Device for controlling leaks and method for operating the same

A leak detection system includes a water delivery device having a flow chamber, closing valve member and at least one contact seat for receiving a portion of the closing valve member. A first contact is located on the closing valve member and a second contact is located on the contact seat, where the first and second contacts are coupled to a leak detection circuitry. A water flow detection element is located within the flow chamber, where the leak detection circuitry is configured to be in an inactive mode when the first and second contacts are apart and where the leak detection circuit is set to active when the first and second contacts are in contact with one another, when the closing valve member and contact seat are in a closed arrangement.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This application relates to a water service. More particularly, this application relates to water delivery device that detects leaks.

2. Description of the Related Art

A faucet dripping once per second, wastes up to 3000 gallons a year. Currently, water leak detection is limited to identification of excessive leakage by assessment of the incurred damages. Installing in-line equipment to detect leakage causes head loss (pressure drop) and low flow rate, and is thus inefficient, if not impossible in some instances. For example, with existing equipment, to detect a leak rate of 0.08 LPM, the flow rate is limited to 2.4 LPM. These ranges are not useful for addressing detection of dripping faucets.

The importance of dripping detection is heightened by the shortage of the commodity and associated cost of water. In some municipalities, the water is priced on a steep ascending scale based on consumption. In a normal household, the owner is the end user and they pay attention to the leakage. However, in public places and apartment houses where water is paid by the landlord, the leakage is often unattended for a long time.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY

The present arrangement overcomes the drawbacks associated with the prior art and provides a cost effective leak detection apparatus and system for monitoring the same.

To this end, a leak detection system includes a water delivery device having a flow chamber, closing valve member and at least one contact seat for receiving a portion of the closing valve member. A first contact is located on the closing valve member and a second contact is located on the contact seat, where the first and second contacts are coupled to a leak detection circuitry. A water flow detection element is located within the flow chamber, where the leak detection circuitry is configured to be in an inactive mode when the first and second contacts are apart and where the leak detection circuit is set to active when the first and second contacts are in contact with one another, when the closing valve member and contact seat are in a closed arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment of the present arrangement, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a typical faucet10is shown having the normal stem12, handle14, closing washer16and valve seat18. For the purposes of illustration, the present figures the present arrangement in the context of a manual shut valve10. However, the same system may be implemented in conjunction with automatic valves/faucets such as timer faucets, electronic/motion activated faucets etc. . . . .

At some location on faucet10, a set of contacts20and22are placed in relation to one another such that when the valve is (intentionally) closed the contacts are in contact with one another and when the valve is (intentionally) open they are apart. For example inFIG. 1, contacts20and22are placed on the bottom of handle14and the top of a packing nut19. In one arrangement contacts20and22may be installed with a hard wires to the detection circuitry that are hidden from view (described below) or with an Active RFID implementation.

It is noted that contacts20and22are dimensioned to not only fit in the area between the handle14and packing nut19, but they must also be sized to be advantageously open when the faucet is opened (in varying amounts) and be dosed when the valve is closed. To this, end, in one arrangement, contacts20and22are made of thin copper plate. In one example, they may be constructed of 2.0-5.0×10 mm thin copper strip material. When these contacts20and22touch each other, they indicate closed position. This sizing is thin enough not to impede the ordinary faucet functionality while still be sufficient for a proper circuit contact.

It is noted that the presently described system, the details of which follow, may have some or all of the components built directly into the initial design of faucet10or, alternatively, they can be installed retroactively into existing faucets10. In both arrangements, contacts20and22may be glued with water resistant glue or epoxy, but in initially designed faucets10contacts20and22may be advantageously micro-welded.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2a leak detection washer30is placed at the end of the spout of faucet10. Leak detection washer is formed as a discrete ring with two electrical contacts32and34. As water passes over the contacts32and34, the leak detection circuit is closed as discussed in more detail below. Ideally, contacts32and34are placed in the spout of faucet10in a manner to ideally be in the water path of the least amount of water possible. For example, inFIG. 2, these contacts32and34are placed against the indies of spout towards the valve components as this is here even a small trickle of water would pass.

In one arrangement,FIG. 3shows an alternative faucet design having the same components described above. In another arrangementFIG. 4shows an alternative design having the same components described above in use in a toilet. It is contemplated that the salient features of the present device may be incorporated into any similar arrangement for water/valve installations.

Turning to the structure of leak detection washer30,FIG. 5shows a close up view of the components including contacts32and34as well as onboard battery/relay36and an RFID transmitter38. As with contacts20and22, leak detection washer30may be either hardwired to the detection/monitoring circuitry (described below) or detection may be implemented via RFID (as shown) with transmission of a leak event being submitted wirelessly to the detection/monitoring circuitry as displayed here inFIG. 5. In one arrangement, contacts22and34of washer30may be constructed of similar materials and sizes as contacts20and22and may be installed in the same manner. Leak detection washer30, in the case of the pictured RFID arrangement may be advantageously formed as a plastic encased active RFID transmitter (38) with its own battery36. In some designs the power may be supplemented by a small solar panel that may be aesthetically designed into a newly designed faucet to extend battery life. As alternative, rather than using two separate contacts, leak detection washer30may employ a single contact that is constructed from a moisture sensitive material (not shown).

Leak detector washer30may be disc shaped and arranged within faucet10so that contacts32and34are at the front (user) end of the faucet opening. In normal faucet design, there is a slight angle to the opening of the faucet with the user end being just higher than the side of the opening away from a user. Because of this any normal hanging droplets tend to appear at the far end of the faucet opening away from the user. Thus, positioning contacts32and34is ideally such that normal hanging drops do not lead to excessive false positives caused by water detection when the circuit is closed, while at the same time minor leaks (even small amounts) can be detected. In one exemplary arrangement, contacts32and34are located on the lower side of the faucet10opening away from the user, but offset approximately 10-15 degrees to the side so that small leaks remain detectable but a small independent normal residual water droplet would not cause a false positive. This is intended to illustrate one exemplary position of contacts32and34. It is understood that other positions of contacts32and34may be used within the context of the present arrangement.

Turning now to the leak detection circuit, in one arrangement illustrated inFIG. 6, a leak detection circuit50is shown. In Circuit50, R1, R2, & R3are resistors calibrated to control flow of the electric current in circuit50. T1& A1are a transistor and an amplifier respectively, wired as a high gain compound pair. The Power Supply is a low voltage power supply for powering circuit50. The term “contacts” inFIG. 6refer to contacts32and34of leak detection washer30. The term “output” inFIG. 6refers to the terminal points of circuit50that is connected to the micro-processor, discussed in more detail below.

In this circuit50a low voltage power supply is used. The transistor and amplifier are advantageously wired as a high gain compound pair. The current gain will be the product of each of their beta. The fluid which passes a minimum current of 4 μA will activate the relay as it crosses contacts32and34. This is easily achieved with tap water.

In one exemplary arrangement, circuit50is low powered with substantially (1.5 to 5 volts) and the electronic components of circuit50are preferably within 200 feet from the water service. For example, a microprocessor (discussed below) may be housed at a remote location (locations in larger buildings) near the fuse boxes and the like (management office, storage closet, etc. . . . ) Adjustments can be made to power and processor location for circuit50based on the communication mode (RFID, hard wire) to ensure necessary signal strength.

FIGS. 7 and 8shows the same circuit50with coupling to contacts20and22used to control circuit50in active mode (as opposed to passive mode—both described in detail below. It is understood from this, that contacts20and22may be placed in the context of any potential source of a water leakage situations including bathtub spouts, washbasins, outdoor garden hose faucets etc. . . . .

Also, as noted above, such a system as described herein may be incorporated into new faucets10or other water fixtures or retrofitted into existing structures. In both cases the wires needed to attach circuit50to the contact components in the faucet10are hidden as best as possible. In retrofit designs these wires would be tucked away and hidden as best as possible behind the physical structures. In newer designs that include the present system from inception, cavities may be formed in the physical components of faucet10to hold such wires internally.

Turning to the processor,FIG. 9shows an exemplary microprocessor100for use in controlling one or more leak detection circuits50, implemented for example at various faucets10within a building (e.g. apartment building, office building etc. . . . ) In this arrangement, processor100is a programmable micro-chip that receives a signal from circuit50when contacts32and34are closed via a water leak, and based on the programmed options issues appropriate actions. Such connection with circuit50may be implemented using a phone line, Blue Tooth Wireless, or wired connection to micro-processor100, connected via internet to the outside world, or a network of other processors100.FIG. 10shows an alternative arrangement, where a plurality of processors100are linked together via a router102and therefrom into a larger server104for monitoring larger numbers of leak detection circuits, for example in the case of larger multi dwelling units.

In the present example shown inFIG. 9, processor100is a Multi-Signal Processor that can monitor up to 8 input signals and up to 8 output ports to control the shut-off valves and/or simply provide detection alarms depending on the complexity/electronic capabilities or controls of faucets10. In one arrangement, processor100has a wired TCP/IP web interface that allows a user to access and program the board using any standard web browser.

A Computer code (that is supported by Micro-processor100) to assess the signal transmitted by circuit50and issue appropriate actions such as shutting down the valve, accumulating system condition, and issuing alerts based on user configuration may include the following capabilitiesSend signal to an external processor.Send Pre-Configured Text Messages.Call recipient on the phone and broadcast pre-programmed voice message regarding nature and location of the leak/drip.Issue a pre-programmed text message regarding nature and location of the leak/drip to recipient texting device.Issue a pre-programmed email message regarding nature and location of the leak/drip to recipient mail account inviting him/her to visit the web interface for additional control.Issue a signal to a shut-off valve to stop the water supply.

In one arrangement, such an application for processor100may be implemented as a web application presented via Micro-Processor100allowing the user to configure the system functional preferences using a personal computer that is connected with Internet.

Using the above described equipment, there are two modes of detection that may be implemented by circuit50and processor100upon the detection of water at contacts32and34.

In a first arrangement, active monitoring is used. In this implementation, the “on” triggering event is when contacts20and22are connected when faucet10is in a closed position. In other words circuit processor50/100monitors leak/drip condition at contacts32and34when the power is triggered on by closure of valve10. To achieve this, the power supply for circuit50is routed through valve10as shown for example inFIG. 7. Once valve10is closed, contacts20and22meet and sensor contacts32and34are powered and any continuous presence of water at contacts32and34will trigger processor100to issue an alarm.

In this arrangement of circuit50with the power supply routed through valve10(stem12and seat18) activation relay only occurs when faucet10is closed. The transistor and amplifier of circuit50are wired as a high gain compound pair. The current gain in this arrangement is a product of transistor and amplifier betas. The fluid drip/leak which is being detected is such to passes a current (eg. 4 μA minimum) across contacts32and34to activate the relay. This is easily achieved with tap water. In the case of an alarm, as noted above, shut off valve10may be optionally installed to allow programmed/automated shut off of the water supply to faucet10.

In a second arrangement, a passive monitoring is used. In this implementation circuit50is constantly powered to monitor for leakage/dripping through contacts32and34. The arrangement identifies leak/drip condition when the water presence is more than a pre-configured duration. In this model the program at processor100plays the major role in leak detection. This arrangement is shown for monitoring a toilet as shown inFIG. 8.

In circuit50the power supply activates the relay of contacts32and34at all times. As with the prior active monitoring mode the remaining settings are the same. This arrangement is useful where a normal shutoff even is supposed to happen within a given time frame (e.g. 5 minutes) after the valve is opened, for example when a toilet is flushed. In this passive mode, when a valve open condition processor100starts a timer and if water across contacts32and34is detected by circuit50after that time then an alarm indication is given.

Once an alarm/leak condition is met according to the prior described arrangement,FIG. 11shows a flow chart of various actions that may be taken by processor100. The top of the flow chart simply shows detection of an active leak at contacts32and34in either passive or active modes. At step200, processor100stores the alarm condition and depending on the user settings and abilities of the faucet (water valve)10, and then does any one or more of the following: shut off of the valve (202); sound a buzzer/alarm (204); send a notification e-mail (206); and/or send a voice/telephone notification (208).

FIG. 12shows an exemplary system interface in a basic configuration panel as processed by processor100.FIG. 13shows a system interface for processor100that allows a user to configure the various settings for valves10, including the setting of active or passive modes for each.FIG. 14shows an exemplary system interface for processor100that shows a status warning for one of the connected valves10after circuit50detects a leak. It is understood that these are mere exemplary screen shots for presentation of the functions of processor100to a user. Any such display capable of showing the features of and allowing or control of the processor100and the various connected circuits50is within the contemplation of the present arrangement.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore, to be understood that this application is intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.