The present invention relates to water supply management systems and methods of managing water supply systems.
Current water supply systems typically comprise: a pre-filtration portion, an automatic shut-off valve, a reverse osmosis membrane, an inline flow control device, a post-filtration portion and a storage tank. Usually, the replacement of filter elements is determined by the time elapsed or the accumulated flow volume. Since water quality is not measured or considered, the replacement schedules of these filter elements is not optimized relative to the actual water quality or other performance factors of the water supply system. The recommended replacement schedules available are also not optimized relative to the actual water quality or other performance factors of the water supply system.
The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a water supply management system for managing a water supply system having one or more water processing or control devices, the water supply management system comprising:
one or more sensors, each sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system;
a communication module connected to the sensors to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensors; and
at least one computing device remotely connected to the communication module to receive the data from the communication module, thereby to allow a user to use the computing device to remotely monitor in real-time a status of one or more of the processing or control devices based on the data.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a water processing or control device for a water supply system, the water processing or control device comprising a sensor, the sensor being part of a water supply management system for managing a water supply system, the sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system, the water supply management system comprising:
a communication module connected to the sensor to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensor; and
at least one computing device remotely connected to the communication module to receive the data from the communication module, thereby to allow a user to use the computing device to remotely monitor in real-time a status of the processing or control device based on the data.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a water processing or control device for a water supply system, the water processing or control device comprising an identification device that provides identification information corresponding to the water processing or control device, the identification device for use in water supply management system comprising:
one or more sensors, each sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system;
a communication module connected to the sensors to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensors;
a reader that detects the presence or absence of the water processing or control device in the water supply system, reads the identification information from the identification device, and provides the identification information in the form of data to the communication module; and
at least one computing device remotely connected to the communication module to receive the data from the communication module, thereby to allow a user to use the computing device to remotely monitor in real-time a status of one or more of the processing or control devices based on the data.
The present invention also provides, in a fourth aspect, a water quality management system comprising:
a server;
one or more personal devices communicatively connectable to the server;
a water purification subsystem;
a water monitoring subsystem; and
a communication subsystem connectable to the server;
the water monitoring subsystem collecting water quality and filter status data from the water purification subsystem, the server comparing the water quality and filter status data with set standards to monitor water quality and to determine if filter replacement is required.
Preferably, the personal devices are adapted to receive analysis from the server. Preferably, the personal devices are adapted to issue control commands to the filtration system.
In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method of managing a water management system, the water management system comprising:
a server;
one or more personal devices communicatively connectable to the server;
a water purification subsystem;
a water monitoring subsystem; and
a communication subsystem connectable to the server;
the water monitoring subsystem collecting water quality and filter status data from the water purification subsystem;
the method comprising:
comparing the water quality and filter status data with set standards to monitor water quality and to determine if filter replacement is required.
The present invention also provides, in a sixth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a server to perform the method described above in the fifth aspect of the present invention.
Further features of various embodiments of the present invention are defined in the appended claims. It will be appreciated that features may be combined in various combinations in various embodiments of the present invention.
Throughout this specification, including the claims, the words “comprise”, “comprising”, and other like terms are to be construed in an inclusive sense, that is, in the sense of “including, but not limited to”, and not in an exclusive or exhaustive sense, unless explicitly stated otherwise or the context clearly requires otherwise.
Description of Drawings
Preferred embodiments in accordance with the best mode of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Mode for Invention
Referring to the figures, a water supply management system for managing a water supply system having one or more water processing or control devices. The water processing or control devices can take the form of water processing devices such as polypropylene fibre filter 311, activated carbon filter 312, kinetic degradation fluxion (KDF) filter 313, activated carbon filter 361, polypropylene fibre filter 411, activated carbon filter 412, kinetic degradation fluxion (KDF) filter 413, activated carbon filter 431, ultrafiltration filter 402, other types of filters,and reverse osmosis membrane 304. The water processing or control devices can take the form of water control devices such as inlet solenoid valve 321, proportioning valve 381, flushing solenoid valve 382, other types of valves, pressure switch 305, other types of control switches, and storage tanks 307. The water processing or control devices can be referred to collectively as a filtration sub-system 101.
The water supply management system comprises one or more sensors 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, with each sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system. The sensors can be referred to collectively as a monitoring sub-system 102. One or more of the sensors measures one or more of the following parameters of the water supply: pressure, pH, alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity, temperature, and flow rate.
A communication module is connected to the sensors to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensors. As shown in
At least one of the computing devices 105, 106 alerts the user when at least one of the measurements or at least one derived parameter derived from the data reaches a predetermined threshold. The same or another one of the computing devices can issue a control signal to control one or more of the water processing or control devices when at least one of the measurements or at least one derived parameter derived from the data reaches a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold can be preset by the user. The predetermined threshold can be preset for one or more of the water processing or control devices. For example, if the water processing or control device is a filter, the threshold could be a particular flow rate and/or a particular pressure difference across the filter that is indicative of the health of the filter. The predetermined threshold can alternatively or additionally be in accordance with industry standards.
In one embodiment, one of the sensors measures TDS of the water supply exiting the water supply system, thereby to allow the user to use the computing device to remotely record or to remotely monitor in real-time the TDS of the water supply exiting the water supply system. In another embodiment, one of the sensors measures TDS of the water supply entering the water supply system, thereby to allow the user to use the computing device to remotely record or to remotely monitor in real-time the TDS of the water supply entering the water supply system. In a further embodiment, one of the sensors measures TDS of the water supply exiting the water supply system, and another of the sensors measures TDS of the water supply entering the water supply system, thereby to allow the user to use the computing device to remotely record or to remotely monitor in real-time the difference in TDS of the water supply exiting and entering the water supply system.
In the present embodiment, one or more of the water processing or control devices is a water filter 361. One of the sensors 206 is a downstream pressure sensor that measures a downstream pressure downstream of the water filter 361. Another of the sensors 205 is an upstream pressure sensor that measures an upstream pressure upstream of the water filter, the difference between the downstream and upstream pressures defining a pressure drop across the water filter 361. Another of the water processing or control devices is a reverse osmosis membrane 304. One of the sensors 204 is a downstream pressure sensor that measures a downstream pressure downstream of the reverse osmosis membrane 304. Another of the sensors 203 is an upstream pressure sensor that measures an upstream pressure upstream of the reverse osmosis membrane, the difference between the downstream and upstream pressures defining a pressure drop across the reverse osmosis membrane 304.
One or more of the water processing or control devices incorporates one or more of the sensors. For example, a TDS sensor can be integrated with a filter at the time of manufacture. One embodiment is shown in
One or more of the water processing or control devices includes an identification device 111 that provides identification information. The identification device can be one of the following: a label, a barcode, a near field communication (NFC) tag, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.
The water supply management system comprises a reader 112 that detects the presence or absence of the water processing or control device in the water supply system, reads the identification information from the identification device 111, and provides the identification information in the form of data to the communication module. The identification information can comprise one or more of the following items of information corresponding to the water processing or control device: product identification, product serial number, model number, manufacture date, and calibration data.
In one embodiment, at least one of the computing devices 105, 106 has a data storage apparatus pre-stored with calibration data corresponding to one or more water processing or control devices. This particular computing device determines from the respective identification information the calibration data corresponding to the respective water processing or control device.
In the embodiment shown in the figures, the water supply management system has two or more of the computing devices. At least one of the computing devices is a server 105 and one or more of the other computing devices is a client device 106 communicating with the server 105. The client device 106 can be one of the following: a mobile device, a smartphone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and a personal device.
In an embodiment according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water processing or control device for a water supply system, the water processing or control device comprising a sensor, the sensor being part of a water supply management system for managing a water supply system, the sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system, the water supply management system comprising: a communication module connected to the sensor to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensor; and at least one computing device remotely connected to the communication module to receive the data from the communication module, thereby to allow a user to use the computing device to remotely monitor in real-time a status of the processing or control device based on the data.
In an embodiment according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water processing or control device for a water supply system, the water processing or control device comprising an identification device that provides identification information corresponding to the water processing or control device, the identification device for use in water supply management system comprising: one or more sensors, each sensor taking measurements of one or more parameters of a water supply passing through the water supply system;a communication module connected to the sensors to receive the measurements in the form of data from the sensors;a reader that detects the presence or absence of the water processing or control device in the water supply system, reads the identification information from the identification device, and provides the identification information in the form of data to the communication module; and at least one computing device remotely connected to the communication module to receive the data from the communication module, thereby to allow a user to use the computing device to remotely monitor in real-time a status of one or more of the processing or control devices based on the data.
A water quality management system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention comprises a server 105, one or more personal devices 106 communicatively connectable to the server 105, a monitoring subsystem 102 and a communication subsystem 103 connectable to the server 105. The water monitoring subsystem 102 collects water quality and filter status data from the water purification subsystem 101. The communication system usually connects to the Internet via a router 104. The server compares the water quality and filter status data with the set standards to monitor water quality and to determine if filter replacement is required. The personal devices can receive analysis from the server and also issue control commands to the filtration system 101.
In another embodiment of the water quality management system, a reverse osmosis filtration system is shown in
If water going through a filter experiences a pressure drop, the difference in the static-pressure readings before and after the filter provide a good indication of the condition of the filter. Different filter configurations and micron ratings have different replacement specifications. Whether pressure loss can be used as an indication of filter condition will depend on the measurability of the pressure drop for that particular filter type. Measurability will also depend on the accuracy of the pressure sensor.
According the energy equation for a fluid the total energy can be summarized as elevation energy, velocity energy and pressure energy. The energy equation can then be expressed as:
p
1
+ρv
1
2/2+ρg h1=p2+ρv22/2+ρg h2+ploss (1)
where
p=pressure in fluid (Pa (N/m2), psi (lb/in2))
ploss=pressure loss (Pa (N/m2), psi (lb/in2))
ρ=density of the fluid (kg/m3, slugs/ft2)
v=flow velocity (m/s, ft/s)
g=acceleration of gravity (m/s2, ft/s2)
h=elevation (m, ft)
For steady state flow v1=v2 and when the change in elevation is negligible h1=h2, (1) can be transformed to:
p
loss
=p
1
−p
2 (2)
The pressure loss can be further divided into:
1. pressure loss due to the filter element itself which increases with the deterioration of the filter element.
2. pressure loss due to friction and change of velocity in bends of the actual product and can be expressed as a dependent variable of flow velocity.
When the pressure loss at a particular flow rate reaches a preset threshold value, the system can prompt the user to replace the filter. In some embodiments, the precise emphirical relationship between pressure loss and these factors is obtained through experimental work with the actual product.
In the present embodiment of the water quality management system, the sensor unit #1201, is installed between the water supply inlet and the pre-filtration unit, the sensor unit measures tap water parameters including total dissolved solids (TDS), flow volume and inlet pressure. The sensor unit #2202 is installed between the outlet of pre-filtration unit 301 and the pressure drop across the filters provides a cumulative indication of the condition of the filters in the pre-filtration unit 301. Similarly, the pressure difference between sensor unit #3203 and sensor #4204, and between unit #5205 and sensor #6206 provide indications of the conditions of the reverse osmosis membrane 304 and the post-filtration unit 306 respectively. The sensor unit #6206 additionally measures water parameters including TDS and provide information about water quality and the effectiveness of the filtration subsystem when compared with the corresponding inlet water quality data.
In another embodiment of the water quality management system, an ultrafiltration system is shown in
In a further embodiment of the water quality management system, the system comprises a router 104 and connected to the server 105 via the Internet. Data collected by the monitoring sub-system 102 is forwarded to the communication sub-system 103 which is connected with the router 104. As best shown in
Additionally, the use of GPS-enabled location data on smartphones or user's location input will enable the location of the water quality management system to be known by the server 105. The will allow the server to analyses water quality of the supply source for a certain defined area, provided that the user permits the use of these data to perform said statistically analysis. The statistics will provide a full picture of the water quality for that particular area.
Preferably, as shown in
In a further embodiment of the water quality management system, filter identification module 1022 is used to identify each filter, the information includes the product ID and serial number of each filter. The method includes the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) tag and reader. The system read the tag information regularly to ascertain if the filter has been replaced. The sensor unit can be embedded into the filter housing and with its calibration constant(s) written into the tag. The monitoring subsystem 102 can use these data and ensure that the correct constant(s) corresponded to that sensor unit has been updated. Alternatively, these calibration constants can be stored in the server 105 and made accessible to the monitoring subsystem 102 via the Internet.
With embodiments of the present invention, a user will be able to receive real-time updates of water quality data and detailed analysis of a variety of parameters of the water supply passing through the water supply system, resulting in improved water quality monitoring as well as optimized recommendations for filter replacement schedules.
It can be appreciated that the aforesaid embodiments are only exemplary embodiments adopted to describe the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not merely limited thereto. Various variants and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these variants and modifications are also covered within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, it can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention can be embodied in many other forms. It can also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the features of the various examples described can be combined in other combinations. In particular, there are many possible permutations of the circuit arrangements described above which use the same passive method to achieve passive power factor correction, and which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/CN2014/082629 | 7/21/2014 | WO | 00 |