Fan motor controller for use in an air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9599383-B2
Application number	US-86188410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2010
Priority date	Aug 24, 2010
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

One aspect provides an air conditioning system that includes a compressor housing, a motor having fan blades rotatably coupled thereto and located within the compressor housing. The motor has a rotation sensor associated with it that is configured to sense a rotation of the fan blades. This embodiment further comprises a controller coupled to the motor and is configured to increase a torque of the motor when the rotation sensor indicates that the fan blades are not rotating after an on command signal is received by the motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning system, comprising:
a compressor housing;
a motor having fan blades rotatably coupled to the motor and located within said compressor housing, said motor having an optical reader operable to detect when the fan blades pass through an optical beam; and
a controller coupled to said motor and said optical reader, said controller having programming circuitry comprising a program configured to increase a torque of said motor to overcome a physical blockage when said optical reader fails to send a signal to the controller indicating that the fan blades have passed through said optical beam a predetermined time after an on command signal is received by said motor, wherein once the fan blades pass through the optical beam the controller returns the air conditioning system to normal operation.

2. The system recited in claim 1 , further comprising a compressor and coils fluidly coupled to said compressor and located within said compressor housing, said compressor housing further including an orifice ring located within said compressor housing and located about said motor and said fan blades.

3. The system recited in claim 2 , wherein said compressor and said coils form a portion of a heat pump unit, and wherein said controller is a first controller and said system is further couplable to a second controller configured to produce said on command signal to said motor when predetermined environmental conditions within a structure are met.

4. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to increase said torque to a maximum torque and then shut down the motor if the fan blades do not pass through the optical beam.

5. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein said controller is distally coupled to said motor.

6. The system recited in claim 5 , wherein said controller is coupled to said motor by a wire extending from said controller to said motor.

7. The system recited in claim 5 , wherein said controller includes a first wireless transmitter/receiver and said motor includes a second wireless transmitter/receiver and said controller is wirelessly couplable to said motor by way of said first and second wireless transmitters/receivers.

8. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to increase said torque to about 40% of a total torque capacity of said motor when a movement of said fan blades is not detected by said optical reader after said motor receives said on command.

9. The system recited in claim 8 , wherein said about 40% is achieved by said controller being configured to increase said torque of said motor by 2% every 5 seconds to until said about 40% torque capacity is achieved.

10. The system recited in claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to increase said torque until said fan blades pass through the optical beam.

11. A method of manufacturing an air conditioning system, comprising:
providing a compressor housing;
placing a motor having a fan blades rotatably coupled to the motor within said compressor housing, said motor having an optical reader operable to detect when the fan blades pass through an optical beam; and
coupling a controller to said motor and said optical reader, said controller having programming circuitry comprising a program configured to increase a torque of said motor when said optical reader fails to send a signal to the controller indicating that the fan blades have passed through said optical beam a predetermined time after an on command signal is received by said motor, wherein once the fan blades pass through the optical beam the controller returns the air conditioning system to normal operation.

12. The method recited in claim 11 , further comprising placing a compressor and coils fluidly coupled to said compressor within said compressor housing, and placing an orifice ring within said compressor housing and locating said orifice ring about said motor and said fan blades.

13. The method recited in claim 12 , wherein said compressor and coils form a portion of a heat pump unit, and wherein said controller is a first controller and said method further includes providing a second controller that is couplable to said heat pump unit and is configured to produce said on command signal to said motor when predetermined environmental conditions within a structure are met.

14. The method recited in claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to raise the torque to a maximum torque and if the fan blades do not pass through the optical beam then the controller shuts down the motor.

15. The method recited in claim 11 , wherein coupling said controller includes distally coupling said controller to said motor.

16. The method recited in claim 15 , wherein distally coupling said controller includes coupling said controller to said motor by a wire extending from said controller to said motor.

17. The method recited in claim 15 , wherein distally coupling said controller to said motor includes placing a first wireless transmitter/receiver on said controller and placing a second wireless transmitter/receiver on said motor such that said controller and said motor are wirelessly couplable to each other.

18. The method recited in claim 11 , wherein said controller is configured to increase said torque to about 40% of a total torque capacity of said motor when a movement of said fan blades is not detected by said optical reader after said motor receives said on command.

19. The method recited in claim 18 , wherein said controller is configured to increase said torque by 2% every 5 seconds until said 40% torque is achieved.

20. The method recited in claim 11 , wherein said controller is configured to increase said torque until said optical reader senses a movement of said fan blades.

Assignees

• Mangum Jeff
• Lennox Ind Inc

Inventors

• Mangum Jeff

Classifications

• Y02B30/743

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F25B49/027 Primary

  Condenser control arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2600/111

  of condenser fans · CPC title

• Y10T29/49359

  Cooling apparatus making, e.g., air conditioner, refrigerator · CPC title

• Y02B30/70

  Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating · CPC title