Determining and utilizing a desired frequency for a mechanical shaker for a sump pump system
AssigneeState Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
InventorsNathan L. Tofte, Jonathan Christopher Hull, John R. Donovan, Richard Jan Tjaden
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sump pump system enables automatic determination and utilization of frequencies for mechanical shakers for sump pumps. These techniques may be implemented to detect a fault (e.g., a stuck impeller) with a sump pump and to identify a desirable frequency at which a mechanical shaker for the sump pump should vibrate to correct the fault.
Claims20
A sump pump system configured to automatically determine and utilize frequencies for mechanical shakers, the sump pump system comprising:
- a sump pump;
- a sensor;
- a mechanical shaker;
- a sump pump control system coupled to the sump pump, the sensor, and the mechanical shaker, wherein the sump pump control system is configured to:
- detect a fault with the sump pump;
- activate the mechanical shaker;
- collect acceleration data representing acceleration caused by the mechanical shaker detected via the sensor;
- detect a desired acceleration pattern corresponding to a correction of the fault;
- and
- deactivate the mechanical shaker.
A method for automatically determining and utilizing frequencies for mechanical shakers, the method comprising:
- detecting, via a sump pump control system, a fault with a sump pump;
- activating, via the sump pump control system, a mechanical shaker;
- collecting, via the sump pump control system, acceleration data representing acceleration caused by the mechanical shaker detected via a sensor;
- detecting, via the sump pump control system, a desired acceleration pattern;
- and
- deactivating, via the sump pump control system, the mechanical shaker.
A method for automatically determining and utilizing frequencies for mechanical shakers, the method comprising:
- detecting, via a sump pump control system, a fault with a sump pump;
- responding, via the sump pump control system, to detecting the fault by:
- (i) detecting, via a sensor configured to detect acceleration, a current acceleration pattern;
- (ii) detecting, within a set of known relationships, a suggested frequency corresponding to a known acceleration pattern;
- and
- (iii) activating a mechanical shaker configured to shake according to a frequency variable, to shake at the suggested frequency, to thereby shake the sump pump in an attempt to correct the fault.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.