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US 11,689,129 B2Granted
Paint sprayer with dynamic pulse width modulation driven motor
AssigneeGraco Minnesota Inc.
InventorTyler J. Kruzel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid sprayer includes a housing, a pump, a nozzle, a high voltage direct current (HVDC) brushed electric motor that drives the pump, and a motor controller electrically connected to the motor. The motor controller drives the motor with a high speed pulse width modulated (PWM) drive signal that switches current through the motor on and off. The motor controller varies the PWM signal as a function of a spray setting input and sensed current through the motor.
Claims20
A fluid sprayer comprising:
- a pump supported by a housing;
- a trigger supported by the housing, the trigger configured to control activation of the pump;
- a nozzle fluidly connected to the pump for spraying fluid delivered under pressure by the pump;
- a direct current (DC) electric motor operably connected to the pump to operate the pump;
- a spray setting input configured to generate a user selected spray setting;
- and
- a motor controller electrically connected to the DC electric motor to drive the DC electric motor with a high speed pulse width modulated (PWM) signal that switches current through the DC electric motor on and off while the DC electric motor is rotating such that the DC electric motor continues rotating with the current both on and off while the motor controller drives the DC electric motor, the motor controller driving the DC electric motor based on actuation of the trigger, the DC electric motor configured to continue rotating so long as the trigger is actuated;
- wherein the motor controller is configured to drive the DC electric motor with the PWM signal to rotationally accelerate the DC electric motor to a rotational speed for spraying and the motor controller is configured to drive the DC electric motor with the PWM signal to drive rotation of the DC electric motor with the DC electric motor at the rotational speed for spraying;
- wherein the motor controller is configured to control a duty cycle of pulse cycles of the PWM signal during a first portion of the rotational acceleration of the DC electric motor independent of the user selected spray setting;
- and
- wherein the motor controller is configured to control the duty cycle while the DC electric motor is rotating during spraying based on the user selected spray setting.
8 more elements
A fluid sprayer comprising:
- a pump supported by a housing;
- a nozzle fluidly connected to the pump for spraying fluid delivered under pressure by the pump;
- a direct current (DC) electric motor operably connected to the pump to operate the pump;
- a spray setting input configured to generate a user selected spray setting;
- and
- a motor controller electrically connected to the motor to drive the motor with a high speed pulse width modulated (PWM) signal that switches current through the motor on and off while the DC electric motor is rotating such that the DC electric motor continues rotating with the PWM signal current both on and off such that the DC electric motor continues to drive pumping by the pump with the current both on and off;
- wherein the motor controller is configured to drive the DC electric motor with the PWM signal during a start-up sequence phase of the DC electric motor during which the motor controller causes the DC electric motor to accelerate to a functional rotational speed for spraying;
- wherein the start-up sequence phase includes driving the DC electric motor with the PWM signal through a first phase with a first duty cycle, a second phase after the first phase that includes a second duty cycle less than the first duty cycle of the first phase, and a third phase after the second phase with a third duty cycle that is intermediate the first duty cycle and the second duty cycle.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.