AU2010101212A4 - Water Fitting With Flow Measurement - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT Name of Applicant: Matrados Pty Ltd Actual Inventor(s): Walter John Edwards Michael Barrington Wood Address for service is: Golja Haines & Friend 35 Wickham Street East Perth Western Australia 6004 Attorney Code: IJ Invention Title: Water Fitting With Flow Measurement The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 1 Water Fitting With Flow Measurement Field of the Invention This invention relates to devices for measuring water consumption, and in particular, such arrangements suitable for use in a domestic situation. 5 Background Art The following discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. It should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the 10 application. With changing climate and rainfall patterns over the past fifty years or thereabouts, resulting in a reduction in rainfall in many population centres around the world, there has been an increase in interest conserving water use. This has resulted in restriction, and banning in some jurisdictions, of the use of potable municipal scheme 15 water on gardens and for washing vehicles. There is also an increased awareness of water consumption of appliances such as clothes washing machines and dishwasher machines, with such appliances being rated on water consumption. This interest has extended to toilet bowl and cistern design, and to shower heads, with information available from manufacturers on the water used by these products. 20 Not withstanding this increased awareness of such issues among the population, aside of individual purchasers playing their part in purchasing best practice state of the art products, it remains for users of some of these products to control their use in order to minimise water consumption. This invention seeks to provide an arrangement to allow people to have greater 25 control over their use of water. Throughout the specification unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. 2 Throughout the specification unless the context requires otherwise, the word "include" or variations such as "includes" or "including", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. 5 Disclosure of the Invention In accordance with the present invention there is provided a water fitting comprising a body incorporating a volumetric flow measurement device in a flow pathway within said body, a data processor in connection with said flow measuring device to quantify volumetric flow of water measured by said volumetric flow measurement device, and 10 a display connected with said data processor to provide a read-out of volumetric flow data, said body having a quick release connector at one end of said body connecting with said flow pathway, said display being located along said body. The quick release connector may be selected from a female quick release snap-fit connector or a male mating connector for a female quick release snap-fit connector. 15 The female quick release snap-fit connectors are ordinarily used to connect to male mating connectors fitted to taps and forming a part of hose nozzles and watering guns. With the above described arrangement, a user can connect the water fitting to a tap (faucet) having a male mating connectors or to a hose nozzle of watering gun having a male mating connector, and conveniently view water consumption data at 20 the water fitting. Preferably said display is located along and flush with said body. The arrangement of the display being located along and flush with said body provides a degree of physical robustness, suitable for use in outdoor domestic gardens. Preferably said water fitting includes a user operable reset command switch 25 associated with said data processor to reset stored volumetric flow data to zero. Preferably said display provides a read-out of recent volumetric flow data since a reset command switch operation, and a read-out of cumulative volumetric flow data. Preferably said water fitting includes a user operable master reset command switch for resetting stored volumetric flow data and cumulative volumetric flow data to zero. 30 Preferably said water fitting has an output interface to transmit water flow data to a remote location. 3 Preferably said water fitting is selected from a shower head, a tap (faucet), a hand operated hose nozzle, an in-line garden hose connector having quick release connectors, and a hand operated watering gun. Preferably said water fitting comprises an in-line garden hose fitting having two quick 5 release connectors, with a water flow pathway extending therebetween. These quick release (snap-fit) connectors are ordinarily used to connect to male mating connectors fitted to taps and forming a part of hose nozzles and watering guns. Male mating connectors can include joiners allowing the joining of the water fitting to a garden hose having like quick release snap-fit connectors. Alternatively said water 10 fitting comprises an in-line garden hose fitting having two mating connectors of the type described above, with a water flow pathway extending therebetween. As a further and most preferred alternative, said water fitting comprises an in-line garden hose fitting having one quick release snap-fit connector and one male mating connector of the type described above, with a water flow pathway extending 15 therebetween. Preferably said output interface includes a transmitter to transmit data relating to volumetric flow of water measured by said volumetric flow measurement device to a remote location. Preferably said transmitter is a radio frequency transmitter. 2o Brief Description of the Drawings Three preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in the following description of a water fitting for monitoring consumption of water, made with reference to the drawings in which: Figure 1 is a block schematic of circuitry in a water fitting according to the 25 embodiment; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a hand watering gun incorporating a water consumption read-out according to the first embodiment; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a shower head incorporating a water consumption read-out according to the second embodiment; and 30 Figure 4 is a perspective view of a water consumption read-out incorporated in an in-line garden hose connector having quick release connectors. 4 Best Mode(s) for Carrying Out the Invention The embodiments are intended for use in a system for monitoring consumption of scheme water for domestic use, with a centralised appliance being a master display station (not shown), but are equally suitable for stand-alone use. The embodiments 5 comprise water fittings for measuring consumption of water use in domestic applications as illustrated in figures 1 to 4. The water fitting 29 shown in figure 1 is associated with a water outlet which may be a tap (faucet), an in-line hose connector having quick release connectors as shown in figure 2, a watering gun as shown in figure 3, or a shower head as shown in figure 4. 10 The water fitting 29 has a liquid flow meter 31 to measure the flow of water. The liquid flow meter 31 is interfaced with a microprocessor 33 interfaced with memory 35, and has user control input in the form of a reset switch 37, and has a liquid crystal display 39 which displays instantaneous water consumption in litres to one decimal place, to the user. The reset switch 37 is used to zero the consumption display 39. 15 In non-stand alone embodiments, the microprocessor 33 is interfaced with a bi directional transmitter and receiver 41 which also includes memory 43 comprising a ROM control stack for controlling the handling of through data, and RAM for temporary storage of data, but these features are not required in stand-alone embodiments. 20 The water fitting 29 has a battery 45 and battery management circuitry 47 which controls the operation of the water outlet fitting 29 in a manner to minimise power consumption so as to maximise battery life. Referring to figure 2, one embodiment of the water fitting 29 is illustrated. This is in the form of a hand watering gun 49, which has a body 50 including a handle 51, and 25 a hand actuable trigger 53 which in use is squeezed toward the handle 51 to cause a valve (not shown) to move from the closed position to an open position and thus control flow of water. At the base of the handle 51 is a male quick release snap connect hose connector 55 for connecting to a garden hose connector. Water passes out through a nozzle 57 when the trigger 53 is squeezed, and ceases to flow 30 when the trigger 53 is released. The body 50 defines a fluid flow pathway extending between the male quick release snap-connect hose connector 55 and the nozzle 57, and the valve (not shown) co operating with the hand actuable trigger 53 is located in the fluid flow pathway. The 5 liquid flow meter 31 is located in the fluid flow pathway, and connected to electronics as described above. The handle 51 forms a comfortable handgrip which in use is gripped in a position typically inclined from the vertical. The body 50 (and the fluid flow pathway) deviates 5 at a bend 58 through an angle of about 120 degrees. An antenna 59 is mounted atop the handle 51, near the bend 58, and the display 39 for showing instantaneous consumption is located just behind this, at the bend 58. In this position, the display 39 is inclined at a comfortable angle for viewing while the hand watering gun 49 is in use. The reset switch 37 is located to the left of the display 39, and zeros the current 10 reading when depressed. The display 39 shows cumulative water consumption measured as flow through the liquid flow meter 31, since the device was reset by depressing the reset switch 37. The handle 51 has a removable panel 61 for access to a battery compartment into which the batteries are inserted for powering the circuitry of the water outlet fitting 29. 15 Referring to figure 3, a second embodiment of the water outlet fitting 29 is illustrated. This is in the form of a shower-fitting 63 having a shower-head 65 mounted on a curved pipe 67 which is screwed onto plumbing contained within a wall 69, in the usual manner. The electronics for the water outlet fitting 29 are contained within a housing 71 which is located mid-way along the curved pipe, as is the liquid flow meter 20 31. The housing 71 has an antenna 59 mounted atop, and includes the display 39 for showing instantaneous consumption, and the reset switch 37. The display 39 is located facing in substantially the same direction as the flow of water from the shower-head 65. Referring to figure 4 a further preferred embodiment of the water outlet fitting 29 is 25 illustrated. This is in the form of an in-line garden hose fitting having a female quick release snap-fit connector 73 on top of the body 75, and a male quick release mating connector 77 located on the bottom of the body 75. The a male quick release mating connector 77 carries an 0-ring 78 in known manner, to seal when cooperating with a mating female quick release snap-fit connector. 30 A fluid flow pathway extends between the female quick release snap-fit connector 73 and the male quick release mating connector 77, and the liquid flow meter 31 is located in the fluid flow pathway, and connected to electronics as described above. A display 39 displays a current readout of recent water usage at the top 79, and cumulative water usage in the middle 81. Indicia 83 labeled "LIT" reminds the user 6 that the units of measurement are in litres. A user operable reset command switch in the form of a push button switch 85 is provided on the left of the body 75 (as viewed from the front, as shown in figure 4), underneath the display 39, to reset the recent water usage reading at the top 79 of the display 39. A user operable master reset 5 command switch in the form of a push button switch 87 is provided on the right of the body 75 (as viewed from the front, as shown in figure 4), underneath the display 39, to reset both the recent water usage reading at the top 79 and the cumulative water usage reading in the middle 81 of the display 39. The display 39 is mounted flush with the body 75, so that the fitting is able to 10 withstand rough treatment as would be expected in outdoor domestic usage. While not shown in the drawings, the rear of the body has a removable cover to allow batteries that power the electronics to be replaced. All of the embodiments provide a convenient user readable indication of in-situ water consumption, which are easy to fit and to operate. 15 While the embodiments described above are intended for use in stand alone applications, where they are constructed with a transceiver for transmitting data, they may be used in a system for monitoring consumption of scheme water. It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described here, and that changes may be made without departing from the spirit and 20 scope of the invention. 7

Claims (9)

1. A water fitting comprising a body incorporating a volumetric flow measurement device in a flow pathway within said body, a data processor in connection with said flow measuring device to quantify volumetric flow of water measured by 5 said volumetric flow measurement device, and a display connected with said data processor to provide a read-out of volumetric flow data, said body having a quick release connector at one end of said body connecting with said flow pathway, said display being located along said body.

2. A water fitting as claimed in claim 1 wherein the quick release connector is a 10 male mating connector for a female quick release snap-fit connector.

3. A water fitting as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said display is located along and flush with said body.

4. A water fitting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said water fitting includes a user operable reset command switch associated with 15 said data processor to reset stored and displayed volumetric flow data to zero.

5. A water fitting as claimed in claim 4 wherein said display provides a read-out of recent volumetric flow data since a reset command switch operation, and a read-out of cumulative volumetric flow data.

6. A water fitting as claimed in claim 5 wherein said water fitting includes a user 20 operable master reset command switch for resetting stored volumetric flow data and cumulative volumetric flow data to zero.

7. A water fitting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said water fitting has an output interface to transmit water flow data to a remote location. 25

8. A water fitting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said water fitting is a hand operated watering gun.

9. A water fitting as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said water fitting comprises an in-line garden hose fitting having one quick release snap-fit connector and one male mating connector for a female quick release 30 snap-fit connector, with said flow pathway extending therebetween. 8