1. A utility pump comprising:
a housing configured with a series configuration of integral pumps, and also configured with a battery receiving portion having electrical terminals for receiving power for providing to the series configuration of the integral pumps; and
a battery having a protruding portion with corresponding electrical terminals configured to contact the electrical terminals on the battery receiving portion to provide the power to the series configuration of integral pumps when the protruding portion of the battery is inserted into the battery receiving portion of the housing and rotated in one direction to an \u201cON\u201d position, and also configured so as not to contact the electrical terminals when the battery is not rotated to the \u201cON\u201d position.
2. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a cylindrical wall with an O-ring configured to frictionally engage and make sealing contact with an internal wall of the battery receiving portion to prevent the fluid from contacting the electrical terminals and the corresponding electrical terminals when the battery is inserted into the battery receiving portion, so that the series configuration of integral pumps may be operated when either partially and totally submersed in the fluid.
3. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein
the battery receiving portion has an internal wall configured with at least one axial channel therein; and
the protruding portion has an external wall having at least one protruding portion configured to engage the at least one axial channel for guiding and orienting the battery when inserted into the battery receiving portion into a first rotational position.
4. A utility pump according to claim 3, wherein
the internal wall of the battery receiving portion is configured with at least one partial circumferential channel; and
the at least one protruding portion is configured to engage the partial circumferential channel for rotating the battery from a first position when the protruding portion of the battery is inserted into the battery receiving portion of the housing into either a second rotational position, including the \u201cON\u201d position where the series configuration of integral pumps is turned \u201cON\u201d, or to a third rotational position, including the \u201cOFF\u201d position where the series configuration of integral pumps is turned \u201cOFF.\u201d
5. A utility pump according to claim 4, wherein
the at least one axial channel comprises two axial channels disposed on opposite sides of the battery receiving portion, and the at least partial circumferential channel comprises two partial circumferential channels; and
the external wall of the protruding portion includes two protruding portions configured to engage respectively the two axial channels for guiding and orienting the battery when inserted into the battery receiving portion, and to engage the two partial circumferential channel for positioning the battery in either the second rotational position or the third rotational position.
6. A utility pump according to claim 5, wherein
the two axial channels are configured and dimensioned with different sizes, and the two protruding portions configured and dimensioned with corresponding different sizes, so that the battery can only be inserted into the battery receiving portion with one orientation.
7. A utility pump according to claim 3, wherein
the at least one partial circumferential channel has a flexible locking device having a first face and a second face that is configured on a flexible hinge portion;
the first face is configured on an angle so as to respond to the at least one protruding portion and flex the flexible locking device downwardly into an opening or slot and below the channel surface so as to allow the at least one protruding portion to slide or pass by when the battery is rotated in the one direction in the battery receiving portion;
the flexible locking device is configured to flex back upwardly above the channel surface once the at least one protruding portion slides or passes by the first face; and
the second face is configured to extend into the partial circumferential channel above the channel surface so as to prevent the at least one protruding portion from passing or sliding by when the battery is rotated in an opposite direction in the battery receiving portion so as to lock the battery in the battery receiving portion so it cannot be removed.
8. A utility pump according to claim 7, wherein the housing has a switch configured to respond to a switching actuation and move the flexible locking device downwardly into the opening or slot and below the channel surface to allow the at least one protruding portion to pass by when the battery is rotated in the opposite direction in the battery receiving portion, so that the battery may be moved to the first rotational position and removed from the battery receiving portion.
9. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein
the battery receiving portion is configured with a flat wall having the electrical terminals arranged thereon; and
the protruding portion is configured with a corresponding flat wall having the corresponding electrical terminals arranged thereon for contacting the electrical terminals when the battery is inserted into the battery receiving portion and rotated.
10. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a detachable two-part construction, including a lower part configured with openings to receive fluid being pumped, and an upper part configured with an outlet port for providing the fluid being pumped.
11. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein the battery is rechargeable.
12. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein the battery has a cover position having a arrow-shaped member configured to provide a visual indication of the orientation of the battery.
13. A utility pump according to claim 1, wherein the series configuration of the integral pumps comprises a first centrifugal pump and a second centrifugal pump.
14. A utility pump according to claim 13, wherein
a suction side of the first centrifugal pump is configured to receive a fluid through a lower strainer unit; and
a discharge of the first centrifugal pump is configured to be directly integrated into a corresponding suction side of the second centrifugal pump so that the fluid is then discharged out the second centrifugal pump through a fitting.
15. A utility pump according to claim 14, wherein the utility pump comprises a rechargeable battery pack and printed circuit board (PCB) controls that are housed inside a thermoplastic assembly.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A circuit control device controlling a switching circuit which has a semiconductor switching element, comprising:
a malfunction detection portion that detects occurrence of malfunction in the switching circuit and outputs a malfunction detection signal;
a drive signal output portion that receives a drive control signal and outputs a drive signal to the switching element, the switching element acting on the basis of the drive signal, the drive control signal being a pulsed signal;
a main controller outputs the drive control signal to the drive signal output portion and stops the output of the drive control signal when receiving the malfunction detection signal from the malfunction detection portion; and
an obtaining portion that has storage medium that stores circuit information on status of the switching circuit except for the malfunction detection signal, that obtains the circuit information and that is triggered to update the stored content of the circuit information with the obtained circuit information by an input of the pulse of the drive control signal,
wherein the obtaining portion obtains the circuit information after the detection of the malfunction and is triggered to update the stored content of the circuit information with the obtained information by the input of pulses of the drive control signal after the detection of the malfunction to the stop of the input of the drive control signal.
2. The circuit control device according to claim 1, wherein
the drive signal output portion receives the malfunction detection signal outputted from the malfunction detection portion, and
the drive signal output portion stops the output of the drive signal when receiving the malfunction detection signal or when the input of the drive control signal from the main controller stops.
3. The circuit control device according to claim 1, wherein
the obtaining portion has a sender; and
the sender sends the circuit information to the main controller, when or after the malfunction detection portion detects malfunction.
4. The circuit control device according to claim 3, wherein
the sender is triggered to send the circuit information to the main controller by the stop of the output of the drive control signal from the main controller.
5. The circuit control device according to claim 3, wherein
the sender is triggered to stop sending the circuit information to the main controller by the stop of the output of the drive control signal from the main controller.
6. The circuit control device according to claim 2, wherein
the main controller is provided in a low voltage system,
the malfunction detection portion, the drive signal output portion and the obtaining portion are provided in a high voltage system, and
the low voltage system and the high voltage system are connected through an interface.
7. The circuit control device according to claim 1, wherein
the main controller is provided in a low voltage system,
the malfunction detection portion, the drive signal output portion and the obtaining portion are provided in a high voltage system, and
the low voltage system and the high voltage system are connected through an interface.