Pump assembly and method for controlling an electric motor for driving an impeller of a pump unit of a pump assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11933308-B2
Application number	US-202117550396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2021
Priority date	Dec 16, 2020
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

A pump assembly with a pump unit comprising an impeller for pumping fluid, an electric motor for driving the impeller, a control module for controlling the speed of the electric motor in a control mode, and an interface for receiving a pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal with a duty cycle indicative of the speed of the electric motor. The control module is configured to interpret the PWM control signal at start-up of the electric motor per default in a configuration mode as a configuration bit sequence based on the duty cycle of the PWM control signal during a pre-determined configuration window.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pump assembly comprising:
a pump unit comprising an impeller configured to pump fluid;
an electric motor for driving the impeller;
a control module configured to control a speed of the electric motor in a control mode; and
an interface configured to receive a pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal with a duty cycle indicative of the speed of the electric motor, wherein the control module is configured to interpret the PWM control signal at start-up of the electric motor per default in a configuration mode as a configuration bit sequence based on the duty cycle of the PWM control signal during a pre-determined configuration window, wherein the control module is configured to extend a length of the configuration window at least until the control module has received a full and valid configuration bit sequence under a condition that a valid synchronization sequence was detected in the interpreted configuration bit sequence.

2. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a minimum length of the configuration window is defined by a pre-determined number of pulse width modulated pulses or a pre-determined time period.

3. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to switch from the configuration mode to the control mode if the interpreted configuration bit sequence is not compliant with a pre-determined data protocol.

4. The pump assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the pre-determined data protocol is a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) protocol.

5. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to switch from the control mode to the configuration mode if the control module recognizes a valid synchronization sequence in the PWM control signal.

6. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to send an acknowledgment signal via the interface after the control module has received a full and valid configuration bit sequence.

7. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to control the speed of the electric motor in the control mode according to the received PWM control signal after a lapse of the configuration window.

8. The pump assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a valid configuration bit sequence has a pre-determined maximum number of bits compliant with a pre-determined data protocol.

9. A method for controlling an electric motor for driving an impeller of a pump unit of a pump assembly, the method comprising:
receiving a pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal at an interface of the pump assembly;
interpreting the PWM control signal at start-up of the electric motor per default in a configuration mode as a configuration bit sequence based on a duty cycle of the PWM control signal during a pre-determined configuration window;
controlling the speed of the electric motor in a control mode according to the duty cycle of the received PWM control signal after a lapse of the configuration window; and
extending a length of the configuration window at least until the full configuration bit sequence has been received under a condition that a valid synchronization sequence was detected in the interpreted configuration bit sequence.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising validating the interpreted configuration bit sequence for being compliant with a pre-determined data protocol.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the pre-determined data protocol is a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) protocol.

12. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising switching from the configuration mode to the control mode if the interpreted configuration bit sequence is found to be not valid.

13. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising switching from the control mode to the configuration mode if a valid synchronization sequence is recognized in the PWM control signal.

14. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising sending an acknowledgment signal via the interface after having received the full and valid configuration bit sequence.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein a valid configuration bit sequence has a pre-determined maximum number of bits compliant with a pre-determined data protocol.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the pre-determined data protocol is a Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART) protocol.

17. A pump assembly comprising:
a pump unit comprising an impeller configured to pump fluid;
an electric motor for driving the impeller;
a control module configured to control a speed of the electric motor in a control mode, the control module comprising a configuration mode; and
an interface configured to receive a pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal with a duty cycle indicative of the speed of the electric motor, wherein the control module is configured to interpret the PWM control signal at start-up of the electric motor in the configuration mode as a configuration bit sequence based on the duty cycle of the PWM control signal during a pre-determined configuration window, wherein the configuration mode is a default mode for interpreting the PWM control signal, wherein the control module is configured to extend a length of the configuration window at least until the control module has received a full and valid configuration bit sequence under a condition that a valid synchronization sequence was detected in the interpreted configuration bit sequence.

Assignees

• Grundfos Holding As

Inventors

• Skafsgaard Martin Byskov
• Gade Susanne Hamann
• Valbjørn Keld Benner
• Aarestrup Jan Carøe

Classifications

• F04D15/0066 Primary

  by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine · CPC title

• F04D13/06 Primary

  the pump being electrically driven · CPC title

• H02P7/29

  using pulse modulation · CPC title

• H02P2207/05

  Synchronous machines, e.g. with permanent magnets or DC excitation · CPC title

• H02P6/00 Primary

  Arrangements for controlling synchronous motors or other dynamo-electric motors using electronic commutation dependent on the rotor position; Electronic commutators therefor (vector control H02P21/00) · CPC title