1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to flush valves for water closets, urinals, and the like and, more specifically, to an electric power generation device for use with such a flush valve.
2. Description of Related Art
Hydroelectric power generation in which kinetic energy is extracted from flowing pressurized water and used to rotate a generator to produce electric power is known. With large hydroelectric power generation operated with a large-scale water source such as a river or dam, thousands of megawatts of power may be generated using millions of gallons of flowing water. As such, conversion of the kinetic energy in the flowing water to electric power may include significant inefficiencies and yet still provide an economical and acceptable level of performance.
Automatic plumbing fixtures, such as toilet valves and sink faucets, may include an electrically operated valve and a sensor. The sensor may sense the presence of a user of the automatic plumbing fixture and operate the electrically operated valve to provide a flow of water in response. Both the electrically operated valve and the sensor require electric power to operate. The power may be obtained by installing an electric cable from a power distribution panel to the automatic plumbing fixture. Where the automatic plumbing fixture is installed in an existing building, installation of a power distribution panel and/or an electric cable can be costly, time consuming, and difficult. Accordingly, hydroelectric generators for use with such plumbing fixtures have been developed. However, it is difficult to generate enough power using such a small hydrogenerating device and small-scale water source.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,536 to Fujimoto et al. is directed to a toilet bowl flushing apparatus (1) including an apparatus body (6) disposed in the inside of a casing (5). The apparatus body (6) includes a cylindrical water inlet (10) which is communicably connected with a water supply pipe (2) and a cylindrical water outlet (11) which is communicably connected with the toilet bowl (3). The apparatus body (6) further includes an open/close valve (12) disposed on a downstream side of the water inlet (10), and an electromagnetic valve (18) connected with a control unit (20). A power generating unit (23) including a holder (26), an impeller (27), an intermediate cover (28), a coil (29), and a cover (30) is also positioned within apparatus body (6). However, the power generating unit is positioned within apparatus body (6) such that only a portion of the water received from water supply pipe (2) passes over the impeller (27). Accordingly, a large amount of the energy of the water from water supply pipe (2) is lost and not converted into electrical energy.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 7,233,078 to Baarman et al. discloses a urinal (2100) that is included as part of the hydro-power generation system. The urinal (2100) includes a water inlet (2102) for receiving water and a water outlet (2104) for discharging water. The urinal (2100) also includes a valve module (2106), an electronics module (2108), and a power generation module (2110). The valve module (2106) includes an electrically operated valve (2202). Upon energization, the electrically operated valve (2202) may move to a position that opens a liquid flow path through the valve module (2106). When the liquid flow path is opened, pressurized liquid supplied at the inlet (2102) may flow through the valve module (2106) and the power generation module (2110) to the outlet (2104). Upon de-energization, the electrically operated valve (2202) may close off the liquid flow path, stopping the flow of liquid through the valve module (2106) and the power generation module (2110). The power generation module (2110) includes an outer housing (1102), an inner housing (1104), a centering rod (1106), and a nozzle (1108). The outer housing (1102) also includes a scupper (2204) to channel liquid toward the outlet (2104) following impact with the inner housing (1104). The inner housing (1104) pressurizes liquid provided to the inlet (2102) which is accelerated to a high velocity by the nozzle (1108) and directed in a stream of liquid at the paddles (1118) positioned on the outer surface of the inner housing (1104). Like with the Fujimoto patent, only a small portion of the water received from the water inlet (2102) is directed through nozzle (1108) onto the paddles (1118) of the power generation module (2110). Therefore, a large amount of the energy of the flowing water is lost and not converted into electrical energy.
Accordingly, a need exists for an efficient hydrogenerator device for use with a plumbing fixture. More specifically, a need exists for a hydrogenerator device that directs substantially all of the water from a water inlet over the blades of a rotor to efficiently generate electrical power from the flow of water.
An object of the present invention is to provide an efficient hydrogenerator device for use with a flush valve or other plumbing fixture that directs substantially all of the water from a water inlet over the blades of a rotor to efficiently generate electrical power from the flow of water. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a control device for controlling the flush valve or other plumbing fixture using the electrical power generated by the hydrogenerator device.
The present invention is directed to a power generating device for use with a flush valve. The power generating device includes: a volute configured to receive water from a water supply pipe; a stator having a plurality of blades positioned around a circumference thereof positioned within the volute; a rotor positioned within the stator; and a generator coupled to the rotor. The volute directs substantially all of the water received from the water supply pipe in a circumferential direction through the plurality of blades of the stator to the rotor, thereby causing the rotor to rotate.
The rotor may be provided as a Francis-type turbine. The generator may be a three-phase A.C., brushless motor having a drive shaft. The rotor may be configured to be coupled to the drive shaft of the motor. The rotation of the rotor, therefore, would cause rotation of the drive shaft of the motor, thereby generating electricity.
The present invention is also directed to a hydrogenerator flush valve that includes: a housing; a solenoid valve disposed in the housing and configured to allow water to flow into the housing from a water supply pipe when in a first position and prevent water from flowing into the housing from the water supply pipe when in a second position; and a hydrogenerator disposed in the housing. The hydrogenerator includes: a volute configured to receive water from a water supply pipe; a stator having a plurality of blades positioned around a circumference thereof and positioned within the volute; a rotor positioned within the stator; and a generator coupled to the rotor. The hydrogenerator flush valve operates as follows: water received from the water supply pipe when the solenoid valve is in a first position takes an approximately 90° turn within the housing and substantially all of the water is directed to the volute, such that the water is directed in a circumferential direction by the volute through the plurality of blades of the stator to the rotor, thereby causing the rotor to rotate.
The rotor may be provided as a Francis-type turbine. The generator may be a three-phase A.C., brushless motor having a drive shaft. The rotor may be configured to be coupled to the drive shaft of the motor. The rotation of the rotor, therefore, would cause rotation of the drive shaft of the motor, thereby generating electricity.
The hydrogenerator flush valve may further include control and charging circuitry operationally coupled to the solenoid valve and the hydrogenerator. The control and charging circuitry may be configured to store electrical energy generated by the hydrogenerator on at least one supercapacitor. The electrical energy stored on the at least one supercapacitor may be used to power the solenoid valve. A sensor array operationally coupled to the control and charging circuitry may be provided for detecting the presence of a user. The control and charging circuitry may be used to control the solenoid valve to move from the first position to the second position and vice versa based on feedback from the sensor array.
In addition, the present invention is directed to a control apparatus for a hydrogenerator flush valve. The control apparatus includes: an electric power generation device provided in a fluid path of the hydrogenerator flush valve; a load switch coupled between the electric power generation device and at least one supercapacitor; and a solenoid valve operationally coupled to the at least one supercapacitor and configured to allow water to flow into the hydrogenerator flush valve from a water supply pipe when in a first position and prevent water from flowing into the hydrogenerator flush valve from the water supply pipe when in a second position. The at least one supercapacitor is charged by the electric power generation device and power requirements of the solenoid valve are satisfied by the at least one supercapacitor. The load switch opens when the at least one supercapacitor is completely charged.
The control apparatus may further include a battery operationally coupled to the solenoid valve. The battery may be provided to satisfy the power requirements of the solenoid valve when the charge on the at least one supercapacitor drops below a threshold level. The electric power generation device may include: a stator having a plurality of blades positioned around a circumference thereof; a rotor positioned within the stator; and a generator coupled to the rotor. The control apparatus may also include a microcontroller operationally coupled to the load switch for controlling the state of the load switch and a communication interface configured to allow the microcontroller to communicate with remote electrical devices.
The present invention is also directed to a method for detecting a user of a plumbing installation having a sensor array comprising a first infrared emitter, a second infrared emitter, an infrared detector, and an ambient light detector. The method includes: determining a change in an ambient light level using the ambient light detector at a default sampling rate; comparing the changes in the ambient light level to a threshold level; and, if the changes in the ambient light level exceed the threshold level, emitting a signal from the first infrared emitter and the second infrared emitter to determine if a user is present using the infrared detector.
The first infrared emitter, the second infrared emitter, the infrared detector, and the ambient light detector may be positioned in a vertical row. The first infrared emitter may be positioned at a top of the vertical row, the second infrared emitter may be at the bottom of the vertical row, and the ambient light detector and the infrared detector may be positioned midway between the first infrared emitter and the second infrared emitter. The infrared detector and the ambient light detector may be provided in a single integrated circuit. The infrared detector and the ambient light detector may be positioned behind a focusing lens.
The default sampling rate may be 2 seconds. The sensor array may be operatively coupled to a microcontroller and the ambient light sensor may determine data to allow the microcontroller to place the sensor array into a power saving mode. The ambient light sensor may determine the ambient light level of an environment for a period of seven days to determine hours of inactivity and low light. In hours of inactivity and low light, the default sampling rate may be raised to 10 seconds.
These and other features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structures and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “lateral”, “longitudinal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as it is oriented in the drawing figures. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume alternative variations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the invention. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.
With reference to
Primary valve casing 3 includes a cylindrical water inlet 15 that is communicably connected with a water supply pipe 17 and is formed in an approximately middle right side portion thereof. In addition, secondary valve casing 5 includes a cylindrical water outlet 19 which is communicably connected, via a water outlet pipe 21, with a toilet bowl (not shown). Cylindrical water outlet 19 is formed on a lower portion of secondary valve casing 5.
Hydrogenerator flush valve 1 further includes an open/close valve 23 that is disposed within primary valve casing 3 on a downstream side of water inlet 15. Open/close valve 23 includes a solenoid valve 25, a solenoid flange 27, and a piston kit 29.
With reference to
With reference to
While hydrogenerator flush valve 1 has been described hereinabove as including a piston kit 29, 29′ as shown in
With reference to
With specific reference to
With specific reference to
Generator 59 may be embodied as a three-phase A.C., brushless motor having a drive shaft 67. The three-phase A.C., brushless motor may be a USAutomation USB101-03 motor. Rotor 57 is coupled to drive shaft 67 of the motor of generator 59 by a suitable fastening means, such as a screw 69. The rotation of rotor 57, therefore, would cause rotation of drive shaft 67 of the motor, thereby generating electricity.
With reference to
Sensor array 77 includes a human body detection system that includes a first infrared emitter 81, a second infrared emitter 83, and a detector sensor 85 positioned in a vertical row, such that first infrared emitter 81 is at the top of the row, second infrared emitter 83 is at the bottom of the row, and detector sensor 85 is midway between first infrared emitter 81 and second infrared emitter 83. First and second infrared emitters 81, 83 are further positioned in the vertical row such that the infrared beams produced by each cross at approximately 11 inches and at approximately 33 inches. This illuminates the area of interest and assists in preventing false positive detections as the beams cross twice before they reach the door of a stall where hydrogenerator flush valve 1 is positioned.
Detector sensor 85 is embodied as an integrated circuit that includes an infrared proximity detector and an ambient light detector. The ambient light detector may be used in a power saving feature to put the control system to sleep when ambient light is below a certain threshold as will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter. An example of such a detector sensor 85 is the TSL2771 light-to-digital converter manufactured by TAOS, Inc. of Plano, Tex. The combination of the infrared proximity detector and the ambient light detector enables occupant detection based on a pattern of decreased/increased ambient light reflections followed by increasing infrared reflections and occupant absence by decreasing infrared reflections and increased/decreased ambient light. The ambient light pattern varies based on the position of the light source relative to the valve and the reflectivity of user. Occupant detection based on Pattern Recognition would eliminate the uncontrolled variable of infrared absorption rate of various clothing materials, which is a common problem for other proximity sensors based solely on infrared reflections. Detector sensor 85 is precisely positioned behind a focusing lens 86 which focuses the reflected infrared light from first and second infrared emitters 81 and 83 and ambient light from the surroundings. The lens 86 reduces the power requirements needed for first and second infrared emitters 81 and 83 by focusing the infrared (IR) reflections from a larger surface area directly onto the sensor. The level of reflections seen is increased so the amount of IR emitted can be reduced while maintaining the same level of received reflections, thereby reducing the power consumption of the system.
Sensor array 77 may further include a plurality of status light emitting diodes (LEDs) 89 provided in the vertical row with first infrared emitter 81, second infrared emitter 83, and detector sensor 85 to provide information to a user regarding the status of hydrogenerator flush valve 1. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In addition, a microcontroller can use input from the power generating device to determine if solenoid valve 25 is operating properly. More specifically, when solenoid valve 25 is activated, the power generated by the power generating device is analyzed by the microcontroller, in addition to the load switch in the event that the supercapacitor is fully charged, to determine whether solenoid valve 25 is opening and closing properly. For instance, if the power generating device continues to generate power even when the microcontroller has sent a signal to close the solenoid valve 25, this could mean that the solenoid valve 25 is malfunctioning and has remained open. Accordingly, the microcontroller will send a signal to have one or more of status LEDs 89 to turn on to alert a user that solenoid valve 25 is malfunctioning. The microcontroller will also attempt to close solenoid valve 25 several times after the failure is noted. The same procedure is followed if solenoid valve 25 fails to open properly.
With reference to
Thereafter, at block 704, the microcontroller determines whether a buck converter 97 or boost converter 99 should be enabled based on the voltage of main supercapacitor 95 to either charge a secondary supercapacitor 101 capable of charging up to 3.3VDC or boost main supercapacitor 95 directly to a comparator circuit. If the charge on main supercapacitor 95 is greater than 3.3VDC, the buck converter 97 is enabled at block 705. The buck converter 97 charges secondary supercapacitor 101 to 3.3VDC at block 706. At block 707, a load switch is enabled to disable secondary supercapacitor 101 from the circuit when main supercapacitor 95 has a voltage that is below 3.3VDC and boosted to provide power to solenoid valve 25 and/or sensor array 77. This voltage is then fed into a comparator circuit at block 800 as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. At blocks 708-710, boost converter 99 is enabled by a load switch 103 when the voltage on main supercapacitor 95 drops to between 1.5VDC and 3VDC. Load switch 103 is enabled/disabled by the microcontroller. Boost converter 99 increases the voltage from main supercapacitor 95 to 3.3VDC when load switch 103 is enabled. This voltage is then fed into a comparator circuit at block 800 as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
With specific reference to
With specific reference to
Communication interface 79 may be an RS232 interface and is used to allow the microcontroller to communicate with a personal computer (PC) or a custom mobile device for production tests and field adjustments made by the customer in the field. Hydrogenerator flush valve 1 may be physically connected, via communication interface 79, to the PC or mobile device via TTL-232R-3V3-AJ USB-to-TTL Level Serial Cable. Alternatively, the communication interface 79 may be a wireless interface.
In addition, the microcontroller of hydrogenerator flush valve 1 provides various power saving features. Previous automatic flush valves have been controlled to have the sensors send an infrared beam once per second, 24 hours per day, every day of the year that it is in service. However, since hydrogenerator flush valve 1 is configured to run off of power generated by generator 59, the following sensor detection control algorithm will be used to save power and still detect a user. First, detector sensor 85 looks for changes in the ambient light level at a default sampling rate of 2 seconds. If the ambient light level changes by more than 5% between two consecutive readings, this indicates a user may be present. The first and second infrared emitters 81 and 83 are then turned on to confirm the presence of a user and subsequently used to detect the absence of the user.
The microcontroller of hydrogenerator flush valve 1 can also be programmed to include a dual flush water saving feature as follows: 1) if detector sensor 85 detects that a person is present for less than 60 seconds, the microcontroller will control hydrogenerator flush valve 1 to provide a short flush (1.1 gpf/4.2 Lpf); and 2) if detector sensor 85 detects that a person is present for more than 60 seconds, the microcontroller will control hydrogenerator flush valve 1 to provide a normal flush (1.6 gpf/6.0 Lpf).
The ambient light sensor of detector sensor 85 is a critical part of the power saving features. There are two phases in which the detector sensor 85 operates: 1) during a seven day Environmental Trending data collection period; and 2) after the Environmental Trending is complete and a trend has been successfully established. Both phases utilize power saving measures. During the data collection period, the default ambient light sampling rate is 2 seconds. If the detector sensor 85 has not sensed a person within the last 2 hours, the ambient light sampling rate is reduced to 3 seconds. If detector sensor 85 has not sensed a person within the last 4 hours, the ambient light sampling rate is reduced to 4 seconds. After a trend is successfully established following the seven day data collection period, in hours of activity the default ambient light sampling rate is 2 seconds. In hours of inactivity and low light (established by the trend), the sampling rate is reduced to 10 seconds or “sleep” mode. The control system of the valve thereafter looks ahead to the next hour in the trend. If the next hour has no activity and low light, the sampling rate remains at 10 seconds. If the next hour has activity or an increase in ambient light, the sampling rate is increased to 2 seconds. “Sleep” is the flush valve mode in which the control system of hydrogenerator flush valve 1 only checks the ambient light level every 10 seconds.
More specifically, the microcontroller continually monitors ambient light and traffic patterns to maximize the power savings based on the installation environment, or environmental trending. During every check for an occupant, the ambient light level will be recorded. The ambient light level will be recorded over a period of one hour. The number of activations that occur during that one hour will also be recorded. For each hour of the day for a certain number of days, the average ambient light level and number of activations will be recorded to develop a trend. This trend will provide two features: 1) will associate a light level with activity to provide a baseline light level for comparison to when the environment is determined to be “dark” since each install light level is unique; and 2) will allow the unit to go to sleep faster based on data from the trend. If, based on the trend, no occupants are sensed between 10:00 pm-5:00 am over a seven-day period of environmental trending data, the ambient light sensor can sample less often than the time between 5:00 am-6:00 am where activity level, based on trending data, increases. This allows the flush valve to distinguish between night time or an install location that simply has a light sensor that turns the light on or off based on the occupant entering or leaving the bathroom. A change in activity level will result in a new environment adjustment sequence for a period of seven days. Before or between an environmental adjustment sequence is complete, the valve sampling rate will be based on activity level.
With reference to
Initially, in a state that solenoid valve 25 and manually operable valve 111 are closed, water which is supplied from water supply pipe 17 is permitted to fill an upper chamber 47 of piston kit 29 through orifice hole 46.
Thereafter, solenoid valve 25 is controlled by the microcontroller on main PCB 73 to move to an open, second position based on feedback from sensor array 77. This allows the water in upper chamber 47 to evacuate through passage 49 in solenoid flange 27, thereby causing piston kit 29 to move upward and allow water from water supply pipe 17 to flow in a direction of arrows A1 (see
Thereafter, solenoid valve 25 is controlled by the microcontroller to return to the closed, first position and water fills upper chamber 47 through orifice hole 46. This causes the pressure to rise in upper chamber 47 until piston kit 29 has sealed to primary valve casing 3 with face seal 41, thereby blocking the flow of water from water supply pipe 17.
While the power generating device of the present invention has been described hereinabove for use with a flush valve for a water closet-type flushing device, this is not to be construed as limiting the present invention as the power generating device may be utilized in any suitable plumbing fixture such as, but not limited to, a urinal flush valve, a faucet, and a showerhead.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/244,970 entitled “Flush Valve Hydrogenerator” filed Sep. 23, 2009, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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