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US 10,309,082 B2Granted
Fluid flow monitoring, verification and control system and method
AssigneeWINT WI Ltd
InventorsShay Ravid, Alon Gal, Lior Hertz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid flow system comprising a supply line, a fluid control unit and at least one end user; wherein fluid flow through the system is facilitated only upon a certified verification signal generated by the end-user and certifying said verification signal by the fluid control unit.
Claims12
A fluid flow system, comprising:
- a supply line;
- a flow valve;
- at least one end user;
- and
- a fluid control unit configured for governing the flow valve for facilitating fluid flow therethrough to the at least one end user, wherein governing the flow valve comprises opening the flow valve, maintaining the flow valve in the open position, and shutting the flow valve off,
- wherein upon initiation of the fluid flow through the fluid flow system, the fluid control unit maintains the flow valve in the open position only when a verification signal is generated and said verification signal is certified by the fluid control unit, wherein the verification signal is at least one of the following:
- a recognizable acoustic signal over a piping of the fluid flow system;
- a recognizable acoustic signal generated by a signal inducer configured for generating a respective signal, and transmitting the recognizable acoustic signal, through a communication arrangement, to a receiver configured at the either or both the at least one end user and the fluid control unit, respectively;
- or
- a recognizable sequence of flow pulsations through the fluid automatically generated by a verification signal generator in response to the initiation of the fluid flow through the fluid flow system;
- wherein the verification signal, being the recognizable acoustic signal, is generated responsive to a query signal generated by the fluid control unit.
8 more elements
A signaling method between a fluid control unit and an end-user, comprising the following steps:
- (a) providing a fluid flow system comprising a supply line coupleable to a main fluid supply line, a fluid control unit, a flow valve governed by the fluid control unit, and at least one end-user;
- (b) consuming fluid through the at least one end-user, with the flow valve at an open position thereof;
- (c) before or during step (b) generating a verification signal;
- (d) transferring said verification signal to the fluid control unit;
- and
- (e) certifying the verification signal by the fluid control unit and determining whether to maintain the flow valve open,
- wherein the verification signal is at least one of the following:
- a recognizable acoustic signal over a piping of the fluid flow system;
- a recognizable acoustic signal generated by a signal inducer configured for generating a respective signal, and transmitting the recognizable acoustic signal, through a communication arrangement, to a receiver configured at the either or both the at least one end user and the fluid control unit, respectively;
- or
- a recognizable sequence of flow pulsations through the fluid automatically generated by a verification signal generator in response to initiation of the fluid flow through the fluid flow system;
- wherein the verification signal, being the recognizable acoustic signal, is generated responsive to a query signal generated by the fluid control unit.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.