
LED Status Indicators
An amber and a green Light Emitting Diode (LED) are provided under the pump’s front panel overlay to provide pump status to the user. Under software control, the LEDs can either flash at a low duty cycle or be on con- tinuously. A flashing indicator typically indicates a normal mode of operation and a steady “on” indicator typically indicates a fault condition.
Flash PROM Technology
Program memory for the pump is stored in Flash Programmable Read Only Memory (Flash PROM). This type of memory allows modification of the contents without physically removing the device from the circuit board. Under certain circumstances, the program can also be downloaded through the I/O port on the side of the pump. Several layers of redundancy in the programming system prevent accidental erasing or modification of the PROM.
Gate Array Circuitry
The Gate Array contains circuitry which controls memory address decoding, keyboard debounce, Light Emitting Diode (LED) indicator status, LCD command buffering, Battery Backed RAM interface, and miscellaneous signal line buffering functions.
Audible Alarm Circuitry
Audible alarm circuitry consists of a piezo electric disk and independent oscillator. The disk flexes or bends in resonance with the output of the oscillator. The piezo disk is mounted to the pump housing to enhance sound level. The oscillator which drives the piezo disk is capable of providing two driving frequencies. The low frequency is in the range of 700 to 1500 Hz and the high frequency is in the range of 1600 to 2500 Hz. The microprocessor controls the audible alarm via control lines from the Gate Array. When the microprocessor selects both the low and high frequency control lines, the audible alarm enters a warble mode where it oscillates between the low and
high frequency sound at a rate of 0.8 and 2 Hz. Low battery voltage detection and watch- dog timer circuitry also have the ability to enable the audible alarm via the Gate Array.
Watchdog Timer Circuit
Watchdog timer circuitry is provided to monitor the status of the microprocessor and disable the motor and enable the audible alarm if the microprocessor fails to function properly. The microprocessor must strobe the watchdog circuit at least once every second in order to prevent the watchdog from performing its reset function. The reset output from the watchdog circuit is a pulse output. This acts to “jump start” the microprocessor. This unique feature allows the microprocessor to test the watchdog circuit on every
Motor Driver/Motor Watchdog Circuit
Motor drive circuitry is composed of a series of power FET transistors, passive components, and two voltage comparators. Built into the motor drive circuitry is an RC timer which times how long the motor runs each time it is turned on. If the motor runs for more than an average of 4 seconds, the circuit will time out and disable the motor. A unique feature of this circuit is that control lines to and from the microprocessor circuit allow the microprocessor to perform a complete functional test of the motor drive circuit without running the motor. The microprocessor performs this test function every several minutes to assure its continued functionality. An input from the watchdog circuit prevents motor operation if the watch- dog timer expires.
Rotation of the motor is sensed by the microprocessor via an
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