IP Library Granted Patent US 12,196,192
Granted Patent B2
US 12,196,192 · App. 18/048,815 · Granted Jan 14, 2025

Solar powered water feature

Inventor: James Bologeorges (Libertyville, IL)
Assignee: Smart Living Home & Garden
F04B17/006B05B17/08F04B49/02F04B49/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,196,192
App. No.
18/048,815
Granted
Jan 14, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Example embodiments relate to a water feature. The water feature includes a vessel and an electrically powered submersible pump within the vessel, an outlet fluidly connected to the pump, a solar panel, and a battery. The water feature also includes a controller, a processor, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of program instructions which cause the water feature to perform operations. The operations include receiving a predetermined time to operate the pump on the battery. Based on the predetermined time, the operations include allocating a percent of a total electrical power generated by the solar panel to charge the battery and a remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the pump. The operations additionally include determining that the battery has reached a threshold power level associated with the predetermined time to operate the pump and allocating the total electrical power generated to operate the pump.

Claims (50)

1. A water feature comprising:

a vessel;

an electrically powered submersible pump within the vessel, configured to pump liquid within the vessel;

an outlet, wherein the outlet is fluidly connected to the electrically powered submersible pump;

a solar panel configured to provide electrical power to the electrically powered submersible pump and a battery, wherein the battery is configured to provide electrical power to the electrically powered submersible pump; and

a controller, wherein the controller comprises at least one processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores a set of program instructions which when executed by the at least one processor causes the water feature to perform operations comprising:

receiving a predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery;

determining an amount of power associated with the predetermined time of operating the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery;

based on the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery and the amount of power associated with the predetermined time of operating the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery, allocating a percent of a total electrical power generated by the solar panel to charge the battery and a remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump;

determining that the battery has reached a threshold power level associated with the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump; and

allocating the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump.

2. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein the electrically powered submersible pump comprises plurality of moisture sensors, and wherein the moisture sensors are positioned adjacent to a bottom of the vessel.

3. The water feature of claim 2 , wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting, with the moisture sensors, a moisture level that is below a predetermined threshold; and

turning off the electrically powered submersible pump.

4. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery comprises a time associated with a solar power level, and wherein the solar power level is below a threshold solar power level.

5. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined time comprises a predetermined time period.

6. The water feature of claim 5 , wherein allocating the percent of the total electrical power generated by the solar panel to charge the battery and the remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump further comprises:

determining a first temporal period to allocate the percent of the total electrical power generated by the solar panel to charge the battery and the remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump; and

determining a second temporal period to allocate the total electrical power generated to the battery.

7. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise providing power to the electrically powered submersible pump from the battery during the predetermined time.

8. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein receiving the predetermined time is via a remote device.

9. The water feature of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface, and wherein receiving the predetermined time is via the user interface.

10. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein liquid in the vessel defines a surface and the solar panel is disposed below the surface of the liquid.

11. The water feature of claim 1 , wherein liquid in the vessel defines a surface and the solar panel is disposed above the surface of the liquid.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a predetermined time to operate an electrically powered submersible pump on a battery;

determining an amount of power associated with the predetermined time of operating the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery;

based on the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery and the amount of power associated with the predetermined time of operating the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery, allocating a percent of a total electrical power generated by a solar panel to charge the battery and a remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump;

determining that the battery has reached a threshold power level associated with the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump; and

allocating the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

detecting, with a plurality of moisture sensors coupled to the electrically powered submersible pump, a moisture level that is below a predetermined threshold; and

turning off the electrically powered submersible pump.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery comprises a time associated with a solar power level, and wherein the solar power level is below a threshold solar power level.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined time comprises a predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein allocating the percent of the total electrical power generated by the solar panel to charge the battery and the remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump comprises:

determining a first temporal period to allocate the percent of the total electrical power generated by the solar panel to charge the battery and the remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump; and

determining a second temporal period to allocate the total electrical power generated to the battery.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

providing power to the electrically powered submersible pump from the battery during the predetermined time.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a predetermined time to operate an electrically powered submersible pump on a battery;

determining an amount of power associated with the predetermined time of operating the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery;

based on the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery and the amount of power associated with the predetermined time of operating the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery, allocating a percent of a total electrical power generated by a solar panel to charge the battery and a remainder of the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump;

determining that the battery has reached a threshold power level associated with the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump; and

allocating the total electrical power generated to operate the electrically powered submersible pump.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , further comprising:

detecting, with a plurality of moisture sensors coupled to the electrically powered submersible pump, a moisture level that is below a predetermined threshold; and turning off the electrically powered submersible pump.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the predetermined time to operate the electrically powered submersible pump on the battery comprises a time associated with a solar power level, and wherein the solar power level is below a threshold solar power level.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 24, 2022
From: BOLOGEORGES, JAMES
To: SMART LIVING HOME & GARDEN
Reel/Frame 061519/0824 →
Continuity (2)
Related Publication 20240133369A1 · Apr 25, 2024
Related Publication 20240229784A9 · Jul 11, 2024
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US 12,490,693