance, the module 1310G may monitor and report grid power
outage and
recovery in real time. Therefore, the owner specified people receive this
information via owner
specified channels. The pumps are also monitored in real time. When any pump
failure occurs, it
will report to the owner specified people via owner specified communication
channels. A water
level assembly 130F1 is placed near and above the assembly 13SC1 level; such
that when an
abnormal flooding rate enters into the well, such is detected and reported to
the owner specified
people via owner specified communication channels.
[0053] To alleviate the issue of unpleasant odors emitting from stagnant
water in the
sunk-well stated in the background section, an automatic water flushing
regulator 1350 flushes the
sunk well periodically with a time clock. When pumps are not running, the
clock is counting to a
preset time period. If the preset time period arrives after the last pump run,
flushing is initiated.
To avoid fresh water waste, the flushing schedule can be arranged to coincide
with the
system-check schedules. For instance, whenever the regulator decides to flush
the sunk well, the
system check performs the pump check. After every system check performed, the
clock of the
1350 shall be reset to initiate the counting.
[0054] Section Seven: Other benefits:
[0055] The proposed principles herein can also correct at least two
other shortcomings of the
conventional pump system design. First, in the convention pump system, a
single big pump is
designed with a fixed pumping rate to handle the rarely occurred maximum
anticipated water
leak-in condition. As a result, during regular normal seeping, there is an
induced periodic short
pulsed start-then-stop motor-action that shorten the motor's life and also
waste a lot of electric
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energy. On the other hand, the proposed design turns on/off the additional
small pumps to better
matching the seeping rate. Second, the single pump of the conventional design
often has no spare
pumping capacity to handle a larger than typical maximum designed leak-in rate
(say, 36 gallons
per minute). In contrast, the principles described herein proposes to have the
total maximum
pumping rate (say, 18 gallons per minute for each pump, 54 gallons per minute
in total) which is a
substantially bigger capacity than the single pump capacity; and also has
built-in one assurance
spare pump.
[0056] Section Eight: Elaboration on other subsystems
[0057] To elaborate on the power subsystem 1100, as depicted in Figure
1B, the convertor
.. 1800 converts high voltage AC to low voltage DC power, which is temporarily
stored into an
energy reservoir 1100. When grid power is normal, the combined DC power from
the convertor
and the reservoir operates the pump system including the DC pumps 1201, 1202,
and 1203. While
grid power is out, the energy reservoir alone powers the system directly in a
low voltage DC form
within a designed time-duration (no invertor needed).
[0058] This power subsystem operates with built-in sensors to check itself
in real-time; and
the vitality of the reservoir also regularly checked by the system-check
coordinator 1530 as
described above. Therefore, the vitality of the UPS energy reservoir during
grid power outage can
be assured.
[0059] The principles described herein propose that the converter 1800
is purchased from
commercial market; which is safety certified (with UL and CE), and designed to
be water-proof;
or to be located at a place free of water. All the 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 reservoir can be assured.
[0060] To elaborate on the water pump subsystem 1200, as depicted in
Figure 1B, multiple
smaller pumps 120B, 1202, and 1203 may be low voltage DC powered (say, either
36, 24, or 12
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volts) that are free from electrocution dangers. The pump motors are DC motors
such as simple
blushless DC motor or variable frequency blushless DC motor.
[0061] The water pumps can be mounted at the bottom of the well at the
same height; or
mounted inside the well with different height; or mounted above the well.
These water pumps
shall be activate by the water level sensors 1310W to start/stop water
pumping. For instant, the
water pump 1201B is activated by water level sensor 1311H to start water
pumping and activated
by 1311L to stop pumping; the water pump 1202 is activated by water level
sensor 1312H to start
water pumping and activate 1312L to stop pumping; and so forth. In another
embodiment, when
the pumps are mounted at the same height or above the well, the water level
sensors can send their
signals to the device 1310W; and the device 1310W can be designed to determine
which pump to
be turned on or turned off
[0062] Among the designed functions, the system-checking device 1500 can
perform periodic
system checking on all standby functions in accordance with a designed
procedure. The devices
1300B and 1500 combined can also monitors system's operating functions in real
time; including
grid power is normal or outage, the convertor is delivering DC power or not,
the pump is fail in
mid of operation or not, etc.. The communication device 1700 can deliver these
findings via
proper messages at proper time to proper persons.
[0063] The device 1900 is designed to properly regulate the UPS'
charging by grid power
conversion and discharging to the pump system. As an example, when energy
storage of the
energy reservoir reaches or exceeds 95%, the regulator 1360 stops the charging
until the energy
reservoir declines to or below 75% storage, at which time the regulator 1900
again allows
charging. On the other hand, when the energy reservoir storage level declines
to 5% or below, the
regulator 1900 stops the discharging; until the charge is recovered to at or
above 15% of energy
storage, at which time the regulator 1900 again allows discharging. In doing
so, the regulator
prevents the battery over-charging and over-draining; such that the
reservoir's batteries are well
protected to have their designed long life.
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[0064] All the electronic signals between sensors, regulators, and
switches can be sent via
standard industrial electronic communication cables, or via wireless gear such
as the blue-tooth;
or being translate into optical signals and using optical cable for mutual
communication among
these devices.
[0065] Section Nine: Summary
[0066] To summarize, the principles described herein propose to use
multiple smaller pumps
in the pumping subsystem 1200B, in lieu of the single big pump design as in
the conventional
pump system. The principles described herein add a system-checking device 1500
to monitor in
real-time operation and periodically check all functions of the whole system.
The principles
described herein also add a communication device 1700 to send out messages to
the owner
specified persons via owner specified communication channels for either the
findings in the
periodic check, or at the important incident occurrence.
[0067] The principle described herein further design for the total
capacity of the smaller
pumps to be bigger than the capacity at the anticipated worst case scenario;
preferably to add one
more pump as the assurance spare. Therefore, there will be almost no chance
for basement water
damage to happen when grid power is normal.
[0068] As described above, to perform the system function check and the
sunk well flushing,
the principles described herein further equipped with a fresh water inlet
valve set and regulator
1601, 1602 and 1600. The fresh water inlet regulator 1600 lets in the designed
amount of fresh
water via the inlet valve set 1601 and 1602 to fill the sunk well up to a
designed water level sensor
location SC1H, and then shut-off the valve; such that the water level sensors
can activate all the
pumps as scheduled. By monitoring the actions of sensors' signals and
switching on/off of each
water pump, the system-check device 1500 can collect all the vital data to
determine the
subsystem's function or not. The findings of the system check described above
can be sent out via
the communication device 1700 to proper persons. Notice that the in-let valve
1600 is designed to
have at least 2 in-let valves 1601 and 1602 connecting in series such that the
inlet water can be
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shut off even one valve is failed; that prevents the basement flooding due to
the valve failure. The
message of valve malfunction will be sent out also.
[0069] The principles described herein further propose to convert high
voltage AC power to a
low voltage DC power and also to temporarily store the DC energy into an
energy reservoir; such
that the pump system is operated at low voltage DC form. The designed energy
storage capacity of
the reservoir shall support system's operation for a desired duration time.
The principles described
herein therefore propose to use low voltage DC pumps in its pumping subsystem
to realize the
embodiments without any inverter.
[0070] The principles further suggest that the convertor, which converts
high voltage AC to
the low voltage DC power; either be located at a location free from flood-
water, or should be
fabricated with water-proof design. By doing so, it can assure the system not
only is safe and free
from high voltage electrocution accidents, but also provides a reliable UPS
energy to sustain the
pumping function during a period of grid power outage.
[0071] A charge/discharge regulator is also incorporated; not only to
regulate the reservoir to
be properly charged and discharged, but also to assure the energy storage
level of the reservoir is
keep to above the designed level. This not only assures the ability of energy
support to endure grid
power outage, but also assures the long lifetime of the batteries.
[0072] As stated above, when incorporate the principles described
herein, there would be
almost no chance of having water damage to occur either with normal grid power
or during grid
power outage. Additional benefits of incorporating the principles described
herein include
mitigating any threat from fatal high voltage electrocution, and reduction in
odor emissions due to
stagnant water. Notice that a term, "well" is used hereinafter that covers all
wells including the
basement sunk well used above; or any container at the lower ground relative
to the location
receiving the liquid (water) that to be pumped.
[0073] While the system described above is referred as a "water" pump
system, many
modifications and changes can occur in those skilled in the art; such as one
can design a pump
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system to pump liquid from a lower location to a higher location and
overcoming similar obstacles
described above. Or a pump system to pump water from water well to a tank
(reservoir) with
certain water head using the principle described herein to obtain certain
desired benefits. It is,
therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended in cover all
such modifications
and changes as full within the spirit of the invention; and the term "liquid"
is thus used to replace
"water" in the claims.
[0074] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms
without departing
from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to
be considered in all
respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention
is, therefore, indicated
by appended claims rather than by the forgoing description. All changes which
come within the
meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their
scope.
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