Patent Application
20240192076
This invention relates generally to leak detection apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to leak detection apparatus comprising a detector installable within spaces surrounding wet areas for the automated detection of water leaks.
There is provided herein leak detection apparatus comprising an installable detector comprising a plurality of spaced apart electrical electrodes. A controller operably interfaces the plurality of electrical electrodes. The controller is configured for detecting a leak by detecting current flow through water pooled between the electrodes.
The detector is installable within wall and void spaces surrounding wet areas such as bathroom baths, showers, cabinetry, kitchen and bathroom basins and the like. As such, the detector is able to detect a leak when a waterproof membrane is compromised, or movement and/or poor workmanship allows water to flow therethrough.
The detector may comprise a flexible body which may be elongate for installation in tight spaces and around corners and/or a mat for covering large areas such as under baths and which may be cut to size to fit.
The controller may operate a signal output or alternatively transmit data wirelessly to a receiver when detecting a leak.
According to one aspect, there is provided leak detection apparatus comprising an installable detector comprising a plurality of spaced apart electrical electrodes; and a controller operably interfacing the plurality of electrical electrodes, wherein the controller is configured for detecting a leak by detecting current flow through water pooled between the electrodes.
The detector may comprise a flexible body. The flexible body may comprise rubber.
The flexible body may be elongate such as longer than 30 cm and narrower than 2 cm.
The body may comprise the plurality of electrical electrodes therealong. The body may comprise electrical electrodes embedded therein. The electrical electrodes may be foil pieces adhered to surfaces of the body. The body may comprise a number of sides and wherein the electrodes may be located on each of the number of sides.
The flexible body may take the form of a rectangular mat. The mat may comprise a matrix of the electrodes. Adjacent electrodes of the matrix of the electrodes may be arranged approximately 1 cm apart or less.
The mat may comprise tear-off sections or sections that can be cut away to adjust the size of the mat without affecting the electrical conductivity of remaining electrodes.
The controller may comprise a signal output which may be activated when a leak is detected. The signal output may output an audio signal.
The apparatus may further comprise an electrode interface which applies voltage to alternative electrodes and which has current sensors operably coupled thereto to detect current flow.
The apparatus may further comprise an electrode interface interfacing the electrodes and wherein the electrode interface may be configured to differentiate between moisture and pooled water. The electrode interface may be configured to differentiate between moisture and pooled water by a current threshold. The controller may be configured for differentiating between moisture and pooled water according to signals from the electrode interface and wherein the controller may be configured for generating an alert accordingly. The threshold may be tunable.
The controller may be integrally formed with the body so that the detector can be installed as a single unit. Alternatively, the controller may be connected to the detector by electrical leads.
The controller may comprise an internal battery supply. The internal battery supply may have sufficient capacity to last more than one year. The controller may periodically wake from a sleep state to interrogate the electrodes.
The controller may comprise a data interface for wireless communication with a receiver.
The data interface may be a short-range wireless interface. The short-range wireless interface may be a Bluetooth interface or Wi-Fi interface.
In use, when detecting a leak, the controller may transmit an alert via the data interface to the receiver. In use, the receiver may interrogate the controller. The receiver may interrogate the controller to determine the operational status thereof or to determine whether a leak has been detected.
In use, the controller may detect a size of a leak depending on the number of electrodes exhibiting current flow.
The controller may categorise the type of leak depending on the number of electrodes exhibiting current flow. The controller may adjust an output signal depending on the number of electrodes exhibiting current flow.
Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.
Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Leak detection apparatus 100 comprises an installable detector 101 comprising a plurality of spaced apart electrical electrodes 102.
The apparatus 100 further comprises a controller 103 operably interfacing the plurality of electrical electrodes 102. The controller 103 is configured for detecting a leak by detecting electrical conductivity caused by water 104 pooled between the electrodes 102.
The detector 101 may comprise a body 105 with the electrodes 102 on one side thereof. The detector 101 may be installed with the electrodes 102 against a wall or floor surface 106. In the example shown in
The controller 103 may comprise analogue circuitry. However, in the embodiment shown, the controller 103 is a digital controller.
In this regard, the controller 103 comprises a processor 107 for processing digital data. A memory device 108 operably interfaces the processor 107 across a system bus 109. The memory 108 is configured for storing digital data including computer program code instructions. The computer program code instructions may be logically divided into a plurality of computer program code instruction controllers 110. In use, the processor 107 fetches the computer program code instructions and associated data 111 from the memory 108 for interpretation and execution of the functionality described herein.
The controllers 111 may comprise an electrode interface controller which interprets readings from the electrodes 102 to detect a leak. In the embodiment shown, the detector 101 comprises an electrode interface 112 interfacing an I/O interface 113 of the controller 103.
The electrode interface 112 may apply voltage to alternate electrodes 102 and have current sensors operably coupled thereto which detects current flow.
The electrode interface 112 may be configured to detect current above a threshold so as to be able to distinguish between moisture buildup and pooled water. In embodiments, the controller 103 may be configured for distinguishing between moisture and pooled water so as to be able to provide separate respective alerts.
In embodiments, the threshold is tunable, including by way of a configurable setting within memory 108 of the controller 103.
The body 105 of the detector 101 may be especially configured for installation within tight wet area spaces.
The body 105 may be flexible, such as by comprising rubber, with the plurality of electrodes 102 embedded therein. Alternatively, the electrodes 102 may take the form of separate foil pieces printed or adhered to a surface of the body 105.
The body 105 is preferably elongate, such as 30 cm or more and less than 2 cm in width so as to be able to be installed in narrow gaps and around corners.
Whereas the electrodes 102 are shown as being on and undersurface of the body 105 in
In alternative embodiments, the body 105 takes the form of a flexible rectangular mat for laying across large areas, such as surfaces under a bath. In accordance with his embodiments, the mat may comprise a matrix of electrodes arranged approximately 1 cm apart or less. In embodiments, the mat may comprise tear-off sections or sections that can be cut away to adjust the size of the mat without affecting the electrical conductivity of the remaining electrodes.
The controller 103 may be integrally formed with the body so that the detector 101 may be installed as a single unit. However, in alternative embodiments, the controller 103 may be installed in an accessible area and connected to the detector 105 remotely by electrical leads.
The controller 103 may draw power from a power source 115. The power source 115 may be a general power outlet and a power interface 116 may comprise an AC to DC converter. The controller 103 may comprise an indicator (not shown) indicative of the supply of power to the controller 103.
In alternative embodiments, the controller 103 comprises an internal battery supply having sufficient capacity to last several years. The internal battery may comprise a lithium battery. To preserve power, the controller 103 may periodically wake from a sleep state to interrogate the electrodes 102, such as every hour.
The controller 103 may comprise a signal output 117 which is activated when the controller 103 detects a leak. The signal output 117 may output an audible cue to alert an owner of the detection of a leak.
In embodiments, the controller 103 comprises a data interface 118 for wireless communication with a receiver 119. The receiver 119 may take the form of a mobile communication device executing a software application thereon. The data interface 118 may be a short-range wireless interface such as a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi interface.
In use, when detecting a leak, the controller 103 may transmit an alert via the data interface 118 to the receiver 119. Alternatively, the receiver 119 may interrogate the controller 103 to interrogate the operational status thereof and/or to query whether a leak has been detected.
In use, the controller 103 may detect the size of a leak depending on the number of electrodes 102 exhibiting current flow. The controller 103 may categorise the type of leak depending on the number of electrodes exhibiting current flow wherein, for example, 2 electrodes may be classified as a minor leak, 2-6 may be considered as a medium leak and 6+ electrodes considered as a major leak.
In this regard, the controller 103 may adjust the signal output by the signal output 117 according to the classification of leak or the number of electrodes exhibiting current flow. Furthermore, the controller 103 may transmit an alert signal to the receiver 119 depending on the size of the leak detected.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practise the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed as obviously many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021900986 | Apr 2021 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2022/050294 | 4/1/2022 | WO |
