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  Method and apparatus for pump controlUSPTO Application #: 20060292012Title: Method and apparatus for pump control Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a pump adapted to cause liquid to flow from a first location to a second location. The pump may be operated in a calibration period, and based on performance characteristics for the pump, an operation index may be assigned to the pump. The operation index may be used to control subsequent operation of the pump. For example, the operation index may be used to identify an operation time for the pump to deliver a predetermined volume of liquid. Performance characteristics used to determine the operation index may include a voltage supplied to the pump and/or a volume flow rate of the pump. (end of abstract) Agent: Wolf Greenfield & Sacks, PC - Boston, MA, US Inventors: Finn Brudevold, Robert M. Pelovitz USPTO Applicaton #: 20060292012 - Class: 417053000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Pumps, Processes The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060292012. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of Invention [0002] This invention relates to methods and apparatus for pump control. [0003] 2. Related Art [0004] Volume control for beverage forming machines, such as coffee brewers, can be important to the quality of the formed beverage(s). For example, standard drip coffee makers typically include a water reservoir that is filled with a desired volume of water by a user that is used by the machine to make a volume of coffee. Such reservoirs often include a sight glass or other arrangement that allows the user to define the amount of water in the reservoir. As a result, the user may have a certain amount of control over the amount of water used by the machine to make the coffee beverage. SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0005] The inventors have appreciated that some beverage forming machines, such as single serve coffee brewers, require an accurate water volume to form a quality beverage, but do not operate in such a way as to allow a user to control the amount of water actually used. For example, some coffee brewers have a water storage tank that holds sufficient water for several beverages. Although the user may be able to define the ultimate size of the beverage produced, the brewer itself controls the amount of water used to make the beverage, e.g., by automatically drawing a desired amount of water from a storage tank and providing the water for coffee brewing. Some such brewers use a flowmeter to determine the volume of water provided and control the operation of a water pump so that a controlled volume of water is used for brewing purposes. [0006] In one aspect of the invention, a beverage forming system includes a beverage forming apparatus adapted to form a beverage at least in part from a liquid. The beverage forming apparatus may include a pump adapted to cause liquid to flow from a first location to a second location, e.g., for use in brewing a coffee beverage. A controller associated with the system may be adapted to control the pump to operate based on an operation index to deliver a predetermined volume of liquid from the first location to the second location, e.g., so that a carefully defined volume of water is used to make the beverage. In one embodiment, the operation index may represent the pump's ability to provide a volume flow rate for given voltage supplied to the pump. In one aspect, the controller may be adapted to cause the pump to operate during a calibration period, such as when the beverage forming system is first put into use by a user, to determine the operation index. The controller may determine the operation index based on a performance characteristic of the pump during the calibration period, such as a power supply characteristic of power supplied to the pump during the calibration period (such as a voltage provided to the pump) and/or a performance of the pump during the calibration period (such as a time for the pump to deliver a specific volume of liquid given a specific voltage). [0007] In another aspect of the invention, a beverage forming system includes a beverage forming apparatus adapted to form a beverage at least in part from a liquid. The beverage forming apparatus may include a pump adapted to cause liquid to flow from a first location to a second location, e.g., for use in brewing a coffee beverage. A controller associated with the system may be adapted to control the pump to operate for an operation time and deliver a predetermined volume of liquid from the first location to the second location. The operation time for the pump may be determined based on an operation index, e.g., that represents an ability of the pump to provide a volume flow rate for a given voltage supplied to the pump, and/or may be determined based on a voltage to be supplied to the pump during the operation time. For example, if the voltage supplied to the pump varies, the controller may adjust the operation time to ensure that the pump provides a suitable volume of liquid. [0008] In another aspect of the invention, a method for calibrating the operation of a pump used in a beverage forming machine includes providing a beverage forming machine including at least one pump adapted to cause liquid to flow from a first location to a second location. The pump may be operated for calibration purposes, and a performance characteristic of the pump during operation may be measured. For example, it may be determined how long it takes for the pump to provide a defined volume of fluid and/or a voltage supplied to the pump during calibration. An operation index may be assigned to the pump based on the performance characteristic, and the operation index may be used in subsequent operation of the pump to control its operation. Thus, variations in pump operation may be accounted for, and the pump may be controlled to provide a desired volume of liquid, whether or not the desired volume is precisely the same as the volume used in calibration. In one embodiment, the voltage or other characteristic of power provided to the pump during the calibration may be used to determine the operation index in addition to at least one other performance characteristic for the pump. [0009] In another aspect of the invention, a method for controlling the operation of a pump used in a beverage forming machine may include providing a beverage forming machine including at least one pump adapted to cause liquid to flow from a first location to a second location. A power supply characteristic of power supplied to the pump to cause the pump to operate to deliver a predetermined volume of liquid may be determined, and an operation time for the pump to deliver a predetermined volume of liquid may be determined based on the power supply characteristic. The pump may then be operated according to the determined operation time. The power supply characteristic may be determined before the pump operates during the operation time, e.g., the voltage may be estimated, or the power supply characteristic may be detected during pump operation, e.g., the voltage supplied to the pump may be integrated, and the integrated voltage used to determine the operation time. [0010] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [0011] Aspects of the invention are described below with reference to illustrative embodiments, wherein like elements reference like numerals, and wherein: [0012] FIG. 1 shows schematic diagram of a beverage forming system in accordance with an aspect of the invention; [0013] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary lookup table for determining a pump operation index in accordance with an aspect of the invention; and [0014] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary volume flow rate vs. voltage curve for a pump in an illustrative embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0015] Aspects of the invention may be practiced using any suitable pump/control arrangement and/or with any associated beverage forming system. Several different embodiments are described herein for purposes of illustration. However, these illustrative embodiments should not be used to narrowly interpret the scope of the invention. For example, embodiments are described below in which a beverage forming apparatus includes a water storage tank and a metering chamber, from which liquid is provided to a brew chamber. However, aspects of the invention are not limited to this type of arrangement. For example, aspects of the invention may be used in systems including no metering chamber, e.g., water is supplied directly from a storage tank to a brew chamber, and/or in systems having no brew chamber, e.g., systems in which a beverage is formed without brewing. In addition, various aspects of the invention are described herein, and these various aspects may be used in any suitable combination with each other, or alone. [0016] In one aspect of the invention, a beverage forming system controller may control a pump, such as a water pump, to operate based on an operation index associated with the pump. The operation index may represent an ability of the pump to deliver a particular volume flow rate, and thus the ability of the pump to deliver a specific volume of liquid over a corresponding pump operation time. As used herein, an "operation time" may be any suitable measure for a duration of operation for the pump, including a period of time, a number of pump cycles (e.g., shaft revolutions or strokes), a total power delivered to the pump, an integrated voltage applied to the pump, or other measure by which a duration that the pump is operated may be based. The operation index may be adjustable, e.g., to allow the controller to set the operation index for the pump at an initial start up and/or at some time after the pump has been put into service. Thus, the operation index may allow the controller to control the operation of the pump so that it delivers a predetermined volume of liquid even if the pump's performance characteristics (such as a nominal volume flow rate or supplied voltage) changes over time. [0017] Also, the operation index may allow the controller to accommodate pump-to-pump variation that may exist, e.g., when a pump is replaced in a beverage forming system or as between pumps in two different systems that include a same control arrangement. For example, although pumps may have the same design, specifications and be made by the same manufacturer, performance of different pump units of the same model may vary widely, in one case up to a 20% variation. Thus, one pump provided in one beverage forming apparatus may operate differently from another pump in another beverage forming apparatus. For example, one pump may provide a volume flow rate that is different from another pump, even though the power supply, water supply and other operation parameters are the same. Thus, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the controllers in different systems may be otherwise configured in nearly identical ways, yet the controller in one beverage forming system may use a first operation index for the pump in its system, whereas the controller in another system may use a second operation index for the other pump. As a result, variations between the two pumps may be accommodated, and the operation of the pumps controlled so that the pumps provide a desired volume of liquid in each system. [0018] For example, in one embodiment, the controller may operate the pump for a specific operation time so that the pump provides a desired total volume, e.g., for forming a beverage. If the pumps in two different systems perform differently, the pumps will provide different total volumes of liquid if they are both run for a same operation time. As discussed above, volume control can be important in forming beverages, e.g., to provide consistency, quality taste or appearance, or other beverage characteristics. The operation index may take variations in pump performance into account and allow each controller to control its respective pump, e.g., determine an operation time for the pump, so that the pump delivers the same required volume in both systems. [0019] In one embodiment, a controller may use a power supply characteristic of power supplied to the pump to determine an appropriate operation time for the pump. For example, even if two pumps in two different beverage forming systems otherwise perform identically, if the two pumps are provided with different power voltages during operation, the pumps will typically provide different volume flow rates, in one exemplary case representing up to an 80% variation. Thus, the controller may take a power supply characteristic, such as a voltage of power to be supplied to the pump during operation, into account so that the pump can be controlled to accurately provide the desired volume of liquid. [0020] In another embodiment, a controller in a beverage forming system may use both an operation index and a power supply characteristic to determine an operation time for a pump. By using both the operation index and power supply characteristic, the controller may be capable of accurately controlling the pump, even in the case of pump performance and/or power supply variations. For example, the controller may determine an operation time for the pump based on the operation index, and then make adjustments to the time during pump operation based on the voltage supplied to the pump. Continue reading... Full patent description for Method and apparatus for pump control Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Method and apparatus for pump control patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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