Pump Controller System and Method
A method and apparatus for a pump control system. One or 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.
1 . A method of operating a pool pump, the pool pump included in a pool system with a pool, the method comprising:
measuring a current being provided to a motor of the pool pump;
removing a drive signal to a drive of the motor for a predetermined time period if the current is greater than a current upper limit setting; and
sending the drive signal to the drive of the motor after the predetermined time period has elapsed to restart the pool pump.
2 . The method of claim 1 and further comprising measuring a bus current being provided to the motor.
3 . The method of claim 1 and further comprising generating a fault condition code if the current is greater than a current upper limit setting.
4 . The method of claim 3 and further comprising indicating to a user that a fault condition code has been generated.
5 . The method of claim 1 and further comprising shutting down the pool pump after removing the drive signal to the drive of the motor and before sending the drive signal to the drive of the motor.
6 . The method of claim 1 and further comprising restarting the pool pump after sending the drive signal to the drive of the motor.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the drive is a variable speed drive.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the motor is an alternating current motor.
9 . A pump system for a pool, the pump system comprising:
a motor connected to a drive;
a pool pump coupled to the motor; and
a controller coupled to at least one of the motor and the pool pump,
the controller measuring a current being provided to the motor,
the controller removing a drive signal to the drive for a predetermined time period if the current is greater than a current upper limit setting, and
the controller sending the drive signal to the drive after the predetermined time period has elapsed in order to restart the pool pump.
10 . The pump system of claim 9 wherein the controller measures a bus current being provided to the motor.
11 . The pump system of claim 9 wherein the controller generates a fault condition code if the current is greater than a current upper limit setting.
12 . The pump system of claim 11 and further comprising at least one light emitting diode to indicate to a user that a fault condition code has been generated.
13 . The pump system of claim 9 wherein the controller shuts down the pool pump by removing the drive signal to the drive of the motor.
14 . The pump system of claim 9 wherein the controller restarts the pool pump by sending a drive signal to the drive of the motor.
15 . The pump system of claim 9 wherein the drive is a variable speed drive.
16 . The pump system of claim 9 wherein the motor is an alternating current motor.
17 . A method of detecting a fault condition in an alternating current motor of a pump, the pump circulating fluid through a pool or spa, the method comprising:
measuring a bus current being provided to the alternating current motor;
generating a digital fault condition code if the bus current is greater than a bus current upper limit setting;
determining a fault condition due to the presence of a foreign object obstruction in the pool or spa when the bus current is greater than a bus current upper limit setting;
shutting down a variable speed drive to the alternating current motor for a predetermined time period in order to stop the pump when the bus current is greater than the bus current upper limit setting; and
restarting the variable speed drive to the alternating current motor after the predetermined time period has elapsed in order to restart the pump.
18 . A method of detecting a fault condition in a motor of a pump, the method comprising:
receiving an alternating current power supply;
converting the alternating current power supply to a direct current power supply and providing the direct current power supply to a bus having a bus current;
measuring the bus current being provided to the motor;
generating a fault condition code if the bus current is greater than a bus current upper limit setting;
shutting down a drive to the motor for a predetermined time period in order to stop the pump when the bus current is greater than the bus current upper limit setting;
providing the direct current power supply to the bus when the drive is shut down for the predetermined time; and
restarting the drive to the motor after the predetermined time period has elapsed in order to restart the pump.