Patent Application
20250027683
The present invention is directed to systems and devices for instantaneous (on-demand) and tank preparation of hot water and accompanying smart applications to control the said systems and devices.
Today, about 97% of the U.S. market for residential hot water is by “tank” (or “conventional”) water heaters, with the balance of the market essentially by “tankless” (or “on-demand”) water heaters. Conventional water heaters heat water to a preset temperature by heating a reservoir of water, typically ranging from 25 gallons to 100 gallons for residential applications, so that hot water awaits a demand when a fixture(s) in the residence is open (e.g. a shower). Alternatively, on-demand water heaters do not have a reservoir of water heated to a pre-set temperature, but rather heat water to a preset temperature when a fixture for hot water in the residence is opened and thus “calls” for hot water to be produced at that time and for as long as the fixture(s) remains open.
Another type of on-demand hot water heater is specialized for a dedicated fixture (e.g. dishwasher, hot water spout, shower, etc.). These water heaters have a small volumetric flow capacity to deliver hot water and thus serve hot water for only a single and dedicated fixture, are located near the fixture, and do not service the hot water demands for a group of fixtures located throughout the residence that can require hot water simultaneously. These on-demand hot water heaters typically use an electric heating element or some with induction heating with a high-frequency generator. These fixture-specific types of water heaters are separate and apart from that considered herein, as these do not have application for centrally located hot water heating of some or all fixtures individually or simultaneously in a residence or commercial building, are localized in the proximity of the fixture (and not remotely located from a fixture), and are not enabled with a smart appliance to manage, detect, and alert for its operation or related issues that can affect the residence or water heater.
Of the tank and tankless water heaters, there are essentially three main methods of heating the water, specifically, by burning natural gas and then exchanging the heat of the combusted gas to the water to be heated via a heat exchanger, by immersing an element heated by electricity into the water flow to be heated, or through the use of a heat pump. The natural gas method has an overall average heat transfer efficiency of 60%, the immersion has an efficiency of 88 to 93%, and the heat pump has a 3× efficiency (meaning that, for each unit of energy input, three units of heat are gained).
The conventional (tank) water heater can serve all the points of hot water fixtures in a house including wash basins, hand washers, dishwashers, clothes washers, tubs, and showers. Because of the predominance of these water heaters, it sets the standard for cost including purchase price, installation, reliability, and maintenance. Conventional water heaters have an approximate purchase and installation cost range from $1,500 to $8,500 based on tank capacity and have an average service life from 8 to 12 years (depending on the condition of the water and how well the water heater is maintained), however, the typical warranty period for this water heater in 6 years.
The predominant tank storage hot water heater uses gas to heat a reservoir of water and suffers from several disadvantages including consuming fossil fuel, continuous heating of the water stored even when there is no demand for hot water, large spaces required for the water heater, required venting of combustible gas, scalding if the hot water temperature is set too high, leakage due to the tank rusting, limited supply of hot water (to the capacity of the tank), and, rarely, explosions and carbon monoxide/dioxide seepage into the residence. Hybrid heat pump tank water heaters are advantaged by a high efficiency to heat water but suffer from many issues when compared to gas and electric tank water heaters. For example, 50%+ larger storage capacity is required. Since heat pumps transfer heat from their surroundings to the water, there needs to be a sufficiently large volume of air (480 cu. ft. to 1000 cu.ft.) or forced air, and there needs to be enough heat in the air to transfer to the water so that in colder climates or winter time the heat pump efficiency or ability to operate is impacted.
Heat, when in the heat pump heating mode, is transferred to the water indirectly through the heat pump coils then through the steel storage tank, and during periods of high hot water demand (typically from 6 AM-9 AM and 5 PM-9 PM) the water is heated via the electric rods immersed in the hybrid heat pump water heater, which have much lower efficiency than when in heat pump mode, to provide quicker recovery of hot water. Hybrid heat pump water heaters typically need 4500 W and 6000 W of power that requires an electrical panel expansion to a dedicated 240V 30 A breaker for the majority of homes with gas water heaters. When an electrical panel upgrade and/or a forced air system is needed, the installation can require regulatory approvals and multiple trades that extend the time to install a hybrid heat pump by 2-3+ weeks. The prior deficiencies collectively conspire to increase the installed cost of a hybrid heat pump water heater by 2× to 3× vs an electric tank water heater, and 5× to 8× vs a gas tank water heater.
Hot water tank storage water heaters using electric heating rod avoids the issues of burning gas to heat water but suffer from the other issues of a gas tank storage water heater, plus requiring a dedicated 240V 30 A breaker and extended time to install an electrical panel expansion if such is not currently available.
The alternative on-demand tankless water heaters include gas or electric means to heat water that can serve all the points of hot water fixtures in a house including wash basins, hand washers, sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, and showers. These water heaters have an average service life from 6 to 10 years (depending on the condition of the water and how well the water heater is maintained), however, the typical warranty period for this water heater is in 6 years. Some new model tankless water heater manufacturers offer a 25 years warranty when their water anti-scale device is included.
On-demand water heaters have a distinct advantage over tank storage water heaters, as on-demand (a) provides a continuous flow of water as needed and does not run out of hot water like the tank when its reservoir is depleted, (b) takes about 80-90% less physical space than a tank water heater), (c) because there is no tank there is no energy consumption (electric or burning fossil fuel) to maintain a reservoir of hot water at a set temperature when there is no demand for hot water, and (d) for on-demand gas or electric water heaters there is no pilot flame needed to run continuously. This avoidance of unnecessary energy consumption by on-demand water heaters can save on average 4.75 therms annually in gas and 4000 kWh in electricity vs gas and electric tank storage hot water heaters, respectively.
However, on-demand tankless water heaters suffer from several disadvantages, such as fossil fuel consumption for the predominant gas on-demand heater, the latency of about 30 seconds to 1 minute to bring hot water to the temperature at full flow, and the potential to produce scalding hot water. Furthermore, these systems suffer from limited hot water flow rate ranging from 0.8 GPM to 2.5 GPM and sensitivity to cold water inlet temperature, as lower temperature increases the time to bring the inlet cold water flow to the hot water temperature setting and reduces the flow rate to keep hot water at the set temperature. Hot water is unavailable with power outages and annual maintenance is required. Specific sealed venting for the predominant gas on-demand water heaters is also needed so that air to combust the gas is sealed from the intake vent through the heat exchanger and to the exhaust to the exterior. Dedicated power venting by a mechanical fan for forced air intake and combusting gas to the exhaust is also required. (j) sensitivity to water chemistry and requiring upstream anti-scale filter, (k) more complexity than a tank water heater with both electronic controls (for operation and safety) and electro-mechanical devices that makes for more things than can go wrong, and (l) price of purchase and installation about two-times higher than the tank storage water heater of about $1,400 for tank vs $3,200 for tankless.
Water heating efficiency with an electric element in the water flow is also sensitive to the ratio of the heating element's external diameter to that of the internal diameter of the pipe containing the water flow to be heated. Both the length of the electric element and the diameters of the element to the water containment pipe place restrictions on the volumetric flow of water that can be heated.
Tank and tankless water heaters that heat water with an electric element in place of combustion of natural/propane gas, suffer all other issues of the corresponding water heating device not associated with the combustion of fossil fuel. Additionally, electric heating if not controlled can lead to boiling water that can increase the pressure in the pipes and lead to leakage or rupture of downstream pipes and valves. Further, electric and hybrid heat pump water heaters that demand 4500 W to 6000 W are not electric “grid-friendly”. For example, a typical residential electric substation that supplies 5 MW to 50 MW of power to a neighborhood would be burdened by ˜1000 electric and/or hybrid heat pump water heaters (operating in hybrid mode) consuming 4.5 MW to 6 MW. Consider too, the demand period for hot water coincides with no to low available renewable energy (solar and wind), which complicates the displacement of burning fossil fuel.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide systems and devices that allow for energy-efficient preparation of hot water and accompanying smart applications to control the said systems and devices, as specified in the independent claims. Embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims. Embodiments of the present invention can be freely combined if they are not mutually exclusive.
The object of this invention—Inductive Intelligent Water Heater (IIWH)—is for the instantaneous (on-demand) or tank (reservoir) preparation of hot water integrated with a smart appliance that can be affordable (as compared to the installation and 12-year lifecycle cost of available electric (tank and tankless) and hybrid heat pump tank water heaters) readily installed, of low maintenance, and efficient for the production of hot water (tank or tankless) by electromagnetic induction heating to serve hot water, to one or many fixtures, individually or simultaneously, typically found in a dwelling (e.g. residential house, school, college building, office building, apartment, barrack, recreational vehicle, etc.). The IIWH is a clean-tech device for the Internet of Things (IoT) comprising three major components (1) an Inductive Energy Transfer Unit (IETU), (2) a composite containment module (CCM), and (3) a smart appliance (SA) that employs software with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The device has the further advantage of incorporating an anti-scale component to (a) mitigate scale on the heating surface of the IETU to preserve its heat transfer efficiency, (b) mitigate blockage in IETU pipes from scale build-up, and (c) soften hard water delivered to the fixtures. In some embodiments, the present invention can act as a tank storage water heater where a fixed quantity of water is heated to a preset temperature and maintained at that temperature until hot water is demanded at a fixture(s). Configured as a tank storage hot water heater, this invention enables operation at 120V, 208V, 220V, and 240V electric inputs.
The invention relates to the instantaneous (on-demand) production of hot water intended for residential and commercial applications for sanitary hot water use (e.g. shower, sink, dishwasher, washing machine, etc.) that is fluidly connected to upstream stations (fixtures) that use the applications of hot water, comprising three major interacting systems of (1) the water heating circuit of an induction energy transfer unit (IETU), (2) a composite containment module (CCM) to contain the water flow through or storage in the IETU, and (3) smart appliance (SA) to manage, monitor, and control the production of hot water and related applications. The IETU is a device for heating a flow of water comprising a heating circuit with an inductor coil, connected to an electric high-frequency generator(s) that's used to heat the surfaces of ferritic material within the inductor coil's magnetic field. The CCM contains the IETU inductor coil, ferric heating surfaces, and water to be heated, and, in multi-tank embodiments, by the nature of the CCM's material, provides the insulation for the water to be heated.
The present invention is designed to meet both grid-friendly electrification/sustainability AND hot water demand performance for the typical home with low power plug-in 120V 15 A (1800 W). The present invention may achieve >96% efficiency from electric heating vs the 88%-93% efficiency for electric tank/tankless water heaters. The present invention implements automated and dynamic lower power consumption management over a 24-hour hot water cycle vs the manual and static consumer manually adjusted hot water temperature setting. It implements materials for water heater containment that are safe for home water heating, don't rust, and have ultra-high thermal insulation. The present invention features an electric-driven water heater that installs quickly and for about $2,000 without the use of tax credits/grants—like a gas water heater—to avoid the additive electrical and environmental installation costs, requirements, and delays of an electric or hybrid heat pump water heater for the typical home that is without a dedicated 240V 30 A water heater breaker at the electric panel.
The present invention may comprise a water containment and electric heating circuit that would not fail within 12 years. The heater is paired to software with AI that can detect, predict, alert, and mitigate maintenance, faults, and water leakage, as well as visualize actual and forecast water use and cost, interface with utilities for automated demand response (ADR), and connectivity of the water heater device to the cloud for 24×7×365 IoT collection of operating data. The software may be integrated with a consumer-friendly smartphone mobile app for the consumer to adjust settings on the water heater device and receive alerts and charts. The present invention comprises a combination of technologies that can, with minimum differences, work in both tank and tankless configurations to heat water.
The SA comprises the sensors, control valves, power supply and conditioner, computer hardware, and modem, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and control software to manage the IETU delivery of hot water at a pre-set temperature for the storage capacity or demand of hot water, monitor the building's piping for leak detection and alert, monitor for blockage of the IETU and prediction of a potential leak in the IETU and building piping and alert, interface with water and electric utilities to enable the temporary reduction or termination of hot water and alert, reporting of hot water usage and related costs, reporting of forecast hot water usage and related costs, switch over to external electric power should building electric power fail and alert, monitor for maintenance needs and alert, and manage communications to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth™ (or other forms of wireless connectivity) and wired external devices. The SA has an application (app) for smartphones and desktops/laptops (or other external computing devices) that enables a user to set and enable the configuration for the operation of the invention. The combination of IETU, composite containment module (CCM), and smart appliance (SA) yields an inductive intelligent water heater (IIWH) for the delivery of hot water to one or simultaneously many fixtures as an on-demand or tank water heating system.
The problems of tank storage and on-demand tankless water heaters are addressed by this IIWH device. First, electricity powers the IETU alleviates all issues associated with the direct burning of natural/propane gas to exchange heat with cold water, as well as eliminates the heat exchanger (as such exchanger is traditionally conceived as the exchange of heat between two fluids through an intermediate device that transfers heat from one fluid to the other).
The IETU heats water via an immersed magnetic induction coil that heats the immersed ferritic metal that's coupled with the magnetic field and directly in contact with the water. A high-frequency generator connected to the inductor induces heat in the ferromagnetic material via magnetic eddy currents.
The IETU ferritic heating surface is in direct contact with water. Depending on the ferritic metal used (e.g. stainless steel of 420, 430, 444, etc.) could also be clad in an austenitic stainless steel for further corrosion resistance. This direct contact differs from the indirect heat transfer through a heat exchanger that heats water by burning gas external to the water as in tank or tankless water heaters where only the internal surface of the heat exchanger transfers heat to the water flow; i.e., the combusted fuel heats the air that then heats the exterior surface of a heat exchanger to conductively transfer the heat to the interior surface of the exchanger that then heats the water by conduction). This method of heating water first by heating a gas and then transferring the heat through a heat exchanger limits the efficiency of heating water. Tank or tankless water heating with an electric rod is in direct contact with the water to be heated, but the actual heating element of the rod isn't in direct contact with the water; i.e., the electric heating rod is composed of a heating element (typically nickel and chromium) that's wrapped in insulation (often magnesium oxide) then a sheath (often stainless steel), and sometimes a glass coating (to further protect against corrosion and scaling).
Conversely, the IETU heating surface has water about and within its ferromagnetic surface, which directly conducts heat to the water without an intermediary heat exchanger. Thus the IETU is more efficient than transferring heat to water via combusting gas to transfer heat via a heat exchanger. Magnetic induction heating is more efficient than an electric heating rod, and the power to the ferritic surfaces is maximized by a circuit in the HFG that monitors the inductor's frequency to maintain it at resonance (since the resistivity of the coil and impedance of the coil changes as the water temperature changes. The IETU has a further advantage in that as it's immersed, the energy loss in the inductor coil assembly is also directly in contact with the water and thus this energy is also deposited in the water. The IETU can be a single or multi-pass, or multi-stage device thus providing many passes as the water flows through the unit for each pass, as well as the IETU can be connected in tandem with a single SA to control hot water demand in larger facilities.
The present invention has advantages over prior tank or tankless hot water heaters as (a) it uses electricity and has no risk of Carbon Monoxide/Dioxide seepage into the building, (b) no risk of a gas explosion, (c) reduced risk of scalding hot water, (d) no convective or powered venting requirements to combust or exhaust combusted gas, and (e) no direct addition of Carbon greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere as from tank storage and tankless on-demand gas water heaters.
Further, the IIWH is advantaged as (a) it can operate at 120V, 208V, 220V, and 240V for the tank configuration and 208V, 220V, and 240V for the tankless configuration, (b) has more efficient heating with induction as compared to gas or electric tank or tankless water heaters, (c) the Composite Containment Module (CCM) does not rust and leak like compatible steel gas or electric or hybrid heat pump tank or tankless water heaters, and the composite material that may be implemented in the CCM may act as a natural insulator, (d) in the tankless configuration has less latency to produce hot water with induction heating as the ferritic metal is in direct contact with the water vs a gas tankless water heater that has the thermal inertia of the heat exchanger, (e) can use external solar, battery, or emergency generator sources of electricity to produce hot water in the event of a loss of electric power to the building, and (f) has smart appliance features using AI beyond tank or a tankless gas or electric water heaters.
The IETU can be expanded or contracted to meet a wide range of conditions and capacities of hot water applications. For example, for hot water heating of an apartment building with higher capacity, the number of stages can be increased as well as the overall size, or for regions (and seasons) with lower cold water inlet temperature the length and number of passes within the IETU can be increased, or for small homes and recreational vehicles (RVs) and regions where cold water inlet temperature is higher and/or capacity requirements lower, the passes and/or length can be reduced (even to one stage). Further configurations to the IETU to accommodate inlet cold water temperature and demand of hot water capacity include (a) varying the diameter of piping, (b) number of piping, (c) a number of stages and/or passes, (d) circular or hexagonal pipe shape (or other shapes), and (e) using IETUs in a parallel or serial configuration.
The IETU operates through a “smart appliance” (SA) that provides a range of features of the IIWH. The SA monitors and controls the IETU and provides broad capabilities through its Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled analytics including (a) production of hot water flow by the IETU to meet demand at the temperature set by the user, (b) detection and alert to pipe leaks, (c) identification of the leak as within IIWH or in the piping upstream of IIWH or in the piping downstream of IIWH, (d) detection and alert of “unusual” water usage indicative of an open fixture, (e) prediction of a pipe leak, (f) connection with water and/or electric utilities to temporarily reduce or terminate hot water service, (g) calculations of hot water usage and forecast hot water usage and associated costs, (h) wire or wireless communication between the IIWH and its smartphone/desktop computer application and utilities, and (i) ability to manage external power source should power to the building be interrupted.
The invention has three major components consisting of the IETU, CCM, and smart appliance (SA). The IETU can operate in tank and tankless configurations, and is characterized by a magnetic induction coil(s) immersed in the water (within the CCM) that induces magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic material that's in direct contact with the water. A separate electric driven high-frequency generator(s) excites the inductor to induce magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic material. The CCM facilitates the on-demand flow or storage of water within, around, and through the ferromagnetic surfaces to transfer and enhance the heat gain from the ferromagnetic material to the water (whilst the high-frequency generator is active).
A package of pressure, temperature, and flow rate sensors along with a control valve that is mirrored at the inlet and outlet of the IETU, send signals to the SA that monitors and manages the water passage in, through, and out of the IETU to deliver the hot water at its preset temperature and to meet the demand for hot water in tank and tankless configurations. There is also a temperature sensor(s) within the tank configuration, and ambient air temperature sensor(s) (for tank and tankless configurations).
The smart appliance (SA) governs the operation of the IIWH through its hardware and software that consists of the SA computer and modem, high-frequency generator (HFG), and intelligent power supply and conditioner. The SA is advantaged through AI-enabled analytics and computational software functions characterized by the following features:
A User Settings Table (UST) enables the user to set IIWH operation and control parameters via the digital panel on the SA computer or the app (via wire or wireless connection) to a smartphone or desktop/laptop computer (or other computing device) including (a) the desired hot water temperature, (b) activate the automatic inlet water shut-off to the IETU if a leak is detected in the IETU, (c) activate the automatic outlet shut-off from the IETU of hot water to fixture(s) if a leak or unusually hot water usage is detected or predicted, (d) activate the automatic shut-off of the IETU cold water inlet valve if a leak is detected or predicted downstream of the IETU, (e) activate enablement of water and/or electric utility to temporarily suspend or reduce water or electricity to the IETU, (f) activate the safety scalding governor (SSG) to prevent the IETU from producing hot water above a pre-set temperature that could cause scalding, and (g) set the number and duration of alerts.
A Flow Control Module (FCM) takes signals from the flow, pressure, and temperature sensors at the cold water inlet and hot water outlet of the IETU that are processed by the AI-enabled analytics to monitor and control functions including (a) upon the open/close of a hot water fixture to initiate/terminate the HFG and regulate the power needed to deliver hot water at the pre-set temperature for the duration of the demand and for the flow rate to meet the demand, as well as when in a tank configuration to regulate the power to the induction coils to meet and maintain the pre-set hot water temperature, and (b) partially close the IETU inlet cold water valve to reduce flow and/or reduce temperature of the hot water outlet of the IETU should hot water capacity demanded from the IETU be unable to meet the pre-set temperature for hot water due to higher volume of hot water demand and/or lower cold water inlet temperature that exceed its configured specifications.
A Safety Monitor & Control Module (SMCM) takes signals from the water flow, temperature, and pressure sensors at the inlet and outlet of the IETU that are processed by the AI-Enabled analytics to monitor, alert, and control IIWH functions as activated by the user via the UST to (a) alert for leaks in the CCM or water piping downstream of the IETU, (b) if the leak should be within the CCM to signal the inlet valve and outlet valves to close, and if downstream of the IETU to signal the inlet valve to close, (c) alert for leaks in the water piping upstream of the IETU, (d) alert for blockage or heating efficiency drop in the IETU, (e) if the alert is for blockage or efficiency that reduces the capacity to produce hot water more than 50% then close the inlet valve to the IETU 50%, (f) alert of predicted pipe/valve failure downstream or upstream of the IETU, and signal the inlet valve to close, (g) alert that hot water demand is “excessively” high and indicative of a fixture forgotten to be closed, (h) if the alert is for excessively high hot water demand to signal the inlet valve to close, (i) alert and reduce or terminate power to the HFG if the hot outlet water temperature should exceed a preset temperature to prevent scalding, (j) if the power is terminated to the HFG to prevent scalding then the Safety Scalding Governor (SSG) automatically signals the SMCM to run a diagnosis, and if pass, then restart hot water production, or if fail, preclude production of hot water and alert, and (k) when an alert results in the closing of an inlet or outlet valve, power is terminated to the HFG until an automated diagnostic of the IIWH returns a positive signal and the valves are then signaled to reopen.
A Utility Interface Module (UIM) connects the electric and/or water utility supplier with the IIWH via a wireless communication network to enable the utility to (a) temporarily suspend or reduce the operation of the IIWH to accommodate reductions needed by the utility, (b) if a utility activates reduction to the IIWH then send an alert, and (c) to gather water or power consumption data.
A Hot Water Reporting Module (HWRM) takes data from the inlet and outlet sensors and utility rate data that are processed by the AI-enabled analytics to compile the hot water flow rate, and energy consumed by the IIWH to calculate and report (a) cost and trend of hot water consumption, (b) cost and trend of electricity to heat the water, (c) total cost and trend of hot water, (c) predict the future trend of hot water usage, and (d) forecast the future consumption and cost of water and electricity of hot water.
A Communication Module (CM) manages wire and wireless interfaces between the IIWH and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth™ (or other forms of communication) devices, and alerts if there are any failures of the CM or connections to wire or wirelessly connected devices.
An Intelligent Power Supply Module (IPSM) receives electric power from the residence/building to (a) clean, condition, and surge protect the power to the SA computer, and (b) take signals from the SA computer FCM, SMCM, and UIM to regulate the power to the HFG(s) and FCM control valve, (c) via a small battery power backup, detect loss of residence/building power and through its external port accept, manage, and convert (DC to AC) power from external sources of solar, battery, or electric generator should a power outage occur to the residence/building, (d) if residence/building power is lost and no external power is provided, alert of such, and (e) for tank configuration, determine the input voltage and amps available to deliver 120V power to a single induction coil if 120V is input, and if more than 120V is input, then split the voltage to power two or more induction coils simultaneously.
A Maintenance Monitor Module (MMM) periodically runs diagnostics across the IIWH and (a) alerts for current maintenance or predictive maintenance needs, and (b) runs a diagnostic for any alert issued from the FCM, SMCM, and UIM.
The operation of the IIWH is automatic when a user(s) simply opens/closes a fixture for hot water. Once the flow is detected by a flow sensor of the FCM, the FCM manages the power to the high-frequency generator (HFG) to match the power to meet the demand of water as detected by the flow and temperature sensors at the inlet and outlet of the IETU. In the tankless configuration, the IIWH continues to deliver hot water to the demand setting set by the user to the fixture(s) until demand from the fixture(s) is terminated by the user (closing the valve). In tank configuration, the IIWH can operate in 120V and 208V/220V/240V modes and depending on the input voltage manages tank operation to user settings to achieve minimum power consumption. The IIWH may be configured to begin or cease heating the water according to a detected and/or programmed schedule of hot water usage. For example, the IIWH may determine, through the use of the SA and/or the cloud computing system coupled to the SA, the time of day at which a user is most likely to take a hot shower and assure that the hot water is ready at the set-point temperature. If a leak, error, or shortage is detected, then hot water production may be ceased or reduced. The IIWH may be configured to actuate the heating inductors at a resonant frequency such that the power usage is minimized.
The IIWH does not concern itself with the water temperature response at the fixture; i.e. the time between when a user opens a valve for hot water and the time the water reaches the preset hot water temperature at the fixture, as this is outside of the control of the device and dependent on the length of piping between the device and fixture, and whether a recirculation pump is part of the hot water piping and serves the fixture, as well as the heat loss between the IIWH and the fixture. The primary focus is to rapidly heat water to the pre-set temperature (for tankless configuration) or to maintain a reservoir of water with the least energy consumed (for tank configuration) as measured at the IETU outlet (not at the fixture) and to ensure a continuous flow of hot water at the preset temperature to meet the demand of all fixture(s) concurrently making the demand. This device also has “smart” functions to alert, manage, and maintain the device.
The IIWH is self-contained in a package that has the IETU, CCM, and smart appliance (SA) and is installed similarly to a conventional tank or tankless water heater and in the similar or same vicinity (unlike fixture-specific inductive or electric water heaters that have to be installed near the fixture the heater is serving).
The IIWH has a further advantage as on-demand instantaneous and continuous heating of water that has no standby energy consumption to heat water as compared to tank storage electric, hybrid heat pump, or gas water heaters that must maintain the reservoir of water at the preset hot water temperature when there is no demand for hot water or burning of gas for the pilot light. Further, the efficiency improvement of heating water by the IIWH is estimated at 60%, and 7% over gas and electric tank water heaters, respectively, and 3% and 16% over gas and electric tankless water heaters, respectively.
For example, a further advantage of the IIWH in tank configuration of 40-gallons that can replace a 40-gallon (most common size home water heater) gas or electric tank water heater is operating at 120V. Larger configurations of the IIWH can replace larger gas or electric tanks of the same size. This is significant because electric and hybrid heat pump tank water heaters of 40-gallon and higher capacity typically operate at 240V. Note that electric tank units are available at 120V but for capacities under 40 gallons, and manufacturer's reps do not recommend the use of 120V for 40 gallons and higher capacities. So too there are hybrid heat pump water heaters using 120V input, but to replace a 40-gallon gas or electric tank water heater, the hybrid heat pump is typically configured in capacities at 66 gallons and higher, thus requiring a homeowner to pay about triple the price for the same performance. The IIWH has several benefits over conventional tank gas, electric, and hybrid heat pump tank water heaters, including higher efficiency to transfer heat vs gas or electric water heaters. Whilst tank hybrid heat pumps can be 3× more efficient in heating water in pump mode than the IIWH, overall energy consumption by IIWH is estimated at up to 20% less than a hybrid heat pump because hybrid heat pumps typically only operate part of the time in the efficient heat pump mode and the other times (of high hot water demand) as the less efficient electric water mode vs the IIWH AI intelligent power management that minimizes electric consumption to meet homeowner hot water demand. Unlike a hybrid heat pump tank water heater that requires a large space (500 cu. ft. to over 1,000 cu.ft.) or mechanical forced air to have sufficient volume of air from which to transfer heat from outside the tank to inside the tank and air of sufficiently high temperature from which to extract heat, the IIWH fits in the envelope of a conventional gas or electric tank water heater and can install in the same area or closet with no requirement for mechanical forced air. The composite containment module (CCM) of the IIWH does not rust and leak, like the steel tanks or heat exchangers of gas, electric, or hybrid heat pump water heaters.
The IIWH in a tank configuration would lose the continuous hot water production advantage of an on-demand configuration, as well as it would consume power to maintain the reservoir of hot water at the pre-set temperature. The IIWH in this configuration would still use less power than an electric, hybrid heat pump, or gas tank water heater because of its AI smart energy management that learns the hot water demand of the home by day and time of day, and along with its inlet temperature sensor and ambient air temperature sensor, determines how long to suspend heating of the water and when to restart heating and to what temperature to comply with hot water demand and the homeowner's hot water delivery preference set in the User Settings Table.
The IETU is the heating circuit for the water. As cold water enters the CCM (in tank or tankless configuration) the IETU turns on to heat the ferromagnetic material through the inductor(s) that are connected to the high-frequency generator(s) (HFG). Magnetic induction heating is generally more efficient than heating water by gas or electric heating rod, and the IETU is further advantaged by the innovative immersion of the inductor coil(s) in the water that additionally (1) captures heat loss from the coil and heating of the ferrite material (under the planar coil) to increase heating efficiency, and (2) assures the inductor coil is in closest proximity (vs an external inductor coil) to its ferritic heating surface(s) to increase the coupling with the magnetic field as well as having the ferritic heating surfaces within the highest magnetic flux density. Further, the AI power management includes a circuit that continuously monitors and assures the matching of the resonance frequency from the HFG to the inductor coil(s) to produce the maximum power to each inductor coil (as the resonance frequency is affected by changes to the coil from its own heating and surrounding changing water temperature). Further, in a tank configuration, the planar coil assembly delivers uniform heating throughout the tank with only 1° F. to 2° F. delta from top to bottom of the tank vs an electric heating rod that can have as much as 5° F. to 10° F. difference.
In the tankless embodiment, the solenoid coil assembly yields similar results when the bottom of the pipes is placed close to the bottom of the tank. In an on-demand configuration, the IETU is further advantage over electric tankless water heaters because unlike an electric rod that only heats water from its outside surface, in the solenoid coils with ferritic pipes the heated water is heated on both the outside and inside surfaces of the pipes. In the tank configuration with a solenoid coil, the vertical configuration of the IETU ferritic pipes (vs horizontal configuration of an electric heating rod) pulls water convectively through the pipes thus producing the highest delta temperature between the pipes and water to ensure the highest heat transfer rate. When compared to an electric rod or hybrid heat pump the IETU's heating surfaces are in direct contact with the water it heats vs the indirect heating by an electric rod that has its heating element wrapped first in insulation and then cladding, or the heat pump that first wraps its evaporator coils around the steel storage tank that's also lined with glass (an insulator to mitigate rusting). Compared to tankless gas or electric water heaters, the IETU's direct conductive energy transfer to the water provides an advantage over the indirect transfer of heat via heat exchangers by tankless water heaters. Limitations of on-demand gas and electric water heaters are typically managed by reducing hot water flow when multiple fixtures are open simultaneously (and/or with lower cold water inlet temperature) or by limiting tankless water heater installations to only areas with higher cold water inlet temperature (e.g. desert areas) or by increasing the power to the heating elements (e.g. burning more gas or increasing the Watts).
Another advantageous design of the IETU is that it does not exchange heat in the customary method of a tank or tankless gas or electric or hybrid heat pump water heater, or an induction water heater for a single fixture. In a gas burning tank or tankless water heater, gas is combusted to heat air that then exchanges its heat through a heat exchanger to a flow of water (for tankless heating) or to a reservoir of water (for tank heating). As such, the exchange of heat from the hot air to the water is indirect. In an electric tank or tankless water heater the exchange of heat from the hot heating rod is in essence indirect too because the actual heating element is wrapped in insulation then wrapped in cladding and the water is only in contact with the heat rod's cladded surface.
A hybrid heat pump tank water heater has both electric heating rods and a heat pump circuit. When in hybrid mode the heat pump (1) uses its electric heating rod for faster recovery during times of high hot water demand, as recovery is slow with the heat pump circuit, and (2) uses its heat pump circuit for high efficiency heating during times of low to no hot water demand to minimize energy consumption. As such, the hybrid heat pump suffers from the same issues as an electric water heater, and whilst the heat pump has high energy efficiency, its method of transferring heat to the water is a cumbersome multi-layered configuration. Hybrid heat pumps also suffer many operational issues, such as sensitivity to ambient (as well as inlet water) temperature and humidity, evaporator clogging, and requiring significant volumes of air from which to be able to extract heat.
The IETU is different from an inductive hot water heater (for a single fixture) that would have water flow either past fins or only within pipes. For example, a configuration with a serpentine of fins can transfer heat on both sides of each fin only if the water flow is turned from one side of the fin to the other, thus a double pass of the same volume of water. Conversely, the IETU can have water flow around the entire ferromagnetic surface thus taking full advantage of its available surface area.
Some single-faucet inductive heating concepts use a ferromagnetic mesh. While the mesh increases the heating surface area, it suffers as a resistor to the water flow and can noticeably reduce the water pressure at the fixture, it is more susceptible to scale, deterioration, and clogging, it is subject to deterioration from the water pressure if the mesh is too fine, and the high surface energy of the mesh could boil water to create gas in the water flow thus reducing the heat transfer efficiency.
The smart appliance (SA) functions of the IIWH further advantages in safety, simplicity of operation, maintenance, water leak detection and prevention, reporting of hot water usage and cost, forecasting of hot water usage and cost, and energy consumption that makes the IIWH an Internet of Things (IoT) device (where the installation of many of the IIWHs create a significant Carbon greenhouse avoidance, as well as being able to meet upcoming regulations regarding the reduction or elimination of direct burning of fossil fuel). As an IoT device the IIWH captures a continuous stream of data for its on-board management of the IIWH, as well as cloud collection of data for separate analytics and alerts associated with the operation, maintenance, and support of the IIWH, and data usage, compilation, analysis, and analytics for commercialization to third parties.
The SA is further advantaged by its AI-enabled analytics that continuously takes input from the IETU inlet and outlet flow, temperature, and pressure sensors. Rather than storing a single signal at a point in time to compare to another signal from a past point in time, the SA computer builds a history of data that can span years. This data is used to make statistical comparisons to incoming real-time data from the sensors, then the AI-enabled analytics makes decisions regarding the operations and alerts of the IETU, closure of valves and alerts to pipe leaks or leaks in the IETU, predictions and alerts of potential pipe leaks, calculation of hot water use and cost, forecast of hot water use and costs.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention features a system (100) for heating water. The system (100) may comprise a heating and containment circuit (200) fluidly coupled to a plurality of water fixtures (600). The circuit (200) may comprise an inlet (202) configured to accept the water, an outlet (204) configured to direct the water to an external source, and a plurality of tanks (220). A first tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may be fluidly coupled to the inlet (202). At least one tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may be fluidly coupled to the outlet (204). The plurality of tanks (220) may be fluidly coupled to each other. Each tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may be configured to store the water.
The circuit may further comprise a plurality of planar heating surfaces, each planar heating surface (215) fluidly coupled to a bottom of each tank of the plurality of tanks (220) such that each planar heating surface (215) is fully submerged within a tank of the plurality of tanks (220). Each planar heating surface (215) may comprise a ferromagnetic material. The plurality of planar heating surfaces may be configured to heat the water stored by the plurality of tanks (220). The circuit (200) may further comprise a plurality of laminar injection mechanisms (120). At least one laminar injection mechanism may be fluidly coupled to the inlet (202) and the bottom of a tank of the plurality of tanks (220), configured to inject a laminar stream of water from the inlet (202) into the tank. At least one laminar injection mechanism may be fluidly coupled between each tank of the plurality of tanks, configured to inject a laminar stream of water from one tank to another.
The circuit (200) may further comprise a plurality of inductors, each inductor (210) operatively coupled to at least two planar heating surfaces of the plurality of planar heating surfaces such that each inductor (210) has at least one planar heating surface (215) coupled to a top surface and at least one planar heating surface (215) coupled to a bottom surface. Each inductor (210) may be fully submerged in a tank of a plurality of tanks (220). Actuating each inductor (210) induces magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic material of the planar heating surface (215) to heat the water and reduce the concentration of calcite in the water.
The circuit (200) may further comprise a plurality of electric high-frequency generators, each electric high-frequency generator (430) operatively coupled to an inductor (210) of the plurality of inductors. Each electric high-frequency generator (430) may be configured to direct power to each inductor (210) while maintaining a resonance frequency such that the power directed to the inductor (210) is maximized. Each electric high-frequency generator (430) may comprise a tuning circuit configured to identify the resonance frequency of the inductor (210). The circuit (200) may further comprise a descaling device (110) fluidly coupled to and integrated into the inlet (202) external to the plurality of tanks (220), configured to further reduce the concentration of scale in the water.
The system (100) may further comprise a plurality of sensors (300) comprising pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of sensors (300) may further comprise a valve configured to prevent and/or allow the flow of water along the sensors upon actuation. At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) is integrated into the inlet (202). At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be integrated into the outlet (204). The system (100) may further comprise a cloud computing system communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors (300), comprising a predictive artificial intelligence (AI) model, configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and generate a prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and a prediction of future hot water usage and cost as output such that a wireless device is alerted of the prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and the prediction of future hot water usage and cost. The prediction of future hot water usage and cost may comprise a prediction of water usage down to a time of day for every day of a year.
The system (100) may further comprise a Smart Appliance (SA) (400) communicatively coupled to the cloud computing system, the heating and containment circuit (200), and the plurality of sensors (300). In some embodiments, the SA (400) may additionally be coupled to the valve and capable of actuating the valve. The SA (400) may comprise a processor capable of executing computer-readable instructions, and a memory component operatively coupled to the processor. The memory component may comprise a leak detection AI model configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and identifying a detected leak, a detected blockage, excessive water usage, or a combination thereof within, downstream, or upstream of the heating and containment circuit (200).
The memory component may further comprise a User Settings Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise adjusting based on user input, a temperature for the water stored in the plurality of tanks (220), adjusting based on user input, an automatic inlet shutoff setting for the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, an automatic outlet shutoff setting for the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, a temporary reduction of water, power, or a combination thereof directed to the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, a scalding safety governor configured to detect when the heating and containment circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above a threshold set by a user, and setting based on user input, a maximum number and a maximum duration of alerts triggered by the Smart Appliance (400).
The memory component may further comprise a Flow Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise automatically activating the plurality of electric high-frequency generators upon activation of one or more water fixtures, temporarily reducing, in response to a request for the temporary reduction of water in the User Settings Module, a flow of water through the heating and containment circuit (200), automatically activating or deactivating the plurality of electric high-frequency generators based on the prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model, and automatically reducing, in response to the leak detection AI model identifying a detected leak, the flow of water through the heating and containment circuit (200).
The memory component may further comprise a Utility Interface Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise connecting the system (100) to a utility supplier, requesting a temporary reduction of operation of the heating and containment circuit (200) to accommodate reductions requested by the utility supplier, and alerting the user in response to temporary reduction of operation requested by the utility supplier.
The memory component may further comprise a Safety Monitor and Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise closing the inlet (202), the outlet (204), or a combination thereof in response to the detected leak, the detected blockage, the excessive water usage, or a combination thereof and reducing power to the electric high-frequency generator (430) if the safety scalding governor detects that the heating and containment circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above the threshold, if the inlet (202), outlet (204), or both are closed, if the utility supplier requests the temporary reduction of operation, or a combination thereof. The instructions may further comprise detecting an irregularity in the temperature of the water (e.g. water unable to heat to set-point temperature), an irregularity in power delivered to the plurality of electric high-frequency generators, or a combination thereof indicative of a fault in the plurality of inductors, the plurality of planar heating surfaces, the plurality of electric high-frequency generators, or the combination thereof.
The instructions may further comprise detecting, based on the data from the plurality of sensors (300), the predictive AI model, the leak detection AI model, or a combination thereof, one or more current or predictive faults or maintenance needs. The instructions may further comprise alerting the user of the detected leak, the detected blockage, excessive hot water usage, or the combination thereof, alerting the user of the temporary reduction of water based on the user input requested in the User Settings Module, and alerting the user of the one or more current or predictive faults or maintenance needs.
The memory component may further comprise a Hot Water Reporting Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise reporting a cost and trend of power used by the heating and containment circuit (200), reporting a cost and trend of hot water consumption of the heating and containment circuit (200), and forecasting a future cost of water and power used by the heating and containment circuit (200) based on the prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model.
The memory component may further comprise a Communication Module comprising computer-readable instructions for managing wireless interfaces between the system (100) and one or more external devices. The memory component may further comprise an Intelligent Power Supply Module comprising computer-readable instructions for receiving electric power from a power source, cleaning, conditioning, and surge-protecting electric power to the Smart Appliance (400), and regulating and distributing power to each electric high-frequency generator (430) of the plurality of electric high-frequency generators. The memory component may further comprise a Maintenance Monitor Module comprising computer-readable instructions for alerting the user of the irregularity in the temperature of the water, an irregularity in the power delivered to the plurality of electric high-frequency generators, or the combination thereof detected by the Safety Monitor and Control Module and running diagnostics on the heating and containment circuit (200) and one or more modules of the Smart Appliance (400) at a fixed interval.
In some embodiments, the plurality of tanks (220) may comprise one or more composite materials and/or steel materials such that each tank comprises a thermal conductivity (k) value less than or equal to 8.5 W/m2/° K. In some embodiments, each planar heating surface (215) may comprise a ferritic non-corrosive material. In some embodiments, the ferritic non-corrosive material may comprise a plurality of stainless steel sheets or any ferritic corrosive material coated, clad, or a combination thereof in a material configured to be immersible, heat-resistance, and drinking-water-safe.
In some embodiments, each planar heating surface (215) may be coupled to an inductor (210). Each inductor (210) may comprise a wire coil having a plurality of turns. The wire coil may be bound in high-temperature plastic, epoxy, enamel, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the cloud computing system may be further configured to generate a profile of hourly and daily hot water usage specific to the system (100) and store the profile such that the profile is associated with the Smart Appliance (400). In some embodiments, the cloud computing system may be further configured to produce a new prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model and update the profile based on the new prediction of future hot water usage and cost. In some embodiments, the cloud computing system may be further configured to transmit the data from the plurality of sensors (300) to the utility supplier. In some embodiments, the one or more external devices may comprise a mobile device. The User Settings Module may be configured to accept the user input from the mobile device. The cloud computing system may be configured to transmit alerts to the mobile device.
The present invention features a system (100) for heating water. The system (100) may comprise a heating and containment circuit (200) fluidly coupled to a plurality of water fixtures (600), comprising an inlet (202) configured to accept water from the plurality of water fixtures (600) into the heating and containment circuit (200), a heating element (215) fluidly coupled to the inlet (202), configured to heat the water, and an outlet (204) fluidly coupled to the heating element (215), configured to direct the water to an external source. The system may further comprise a plurality of sensors (300) comprising pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of sensors (300) may further comprise a valve configured to prevent and/or allow the flow of water along the sensors upon actuation. At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be integrated into the inlet (202). At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be integrated into the outlet (204).
The system (100) may further comprise a cloud computing system communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors (300), comprising a predictive artificial intelligence (AI) model, configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and generate a prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and a prediction of future hot water usage and cost as output such that a wireless device is alerted of the prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and the prediction of future hot water usage and cost, wherein the prediction of future hot water usage and cost comprises a prediction of water usage down to a time of day for every day of a year.
The system (100) may further comprise a Smart Appliance (SA) (400) communicatively coupled to the cloud computing system, the heating and containment circuit (200), and the plurality of sensors (300). The SA (400) may additionally be coupled to the valve to actuate the valve. The SA (400) may comprise a processor capable of executing computer-readable instructions. The SA (400) may further comprise a memory component operatively coupled to the processor. The memory component may comprise a leak detection AI model configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and identifying a detected leak, a detected blockage, excessive water usage, or a combination thereof within, downstream, or upstream of the heating and containment circuit (200).
The memory component may further comprise a User Settings Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise adjusting based on user input, a temperature for the water stored in the plurality of tanks (220), adjusting based on user input, an automatic inlet shutoff setting for the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, an automatic outlet shutoff setting for the heating and containment circuit (200) adjusting based on user input, a temporary reduction of water, power, or a combination thereof directed to the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, a scalding safety governor configured to detect when the heating and containment circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above a threshold set by a user, and setting based on user input, a maximum number and a maximum duration of alerts triggered by the Smart Appliance (400).
The memory component may further comprise a Flow Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise automatically activating the electric high-frequency generator (430) upon activation of one or more water fixtures, temporarily reducing, in response to a request for the temporary reduction of water in the User Settings Module, a flow of water through the heating and containment circuit (200), automatically activating or deactivating the heating element (215) based on the prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model, and automatically reducing, in response to the leak detection AI model identifying a detected leak, the flow of water through the heating and containment circuit (200).
The memory component may further comprise a Utility Interface Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise connecting the system (100) to a utility supplier, requesting a temporary reduction of operation of the heating and containment circuit (200) to accommodate reductions requested by the utility supplier, and alerting the user in response to temporary reduction of operation requested by the utility supplier.
The memory component may further comprise a Safety Monitor and Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise closing the inlet (202), the outlet (204), or a combination thereof in response to the detected leak, the detected blockage, excessive hot water usage, or a combination thereof. The instructions may further comprise reducing power to the heating element (215) if the safety scalding governor detects that the heating and containment circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above the threshold, if the inlet (202), outlet (204), or both are closed, if the utility supplier requests the temporary reduction of operation, or a combination thereof.
The instructions may further comprise detecting an irregularity in the temperature of the water, an irregularity in power delivered to the heating element (215) indicative of a fault in the heating element (215), detecting, based on the data from the plurality of sensors (300), the predictive AI model, the leak detection AI model, or a combination thereof, one or more current or predictive faults or maintenance needs, and alerting the user of the detected leak, the detected blockage, excessive hot water usage, or the combination thereof. The instructions may further comprise alerting the user of the temporary reduction of water based on the user input requested in the User Settings Module and alerting the user of the one or more current or predictive faults or maintenance needs. The memory component may further comprise a Hot Water Reporting Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise reporting a cost and trend of power used by the heating and containment circuit (200), reporting a cost and trend of hot water consumption of the heating and containment circuit (200), and forecasting a future cost of water and power used by the heating and containment circuit (200) based on the prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model.
The memory component may further comprise a Communication Module comprising computer-readable instructions for managing wireless interfaces between the system (100) and one or more external devices. The memory component may further comprise an Intelligent Power Supply Module comprising computer-readable instructions for receiving electric power from a power source, cleaning, conditioning, and surge-protecting electric power to the Smart Appliance (400), and regulating and distributing power to the heating element (215). The memory component may further comprise a Maintenance Monitor Module comprising computer-readable instructions for alerting the user of the irregularity in the temperature of the water, an irregularity in the power delivered to the heating element (215), or the combination thereof detected by the Safety Monitor and Control Module and running diagnostics on the heating and containment circuit (200) and one or more modules of the Smart Appliance (400) at a fixed interval.
In some embodiments, the heating and containment circuit (200) may further comprise one or more inductors (210) operatively coupled to the heating element (215). Actuating the one or more inductors (210) may induce magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic material of the heating element (215) to heat the water and reduce a concentration of calcite in the water. In some embodiments, the heating element (215) may comprise a solenoid coil comprising copper tubing, disposed external to a flow of the water through the inlet (202) and the outlet (204). In some embodiments, the heating and containment circuit (200) may further comprise a plurality of tanks (220) fluidly coupled to the inlet (202), the heating element (215), and the outlet (204), configured to contain the water. The heating element (215) may comprise a plurality of planar heating surfaces, each planar heating surface submerged in each tank of the plurality of tanks (220).
The present invention features a system (100) for heating water. In some embodiments, the system (100) may comprise a heating and containment circuit (200) fluidly coupled to a plurality of water fixtures (600), comprising an inlet (202) configured to accept water from the plurality of water fixtures (600), a heating element (215) fluidly coupled to the inlet (202), configured to heat the water, and an outlet (204) fluidly coupled to the heating element (215), configured to direct the water to an external source. The system (100) may further comprise a plurality of sensors (300) comprising pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the plurality of sensors (300) may further comprise a valve configured to prevent and/or allow the flow of water along the sensors upon actuation. At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be integrated into the inlet (202). At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be integrated into the outlet (204).
The system (100) may further comprise a cloud computing system communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors (300), comprising a predictive artificial intelligence (AI) model, configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and generate a prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and a prediction of future hot water usage and cost as output such that a wireless device is alerted of the prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and the prediction of future hot water usage and cost, wherein the prediction of future hot water usage and cost comprises a prediction of water usage down to a time of day for every day of a year. The system (100) may further comprise a Smart Appliance (400) communicatively and operatively coupled to the heating and containment circuit (200) and the plurality of sensors (300), configured to monitor, operate, regulate, and run diagnostics on the heating and containment circuit (200) automatically or in response to user input, the Smart Appliance (400) comprising a leak detection AI model configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and identifying a detected leak, a detected blockage, excessive water usage, or a combination thereof within, downstream, or upstream of the heating and containment circuit (200).
In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may further comprise a User Settings Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise adjusting based on user input, a temperature for the water stored in the plurality of tanks (220), adjusting based on user input, an automatic inlet shutoff setting for the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, an automatic outlet shutoff setting for the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, a temporary reduction of water, power, or a combination thereof directed to the heating and containment circuit (200), adjusting based on user input, a scalding safety governor configured to detect when the heating and containment circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above a threshold set by a user, and setting based on user input, a maximum number and a maximum duration of alerts triggered by the Smart Appliance (400).
In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may further comprise a Flow Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise automatically activating the heating element (215) upon activation of one or more water fixtures, temporarily reducing, in response to a request for the temporary reduction of water in the User Settings Module, a flow of water through the heating and containment circuit (200), automatically activating or deactivating the heating element (215) based on the prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model, and automatically reducing, in response to the leak detection AI model identifying a detected leak, the flow of water through the heating and containment circuit (200).
In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may further comprise a Safety Monitor and Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise closing the inlet (202), the outlet (204), or a combination thereof in response to the detected leak, the detected blockage, excessive water usage, or a combination thereof. The instructions may further comprise reducing power to the heating element (215) if the safety scalding governor detects that the heating and containment circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above the threshold, if the inlet (202), outlet (204), or both are closed, or a combination thereof.
The instructions may further comprise detecting an irregularity in a temperature of the water, an irregularity in power delivered to the heating element (215) indicative of a fault in the heating element (215) and detecting, based on the data from the plurality of sensors (300), the predictive AI model, the leak detection AI model, or a combination thereof, one or more current or predictive faults or maintenance needs. The instructions may further comprise alerting the user of the detected leak, the detected blockage, excessive hot water usage, or the combination thereof, alerting the user of the temporary reduction of water based on the user input requested in the User Settings Module, and alerting the user of the one or more current or predictive faults or maintenance needs.
In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may further comprise a Maintenance Monitor Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise alerting the user of the irregularity in the temperature of the water, an irregularity in the power delivered to the heating element (215), or the combination thereof detected by the Safety Monitor and Control Module, and running diagnostics on the heating and containment circuit (200) and one or more modules of the Smart Appliance (400) at a fixed interval.
In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may further comprise a Utility Interface Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise connecting the system (100) to a utility supplier, requesting a temporary reduction of operation of the heating and containment circuit (200) to accommodate reductions requested by the utility supplier, and alerting the user in response to temporary reduction of operation requested by the utility supplier.
In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may further comprise a Hot Water Reporting Module comprising computer-readable instructions. The instructions may comprise reporting a cost and trend of power used by the heating and containment circuit (200), reporting a cost and trend of hot water consumption of the heating and containment circuit (200), and forecasting a future cost of water and power used by the heating and containment circuit (200) based on the prediction of future hot water usage and cost from the predictive AI model.
The present invention features a system (100) for heating water. In some embodiments, the system may comprise a heating and containment circuit (200) fluidly coupled to a plurality of water fixtures (600). The circuit (200) may comprise an inlet (202) configured to accept the water, an outlet (204) configured to direct the water to an external source, and a plurality of tanks (220). A first tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may be fluidly coupled to the inlet (202). At least one tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may be fluidly coupled to the outlet (204). The plurality of tanks (220) may be fluidly coupled to each other. Each tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may be configured to store the water. The circuit (200) may further comprise a plurality of planar heating surfaces, each planar heating surface (215) fluidly coupled to a bottom of each tank of the plurality of tanks (220) such that each planar heating surface (215) is fully submerged within a tank of the plurality of tanks (220). Each planar heating surface (215) may comprise a ferromagnetic material. The plurality of planar heating surfaces may be configured to heat the water stored by the plurality of tanks (220).
The system (100) may further comprise a plurality of sensors (300) comprising pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, or a combination thereof, wherein at least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) is integrated into the inlet (202). At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be integrated into the outlet (204). In some embodiments, the plurality of sensors (300) may further comprise a valve configured to prevent and/or allow the flow of water along the sensors upon actuation. The system (100) may further comprise a cloud computing system communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors (300), comprising a predictive artificial intelligence (AI) model, configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and generate a prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and a prediction of future hot water usage and cost as output such that a wireless device is alerted of the prediction of potential failure of the system (100) and the prediction of future hot water usage and cost, wherein the prediction of future hot water usage and cost comprises a prediction of water usage down to a time of day for every day of a year.
The system (100) may further comprise a Smart Appliance (400) communicatively and operatively coupled to the heating and containment circuit (200) and the plurality of sensors (300), configured to monitor, operate, regulate, and run diagnostics on the heating and containment circuit (200) automatically or in response to user input, the Smart Appliance (400) comprising a leak detection AI model configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and identifying a detected leak, a detected blockage, excessive water usage, or a combination thereof within, downstream, or upstream of the heating and containment circuit (200). In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may be further coupled to the valve to actuate the valve. In some embodiments, a material of the plurality of tanks (220) may comprise a steel material, a composite material, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, each tank of the plurality of tanks (220) may comprise a steel coating with a layer of insulation on the outside and a glass coating on the inside to mitigate rust.
As seen in
The present invention features an embodiment of the heating device in a tank configuration of the Induction Energy Transfer Unit (IETU) and is a front view of a single tank CCM concept diagram, where cold water flows in through the FCM inlet sensor and valve assembly then through a Descaler then enters the CCM tank at the bottom via an inlet heat trap nipple and Diffuser that acts to prevent hot water from convection back through the inlet pipe and to minimize turbulence of the inlet water into the tank (to maximize the available homogeneous hot water within the tank), respectively. The planar coil assembly (inductor coil and ferritic heating plate) or solenoid coil assembly (Inductor coil and ferritic heating pipes) at the bottom of the tank, heats water uniformly to its set point temperature. The heating of the ferritic surfaces is via the High Frequency Generator (HFG). Hot water flows out through the FCM assembly at the top of the tank. The tank also includes a heat trap nipple at the outlet, a drain valve at the bottom, and a Temperature & Pressure (T&P) value at the top. The size, shape, material, and number of tanks are highly variable, as well as the size, shape, and wire (for planar) or tubing (for solenoid) of the inductor coil, as well as the size, shape, texture, and composition of the ferritic plate. These variabilities of the IETU are exceptional strengths that are used to accommodate any number of hot water capacities and available power input sources.
For example, the present invention also features a configuration for the typical 40-gallon capacity (36-gallon storage) tank water heater found in most homes, with three CCM tanks of 12 gallons each (made from a composite material) and a planar coil assembly with a 3.5″ OD and 3 concentric wrappings with 10 turns each of - - - equivalent gauge Litz wire that operates from an HFG with 120V 15 A single phase input power. The frequency of the HFG (typically between 30 kHz and 600 kHz) is maintained by a circuit that continuously measures and adjusts the frequency to maintain a resonance frequency and maximum power to the ferritic heating surface). Separate tanks enable the concentration of heating to be done sequentially to provide a 60° F. increase in water temperature in 60 minutes in each tank with the hot water outlet tank heated first to its set point temperature, whilst the cold-water inlet tank heated last. When a dedicated 208V, 220V, or 240V, and 30 A single-phase input are available, the heating in the three tanks is done simultaneously by maintaining the voltage across each coil and splitting the Amps across the coils.
This three-tank configuration gives the homeowner a similar experience to hot water availability as a gas tank water heater when using either 120V or 240V input. Note, it has been shown by experiment that CCM tank proportions matter when heating water (especially at a low input power of 120V), and a higher length-to-diameter ratio (referred to as a tall tank) yields a better First Hour Rating than the reverse (referred to as a short tank). Further, with small-capacity tall tanks, experiments show the planar coil provides more uniform heating than the solenoid coil. In another embodiment of a tankless configuration of the IIWH, a 208V, 220V, or 240V single-phase input is required for flow rates over 1 GPM, and the IETU employs the innovative immersed solenoid coils.
The Amps needed to power the device are a function of the flow rate capacity and inlet cold water temperature. The length of the IETU and CCM, number of inductor coils, coating on the coils (to prevent shorting across the coil when immersed in water), and material (typically copper) of the solenoid coil, along with the shape of the coil (e.g. round or rectangular tubes), and diameter and number of turns of the coils, as well as the number, material, and texturization of each pipe are widely configurable to meet a broad variety of input water temperatures and flow rate capacities consistent with safe drinking water and heat.
For example, the present invention also features a tankless configuration to deliver about 2.7 GPM of hot water with a 60° F. temperature rise from the inlet water temperature (enough for two simultaneous showers). Water enters through the FMC assembly then through the Descaler then through a Diffuser (to distribute the inlet water evenly through the CCM) then out through the top of the CCM through the FMC assembly then to the hot water faucets. Each induction coil assembly is powered with an 18 kW input power HFG. The solenoid coil is 5″ OD with 6 to 8 turns of 4″ OD round copper tubing (powder coated). Inserted within the inductor coils are 10 to 12×9″×⅜″ OD pipes of stainless ferritic steel (e.g. SS 439).
In a tank embodiment, the present invention features a planar (“pancake”) coil inductor assembly comprising wire (copper or aluminum) wound in a chassis of non-ferritic material. The number of wire windings can be in a single layer or multiple concentric layers, depending on the desired configuration of the coil assembly and power input requirements. The chassis can be made from plastic (that can resist heat and water) or aluminum or other non-ferritic material consistent with safe drinking water and heat. A popular wire for induction heating is Litz (a woven wire with each strand individually insulated) because it can carry alternating current at radio frequencies (up to 1 MHz). The equivalent gauge of the Litz wire is dependent on the input power.
The present invention may include ferritic material surfaces (e.g. a brick) to focus the magnetic field toward the ferritic heating surface. The coil assembly is covered with a thin epoxy coat (to prevent scale deposit between the wires and rusting of the ferritic bricks underneath the wires). Note, the ferritic bricks are heated by magnetic induction but the heat is captured by the water, however, this material must be isolated from the water (so as not to rust) which can be done in any number of ways consistent with safe drinking water and heat (e.g. ferritic brick is wrapped in a thin insulator then clad in austenitic stainless steel or aluminum, or encased in a plastic non-ferritic chassis, etc.). The coil assembly includes the ferritic plate to be heated. A slight upward incline to the plate, as it approaches the plate's center, may enable the heating of water on both surfaces of the plate. Experimentally it has been found that ridges in the plate and/or texturizing the surface can improve heating. The “starfish” pattern has been effective because as water is heated on the bottom surface it convectively travels toward the center carried by the ridges, where it travels out the hole (that acts as a chimney).
The present invention features an alternate tankless configuration of the IETU, with cold water entering from the bottom FCM sensors and valve, then passing up the 1st stage of holes in the plate and pipes, then when the water reaches the top of the 1 st stage, it turns and passes down the 2nd stage of holes in the plates and pipes. Hot water flows out at the bottom, then through the FCM assembly to the fixtures. The dashed line represents the solid plate that separates the 1 st and 2nd stages. The configuration of the plates and pipes that water passes through can be any configuration described in
The present invention features a tankless IETU and CCM configuration with a 2-stage IETU with inductor coils wrapped around the outside of CCM. Cold water enters the bottom right inlet FCM sensors and valve, and hot water exits the bottom left outlet FCM. Note that
The present invention features a variant of the IETU as a single or multi-stage pass tankless water heater for a flow of water to be heated. The present invention features a single to multi-stage IETU with inductor coils placed over each stage. Depending on the capacity needed, a single stage can be used for small use (e.g. an RV) or a single faucet (e.g. dishwasher). For more capacity and/or colder inlet water temperatures, additional stages can be snapped on, as well as the length and width of the configuration, and input power be increased. Cold water enters at the bottom inlet through the FCM sensors and valve assembly and hot water exits at the top (or bottom) outlet (depending on the number of stages) through the FCM assembly. The present invention features a hexagon pipe with an inductor. The outer hexagonal pipe contains multiple hexagonal pipes within. Note that hexagonal pipes can be replaced with round pipes of different materials and texturization, as well as the inductor coil be round (solenoid) using round or square tubing.
In some embodiments, the installation is composed of a device comprising an Inductive Energy Transfer Unit (IETU), and Composite Containment Module (CCM), for heating water in a configuration of a tank (reservoir) or configuration of a tankless (on-demand) stream of water, through which cold water flows into the device as provided by a pipe within the residence or commercial building that is downstream from the residence or commercial building's main water shut-off valve. In some embodiments, the IETU has an inductive heating circuit that employs an induction coil to heat a configuration of ferromagnetic surfaces that then conductively transfers heat directly to the water that touches those surfaces. The inductive heating coils are supplied with electrical power from a high-frequency generator (HFG).
In some embodiments, the size and internal configuration of the IETU and CCM are dependent on the maximum reservoir of water in the tank, or the volumetric flow rate capacity in a tankless water heater and the inlet cold water temperature specified for the installation to heat a given amount of water in a tank by a given amount of degrees in a given amount of time with a given amount of power input to the HFG(s), or a supply of continuous stream of on-demand hot water at a given volumetric flow rate for a given amount of temperature rise (or alternatively for a given inlet temperature and set point hot water temperature the resulting volumetric flow rate for a given input power to the HFG). In some embodiments, the configuration is also dependent on the capacity of the electrical power source for the installation. In some embodiments, the activation of the installation follows when one or more fixture(s) is open and initiates a flow of water through the installation.
In some embodiments, the IETU at its cold water inlet first has an anti-scale device, then an instrumentation and flow control valve assembly. The instrumentation includes a water flow rate sensor, pressure sensor, and temperature sensor. At the hot water outlet of the CCM is another instrumentation and flow control valve that replicates the water flow rate sensor, pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and flow control valve at the inlet. The inlet can have a heat trap nipple and Diffuser to produce a laminar flow of water into a tank configuration, and a Diffuser to evenly distribute a flow of water in a tankless configuration. The inlet and outlet also can include a heat trap nipple in a tank configuration to mitigate the flow of hot water stored into the piping system. In some embodiments, the output from these sensors is routed to the smart appliance (SA) computer 400 that includes the AI-enabled analytics software for the Flow Control Module (FCM), Safety Monitor & Control Module (SMCM), Utility Interface Module (UIM), Hot Water Reporting Module (HWRM), Communication Module (CM), Maintenance Management Module (MMM), and a portion of the Intelligent Power Supply Module (IPSM).
In some embodiments, when a fixture valve for hot water is open, the FCM receives a demand signal for hot water from the flow control sensor for the capacity demanded of hot water. In some embodiments, the upstream temperature sensor signals the FCM of the cold water inlet temperature to the IETU, from which the FCM calculates the optimal electrical power requirement for the high-frequency generator (HGF) to the IETU to power the inductor and brings the inlet cold water temperature to the pre-set temperature for the outlet hot water at the demand capacity for hot water or the storage of water in a tank. In some embodiments, the downstream temperature sensor signals the FCM to adjust the power output accordingly of the high-frequency generators to match the hot water temperature from the IETU to the preset hot water temperature setting.
Further, when hot water is demanded from the IIWH the Safety Monitor & Control Module (SMCM) performs operational and safety functions including (a) signaling the inlet control valve to partially close to reduce the production of hot water and/or reduce the temperature of the hot water if the SMCM flow sensor measures the demand of hot water capacity higher than or the cold water inlet temperature sensor measures the cold water temperature lower than the installed specifications of the IIWH, and (b) terminate power to the HFG should the SMCM outlet hot water temperature sensor measure the temperature above preset scalding temperature. In some embodiments, when these SMCM activations occur, the SA computer runs diagnostics and maintains safe operation until the restored or safe conditions are signaled by the FMC sensors. Operation decisions for the IIWH are made by AI-enabled analytics of the SA computer.
In some embodiments, the SMCM performs a variety of additional operational and safety functions including (a) calculation of the pressure drop across the downstream and upstream pressure sensors of the IETU to determine if there is any blockage within the IETU, (b) calculation of statistical mean use of hot water to alert when there is a statistical “abnormal” use of hot water indicative of a malfunction at a hot water fixture, (c) calculation of statistical mean water pressure to alert when there is a statistical “abnormal” pressure drop indicative of a water leak in the residence, and (d) calculation of a prediction of a potential water leak in the residence. Blockage, forecast, and prediction calculations are made by AI-enabled analytics of the SA computer and/or the cloud AI computer.
In some embodiments, the SA computer performs a variety of communication and control functions associated with the production of hot water as well as when there is no demand for hot water including (a) the UIM to enable water and electric utilities to temporarily reduce or terminate water/power to the IIWH, (b) HWRM that provides a range of reports, predictions, and forecasts on the use and cost of hot water usage, (c) CM that manages wi-fi and Bluetooth communication with the SA computer, (c) MMM that continuously monitors the operations of the IIWH for maintenance and predictive maintenance needs, and (d) that portion of the IPSM to enable operation of the IIWH with external power sources.
In some embodiments, the SA computer and HFG are connected to the IPSM that cleans, conditions, and distributes the electric power and provides an electric port to connect external power sources and to switch to external sources of electric power should the residence/building power fail. In some embodiments, indicators are visible to the exterior of the IIWH installation by the SA Computer, HFG, and IPSM of the smart appliance to indicate when there is hot water demand, the set temperature of the hot water, the actual temperature of the hot water when the IETU is in use, alert lights for water leaks, predicted water leaks, water blockage in the IETU, and power and communication status. There is also a touchscreen or touchpad (and ports to connect external keyboard/mouse) for the user to enter commands associated with the app. In some embodiments, the SA includes the SA computer, high-frequency generator (HFG), and the IPSM in a compartment within the IIWH installation. The IETU of the IIWH includes the IETU, FCM sensors and control valve, and anti-scale device.
The innovative immersed inductor coil (planar for tank and solenoid for tankless configuration) heats water uniformly to its set point temperature. The heating of the ferritic surfaces (plate and pipes for tank and tankless configurations, respectively) is via the High Frequency Generator (HFG). Hot water flows out through the FCM assembly at the top of the CCM. The tank configuration also includes a heat trap nipple at the outlet, a drain valve at the bottom, and a Temperature & Pressure (T&P) value at the top. The size, shape, material, and number of CCMs are highly variable, as well as the size, shape, and wire (for planar) or tubing (for solenoid) of the inductor coil, as well as the size, shape, texture, and composition of the ferritic surfaces. These variabilities of the IETU and CCM are exceptional strengths that are used to accommodate any number of hot water capacities and available power input sources. Tank configurations can operate with single phase input of 120V/208V/220V/240V whilst tankless configurations operate with single phase input of 208V/220V/240V.
In some embodiments, the IETU has an advantageous design in that all heating surfaces are in direct contact with the water and when the inductor coil is immersed in water its heat losses are also captured by the water (thus maximizing available heating). In some embodiments, the IETU has a further advantageous design when compared to inductive heating configurations that use a serpentine of fins, as water flow passes over one side of a fin, it must then be turned to be in contact with the other side of the same fin. This constitutes a double-pass system. The IETU heating surfaces are in contact with the water on both sides; i.e. for the ferritic plate with the pancake coil and the pipes for the solenoid coil. As such, for a plate with the same size surface area as a single side of a fin or pipe that has the same circumference and length as the width and length of a fin, respectively, the water in contact with the plate or pipe at single pass can be about twice the area of a single side of the fin in the serpentine configuration that has to turn the same volume of water on itself to contact both sides of the fin.
The shape, size, material, and texturization of the surface of ferritic heating surfaces of the IETU, as well as the size, material, and shape of the CCM, can have wide variations to meet the wide variation of hot water demands and input electricity. In some embodiments, the IIWH has a further advantage in that it can be configured as a tankless (on-demand) device where the inductor coils can be on the outside of the CCM or immersed in water within the CCM, or configured as a tank device where the inductor coils are immersed with the water of the CCM to operate with power input ranging from 120V to 240V.
In some embodiments, the present invention features a system (100) for heating a flow of water comprising a heating circuit and composite containment module (200) fluidly coupled to a water source fluidly coupled to a plurality of water fixtures (600). In some embodiments, the heating circuit (200) may comprise an inlet (202) configured to accept water, an outlet (204), and a water composite containment module (220). In some embodiments, the water containment module may include one or more plates (224) disposed within the CCM (220), and a plurality of pipes (226) fluidly coupled to the inlet (202), the one or more plates (224), and the outlet (204). The one or more plates (224), and the plurality of pipes (226) may all comprise a ferromagnetic material. In the prior discussion, the inductor coil resides on the outside of the CCM, whilst there are embodiments where the inductor coil resides within the CCM and is immersed in the water. This latter embodiment is more innovative as it recovers all the heating from the ferritic surfaces and inductor coil assembly.
In some embodiments, the water containment unit (220) may be configured to allow the flow of water to travel within and between the plurality of pipes (226). The heating circuit and composite containment module (200) may comprise an inductor (210)—typically fashioned in a solenoid style—external to the composite containment module (220). In some embodiments, actuating the inductor (210) may induce magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic surfaces of one or more plates (224), and the plurality of pipes (226) to heat the flow of water. In some embodiments, the heating circuit and composite containment unit (200) may further comprise an electric high-frequency generator (430) operatively coupled to the inductor (210). In some embodiments, the electric high-frequency generator (430) may be configured to actuate the inductor (210).
In some embodiments, the system (100) may further comprise a configuration indicative of a tank water heater to store water at a pre-set temperature within a composite containment unit(s) (220). The heating circuit and composite containment module (200) may comprise an inductor (210)—typically fashioned in a planar (pancake) style—internal to and immersed in the water of the composite containment module (220). Note, that the inductor is typically fashioned in a planar (pancake) style but can also be a solenoid. In some embodiments, actuating the inductor (210) may induce magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic surfaces of one or more plates (224) (or if a solenoid style inductor is used, one or more ferritic pipes) to heat the water. In some embodiments, the heating circuit and composite containment unit (200) may further comprise an electric high-frequency generator (430) operatively coupled to the inductor (210). In some embodiments, the electric high-frequency generator (430) may be configured to actuate the inductor (210). In some embodiments, the system (100) may further comprise an alternative configuration indicative of a tankless water heater to allow a flow of water to be heated to a pre-set temperature within a composite containment unit (220).
The heating circuit and composite containment module (200) may comprise an inductor (210)—typically fashioned in a solenoid style—internal to and immersed in the flow of water within the composite containment module (220). In some embodiments, actuating the inductor (210) may induce magnetic eddy currents in the ferromagnetic surfaces of one or more plates (224) and pipes (226) to heat the water. In some embodiments, the heating circuit and composite containment unit (200) may further comprise an electric high-frequency generator (430) operatively coupled to the inductor (210). In some embodiments, the electric high-frequency generator (430) may be configured to actuate the inductor (210).
In some embodiments, the system (100), in the tank or tankless configuration, may further comprise a plurality of sensors (300) comprising, but not limited to, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, or a combination thereof. At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be disposed at the inlet (202). At least one pressure sensor, at least one temperature sensor, and at least one flow rate sensor of the plurality of sensors (300) may be disposed at the outlet (204). In some embodiments, the plurality of sensors (300) may further comprise a valve configured to prevent and/or allow the flow of water along the sensors upon actuation.
In some embodiments, in tank or tankless configuration, the system (100) may further comprise a Smart Appliance (400) communicatively coupled to the high frequency generator (430) and the plurality of sensors (300). In some embodiments, the Smart Appliance (400) may comprise a processor capable of executing computer-readable instructions, and a memory component operatively coupled to the processor. The memory component may comprise artificial intelligence models configured to accept data from the plurality of sensors (300) as input and generate a prediction of potential water system failure as output.
In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a User Settings module comprising computer-readable instructions for setting based on user input, a temperature for the flow of water or reservoir of water, activating, based on user setting, an automatic inlet shutoff setting for the heating of water in response to a leak within the composite containment module (220), activating, based on user setting, an automatic outlet shutoff setting for the heating of water in response to a leak within or downstream of the composite containment module (220), an unusual amount of hot water usage, or a combination thereof, activating, based on user setting, a temporary reduction of water, power, or a combination thereof to the heating of water, activating, based on user setting, a scalding safety governor to prevent the heating circuit of water from producing water at a temperature above a set threshold, and based on user setting, a number, and duration of alerts triggered by the Smart Appliance (400).
In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a Flow Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions with artificial intelligence for activating the electric high-frequency generator (430) upon activation of one or more water fixtures, reducing in the case of a tankless configuration, in response to an inability to provide the flow of water at the temperature determined by the user setting, the flow of water, and alerting a user in response to reduction of the flow of water in response to the inability to provide the flow of water at the temperature determined by the user settings.
In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a Safety Monitor and Control Module comprising computer-readable instructions with artificial intelligence for detecting leaks, blockages, or a combination thereof within, upstream of, or downstream of the composite containment module (220), which may detect potential water system failure, detecting excessive water usage, and close the inlet (202), the outlet (204), or both in response to a detected leak, blockage, predicted pipe failure, excessive water usage, or a combination thereof. Further this module can reduce power to the electric high-frequency generator (430) if the heating circuit (200) is producing water at a temperature above the set threshold or if the inlet (202), outlet (204), or both are closed. The safety scalding governor and all other detections may automatically (if selected in the User Settings module) run a diagnostic and alert the user in response to the irregular performance of the heating circuit.
In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a Utility Interface Module comprising computer-readable instructions with artificial intelligence for connecting the system (100) to a utility supplier, to temporarily suspend or reduce the operation of the heating circuit of water to accommodate reductions requested by the utility supplier, alerting the user in response to temporary suspension or reduction of operation, and gathering consumption data from the plurality of sensors (300). In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a Hot Water Reporting module comprising computer-readable instructions with artificial intelligence for reporting a cost and trend of power used to heat water, reporting a cost and trend of hot water consumption, predicting a future trend of hot water consumption, and forecasting a future cost of water and power used by the heating circuit.
In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a Communication module comprising computer-readable instructions for managing wireless interfaces between the system (100) and one or more external devices. The memory component may further comprise an Intelligent Power Supply Module comprising computer-readable instructions for receiving electric power from a power source, cleaning, conditioning, and surge-protecting electric power to the Smart Appliance (400), and regulating power to the electric high-frequency generator (430). In some embodiments, the memory component may further comprise a Maintenance Monitor Module comprising computer-readable instructions for alerting the user for current or predictive maintenance needs, and running diagnostics on the heating circuit and one or more modules of the Smart Appliance (400) at a fixed interval. The system (100) may be communicatively coupled to one or more external devices, the one or more external devices comprising a smartphone, a server, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, other mobile computing devices, or a combination thereof. Note that the presently claimed invention is capable of being implemented in both tankless and tank configurations.
In some embodiments, a material of each planar heating surface (215) is paired to an inductor (210) and each inductor (210) may comprise a wire coil having a plurality of turns. The wire coil may be bound in high-temperature plastic, epoxy, enamel, or a combination thereof. Each inductor has two heating surfaces, one on top of the coil and the other on the bottom. The inductor assembly may be fabricated by mounting and enclosing the wire coil in a high-temperature plastic chassis that is filled and sealed with epoxy. Insulation is placed over the Litz wire between the coil and through the containment wall to ensure the wire doesn't come into contact with the water. Planar coils are for tank configuration, while solenoid coils are made of coated copper tubes for tankless configuration. In some embodiments, a solenoid coil may be used with the multi-tank.
The present invention features the use of grid-friendly low power of only 120V 15 A (1800 W) for water heating. This allows the present invention to fulfill consumer expectations to take a 10-minute shower, at an average consumption of hot water of 1 to 1.2 GPM, within 60 minutes of a cold start (e.g. when a new water heater is installed). This translates to a technical target to heat 10- to 12-gallons of water by 60° F. (to 120° F.) in 60 minutes (enough for a 10-minute shower) that would cover the inlet cold water temperature (of 60° F.) across the Southern half of the U.S. The present invention is configured to provide sufficient hot water for peak demand periods of the typical home, which translates to a technical target of a 40-gallon capacity tank (equivalent to 36-gallon storage) of hot water (at 120° F.) to supply 20-to 30-gallon each during morning demand (6 AM to 9 AM) and evening demand (5 PM to 9 PM). Fulfilling these key parameters with low power involves using (1) a cluster of 12-gallon tanks (vs a single 36-gallon tank as is done today by all major water heater manufacturers), (2) laminar injection of cold inlet water at the bottom of the tank (vs turbulent injection as done by all major water heater manufacturers) to minimize thermal “pollution” of hot water within the tank and maximize the available hot water, (3) heating water in the tank from the bottom for uniform tank temperature, and (4) and heating water with magnetic induction was employed.
The present invention features magnetic induction heating using magnetism to induce eddy currents to heat a ferritic material (e.g. an induction stove heats ferritic cookware to cook food). This can achieve a heating efficiency of over 97% (vs a peak 93% for an electric heating rod), and with only 1800 W of grid-friendly power, is sufficient to heat 12 gallons of water in 60° F. in 60 minutes. 12 gallons of hot water at 120° F. is sufficient to cover the consumer's expectation to be able to take one 10-minute shower (and even one shave) within 60 minutes of a cold start. A configuration of 3×12-gallon tanks (36-gallon storage) and laminar injection of cold water (to maximize the available hot water stored in the tank) is sufficient hot water to cover the morning and evening peak hot water demand cycle of 20- to 30-gallons each. The water is heated from the bottom of the tank to ensure all 12-gallons are uniformly at the set-point temperature. The use of grid-friendly 1.8 kW avoids the grid-intensive 4.5 kW-6 kW used by electric heating rods in electric and hybrid heat pump water heaters.
To achieve over 97% efficiency, three key methods were employed. Specifically, (1) the use of magnetic induction, which is more efficient than an electric heating rod, and (2) for tank configurations, immersion of the magnetic induction coil in the water within the water containment module (vs being external to the water containment unit), that which increases magnetic coupling and flux between the induction coil and the magnetic heating surfaces, provides direct contact between the magnetically induced heating surfaces and the water, and captures of all heat generated by the magnetically induced heating surfaces and the induction coil, and (3) use of ultra-low conductivity insulation (k<8.5 W/m2/0K) to maintain uniform tank temperature and minimize standby energy loss.
For tankless water heater configuration, the induction coil can be either external to the water containment unit or immersed within the water containment unit. Induction coils are of planar (pancake) design for tanks, and solenoid design for tankless configurations though other designs can be used with equal effect. Pancake coils are often designed with wire (e.g. Litz wire) as the inductor, and solenoid coils with copper tubing (e.g. %4″ OD with no ferritic residual material) though other designs can be used with equal effect. When the induction coil is immersed in the water, the coil must be coated to prevent contact of the inductor material with the water (to prevent shorting the coil), which can be done with any number of materials that are consistent with safe drinking water, resistant to breakdown and corrosion over the course of years when immersed in water, and withstand a temperature variation duty cycle ranging from 40° F. to 250° F. over the course of years (e.g. high temperature plastic, epoxy, enamel, etc.).
To mitigate damage to the water containment unit from rust, a non-steel composite material is used that has characteristics consistent with safe drinking water, can pressure test to 300 PSI, and operate at up to 150 PSI and a temperature up to 150° F. over the course of years. This material may also provide thermal insulation >R 24 and is cost-competitive to build to enable affordability without tax credits/grants, whose characteristics can be designed with one composite material or multi-materials (to enable the necessary mechanical and thermal properties, and costs). For example, a blow-molded tank of high-density polyethylene that is wrapped in fiber-reinforced plastic provides the required safe drinking water and mechanical characteristics. The tank is then further wrapped with insulation with ultra-low k-value insulation to reduce energy consumption during heating mode and energy loss during standby mode, both of which increase efficiency and Uniform Energy Factor rating (UEF) by minimizing heat loss.
To mitigate damage to the water containment unit, immersed inductor coil, and ferritic heating surfaces from sediment, a descaler is incorporated at the cold water inlet to containment. The nature of a magnetic field discourages scaling by changing the molecular structure of calcium carbonate that typically exists in two crystalline forms of calcite and aragonite, of which calcite is more stable and precipitates as hard scale. An electromagnetic field can enable the formation of aragonite which is a smaller, less adhesive crystal that can remain suspended in the water instead of attaching to a surface.
The present invention implements the use of an onboard computer with AI for automated dynamic 24×7×365 power management to deliver hot water with the least amount of power. The AI builds a dynamic profile of daily hot water usage, and for a tank water heater configuration, determines when to turn off power to save energy, how low to let the temperature fall, when to restart heating, and how high to raise the water temperature. For example, on December 25th, the AI learned (for its house) that the hot water morning peak demand cycle begins at 10 AM (rather than the average start of 6:30 AM), and from the prior day hot water demand has confirmed there are no guests staying at the house and calculates the time to turn off standby water heating to conserve energy.
The AI then calculates from the time hot water demand stopped the night before until 10 AM the next day, and in the ensuing time, it measures the ambient air temperature to monitor and project the temperature decay within the tank. The AI then assesses an 80% probability to meet any unexpected hot water demand and allows the water temperature to fall to 116° F. and to reengage heating to bring water temperature to the set-point 120° F. by 8:45 AM to be within one standard deviation to the forecast start hot water demand cycle time for that date.
The present invention features the use of an onboard computer and Wi-Fi (to send sensor data to the cloud) for AI for 24×7×365 on-board and IoT factory monitoring, predicting, mitigating, alerting, and reporting. The computing is configured for continuous monitoring for non-leakage faults; e.g., reduced heating efficiency from the coil assembly, excess heat leakage from the CCM, non-uniform tank temperature; excess thermal pollution from inlet water indicative of a diffuser clog, etc. The computer is additionally configured for predicting leaks and faults and alerting via a smartphone mobile app for device maintenance, faults, and predicted leakage and faults. The computer is additionally configured for reporting via a smartphone mobile app alerts sent, hot water usage and costs, as well as forecasting up to 12 months in advance hot water usage and costs.
The present invention features the use of AI for 24×7×365 on-board leak detection and alert in three modes to signal a water leak in the water containment unit, home piping downstream of the water containment unit, or home piping upstream of the water containment. For example, to detect a leak in the device, the AI schedules periodic pressure tests during (what it has determined as) standby hours (non-operational) of each day that isolate the device by closing its inlet and outlet valves and measuring the pressure across the valves to assure no pressure drop due to leakage. If a pressure drop is detected, then the AI keeps the valves closed to mitigate leakage of water and alert the consumer via smartphone app, as well as noticed on the device's display screen, as well as alert the assigned plumber (if one has been designated by the consumer). If no plumber is assigned then display several plumbers with their phone numbers in the area.
The computer system can include a desktop computer, a workstation computer, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet, a handheld computer (including a smartphone), a server, a supercomputer, a wearable computer (including a SmartWatch™), or the like and can include any one of digital electronic circuitry, firmware, hardware, memory, a computer storage medium, a computer program, a processor (including a programmed processor), an imaging apparatus, wired/wireless communication components, or the like. The computing system may include a desktop computer with a screen, a tower, and components to connect the two. The tower can store digital images, numerical data, text data, or any other kind of data in binary form, hexadecimal form, octal form, or any other data format in the memory component. The data/images can also be stored in a server communicatively coupled to the computer system. The images can also be divided into a matrix of pixels, known as a bitmap that indicates a color for each pixel along the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. The pixels can include a digital value of one or more bits, defined by the bit depth. Each pixel may comprise three values, each value corresponding to a major color component (red, green, and blue). The size of each pixel in data can range from 8 bits to 24 bits. The network or a direct connection interconnects the imaging apparatus and the computer system.
The term “processor” encompasses all kinds of apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable microprocessor, a microcontroller comprising a microprocessor and a memory component, an embedded processor, a digital signal processor, a media processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or multiple ones, or combinations, of the foregoing. The apparatus can include special-purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). The logic circuitry may comprise multiplexers, registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), computer memory, look-up tables, flip-flops (FF), wires, input blocks, output blocks, read-only memory, randomly accessible memory, electronically-erasable programmable read-only memory, flash memory, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The apparatus also can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, a cross-platform runtime environment, a virtual machine, or a combination of one or more of them. The apparatus and execution environment can realize various different computing model infrastructures, such as web services, distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures. The processor may include one or more processors of any type, such as central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), special-purpose signal or image processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and so forth.
A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, subprograms, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.
Embodiments of the subject matter and the operations described herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus.
A computer storage medium can be, or can be included in, a computer-readable storage device, a computer-readable storage substrate, a random or serial access memory array or device, or a combination of one or more of them. Moreover, while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal, a computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially generated propagated signal. The computer storage medium can also be, or can be included in, one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, drives, solid-state drives, or other storage devices). The operations described in this specification can be implemented as operations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources.
Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, R.F., Bluetooth, storage media, computer buses, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C#, Ruby, or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, such as Pascal, FORTRAN, BASIC, or similar programming languages, programming languages that have both object-oriented and procedural aspects, such as the “C” programming language, C++, Python, or the like, conventional functional programming languages such as Scheme, Common Lisp, Elixir, or the like, conventional scripting programming languages such as PHP, Perl, Javascript, or the like, or conventional logic programming languages such as PROLOG, ASAP, Datalog, or the like.
The program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).
The processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks.
However, a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio or video player, a game console, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, or a portable storage device (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive), to name just a few. Devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.
Computers typically include known components, such as a processor, an operating system, system memory, memory storage devices, input-output controllers, input-output devices, power supplies, fans, user interface devices, and display devices. It will also be understood by those of ordinary skill in the relevant art that there are many possible configurations and components of a computer and may also include cache memory, a data backup unit, and many other devices. To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., an LCD (liquid crystal display), LED (light emitting diode) display, or OLEO (organic light emitting diode) display, for displaying information to the user.
Examples of input devices include a keyboard, a touch-screen, cursor control devices (e.g., a mouse or a trackball), a microphone, a scanner, and so forth, wherein the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be in any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Examples of output devices include a display device (e.g., a monitor or projector), speakers, a printer, a network card, and so forth. Display devices may include display devices that provide visual information, this information typically may be logically and/or physically organized as an array of pixels. In addition, a computer can interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is used by the user; for example, by sending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in response to requests received from the web browser.
An interface controller may also be included that may comprise any of a variety of known or future software programs for providing input and output interfaces. For example, interfaces may include what are generally referred to as “Graphical User Interfaces” (often referred to as GUI's) that provide one or more graphical representations to a user. Interfaces are typically enabled to accept user inputs using means of selection or input known to those of ordinary skill in the related art. In some implementations, the interface may be a touch screen that can be used to display information and receive input from a user. In the same or alternative embodiments, applications on a computer may employ an interface that includes what are referred to as “command line interfaces” (often referred to as CLI's). CLI's typically provide a text based interaction between an application and a user. Typically, command line interfaces present output and receive input as lines of text through display devices. For example, some implementations may include what are referred to as a “shell” such as Unix Shells known to those of ordinary skill in the related art, or Microsoft® Windows Powershell that employs object-oriented type programming architectures such as the Microsoft®.NET framework.
Those of ordinary skill in the related art will appreciate that interfaces may include one or more GUI's, CLI's or a combination thereof. A processor may include a commercially available processor such as a Celeron, Core, or Pentium processor made by Intel Corporation®, a SPARC processor made by Sun Microsystems®, an Athlon, Sempron, Phenom, or Opteron processor made by AMO Corporation®, or it may be one of other processors that are or will become available. Some embodiments of a processor may include what is referred to as multi-core processor and/or be enabled to employ parallel processing technology in a single or multi-core configuration. For example, a multi-core architecture typically comprises two or more processor “execution cores”. In the present example, each execution core may perform as an independent processor that enables parallel execution of multiple threads. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the related field will appreciate that a processor may be configured in what is generally referred to as 32 or 64 bit architectures, or other architectural configurations now known or that may be developed in the future.
A processor typically executes an operating system, which may be, for example, a Windows type operating system from the Microsoft® Corporation; the Mac OS X operating system from Apple Computer Corp.®; a Unix® or Linux®-type operating system available from many vendors or what is referred to as an open source; Android from Google, another or a future operating system; or some combination thereof. An operating system interfaces with firmware and hardware in a well-known manner, and facilitates the processor in coordinating and executing the functions of various computer programs that may be written in a variety of programming languages. An operating system, typically in cooperation with a processor, coordinates and executes functions of the other components of a computer. An operating system also provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services, all in accordance with known techniques.
Connecting components may be properly termed as computer-readable media. For example, if code or data is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology such as infrared, radio, or microwave signals, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology are included in the definition of media. Combinations of media are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.
The present invention may comprise or implement a neural network or machine learning model for AI tasks. The neural network or model may be stored, trained, and/or executed entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. The neural network or model may be stored in the form of program code, as described above. The neural network, in some embodiments, may be a perceptron neural network, a feed forward neural network, a multilayer perceptron neural network, a convolutional neural network, a radial basis functional neural network, a recurrent neural network, a long short-term memory neural network, a sequence-to-sequence neural network model, a modular neural network, or the like. In some embodiments, the present invention may comprise or implement algorithmic intelligence methods or any other known form of AI technology.
The present application includes disclosures of multiple sets of computer-readable instructions contained on memory components and executed by processors configured to execute computer-readable instructions. Note that the instructions listed in the claims and specification of this application do not necessarily need to be executed in the order they are listed. In fact, the computer-readable instructions recited in this application can be executed in any order any number of times as directed by the user, the computing device, or the needs of the system at the given time.
Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims. In some embodiments, the figures presented in this patent application are not drawn to scale. In some embodiments, the figures are representative only and the claims are not limited by the dimensions of the figures. In some embodiments, descriptions of the inventions described herein using the phrase “comprising” includes embodiments that could be described as “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of”, and as such the written description requirement for claiming one or more embodiments of the present invention using the phrase “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” is met.
The reference numbers recited in the below claims are solely for ease of examination of this patent application, and are exemplary, and are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the claims to the particular features having the corresponding reference numbers in the drawing
This application is a continuation-in-part and claims benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/309,201, filed Apr. 28, 2023, the specification of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 18309201 | Apr 2023 | US |
| Child | 18907182 | US |
