초록 ▼

Apparatus is provided featuring a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) having a power circuit component in combination with a SMPS controller. The power circuit component may be configured to provide power to a pump that provides fluid from a container to some other device, including an appliance. The SM

Apparatus is provided featuring a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) having a power circuit component in combination with a SMPS controller. The power circuit component may be configured to provide power to a pump that provides fluid from a container to some other device, including an appliance. The SMPS controller may be configured to receive signaling containing information about at least one control parameter selected from a group including a pressure at an outlet of the pump, a fluid level in the container and the temperature of a motor of the pump, and also may be configured to shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received so that the power circuit component substantially does not draw power and heat up when the pump is shut off.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A switch-mode power supply, comprising: a power circuit component configured to provide power to a pump that provides fluid from a container to some other device, including an appliance; anda switch mode power supply controller having an electronic switch, including a MOSFET switch, coupled to th

1. A switch-mode power supply, comprising: a power circuit component configured to provide power to a pump that provides fluid from a container to some other device, including an appliance; anda switch mode power supply controller having an electronic switch, including a MOSFET switch, coupled to the power circuit component to turn off the switch-mode power supply, configured to receive signaling containing information about at least one control parameter selected from a group including a pressure at an outlet of the pump, a fluid level in the container and a temperature of a motor of the pump, and also configured to turn off the electronic switch, and shut off the switch-mode power supply and the power provided from the power circuit component to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received, so that the power circuit component substantially does not draw power and heat up when the pump is shut off. 2. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch mode power supply controller comprises a signal processor or processing module having at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and computer program code are configured, with at least one processor, to cause the switch-mode power supply at least to receive the signaling containing information about the at least one control parameter and shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received. 3. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 2, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are also configured, with at least one processor, to cause the switch-mode power supply at least to provide a control signal to shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received. 4. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch-mode power supply comprises some combination of a pressure switch configured to sense the pressure at the outlet of the pump and provide a pressure switch signal containing information about the pressure at the outlet of the pump to the switch mode power supply;a float switch configured to sense the fluid level in the container and provide a float switch signal containing information about the fluid level in the container to the switch mode power supply; ora temperature cut-off switch configured to sense the temperature of the motor of the pump and provide a temperature cut-off switch signal containing information about the temperature of the motor of the pump to the switch mode power supply. 5. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 4, wherein the switch-mode power supply comprises some combination of a pressure switch front-end filter circuit configured to filter the pressure switch signal, and a pressure switch signal conditioning circuit configured to condition and amplify a filtered pressure switch signal and provide a conditioned pressure switch signal;a float switch front-end filter circuit configured to filter the float switch signal, an inverter logic circuit configured to invert a filter float switch signal, and a float switch signal conditioning circuit configured to condition and amplify a filtered and inverted float switch signal and provide a conditioned float switch signal; ora temperature cut-off switch front-end filter circuit configured to filter the temperature cut-off switch signal, and a temperature cut-off switch signal conditioning circuit configured to condition and amplify a filtered temperature cut-off switch signal and provide a conditioned temperature cut-off signal. 6. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 5, wherein the switch-mode power supply comprises an adder circuit configured to add the conditioned pressure switch signal, the conditioned float switch signal and the conditioned temperature cut-off signal and provide the signaling to the switch mode power supply. 7. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch mode power supply controller is configured with a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller having an internal electronic switch, and a remote control function pin that receives remote on/off signaling that causes the internal electronic switch to turn off the switch mode power supply based at least partly on the signaling received. 8. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 7, wherein the switch-mode power supply comprises a combination of a controller and a switch configured to provide direct ON-OFF software control to the pump based on the signal received and to provide the remote on/off signaling to be received by the remote control function pin of the PWM controller to shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received. 9. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch-mode power supply comprises a combination of an inrush current controller and a switch configured to control motor inrush at startup by providing a substantially smooth ramp-up voltage and to provide lock-rotor protection, dry run protection, over/under voltage protection, over/under current protection, leakage protection or over temperature protection. 10. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch mode power supply controller forms part of a base unit. 11. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the pump is a direct current (DC) diaphragm pump. 12. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch-mode power supply forms part of a fluid dispensing system further that comprises a wand assembly comprising a float assembly that responds to the fluid level in the container and provides a signal containing information about the fluid level in the container via a float connector. 13. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch mode power supply controller is configured as a printed circuit board assembly. 14. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch mode power supply controller is configured to accommodate multiple voltages as a printed circuit board assembly. 15. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the power circuit component comprises circuitry and components configured to convert power based on alternating current into power based on direct current. 16. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 15, wherein the circuitry and components comprises in some combination: an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter configured to provide electromagnetic filtering of the power based on alternately current;a combination of a rectifier and input filter capacitor configured to rectify and filter the power based on alternately current into the power based on direct current;a transformer configured to transform the voltage of the power based on direct current;an output power filter configured to filter the power based on direct current;a reference generator configured to provide a reference generator signal containing information about the power based on direct current; oran opto-coupler to optically couple the reference generator signal to the PWM controller. 17. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 16, wherein the switch-mode power supply comprises a PWM controller configured to receive a transformer signal from one terminal of the transformer and remote on/off signaling, and to shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on information contained in these signals received. 18. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 16, wherein the PWM controller is also configured to receive a transformer signal from one terminal of the transformer, remote on/off signaling, a sensed voltage signal provided from the combination of the rectifier and input filter capacitor to another terminal of the transformer and to shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on information contained in these signals received. 19. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the power based on alternately current takes the form of voltage in a range of about 85 to 265 volts and a frequency in a range of about 50-60 Hertz. 20. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the power based on direct current takes the form of a voltage of about 12 volts. 21. A switch-mode power supply Apparatus-according to claim 1, wherein the power circuit component is configured to convert power based on the alternating current into power based on direct current for providing to the pump. 22. A switch-mode power supply according to claim 1, wherein the switch-mode power supply takes the form of a wall mounted plug transformer having an enclosure configured to contain electronics for implementing the functionality of the power circuit component and the SMPS controller. 23. A switch-mode power supply, including a switch-mode power supply, comprising: a power circuit component configured to provide power to a pump that provides fluid from a container to some other device, including an appliance; anda switch mode Dower supply controller configured to receive signaling containing information about at least one control parameter selected from a group including a pressure at an outlet of the pump, a fluid level in the container and a temperature of a motor of the pump, and also configured to shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received, so that the power circuit component substantially does not draw power and heat up when the pump is shut off;wherein the apparatus comprises some combination of a pressure switch configured to sense the pressure at the outlet of the pump and provide a pressure switch signal containing information about the pressure at the outlet of the pump to the switch mode power supply;a float switch configured to sense the fluid level in the container and provide a float switch signal containing information about the fluid level in the container to the switch mode power supply; ora temperature cut-off switch configured to sense the temperature of the motor of the pump and provide a temperature cut-off switch signal containing information about the temperature of the motor of the pump to the switch mode power supply;wherein the apparatus comprises some combination of a pressure switch front-end filter circuit configured to filter the pressure switch signal, and a pressure switch signal conditioning circuit configured to condition and amplify a filtered pressure switch signal and provide a conditioned pressure switch signal;a float switch front-end filter circuit configured to filter the float switch signal, an inverter logic circuit configured to invert a filter float switch signal, and a float switch signal conditioning circuit configured to condition and amplify a filtered and inverted float switch signal and provide a conditioned float switch signal; ora temperature cut-off switch front-end filter circuit configured to filter the temperature cut-off switch signal, and a temperature cut-off switch signal conditioning circuit configured to condition and amplify a filtered temperature cut-off switch signal and provide a conditioned temperature cut-off signal;wherein the apparatus comprises an adder circuit configured to add the conditioned pressure switch signal, the conditioned float switch signal and the conditioned temperature cut-off signal and provide the signaling to the switch mode power supply; andwherein the adder circuit is configured to work as an impedance matching in relation to the conditioned pressure switch signal, the conditioned float switch signal and the conditioned temperature cut-off signal and provide the signaling to the switch mode power supply. 24. A switch mode power supply controller for coupling to a power circuit component of a power supply, comprising: an electronic switch, including a MOSFET switch, coupled to the power circuit component to turn off the power supply;at least one processor; andat least one memory including computer program code;the at least one memory and computer program code are configured, with at least one processor, to cause the switch mode power supply controller at least to: receive signaling containing information about at least one control parameter selected from a group including a pressure at an outlet of the pump, a fluid level in the container and a temperature of a motor of the pump, anddetermine whether to turn off the electronic switch, and shut off the power provided from the power circuit component to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received, so that the power circuit component substantially does not draw power and heat up when the pump is shut off. 25. Apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the at least one memory and computer program code are also configured, with at least one processor, to cause the switch mode power supply controller at least to provide a control signal to turn off the electronic switch, and shut off the power provided to the pump based at least partly on the signaling received.