US 12,215,701 B2
System and method for determining a condition of a fluid flow path
Greg Heins, Rowville (AU); Lyell Douglas Embery, Rowville (AU); Matthew J. Turner, Rowville (AU); Rafal Pawel Rohoza, Rowville (AU); Bin Chen, Jiangsu (CN); Hani Chahine, Rowville (AU); and Mark Thiele, Rowville (AU)
Assigned to Rexnord Australia Pty LTD, Sydney (AU)
Filed by Regal Beloit America, Inc., Beloit, WI (US); Regal Beloit Australia Pty Ltd, Rowville (AU); and Changzhou Regal-Beloit Sinya Motor Co., LTD, Jiangsu (CN)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2016, as Appl. No. 15/266,729.
Claims priority of application No. 201510696524.3 (CN), filed on Sep. 15, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2017/0077863 A1, Mar. 16, 2017
Int. Cl. H02P 3/18 (2006.01); F04D 19/00 (2006.01); F04D 27/00 (2006.01); H02P 3/10 (2006.01)
CPC F04D 19/005 (2013.01) [F04D 27/008 (2013.01); F05D 2270/335 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A motor controller configured to be coupled to a motor that is coupled to a backward-curved fan, said motor controller comprising a processor coupled to a memory, said motor controller is configured to:
operate the motor to rotate the backward-curved fan at a first speed in a forward direction that causes a fluid to move from an inlet of a fluid flow path to an outlet of the fluid flow path, wherein the backward-curved fan is curved backward with respect to a direction of movement of the fluid through the fluid flow path, and wherein restriction of the fluid flow path does not increase a torque associated with the motor while operating in the forward direction;
store a schedule for a restriction detection mode in said memory, the schedule defining times when the motor is to be operated in the restriction detection mode;
operate, in accordance with the schedule, the motor to rotate the backward-curved fan in a reverse direction that is opposite the forward direction, wherein restriction of the fluid flow path increases the torque associated with the motor while operating in the reverse direction;
determine the torque associated with the motor while the motor is rotating the backward-curved fan only in the reverse direction during the restriction detection mode;
determine that the torque is not within a predefined threshold range stored in said memory, the predefined threshold range indicating an expected range of torque for resulting from the backward-curved fan to operate operating in the reverse direction when no restriction is present in the fluid flow path; and determine that a restriction exists in the fluid flow path in response to determining that the torque is not within the predefined threshold range.