JP7282607B2 - Control unit, pump device, and pump operation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a controller, a pump device, and a pump operating method.

A pump device is used as a water supply device for supplying tap water, well water, or gray water to buildings such as detached houses, condominiums, office buildings, commercial facilities, factories, and schools. Further, the pump device is used in various usage modes, such as a pump device such as a fire pump device for supplying water to fire extinguishing equipment such as a sprinkler system, or a sewage pump device for conveying sewage or miscellaneous wastewater. Here, as examples of pump devices, water supply devices for supplying water (tap water) to buildings such as office buildings and condominiums, and household water supply devices for supplying well water, agricultural water, and the like are widely used. As a water supply device, a water supply device provided with one pump and a water supply device provided with a plurality of pumps connected in parallel are known. In a water supply device provided with a plurality of pumps, the number of pumps to be driven and the rotation speed are controlled according to the increase or decrease in the amount of water used at the water supply destination. Therefore, if the flow rate fluctuates depending on the time of day or season, by installing multiple small pumps, some pumps can be stopped when the amount of water used at the destination is low, and a large pump suitable for the maximum amount of water can be selected. Energy can be saved as compared with the case where only one unit is provided. In addition, since a plurality of pumps are connected in parallel, it is possible to replace and maintain other pumps while continuing to operate some pumps.

In addition, in the water supply device, the first pump and the second pump are provided in parallel, and the discharge pipe of the first pump and the suction side of the second pump are connected by a branch pipe, and the pressure inside the pipe is reduced. A branch pipe is provided with a control valve that opens and closes accordingly (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This water supply device can switch between a state in which the first pump and the second pump are connected in parallel and a state in which the second pump is connected to the discharge side of the first pump.

JP-A-64-32096

Pumping devices may require high discharge pressures only in certain cases. As an example, in a device that filters a handled liquid through a filter, the pump is normally operated at a low pressure to filter the handled liquid over a long period of time in order to protect the filter. There is a demand to wash (backwash) the clogged filter by backflowing high-pressure water about once. If a pump device for such applications is configured with a single pump or a plurality of pumps connected in parallel, the following problems arise. One problem is that if the capacity of the pump is selected by matching the maximum efficiency point with the operating point in a specific case where high pressure is required, such as backwashing, the energy efficiency during normal operation will decrease and the cost of the equipment will increase. end up Conversely, if the pump capacity is selected by matching the maximum efficiency point with the normal low pressure operating point, there is a problem that the pump device cannot be used when a specific high pressure is required, such as for backwashing.

In addition, in the device described in Patent Document 1, the two pumps can be switched between parallel operation and series operation. No specific pump control is disclosed. In general, a pump has a head curve corresponding to pressure (head) and flow rate, and in a conventional pump device, the pressure supplied to a water supply destination such as a faucet is adjusted by controlling the pump based on the head curve. is being done. On the other hand, when two pumps are operated in parallel and when they are operated in series, the head and flow rate that can be fed from the pump device differ, and it is required to appropriately control the pump according to the connection state of the pump. be done.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and one of its objects is to provide a control unit, a pump device, and a pump operating method that can handle a wide range of discharge flow rates and discharge pressures. . Another object is to appropriately control the pump according to the connection state of the pump unit.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a controller is proposed for use in a pump device comprising a first pump section and a second pump section, said controller comprising: Acquiring the discharge pressure and the discharge pressure of the second pump section, determining the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section, and discharging the first pump section Based on the pressure, the discharge pressure of the second pump unit, the connection state, and the set pressure of the pump device stored in the control unit, to control the pump section of the
According to this control section, the discharge pressures of the first and second pump sections are obtained, and the first and second pump sections are controlled based on the respective discharge pressures. Thereby, the pump can be appropriately controlled for each connection state of the pump.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pumping device is proposed, said pumping device comprising a first pumping section, a second pumping section and a pump for detecting the discharge pressure of said first pumping section. A first pressure sensor, a first pressure sensor for detecting the discharge pressure of the second pump section, and the control section described above. According to such a pump device, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the control section described above.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is proposed a method of operating a pump in a pump device comprising a first pump section and a second pump section, the method of operating a pump comprising: detecting the pressure, detecting the discharge pressure of the second pump section, determining the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section, and detecting the detected first pump section; , the detected discharge pressure of the second pump unit, the determined connection state, and the set pressure of the pump device, the first pump unit and the It controls the second pump section. According to this pump operating method, the same effects as those of the above-described control section can be obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the water supply apparatus as an example of the pump apparatus in 1st Embodiment. 7 is a graph showing an example of a pump head curve and an operating point A of the pump when the opening/closing mechanism is in the third state, that is, in parallel operation. 4 is a graph showing an example of a pump head curve and a pump operating point when the opening/closing mechanism is in the first state or the second state, that is, in series operation. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of connection mode determination processing executed by a control unit; 6 is a flowchart showing an example of parallel mode automatic water supply control executed by a control unit; 6 is a flow chart showing an example of automatic water supply control in series mode executed by a control unit; It is a figure which shows the modification of the water supply apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the water supply apparatus as an example of the pump apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of advance pump automatic water supply control performed by the 1st control part. It is a flow chart which shows an example of next pump automatic water supply control performed by the 2nd control part. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the pump part of a modification. 1 shows an example of a pump device in which the controller of the present embodiment is used; Another example of a pump device in which the control unit of the present embodiment is used is shown.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a pump device according to a first embodiment. The pump device of the present embodiment is used as, for example, a water supply device 10 for supplying water to buildings such as detached houses, condominiums, office buildings, commercial facilities, factories, or schools. However, pumping equipment is not limited to those that supply tap water, well water, or gray water to buildings. It may be used in various usage modes such as a pump device for conveying sewage. In FIG. 1A , the water supply device 10 is used in a direct water supply system, and the suction port 10 a of the water supply device 10 is connected to the water pipe (main water pipe) 104 via the introduction pipe 105 . However, the water supply device 10 may be used in a water tank system in which water is supplied from the water pipe 104 via a water tank (not shown) to the suction port 10a of the water supply device 10 . A water supply pipe 107 is connected to the discharge port 10b of the water supply device 10, and the water supply pipe 107 communicates with a water tap (for example, a faucet) of each building. The water supply system 10 boosts the pressure of water from a water pipe 104 (or a water tank) and supplies water to each hydrant of the building.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the water supply device 10 of the present embodiment includes two motor pumps 40a and 40b for increasing the pressure of water from a water pipe 104 (or water receiving tank), and a variable speed controller for the motor pumps 40a and 40b. and inverter devices 50a and 50b, and a control unit 60 that controls the motor pumps 40a and 40b. Further, the water supply device 10 of this embodiment includes check valves 23a, 23b, 25a, 25b that prevent backflow of water, flow switches 24a, 24b that detect an insufficient amount of water, a pressure sensor 21 that is a pressure detector, 26a, 26b.

The pressure sensor 21 is attached to the inflow pipe 20 forming the suction port 10 a of the water supply device 10 and detects the pressure of the introduction pipe 105 . The pressure sensor 21 is a pressure measuring device for measuring the suction pressure of the water supply device 10 (hereinafter, the suction pressure indicates the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 21). The detected pressure is input to the controller 60 .

A suction pipe 32a (first pump suction pipe) connected to the suction port of the motor pump 40a and a suction pipe 32b (second pump suction pipe) connected to the suction port of the motor pump 40b are connected to the suction port of the motor pump 40b. Check valves 23a and 23b are provided to prevent the liquid from flowing back into the water pipe 104. FIG. In this embodiment, the suction pipes 32a and 32b are branched from the inflow pipe 20 and connected to the suction ports of the motor pumps 40a and 40b, respectively. In one embodiment, an inlet pipe 20 may be provided for each of the suction pipes 32a, 32b. Check valves, for example, can be employed as the check valves 23a and 23b. Instead of or in addition to the check valves 23a and 23b, valves capable of manually or automatically opening and closing the flow paths of the suction pipes 32a and 32b may be provided. In one embodiment, the pressure sensor 21 is not limited to being attached to the inflow pipe 20, but may be provided to each of the suction pipes 32a and 32b, particularly downstream of the check valves 23a and 23b. The suction pressure of each of the motor pumps 40a, 40b may be measured.

The motor pump 40a has a pump 44a (first pump section) having an impeller (not shown) and a motor 42a, which is an example of a driving section that supplies power to the pump 44a. Similarly, the motor pump 40b has a pump 44b (second pump section) having an impeller (not shown) and a motor 42b, which is an example of a driving section that supplies power to the pump 44b. In this embodiment, two motor pumps 40a and 40b are provided, but three or more motor pumps may be provided.

In this embodiment, the water supply destination of the pumps 44a and 44b is the water supply target (for example, a faucet) connected to the discharge port 10b of the pump device 10, and the pumps 44a and 44b are arranged at the same height. ing. Here, "arranged at the same height" includes not only the case of being arranged strictly at the same height, but also the case of being arranged at approximately the same height. As an example, "arranged at the same height" means that the pumps 44a and 44b are arranged on the same floor, the pumps 44a and 44b are fixed to the same foundation or frame, This includes the case where the pumps 44a and 44b are housed in the same cabinet. However, in one embodiment, the pumps 44a, 44b are not limited to being arranged at the same height, and may be provided on different floors in a building, for example. Even in that case, the water supply target of the pumps 44a and 44b is the same.

A discharge pipe 34a (first discharge pipe) connected to the downstream side (discharge side) of the pump 44a is connected to a flow switch 24a, a pressure sensor 26a (first pressure sensor), a pressure tank 28a, A check valve (first discharge side valve) 25a is provided. A flow switch 24b, a pressure sensor 26b (second pressure sensor), and a pressure tank 28b are connected to a discharge pipe 34b (second discharge pipe) connected to the downstream side (discharge side) of the pump 44b. and a check valve (second discharge side valve) 25b.

Flow switches 24a, 24b and pressure sensors 26a, 26b are provided upstream of check valves 25a, 25b. The flow switches 24a, 24b are flow rate detectors that detect that the flow rate of the water flowing through the discharge pipes 34a, 34b has fallen below a predetermined value, that is, an insufficient amount of water (small amount of water). The pressure sensor 26a is a pressure measuring instrument for measuring the discharge pressure of the pump 44a (hereinafter, the discharge pressure of the pump 44a indicates the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 26a). Similarly, the pressure sensor 26b is a pressure measuring device for measuring the discharge pressure of the pump 44b (hereinafter, the discharge pressure of the pump 44b indicates the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 26b). The pressures detected by the pressure sensors 26a and 26b are sent to the controller 60. FIG. The pressure tanks 28a, 28b are pressure retainers for holding the discharge pressure while the pumps 44a, 44b are stopped. In one embodiment, the pressure tanks 28a and 28b may be provided in the discharge collection pipe 35 connected to the water supply pipe 107 instead of the discharge pipes 34a and 34b.

The check valves 25a and 25b provided downstream of the flow switches 24a and 24b connect the pumps from the discharge collecting pipe 35, which is a junction pipe of the discharge pipes 34a and 34b when the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel. Prevents backflow of water to 44a and 44b. Check valves, for example, can be used as the check valves 25a and 25b. Instead of or in addition to the check valves 25a and 25b, valves capable of manually or automatically opening and closing the flow paths of the discharge pipes 34a and 34b may be provided.

In the following description, suction pipes 32a and 32b provided for each pump, motor pump 4
0a, 40b, pumps 44a, 44b, motors 42a, 42b, inverter devices 50a, 50b, discharge pipes 34a, 34b, flow switches 24a, 24b, check valves 25a, 25b, and pressure tanks 28a, 28b. If not necessary, "suction pipe 32", "motor pump 40", "pump 44", "motor 42", "inverter device 50", "discharge pipe 34", "flow switch 24", "reverse The stop valve 25" and the "pressure tank 28" will be referred to.

The water supply device 10 of this embodiment includes a pipe 36a (first connecting pipe) that connects the discharge pipe 34a of the pump 44a and the suction pipe 32b of the pump 44b. The upstream side of the check valve 25a and the downstream side of the check valve 23b are connected by a pipe 36a. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1A, one end 36a1 of the pipe 36a is connected between the flow switch 24a and the check valve 25a in the discharge pipe 34a. The other end 36a2 of the pipe 36a (first connecting pipe) is connected between the check valve 23b and the pump 44b in the suction pipe 32b.

Further, the water supply device 10 of the present embodiment includes a pipe 36b (second connecting pipe) that connects the discharge pipe 34b of the pump 44b and the suction pipe 32a of the pump 44a. The upstream side of the check valve 25b in the discharge pipe 34b and the downstream side of the check valve 23a in the suction pipe 32a are connected by a pipe 36b. Specifically, one end 36b1 of the pipe 36b is connected between the flow switch 24b and the check valve 25b in the discharge pipe 34b. The other end 36b2 of the pipe 36b is connected between the check valve 23a and the pump 44a in the suction pipe 32a.

The water supply device 10 of the present embodiment includes an opening/closing mechanism (switching mechanism) 80 capable of opening and closing the flow paths of the pipes 36a and 36b. The opening/closing mechanism 80 has a first state in which the flow path of the pipe 36a is open and the flow path of the pipe 36b is closed, a second state in which the flow path of the pipe 36a is closed and the flow path of the pipe 36b is open, and the pipe 36a and the pipe 36b are closed. It is preferable to be able to switch between the third state in which both the flow paths of the pipe 36b are closed.

The opening/closing mechanism 80 is, for example, an electromagnetic valve or an electric valve. The water supply device 10 may also include a power source 81 for driving the opening/closing mechanism 80 . As the power source 81, various power sources such as a motor, a solenoid, or a pneumatic actuator can be adopted according to the configuration of the opening/closing mechanism 80. FIG. The control unit 60 of the water supply device 10 may automatically operate the power source 81 by outputting a switching instruction based on the discharge pressure or the like. The power source 81 may be operated by outputting a switching instruction based on the input. Alternatively, the user may input an instruction to the power source 81 without going through the control section 60 .

In such a water supply device 10, the flow path of the pipe 36a and the flow path of the pipe 36b are both closed (third state) by the opening/closing mechanism 80, so that the suction port 10a and the discharge port 10b of the water supply device 10 are closed. , the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel. At this time, the water supply device 10 may operate some pumps (for example, the pump 44a) and stop the remaining pumps (for example, the pump 44b), or may operate all pumps. Operation of only one of the pumps 44a and 44b is called "independent operation". Also, by operating a plurality of pumps 44 together, the amount of water that can be supplied to the water supply destination can be increased. Hereinafter, the operation of the pumps 44a and 44b together in the third state is also referred to as "parallel operation".

By opening the flow path of the pipe 36a and closing the flow path of the pipe 36b by the opening/closing mechanism 80 (first state), the discharge side of the pump 44a is connected to the suction side of the pump 44b. At this time, by operating both the pump 44a and the pump 44b, the pump 4
The water pressurized by 4a can be further pressurized by the pump 44b and supplied to the water supply destination. As a result, the pressure (head) that can be supplied to the water supply destination can be increased compared to the independent operation or parallel operation of the pumps 44a and 44b.

Further, by closing the flow path of the pipe 36a by the opening/closing mechanism 80 and opening the flow path of the pipe 36b (second state), the discharge side of the pump 44b is connected to the suction side of the pump 44a. At this time, by operating both the pump 44a and the pump 44b, the water pressurized by the pump 44b can be further pressurized by the pump 44a and supplied to the water supply destination. As a result, similarly to the second state, the pressure (head) that can be supplied to the water supply destination can be made higher than when the pumps 44a and 44b are operated independently or in parallel.

FIG. 1B is a graph showing an example of the pump operating point A in the head curve Px of the pump 44 in single operation and the head curve Py of the pump 44 in parallel operation. FIG. 1C is a graph showing an example of the pump operating point A in the head curve Px of the pump 44 in single operation and the head curve Pz of the pump 44 in series operation. 1B and 1C, the horizontal axis is the discharge amount Q, and the vertical axis is the lift H. As shown in FIG. The operating point of the pump 44 is the intersection of the pump head curve and the pipeline resistance curve R on the coordinate system with the discharge amount Q on the horizontal axis and the total head H on the vertical axis. The operating point is determined as intersection point A.

As shown in FIG. 1B, in parallel operation when the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the third state, the pumps 44a and 44b are in parallel operation with the same performance, and the head curve Py is obtained by adding the head curve Px for the number of pumps in the direction of the discharge amount. It is required by doing. If the pumps 44a and 44b have different performances, the controller 60 limits the rotation speed of the high-performance pumps so that the discharge pressures of all the pumps 44 are equal. By doing so, the pressures in the pipes 36a and 36b become equal, and the discharge amounts of the pumps 44a and 44b are added equally in the discharge collecting pipe 35. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1C, in series operation when the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the first state or the second state, the pumps 44a and 44b are in series operation with the same performance, and the head curve Pz is a head curve corresponding to the number of pumps in the head direction. It is obtained by adding Px. If the performances of the pumps 44a and 44b are different, the control unit 60 adjusts the discharge amount of the downstream pump as necessary so that the discharge amount of the upstream pump is greater than or equal to the discharge amount of the downstream pump. limit the rotational speed of the By doing so, cavitation of the pump on the downstream side can be prevented. Assuming that the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in single operation of the pump 44 is assumed, a pressure higher than the maximum pressure Pmax can be realized only in series operation.

In this manner, the water supply apparatus 10 can supply water at operating points according to a plurality of head curves by switching between a state in which the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel and a state in which the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in series by the opening/closing mechanism 80. can. It should be noted that all the pumps 44 in the water supply device 10 have the same performance (specifically, the representative performance curve showing the performance that is the standard for pumps of the same model and the same specifications). If the pumps are of the same type), all the pumps 44 can be operated in any of the first, second and third states of the opening/closing mechanism 80 when the maximum water volume or the maximum head is required. Energy-saving operation is possible because the maximum efficiency point can be set without limiting the operating point.

Again, refer to FIG. 1A. The water supply device 10 includes a control section 60 that controls the water supply operation. As the control unit 60, a circuit board centered on a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a dedicated circuit board, or the like can be employed. Signals from the pressure sensors 21 , 26 a and 26 b and signals from the flow switches 24 a and 24 b are input to the controller 60 . Further, the control unit 60 receives a signal from the inverter device 50 and transmits a command to the inverter device 50 which is variable speed means of the pump 44 . Further, the controller 60 may acquire the rotational speed of the motor 42 from a sensor (not shown) or the inverter device 50 . Further, the control unit 60 may be capable of transmitting a command to the power source 81, or may receive a signal indicating the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b by the opening/closing mechanism 80. FIG.

The control unit 60 of this embodiment includes a storage unit (control memory) 66 , a calculation unit 67 and an I/O unit 68 . Moreover, the operation panel 70 and the external communication part 73 may be provided.

As the storage unit 66 of the control unit 60, non-volatile memory such as ROM, HDD, EEPROM, FeRAM, and flash memory, and volatile memory such as RAM are used. The storage unit 66 stores a control program for controlling the water supply device 10, device information related to the device configuration, set value information that can be changed by the user, history information related to operating conditions, occurrence of abnormalities, etc., and information on the water supply device 10. Various data related to the water supply device 10 such as abnormality information are stored. As an example, the set pressure PA desired at the water supply destination is stored as the set value information.

Further, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 66 stores the head curve Px for the individual operation, the head curve Py for the parallel operation, and the head curve Pz for the series operation shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C. It also stores a first maximum pressure Pmax1 that can be output by the pump 44a and a second maximum pressure Pmax2 that can be output by the pump 44b. In this embodiment, the pumps 44a and 44b have the same performance. Therefore, the pumps 44a and 44b have the same head curve Px in single operation, and the first maximum pressure Pmax1 that can be output and the second maximum pressure Pmax2 that can be output by the pump 44b are equal to the maximum pressure Pmax. Further, in one embodiment, the storage unit 66 is a control program for calculating a head curve Py in parallel operation shown in FIG. 1B and a head curve Pz in series operation shown in FIG. is stored. In one embodiment, the storage unit 66 may calculate the lift curve Py and the lift curve Pz based on the lift curve Px in the single operation of the pump 44 calculated from the shut-off pressure or the like.

For example, a CPU is used as the calculation unit 67 of the control unit 60 . The calculation unit 67 performs calculations and the like for controlling each device constituting the water supply device 10 based on the control program and various data stored in the storage unit 66 and the signals input from the I/O unit 68. conduct. The calculation unit 67 also controls communication in the external communication unit 73 and the I/O unit 68 and the like, and controls display and operation on the operation panel 70 . The calculation result of the calculation unit 67 is stored in the storage unit 66 and output to the I/O unit 68 and the external communication unit 73 .

A port or the like is used as the I/O unit 68 . The I/O section 68 receives detection signals and the like from various sensors such as the pressure sensors 21 , 26 a and 26 b and sends them to the calculation section 67 . The I/O unit 68 includes a communication unit 68a, and the communication unit 68a and the inverter devices 50a and 50b communicate with each other through wired or wireless communication such as serial communication such as RS422, RS232C, and RS485 and packet communication such as Ethernet. It is connected. The inverter devices 50a and 50b are configured to be able to communicate with the control unit 60 using a communication protocol common to each manufacturer, such as Modbus, TCP/IP, or a manufacturer-specific communication protocol. The inverter devices 50a and 50b and the control unit 60 may share various data stored in the storage unit 66 through communication. The control unit 60 may be connected to the opening/closing mechanism 80 and/or the power source 81 via the I/O unit 68 to output switching instructions and input switching states.

The operation panel 70 is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that can display and change various data stored in the storage section 66 via the calculation section 67 . Specifically, the operation panel 70 displays device information and set value information and changes settings, displays and resets abnormality information, displays operation information, and the like. The operation panel 70 of this embodiment includes a setting section 71 and a display section 72 . Note that the control unit 60 and the operation panel 70 may be separate substrates. In this case, the control unit 60 and the operation panel 70 are preferably connected via serial communication, a cable such as a signal line, or wirelessly. When the control unit 60 and the operation panel 70 are provided on separate substrates, the operation panel 70 may be installed in a place away from the water supply device 10 (for example, a manager's room, etc.). Further, the operation panel 70 may be provided with a CPU, and the CPU may control the display operation, and may perform communication control with the control section 60 and an external device. Further, the operation panel 70 may include a buzzer (not shown) for producing warning sounds and operation sounds.

The setting unit 71 of the operation panel 70 is an information input unit of the control unit 60, and various inputs such as operation/stop of automatic water supply in the water supply device 10, alarm reset, and setting change of various data are performed by the user's external operation. Used to perform operations. The setting unit 71 may include operation buttons, a touch panel, or the like (not shown). Information input by an external operation through the setting unit 71 is stored in the storage unit 66 . A display unit 72 of the operation panel 70 functions as a user interface and is configured to display various data stored in the storage unit 66 . In preparation for the case where the water supply device 10 is installed in an environment with a lot of electrical noise such as a machine room or a pump room, the display unit 72 is a 7-segment LED or indicator light that is more resistant to electrical noise than the liquid crystal display and touch panel. In addition, a display composed of a mechanical push button or the like may be used. This allows the water supply device 10 to be installed even in an environment with a lot of electrical noise. However, the display unit 72 is not limited to a display that is resistant to electrical noise, and a dot-matrix liquid crystal display or the like may be used.

The external communication unit 73 is configured to be able to communicate with an external device (external terminal) 90 through wired communication or wireless communication. The external device (external terminal) 90 is, for example, a PDA (personal digital assistant). As wireless communication in the external communication unit 73, for example, a technique of near field communication (NFC) can be used. In addition, any type of wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi can be used. Here, NFC is advantageous in that communication can be completed simply by bringing the control unit 60 and the external device 90 close to each other. As wired communication, for example, the controller 60 may be provided with an external connection terminal such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus), and communication may be performed by connecting the external device 90 to this terminal, or RS422, RS232C. , RS485, etc. may be used.

Note that the functions of the operation panel 70 described above may all be implemented by the external device 90 . In this way, even if the water supply device 10 is installed in a place where it is difficult to operate (for example, the operation panel 70 is near the operator's feet), it becomes easy to perform operations such as checking the state of the water supply device 10 and changing set value information. . Further, the operation panel 70 may input an instruction to switch the opening/closing mechanism 80 and/or the power source 81 and display the switching state.

Next, water supply control by the control unit 60 will be described. In this embodiment, the control unit 60 has a connection mode according to the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b by the opening/closing mechanism 80, and controls the pumps 44a and 44b according to the connection mode. Specifically, the control unit 60 has a "parallel mode" as a connection mode indicating a state in which the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the third state and the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel. The control unit 60 also has a "serial mode" as a connection mode indicating a state in which the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the first state or the second state and the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in series. The control unit 60 controls the discharge pressure of the pump 44a input from the pressure sensor 26a to the I/O unit 68 of the control unit 60 and the pump input from the pressure sensor 26b to the I/O unit 68 of the control unit 60. The pumps 44a and 44b are controlled based on the discharge pressure of 44b and the set pressure PA stored as set value information in the storage section 66 of the control section 60. FIG. In one embodiment, the control unit 60 controls the power source 81 (opening/closing mechanism 80) according to the connection mode.
) to send a switching instruction. In one embodiment, the control unit 60 determines the connection state of the opening/closing mechanism 80 and changes the connection mode based on the determination.

Processing for setting the connection mode by the control unit 60 will be described.
When the control unit 60 is configured to operate the opening/closing mechanism 80 by outputting a switching instruction to the power source 81 of the opening/closing mechanism 80, the control unit 60 determines the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b based on the switching instruction output by itself. can be determined and the connection mode can be set. That is, when the controller 60 outputs a switching instruction to the power source 81 so that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the third state, it is preferable to set the connection mode to the "parallel mode". Further, when the control unit 60 outputs a switching instruction to the power source 81 so that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the first state or the second state, it is preferable to set the connection mode to "serial mode".

Further, when the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b by the opening/closing mechanism 80 is input, the control unit 60 determines the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b based on the input signal, and sets the connection mode. be able to. Specifically, a signal relating to the connection mode output by the opening/closing mechanism 80 is input to the I/O section 68 of the control section 60 . Alternatively, information about the connection mode is input to the operation panel 70 of the control unit 60 or the external device (external terminal) 90 by an operator or an external system. That is, when a signal or information indicating that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the third state is input, the control unit 60 determines that the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b is parallel, and selects the connection mode as "parallel mode." ” should be set. Further, when a signal or information indicating that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the first state or the second state is input, the control unit 60 determines that the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b is in series, and selects the connection mode. It is recommended to set "serial mode" as

Furthermore, the control unit 60 may set the connection mode based on the set pressure PA and the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 . FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of connection mode determination processing executed by the control unit 60. As shown in FIG. This process may be executed by the control unit 60 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every several hundred milliseconds or several seconds), or may be executed when the target pressure of the water supply device 10 is changed by an external input or the like. It may be

When the connection mode determination process is executed, the control unit 60 sets the target pressure PpSV based on the set pressure PA of the water supply device 10 to the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44 (see FIGS. 1B and 1C). (S102). Here, as the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10, a set pressure PA set by external input by an operator or an external device may be used, or a target pressure used in the estimated end pressure constant control at the set pressure PA Pressure (rotational speed of pump 44, discharge pressure at maximum flow rate (set pressure PA), target pressure control curve based on discharge pressure PB at shut-off operation) A target pressure that is set to be The discharge pressure (set pressure PA) at the maximum flow rate and the discharge pressure PB at the shut-off operation in the estimated end pressure control may be set in the control unit 60 by external input. Further, the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output during the independent operation of the pump 44 may be the maximum pressure during rated operation of the pump 44, or may be the set pressure PA that is set by external input.

Then, when the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is equal to or lower than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output when the pump 44 is operated alone (S102: Yes), the controller 60 controls the pump 44 to operate alone as shown in FIG. 1B. Alternatively, it is determined that the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 can be satisfied by parallel operation, the parallel mode is set as the connection mode (S104), and this process is terminated. That is, the storage unit 66 of the control unit 60 stores the first maximum pressure Pmax1 that can be output by the pump 44a and the second maximum pressure Pmax2 that can be output by the pump 44b, and the pump based on the set pressure PA. If the target pressure PpSV of the device 10 is less than or equal to the first maximum pressure Pmax1 and the second maximum pressure Pmax2, it is determined that the connection mode is the parallel mode. In this embodiment, the pumps 44a and 44b have the same performance, and the first maximum pressure Pmax1 that can be output and the second maximum pressure Pmax2 that can be output by the pump 44b are equal to the maximum pressure Pmax. In one embodiment, the pumps 44a and 44b are of different performance and the first maximum pressure Pmax1 that can be output and the second maximum pressure Pmax2 that can be output by the pump 44b are different from the maximum pressure Pmax.

On the other hand, when the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is higher than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output when the pump 44 is operated alone (S102: No), the control unit 60 controls the pump 44 to operate alone or in parallel as shown in FIG. 1B. It is determined that the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 cannot be satisfied during operation, and the series mode is set as the connection mode (S106), and this process is terminated. Specifically, the control unit 60 sets a first maximum pressure Pmax1 that can be output by the pump 44a (first pump unit) and a second maximum pressure Pmax2 that can be output by the pump 44b (second pump unit). and is stored, and when the target pressure PpSV of the pump device 10 based on the set pressure PA is greater than the first maximum pressure Pmax1 and/or the second maximum pressure Pmax2, it is determined that the connection mode is the series mode. .

Note that, when the connection mode is set to the parallel mode in S104, the control unit 60 may output a switching instruction to the power source 81 so that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the third state. Further, when the connection mode is set to the series mode in S106, the control unit 60 may output a switching instruction to the power source 81 so that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the first state or the second state. In this embodiment, the maximum pressure Pmax is the pressure at which the flow rate is zero, but in one embodiment, the maximum pressure Pmax may be any pressure value that takes into consideration the amount of water required at the water supply destination.

In one embodiment, instead of or in addition to the pressure sensor 21 attached to the inflow pipe 20, if a pressure sensor is provided in each of the suction pipes 32a, 32b downstream of the check valves 23a, 23b, That is, when the suction pressure of each pump 44 can be detected, the control unit 60 may determine the connection state of the opening/closing mechanism 80 based on the suction pressure of each pump 44 and set the connection mode. For example, the control unit 60 may set the parallel mode as the connection mode when the difference between the suction pressures of the pumps 44a and 44b is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold while both the pumps 44a and 44b are operating. In addition, the control unit 60 controls whether the difference between the suction pressures of the pumps 44a and 44b is greater than a predetermined threshold while both the pumps 44a and 44b are being operated, or when the suction pressure of one of the pumps 44a and 44b is higher than the pump 44a. The series mode may be set as the connection mode when it is greater than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in single operation. Furthermore, in the serial mode, the control unit 60 may determine that the pump 44 with low suction pressure is connected upstream and the pump 44 with high suction pressure is connected downstream. In either case, the control unit 60 should determine the connection state between the pump 44a (first pump unit) and the pump 44b (second pump unit) and set the connection mode. In addition, as an embodiment, the control unit 60, when both the pumps 44a and 44b are operating and the difference in discharge pressure between the pumps 44a and 44b is greater than a predetermined threshold value, or when one of the pumps 44a and 44b When the discharge pressure of the pump 44a is higher than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44a, the serial mode may be set as the connection mode. Furthermore, in the series mode, the control unit 60 is connected upstream to the pump 44 whose discharge pressure is lower than the maximum pressure Pmax, and is connected downstream to the pump 44 whose discharge pressure is higher than the maximum pressure Pmax. can be judged.

Next, automatic water supply control in each connection mode will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic water supply control in the parallel mode executed by the controller 60. As shown in FIG. This processing is repeatedly executed by the control unit 60 when the connection mode is the parallel mode. In this embodiment, the connection mode is switched while both the pumps 44a and 44b are stopped, and the process shown in FIG. 3 is started while both the pumps 44a and 44b are stopped. It is assumed that However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the connection mode may be switched even when at least one of the pumps 44a and 44b is in operation.

In this embodiment, prior to starting the process of FIG. 3, the control unit 60 determines one of the pumps 44a and 44b to be the lead pump to be started first, and the other pump to be started next to the lead pump. It is specified as a pump. Setting of the first pump and the second pump will be described later.

When the automatic water supply control in the parallel mode is started, the control unit 60 first sets the target pressures P1SV and P2SV of the leading pump and the subsequent pump (S202). Specifically, the control unit 60 sets the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 to the target pressures of all the pumps (P1SV=P2SV=PpSV). Here, the target pressure may be set from the head curve Px of the pump 44 in single operation and/or the head curve Py of the pump 44 in parallel operation. In the example shown in FIG. 3, for ease of explanation, the process of setting the target pressures of the leading pump and the secondary pump is executed first, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. In particular, when the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 fluctuates during water supply, as in the estimated end pressure constant control, the processing of S202 for setting the target pressures of the pumps 44a and 44b is performed in parallel with the processing after S204 described below. and executed at predetermined time intervals (for example, milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds).

Subsequently, the control unit 60 waits until the conditions for starting the pump 44 are satisfied (S204), and when the conditions for starting are satisfied (S204: Yes), the leading pump is started (S206). In S204, in the present embodiment, the control unit 60 determines that the starting condition is met when the discharge pressure of the leading pump has decreased to a predetermined starting pressure.

When the leading pump is started, the control unit 60 adds and disconnects the following pump (S208 to S214) until the conditions for stopping the leading pump are satisfied (S216: No), and causes the pump 44 to operate. Control.

During islanding operation of the pump 44, control such as estimated end pressure constant control or target pressure constant control is performed based on the target pressure on the pump head curve Px of the pump 44 during islanding operation. Specifically, in the case of the estimated terminal pressure constant control, the target pressure control curve based on the rotational speed of the pump 44, the discharge pressure PA at the maximum flow rate, and the discharge pressure PB at the time of cutoff operation is used to control the terminal water supply. The target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is set so that the pressure of the plug is constant. In the case of constant target pressure control, the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is the set pressure PA set by external input. Then, as described in S202, in the parallel mode, the target pressures P1SV and P2SV of the leading pump and the secondary pump are set to the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10. FIG. Based on the difference between P1SV and the current discharge pressure P1, the pump 44a performs a PI calculation using a proportional gain Gp1 and an integral gain Gi1, or a PID calculation using a proportional gain Gp1, an integral gain Gi1, and a differential gain Gd1. is performed to set the command rotation speed F1 of the pump 44a. Based on the difference between P2SV and the current discharge pressure P2, the pump 44b performs a PI calculation using a proportional gain Gp2 and an integral gain Gi2, or a PID calculation using a proportional gain Gp2, an integral gain Gi2 and a differential gain Gd2. is performed to set the command rotation speed F2 of the pump 44b. The proportional gain Gp1, the integral gain Gi1, the differential gain Gd1, and the proportional gain Gp2, the integral gain Gi2, and the differential gain Gd2 may be the same value or different values.

Further, when a predetermined additional condition is satisfied during operation of the leading pump (S208: Yes), the control unit 60 starts the following pump (S210). As an example, the control unit 60 determines that the additional condition is met when the difference between the target pressure of the leading pump and the discharge pressure of the leading pump continues to be equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value for a predetermined period of time. Just do it. Further, as an example, the control unit 60 may determine that the additional condition is satisfied when the state in which the rotation speed of the lead pump is the highest continues for a predetermined period of time. By starting the next pump and operating the pumps 44a and 44b in parallel, the amount of water supplied from the water supply device 10 can be increased as described with reference to FIG. 1B. During parallel operation, it is preferable to perform constant estimated terminal pressure control or constant target pressure control using the head curve Py of the pump 44 in parallel operation.

Furthermore, when a predetermined parallel-off condition is satisfied during operation of the leading pump and the secondary pump (S212: Yes), the control unit 60 stops (disconnects) the secondary pump (S214), to operate alone. As an example, the control unit 60 may determine that the parallel-off condition is met when the rotational speed of the next pump continues to be equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value for a predetermined period of time. Energy saving of the water supply device 10 can be attained by making a pump parallel-off and operating independently. In this embodiment, the next pump is disconnected, but in one embodiment, the preceding pump may be disconnected.

Then, when the conditions for stopping the pumps 44 are satisfied (S216: Yes), the control unit 60 stops all the pumps 44 (S218). As an example, when the amount of water used in the building decreases and the flow switch 24 detects an insufficient amount of water, and the detection signal is sent to the control unit 60 (low water amount state), the control unit 60 sets the starting pump stop condition is determined to have been established. When the condition for stopping the lead pump is satisfied, the control unit 60 increases the rotation speed until the discharge pressure of the lead pump reaches a predetermined stop pressure, accumulates the pressure in the pressure tank 28, and then stops the lead pump (stops the small amount of water). ). As a method for detecting a small amount of water, instead of using the flow switch 24, other means such as a low load based on the current value of the motor 42 or shut-off pressure may be used.

After stopping all the pumps 44 in S218, the first pump to be started next time is set (S220), and this process ends. Further, as the processing of S220, the control unit 60 preferably rotates the leading pump in order to prevent water from remaining in the pump 44 for a long time and to prevent the cumulative operation time of the pumps 44a and 44b from being biased.

After the pump 44 is stopped with a small amount of water in S218 and the lead aircraft is rotated in S220, S202 of this flowchart is executed again, and when water is used again in the building, the starting condition is satisfied (S204). , the lead pump is started (S206).

Next, automatic water supply control in series mode will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of automatic water supply control in series mode executed by the controller 60 . This processing is repeatedly executed by the control unit 60 when the serial mode is set as the connection mode. It should be noted that the processing shown in FIG. 4 is started in a state where both the pumps 44a and 44b are stopped, like the processing shown in FIG.

First, prior to starting the process of FIG. 4, the control unit 60 determines the pump 44 connected on the upstream side of the pumps 44a and 44b as the leading pump, and selects the pump 44 connected on the downstream side as the secondary pump. specified for the pump. As an example, when the control unit 60 is configured to operate the opening/closing mechanism 80 by outputting a switching instruction to the power source 81 of the opening/closing mechanism 80, the control unit 60 outputs the leading pump and the next pump based on the switching instruction output by itself. A starting pump can be defined. That is, when the switching instruction is output so that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the first state, the control unit 60 determines the upstream pump 44a as the leading pump and the downstream pump 44b as the secondary pump. Further, when the control unit 60 outputs a switching instruction so that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is in the second state, the control unit 60 determines the upstream pump 44b as the leading pump and the downstream pump 44a as the secondary pump. Furthermore, when a signal indicating the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b by the opening/closing mechanism 80 is input, the control section 60 may determine the leading pump and the subsequent pump based on the input signal.

Further, as one embodiment, the control unit 60 sets the one of the pumps 44a and 44b having the shortest operating time as the leading pump and the other as the secondary pump. As another embodiment, the control unit 60 sets the one of the pumps 44a and 44b having the longer stop time as the leading pump and the other as the secondary pump. Further, as another embodiment, the control unit 60 sets a pump different from the stored preceding pump as the preceding pump, and determines the other pump as the subsequent pump.

When the automatic water supply control in the series mode is started, the control unit 60 first sets the target pressures P1SV and P2SV of the leading pump on the upstream side and the secondary pump on the downstream side (S302). Specifically, the control unit 60 sets the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump, which is the pump 44 on the upstream side, to half the target pressure PpSV based on the set pressure PA. Further, the control unit 60 sets the target pressure P2SV of the subsequent pump, which is the pump 44 on the downstream side, to the target pressure PpSV based on the set pressure PA. As in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the setting of the target pressures P1SV and P2SV in S302 is not limited to being performed at the beginning of the process, and may be performed in parallel with the processes after S304 described below. . As an example, S302 may be executed at predetermined time intervals. In this embodiment, the control unit 60 sets the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump, which is the pump 44 on the upstream side, to half the target pressure PpSV based on the set pressure PA. However, the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump may be half or more of the target pressure PpSV. As a result, it is possible to prevent cavitation from occurring due to negative pressure on the inflow side on the downstream side. However, if the target pressure P1SV is one-half of the target pressure PpSV as in the present embodiment, the leading and subsequent pumps can be operated with the same load, improving controllability and extending the life of the pumps. can be balanced. Also, the target pressure PpSV is preferably set based on the lift curve Pz.

Subsequently, the control unit 60 waits until the condition for starting the pump 44 is satisfied (S304), and when the condition for starting is satisfied (S304: Yes), the leading pump, which is the pump 44 on the upstream side, is started (S306). . In this embodiment, the control unit 60 determines that the starting condition is met when the discharge pressure of the next pump drops to a predetermined starting pressure. It should be noted that the starting pressure in the series mode is preferably set to a value higher than the starting pressure in the parallel mode. After the leading pump is started, the subsequent pump, which is the pump 44 on the downstream side, is started (S308). Thus, in the series mode, by starting the upstream pump 44 and then starting the downstream pump 44, the connecting passage between the upstream pump 44 and the downstream pump 44 becomes negative pressure. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of troubles such as cavitation. In this embodiment, the leading pump and the secondary pump are started under the same starting conditions. In one embodiment, the lead pump and the follow-on pump may start under different starting conditions. However, even in this case, the downstream pump 44 is activated after the upstream pump 44 is activated. For example, when the discharge pressure of the preceding pump becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the preceding pump may be started, and when the discharge pressure of the subsequent pump is equal to or less than the predetermined value and the preceding pump is started, the subsequent pump may be started. Also, if the water supply can be supplemented only by the leading pump, the step of S310 may be omitted.

Next, the control unit 60 controls the operation of the pump 44 in operation until the conditions for stopping the pump 44 are satisfied (S312: No). As an example, the operation of the lead pump (upstream pump 44) may be controlled by constant target pressure control in which the target pressure P1SV of the lead pump is the target pressure and the discharge pressure of the lead pump is the current pressure. This is based on the fact that the leading pump and the secondary pump are directly connected without a water supply destination in the connecting flow path, and therefore the discharge pressure of the leading pump is substantially equal to the inflow pressure of the secondary pump. Further, the operation of the secondary pump (downstream pump 44) is controlled by the target pressure constant control or the estimated terminal pressure constant control based on the target pressure P2SV of the secondary pump and the discharge pressure of the secondary pump. good. In the case of series operation, it is preferable that estimated end pressure constant control or the like be performed using the head curve Pz. In the serial mode, by operating two pumps 44, the water pressurized by the leading pump can be further pressurized by the secondary pump and supplied to the water supply destination. can respond.

Then, when the conditions for stopping the pump 44 are satisfied (S312: Yes), the control unit 60 stops the subsequent pump, which is the pump 44 on the downstream side (S314). As an example, when the amount of water used in the building decreases and the flow switch downstream of the next pump detects an insufficient amount of water, and the detection signal is sent to the control unit 60 (low water amount state), the control unit 60 controls the pump It is determined that the stop condition of 44 is established. When the stop condition of the pump 44 is satisfied, the control unit 60 increases the rotation speed until the discharge pressure of the next pump reaches a predetermined stop pressure, and after accumulating the pressure in the pressure tank 28 on the discharge side of the next pump. , stop the next pump. Note that the control unit 60 may use a pressure higher than the stop pressure in the parallel mode as the stop pressure in the series connection mode.

After stopping the secondary pump, the controller 60 subsequently stops the leading pump, which is the pump 44 on the upstream side (S318). At this time, the rotation speed is increased until the discharge pressure of the leading pump reaches a predetermined stop pressure, and after the pressure is accumulated in the pressure tank 28 on the discharge side of the leading pump, the subsequent pump is stopped. In this way, the control unit 60 stops the pump 44 after accumulating pressure in both the pressure tanks 28a and 28b. Even in parallel operation, it is possible to suppress pressure fluctuation at the water supply destination at the time of start-up. In addition, by stopping the downstream pump 44 in S314 and then stopping the upstream pump 44 in S318, the connecting passage between the upstream pump 44 and the downstream pump 44 becomes negative pressure. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of troubles such as cavitation. In this embodiment, the leading pump and the secondary pump are stopped under the same stop condition. In one embodiment, the lead pump and the follow-on pump may use different stopping conditions. Also, if only the leading pump is in operation, the step of S314 is omitted.

The stop pressure described above is preferably set according to the connection state using the lift curve Px for individual operation, the lift curve Py for parallel operation, and the lift curve Pz for series operation stored in the storage unit 66. Thereby, the control unit 60 can perform pressure control according to the connection state.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that both the leading pump and the secondary pump are operated, and one pump 44 is not disconnected or added until the stop condition is satisfied. This is based on the fact that the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 in the series mode is set higher than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output when the pump 44 is operated alone in this embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and even in a state where the two pumps 44 are directly connected, the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is set to be equal to or less than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output when the pumps 44 are operated independently. One of the pumps 44 may be independently operated, for example, in the case of a configuration that obtains. In this case, in order to prevent problems such as cavitation from occurring due to negative pressure in the connection passage between the upstream pump 44 and the downstream pump 44, the upstream pump 44 is operated independently. preferably.

Further, in the water supply device 10 of the present embodiment, the pump 44 on the upstream side and the downstream side can be switched between the first state and the second state. As a result, it is possible to suppress variations in the degree of deterioration and damage of the pumps 44a and 44b. Further, when the connection state by the opening/closing mechanism 80 can be changed while the pump 44 is in operation, when switching to the first state or the second state due to a high water supply pressure being required in the third state, for example, the current operating state may be changed. By switching to the first state or the second state so that the leading pump that is currently running is on the upstream side, it is possible to suppress pressure fluctuations and smoothly change the operating state.

According to the water supply device 10 of the present embodiment described above, the control unit 60 controls the first pump unit 44
a and the discharge pressure of the second pump section 44b, determine the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section, and discharge the first pump section 44b. Based on the pressure, the discharge pressure of the second pump unit, the connection state, and the set pressure PA of the water supply device 10 (specifically, the target pressure PpSV based on the set pressure PA), the first pump It controls the portion 44a and the second pump portion 44b. In addition, the control unit 60 can perform pressure control according to the connection state using the lift curve Px for individual operation, the lift curve Py for parallel operation, and the lift curve Pz for series operation, which are stored in the storage unit 66. . Thereby, the pump can be appropriately controlled according to the connection state of the pump. As described above, the determination of the connection state of the opening/closing mechanism 80 by the control unit 60 may be made, for example, based on the switching instruction output to the opening/closing mechanism 80 by itself, or based on an external input indicating the connection state. It may be done based on the setting of the connection mode by external input by the user or the like, or it may be done based on the set pressure PA or the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 .

(Modification 1 of the first embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the water supply device of the first embodiment. The water supply device 10A of the modified example is the same as the water supply device 10 of the first embodiment except that pressure sensors 21a and 21b are provided in the suction pipes 32a and 32b, respectively, and the control unit 60. , overlapping explanations will be omitted. The pressure sensors 21a, 21b are provided downstream of the check valves 23a, 23b and detect the suction pressure of the pumps 44a, 44b. The water supply device 10A includes a unit 10Aa including a pressure sensor 21a, a pump 44a, an inverter 50a, a pressure sensor 26a, a pressure tank 28a, and a first controller 60a, a pressure sensor 21b, a pump 44b, It has a unit 10Ab having an inverter 50b, a pressure sensor 26b, a pressure tank 28b, and a second control section 60b.

10 A of water supply apparatuses of a modification replace with the control part 60, and the 1st control part 60a for controlling the pump 44a (1st pump part) and the pump 44b (2nd pump part) for controlling It includes a second control unit 60b and a third control unit 60c configured to communicate with the first control unit 60a and the second control unit 60b by wire or wirelessly. The first to third control units 60a to 60c can adopt a circuit board centered on a CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a dedicated circuit board, like the control unit 60 described above. Signals from the pressure sensors 21a and 26a and a signal from the flow switch 24a are input to the first control section 60a, and signals from the pressure sensors 21b and 21b and a signal from the flow switch 24b are input to the second control section 60b. Further, the first control unit 60a receives a signal from the inverter device 50a and transmits a command to the inverter device 50a, and the second control unit 60b receives a signal from the inverter device 50b and commands the inverter device 50b. to send. The third control unit 60 c can output a switching instruction to the power source 81 to operate the opening/closing mechanism 80 . In addition, in the water supply device 10A of the modified example, the first control unit 60a and the second control unit 60b are configured to be able to exchange information with each other via the third control unit 60c. The unit 60a and the second control unit 60b may be configured to communicate directly by wire or wirelessly.

Also in the water supply device 10A of the modified example 1, the first to third control units 60a to 60c exchange information with each other and perform cooperative control, so that the water supply device 10A of the first embodiment functions similarly. can. As an example, the third control unit 60c performs the processing of S202 in FIG. 3 or the processing of S302 in FIG. The target pressures P1SV and P2SV of the leading pump and the secondary pump are set. Further, the third control unit 60c determines one of the pumps 44a and 44b as the leading pump and the other as the secondary pump based on the connection state of the pump 44 by the opening/closing mechanism 80. As shown in FIG. Then, the third control unit 60c uses the head curve Px in the individual operation, the head curve Py in the parallel operation, and the head curve Pz in the series operation stored in the storage unit 66 to perform pressure control according to the connection state. , the target pressure P1SV and the target pressure P2SV are calculated, and the first
, second control units 60a and 60b, the target pressure P1SV is transmitted to the control unit corresponding to the first pump, and the target pressure P2SV is transmitted to the control unit corresponding to the second pump. Then, the first and second controllers 60a and 60b may control the pump 44 based on the target pressures P1SV and P2SV. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the first to third control units 60a to 60c may exchange various information with each other to control the operation of the pump 44. FIG.

(Modification 2 of the first embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a water supply system as an example of a pump system according to modification 2 of the first embodiment. The water supply device 10B differs from the water supply device 10 in that the suction pipes 32a and 32b are provided with pressure sensors 21a and 21b, respectively, and in the control unit 60. As shown in FIG. Further, the water supply device 10B includes a unit 10Ba having a pressure sensor 21a, a pump 44a, an inverter 50a, a pressure sensor 26a, a pressure tank 28a, and a first control section 60a, a pressure sensor 21b, and a pump 44b. , and a unit 10Bb having an inverter 50b, a pressure sensor 26b, a pressure tank 28b, and a second control section 60b.

Pressure sensors 21a and 21b are provided downstream of the check valves 23a and 23b to detect the suction pressure of the pumps 44a and 44b. Further, the water supply device 10B differs from the water supply device 10 in that it does not include a pipe 36b (second connection pipe) that connects the discharge pipe 34b of the pump 44b and the suction pipe 32a of the pump 44a. The water supply device 10B is the same as the water supply device 10 except for these points, and redundant description will be omitted.

Instead of the control unit 60, the water supply device 10B includes a first control unit 60a for controlling the pump 44a (first pump unit) and a second control unit for controlling the pump 44b (second pump unit). and a portion 60b. In the following description, it is assumed that the first control unit 60a and the second control unit 60b cannot communicate with each other and do not exchange information. 60a and second control unit 60b may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly or by wire.

In the water supply device 10B, the opening/closing mechanism 80 can open and close the channel of the pipe 36a connecting the discharge side of the pump 44a and the suction side of the pump 44b. The opening/closing mechanism 80 can switch between a first state in which the flow path of the pipe 36a is open and a third state in which the flow path of the pipe 36b is closed. That is, in the water supply device 10B, when the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in series, the pump 44a is connected upstream and the pump 44b is downstream through the pipe 36b.

Further, in the water supply device 10B, the pump 44a is defined as the leading pump, and the pump 44b is defined as the secondary pump. Furthermore, it is assumed that the state of the opening/closing mechanism 80 is switched by the user, and the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B is set in each of the first and second control units 60a and 60b by external input.

Automatic water supply control by the first and second controllers 60a and 60b of the water supply device 10B will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the leading pump automatic water supply control executed by the first control unit 60a. This flowchart is repeatedly executed while power is supplied to the first control unit 60a.

In the leading pump automatic water supply control, first, the first control unit 60a compares the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B with the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44a (S402). Then, when the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is equal to or lower than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44a (S402: Yes), the first control unit 60a determines that the pump 44 is connected in parallel. Then, the connection mode is set to the parallel mode, and the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B is set as the target pressure P1SV of the pump 44a (S404). The target pressure PpSV is preferably set based on the lift curve Py. On the other hand, when the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 is greater than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44 (S402: No), the first control unit 60a determines that the pump 44 is connected in series. Then, the connection mode is set to the series mode, and the target pressure P1SV of the pump 44a is set to 1/2 of the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B (S406). In this case, the target pressure PpSV is preferably set based on the lift curve Pz.

However, instead of the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B, the first control unit 60a may determine the connection state of the pump 44 based on an external input and set the target pressure P1SV of the pump 44a. Further, when the pump 44 is connected in series, the first control unit 60a may set, as the target pressure P1SV of the pump 44, the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44a.

Subsequently, the first control unit 60a waits until the conditions for starting the pump 44a are satisfied (S408), and when the conditions for starting are satisfied (S408: Yes), the pump 44a is started (S410). As an example, the first control unit 60a determines that the starting condition is met when the discharge pressure of the pump 44a has decreased to a predetermined starting pressure.

The first control unit 60a controls the operation of the pump 44a until the pump stop condition is satisfied (S412: No). The operation control of the pump 44a by the first control unit 60a may be controlled, such as the estimated terminal pressure constant control or the target pressure constant control, based on the target pressure P1SV, similarly to the water supply device 10. FIG.

Then, when the conditions for stopping the pump 44a are satisfied (S412: Yes), the first control unit 60a stops the pump 44a (S414), and ends the processing shown in FIG. As an example, when the flow switch 24a detects an insufficient amount of water and the detection signal is sent to the first control unit 60a (small amount of water state), the first control unit 60a determines that the conditions for stopping the pump 44a are met. . When the conditions for stopping the pump 44a are satisfied, the first control unit 60a increases the rotation speed until the discharge pressure of the pump 44a reaches a predetermined stop pressure, accumulates the pressure in the pressure tank 28a, and then stops the pump 44a. When it is determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in series, the first control unit 60a operates for a longer time than when it is determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel. The pressure may be accumulated in the pressure tank 28a. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the pump 44a from stopping before the pump 44b stops, and to prevent negative pressure from being generated in the flow path connecting the pumps 44a and 44b.

Next, the automatic water supply control of the pump 44b by the second control section 60b will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the next pump automatic water supply control executed by the second control section 60b. This flowchart is repeatedly executed while power is supplied to the second control unit 60b.

In the next pump automatic water supply control, the second control unit 60b first sets the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B as the target pressure P2SV of the pump 44b (S502). In the second control unit 60b, the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10B may be directly set by an external input, or the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b is determined by an external input, and automatically based on the determination. may be set by

Subsequently, the second control unit 60b waits until the additional condition for the pump 44b is satisfied (S504), and when the additional condition is satisfied (S504: Yes), the pump 44b is started (S506). As an example, the second control unit 60b controls the target pressure P2SV (the target pressure Pp of the water supply device 10
SV) is equal to or less than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output in the independent operation of the pump 44a, when it is determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel, the target When the difference between the pressure P2SV and the discharge pressure of the pump 44b remains equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value for a predetermined period of time, it may be determined that the additional condition is met. Alternatively, when the target pressure P2SV (the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10) is greater than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output when the pump 44a is operated alone, the second control unit 60b controls the pumps 44a and 44b to be connected in series. If it is determined that the pump 44b is started after the pump 44a is started, it may be determined that the additional condition is satisfied when the suction pressure of the pump 44b reaches a predetermined threshold value or higher.

The second control unit 60b controls the operation of the pump 44b until the parallel off condition for the pump 44b is satisfied (S508: No). The operation control of the pump 44b by the second control unit 60b is preferably performed by the estimated terminal pressure constant control or the target pressure constant control based on the target pressure P2SV, similarly to the water supply device 10. FIG.

Then, when the parallel off condition for the pump 44b is satisfied (S508: Yes), the second control unit 60b stops the pump 44b (S510), and ends the processing shown in FIG. As an example, when it is determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel, the second control unit 60b determines that the rotational speed of the pump 44b is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, as in S212 of FIG. It is preferable to determine that the parallel-off condition is established when the operation continues for a predetermined time. When the second controller 60b determines that the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in series, the flow switch 24b detects an insufficient amount of water, and the detection signal is sent to the second controller 60b. , it is better to determine that the disconnection condition is satisfied.

Also in the water supply device 10B described above, the same effect as that of the water supply device 10 can be obtained.

(Modification 3 of the first embodiment)
In the above description, the water supply devices 10, 10A, 10B provided with the pumps 44a, 44b as the first pump section and the second pump section have been described. However, the water supply apparatuses 10, 10A, and 10B may be provided with a pump section 2044 shown in FIG. 9 instead of at least one of the pumps 44a and 44b as the first pump section and the second pump section. As shown in FIG. 9, the pump unit 2044 controls two motor pumps 2040a and 2040b, inverter devices 2050a and 2050b which are examples of variable speed controllers for the motor pumps 2040a and 2040b, and the motor pumps 2040a and 2040b. and a control unit 2060 for Motor pumps 2040a and 2040b and inverter devices 2050a and 2050b may have the same configurations as motor pump 40 and inverter device 50 of the embodiment, respectively.

The pump section 2044 shown in FIG. 9 includes two motor pumps 2040 connected in parallel to the suction pipe 32 and the discharge pipe 34 of the pump section 2044 . Although two motor pumps 2040a and 2040b are provided in the example shown in FIG. 9, three or more motor pumps may be provided. The suction pipe 32 of the pump section 2044 is provided with a pressure sensor 2021 for measuring the pressure inside the suction pipe 32 . Further, the discharge pipe 34 of the pump section 2044 is provided with a pressure sensor 2026 for measuring the pressure inside the discharge pipe 34 . Suction pipes 2032a and 3032b are branched from the suction pipe 32 of the pump section 2044 and connected to the suction ports of the motor pumps 2040a and 2040b. Also, the discharge pipes 2034 a and 2034 b connected to the discharge ports of the motor pumps 2040 a and 2040 b are integrated and connected to the discharge pipe 34 of the pump section 2044 . Each of the discharge pipes 2034a and 2034b is provided with a flow switch 2024 and a check valve 2025 for detecting an insufficient amount of water. Further, the discharge pipe 34 is provided with a pressure sensor 2026 as a pressure detector and a pressure tank 2028 . The pressure sensor 2021, the flow switch 2024, the check valve 2025, the pressure sensor 2026, and the pressure tank 2028 correspond to the pressure sensor 21, the flow switch 24, the check valve 25, the pressure sensor 26, and the pressure tank in the water supply device 10 of the embodiment. 28 may have the same configuration. Further, the pressure sensor 2021, the flow switch 2024, the check valve 2025, the pressure sensor 2026, and the pressure tank 2028, and the pressure sensor 21, the flow switch 24, the check valve 25, the pressure sensor 26, and the water supply device 10 of the embodiment If the functions of the pressure tank 28 are the same, either one may be omitted.

In the pump unit 2044 shown in FIG. 9, detection signals from various sensors are input to the control unit 2060, and the control unit 2060 drives the motor pumps 2040a and 2040b by transmitting commands to the inverter devices 2050a and 2050b. can be done. That is, the pump unit 2044 shown in FIG. 9 can also be used independently as a pump device for supplying water to a water supply destination.

When such a pump unit 2044 is used as the first pump unit and the second pump unit, when the control unit 60 shown in FIG. 1A and the control unit 2060 shown in FIG. 9 are connected wirelessly or by wire, good. Various detection signals in the pump section 2044 may be sent from the control section 2060 of the pump section 2044 to the control section 60 of the water supply device 10 . Also, a signal indicating the open/closed state of the opening/closing mechanism 80 or the target pressure of the water supply apparatus 10 may be sent from the control section 60 of the water supply apparatus 10 to the control section 2060 of the pump section 2044 . Note that the control unit 2060 of the pump unit 2044 used as the first pump unit and the control unit 2060 of the pump unit 2044 used as the second pump unit may be connected so as to be able to communicate with each other.
Thus, even when the pump section 2044 shown in FIG. 9 is used as at least one of the first pump section and the second pump section, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. can.

In addition, in the water supply device of the water supply device 10A, the pump section 2044 may be used instead of the unit 10Aa and the unit 10Ab. In the water supply device of the water supply device 10B, the pump section 2044 may be used instead of the units 10Ba and 10Bb. Also in this case, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

(Second embodiment)
As shown above with reference to FIGS. 1B and 1C, pump control differs between parallel operation and series operation. The pump device described above has a switching mechanism 80 for switching between parallel operation and series operation of the pump 44, and the switching mechanism 80 can switch between the parallel mode and the series mode. However, as in this embodiment, the control unit 60 can be used in both a pump device that does not have the switching mechanism 80 and performs only parallel operation, and a pump device that performs only series operation.

10 and 11 show an embodiment of a pump device in which the controller 60 is used.
The control unit 60 controls the pump device 3000 in which the pump unit 3044a and the pump unit 3044b are connected in parallel as shown in FIG. Apparatus 4000 can also be used. As an example, the control unit 60 can change the setting of the connection mode by external input. When the control unit 60 is used in the pump device 3000, the connection mode is set to the parallel mode, so that the control unit 60 determines that the connection state between the pump units 3044a and 3044b is parallel connection. and controls the pump section 3044 (see FIG. 3) in the parallel mode described above. Further, when the control unit 60 is used in the pump device 4000, the connection mode is set to the series mode, the connection state between the pump units 4044a and 4044b is determined to be a series connection, and the series mode is set. to control the pump unit 4044 (see FIG. 4). Thus, the control unit 60 can be used for both parallel operation and series operation pump devices simply by changing the connection mode. Since the pump device 3000 and the pump device 4000 can use a common control unit, compared to using a control unit that performs only parallel operation for the pump device 3000 or a control unit that performs only series operation for the pump device 4000. , the parts inventory of the control unit can be reduced.

As an embodiment of the present embodiment, the pump sections 3044a, 3044b, 4044a, and 4044b have the same configuration as the pump 44 or the pump section 2044. FIG. Further, when there are a plurality of pressure sensors 21, flow switches 24, check valves 25, pressure sensors 26, and pressure tanks 28 having the same function in the pump device, only one of them is provided and the others are omitted. good too.

As described above, in all the embodiments and modifications described above, the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump, which is the pump 44 on the upstream side, is set to 1/2 of the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 in the process of S302. . However, the present invention is not limited to such an example, and the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump may be set to be equal to or lower than the maximum pressure Pmax that the leading pump can output in single operation. For example, the target pressure P1SV of the lead pump may be set to the maximum pressure Pmax that the lead pump can output in independent operation, regardless of the target pressure PpSV of the water supply device 10 .

In the embodiment and modification described above, the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b by the opening/closing mechanism 80 is switched when the pumps 44a and 44b are stopped. However, the connection state of the pumps 44a and 44b by the opening/closing mechanism 80 may be switched while at least one of the pumps 44a and 44b is in operation. In this case, particularly when the state in which the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel is switched to the state in which they are connected in series, the controller 60 controls the discharge pressure of the pump 44 (leading pump) connected upstream. However, after reaching the target pressure P1SV of the preceding pump, the target pressure of the pump 44 (secondary pump) connected downstream may be increased. In this way, the downstream pump 44 can be operated while the discharge pressure of the upstream pump 44 is stable, and the discharge pressure from the water supply device 10 can be stabilized.

Furthermore, in all of the embodiments and modifications described above, the control unit 60 may determine abnormality of the opening/closing mechanism 80 based on the operating states of the pumps 44a and 44b. For example, in the series mode, the control unit 60 can output the discharge pressure of the next pump (the pump 44 connected downstream) when the pumps 44a and 44b are operated in the series mode. If it is equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold value equal to or less than the maximum pressure Pmax, it may be determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are not connected in series and that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is abnormal.

Further, in the parallel mode, when the pumps 44a and 44b are operated together, the control unit 60 determines that the discharge pressure of the pump 44a and/or the pump 44b is higher than the maximum pressure Pmax that can be output by a predetermined second threshold value. In the above case, it may be determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are not connected in parallel and that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is malfunctioning. Alternatively, in the parallel mode, when the pumps 44a and 44b are operated together, the control unit 60 determines whether the difference between the discharge pressure of the pump 44a and the discharge pressure of the pump 44b is above a predetermined third threshold. For example, it may be determined that the pumps 44a and 44b are not connected in parallel and that the opening/closing mechanism 80 is malfunctioning.

In all of the above-described embodiments and modifications, the control unit 60 determines the difference between the discharge pressures of the pumps 44a and 44b when the pumps 44a and 44b are connected in parallel and operate in parallel, and the leading pump and the At least one of the target pressures P1SV and P2SV of the next pump may be corrected. As an example, when the discharge pressure of the leading pump is higher than the discharge pressure of the following pump by ΔP during parallel operation, the control unit 60 increases the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump by ΔP. Alternatively, the target pressure P2SV of the next pump may be corrected to be reduced by ΔP. Further, the control unit 60 corrects the target pressure P1SV of the leading pump to be increased by 1/2 of ΔP, and corrects the target pressure P2SV of the subsequent pump to be decreased by 1/2 of ΔP. may Also, instead of correcting at least one of the target pressures P1SV and P2SV, the control unit 60 may correct the values detected by the pressure sensors 26a and 26b. For example, in the above example, the control unit 60 may correct the detected value of the pressure sensor of the leading pump to be decreased by ΔP, or may increase the detected value of the pressure sensor of the subsequent pump by ΔP. can be corrected. Further, the control unit 60 corrects the detected value of the pressure sensor of the leading pump to be reduced by 1/2 of ΔP, and makes the detected value of the pressure sensor of the subsequent pump to be increased by 1/2 of ΔP. can be corrected to By correcting the target pressures P1SV and P2SV or the detection values of the pressure sensors 26a and 26b based on the discharge pressure during parallel operation, the pumps 44a and 44b can be operated at the same operating point. can.

The present embodiment described above can also be described as the following modes.
[Mode 1] According to mode 1, there is proposed a control unit for use in a pump device including a first pump unit and a second pump unit, wherein the control unit controls the first pump unit. Acquiring the discharge pressure and the discharge pressure of the second pump section, determining the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section, and discharging the first pump section Based on the pressure, the discharge pressure of the second pump unit, the connection state, and the set pressure of the pump device stored in the control unit, to control the pump section of the
According to form 1, the discharge pressure of each of the first and second pump units is obtained, and the first and second pump units are controlled based on the discharge pressure of each. Thereby, the pump can be appropriately controlled for each connection state of the pump.

[Mode 2] According to Mode 2, in Mode 1, the control section sets the target pressures of the first pump section and the second pump section based on the connection state and the set pressure, controlling the first pump unit so that the discharge pressure of the first pump unit becomes a target pressure of the first pump unit, and controlling the discharge pressure of the second pump unit to achieve the target pressure of the second pump unit; The second pump section is controlled so as to achieve the target pressure of the section.

[Mode 3] According to Mode 3, in Mode 1 or 2, the control section has a connection mode corresponding to the connection state, and the connection mode includes the first pump section and the second pump section. and a parallel mode in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in parallel.

[Mode 4] According to Mode 4, in Mode 3, the control unit has a target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure, and is connected to the upstream side when the connection mode is the series mode. Also, the target pressure of the first or the second pump unit is set to a pressure equal to or more than half of the target pressure of the pump device.

[Mode 5] According to Mode 5, in Mode 3 or 4, when the connection mode is the series mode, the control unit controls the target value of the first or second pump unit connected upstream. Let the pressure be the maximum pressure that can be output from the first or second pump unit connected to the upstream side.

[Mode 6] According to Mode 6, in Modes 3 to 5, when the connection mode is the series mode, the control unit starts the first or second pump unit connected upstream. starting said first or said second pumping part connected downstream afterward and/or said connected upstream after stopping said first or said second pumping part connected downstream Stop the first or the second pump section. According to form 6, it is possible to suppress the generation of negative pressure in the flow path connecting the pump section connected to the upstream side and the pump section connected to the downstream side, thereby preventing problems such as cavitation from occurring.

[Mode 7] According to Mode 7, in Modes 3 to 6, the pump device has a switching mechanism for switching the connection state, and the control unit switches the connection mode from the parallel mode to the series mode. and the discharge pressure of the first or second pump unit connected to the upstream side reaches the target pressure of the first or second pump unit connected to the upstream side. After waiting for the time, the target pressure of the first or second pump section connected downstream is increased. According to the seventh aspect, the downstream pump section can be operated while the discharge pressure of the upstream pump section is stable, and the discharge pressure from the pump device can be stabilized.

[Mode 8] According to Mode 8, in Modes 3 to 7, the control section connects the first pump section and the second pump section in parallel when the connection mode is the parallel mode. In this state, both the first pump section and the second pump section are stopped and one of the first pump section and the second pump section is started when a predetermined starting condition is satisfied. When the one pump section is in operation and a predetermined additional condition is satisfied, the other of the first pump section and the second pump section is started, and the first pump section and the second pump section are started. The first pump section or the second pump section is stopped when both the second pump section and the second pump section are in operation and a predetermined parallel off condition is satisfied. By doing so, it is possible to perform parallel operation in which both the first pump unit and the second pump unit are operated, and independent operation in which one of the first pump unit and the second pump unit operates, It is possible to increase the flow rate discharged from the pump device and to save energy for the pump device.

[Mode 9] According to Mode 9, in Mode 8, the control section rotates the pump section to be started when the predetermined start condition is satisfied. According to the ninth aspect, it is possible to prevent the liquid from remaining in one of the pump parts for a long time, and to prevent the cumulative operation time of the first pump part and the second pump part from becoming unbalanced.

[Mode 10] According to Mode 10, in Modes 3 to 9, the control section controls the first maximum pressure that can be output by the first pump section and the second maximum pressure that can be output by the second pump section. and the target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure is greater than the first maximum pressure and/or the second maximum pressure, then the connection mode is serial mode. I judge. According to form 10, the control of the first and second pump units can be executed based on the target pressure of the pump device.

[Mode 11] According to Mode 11, in Modes 3 to 10, the control unit controls the first maximum pressure that can be output by the first pump unit and the second maximum pressure that can be output by the second pump unit. and the maximum pressure of and, if the target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure is equal to or less than the first maximum pressure and the second maximum pressure, the connection mode is the parallel mode to decide. According to form 11, the control of the first and second pump units can be executed based on the target pressure of the pump device.

[Mode 12] According to mode 12, in modes 3 to 11, a signal indicating the connection state is input to the control unit. According to form 12, the connection state of the first and second pump units can be determined based on the signal indicating the connection state, and control of the first and second pump units can be executed.

[Mode 13] According to Mode 13, in Modes 3 to 12, the control unit can output a switching instruction to a switching mechanism for switching the connection state, and based on the switching instruction, the first A connection mode between the pump section and the second pump section is determined. According to the thirteenth form, the connection state of the first and second pump units can be determined based on the switching instruction output by the control unit, and control of the first and second pump units can be executed.

[Mode 14] According to Mode 14, in Mode 13, the control unit outputs the switching instruction to the switching mechanism in response to an external input. According to the fourteenth aspect, it is possible to switch between a state in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in parallel and a state in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in series by an external input.

[Mode 15] According to Mode 15, in Modes 3 to 14, the control unit can output a switching instruction to a switching mechanism for switching the connection state, and the target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure can be changed. In response, the switching instruction is output to the switching mechanism. According to the fifteenth aspect, the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section can be automatically switched according to the target pressure of the pump device.

[Mode 16] According to Mode 16, in any of Modes 3 to 15, the pump device has a switching mechanism for switching the connection state, and the control unit, when the connection mode is the series mode, controls the downstream The discharge pressure of the first or the second pump unit connected to the downstream side is a predetermined value equal to or lower than the maximum pressure that can be output from the first or the second pump unit connected to the downstream side. If it is equal to or less than the first threshold value, it is determined that the switching mechanism is abnormal. According to form 16, abnormality can be determined based on the discharge pressure of the pump unit.

[Mode 17] According to Mode 17, in any of Modes 3 to 16, the pump device has a switching mechanism for switching the connection state, and the control unit, when the connection mode is the parallel mode, controls the when the discharge pressure of the first and/or the second pump unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold that is larger than the maximum pressure that can be output from the first and/or the second pump unit, the switching The mechanism determines that the switching mechanism is abnormal. According to form 17, abnormality can be determined based on the discharge pressure of the pump unit.

[Embodiment 18] According to Embodiment 18, in Embodiments 3 to 17, when the connection mode is the parallel mode and the parallel operation is performed, the controller controls the discharge pressure of the first pump unit and the first pump unit. At least one of the target pressure of the first pump section and the target pressure of the second pump section is corrected based on the difference between the discharge pressures of the two pump sections. According to form 18, the first pump section and the second pump section can be operated at the same operating point.

[Mode 19] According to Mode 19, in Modes 1 to 18, the control section includes a first control section for controlling the first pump section and a second control section for controlling the second pump section. 2 control unit.

[Mode 20] According to Mode 20, in Mode 19, the control unit further includes a third control unit configured to be communicable with the first control unit and the second control unit.

[Mode 21] According to mode 21, a pump device is proposed, wherein the pump device includes a first pump section whose speed is controlled by a first variable speed means, and a variable speed control by a second variable speed means. a first pressure sensor for detecting the discharge pressure of the first pump section; and a second pressure for detecting the discharge pressure of the second pump section. A sensor and a control unit according to any one of forms 1 to 20. According to form 21, the same effects as those of the control unit of form 1 can be obtained.

[Mode 22] According to Mode 22, in Mode 21, the first pump section and the second pump section have the same performance. As a result, in any connection state, when the maximum water flow or the maximum head is required, the operating point of all the pumps can be set to the maximum efficiency point without limiting, so that energy-saving operation becomes possible.

[Mode 23] According to Mode 23, in Mode 21 or 22, the first pump section and the second pump section are arranged at the same height.

[Mode 24] According to Mode 24, in Modes 21 to 23, switching is possible between a state in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in parallel and a state in which they are connected in series. It has a mechanism. According to form 24, the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section can be switched by the switching mechanism, and a wide range of discharge flow rate and discharge pressure can be handled.

[Mode 25] According to mode 25, there is proposed a pump operation method in a pump apparatus having a first pump section and a second pump section, and in the pump operation method, the discharge of the first pump section is performed. detecting the pressure, detecting the discharge pressure of the second pump section, determining the connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section, and detecting the detected first pump section; , the detected discharge pressure of the second pump unit, the determined connection state, and the set pressure of the pump device, the first pump unit and the It controls the second pump section. According to this pump operating method, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the control unit of the first embodiment described above.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-described embodiment of the present invention is for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In addition, any combination of the embodiments and modifications is possible within the scope of solving at least part of the above-described problems or achieving at least part of the effects, and is described in the scope of claims and the specification. Any combination or omission of each component is possible.

Reference Signs List 10, 10A, 10B, 3000, 4000 Water supply device 21 Pressure sensor 23a, 23b Check valve 25a, 25b Check valve 26a Pressure sensor (first pressure sensor)
26b... pressure sensor (second pressure sensor)
32a... Suction pipe 32b... Suction pipe 34a... Discharge pipe 34b... Discharge pipe 36a... Connection pipe 36b... Connection pipe 42a, 42b... Motor 44a... Pump (first pump section)
44b... pump (second pump unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50a, 50b... Inverter 60... Control part 60a... 1st control part 60b... 2nd control part 60c... 3rd control part 80... Opening-and-closing mechanism 81... Power source

Claims (22)

A control unit used in a pump device including a first pump unit , a second pump unit, and a switching mechanism for switching a connection state between the first pump unit and the second pump unit There is
Acquiring the discharge pressure of the first pump unit and the discharge pressure of the second pump unit;
determining a connection state between the first pump unit and the second pump unit;
having a connection mode according to the connection state;
The connection mode is
a series mode in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in series;
a parallel mode in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in parallel;
have
Based on the discharge pressure of the first pump section, the discharge pressure of the second pump section, the connection state, and the set pressure of the pump device stored in the control section, the first controlling the first pump unit and the second pump unit;
When the connection mode is switched from the parallel mode to the series mode, the discharge pressure of the first or second pump unit connected upstream is changed to the first pump unit connected upstream. a control unit that waits until the target pressure of the first or the second pump unit is reached, and increases the target pressure of the first or the second pump unit connected downstream. The control unit
setting target pressures of the first pump section and the second pump section based on the connection state and the set pressure;
controlling the first pump unit so that the discharge pressure of the first pump unit becomes the target pressure of the first pump unit;
controlling the second pump unit so that the discharge pressure of the second pump unit becomes the target pressure of the second pump unit;
The control unit according to claim 1. The control unit
having a target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure;
3. A target pressure of said first or said second pump unit connected upstream is set to a pressure equal to or greater than half of a target pressure of said pump device when said connection mode is said series mode. control unit described in . When the connection mode is the series mode, the control unit sets the target pressure of the first or second pump unit connected upstream to the first or second pump unit connected upstream. 4. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the maximum pressure that can be output from the pump unit of . When the connection mode is the serial mode, the control section controls the first or second pump connected downstream after starting the first or second pump section connected upstream. and/or stopping the first or the second pumping section connected upstream after stopping the first or the second pumping section connected downstream . 5. The control unit according to any one of 4 from . When the connection mode is the parallel mode, the control unit restarts the first pump when both the first pump unit and the second pump unit are stopped and a predetermined starting condition is satisfied. and the second pump unit, and when the one pump unit is in operation and a predetermined additional condition is satisfied, the other of the first pump unit and the second pump unit is started. and stops the first pump unit or the second pump unit when both the first pump unit and the second pump unit are in operation and a predetermined parallel off condition is satisfied. 6. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein 7. The control unit according to claim 6 , wherein said control unit rotates the pump unit to be started when said predetermined starting condition is satisfied. The control unit
storing a first maximum pressure that can be output by the first pump unit and a second maximum pressure that can be output by the second pump unit;
8. If the target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure is greater than the first maximum pressure and/or the second maximum pressure, it is determined that the connection mode is the serial mode. 1. The control unit according to any one of the above. The control unit
storing a first maximum pressure that can be output by the first pump unit and a second maximum pressure that can be output by the second pump unit;
9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the connection mode is determined to be the parallel mode when the target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure is equal to or less than the first maximum pressure and the second maximum pressure. The control unit according to any one of items 1 and 2. a signal indicating the connection state is input to the control unit;
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . The control unit can output a switching instruction to a switching mechanism for switching the connection state,
determining a connection mode between the first pump unit and the second pump unit based on the switching instruction;
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10 . 12. The control unit according to claim 11 , wherein said control unit outputs said switching instruction to said switching mechanism according to an external input. The control unit
capable of outputting a switching instruction to a switching mechanism for switching the connection state;
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the switching instruction is output to the switching mechanism according to the target pressure of the pump device based on the set pressure. When the connection mode is the serial mode, the control unit controls the discharge pressure of the first or second pump unit connected downstream to the first pump unit connected downstream. Alternatively, if it is equal to or less than a predetermined first threshold value equal to or less than the maximum pressure that can be output from the second pump section, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the switching mechanism . control unit. The control unit can output the discharge pressure of the first and/or the second pump unit from the first and/or the second pump unit when the connection mode is the parallel mode. 15. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 14 , which determines that the switching mechanism has an abnormality when the pressure is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold value, which is greater than the maximum pressure. When the connection mode is the parallel mode and the parallel operation is performed, the control unit performs the above-mentioned control based on the difference between the discharge pressure of the first pump unit and the discharge pressure of the second pump unit. 16. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 15 , wherein at least one of the target pressure of the first pump unit and the target pressure of the second pump unit is corrected. 17. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the control unit comprises a first control unit for controlling the first pump unit and a second control unit for controlling the second pump unit. The control unit according to item 1. 18. The control unit according to claim 17 , wherein said control unit further comprises a third control unit communicable with said first control unit and said second control unit. a first pump unit whose speed is controlled by a first variable speed means;
a second pump unit whose speed is controlled by a second variable speed means;
a first pressure sensor for detecting the discharge pressure of the first pump section;
a second pressure sensor for detecting the discharge pressure of the second pump section;
a switching mechanism for switching a connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section;
a control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 18 ;
A pumping device comprising: 20. The pump device according to claim 19 , wherein the first pump section and the second pump section have the same performance. 21. Pumping device according to claim 19 or 20 , characterized in that the first pump section and the second pump section are arranged at the same height. A pump operation method for a pump device comprising a first pump section , a second pump section, and a switching mechanism for switching a connection state between the first pump section and the second pump section. hand,
detecting the discharge pressure of the first pump unit;
detecting the discharge pressure of the second pump unit;
determining a connection state between the first pump unit and the second pump unit;
setting a connection mode according to the connection state;
The connection mode is
a series mode in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in series;
a parallel mode in which the first pump section and the second pump section are connected in parallel;
have
Based on the detected discharge pressure of the first pump unit, the detected discharge pressure of the second pump unit, the determined connection state, and the set pressure of the pump device to control the first pump section and the second pump section;
When the connection mode is switched from the parallel mode to the series mode, the discharge pressure of the first or second pump unit connected upstream is changed to the first pump unit connected upstream. Waiting until the target pressure of the first or the second pump unit is reached, increasing the target pressure of the first or the second pump unit connected downstream;
How to operate the pump.

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