U.S. patent application number 15/338824 was filed with the patent office on 2017-05-04 for cordless fluid pump.
The applicant listed for this patent is Black & Decker Inc.. Invention is credited to Dennis Keith Kirk, JR., Andrew E. Seman, JR., David C. Veprek, Daniel J. White.
Application Number | 20170122325 15/338824 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58637302 |
Filed Date | 2017-05-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170122325 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Seman, JR.; Andrew E. ; et
al. |
May 4, 2017 |
Cordless Fluid Pump
Abstract
A fluid pump having a housing with a fluid input and a fluid
output, a removable power tool battery pack disposed within the
housing, a motor disposed within the housing and electrically
connected to the power tool battery pack, and an impeller driven by
the motor for drawing fluid through an input opening and into an
output opening. The fluid pump may be partially buoyant when placed
in a fluid.
Inventors: |
Seman, JR.; Andrew E.;
(Pylesville, MD) ; White; Daniel J.; (Baltimore,
MD) ; Veprek; David C.; (Baltimore, MD) ;
Kirk, JR.; Dennis Keith; (Finksburg, MD) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Black & Decker Inc. |
New Britain |
CT |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58637302 |
Appl. No.: |
15/338824 |
Filed: |
October 31, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62250283 |
Nov 3, 2015 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 29/708 20130101;
F04D 13/068 20130101; F04D 29/24 20130101; F04D 13/066 20130101;
F04D 15/0066 20130101; F04D 29/4293 20130101; F04D 29/026
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F04D 15/00 20060101
F04D015/00; F04D 29/24 20060101 F04D029/24; F04D 29/42 20060101
F04D029/42; F04D 29/02 20060101 F04D029/02; F04D 13/06 20060101
F04D013/06; F04D 29/70 20060101 F04D029/70 |
Claims
1: A fluid pump comprising: a housing with a fluid input and a
fluid output, a removable power tool battery pack disposed within
the housing, a motor disposed within the housing and electrically
connected to the power tool battery pack, and an impeller driven by
the motor for drawing fluid through an input opening and into an
output opening, wherein the fluid pump is partially buoyant when
placed in a fluid.
2: The fluid pump of claim 1, wherein the housing has a cavity.
3: The fluid pump of claim 2, wherein the power tool battery pack
is disposable within the cavity.
4: The fluid pump of claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises
a lid.
5: The fluid pump of claim 4, wherein the lid defines a limit of
the cavity.
6: The fluid pump of claim 1, wherein the housing may support a
removable screen disposed by the fluid input.
7: The fluid pump of claim 1, further comprising a motor controller
connected to the motor for controlling the motor.
8: The fluid pump of claim 7, further comprising a current sensor
connected to the motor for measuring motor current.
9: The fluid pump of claim 8, wherein the current sensor provides
motor current data to the motor controller.
10: The fluid pump of claim 9, wherein the motor controller turns
off the motor if the motor current is below a predetermined
threshold.
11: The fluid pump of claim 9, wherein the motor controller turns
on the motor if the motor current is above a predetermined
threshold.
12: The fluid pump of claim 9, wherein the motor controller
calculates motor torque from the motor current data.
13: The fluid pump of claim 12, wherein the motor controller turns
off the motor if at least one of the motor torque or a derivative
of the motor torque current is higher than a predetermined
threshold.
14: The fluid pump of claim 7, further comprising a reverse flow
switch connected to the motor controller.
15: The fluid pump of claim 14, wherein the motor controller
reverses motor direction if the reverse flow switch is
activated.
16: The fluid pump of claim 7, further comprising a speed selector
connected to the motor controller.
17: The fluid pump of claim 16, wherein the motor controller
controls motor speed according to the input from the speed
selector.
18: The fluid pump of claim 7, further comprising a wireless
receiver connected to the motor controller.
19: The fluid pump of claim 18, wherein the motor controller
controls the motor according to data received from the wireless
receiver.
20: The fluid pump of claim 18, wherein the wireless receiver may
receive data from at least one of a remote control, a computer, a
tablet and a smartphone.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] It is well known to provide a fluid pump that has a housing
with a fluid input and a fluid output, a motor within the housing,
and an impeller driven by the motor for drawing fluid, such as
water, through the fluid input and into the fluid output. There are
battery-powered fluid pumps that have an on-board non-removable
rechargeable battery, or use multiple standard dry cells, such as D
batteries.
SUMMARY
[0002] A fluid pump having a housing with a fluid input and a fluid
output, a removable power tool battery pack disposed within the
housing, a motor disposed within the housing and electrically
connected to the power tool battery pack, and an impeller driven by
the motor for drawing fluid through an input opening and into an
output opening. The fluid pump may be partially buoyant when placed
in a fluid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fluid pump.
[0004] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fluid pump shown in
FIG. 1 along plane II-II-II-II.
[0005] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the impeller
assembly shown in FIG. 2 along line III-III.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0006] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a fluid pump 100 comprises a housing
11. Housing 11 is preferably made of a rigid material, such as
plastic and in particular ABS, and has a bottom wall 11W to support
the fluid pump 100 on the ground or support surface. Resilient,
impact-absorbing material, such as elastomer or rubber, may be
disposed on housing 11 in an overmolding process.
[0007] Housing 11 may have a handle 11H for carrying fluid pump
100.
[0008] Housing 11 may have a lid 11L. Preferably lid 11L is
hingedly attached to housing 11. Lid 11L may be latched closed unto
housing 11 via at least one latch (and preferably 3 latches) 11LL.
Preferably the latch(es) 11LL has an overcenter mechanism and a
hook lip 11LLH that catches a groove 11LG on lid 11L. Persons
skilled in the art will recognize that latch(es) 11LL and groove
11LG may be provided instead on lid 11L and housing 11,
respectively.
[0009] Preferably housing 11 and/or lid 11L carries at least one
O-ring 11LO for sealing the space between housing 11 and lid 11L.
Persons skilled in the art will recognize that, when lid 11L is
latched shut via latch(es) 11LL, the O-ring 11LO is preferably
compressed, creating a seal between housing 11 and lid 11L. Such
arrangement ensures that fluid cannot enter the cavity 11C existing
within housing 11 and lid 11L.
[0010] Housing 11 may also have rings 11R to latch on a strap (not
shown) thereto in order to facilitate carrying fluid pump 100.
[0011] Housing 11 may also have electric terminals 11T disposed
within cavity 11C. Such terminals 11T may electrically contact a
power tool battery pack 30. Persons skilled in the art are referred
to U.S. Pat. No. 8,653,787, which is incorporated herein by
reference, for further information on power tool battery pack
35.
[0012] Power tool battery pack 35 may be electrically connected to
a motor 21 disposed within housing 11. Motor 21 may be turned on
and off via a switch 31 disposed on housing 11. Motor 21 may have a
controller 21C for controlling speed and/or operation of motor
21.
[0013] Motor 21 preferably drives an impeller 22 with vanes 22V
disposed within housing 11 to create a centrifugal pump for pumping
fluid, such as water, etc. Persons skilled in the art will
recognize that the appropriate impeller 22 can be selected for the
desired application.
[0014] Impeller 22 preferably draws fluid through an input opening
23I, which may be disposed on the bottom wall 11W. Input opening
23I may have threads 23IT allowing the user to threadingly connect
a suction hose (not shown).
[0015] A screen 23S may be disposed within input opening 23I to
filter any solid bodies carried by the drawn fluid. Preferably
screen 23S is removable for cleaning. Screen 23S may be disposed on
a threaded ring that is engageable to threads 23IT, and is thus
removable by rotating the threaded ring (and thus screen 23S).
[0016] As impeller 22 rotates (and thus vanes 22V) rotate, the
fluid will be moved towards output opening 230. Preferably the
output opening 230 has an outer wall 230W defining the output
opening 230. Threads 230T may be disposed on outer wall 230W,
enabling a user to threadingly engage a standard garden house to
outer wall 230W.
[0017] Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the above
arrangement discloses a centrifugal pump. Alternatively a positive
displacement pump or a hybrid centrifugal/positive displacement
pump could be used instead.
[0018] It is desirable to ensure that the motor 21 is not damaged
by dry operation, i.e., where no fluid is being drawn via input
opening 23I. This can be accomplished by turning on the motor 21
for a predetermined period of time and measuring the current
flowing through motor 21. Such current measurement may be conducted
by motor controller 21C.
[0019] If the motor current is below a predetermined current
threshold, such as 3 amps, motor controller 21C may turn off motor
21 for a predetermined period of time. Preferably the period of
time in which motor 21 is turned off will be longer than the period
of time in which motor 21 is turned on.
[0020] If the motor current is higher than the predetermined
current threshold, motor controller 21C may turn on motor 21 until
the motor current falls below another predetermined current
threshold, such as 4 amps.
[0021] It is desirable to provide a method for detecting a jammed
impeller 22. During operation of fluid pump 100, motor controller
21C preferably monitors the torque of motor 21, so that a binding
or jammed condition is detected when the motor torque rises at
higher than a predetermined rate (dT/dt) and/or a predetermined
threshold. Torque can be measured by motor controller 21C by
monitoring motor current.
[0022] Once the binding or jammed condition is detected, the motor
21 can be momentarily stopped. Motor controller 21C can then
provide short bursts of power to motor 21 so that to dislodge an
object causing the bound/jammed condition. Alternatively, motor
controller 21C can reverse the rotational direction of motor 21 in
an attempt to dislodge an object causing the bound/jammed
condition. Motor controller 21C can also light up an LED 34 to
indicate a bound/jammed condition.
[0023] After attempting such corrective measures for a
predetermined period of time, motor controller 21C can provide
power to motor 21 for normal operation and continue monitoring
motor current to determine whether the bound/jammed condition has
been corrected. If the bound/jammed condition has not been
corrected, motor controller 21C can turn off motor 21 and/or
indicate the bound/jammed condition via LED 34.
[0024] Similarly, it may be desirable to provide a reverse flow
switch 35 on housing 11. When such switch 35 is activated, motor
control 21 can reverse the rotational direction of motor 21. Such
reverse flow may provide a back flush of screen 23S. Persons
skilled in the art will recognize that such back flush operation as
presently described is user-initiated. However motor control 21 may
be programmed to conduct such back flush operation after a
predetermined condition has been met. Such predetermined condition
may include length of motor on-time periods, number of motor
on-time periods, etc.
[0025] It may desirable to provide a speed selector to enable the
user to select a desired motor speed. Accordingly, a speed selector
32 may be disposed on housing 11. Speed selector 32 may be a rotary
potentiometer so that the user can just rotate a knob connected to
speed selector 32 to choose the desired motor speed. Motor
controller 21C may receive a signal from speed selector 32 and
control motor speed to match the desired user-selected speed.
[0026] It may be desirable to provide an operational mode where the
fluid pump 100 pumps a specific volume of fluid at a time. A volume
selector 33 may be disposed on housing 11. Volume selector 33 may
be a rotary potentiometer so that the user can just rotate a knob
connected to volume selector 33 to select the desired fluid volume
to be pumped. Motor controller 21C may receive a signal from volume
selector 33 and control motor speed and on-time to pump out the
desired volume. Motor controller 21C may vary the motor speed and
on-time based on the sensed motor current and motor voltage to
compensate for head pressure losses, fluid viscosity, etc.
[0027] A user may desire to operate fluid pump 100 remotely.
Preferably a wireless receiver 21W is disposed within housing 11.
Wireless receiver 21W may be connected to an antenna 21WA.
[0028] The wireless receiver 21W may wirelessly receive a command
from a remote control 21RC. Wireless receiver 21W may be connected
to motor controller 21C to carry out the requested command.
[0029] Persons skilled in the art will recognize that such wireless
transmission may occur via a radio frequency signal, such as,
Bluetooth, Zigbee, cellular, WiFi, etc., or an infrared signal.
Alternatively remote control 21RC may be connected to fluid pump
100 via a cable.
[0030] Remote control 21RC may enable the user to control some (or
all) of the operational features of the fluid pump 100, such as
on/off control, motor speed, rotational motor direction, back flush
operation, fluid volume to be pumped out, etc. Remote control 21RC
may have a display 21RD to show different operating parameters,
such as remaining battery charge, motor speed, rotational motor
direction, etc. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that, in
order to provide information to be displayed, wireless receiver 21W
is preferably a transceiver that can both transmit and receive
information to and from remote control 21RC.
[0031] Persons skilled in the art will recognize that, instead of
having a dedicated control unit such as remote control 21RC, such
remote control functionality may be implemented in an application
on a computer, tablet or smartphone. Persons skilled in the art
will recognize by a single remote control 21RC (and/or its
implementation on a computer, tablet or smartphone) may control
more than one fluid pump 100.
[0032] Persons skilled in the art will recognize that having a
cavity 11C increases the buoyancy of fluid pump 100. Housing 11
(and cavity 11C) may be designed so that fluid pump 100 is
substantially buoyant when disposed on a fluid, such as water, even
when a power tool battery pack 30 is disposed within cavity 11C.
Preferably housing 11 (and cavity 11C) may be designed so that
fluid pump 100 is substantially buoyant in an upright orientation
so that input opening 23I is disposed within the fluid to be
pumped. With such arrangement, the fluid pump 100 will not sink to
the bottom of a flooded area and draw sediment through impeller
22.
[0033] The description of the invention is merely exemplary in
nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of
the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention.
Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the
scope of the invention.
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