Electronic detection of vent blockage and blower malfunction in temperature control systems
AssigneeRheem Manufacturing Company
InventorSina Jasteh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A temperature control system includes a blower impeller assembly that has a blower impeller, a motor coupled to and configured to drive the blower impeller, and a sensor that is coupled to the motor and configured to measure current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at a set angular speed. Further, the temperature control system includes a controller that is communicatively coupled to the sensor. The controller electronically detects at least one of a blockage in a vent coupled to the temperature control system and a malfunction of the blower impeller based on an amount of the current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed.
Claims18
A temperature control system comprising:
- a blower impeller assembly comprising:
- a blower impeller that is configured to create an airflow through the temperature control system;
- a motor coupled to and configured to drive the blower impeller;
- and
- a sensor that is coupled to the motor and configured to measure a current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at a set angular speed;
- and
- a controller that is communicatively coupled to the sensor and configured to:
- receive, from the sensor, sensor data to electronically detect based on the sensor data at least one of a blockage in a vent coupled to the temperature control system and a malfunction of the blower impeller, the sensor data comprising an amount of the current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed, the vent having a given length;
- determine whether the amount of the current drawn by the motor is within a current value tolerance range associated with an average amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed during a normal operation of the temperature control system for the given length of the vent;
- and
- responsive to a negative determination that the amount of the current drawn by the motor is within the current value tolerance range, determine whether the amount of the current drawn by the motor is less than a blower impeller locked value and greater than a blower impeller missing value,
- wherein the blower impeller locked value is representative of a first amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed when the blower impeller is locked, and wherein the blower impeller missing value is representative of a second amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed when the blower impeller is inoperative.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions, which, when executed by a controller of a temperature control system, causes the controller to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, from a sensor that is coupled to a motor that drives a blower impeller of the temperature control system, a sensor data comprising a current value that is representative of an amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller of the temperature control system at a set angular speed;
- detecting, based on the current value, at least one of a blockage in a vent coupled to the temperature control system and a malfunction of the blower impeller, the current value based on the amount of the current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed, the vent having a given length;
- and
- determining that:
- (a) the current value is within a current value tolerance range associated with an average amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed during a normal operation of the temperature control system for the given length of the vent, and (b) the current value is less than a blower impeller locked value and greater than a blower impeller missing value,
- wherein the blower impeller locked value is representative of a first amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed when the blower impeller is locked, and wherein the blower impeller missing value is representative of a second amount of current drawn by the motor to maintain the blower impeller at the set angular speed when the blower impeller is inoperative.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.