Abstract:
A monitoring module for connection to a diagnostic device having two or more light emitting sources for indicating operating fault conditions of an apparatus. The monitoring module feeds information signals to a communication link for reception at a remote location. The monitoring module is secured over a series of light emitting diodes of the diagnostic device and reproduces these for local access. The series of LED&#39;s indicate fault conditions of the apparatus which in this embodiment is a hot water heater. Accordingly, the operation of the hot water heater at its fault status can be monitored from a remote location and on site.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a monitoring module for connection to a diagnostic device of an apparatus, such as a hot water heater, to transmit the status displayed by the diagnostic to a remote location and to simultaneously reproduce the status displayed. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Various types of diagnostic devices are known to monitor the operation of an apparatus such as a furnace, hot water heater, humidifier, etc. It is also known to transmit the monitored information to a remote location whereby the operation and status of the apparatus can be monitored. It is also known to provide diagnostic devices with a series of LED&#39;s which indicate proper operation of the apparatus or various fault conditions by the illumination of some of the LED&#39;s or causing some of the LED&#39;s to flash. 
     There is a need to provide a monitoring module which is capable of being secured to an existing diagnostic device having LED condition indicators and which can read the LED condition indicators, transmit their status to a remote location and reproduce them on the monitoring module for local display. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     It is a feature of the present invention to provide a monitoring module which meets the existing need as above-mentioned. 
     Another feature of the present invention is to provide a monitoring module which is secured onto a diagnostic device of a hot water heater and which is capable of reading the status of a series of LED&#39;s, to reproduce that status by a further series of LED&#39;s provided on the monitoring module and to transmit the status of the LED&#39;s to a remote location. 
     It is also a feature of the present invention to provide a monitoring module also capable of sensing other malfunctions associated with hot water heaters such as CO or CO 2  emissions, water leaks, or the like alarm conditions. 
     It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a monitoring module incorporating therein a micro-controller and a sensor switch to generate an alarm condition if the monitoring module is incorrectly secured to the diagnostic module or if it is removed from the diagnostic module and wherein an audible alarm is associated with the sensor switch. 
     Another feature of the present invention is to provide a monitoring module for connection to a diagnostic device and having detection means to detect the illuminated condition of fault indicating light emitting diodes and to reproduce these by means of a detector circuit, or light conducting mediums. 
     According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a monitoring module for connection to a diagnostic device having two or more light emitting sources for indicating operating fault conditions of an apparatus. The monitoring module feeds information signals to a communication link for reception at a remote location. Means is provided to secure the monitoring module to the diagnostic device and disposed to conceal the two or more light emitting sources. The monitoring module has two or more visible corresponding light emitting sources duplicating the state of the two or more light emitting sources of the diagnostic device. Detection means is provided to illuminate one or more of the visible corresponding light emitting sources of the information transmitting module in response to one or more corresponding ones of the concealed two or more light emitting sources of the diagnostic device being lit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a prior art diagnostic device as used in conjunction with domestic hot water heaters; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view, similar to  FIG. 1 , and showing the monitoring module of the present invention connected to the diagnostic device; 
         FIG. 3  is a simplified block diagram illustrating the micro-controller of the monitoring module and associated sensors, devices, systems and electrical supply; 
         FIG. 4  is a simplified fragmented schematic view illustrating an embodiment by which the conditions of the light emitting diodes of the diagnostic device are monitored by the monitoring module and reproduced thereon; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment of sensing mediums capable of transmitting the light conditions of the LED&#39;s of the diagnostic device to a display on the monitoring module; and 
         FIG. 6  is a chart showing the various light combinations of the LED&#39;s and its associated fault cause. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown generally at  10  a diagnostic device of the type secured to a domestic hot water heater as is well known in the art and not illustrated herein. The diagnostic device is provided with a temperature probe  11 , a connector  12  and a housing  13  in which is provided circuitry capable of monitoring various conditions of a hot water heater such as illustrated in the chart of  FIG. 6 . The housing  13  is provided with a series of LED lamps  14  which, when lit, displays a fault cause as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . In this particular application, LED  14 ′ is a green flashing LED which indicates that the diagnostic device is operative. The other five LED&#39;s  14 ″ are of another color, such as yellow, and when lit either singly or in combination, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , provides a visual indication of a fault cause. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown the monitoring module  15  of the present invention which is clamped, screwed, glued on or otherwise secured at a precise location on the diagnostic device  10 . As hereinshown the monitoring module has a housing  16  which is configured to be secured on the top wall  17  of the diagnostic device  10  and a depending wall section  18  thereof is adapted to extend over the display panel having a series of light emitting diodes  14 . It is important that the monitoring module  15  be substantially precisely positioned on the diagnostic device  10 . The arrow touch switches  13 ′ are ON and OFF switches. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a block diagram of the circuitry associated with the monitoring module  15  of the present invention. It incorporates therein a micro-controller circuit  19  which is driven by a power supply  20  which is in fact an AC/DC converter capable of producing supplies of 9 and 24 VCC. The power consumption of the circuitry is about 0.5 watts and the circuitry can operate under temperature of from 0 to 70° C. A transmitter  21  feeds information signals to a remote location  21 ″ via wireless, internet, radio, or cellular communication link  21 ′ whereby to provide signals indicative of the condition represented by the series of light emitting diodes  14 ′ and  14 ″. 
     An alarm sensor switch  22  is also associated with the circuitry and generates an audible local alarm  26  if the monitoring module  15  is not properly secured to the diagnostic device  10 . This audible alarm is also reproduced at the remote location. CO and CO 2  sensors  23  and  24 , respectively, also generate signals to the controller to provide local and remote alarms upon gas leak detection. A water detecting sensor  25  is provided to detect water leaks in the immediate area of the hot water heater and also provides an alarm signal to the micro-controller for generating the local audible alarm  26 . An anode depletion detection sensor  45  is also monitored. The communication link may also be provided through an alarm company network  27  which is branched to monitor a domestic location whereby the monitoring is effected at a central location of the alarm company. The monitoring module may also be in communication with a water heater rental company which may have thousands of subscribers. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the monitoring module  15  is also provided with a series of LED&#39;s  28  which replicates the LED&#39;s  14  and  14 ″ of the diagnostic device  10 . This replication can be achieved by various detection means which detects the condition of the LED&#39;s  14  and cause the LED&#39;s  28  to illuminate to replicate the illuminated ones of the diodes  14 .  FIG. 4  illustrates one embodiment of the detection means. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the detection module is located inside a depending wall section  18  of the module  15  as shown, a series of cavities  30  in the module  15  are precisely aligned and spaced to be positioned adjacent the LED&#39;s  14  on the diagnostic device  10 . Optical detectors  31 , which may be photocells, detect the state of the LED&#39;s  14 ′ and  14 ″, lit or not lit, positioned thereagainst. In order to prevent light emission from adjacent LED&#39;s  14  and  14 ′ to falsify the detection of the optical detectors  31 , a gasket  32  is secured to the inner surface  18 ′ of the depending wall section  18  to provide a seal about each of the LED&#39;s  14 ′ and  14 ″ whereby to isolate the LED&#39;s from one another whereby light emitted by the LED&#39;s will be detected only by a corresponding optical detector or photocell  31  positioned adjacent thereto. Upon detection of an associated one of the LED&#39;s being lit, a signal is sent to the control circuit or micro-controller  19  which in turn will light a corresponding LED  28  on the display surface  28 ′ of the monitoring module  15 . As previously described LED  14 ′ indicates that the diagnostic device is functioning whereby the corresponding LED  28  will be lit or will flash when the LED  14 ′ is lit. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there is shown further embodiments of optical detectors and as hereinshown these are provided by isolated light conducting mediums, herein a glass rod  40  or an optical fibre bundle  41  capable of conducting light. In these embodiments the depending wall section  18  would be provided with elongated cavities  42  which may be straight cavities or curved cavities whereby to receive therein the glass rod or optical fiber bundle light conductors. On the other hand, the conductors may be isolated from one another by a light shielding material. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the light conductors are isolated from one another by the material  42  about the cavities  42  and their detecting end  40 ′ and  41 ′ are isolated from adjacent LED&#39;s  14  and  14 ′ by the gasket  32 . The opposed ends  40 ″ and  41 ″ of these light conducting mediums  40  and  41  constitute visual display ends to replicate the status of the LED&#39;s  14 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , there are six light emitting diodes  14  or  28 , to indicate various errors to be detected by the diagnostic device  10  associated with the hot water heater. In this particular embodiment the LED  14 ′ is a green LED which is always ON when the diagnostic device is functioning and the other five LED&#39;s are yellow LED&#39;s which, when lit solely or in combination as illustrated by the fifteen different causes displayed thereby, indicates a specific fault condition. The “x” represents the LED&#39;s. 
     It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any obvious modifications of the embodiment described herein provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, there are various securement means to interconnect the monitoring module  15  to the diagnostic device  10  such as clamps, adhesives, screws or brackets, not illustrated herein but obvious to a person skilled in the art. The important feature of the monitoring module is that it replicates the conditions of the LED&#39;s which are shielded by the monitoring module whereby the fault indicating LED&#39;s  14  can be monitored and displayed locally as well as at a remote location.