Self charging fluid flow sensor system
AssigneeFlowactive, Inc.
InventorsMatthew Cusack, Frank Lipowitz, Robert Paul Borthwick
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self-charging sensor (SCS) adapted for use in a toilet or the like. The SCS includes a housing having a rechargeable battery; a turbine module having a multilevel impeller having offset wheels that are adapted to be driven by a fluid flow via an inlet port during an event, wherein a rotation of the impeller causes the turbine module to generate electricity that recharges the rechargeable battery; and a processing module that collects count data associated with the rotation during the event; and an attachment component adapted to seat the housing on an overflow tube.
Claims18
A self-charging sensor (SCS), having:
- a housing that includes:
- a rechargeable battery;
- a turbine module having a multilevel impeller having offset wheels that are adapted to be driven by a fluid flow via an inlet port during an event, wherein a rotation of the impeller causes the turbine module to generate electricity that recharges the rechargeable battery;
- and
- a processing module that collects count data associated with the rotation during the event;
- and
- an attachment component adapted to seat the housing on an overflow tube;
- wherein the inlet port includes a first nozzle adapted to direct a flow of fluid to a first wheel of the impeller and a second nozzle adapted to direct a flow of fluid to second wheel of the impeller.
A toilet, comprising:
- an overflow tube;
- a fill tube;
- and
- a self-charging sensor (SCS), having:
- a housing that includes:
- a rechargeable battery;
- a turbine module having a multilevel impeller having offset wheels that are adapted to be driven by a fluid flow from the fill tube via an inlet port during an event, wherein a rotation of the impeller causes the turbine module to generate electricity that recharges the rechargeable battery;
- and
- a processing module that collects count data associated with the rotation during the event;
- and
- an attachment component adapted to seat the housing on the overflow tube;
- wherein the inlet port includes a first nozzle adapted to direct a flow of fluid to a first wheel of the impeller and a second nozzle adapted to direct a flow of fluid to second wheel of the impeller.
A self-charging sensor (SCS), having:
- a housing that includes:
- a rechargeable battery;
- a turbine module having a multilevel impeller having offset wheels that are integrated together and spin about a common axis and are adapted to be driven by a fluid flow via an inlet port during an event, wherein a rotation of the impeller causes the turbine module to generate electricity that recharges the rechargeable battery;
- and
- a processing module that collects count data associated with the rotation during the event;
- and
- an attachment component adapted to seat the housing on an overflow tube, wherein a center of gravity of the housing is substantially above a cross-sectional center point of the overflow tube when seated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.