Drinking water supply system with drinking water quality monitoring function, method for controlling same, and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12509864-B2
Application number	US-201816753857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2018
Priority date	Oct 9, 2017
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

A drinking water supply system with a drinking water line system includes multiple drinking water removal points connected to the drinking water line system, at least one sensor, which is designed to determine measurement values, and a central controller, which is designed to receive and evaluate measurement values determined by the at least one sensor. Multiple sensors are provided which are designed to determine measurement values for one property or for different properties of the water being conducted in the drinking water supply system at different locations in the drinking water supply system, and the central controller is designed to receive and evaluate the measurement values determined by the sensors. One or more of the sensors is designed to determine measurement values for the drinking water quality of the water being conducted in the drinking water supply system. A method for controlling such a supply system is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A drinking water supply system that receives water from a local water supplier at a central feed point of the drinking water supply system, the drinking water supply system comprising:
a drinking water piping system comprising a main supply line comprising a hot water supply line and a cold water supply line and a subordinate supply line comprising a subordinate hot water supply line connected to the hot water supply line and a subordinate cold water supply line connected to the cold water supply line, a plurality of drinking water tapping points connected to the subordinate hot water supply line or the subordinate cold water supply line of the drinking water piping system, wherein the drinking water piping system conveys the water from the central feed point through the main supply lines and the subordinate supply lines to the plurality of drinking water tapping points, a central control device, at least one central feed point sensor configured to determine central feed point measurement values for one or different properties representative of quality of the water carried through the main supply line in the drinking water supply system at the central feed point, and at least one downstream sensor configured to determine downstream measurement values for the one or the different properties representative of the quality of the water carried in the subordinate supply line of the drinking water supply system at one or a plurality of downstream points in the drinking water supply system, which are spaced apart from the central feed point, wherein the central control device is configured to: receive and evaluate the central feed point measurement values determined by the at least one central feed point sensor and the downstream measurements values determined by the at least one downstream sensor, monitor the downstream measurement values determined by the at least one downstream sensor to determine whether the downstream measurement values exceed or fall below a limit value, and if the limit value is exceeded or if the downstream measurement value falls below the limit value, output a corresponding warning notification via a user interface, and wherein the limit value is determined as a function of the central feed point measurement values determined by the at least one central feed point sensor located where the water is received from the local water supplier.

2 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one central feed point sensor or the at least one downstream sensor are configured to determine measurement values for a pH value for a water hardness, for a conductivity and/or for a presence or concentration of suspended solids, viruses, or micro-organisms for the water carried in the drinking water supply system.

3 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one central feed point sensor or the at least one downstream sensor are configured to determine measurement values for oxygen concentration and/or for concentration of free chlorine.

4 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 ,
comprising a plurality of decentralised control elements which are configured to influence one or a plurality of properties representative of the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system at different points in the drinking water supply system, wherein the central control device is configured to actuate the control elements to influence the one or plurality of properties representative of the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system.

5 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 4 , wherein
one or a plurality of the decentralised control elements are configured to influence the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system, and the central control device is configured to actuate the one or plurality of the decentralised control elements to influence the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system.

6 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 5 , wherein
one or a plurality of the decentralised control elements is configured to influence a pH value, a water hardness, a conductivity and/or a presence or the concentration of suspended solids, viruses, or micro-organisms of the water carried in the drinking water supply system, and the central control device is configured to actuate the one or plurality of the decentralised control elements to influence the pH value, the water hardness, the conductivity and/or the presence or the concentration of the suspended solids, viruses, or micro-organisms of the water carried in the drinking water supply system.

7 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 5 , wherein
one or a plurality of the decentralised control elements are configured to influence oxygen concentration and/or concentration of free chlorine of the water carried in the drinking water supply system, and the central control device is configured to actuate the one or plurality of the decentralised control elements to influence the oxygen concentration and/or the concentration of free chlorine of the water carried in the drinking water supply system.

8 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 4 , wherein the central control device is configured to control the one or plurality of decentralised control elements as a function of the received central point measurement values or the downstream measurement values.

9 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control device is configured to initiate control of the drinking water supply system by:
receiving downstream measurement values for the one or different properties representative of the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system for the one or the plurality of downstream points in the drinking water supply system, and controlling the drinking water supply system as a function of the received downstream measurement values, wherein the downstream measurement values received from the at least one downstream sensor are monitored to determine whether they exceed or fall below the limit value and, if the limit value is exceeded or a measurement value falls below the limit value, a corresponding piece of user information is output via the user interface.

10 . The drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , wherein the drinking water supply system that receives the water from the local water supplier at the central feed point comprises a drinking water supply system of a building.

11 . A method for controlling a drinking water supply system according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:
receiving the downstream measurement values for the one or different properties representative of the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system for the one or the plurality of downstream points in the drinking water supply system, and controlling the drinking water supply system as a function of the received downstream measurement values, wherein the downstream measurement values received from the at least one downstream sensor are monitored to determine whether they exceed or fall below the limit value and, if the limit value is exceeded or a measurement value falls below the limit value, a corresponding piece of user information is output via the user interface.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the central feed point measurement values or the downstream measurement values are determined for the quality of the water carried in the drinking water supply system for a water hardnes

Assignees

• Viega Tech Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

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

Classifications

• E03C1/02

  Plumbing installations for fresh water · CPC title

• E03B7/04

  Domestic or like local pipe systems (domestic plumbing E03C1/02) · CPC title

• G01N33/1853

  Hardness of water · CPC title

• G01N33/1826

  Organic contamination in water · CPC title

• E03B7/074

  Arrangement of water treatment devices · CPC title