Multi-pump system with system check

Abstract

A solution is designed to mitigate four significant drawbacks in conventional pumping system designs: (1) sudden pump failure in single pump designs that can result in significant flood damage, (2) the threat of fatal high voltage electrocution in flood situations, (3) grid outages and the lack of energy supply to support the required pumping power, resulting in flood damage, and (4) unpleasant odors from accumulated water in wells after periods of low flooding rates, whether the pump is running or not. The principles are explained in the disclosure, and the proposed design can completely mitigate these four significant drawbacks.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Millions of homes in the United States are built with basements. Many of these homes use pumping systems that operate from a well below the basement floor. Such pumping systems are referred to as "submerged" pumping systems. Submerged pumping systems operate to pump water that leaks from the outside (e.g., due to a high water table, flooding, or other form of leakage) and thus collects in a well in the basement. The pumped water is carried back to the outside of the home, thereby allowing the basement to remain dry. [Background technology]

[0002] A typical existing submerged pumping system is powered by the high voltage electrical grid to which the house is connected. Such existing pumps often comprise a single pump that operates at a fixed pumping rate and has a capacity according to the worst expected flood conditions. The pump is typically activated by a "high" water level sensor to pump the water in the well outward. After activation, the pump is stopped when a "low" water level sensor is triggered. A typical existing pumping system is hereafter referred to as a "conventional pumping system."

[0003] When a conventional pumping system has insufficient pumping to accommodate the large volume of water flowing into a home, improper pumping can result in flooding. Similarly, if there is an unexpected pump failure or period of grid power outage, the pump will not work at all, again resulting in flooding. Such flooding can typically cost thousands of dollars to repair. Furthermore, when seepage is low and the pump is not activated for an extended period of time, the relatively stagnant water can begin to emit a musty, unpleasant odor, thereby impairing the quality of life of the occupants.

[0004] The configurations claimed herein are not limited to embodiments that address any shortcomings in environments such as those described above, nor are they limited to embodiments that operate only in environments such as those described above, but rather, this background is provided only to illustrate one example technology area in which some embodiments described herein may be practiced. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Statistically, the most common cause of major flood damage when using conventional pumping systems is due to unexpected pump failure leading to basement flooding. Unexpected pump failure is a weakness of conventional pumping systems that operate using a single pump. The next most common cause of major flood damage when using conventional pumping systems is due to grid power outages. However, the use of conventional pumping systems has other potential concerns in addition to flood damage, such as the threat of high voltage electric shock when flooding occurs.

[0006] The principles described herein include a pump system of multiple smaller pumps that better accommodates water seepage by only turning the pumps on and off at a granularity down to a single pump. This system reduces the serious consequences of pump failure since there is now an extra pump in case of failure of any given pump. To mitigate the risk of exposure to electric shock and grid power outages, an embodiment of the pump system converts high voltage (e.g., above 100 volts) AC grid power to low voltage (e.g., below 72 volts) DC power and then temporarily stores this power in an energy reservoir. This DC energy reservoir supplies low voltage DC power to the pump system along with the grid power converted to charging DC power. During a grid power outage, the reservoir alone can provide the required emergency power to the pump system (e.g., like a UPS but without an inverter) for a designed time (e.g., 6 hours). Therefore, the proposed design concept not only provides pumped power support during grid power outages, but also mitigates the threat of high voltage electrocution in basement flooding situations.

[0007] The embodiments described herein can also use a regulator to manage the charging and discharging of the reservoir. As will be described hereafter, a system check device can perform scheduled periodic checks on the functionality of the system according to a designed procedure and send out the check results using a communication device to prevent flooding due to unexpected pump failure. The proposed system check and communication device can also monitor / detect in real time and send out appropriate messages when important events occur. These events can include pump failure during normal operation, grid power loss and recovery, water inflow exceeding the pump system capacity, etc. When these events occur, messages are sent out to a person (as designated by the owner) or multiple people over a channel (also as designated by the owner) so that they can decide what measures to take to minimize the upcoming consequences. For example, an individual can choose to rush into the house and contain the water damage at its early stage.

[0008] The principles described herein can also correct at least two other shortcomings of conventional pump system designs. First, a single large pump is designed with a fixed pumping rate to handle the maximum expected water leakage flow rate. As a result, there is periodic short pulse start and stop pumping action during normal leaching rates, which can reduce motor life and waste a lot of electrical energy. The system described herein turns the small pumps on and off one at a time at the granularity of a single pump to better match the leaching rate, resulting in much less wasted motor action. Second, the single large pump is designed without spare pumping capacity to handle volumes greater than the designed maximum leaching rate. If the leaching rate exceeds the pumping rate by only 10% for a short period of time, flooding can still occur. The system described herein can have a total maximum pumping rate that equals or exceeds the single pump capacity of a conventional pump system, and can add at least one pump as a "guarantee spare" to the system, thereby increasing capacity.

[0009] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] In order to explain how the above-cited and other advantages and features can be obtained, a more particular description of the various embodiments will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a sample embodiment only, and is therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention, the present embodiments will be described and explained with additional particularity and detail using the accompanying drawings.

[0011] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional pump system. [Figure 1B] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating embodiments of pump systems according to principles described herein and may be compared to FIG. 1A to show novel differences. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of an assembly including a water level sensor and corresponding switch that may be operative within the pump system of FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flow chart of a method for checking pump functionality in accordance with principles described herein. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow chart of a method for checking an energy reservoir in accordance with principles described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Section 1: Traditional Pump Systems

[0013] Statistically, the most common cause of significant water damage when using conventional pumping systems is due to unexpected pump failure leading to basement flooding. Unexpected pump failure is a weakness of conventional pumping systems that operate using a single pump. The next most common cause of primary water damage when using conventional pumping systems is due to grid power outages. However, the use of conventional pumping systems has other potential concerns in addition to water damage, such as the threat of high voltage electric shock when flooding occurs.

[0014] FIG 1A is a schematic diagram of a conventional pump system 1000A. In contrast, FIG 1B is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a pump system 1000B according to principles described herein. As shown in FIG 1A, the conventional pump system 1000A includes: (1) a power supply subsystem (or "energy subsystem") 1100A for providing AC power from a high voltage power source; (2) a water pump subsystem 1200A consisting of a single AC powered water pump 1201A for pumping water in a well; (3) a system regulator 1300A consisting of a single water level sensor assembly 1311W incorporating a pair of high / low water level sensors 1311H and 1311L; and (4) a power switch subsystem 1400A consisting of a single pump switch 1411A.

[0015] The AC power subsystem 1100A connects through a pump switch 1411A to power the AC powered pump 1201A, which is activated by a high level sensor 1311H to turn on the power to run the pump 1201A and deactivated by a low level sensor 1311L to turn off the power to stop the pump 1201A.

[0016] Typically, the water pump 1201A is powered by high voltage AC power from the grid. The water level sensor assembly 1311W is often a buoy-spring device that uses water buoyancy to detect the water level. When water reaches above the buoy's position, the buoy's weight is reduced by the water buoyancy, and when the water level falls below the buoy's position, the buoy returns to its normal weight. This weight difference activates the spring, producing a separate high / low signal that turns the switch 1411A on and off.

[0017] Typically, a single assembly includes the switch 1411A and the water level sensor 1311W as a combined unit, named in the art as a "pump control switch" assembly, and is referred to herein as an "assembly" or "assembly module." As used herein, the assembly module has the same labeling as the water level sensor in each of FIGS. 1A and 1B. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the water level sensor (or the same numbered assembly module) can also send a control signal here. As an example, the "assembly" combining the switch 1411A and the water level sensor 1311W is also numbered as the assembly 1311W, which can also send a signal for the control function in FIG. 1A. Similarly, the assembly combining the switches 1311W, 1312W, and 1313W, respectively, in FIG. 1B can send a signal for the control function of each of the pumps 1201B, 1202, and 1203, respectively, in FIG. 1B.

[0018] To reiterate, conventional pump designs use AC grid power to drive a single large pump that is controlled by a single pump control switch assembly. When the water level rises above a high level, the assembly turns on the switch and sends AC power to drive the pump to pump water. When the water level falls below a low level, the assembly turns off the power to the pump and stops pumping water. Thus, an unexpected grid power outage, or assembly failure, or pump failure can cause basement flooding, thereby causing substantial damage and creating a strong possibility of high voltage electric shock.

[0019] Section 2: Pump systems following the principles described here

[0020] As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, water pump system 1000B incorporating the principles described herein includes a power supply subsystem 1100B that provides low voltage (e.g., 36 volts DC) power, unlike conventional pump system 1000A. Furthermore, unlike conventional pump systems, power supply subsystem 1100B also includes an energy reservoir 1102. Also, unlike conventional pump systems, water pump system 1000B includes a water pump subsystem 1201A that includes multiple water pumps (three pumps 1201B, 1202, and 1203 in the illustrated example) to pump water from a well. Water pump system 1000B further includes a regulator subsystem 1300B to regulate the administrative functions of the pump system. Water pump system 1000B further includes a switch group 1400B that comprises a group of switches. Each switch can be activated to turn on or off the power provided to a specific module when commanded.

[0021] Water pump system 1000B also includes a check / monitor 1500 subsystem for performing designed functional checks and monitoring for a particular individual subsystem or module, a valve (or "water inlet regulator") subsystem 1600 for turning on / off the fresh water inlet through a group of valves during system check and flushing procedures, a communications module 1700 for sending appropriate communications to interested parties, an AC / DC converter 1800 for converting AC power to charge reservoir 1102, and a charge / discharge regulator 1900 for regulating the charging / discharging of the energy reservoir in 1100. The functions of the above subsystems, devices, components and modules are described hereafter.

[0022] Instead of designing and equipping only one large pump 1201A as in conventional pump systems, the principles described herein use multiple smaller pumps (e.g., 1201B, 1202, and 1203 as shown in FIG. 1B). Note that the pump 1201B of the water pump system 1000B is different (e.g., smaller and / or DC powered) from the single pump 1201A of the conventional pump system 1000A, and therefore has a different label. The power delivery route to these pumps is controlled by groups (or "assemblies") of pump control switch assemblies 1311W, 1312W, and 1313W, respectively. The combined maximum capacity of the multiple small pumps is proposed to be equal to or slightly exceed the worst-case expected inflow rate, to which at least one additional pump is added as a "guarantee reserve" pump to mitigate the consequences of pump failure or other unexpected circumstances that may occur during operation. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the combined pumping capacity of pumps 1201B and 1202 is equal to or exceeds the capacity of the worst case expected water inflow, and pump 1203 is a "guarantee stand-by" pump.

[0023] FIG. 1B shows the proposed multi-pump system 1000B with three smaller pumps and additional devices 1500 and 1700 not present in the conventional pump system shown in FIG. 1A. As explained above, unexpected pump failure is a weakness of the conventional pump system 1100A operating using a single pump 1201A. With the multi-pump system described herein, the consequences of an expected single pump failure are ensured to be significantly less than those of the conventional pump system design, especially when an additional backup pump for guarantee is present. Even so, with the addition of the devices of the system check / monitoring subsystem 1500 and the communication subsystem 1700, the consequences of an unexpected single pump failure can be reduced even further. Thus, the multi-pump system as described herein clearly improves the state of the art.

[0024] The regulator subsystem 1300B includes sensors, including a sensor 1310G, for detecting the loss and return of grid power. The regulator 1300B also includes a group 1310W of level sensing assemblies (e.g., sensors 1311W, 1312W, 1313W, etc.). These level sensing assemblies 1310W are positioned to detect water levels, and therefore are also referred to herein as "water level sensors." A switch and a pair of high / low water level sensors may be built into each of these level sensing assemblies. By way of example, the assembly 1311W may have a built-in switch 1412 and high / low water level sensors 1311H and 1311L that control the power delivery of the pump 1201B. The assembly 1312W may have a built-in switch 1412B and high / low water level sensors 1312H and 1312L that control the power delivery of the pump 1202. Similarly, assembly 1313W may have built-in switch 1413 and high / low water level sensors 1313H and 1313L that control power delivery to pump 1203, and so on for as many pumps as may be present in multi-pump system 1000B. Regulator subsystem 1300B also includes a system check assembly 13SC1 that includes two flow sensors 1361F and 1362F and a high level sensor 13SCH.

[0025] The working principle of these assemblies can be the same as the buoy-spring and switch assemblies described in the previous section (section 1). Thus, these assemblies (1311W, 1312W, 1313W, etc.) can also send a water level signal to the control device to perform the designed control function. Figure 2 shows assembly 1311W consisting of high / low water level sensors 1311H, 1311L and assembly 1411B, which can also send a control signal. Assemblies 1312W and 1313W can be structured in the same way, each with its respective high / low water level sensor and switch.

[0026] For example, when the seepage increases such that the water level reaches the high water level 1311H, the sensor activates switch 1411B to turn on power to drive pump 1201B. When the water level further increases and reaches above another high water level 1312H (located above the first high water level 1311H), the sensor 1312H further activates switch 1412 to turn on power to drive pump 1202 (in addition to pump 1201B being driven by switch 1411). When the water level drops as a result of the combined pumping and seepage, and the water level drops below sensor 1312L but above sensor 1311H, the sensor 1312L activates switch 1412 to turn off pump 1202, but the sensor 1311H can still keep pump 1201B running.

[0027] As will be explained, the design of the embodiment of FIG. 1B is equipped with three assemblies (1311W, 1312W, and 1313W) for controlling three pumps (1201B, 1202, and 1203) that can be turned on and off to better match the leaching rate and adequately handle the maximum expected leaching rate (pump 1201B and pump 1202), and may also have at least one or more backup pumps (pump 1203) for the purposes described above as a guarantee.

[0028] Section 3: System Check

[0029] At the designated schedule, the system coordinator 1300B performs a system check. At the designated scheduled check time, the coordinator 1300B activates the system check module 1530 as a system check coordinator. The system check module 1530 then sends a signal to activate the communication device 1700, thereby registering this activation with the record keeping module 1701, and activates the system check / monitor device 1533 to perform the scheduled system check. After completing the system check, the coordinator device 1530 activates the message delivery component 1702 to send a finalized check report.

[0030] As one example, when a system check indicates normal operation, the finalized check report may be "Water Pump System at [name or address] performed its scheduled system check on [year / month / day / time] (include year, month, day, and time)." The result may be: "All subsystems are in normal condition." As another example, when a system check indicates that pump 1201 and / or its associated control assembly are not operating properly, the finalized check report may be "Alert!! System check of water pump system at [name or address] reports the following malfunction: Pump 1202 is not functioning." As yet another example, when a system check fails to complete at the scheduled time, the finalized check report may be "Alert!! System check of water pump system at [name or address] did not perform its scheduled system check."

[0031] Section 4: Pump Check Procedure

[0032] Because the reliability of each subsystem may vary widely, checks of the subsystems may be performed at different frequencies. For example, checks of the pump subsystem may be performed semi-annually, while checks of the energy reservoir may be performed seasonally. Also, the fresh water inlet flow rate may be adjusted so that it is less than the designed worst-case flood rate (e.g., less than the combined pumping capacity of pumps 1201B and 1202).

[0033] During the pump check, the check and monitoring subsystem 1500 activates the check adjuster 1530 (shown in FIG. 2) to adjust the pump check. As a starting point, the subsystem 1500 records the system operating state in the record keeping module 1701. For example, at the initial state of the pump check, pump 1201B is running, but pumps 1202 and 1203 are not running. The adjuster 1530 leaves the system operating state as it is and begins to perform the pump check procedure. At the end of the pump check, the subsystem 1500 resets back to the initial operating state. The next check sequence assumes that the initial state is as described above (i.e., pump 1201B is running, but pumps 1202 and 1203 are not running).

[0034] 3 shows a flow chart of a method 300 for checking pump function according to the principles described herein. As shown in start step 301 (i.e., fresh water inlet step), the system check regulator 1530 activates the fresh water inlet regulator 1600 to admit fresh water through a set of serially connected valves 1601 and 1602, each controlled by an inlet switch 1460 including switches 1461 and 1462. Initially, valve 1601 is blocked while valve 1602 is open. The water inlet regulator 1600 activates valve 1601 to open it, thereby allowing fresh water to flow into the well through valve 1601 (detected by flow sensor 1361F) and valve 1602 (detected by flow sensor 1362F). A signal of the water flow through valves 1601 and 1602 is sent by flow sensors 1361F and 1362F of assembly 13SC1 to regulator 1530 and is recorded by record keeping module 1701, indicating that the water inlet valve is properly opened. Commercially available water flow sensors are available. For example, these are used in flow activated gas ignition devices for water heaters or in flow activated electric shower heaters.

[0035] The water level can then be increased to reach the designed water level (level SC1H in assembly 13SC1), which is higher than the highest pump control assembly (level 1313H as in the embodiment of FIG. 1B). Assembly 13SC1 sends a signal to regulator 1530 when the water level reaches SC1H, so that the event is recorded by record keeping module 1701, which signal indicates that inlet step 301 has been performed and completed. Regulator 1530 then performs step 302, which is the step of shutting off the water inlet.

[0036] As shown in step 302, the water inlet regulator 1600 activates valve 1602 to shut off fresh water from flowing through it. The resulting loss of flow is detected by flow sensor 1362F, and a resulting signal that the water flow is off is then set to the water inlet regulator 1600. The water inlet regulator 1600 then activates valve 1601 to shut off. Once valve 1601 is completely shut off and a signal is sent to the water inlet regulator 1600, the water inlet regulator 1600 then activates valve 1602 to reopen. When valve 1601 is shut off and valve 1602 is actually reopened, there will be some water flow for a short period of time that is detected by flow sensor 1362F but not detected by flow sensor 1361F. However, after a suitable time delay, the water flow sensors 1361F and 1362F will not sense any fresh water flow through valves 1601 and 1602.

[0037] This step 302 can detect whether the valves are functioning properly. When the inlet regulator 1600 determines that the valves 1601 and 1602 have returned to their initial state (valve 1601 closed and valve 1602 open) and no water is flowing through the valves, an "ok" signal is then sent to the regulator 1530 indicating that the valves 1601 and 1602 are properly opened and closed, respectively.

[0038] Steps 301 and 302 perform water inlet and water shutoff not only to check the pump, but also to check the valves to prevent failure of the fresh water inlet valve, which could also lead to basement flooding. Any valve failure is detected and reported before any two of the valves can fail. When valve repair is required, a manual valve at the inlet source can shut off the water flow. The regulator 1530 records the completion of step 302 in the record keeping module 1701 and initiates step 303.

[0039] As shown in step 303, the pump function is checked for all pumps. The regulator 1530 turns on all pumps (1203, 1202 and 1201B) by means of its control assemblies, in particular 1313H of 1313W, 1312H of 1312W and 1311H of 1311W. The water level will drop over time to reach level 1313L and turn off pump 1203. If pump 1202 was not running in the initial state, the water level will now drop over time to reach 1312L and turn off pump 1202. If pump 1201B was not running in the initial state, the water level will now drop over time to reach 1311L and turn off pump 1201B. Once the pumps have been activated one by one by the control assembly to pump water and then turned off one by one by the control assembly to return to the initial state described above, the regulating device 1530 can conclude that the pumps and their control assemblies are functioning properly. The regulating device 1530 records the completion of step 303 in the record keeping device 1701 and proceeds to step 304. As an alternative embodiment, each pump can be directly equipped with a flow sensor to determine whether each pump and its control assembly is functioning properly.

[0040] As shown in step 304, the pump subsystem is analyzed and reported on. The system check regulator 1530 activates the system check analyzer 1510 to analyze the pump based on the records generated in steps 301 to 303. Based on this analysis, the analyzer 1510 concludes as to whether the pump is functioning properly and fills in a designed formatted report. When finished, the analyzer sends a signal to the regulator 1530 to activate the message delivery module 1702 to send the report to all concerned via a given means such as e-mail, TWITTER or phone message.

[0041] Section 5: Energy Reservoir Check

[0042] When the time for a scheduled energy reservoir check arrives, the system controller 1300 activates the system check coordinator 1530 to implement the check sequence block diagram shown in FIG.

[0043] As shown in step 401, the DC charging inlet power of the AC / DC converter is turned off. As shown in step 402, fresh water is admitted according to pump check step 301 described above. In other words, fresh water is admitted through valves 1601 and 1602 (again under the control of respective switches 1461 and 1462) such that the water level activates at least two of pumps 1201B, 1202, and 1203. The water inlets are then turned off according to the procedure described above with respect to pump check step 302. After the energy reservoir has been providing pumping power to the three pumps for about an hour, or after the water level reaches 13SC1H, the pumps continue to run for another hour before proceeding to the next step 402.

[0044] As shown in step 403, the regulator 1530 activates the regulator 1910 to measure the terminal voltage and determine whether the energy storage level is greater than 60%. If it is greater than 60%, the reservoir is functioning properly. If it is less than 60%, the reservoir needs to be replaced with a new reservoir in about one to three months.

[0045] The charge / discharge regulator 1900 is designed to be robust and is continuously monitored by the monitoring module 1520. Therefore, in some embodiments, the charge / discharge regulator is not checked. The other subsystems are commercially available units including AC / DC converters. These are to be maintained and checked according to the guidelines specified in their user manuals. Therefore, they are not included in the specified system checks of this disclosure.

[0046] Section 6: System Monitoring

[0047] The described system check and communication device 1500, 1700 not only performs scheduled system checks and reports the results, but also performs real-time checks and sends appropriate messages to a list of owner-specified telephone numbers when a significant event is detected (e.g., pump failure during normal operation, grid power outage, water inflow exceeding maximum pump system capacity) so that it can be determined what action should be taken to mitigate the upcoming consequences (e.g., rush to the house and contain the water damage in its early stages, or no immediate action is required, but call for help for repair or replacement after a month, or other action).

[0048] For example, module 1310G can monitor and report grid power outages and restorations in real time, so that owner designated personnel receive this information via owner designated channels. Pumps are also monitored in real time, so that when any pump failure occurs, this is reported to owner designated personnel via owner designated communications channels. Water level assembly 13OF1 is placed near and above assembly 13SC1 level, so that when abnormal flood volumes enter the well, such are detected and reported to owner designated personnel via owner designated communications channels.

[0049] To alleviate the unpleasant odor problem from stagnant water in the well, as discussed in the Background section, an automatic water flushing regulator 1350 periodically flushes the well by a time clock. When the pump is not running, the time clock counts up to a predetermined time period. When the predetermined time period occurs after the last pump is run, flushing is initiated. To avoid wasting fresh water, the flushing schedule can be configured to coincide with the system check schedule. For example, whenever the regulator decides to flush the well, the system check will perform a pump check. After all system checks have been performed, the clock of 1350 shall be reset and begin counting.

[0050] Section 7: Other Benefits

[0051] The principles proposed herein can also correct at least two other shortcomings of conventional pump system designs. First, in conventional pump systems, a single large pump is designed with a fixed pumping capacity to handle the most unlikely maximum anticipated water leakage condition. As a result, during normal normal leaching, periodic short pulse start and stop pumping action is induced, which shortens the life of the motor and also wastes a lot of electrical energy. The proposed design, on the other hand, turns on and off an additional small pump to better match the leaching volume. Second, a single pump of conventional design often does not have the reserve pumping capacity to handle more than the typical maximum designed leakage volume (e.g., 36 gallons per minute). In contrast, the principles described herein propose to have a total maximum pumping capacity (e.g., 18 gallons per minute for each pump, for a total of 54 gallons per minute) that is substantially greater than the single pump capacity, and also has one built-in backup pump for guarantee.

[0052] Section 8: Details on other subsystems

[0053] 1B, converter 1800 converts high voltage AC to low voltage DC power, which is temporarily stored in energy 110. When grid power is normal, the combined DC power from the converter and reservoir operates a pump system including DC pumps 1201, 1202, and 1203. When grid power is unavailable, the energy reservoir alone directly powers the system in the form of low voltage DC for the designed time (no inverter is required).

[0054] This power subsystem works with built-in sensors to check itself in real time, and the viability of the reservoir is also checked periodically by the system check regulator 1530 as described above. Thus, the viability of the UPS energy reservoir during grid power outages can be guaranteed.

[0055] The principle described here suggests that the converter 1800 is purchased from a market that is safety certified (by UL and CE) and designed to be waterproof or placed in a water-free location. All other subsystems, devices, modules, and motors are proposed to run on low-voltage DC power. Thus, the safety of the pump system as well as its UPS energy reservoir from lethal electric shock can be guaranteed.

[0056] 1B, multiple smaller pumps 120B, 1202, and 1203 may be powered with low voltage DC (e.g., either 36, 24, or 12 volts) that does not pose a shock hazard. The pump motors are DC motors, such as simple brushless DC motors or variable frequency brushless DC motors.

[0057] The water pumps can be mounted at the same height at the bottom of the well, or they can be mounted at different heights inside the well, or they can be mounted above the well. These water pumps shall be activated by the water level sensor 1310W to start / stop pumping water. For example, the water pump 1201B is activated by the water level sensor 1311H to start pumping water and 1311L to stop pumping. The water pump 1202 is activated by the water level sensor 1312H to start pumping water and 1312L to stop pumping, and so on. In another embodiment, when the pumps are mounted at the same height or above the well, the water level sensor can send its signal to the device 1310W, which can be designed to determine which pump should be turned on or off.

[0058] Among the designed functions, the system check device 1500 can perform periodic system checks on all standby functions according to the designed procedures. The combined devices 1300B and 1500 can also monitor the operational functions of the system in real time, such as whether the grid power is normal or out, whether the converter is delivering DC power, whether the pump is malfunctioning during operation, etc. The communication device 1700 can send these monitoring results via appropriate messages to the appropriate people at the appropriate time.

[0059] The device 1900 is designed to properly regulate the UPS charging and discharging to the pump system by the grid power conversion. As an example, when the energy storage of the energy reservoir reaches or exceeds 95%, the regulator 1360 stops charging until the energy reservoir drops to or below 75% storage, at which point the regulator 1900 allows charging again. On the other hand, when the energy reservoir storage level drops to or below 5%, the regulator 1900 stops discharging until the charging returns to or above 15% of the energy storage, at which point the regulator 1900 allows discharging again. In doing so, the regulator prevents the battery from overcharging and over-draining, so that the battery of the reservoir is well protected to have its designed long life.

[0060] All electronic signals between sensors, regulators and switches can be sent via standard industrial electronic communication cables, or via wireless devices such as Bluetooth, or converted to optical signals and used optical cables for intercommunication between these devices.

[0061] Section 9: Summary

[0062] In summary, the principles described herein propose to use multiple smaller pumps in the pumping subsystem 1200B instead of a single large pump design as in conventional pump systems. The principles described herein add a system check device 1500 to monitor real-time operation and periodically check all functions of the entire system. The principles described herein also add a communication device 1700 to deliver messages to owner-designated persons via owner-designated communication channels for check results in periodic checks or when important events occur.

[0063] The principles described herein further design the smaller pumps so that their combined capacity is greater than the capacity of the expected worst case scenario, preferably with one or more pumps added as a safeguard reserve, so that there is little chance of basement flooding occurring when grid power is normal.

[0064] As explained above, the principle described herein further includes fresh water inlet valve set and regulator 1602, 1602, and 1600 to perform system function check and well flushing. Fresh water inlet regulator 1600 fills the well up to the designed water level sensor position SC1H by admitting a designed amount of fresh water through inlet valve set 1601 and 1602, and then shuts off the valve, which allows the water level sensor to start all pumps as scheduled. By monitoring the action of the sensor signals and switching on and off each water pump, system check device 1500 can collect all required data to determine the function or non-function of the subsystems. The results of the system check described above can be sent to the appropriate person via communication device 1700. It is noted that inlet valve 1600 is designed to have at least two inlet valves 1601 and 1602 connected in series to prevent basement flooding due to valve failure, so that the inlet water can be shut off even if one valve is broken. Valve failure messages are also delivered.

[0065] The principles described herein further propose to convert the high voltage AC power into low voltage DC power and temporarily store the DC energy in an energy reservoir, so that the pump system can be operated in the form of low voltage DC. The designed energy storage capacity of the reservoir shall support the operation of the system for a desired time. The principles described herein therefore propose to use a low voltage DC pump in its pumping subsystem to realize the embodiment without any inverter.

[0066] The present principles further suggest that the converter that converts high voltage AC to low voltage DC power should be located in a flood-free location or constructed with a waterproof design, so that the system can be assured not only to be safe and free of high voltage electric shock hazards, but also to provide reliable UPS energy and maintain pumping function during periods of grid power outages.

[0067] A charge / discharge regulator is also incorporated to regulate the reservoir so that it is not only properly charged and discharged, but also ensures that the reservoir's energy storage level remains above a designed level, which not only ensures the energy support's ability to withstand grid power outages, but also ensures the long life of the battery.

[0068] As noted above, when incorporating the principles described herein, there is little chance of flooding occurring with normal grid power or during grid power outages. Additional benefits of incorporating the principles described herein include mitigating any threat from lethal high voltage electric shock and reducing the generation of foul odors due to stagnant water. It should be noted that the term "well" is used hereafter to cover all wells, including basement wells as used above, or any lower level containers associated with the location to receive the pumped liquid (water).

[0069] Although the system described above is referred to as a "water" pumping system, many modifications and variations can be envisioned by one skilled in the art. For example, a pumping system can be designed to pump liquid from a lower location to a higher location while overcoming similar obstacles as described above. Or, a pumping system can be designed to pump water from a water well to a tank (reservoir) with a specific water head that uses the principles described herein to obtain a specific desired advantage. It is therefore intended that the appended claims include all such modifications and variations as fall fully within the spirit of the invention, and it will be understood that the term "liquid" may be substituted for "water" in the claims accordingly.

[0070] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. a plurality of liquid pumps powered by a low voltage DC energy reservoir to pump liquid from a pump well, the low voltage DC energy reservoir providing a DC voltage less than 72 volts; an AC / DC power converter for converting AC power into DC power to charge the low voltage DC energy reservoir; a regulator subsystem configured to turn on each of the plurality of liquid pumps one at a time as the liquid level in the pump well rises and to turn off each of the plurality of liquid pumps one at a time as the liquid level in the pump well falls; a system check device configured to periodically check the operation of the plurality of liquid pumps using fresh water used for flushing the pump well, the flushing being performed when a predetermined time has elapsed since the last pump operation, and the system check device checking the plurality of liquid pumps, the water inlet valve, and the low voltage DC energy reservoir at the timing of the flushing; a communication device configured to send a message to one or more recipients when said check is completed; A liquid pump system comprising:

2. The system check device comprises: A system monitoring device; An analytical device; a system check adjusting device, the system check adjusting device being activated based on a designed procedure indicating one or more scheduled functional checks, causing the system monitoring device to perform the scheduled functional checks on at least the plurality of liquid pumps, causing the analytical device to verify proper operation of the plurality of liquid pumps, and causing a communication to be sent to the one or more recipients in at least the case where a scheduled functional check detects a pump defect for a subset of the plurality of liquid pumps; Including, The communication device includes a record-keeping module and a message delivery component; In response to a scheduled functional check, the system check adjuster registers the scheduled functional check with the record-keeping module, and when the scheduled functional check is completed, the system check adjuster causes the message delivery component to transmit a message to the one or more recipients.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

3. The liquid is water.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

4. the number of said plurality of liquid pumps being at least one greater than the number necessary to have a pumping rate of said liquid equal to or exceeding a maximum anticipated seepage rate of said liquid to said pump well; 2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

5. Further comprising a set of fresh water injection valves and a liquid injection regulator for controlling the amount of injection liquid taken between scheduled functional checks of the plurality of liquid pumps; the set of fresh water injection valves includes at least two injection valves connected in series such that the liquid injection regulator can shut off the flow of the injection liquid even when one valve is faulty; 2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

6. The power source supplying the AC power includes a power grid.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

7. The power source supplying the AC power includes a low voltage power source.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

8. The AC / DC power converter converts the AC power into low voltage DC power.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

9. the low voltage DC energy reservoir comprises at least one battery; 2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

10. At least one of the plurality of liquid pumps includes a brushless DC motor.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

11. at least two of the plurality of liquid pumps are disposed at approximately the same horizontal level in the pump well; 2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

12. at least two of the plurality of liquid pumps are disposed within the pump well but at different horizontal levels in the pump well; 2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

13. At least one pump of the plurality of liquid pumps is disposed at a different horizontal level in the pump well.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

14. At least one of the plurality of liquid pumps is disposed on or above the ground relative to the pump well.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

15. All of the plurality of liquid pumps are disposed on or above the ground relative to the pump well.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

16. A plurality of liquid level sensors for detecting liquid levels are disposed inside the pump well.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

17. All signal communication from the liquid pump system is through electrical cables.

3. The liquid pump system of claim 2.

18. The pump well is a well located underground in a residential area.

2. The liquid pump system of claim 1.

Images