Pump controller system and method

US007983877B2

<12) United States Patent

(10) Patent No.: US 7,983,877 B2

Koehl (45) Date of Patent: Jul. 19, 2011 (54) PUMP CONTROLLER SYSTEM AND 4,678,409 A 7/1987 Kurokawa METHOD 4,703,387 A 10/1987 Miller 4,767,280 A 8/1988 Markuson 4,795,314 A 1/1989 P b ll (75) Inventor: Robert M. Koehl, Lakemoor, IL (US) 4,834,624 A 5/1989 Jgsin a _ 4,912,936 A 4/1990 Denpou (73) Assignee: Sta-Rite Industries, LLC, Delevan, WI 4,963,778 A 10/ 1990 Jensen (US) 4,977,394 A * 12/1990 Manson ct al. ............. .. 340/679 5,026,256 A 6/1991 Kuwabara ( * ) Notice: Subject. to any disclaimer, the term of tllis Q patent ls extended or adjusted under 35 5,156,535 A 10/1992 Budris U~$~C~ 154(b)by 24 <1ayS~ 5,158,436 A 10/1992 Jensen 5,159,713 A * 10/1992 Gaskill ct al. ............... .. 455/344 (21) App1_NO_; 11/931,636 5,167,041 A 12/1992 Burkitt 5,240,380 A 8/1993 Mabe (22) Filed: Oct‘ 31’ 2007 5,342,176 A 8/1994 Redllch (Continued) (65) Prior Publication Data FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS US 2008/0140353 A1 Jun. 12, 2008 DE 19645129 5/1998 Related U.S. Application Data (Continued) (62) of application No. 10/ 730,747, filed on Dec. OTHER PUBLICATIONS i “Better, Stronger, Faster;” Pool & Spa News, Sep. 3, 2004; pp. 52-54, (51) Int. Cl. 32-34, USA, G06F 15/00 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. ..................................................... .. 702/185 Primary Examiner — Tung S Lau (58) Field of Classification Search ............ .. 702/33435, (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Quarles & Brady LLP 702/36, 45-47, 50, 57-59, 114, 138, 185 See application file for complete search history. (57) ABSTRACT _ A method and apparatus for a pump control system. One or (56) References Clted

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

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more embodiments of the invention include a pump controller that can perform a self-calibrating procedure, can provide precise motor speed control, can provide a limp mode before shutting down the motor when system parameters are exceeded and/or fault conditions occur, can detect fault conditions, and can store fault conditions for later retrieval.

5 Claims, 12 Drawing Sheets

Page2

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