Plumbing control device
AssigneeWatts Regulator Co.
InventorsJoseph Michael Burke, Kyle McGurn, Evan Joseph Sultana
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for remotely measuring the characteristics of water passing through a plumbing control device (PCD) includes a sensor configured to measure characteristics of the water to obtain measured data. The sensor is also linked to a microcontroller of the PCD. An antenna board is linked, and configured to transmit power, to both the microcontroller and the sensor. The antenna board is configured to receive power transmitted from a mobile device and, in turn, transmit power to the microcontroller and the sensor. When power is not being transmitted from the antenna board, the microcontroller and the sensor may be powered off.
Claims31
A system for controlling a fluid passing therethrough, the system comprising:
- a plumbing control devices (“PCD”) configured to have fluid pass therethrough and modify the fluid passing therethrough using an adjustment feature;
- at least one sensor coupled to the PCD and configured to generate a first signal indicative of at least one characteristic of the fluid;
- a microcontroller linked to the at least one sensor for controlling operation of and providing power to the at least one sensor;
- an antenna board linked to the microcontroller and configured to:
- selectively provide power to the microcontroller;
- wirelessly receive power from a mobile device, separate from the PCD for transmission of power to the microcontroller;
- and
- receive the first signal and send at least a second signal to the mobile device based on the first signal;
- and
- a battery connected to the microcontroller and the at least one sensor through a switch, wherein the switch is configured to have a normally off position in which no power from the battery is drawn and an on-position that creates an electrical connection between the battery and the microcontroller to supply power to the microcontroller,
- wherein:
- the mobile device is configured to generate an output display based on the second signal in real-time to allow evaluating the at least one characteristic to properly set the adjustment feature of the PCD for a desired value of the at least one characteristic;
- the microcontroller and the at least one sensor are powered off when power is not being transmitted from the antenna board;
- and
- the switch is only set to the on-position when the antenna board comes in range of the microcontroller.
A system for evaluating and adjusting a characteristic of fluid passing through a plumbing control device (“PCD”) comprising:
- an adjustment mechanism;
- a sensor configured to measure the characteristic of the fluid flowing through the PCD to obtain measured data when the sensor is activated, wherein the sensor is normally deactivated;
- a passive transponder operatively connected to the sensor and configured to:
- selectively provide power to the sensor;
- receive the measured data from the sensor;
- and
- wirelessly transmit the measured data;
- a mobile device including:
- an active transponder;
- a display screen;
- a microcontroller operatively connected to the active transponder and the display screen;
- and a computer program loaded on the microcontroller and configured to:
- establish a wireless data link with the passive transponder upon being located in close proximity to the passive transponder;
- wirelessly receive the measured data from the passive transponder;
- process the measured data;
- and
- display the processed measured data on the display screen for review and, in turn, evaluation of the characteristic so that the fluid exiting the PCD is modified using the adjustment mechanism if the processed measured data from the display screen indicates that the characteristic of the fluid is not equal to a desired setting.
A plumbing control devices (“PCD”) configured to have fluid pass therethrough, comprising:
- an adjustment mechanism for modifying the passage of fluid therethrough;
- at least one sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of at least one characteristic of the fluid;
- a microcontroller linked to the sensor for controlling operation of and providing power to the sensor;
- an antenna board linked to the microcontroller and configured to:
- provide power to the microcontroller;
- wirelessly receive power from a mobile device, separate from the PCD, for transmission of power to the microcontroller;
- and
- receive the signal from the sensor and wirelessly transfer the signal to the mobile device so that the at least one characteristic of the fluid can be displayed on the mobile device;
- and
- a battery connected to the microcontroller and the at least one sensor through a switch, wherein the switch is configured to have a normally off position in which no power from the battery is drawn and an on-position that creates an electrical connection between the battery and the microcontroller to supply power to the microcontroller,
- wherein the adjustment mechanism of the PCD can be adjusted based on the at least one characteristic of the fluid displayed on the mobile device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.