Pump and method for controlling a pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11598339-B2
Application number	US-201816766113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Nov 24, 2017
Publication date	Mar 7, 2023
Grant date	Mar 7, 2023

Abstract

A pump having a drive unit with an electric motor, a hydraulic unit connected to the electric motor, and an integrated control unit operatively connected to the electric motor and configured for monitoring and controlling the pump. An integrated pressure sensor, connected to the control unit, has a fixed reference pressure. The control unit determines a liquid level of a liquid surrounding the pump based on a relation between an actual value of the pressure sensor and a reference value. A method for calibrating the pump comprises initiating pumping, continuing pumping until the liquid level is equal to a predetermined calibration level, determining the actual pressure value when the liquid level is equal to the predetermined calibration level, and calibrating the pump by setting a new reference pressure value corresponding to the actual pressure value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a pump configured for pumping liquid containing solid matter and that is at least partly submerged in the liquid during operation of the pump, the pump system comprising:
a drive unit having an electric motor and a drive shaft;
a hydraulic unit having an impeller connected to the electric motor via the drive shaft; and
an integrated control unit operatively connected to the electric motor and configured for monitoring and controlling the operation of the pump; and
an integrated pressure sensor having a fixed reference pressure value operatively connected to the control unit, the control unit configured to determine a liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump based on a relation between an actual value of the pressure sensor and the fixed reference pressure value;
the method comprising the steps of:
initiating pumping with the pump,
continuing pumping until the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is equal to a predetermined calibration level fixed in relation to the pump,
determining a calibration level actual value of the pressure sensor when the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is equal to the predetermined calibration level, and
calibrating the pump by setting the fixed reference pressure value to a new reference value corresponding to the calibration level actual value.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pub method comprises the step of stopping the pump when the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is equal to the calibration level.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of determining the calibration level actual value of the pressure sensor is performed after the step of stopping the pump.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calibration level of the pump is on a level with an inlet of the pump, wherein the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is determined as equal to the calibration level when the control unit detects that the pump is snoring.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pump further comprises a liquid detector sensor connected to an outside of the pump at a same level as the calibration level of the pump, wherein the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is determined as equal to the calibration level when the signal from the liquid detector sensor to the control unit is changed.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing the method for calibrating the pump at regular time intervals.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising performing the method for calibrating the pump every time the pump is energized.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program including instructions for execution by an integrated control unit of a pump for pumping liquid containing solid matter and configured to be at least partly submerged in the liquid during operation of the pump, the pump comprising:
a drive unit having an electric motor and a drive shaft;
a hydraulic unit having an impeller connected to the electric motor via the drive shaft; and
an integrated control unit operatively connected to the electric motor and configured for monitoring and controlling operation of the pump;
an integrated pressure sensor having a fixed reference pressure value and operatively connected to the integrated control unit, the integrated control unit configured to determine a liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump based on a relation between the actual value of the pressure sensor and the fixed reference pressure value;
the instructions when executed by the integrated control unit integrated control unit, configure the pump to:
initiate pumping with the pump,
continue pumping until the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is equal to a predetermined calibration level fixed in relation to the pump,
determine a calibration level actual value of the pressure sensor when the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is equal to the predetermined calibration level, and
calibrate the pump by setting the fixed reference pressure value to a new reference value corresponding to the calibration level actual value.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the program further includes instructions that, when executed by the integrated control unit, causes the pump to stop the pump when the liquid level of the liquid surrounding the pump is equal to the calibration level.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein determining the calibration level actual value of the pressure sensor is performed after stopping the pump.

Assignees

• Xylem Europe Gmbh

Inventors

• Wikström Jan
• Törnqvist Gunnar

Classifications

• F04D7/04 Primary

  the fluids being viscous or non-homogenous · CPC title

• F04B49/025

  by means of floats · CPC title

• F04D15/00

  Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or systems · CPC title

• F04D15/0077

  Safety measures (F04D15/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F04D13/06

  the pump being electrically driven · CPC title