Drinking water supply system having an acoustic sensor or a presence detector, method for controlling the same, and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11499299-B2
Application number	US-201816753821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 9, 2017
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A drinking water supply system includes a drinking water line system, a plurality of drinking water withdrawal points connected to the drinking water line system, at least one sensor which is designed to determine measuring values, and a central control device which is designed to receive and evaluate the measuring values determined by the at least one sensor. The system also includes a presence detector designed to determine information about the presence of a person, or an acoustic sensor designed to measure measuring values for the volume. The central control device is designed to control the drinking water supply system as a function of the information about the presence of a person or as a function of the measured values for the volume. A method for controlling such a drinking water supply system and a computer program that causes the method to be carried out are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drinking water supply system comprising:
a drinking water piping system,
a plurality of drinking water tapping points connected to the drinking water piping system,
a central control device,
a plurality of decentralised control elements configured to influence one or a plurality of properties of the water carried in the drinking water supply system at different points in the drinking water supply system, and
a presence detector configured to determine a piece of information about the presence of a user,
wherein the central control device is configured to:
actuate the control elements to influence the one or plurality of properties of the water carried in the drinking water supply system,
control the drinking water supply system selectively according to a first predefined program or according to a second predefined program,
select the first or second program as a function of the piece of information about the presence of the user, wherein the first program is a program for a normal mode and the second program is an absence program for an absence mode, and
automatically switch from the normal mode to the absence mode if no user has been detected for a predefined time period by the presence detector or by further provided presence detectors.

2. The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the central control device is configured to receive a second piece of information about the time of the day and to actuate the control elements to influence the one or plurality of properties of the water carried in the drinking water supply system as a function of the second piece of information received about the time of the day.

3. The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein
a decentralised control unit that is actuatable by the central control device is provided which is configured to initiate a flushing operation at a drinking water tapping point in order to drain water from the drinking water supply system,
the presence detector is configured and arranged to determine the piece of information about the presence of the user in the region of the drinking water tapping point as the piece of information about the presence of the user, and
the central control device is configured to control the performance of the flushing operation at the drinking water tapping point as the function of the piece of information about the presence of the user.

4. The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to initiate control of the drinking water supply system.

5. The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control device is configured to:
control the decentralised control elements selectively according to the first predefined program or according to the second predefined program.

6. A method for controlling a drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:
receiving measurement values and
controlling the drinking water supply system as a function of the received measurement values,
wherein the piece of information is determined about the presence of the user by the presence detector,
the drinking water supply system is controlled as the function of the piece of information about the presence of the user,
the drinking water supply system is selectively controlled according to the first predefined program or according to the second predefined program,
the first or second program is selected as the function of the piece of information about the presence of the user, wherein the first program is the program for the normal mode and the second program is the absence program for the absence mode, and
the drinking water supply system is switched automatically from the normal mode to the absence mode if no user has been detected for a predefined time period by the presence detector or by the further provided presence detectors.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein
the piece of information determined about the presence of the user by the presence detector is determined about the presence of the user in the region of a drinking water tapping point by the presence detector and
the performance of a flushing operation at the drinking water tapping point is controlled as the function of the piece of information about the presence of the user.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the step of receiving measurement values comprises receiving measurement values for one or different properties of the water carried in the drinking water supply system.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the decentralised control elements are selectively controlled according to the first predefined program or according to the second predefined program.

10. A computer program comprising commands the execution of which on at least one processor of a control device of a drinking water supply system, initiates performing of a method according to claim 6 .

Assignees

• Viega Tech Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Kramer Markus
• Schauer Christian
• Otto Christian
• Steger Patrick
• Löher David
• Winterholler Arthur

Classifications

• E03C1/055

  Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like · CPC title

• E03B7/07

  Arrangement of devices, e.g. filters, flow controls, measuring devices, siphons or valves, in the pipe systems · CPC title

• E03D5/105

  touchless, e.g. using sensors · CPC title

• E03B7/078

  Combined units with different devices; Arrangement of different devices with respect to each other · CPC title

• F24D17/0073

  Arrangements for preventing the occurrence or proliferation of microorganisms in the water · CPC title