Connected pump system controller and method of use

Abstract

A method for monitoring a system and controlling a pump coupled to plumbing is provided. The method includes the steps of determining that a fault has occurred in the system, transmitting a first message to a remote server over a first wireless network, the first message including information related to the fault, sending the information related to the fault via the first wireless network to an internet enabled device, receiving a second message from the remote server via the first wireless network, the second message including the information related to the fault, and shutting down the pump via a microcontroller configured to control operation of the pump.

1 . A method for monitoring a system and controlling a pump coupled to plumbing, the method comprising:
 determining that a fault has occurred in the system;   transmitting a first message to a remote server over a first wireless network, the first message including information related to the fault;   sending the information related to the fault via the first wireless network to an internet enabled device;   receiving a second message from the remote server via the first wireless network, the second message including the information related to the fault; and   shutting down the pump via a microcontroller configured to control operation of the pump.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information is related to at least one of water leak detection or water flow rate. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein shutting down the pump comprises shutting down the pump automatically without user intervention. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving instructions to shut down the pump from a user interface accessed via the internet enabled device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving instructions from a user interface accessed via the internet enabled device to clear an alert. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving instructions from a user interface accessed via the internet enabled device to clear the fault. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first message includes information indicating that the system requires maintenance. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 establishing a second wireless connection to communicate with the internet enabled device over a second wireless network;   receiving instructions from the internet enabled device over the second wireless connection; and   configuring a pressure switch to connect to the first wireless network based on the instructions, wherein the pressure switch includes a pressure sensor, the microcontroller, and a wireless gateway module.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing the information related to the fault on the remote server; and   accessing the information related to the fault via the internet enabled device.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , receiving a message from the remote server at the internet enabled device, the message including information indicating that further operation of the pump is inhibited until the fault is addressed. 
     
     
         11 . A system for controlling operation of a pump coupled to plumbing, the system comprising:
 a pump; and   a pressure switch coupled to the pump, the pressure switch comprising:
 a printed circuit board; 
 a power supply in electrical communication with the printed circuit board; 
 a wireless gateway module coupled to the printed circuit board, wherein the wireless gateway module is configured to establish a first wireless connection to a first wireless network, and transmit a message to a remote server over the first wireless network; 
 a pressure sensor; and 
 a microcontroller coupled to the wireless gateway module, the printed circuit board, the power supply, and the pressure sensor, wherein the microcontroller is configured to execute computer readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer readable instructions cause the microcontroller to:
 determine a pressure in at least a portion of the plumbing based on a signal from the pressure sensor; 
 control operation of the pump based on the pressure; 
 determine that a fault has occurred in the system based on the signal from the pressure sensor; 
 automatically inhibit operation of the pump without user intervention; and 
 prevent the pump from restarting for a minimum amount of time after automatically inhibiting operation of the pump in response to determining that the fault has occurred in the system. 
 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the microcontroller powers the pump when the pressure is determined to be less than a cut-in pressure. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is prevented from restarting during the minimum amount of time regardless of whether a cut-in pressure has been reached. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the pump is prevented from restarting if a number of times the pump has restarted during a period of time exceeds a restart limit. 
     
     
         15 . A system for monitoring operation of a pump coupled to plumbing, the system comprising:
 a pump;   a printed circuit board;   a power supply in electrical communication with the printed circuit board;   a wireless gateway module coupled to the printed circuit board, wherein the wireless gateway module is configured to establish a first wireless connection to a first wireless network and transmit a message to a remote server over the first wireless network;   a pressure transducer; and   a microcontroller coupled to the wireless gateway module, the printed circuit board, the power supply, the pressure transducer, and the pump, wherein the microcontroller is configured to execute computer readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer readable instructions cause the microcontroller to:
 establish, using an internet enabled device, a second wireless connection to communicate with the system over a second wireless network; 
 receive instructions from the internet enabled device that cause the wireless gateway module to connect to the first wireless network; 
 control operation of the pump based on a signal from the pressure transducer; 
 determine that a fault has occurred in the system; 
 generate a first message related to operation of the pump; and 
 send the first message to the remote server via the first wireless network. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein operation of the pump is inhibited in response to determining that the fault has occurred in the system. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the first message includes information related to the fault. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the information is related to a water flow rate. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein execution of the computer readable instructions further causes the microcontroller to:
 determine a pressure in the plumbing based on the signal from the pressure transducer; and   control operation of the pump based on the pressure.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the microcontroller provides power to the pump when the signal drops below a threshold.