Pump with vibration sensor and its production process

Abstract

This pump includes a computing device, with a vibration waveform analysis section and a memory, the analysis section being designed to control the motor, by comparing a vibration waveform received from the vibration sensor with vibration waveforms saved in the memory.

Claims

1. A pump comprising a body enclosing within a removable cover: an impeller attached to a rotating shaft driven by an electric motor surrounded by a casing with an inlet orifice and an outlet tube between which lies the impeller, a motor control device with a frequency converter, an accelerometer type vibration sensor, mounted on a non-rotating part of the pump that produces vibration waveforms, a computing device connected by cable firstly to the vibration sensor and secondly to the frequency converter, in such a manner as to analyse the vibration waveforms and send a control signal from the motor to the frequency converter that is a function of the vibration waveform received from the vibration sensor, characterised in that the computing device has a memory and a communication terminal enabling it, when the cover is removed, to communicate with an external information device used to initialise the memory by sending messages from the external device to the computing device, communication from the communication terminal with the external device being interrupted when the cover is replaced while the pump is running.

2. A pump according to claim 1, characterised in that the computing device has a vibration waveform analysis section and a memory to save the vibration waveforms received, the analysis section being designed so that, by comparing an instantaneous vibration waveform received from the vibration sensor with vibration waveforms saved in the memory, it sends to the frequency converter a motor control signal identical to that sent previously for the vibration waveform saved in the memory that most closely resembles the instantaneous value received from the vibration sensor.

3. A pump according to claim 2, characterised in that a signal may correspond to a pump stop signal, a normal operation signal, a signal for reversal of the direction of rotation of the impeller for a given period, a signal to reduce the speed of rotation of the impeller or a signal to increase the speed of rotation of the impeller.

4. A pump according to claim 1, characterised in that the computing device is in the form of a card.

5. A pump according to claim 1, characterised in that the body is subdivided into a compartment for the motor control device, a compartment for the motor and a compartment for the impeller and the computing device is housed in the motor control compartment.

6. A pump according to claim 1, characterised in that it is a wastewater pump.

7. A process for producing a pump by building its computing device, in which a pump is produced that comprises a body, enclosing by a removable cover: an impeller attached to a rotating shaft driven by an electric motor and surrounded by a casing with an inlet orifice and an outlet tube between which lies the impeller, a motor control device with a frequency converter, an accelerometer type vibration sensor, mounted on a non-rotating part of the pump that generates vibration waveforms, characterised in that the pump is fitted with a pristine computing device having a terminal that only communicates when the cover is removed and with an external device connected firstly by a cable to the vibration sensor and secondly to the frequency converter, in such a manner as to analyse the vibration waveforms and send a control signal for the motor to the frequency converter as a function of the vibration waveform received form the vibration sensor, the pump is started with the cover removed and the computing device is communicating with the external device, according to a first mode of operation, starting from a first moment, for a first given period, immediately after this first moment, subsequent vibration waveforms are sent by the communication terminal from the external device to the computing device, at the same time giving it instructions to save them in memory, assigning to them a first motor control signal corresponding to the first mode of operation, after the first period has elapsed, the pump is then started at a second moment, different from the first moment, for a second period equal to the first period, while the cover is removed and the computing device is communicating with the external device according to a second mode of operation, different from the first mode of operation, immediately after this second moment, subsequent vibration waveforms are sent by the communication terminal from the external device to the computing device, instructing it to save them to the memory, assigning to them a second motor control signal, different from the first signal and corresponding to the second mode of operation, the cover is then replaced on the body thus preventing any communication from the external device to the computing device.

Description

[0025] The pump shown in the diagram comprises, enclosed by a cover, a body with a casing 1 having an inlet orifice 5 and a wastewater outlet tube 6, as symbolised by the arrows. The casing encloses an impeller 2 attached to a rotating shaft 3 driven by an electric motor 4, which is itself connected to a frequency converter 7. An accelerometer 8 is mounted at the top of the pump forming a compartment for the motor control device and is connected to a computing device 9 having a terminal 10 that communicates with an external device (not shown). The accelerometer is connected to the computing device by a cable 11. The speed converter 7 is connected to the computing device by a cable 12. The motor 4 is supplied with electrical power by a power supply cable 13 via the frequency converter 7 and a cable 14.

[0026] In the factory, the cover is removed from the top giving access to the data terminal 10 and the memory of the computing device 9 is preloaded in such a manner that, when the pump is started by the user, the computing device contains sufficient data in its memory, that is to say vibration waveforms, to enable it to compare them with the vibration waveform sent to it from the accelerometer 8. The pump is therefore intelligent and able to learn by itself.