Control system for a liquid pump sprayer
AssigneeThe Fountainhead Group, Inc.
InventorsMatthew Merritt, Ronald Fusco, Martin Comstock
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A battery-powered liquid pump sprayer having a control system capable of providing the user with a selectable series of defined spray application pressures, flow rates, and patterns that are accurately sustained over the duration of a spray application session. The pump sprayer has a control system for use with a battery having a voltage supply amount and a motor having a voltage demand amount that is less than the voltage supply amount. A microcontroller of the control system is coupled to the battery and the motor, and is programmed to provide a supply voltage from the battery to the motor and to ensure that the supply voltage is at least as much as the voltage demand amount.
Claims4
A control system for a battery powered liquid pump sprayer, comprising:
- a battery having a voltage supply amount;
- a motor having a voltage demand amount that is less than the voltage supply amount;
- a microcontroller coupled to the battery and the motor, wherein the microcontroller is programmed to provide a supply voltage from the battery to the motor, to ensure that the supply voltage is at least as much as the voltage demand amount, and to attenuate the supply voltage to match the voltage demand amount if the supply voltage is greater than the voltage demand amount;
- a spray flow input having a plurality of user selectable flow rates,
- wherein the microcontroller is programmed to:
- adjust the supply voltage according to a selected one of the plurality of user selectable flow rates;
- to use pulse width modulation to attenuate the supply voltage;
- to include a comparator function that can continuously read the supply voltage from the battery and compare it to the voltage demand amount;
- and
- to an encoder system for obtaining results from the comparator function and directing pulse width modulation to continuously attenuate the supply voltage so that the supply voltage matches the voltage demand amount.
A method of controlling a battery powered liquid pump sprayer, comprising the steps of:
- providing a battery having a voltage supply amount;
- providing a motor having a voltage demand amount that is less than the voltage supply amount;
- using a microcontroller coupled to the battery and the motor to provide a supply voltage from the battery to the motor, ensure that the supply voltage is at least as much as the voltage demand amount, and attenuating the supply voltage by using pulse width modulation to match the voltage demand amount if the supply voltage is greater than the voltage demand amount;
- providing a spray flow input having a plurality of user selectable flow rates;
- using the microcontroller to adjust the supply voltage according to a selected one of the plurality of user selectable flow rates;
- including a comparator function that can continuously read the supply voltage from the battery and compare it to the voltage demand amount;
- and
- including an encoder system for obtaining results from the comparator function and directing the pulse width modulation to continuously attenuate the supply voltage so that the supply voltage matches the voltage demand amount.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.