US 2026/0106453 A1 · MODULAR SPA CONTROLLER WITH VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE

Abstract

A controller system for a bathing installation such as a spa, whirlpool bath or a pool, the bathing installation including a line voltage AC supply for selectively powering peripherals. The controller system includes an electronic controller configured to manage and control various peripherals such as heaters, pumps, and lights, by modulating the outputs to these peripherals, through the use of one or more Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) for driving rotating loads and TRIACs with phase angle modulation for driving resistive loads. An exemplary embodiment also features a modular electronics design, allowing for flexible and customizable control of the spa system. Elements of the design include a high voltage bus, card edge connections, and the separation of high voltage and low voltage components.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A controller system for a bathing installation, the bathing installation including a line voltage AC supply for selectively powering peripherals, the controller system comprising:

an electronic controller configured to manage and control various peripherals including one or more heaters and rotating loads including a pump by modulating the power outputs to these peripherals, through the use of a variable frequency drive (VFDs) for driving the rotating load;
wherein the VFD comprises:
a rectifier circuit for converting the line voltage AC supply into a DC voltage;
a DC bus stabilization circuit configured for filtering and stabilizing the DC voltage to provide a steady DC voltage;
and
an inverter configured for inverting the stabilized DC voltage back to an AC voltage with adjustable frequency and amplitude to drive a pump motor or other rotating component, wherein the inverter frequency and amplitude are controlled by the electronic controller.

3 more elements

A modular controller system for a bathing installation, the bathing installation including a line voltage AC supply for selectively powering peripherals, the controller system comprising:

an electronic controller including a microcontroller, the electronic controller configured to manage and control various peripherals including one or more heaters, pumps, and low voltage peripherals, by modulating the outputs to these peripherals, through the use of one or more Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) for driving rotating loads and one or more switches for driving resistive loads;
a main circuit board on which are mounted a set of card edge connections, and wherein the card edge connections allow for modular expansion by enabling different input/output (I/O) cards to be inserted into the controller system, and wherein the cards are tailored to specific system requirements, and wherein each of the set of card edge connections are connected to a communication interface, a position identification interface and an interrupt interface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Modular spa controller with variable frequency drive

Life of this patent

Modular spa controller with variable frequency drive

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22