Pressure regulating devices and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054295-B2
Application number	US-201916275671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Feb 14, 2019
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Pressure regulating systems are provided. The pressure regulating systems include a pressure sensor configured to sense pressure of water flowing through a pressure regulating device; an actuator coupled to the pressure sensor; an electronics module configured to receive pressure information related sensed pressure from the pressure sensor and process the received pressure information; and a radio module coupled to the device and configured to receive the processed sensor information from the electronics module, communicate the processed sensor information to a remote location and receive pressure adjustment information from the remote location. The received pressure adjustment information is used to adjust water pressure in the water network from the remote location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pressure regulating system, the pressure regulating system comprising:
a pressure regulating device in a dedicated housing, the pressure regulating device comprising:
first and second pressure sensors in the dedicated housing that sense pressure of water flowing through the pressure regulating device, the first pressure sensor being positioned at an inlet of the pressure regulating device and a second pressure sensor being positioned at an outlet of the pressure regulating device;
an actuator in the dedicated housing coupled to the first and second pressure sensors;
an electronics module in the dedicated housing that receives pressure information related to the sensed pressure from the first and second pressure sensors and processes the received pressure information; and
a radio module in the dedicated housing that is coupled to a communications network and receives the processed sensor information from the electronics module, communicates the processed sensor information to a remote location and receives pressure adjustment information from the remote location, the received pressure adjustment information being used to adjust water pressure using the actuator in a water network from the remote location.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulating device further comprises a temperature sensor in the dedicated housing and wherein the electronics module is further configured to receive temperature information from the temperature sensor in addition to the pressure information from the first and second pressure sensors and process the received temperature information along with the received pressure information.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the received pressure adjustment information instructs the electronics module to one of increase water pressure of the water flowing through the device; decrease water pressure of the water flowing through the device; and shut off the water flowing through the device.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pressure regulating device is positioned in one of a residential home, a commercial building, a water line and a pump station.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic module is further configured to store the received pressure information and process the received pressure information to provide the processed pressure information to the remote location via a radio module.

6. A pressure regulating device comprising:
a dedicated housing;
an integrated pressure control valve inside the dedicated housing;
an actuator within the dedicated housing and coupled to the integrated pressure control valve, the integrated pressure control valve configured to receive instructions from a remote location to increase and/or decrease water pressure of water flowing through the device and communicate the received instructions to the actuator,
first and second pressure sensors in the dedicated housing to sense pressure of the water flowing through the device, the first pressure sensor being positioned at an inlet of the pressure regulating device and a second pressure sensor being positioned at an outlet of the pressure regulating device; and
an electronics module in the dedicated housing and coupled to the actuator and configured to receive the sensed pressure of the water flowing through the pressure regulating device and communicate the received pressure of the water flowing through the pressure regulating device to a remote location via a radio module coupled to the device,
wherein the integrated pressure control valve, the first and second pressure sensors, the electronics module and the actuator are provided in the dedicated housing separate from other elements of a system in which the pressure is being sensed.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the actuator comprises one of a motor, a coil and other type of actuator.

8. The device of claim 6 , further comprising a temperature sensor in the dedicated housing coupled to the electronics module, wherein the electronics module is further configured to receive temperature information from the temperature sensor and communicate the received temperature information along with the pressure of the water flowing through the device to a remote location via a radio module coupled to the device.

9. A method of remotely adjusting pressure in a water network using a self-contained pressure regulating device in a dedicated housing, the dedicated housing including a first pressure sensor at an inlet of the pressure regulating device, a second pressure sensor at an outlet of the pressure regulating device, an actuator, an electronics module, and a radio module, the method comprising:
sensing pressure of water flowing through a pressure regulating device using the first and second pressure sensors;
receiving the sensed pressure of the water flowing through the device at an electronics module in the device;
processing the received sensed pressure at the electronics module to provided processed pressure information;
providing the processed pressure information to a remote location via a radio module;
receiving pressure adjustment information from the remote location via the radio module; and
adjusting the pressure of the water flowing through the device based on the received pressure adjustment information from the remote location,
wherein the pressure regulating device including the first and second pressure sensors, the actuator, the electronics module and the radio module are provided in the dedicated housing separate from other elements of a system associated with the pressure regulating device.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
sensing a temperature of the water flowing through the device;
receiving the sensed temperature of the water flowing through the device at the electronics module in the device;
processing the received sensed temperature at the electronics module to provide processed temperature information;
providing the processed temperature information to the remote location via a radio module with the processed pressure information;
receiving pressure adjustment information from the remote location via the radio module responsive to both the processed pressure information and the processed temperature information; and
adjusting the pressure of the water flowing through the device based on the received pressure adjustment information.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein adjusting the pressure of the water flowing through the device comprises one of:
increasing water pressure of the water flowing through the device;
decreasing water pressure of the water flowing through the device; and
shutting off the water flowing through the device.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the pressure regulating devices are positioned in one of a residential home, a commercial building, a water line and a pump station.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein receiving the sensed pressure of the water flowing through the device at an electronics module in the device is followed by storing the sensed pressure of the water flowing through the device at the electronics module.

Assignees

• Sensus Spectrum Llc

Inventors

• Heizenroeder Christian

Classifications

• E03B7/071

  Arrangement of safety devices in domestic pipe systems, e.g. devices for automatic shut-off · CPC title

• Y10T137/7761

  Electrically actuated valve · CPC title

• G05D16/2013 Primary

  using throttling means as controlling means · CPC title

• G01F15/063 Primary

  using electrical means · CPC title

• G01F5/005

  by measuring pressure or differential pressure, created by the use of flow constriction · CPC title