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US 10,119,535 B2Granted
Pump control system with isolated AC voltage detector
AssigneeFranklin Electric Co., Inc.
InventorsWei Song, Robert Wetekamp
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pump and a method of operating the pump at a duty-cycle based on the input voltage of the power source energizing the pump. The pump includes at least a first opto-coupler electrically coupled to the power source. The method includes detecting at least a first opto-coupler state transition; determining a zero-crossing of the input voltage; determining an elapsed time between the zero-crossing and the first opto-coupler state transition; and operating the pump by energizing a power switch at a duty-cycle based on the elapsed time.
Claims19
A method of operating a pump based on a voltage of a power source powering the pump, the method comprising:
- detecting at least a first opto-coupler state transition of a first opto-coupler electrically coupled to the power source, the power source electrically coupled to a solenoid of the pump, the first opto-coupler having a positive input contact electrically connected to the power source and a negative input contact, and the first opto-coupler transitioning state responsive to current flowing from the power source through the positive input contact to the negative input contact of the first opto-coupler;
- detecting a second opto-coupler state transition;
- determining a zero-crossing of the voltage of the power source based on the second opto-coupler state transition;
- determining an elapsed time between the zero-crossing and the first opto-coupler state transition;
- and
- energizing the solenoid at a duty-cycle based on the elapsed time.
3 more elements
A pump comprising:
- an opto-coupler including an input side having an input positive contact and an input negative contact, the input positive contact adapted to be electrically coupled to a power source having a voltage;
- a first diode connected to block current from the power source to the opto-coupler during a positive half-cycle of the voltage of the power source until the voltage exceeds a breakdown voltage of the first diode, the opto-coupler transitioning from a first state to a second state responsive to current flow through the input side of the opto-coupler and providing a first output signal responsive to said transition, and transitioning from the second state to the first state responsive to the current ceasing to flow through the input side of the opto-coupler;
- a second opto-coupler providing a second output signal responsive to a zero-crossing of the voltage of the power source;
- a second diode connected to block current flow from the power source to the second opto-coupler during a negative half-cycle of the voltage;
- a solenoid adapted to be electrically coupled to the power source;
- and
- a control logic structured to determine an elapsed time between the first output signal and the second output signal, the control logic further structured to activate the solenoid at a duty-cycle corresponding to the elapsed time.
4 more elements
A control circuit comprising:
- a first opto-coupler having an input positive contact and an input negative contact, the first opto-coupler changing output state responsive to current flowing from a power source through the input positive contact to the input negative contact;
- a second opto-coupler;
- a first diode adapted to be electrically coupled to the power source and being electrically coupled to the input positive contact of the first opto-coupler to activate and change the output state of the first opto-coupler in response to a voltage of the power source exceeding a breakdown voltage of the first diode during a positive half-cycle of the voltage, the first opto-coupler providing a first output signal responsive to said activation;
- a second diode coupled to activate the second opto-coupler in response to a zero-crossing of the voltage, the second opto-coupler providing a second output signal responsive to said activation;
- and
- control logic structured to activate a power switch at a duty-cycle based on an elapsed time between the first output signal and the second output signal.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.