US10385559B2 - Toilet monitoring and intelligent control - Google Patents
Toilet monitoring and intelligent control Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US10385559B2 US10385559B2 US15/814,097 US201715814097A US10385559B2 US 10385559 B2 US10385559 B2 US 10385559B2 US 201715814097 A US201715814097 A US 201715814097A US 10385559 B2 US10385559 B2 US 10385559B2
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- toilet
- water
- tank
- flush
- program
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D5/00—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system
- E03D5/10—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system operated electrically, e.g. by a photo-cell; also combined with devices for opening or closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising/or lowering seat and cover and/or for swiveling the bowl
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D11/00—Other component parts of water-closets, e.g. noise-reducing means in the flushing system, flushing pipes mounted in the bowl, seals for the bowl outlet, devices preventing overflow of the bowl contents; devices forming a water seal in the bowl after flushing, devices eliminating obstructions in the bowl outlet or preventing backflow of water and excrements from the waterpipe
- E03D11/18—Siphons
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D5/00—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system
- E03D5/02—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system operated mechanically or hydraulically (or pneumatically) also details such as push buttons, levers and pull-card therefor
- E03D5/026—Devices preventing overflow or locks inhibiting the use of the flushing system ; Devices preventing sucking-up of sealing and flushing water
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D5/00—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system
- E03D5/10—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system operated electrically, e.g. by a photo-cell; also combined with devices for opening or closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising/or lowering seat and cover and/or for swiveling the bowl
- E03D5/105—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system operated electrically, e.g. by a photo-cell; also combined with devices for opening or closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising/or lowering seat and cover and/or for swiveling the bowl touchless, e.g. using sensors
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01F23/0023—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm with a probe suspended by a wire or thread
-
- G01F23/0069—
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01F23/80—Arrangements for signal processing
- G01F23/802—Particular electronic circuits for digital processing equipment
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D1/00—Water flushing devices with cisterns ; Setting up a range of flushing devices or water-closets; Combinations of several flushing devices
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D1/00—Water flushing devices with cisterns ; Setting up a range of flushing devices or water-closets; Combinations of several flushing devices
- E03D1/30—Valves for high or low level cisterns; Their arrangement ; Flushing mechanisms in the cistern, optionally with provisions for a pre-or a post- flushing and for cutting off the flushing mechanism in case of leakage
- E03D1/34—Flushing valves for outlets; Arrangement of outlet valves
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
- E03D2201/00—Details and methods of use for water closets and urinals not otherwise provided for
- E03D2201/30—Water injection in siphon for enhancing flushing
Definitions
- the technology herein relates to automatically monitoring the operation of a flush toilet, and in some embodiments, to automatic control of water supplied to a flush toilet.
- a toilet monitor comprises a toilet tank water level sensor producing a toilet tank water level measurement signal.
- a processor is connected to receive the measurement signal.
- the processor detects the rate of change of the measurement signal and conditionally produces a responsive actuation signal in response to the detected rate of change.
- a transducer is connected to receive the actuation signal.
- non-limiting features include:
- a toilet monitor comprises a toilet tank water level sensor producing a toilet tank water level measurement signal.
- a processor is connected to receive the measurement signal. The processor detecting the presence or absence of plural successive flushes within a predetermined time period based on the measurement signal and generating an actuation signal to affect toilet tank flush volume.
- a valve is connected to receive the actuation signal. The valve increasing or decreasing toilet tank flush volume.
- a toilet monitor comprises a toilet tank water level sensor producing a toilet tank water level measurement signal.
- An electronic circuit is connected to receive the measurement signal. The electronic circuit determines an anomaly in water flow within the toilet bowl based on the toilet tank water level measurement signal.
- FIG. 1 is a cutaway view of an example non-limiting exemplary conventional prior art toilet tank
- FIG. 2 shows the FIG. 1 conventional prior art toilet tank and conventional toilet bowl prior to being flushed
- FIG. 2A shows conventional prior art toilet bowl internal plumbing details
- FIG. 3 shows the FIG. 2 toilet after the flapper has been opened and water is flowing from the tank into the bowl to evacuate the bowl;
- FIG. 3A shows the conventional prior art FIG. 1 tank during a flushing operation into a clogged bowl
- FIG. 4 shows overflow of a conventional toilet
- FIG. 5 is an elevated perspective view of an exemplary illustrative non-limiting conventional prior art water fill valve
- FIG. 5A shows an elevated perspective detail of the FIG. 5 conventional prior art water fill valve with protective cap removed
- FIG. 5B shows an elevated perspective detail of the inside of the FIG. 5 prior art fill valve protective cap
- FIG. 5C shows a more detailed partially disassembled view of the FIG. 5 prior art conventional fill valve
- FIG. 6 shows an example of a mechanized water termination or interruption assembly that snaps onto the cap of conventional fill valve
- FIG. 6A shows a mechanized water termination or interruption assembly in view of a conventional fill valve to which it is to be attached
- FIGS. 35 and 36 show example non-limiting block diagrams of toilet monitoring systems
- FIG. 37 shows an example non-limiting state diagram
- FIG. 38 shows an example non-limiting functional analysis diagram
- FIG. 7 shows an in-tank toilet monitoring and control system including a monitoring device, a solenoid valve, and various water heights representing several different possible tank refill termination levels which correlate directly to flush volumes.
- FIG. 8 illustrates a conventional toilet tank in cutaway side-view showing water levels which correspond to different normal modes of operation and failure modes of operation;
- FIG. 9 illustrates a conventional toilet tank in cutaway side-view showing water levels which correspond to different normal modes and failure modes of operation, with the in-tank version of the toilet monitoring and control system mounted to, and extending into, the toilet tank;
- FIG. 10 shows the conventional toilet as the bowl is being evacuated by water flowing from the tank into the bowl
- FIG. 11 is a cutaway front-facing view of an example toilet after an intentional flush operation, with the tank refilling through the fill valve after the flapper has returned to its down and sealed position;
- FIG. 12 is a close-up internal view of a toilet tank leaking due to a defective flapper
- FIG. 13A is a cutaway view of an example toilet tank representing the abnormal increasing water height due to a faulty fill valve which fails to terminate water flow in response to the maximum height of the float;
- FIG. 13B is a cutaway view of an example toilet tank refilling through the fill valve after sufficient water has leaked out through the defective flapper to cause a tank refill to begin;
- FIG. 14 shows the circuit diagram for a common resistive fixed point fluid level sensor
- FIG. 15 shows the operational circuit diagram of a commercially available type of capacitive fluid level sensor
- FIG. 15A shows the operational circuit diagram for a type of capacitive sensor that uses the fluid container vertical housing as the dielectric and the fluid as one plate of the capacitor;
- FIG. 16 shows a typical Hartley oscillator whose frequency changes in response to the capacitor value, and a corresponding square wave that is produced in response to the change in capacitance;
- FIG. 16A shows a typical unijunction transistor-type relaxation oscillator whose frequency changes in response to the capacitor value, and the corresponding output waveform
- FIG. 16B shows a simple resistor-capacitor (RC) type pulse measurement circuit connected to a microcontroller, and a corresponding pulse that is produced by the microcontroller input port in response to the discharge time of the capacitor;
- RC resistor-capacitor
- FIG. 17 shows the exemplary integrated circuit (IC) type oscillator-divider using a precision resistor-capacitor (RC) type oscillator with a binary divider circuit, and a corresponding square wave that is produced in response to the change in capacitance, and an example microcontroller connected to the oscillator-divider;
- IC integrated circuit
- RC resistor-capacitor
- FIG. 18A shows a capacitive water height sensor containing a single uninsulated wire and a single vertical insulated wire
- FIG. 18B shows the exemplary capacitive water height sensor containing a single uninsulated wire and a U-shaped single insulated wire
- FIG. 18C shows the FIG. 18A capacitive water height sensor submerged in liquid
- FIG. 19 shows an exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system with the exemplary capacitive water height sensor and the electronic control and annunciation module located inside the toilet tank;
- FIG. 20 graphically represents an example complete flush cycle of a typical tank-based toilet that is functioning properly with no blockages or obstructions, by tank water height and time;
- FIG. 20A graphically represents an example tank evacuation of FIG. 20 by tank water height and time
- FIG. 20B graphically represents an example tank evacuation of FIG. 20 by tank water height and interval
- FIG. 20C graphically represents an example tank refill of FIG. 20 by tank water height and time
- FIG. 20D graphically represents an example tank refill of FIG. 20 by tank water height and interval
- FIGS. 20E-1 through 20E-4 is a data listing by tank water height and time of the FIG. 20 graph
- FIGS. 21 graphically represents an example complete flush cycle of a typical tank-based toilet with a blocked siphon jet, by tank water height and time;
- FIG. 21A graphically represents an example tank evacuation of FIG. 21 by tank water height and time
- FIG. 21B graphically represents an example tank evacuation of FIG. 21 by tank water height and interval
- FIG. 21C graphically represents an example tank refill of FIG. 21 by tank water height and time
- FIG. 21D graphically represents an example tank refill of FIG. 21 by tank water height and interval
- FIGS. 21E-1 through 21E-5 is an example data listing by tank water height and time of the FIG. 21 graph
- FIG. 22 graphically represents example back-to-back flushes of a typical tank-based toilet with a 95% blocked drain pipe, by tank water height and time;
- FIG. 22A graphically represents an example first flush tank evacuation of FIG. 22 by tank water height and time
- FIG. 22B graphically represents an example first flush tank evacuation of FIG. 22 by tank water height and interval
- FIG. 22C graphically represents an example second flush tank evacuation of FIG. 22 by tank water height and time
- FIG. 22D graphically represents an example second flush tank evacuation of FIG. 22 by tank water height and interval
- FIG. 23 graphically shows an example sequence of 4 phantom flushes, followed by a period of time in which the fill valve is in equilibrium, and then a final phantom flush, by tank water height and time;
- FIG. 24 graphically shows an example tank water height response to a fill valve termination failure with respect to time
- FIG. 25 graphically shows an example normal tank evacuation of an average tank-based toilet, followed by an example wide-open flush valve that prevents the refill of the tank, by tank water height and time;
- FIG. 26 shows the FIG. 20 graph of an example normal unimpeded flush cycle of a typical tank-based toilet compared with the FIG. 21 flush cycle graph of the same toilet when the siphon jet is blocked and thereby preventing bowl evacuation, by tank water height and time.
- FIG. 27 shows an example 2-dimensional cross-section of a typical tank-based toilet as viewed from overhead
- FIG. 28A-C show an exemplary non-limiting toilet monitoring and intelligent control system with the exemplary capacitive water height sensor located inside the toilet tank and the electronic control and annunciation module located outside the toilet tank;
- FIG. 29 shows an example power-up sequence and main loop flowchart of a microcontroller-based operating system of the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system
- FIG. 30 shows an example flush detection flowchart of a microcontroller-based operating system of the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system
- FIG. 31 shows an example user pushbutton flowchart of a microcontroller-based operating system of the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system
- FIG. 32 shows an example user alerts flowchart of a microcontroller-based operating system of the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system
- FIG. 33 shows an example datalogging flowchart of a microcontroller-based operating system of the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system.
- FIGS. 34A & 34B show example non-limiting toilet suction port operation.
- Equilibrium Failure The first failure exhibited by a high percentage of fill valves tested—even when new right out of the box—is what we will term herein as an “Equilibrium Failure”. Equilibrium failures occur when the toilet is leaking, the water level in the tank is dropping, but the fill valve fails to refill the tank. Instead, the fill valve only partially opens and begins to allow water into the tank at the same volumetric rate as that of the leak, hence reaching a “state of equilibrium”, specifically meaning that the water-in (entering from the water supply line) to the fill valve is exactly equal to the water-out (that which is draining into the tank and ultimately into the toilet bowl).
- a phantom flush is generally recognized as the periodic audible “whooosh” sound made by a properly working fill valve when the water level in the tank has dropped due to a leak, with the float on the fill valve responding by allowing water to refill the tank, producing tank turbulence and thereby causing the audible sound.
- FIGS. 1, 2 & 2A show an exemplary illustrative non-limiting modern (prior art) toilet 50 comprising a tank 52 and a bowl 54 .
- the tank 52 holds a quantity of water W.
- Pulling on the flush handle 56 causes a lever 58 to lift a chain 60 , which in turn raises a “flapper” 62 at the bottom of the tank 52 .
- Flapper 62 is a kind of valve that flaps open and closed.
- chain 60 raises flapper 62 off of flush valve seat 65 water W from the tank 52 rushes downward through an opening into the bowl 54 . This inrush of water flows through rim holes 55 a and siphon jet 55 b (see FIG. 2A ).
- This water inrush increases the water pressure within the bowl, forcing water through exhaust port 63 and past vapor trap 55 c beneath the bowl and down into waste pipe 57 .
- This flow of water and waste into the waste pipe 57 creates a strong siphon that evacuates the bowl through exhaust port 63 , producing the characteristic flushing sound familiar to most people.
- the bowl 54 is molded so that the water enters the rim, and some of it drains out through holes in the rim. A good portion of the water flows through a passageway down to a larger hole at the bottom of the bowl as shown in FIG. 2A .
- This passageway and hole is known as the siphon jet 55 b . It releases most of the water directly into siphon jet 55 b . Because all of the water in tank 52 enters bowl 54 in a very short time (e.g., three seconds), it is enough to produce the siphon effect, and all of the water and waste in the bowl is sucked out.
- toilets While toilets are generally reliable, they can malfunction from time to time, as previously noted. Perhaps the most common malfunction is when the flapper 62 remains partially open, leaks, or is misaligned, causing the toilet to “run.” A stuck-open flapper 62 can waste a lot of water. This can be a serious problem, especially in cases of water shortages or droughts. Sometimes the fix is as simple as jiggling the flush handle 56 . Other times, it is necessary to replace the flapper 62 . It is occasionally possible to detect the flapper 62 's failure to close by listening for water running continuously into the tank 52 , although the sound of trickling water can be barely audible. But suppose the trickling water is at least somewhat audible. Often, people are not home to hear the water running.
- a running toilet can waste a lot of water but usually does not present health hazards.
- An overflowing toilet on the other hand, can be a serious household hygiene disaster—as anyone who has ever had to clean up the consequences knows very well. Watching water rise to the top edge of a toilet bowl is a fearful experience. Overflowing toilet bowls can spread germs and disease, cause structural damage to homes and businesses, contribute to toxic mold, and cause other bad effects.
- FIG. 3 shows an example normal evacuation situation and FIG. 3A shows an example clogged toilet situation.
- debris e.g., a child's toy, excess quantities of toilet paper, a massive poop volcano, etc.
- FIG. 3A shows an example clogged toilet situation.
- debris e.g., a child's toy, excess quantities of toilet paper, a massive poop volcano, etc.
- FIG. 3A shows an example clogged toilet situation.
- Toilets can also overflow if the water level in the bowl 54 starts out higher than normal when the toilet is flushed. As FIG. 4 shows, when a toilet bowl 54 is clogged so that a single flush doesn't flush the bowl's contents away, some people will flush the toilet a second time in the hope that the additional water will push the bowl contents down through the outlet pipe 63 . Additional flushing rarely clears the clog, but can easily cause a toilet bowl to overflow, as will be described in detail later in the specification.
- the second flush often overflows the bowl because when the bowl water height is substantially higher—or not—due to a previous flush AND the drain is partially or fully clogged, a further flush will fill the bowl, preventing the flapper from seating because the tank will not drain sufficiently to allow the positive buoyancy of the flapper to seat; and when the water-in from the fill valve exceeds the water-out of the obstructed drain, the overflow will occur at the delta differential rate, which can be several gallons per minute of contaminated water going over the edge of the bowl and onto the floor)
- flush valve and fill valve designs have made it possible to better control the volume-per-flush of many toilets, while dual-flush toilets have allowed users and property managers to control flush volumes on the basis of the need to evacuate solid or liquid waste. To-date, however, flush volumes are still primarily a function of preset fill valves and flush valves, or a user-based decision on dual-flush capable toilets.
- the exemplary illustrative non-limiting technology described herein provides a new and useful apparatus, located within or on the toilet tank, which can detect different types of toilet and toilet component failures that lead to water loss and/or damage and, in several embodiments, terminate the actual water flow in order to prevent the same.
- Exemplary illustrative non-limiting technology is for use with tank-based flush toilets comprising float-based or pressure-based fill valves, flush valves, and wherein the tank water evacuates into a toilet bowl for the purpose of waste removal.
- the method and system includes a water height and water rate-of-change responsive detection method, and may or may not include a user alert and/or correspondingly responsive water termination method.
- Exemplary illustrative non-limiting technology is further described for use with tank-based flush toilets, said non-limiting technology using toilet tank-located sensors in conjunction with unique linear and non-linear algorithms for detecting imminent toilet bowl overflows without the use of toilet bowl sensors.
- the method and system includes a real-time water height and water rate responsive detection method, and may or may not include a user alert and/or correspondingly responsive water termination method.
- Exemplary illustrative non-limiting steps include removing the toilet tank lid, inserting the assembly on, over, or around the tank wall or fill valve, and automatically determining toilet or toilet component failures that result in unintentional water loss or water damage, alerting the user or property manager and, when connected, attached, or integrated into a fill valve, conditionally interferes with said fill valve to terminate or override the normal operation of said fill valve.
- a circuit and method using a novel type of capacitive water height sensor capable of real-time tracking of water height, linear and non-linear water slope data analysis indicating intentional and unintentional water flow, and identifying the toilet components responsible for water loss and/or water damage;
- a novel type of relative capacitive water height sensor, circuitry, and method which does not require calibration or user set-up, which is exclusively deployed in the toilet tank while able to detect anomalies that occur within the toilet bowl;
- a novel type of capacitive water height sensor, circuitry, and method the operation and accuracy of which is not negatively impaired or affected by changes in water pressure, temperature, salinity, contamination, or electrode electrolysis;
- An operating system that the user or property manager can customize to determine the type of toilet problems to be detected and the corresponding desired alerts and actions that result from the problems detected;
- a tamper-proof feature for property management and hospitality whereby the novel capacitive water height sensor and operating system activate a self-contained or remote alarm in the event the device is removed from the water in the event of theft, damage, or tampering;
- a water height monitoring algorithm capable of detecting and providing alerts for leaks, wide-open flush valves, toilet overflows, faulty flush valves, faulty fill valves, and various toilet failures generally not noticed and/or corrected by users and property managers;
- Remote telemetry and remote control capability which alerts non-resident or property management personnel to problems and/or allows non-resident personnel to selectively gain access to the toilet monitoring and intelligent control system in order to facilitate a response or repair;
- Digital and/or analog output capabilities for facilitating remote control, telemetry, or selectively controlling actuators and/or valves connected to the toilet water feed line, fill valve, or flush valve, in order to terminate or mitigate water flow;
- the system and method described herein is capable of determining both the proper and improper operation of most tank-based toilets, advising the user or property manager accordingly and, as will be described in various embodiments, terminating water flow in order to prevent water loss and/or damage.
- a further capability of the system and method allows for the automatic adjustment of flush volumes in order to minimize water use as a function of the actual toilet users over time.
- “intentional” operation of the toilet is that which the user initiates, generally referring to “flushing the toilet”.
- “Unintentional” operation is any problem or failure related to the toilet in which water is wasted or water damage occurs, as the occurrence and result of such is unintended by the user.
- conventional fill valve 66 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 functions to control the flow of water into the tank 52 of a toilet 50 .
- the fill valve 66 allows water to flow into the tank 52 until the tank is full, and then stops the flow of water.
- the fill valve 66 senses the decrease in water level within the tank 52 and once again allows water to flow into the tank until the tank is again full.
- the fill valve 66 senses the decrease in water level based on the position of a buoyant “float” 112 that floats on the surface of the water within the toilet tank 52 .
- float 112 When float 112 falls, this typically indicates that the water level within tank 52 has dropped because someone has flushed the toilet.
- Fill valve 66 responds by letting more water flow into the tank 52 .
- float 112 rises to a certain height, fill valve 66 responds by stopping the flow of water into the tank 52 .
- the particular conventional fill valve 66 shown in FIG. 5 includes a shaft like valve body 102 with a stem 104 that protrudes through a hole in the bottom of a toilet tank 52 .
- Water under pressure from a household or other cold water plumbing system is fed through the stem 104 into the valve body 102 .
- a conventional cold water feed toilet tank fitting is used to feed pressurized water from the cold water feed line (see FIG. 2A ) into the stem.
- Threads 104 a may mate with a conventional lock nut (not shown) to firmly attach and seal the fill valve 66 to the toilet tank 52 .
- a flange 106 and associated shank washer forms part of this seal and also supports the fill valve 66 so it remains in a vertically upright position within the tank 52 .
- a threaded shank 107 concentric to and surrounding fill valve body 102 provides a height adjustment mechanism. By rotating shank 107 relative to valve body 102 , the sleeve ascends or descends on the valve body along threads 108 .
- This height adjustment allows the end user to adapt fill valve 66 to a variety of differently sized toilet tanks and plumbing fixture arrangements, while also being the primary method for setting the total volume of water used during a flush.
- a plastic ring 110 retains the shank 107 on valve body 102 so that it does not slip off under location by the end user.
- One exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation provides a height adjustment of up to five inches using this arrangement. See “Fluidmaster 400A Fill Valve Installation Instructions” Part No. 4-743 Rev. 1 (8/05) incorporated herein by reference.
- Float 112 is retained by, and moves relative to, valve body 102 .
- float 112 includes an upper portion 112 a and a lower portion 112 b .
- Upper portion 112 a and lower portion 112 b are each hollow cups.
- Upper and lower portions 112 a , 112 b are fastened together using conventional techniques to provide a waterproof fastening and thereby function as a flotation device, which is buoyant and therefore floats on or near the surface of the water.
- float 112 has defined therethrough a cylindrical channel 114 .
- Cylindrical channel 114 has a diameter that exceeds the outer diameter of shank 107 .
- Float 112 is designed so that the cylindrical channel inner wall 114 a also provides a waterproof barrier to the hollow interior of float 112 .
- ridges that are vertically oriented on the cylindrical channel wall 114 a nearly contact or do contact the shank 107 outer diameter to provide a low friction centering arrangement that is resistant to trapped debris and allows float 112 to freely move vertically on shank 107 as the water level changes within a toilet tank.
- a protective cap or top 118 is used to protect an internal needle valve 117 that is disposed within an upper valve body 120 .
- Needle valve 117 is a pin diaphragm type valve.
- a pin 119 is connected to a sealing diaphragm 121 .
- lever 122 When lever 122 is pushed up, the pin 119 pushes down on the diaphragm 121 which seals the valve so no water flows through the fill valve 66 .
- lever 122 moves vertically downward, the pin 119 lifts the diaphragm 121 to open the seal.
- the needle valve 117 opens and water is permitted to flow from valve body 102 to outlet port 124 and also down through valve body 102 to water exit ports 123 at the bottom of the fill valve near flange 106 .
- protective cap 118 protects the needle valve 117 but is not involved in the operation of the valve.
- This cap 118 has a snap fit, and is designed to be removable to allow users to clean or replace the needle valve 117 .
- Retaining projections 118 b molded within the inside of cap 118 allow the cap to be removably snap-fit onto mating structures 117 a extending from needle valve 117 .
- a partially cylindrically channeled, threaded retaining projection 126 formed integrally with or attached to float upper portion 112 a (see FIG. 5A-C ).
- An end 122 a of lever 122 terminates in a horseshoe shaped retaining portion 128 .
- a vertically oriented water level adjustment rod 130 is loosely coupled to the lever end 122 a and to projection 126 .
- Rod 130 may provide a threaded portion 132 to provide adjustability.
- the rod 130 is retained within the horseshoe-shaped portion 128 .
- An end user can rotate rod 130 to provide adjustments between the rod threads 132 and threaded projection 126 .
- flapper 62 opens and tank 52 evacuates into bowl 54 . This causes the water level in tank 52 to drop. Gravity then exerts a downward pull on float 112 . This causes float 112 to descend along shank 107 . Rod 130 descends with float 112 . As rod 130 descends, it exerts a downward force on lever 122 . This downward force on lever 122 causes the lever to pull up on pin 119 , which causes the needle valve 117 to open and water to flow through the fill valve 66 into the toilet tank 52 .
- the float 112 is buoyant and floats on or near the surface of the water. As the water level increases, it raises the level of float 112 . As float 112 rises, it exerts an upward pressure onto rod 130 which in turn raises the lever 122 . When the lever 122 has been raised sufficiently, it exerts a downward force on pin 119 to seal the needle valve 117 . Water then ceases to flow into the tank through fill valve 66 . In this state, the toilet tank is full and the toilet is ready to be flushed.
- this particular fill valve 66 shown in FIGS. 5, 5A, 5B and 5C is well designed, highly reliable and is capable of delivering long periods of trouble-free service, further evidenced by the millions of valves sold annually by the manufacturer through hardware stores and home improvement centers. As will be explained shortly, there are fill valves of inferior quality also available on the market that exhibit certain failures due to poor design and construction. Referring back to the fill valve 66 herein identified, it should be apparent that the proper operation of fill valve 66 depends entirely on the position of float 112 . When float 112 is in its lower position, fill valve 66 allows water to flow into the toilet tank 52 . When float 112 is in its uppermost position, flow valve 66 stops water from flowing into the toilet tank 52 . The operation of fill valve 66 is thus completely dependent on the position of float 112 , which in turn is completely dependent (under normal conditions) on the height of the water within the toilet tank 52 .
- FIG. 6 shows an example of a mechanized water termination or interruption assembly that snaps onto the cap of conventional fill valve
- FIG. 6A shows a mechanized water termination or interruption assembly in view of a conventional fill valve to which it is to be attached
- FIG. 13A shows a typical toilet tank cross-section with various water heights corresponding to different toilet tank and component operation, as well as various water heights corresponding to different types of failures.
- tank 52 When the flapper or flush valve is leaking (as is more fully described in detail in the next section, “EXEMPLARY PRIOR ART FLUSH VALVE DESIGN, OPERATION, AND FAILURE MODES”), tank 52 's water level will drop. When the fill valve float 112 drops to valve-turn-on water level 81 as shown in FIG. 13B , a properly functioning fill valve 66 will turn on and refill tank 52 to valve-turn-off water level 80 . This type of tank refill is often referred to as a “phantom flush”, and can often be audibly heard nearby as Canfield et al describes in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 8,310,369.
- the first problem overlooked is that the fill valve equilibrium failure also allows water to bleed into siphon tube 203 , which then dumps into overflow tube 199 and down into bowl 54 .
- Extensive measurements of various types of fill valves exhibiting equilibrium demonstrate that the siphon tube 203 additional flow is approximately 30% of the volume leaking through flush valve 61 . For example, for every 10 gallons of water that leak through the flush valve, an additional 3 gallons are additionally wasted through the siphon tube 103 .
- a third problem associated with equilibrium failure is that extensive testing has shown that once a fill valve exhibits this type of failure, the fill valve is likely to also begin exhibiting termination failures, as was previously described. This compounded problem has often led to home and business owners replacing flapper 62 to solve the toilet leak problem, which thereby prevents fill valve equilibrium failure, only to have the fill valve exhibit termination failure, which results in continued unintentional water loss that often goes undetected.
- FIGS. 2 and 3 show flush valve assembly 61 in both the closed and open positions, respectively.
- flush handle 56 is pressed downward, raising lever 58 upward, which raises chain 60 , which in turn raises flapper 62 off of flush valve seat 65 .
- Water W begins to escape out of tank 52 through flush valve 61 and into bowl 54 while flapper 62 , which has positive buoyancy, remains open until water W drops to flapper-close water level 83 , at which time flapper 62 closes and effectively seats and seals flush valve seat 65 , thereby stopping the flow of water from tank 52 into bowl 54 .
- fill valve 66 is open and filling tank 52 with water W which continues to rise until the valve-turn-off water level 80 is reached, at which time float 112 turns off the fill valve 66 water flow.
- a properly working flush valve 61 will completely seal and prevent water flow from tank 52 to bowl 54 when flapper 62 is seated upon flush valve seat 65 .
- Flapper 62 can fail to completely seat and seal flush valve seat 65 , causing a leak from tank 52 into bowl 54 .
- toilet 50 has just completed an entire flush cycle, as has been previously and fully detailed herein.
- FIG. 8 Water W is now at valve-turn-off water level 80 , which has raised float 112 and lever 122 , causing fill valve 66 to terminate water flow into tank 52 .
- flapper 62 is leaking tank 52 into bowl 54 , Water W will slowly begin to drop inside tank 52 .
- fill valve 66 When Water W drops to valve-turn-on water level 81 and fill valve 66 is working correctly, float 112 and lever 122 cause fill valve 66 to turn on and refill tank 52 , producing what was previously identified herein as a “phantom flush”. If fill valve 66 is not functioning properly and instead exhibits an equilibrium failure, water will bleed into tank 52 at the same rate as it enters fluid fill line 64 , while also producing additional flow through siphon tube 203 , which drains into overflow tube 199 and then into bowl 54 , as was previously described in detail.
- toilet leaks can occur, such as the deterioration of the bolts and sealing washers which attach tank 52 to bowl 54 , deterioration of the flush valve seat 65 or the sealing gasket below it, etc.
- flapper 62 becomes stuck in an open position or is misaligned or otherwise does not seal properly.
- the fill valve 66 may never fill the toilet tank 52 with sufficient water to raise float 112 to an upper position. Instead, all water that fill valve 66 delivers into toilet tank 52 might be immediately (or soon) exhausted through the passage between the tank 52 and bowl 54 that flapper 62 is designed to seal under normal non-flushing conditions.
- the owner may receive a huge water bill for water that flows through the toilet and is wasted.
- a “running” toilet can overflow a tank, causing water damage while simultaneously draining into the nearby drinking water supply that the in-ground tank was supposed to protect. Adding insult to injury, this type of “running” toilet often goes undetected.
- flapper hinge 422 on flapper 62 is stuck to overflow tube 199 ;
- Chain 60 gets hung up or caught on, or around, lever 58 or flapper 62 , which most frequently occurs when flush handle 56 is impatiently slapped or banged, or when chain 60 's length has been improperly set during installation or flapper 62 replacement;
- a purchased “Universal Flapper” to replace flapper 62 does not properly seat on flush valve 61 , resulting in a significant gap which results in excessive water flow into bowl 54 ;
- Flush handle 56 sticks or rubs against tank 52 , preventing flapper 62 from seating on flush valve 61 ;
- Flapper hinges 422 are weakened or degraded, allowing flapper 62 excessive side-to-side movement that occurs when water W from water exit ports 123 of fill valve 66 “push” flapper 62 during the flush cycle, preventing proper seating of flapper 62 on flush valve 61 .
- Seldom used bathrooms such as those in a basement or in a remote area of a dwelling, can have wide-open flush valves go undetected for extensive periods of time;
- flapper 62 fails to close, the overflow can occur within seconds and, as will be described shortly herein, there is a reason why flapper 62 may fail to close during a single user-initiated flush.
- the flapper 62 closes as it is supposed to do when the tank 52 is emptied when there is a clog or blockage preventing bowl 54 evacuation. This situation will allow water flowing through fill valve 66 to begin filling tank 52 . If fill valve 66 operates normally, it will continue to fill the tank 52 until float 112 has risen sufficiently to close the fill valve. Now the toilet tank 52 is full of water and the toilet is ready to flush once again.
- bowl 52 is also now full of water. Any additional water delivered into the bowl cannot escape through waste pipe 57 due to the blockage 63 .
- Another flush i.e., by depressing the flush handle 56 ) will nevertheless once again open flapper 62 and cause the water within tank 52 to be expelled into the already-full bowl 54 .
- This can cause an overflow of bowl 54 , as shown in FIG. 4 .
- the overflow occurs even though fill valve 66 is operating normally and functioning exactly as intended because the water height in clogged toilet bowl 54 is preventing water W in tank 52 from rapidly evacuating, resulting in example water height 81 preventing positive buoyancy flapper 62 from closing.
- toilet overflows generally occur when the water volume entering the tank through fill valve 66 exceeds the water exiting through exhaust port 63 , which prevents flapper 62 from closing because the water level W in tank 52 forces flapper 62 to float instead of closing and sealing off flush valve seat 65 .
- this type of toilet problem is readily detected by the toilet monitoring and intelligent control system described herein
- Aesthetics is also a practical matter when it comes to cleanliness, as the ability to completely and easily clean the toilet surfaces and bowl is an important design consideration that is often overlooked by those who focus only on the problem, instead of the market and how users must necessarily interact—and in this case, clean—the product.
- the ideal device described herein is inexpensive, installs in seconds without tools, requires no calibration or set-up, does not compromise toilet aesthetics or present a barrier to cleanliness, yet absolutely identifies a multitude of toilet anomalies and problems and quickly alerts the user or property manager accordingly in order to prevent excessive water loss or damage, or automatically terminates water flow when the anomalies and problems are detected.
- FIGS. 28A, 28B, 28C show an example non-limiting monitoring device 340 .
- Monitoring device 340 includes an annunciator module 350 and a probe 308 .
- annunciator module 350 provides a user interface 807 .
- user interface 807 may be relatively simple and low cost, consisting of indicator lights 808 and a push button 810 .
- an audible annunciator 809 (which may be within enclosure 350 ) provides audible output. Any number of indicators 808 may be used, and may comprise any technology including but not limited to light emitting diodes.
- FIG. 28A embodiment user interface 807 is non-limiting, but is preferred for at least some applications that require minimal cost and power usage as well as simplicity of operation.
- a probe 308 is fixedly attached to annunciator module 350 .
- probe 308 includes several conductors 310 , 314 and a spacer 374 .
- the conductors 310 , 314 include an uninsulated conductor 310 and an insulated conductor 314 .
- the uninsulated conductor 310 when immersed in the water of a toilet tank provides direct electrical current conduction path into the water. The amount of conduction depends on several factors including the mineral content of the water.
- the other conductor 314 is insulated and is thus not electrically connected to the surrounding water in the toilet tank.
- This other conductor 314 acts as a second plate of the two-plate capacitor.
- the equivalent circuit to conductors 310 , 314 is thus a 2-plate variable capacitor—with the capacitance between the two plates varying based on the level or height of the water into which the conductors are immersed as well as the mineral content, temperature and other characteristics of that water, and the length of at least the conductor 314 . Since temperature and mineral content of the water in the toilet tank are relatively stable and do not change erratically, they can be ignored or compensated for when measuring the capacitance between the two plates.
- insulated conductor 314 comprises a loop or “U” that is insulated over its entire length. Spacing between the conductor 310 and the conductor 314 is constrained by a spacer 374 including holes 375 through which the conductors 310 , 314 pass as shown. Spacer 374 can be made of any light-weight non-conductive material such as plastic. In other embodiments, conductor 314 could comprise a single non-looped conductor or have other configurations. Similarly, in other embodiments, conductors 310 , 314 need not be parallel to one another over the entire lengths, nor would they need to be coextensive in length.
- the conductors 310 , 314 are hard-wired into the annunciator module 350 , exit the top of the annunciator module and are bent 90° at a bend 377 .
- This bend 377 is used as a hanger to hang monitoring device 340 on the lip of a toilet tank with the annunciator module 350 external to the tank and the probe 308 hanging down within the tank.
- Other material insulating tubing 370 can be used to protect the portions of conductors 310 , 314 that are in contact with the toilet tank lip and to also reduce transmitted vibration and allow compression of the rubber tubing when the toilet tank lid is in place.
- Such rubber tubing 370 thus allows the toilet tank lid to lock the monitoring device 340 in place so it does not move much in response to water turbulence within the tank.
- a bumper 376 may be provided to space the probe 308 away from the inside wall of the toilet tank, and spacer 372 similarly can be used to provide such spacing.
- FIG. 19 shows an alternative embodiment in which a waterproof annunciator module 300 is configured to be disposed inside the toilet tank (some customers might not want to see the annunciator module).
- the annunciator module 300 hangs from the toilet tank lip by hangers 332 , and the conductors 310 , 314 hangs downward from the module.
- the module 330 may be further equipped with a wireless communications capability (e.g., antenna 334 ) to wirelessly communicate with a monitoring network, LAN or the like via Wi-Fi, WAN, Bluetooth or any other convenient wireless technology.
- a wireless communications capability e.g., antenna 334
- Such wireless communications enables module 330 to communicate alerts to a user, management office or other remote location without the need to remove the toilet tank lid.
- Such installations might find particular application in hotels, rental properties, or ordinary homes or businesses equipped with IOT (Internet of Things) hubs or Wi-Fi networks.
- IOT Internet of Things
- FIGS. 35 and 36 show example high level schematic block diagrams for a monitoring device 340 .
- a microcontroller 644 powered by a battery 640 receives measurement signals from a sensor 648 via an oscillator 646 .
- the microcontroller 644 analyzes the received measurement signals and conditionally generates alerts 642 via a user interface.
- the oscillator 646 is omitted and microcontroller 644 directly interacts with sensor 648 .
- FIG. 37 shows an example state diagram for the operation of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 .
- a monitoring device 340 being powered on (state 660 ) enters into a sleep mode until the microcontroller 644 detects that the sensor 648 has been placed in water (state 662 ).
- the power on state 660 is entered when the battery 640 is first connected to the monitoring device (e.g., at time of manufacture or in other embodiments, in the field).
- the microcontroller 644 occasionally wakes itself up and samples the measurement signal output by sensor 648 to detect whether the sensor has been placed in water.
- the measurement device 340 begins taking consecutive measurements and tracks and analyzes those measurements (state 666 ). It will alert the user to problems and/or turn the water off (in some embodiments) and/or log data (state 668 ). It performs such state transitions and functions continually, sleeping whenever possible to reduce the drain on battery power.
- FIG. 38 shows an example implementation of state 666 in one non-limiting implementation.
- the level sensor 648 produces a measurement signal that the microcontroller 644 analyzes by calculating rate of change (i.e., derivative) ⁇ L/ ⁇ T.
- the derived rate of change signal is then tested using n tests, with different tests or combinations of tests generating an activation signal.
- FIG. 14 shows a simple transistor-based circuit that turns on LED 705 when probes 700 and 702 both make contact with water.
- the NPN transistor turns on when the circuit detects conductivity between probes 700 , 702 , activating LED 705 .
- Resistive and potentiometer-type sensors also tend to drift substantially as liquid temperatures change, and it is not unusual for the pre-flush water temperature of a toilet tank to be substantially warmer or colder than the post-flush refilled tank temperature, resulting in measurement inaccuracies over a very short time duration which, for the purpose of discerning anomalies corresponding to changes in water height, could lead to numerous false positives or the inability to detect the anomalies and problems.
- Pressure sensors and transducers have long been used for water level and water height measurements. From a practical perspective, however, the sensors and transducers have been too costly to be practically considered for use in toilet tanks and bowls. In most instances, a pressure sensor or transducer is connected to an air tube that is submerged completely into the toilet tank or bowl. As the water height changes, the pressure in the tube changes.
- Printed circuit board sensor 720 is a side view of the front view of PCB sensor 722 , which is a 4-layer printed circuit board where the non-conductive layers act as dielectrics and the conductive layers form the plates of the capacitive, with the outer-most plate directly contacting the liquid.
- the capacitance-to-digital converter 723 is connected to reference sensor C 2 and level measurement sensor C 1 , and the water level is then determined by the relationship of C 1 /C 2 .
- FIG. 15 shows the operational circuit diagram of a commercially available type of capacitive fluid level sensor.
- the well-known circuit of the type shown in FIG. 15A can use two different types of sensor configurations, but does not require direct contact with the liquid to be measured.
- Sensor 725 and sensor 727 both show plates P 1 and P 2 as being positioned on the outside of a non-conductive liquid container wall.
- Circuit 728 is essentially a square wave oscillator formed by resistors R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , and capacitor C 2 .
- the varying capacitance of sensor 725 or sensor 727 corresponds to a change in the liquid level inside the container, resulting in a frequency change at the output of operational amplifier A 1 at test point TP 1 .
- circuit 728 is configured to illuminate lamp L 1 when a specific liquid level occurs within the container, it is obvious that the varying square wave output of operational amplifier A 1 could be directly resolved such as to indicate the liquid level inside the container.
- the quiescent current of the Analog Devices AD7746 capacitance-to-digital converter 723 is approximately 750 microamperes, which would preclude the use an ideal battery such as the CR2032 lithium cell that is widely available and perfect for consumer products as its maximum power delivery is limited to approximately 220 milliampere-hours.
- FIGS. 16, 16A, and 16B show three different example circuits that convert capacitance to measurable square waves or pulse widths.
- FIG. 16 is the classic and well-known Hartley oscillator 734 which those skilled in the art will immediately recognize, the frequency output of which is characterized by this equation:
- variable capacitor 730 1 2 ⁇ ⁇ ⁇ L T ⁇ C
- L T is either the inductance of inductor 731 , or the total cumulatively coupled inductance if multiple coils are used, which would also include their mutual inductance.
- the value of variable capacitor 730 would determine the frequency of sine wave 735 , which when directed to wave shaper 740 results in square wave 745 being generated.
- Square waves 746 and 747 reflect the change in frequency of sine wave 735 due to the increase in capacitance of variable capacitor 730 , as initially compared to square wave 745 .
- the output frequency of wave shaper 740 varies with respect to the change in capacitance of capacitor 730 .
- FIG. 16A is shows UJT relaxation oscillator 754 , also known as a unijunction transistor relaxation oscillator.
- F 1/(RC ln(1/(1 ⁇ ))
- ⁇ the intrinsic standoff ratio
- ln stand for natural logarithm.
- FIG. 16B shows another very simple approach to resolving the capacitance of any given capacitor or capacitive sensor.
- Circuit 759 consists of microcontroller 760 , resistor 762 , and capacitor 764 .
- Microcontroller 760 briefly takes port 765 low, or to ground, in order to fully discharge capacitor 764 .
- Port 765 is then made an input, at which time an internal timer begins counting in microcontroller 760 .
- capacitor 764 begins to charge through resistor 762 .
- the internal timer of microcontroller 760 is stopped.
- capacitor 764 can thus be measured in terms of elapsed time.
- This method of measurement, as performed by microcontroller 760 can therefore be repeated as often as possible, in precisely timed intervals, in order to determine the value of the varying capacitance as a function of time.
- FIG. 16B would offer the least expensive method for simple capacitive sensor water height measurement. But as will soon be described, in order to detect a wide variety of toilet-related problems as a function of the change of toilet tank water height, a high degree of resolution and measurement accuracy is necessary.
- the plates of capacitor 764 would have to be substantially large in order to produce distinguishably different pulse width resolutions relative to minute changes in water height, as a crucial determining factor is the microcontroller's clock speed, which establishes pulse width resolution. Microcontroller current consumption also increases with the clock speed, which reduces battery life. Another consideration is the overall capacitive sensor stability, which generally decreases as the plate surface area increases.
- the oscillator/divider circuit 815 shown in FIG. 17 shows an ideal low power approach and exhibits both a high degree of measurement accuracy with a physically small capacitive water height or fluid level sensor.
- Binary counter/oscillator IC 800 can be any of several conventional integrated circuits, like the CD4060 from Texas Instruments.
- RC oscillator circuit 820 is the exploded oscillator view of binary counter/oscillator IC 800 , which shows that capacitor 804 and resistors 805 and 806 set the fundamental oscillator frequency, which binary/divider oscillator IC 800 divides down to lower frequencies that are available on the various ports of IC 800 .
- resistors 805 and 806 are necessarily in the order of megohms.
- resistors 805 and 806 , and capacitor 804 are 1% tolerance or less, with very low temperature coefficients.
- the inexpensive CD4060 from Texas Instruments, when used as binary/divider oscillator IC 800 exhibits very little drift with respect to supply voltage, negating the need for a voltage regulator on battery operated circuits.
- FIG. 18A shows the basic mechanical and electrical construction of the novel capacitive water height or fluid level sensor.
- Uninsulated conductor 310 can be a bare copper, tinned, or gold-plated wire, but could also be virtually any conducting material which makes contact with the fluid or water, including the bolts which attach tank 52 to bowl 54 .
- Insulated conductor 311 is ideally an inexpensive enamel-coated wire, where center conductor 312 is copper wire and insulation 313 is the enamel coating. Insulated conductor 311 could also be virtually any electrical conductor that is fully covered with an insulator, such as a conformal-coated circuit board or similar.
- a variation of FIG. 18A is shown in the exemplary sensor of FIG.
- FIG. 18C shows the novel capacitive water height or fluid level sensor of FIG. 18A being inserted into water W to a water height H.
- Uninsulated conductor 310 makes direct electrical contact with water W, forming one plate of a capacitor as it surrounds insulated conductor 311 .
- the capacitance of the FIG. 18A sensor is a linear function of water height H.
- the exemplary sensor of FIG. 18B shows U-shaped insulated conductor 314 , which doubles the capacitance of the sensor in order to increase the resolution in terms of water height H.
- the sensor of FIG. 18A requires the very tip of insulated conductor 311 to also be fully isolated from the water, while the exemplary sensor of FIG.
- Microcontroller 801 preferably has very low quiescent current drain during operational and sleep modes, a configurable internal oscillator, program memory, EEPROM storage for datalogging, and sufficient ports for controlling the connected ancillary circuitry.
- the Microchip 16LF series of microcontrollers offers a wide selection of components that are perfect for this type of application.
- Water height measurement is initiated when port RC 0 of microcontroller 801 outputs logic “1”, herein interchangeably defined as HIGH, Vdd, or the positive power supply rail, which turns on binary counter/oscillator IC 800 .
- ports Q 4 through Q14 of binary counter/oscillator IC 800 initialize as logic “0”, herein interchangeably defined as LOW, GND, or the negative supply rail.
- the RC oscillator 820 section of binary counter/oscillator IC 800 comprised of resistor 805 , resistor 806 , capacitor 804 , and the exemplary water height sensor of FIG. 18B , immediately begins its astable operation.
- FIG. 1 logic “1”
- Vdd positive power supply rail
- the Q 4 output of binary counter/oscillator IC 800 is selected, which divides the fundamental frequency of RC oscillator 820 by 16. If the initial fundamental frequency of RC oscillator 820 is X, then the frequency at Q 4 would be X/16, and the t 1 period would be 1/(X/16). For example, assume an RC oscillator 820 frequency of 1,000 Hz at a given fixed water height. The Q 4 output would be 62.5 Hz, with a t 1 period of 16 milliseconds. Timing diagram 830 shows the output of Q 4 .
- Power-up of binary counter/oscillator IC 800 begins with Q 4 held LOW at oscillator power-up time 822 and remaining low for one-half of the normal t 1 period, shown as 1 ⁇ 2t 1 in FIG. 17 , or for 4 RC oscillator 820 clock cycles.
- Rising edge 824 occurs on the 5 th clock cycle, which causes microcontroller 801 port RA 2 to trigger an internal timer/counter.
- Falling edge 824 is detected by port RA 2 to terminate the internal timer/counter, the duration of which corresponds to the t 1 period of 8 RC oscillator 820 clock cycles, which varies as a function of the change in capacitance of the exemplary sensor of FIG. 18B .
- port RCO goes LOW and powers down binary counter/oscillator IC 800 to conserve battery power.
- the resolution of the internal timer/counter of microcontroller 801 determines the water height measurement resolution of the exemplary sensor of FIG. 18B . For example, if the internal timer/counter resolution is in 10 microsecond intervals and the RC oscillator 820 frequency of 1,000 Hz is assumed at a given fixed water height, the t 1 period of 8 milliseconds would be resolved as 800 increments, or bit counts, of the timer/counter. As will be explained shortly, each incremented timer/counter bit corresponds to a very precise and linear water height displacement amount.
- the RC oscillator 820 passive components, the variable capacitance range of the exemplary sensor of FIG. 18B , the internal oscillator frequency of microcontroller 801 , and the resolution of the internal timer/counter used to clock the t 1 interval, determine the water height accuracy and resolution of the toilet monitoring and intelligent control system.
- the combination of the exemplary sensor of FIG. 18B , the timing characteristics of microcontroller 801 , and the RC oscillator 820 have been optimized to produce a baseline t 1 period of approximately 300 bit counts when the total conductor length 314 L of uninsulated conductor 310 and insulated conductor 314 of FIG. 19 or FIG. 28 is approximately 13 inches in total length and having no contact with water.
- the internal timer/counter of microcontroller 801 increments approximately 324 bit counts, or approximately 3.25 bits for every 1/100th linear inch.
- the t 1 result of microcontroller 801 's internal timer/counter would be the baseline of 300 bits, plus 324 bits multiplied by 5 inches, for a total t 1 count of 1920 bits.
- the total resulting active microcontroller 810 and binary counter/oscillator IC 800 time required to determine t 1 is 19.2 milliseconds. Adding in the 1 ⁇ 2t 1 time of approximately 10 milliseconds, the total operational measurement conversion time is about 30 milliseconds.
- the average operational current during the complete measurement conversion cycle is less than 200 microamperes.
- the current required from the battery to power the circuits approaches a 6% duty cycle, or an average hourly drain of 12 microamperes.
- the microcontroller 801 is in the “sleep” or low-power mode during the remaining 94% of the time, drawing less than 2 microamperes. In view of the above current drain data, an average 225 mAh CR2032 lithium battery is more than capable of powering the preferred toilet monitoring and intelligent control system for up to 18 months without replacement.
- microcontroller 801 port RC 0 can enable binary counter/oscillator IC 800 to run continuously while port RA 2 and the internal timer/counter track sequential t 1 intervals, which provides the most accurate measurement of the water height with respect to time.
- the duty cycle of the resulting Q 4 square wave is approximately 50%, although it should be obvious that the HIGH and LOW time periods will vary during flush cycles.
- periodic measurement conversion cycles can be executed, as was previously described, and the resulting interval data analyzed for leaks and other toilet malfunctions, the methods of which are described below.
- FIG. 27 shows the top-down cross-section of the average tank-based toilet. From the trapezoidal measurements shown, the average area is approximately 113.375 inches. A gallon of water is 231 cubic inches. Therefore, a 1 inch displacement of water in tank 52 is approximately one-half gallon of water.
- the exemplary system described herein has the accuracy and resolution to track and detect intentional and unintentional water flow through tank 52 in virtually every mode of toilet operation including, but not limited to, flush cycles, leaks, wide-open flappers, overflows, and faulty fill valves.
- FIG. 21 through FIG. 26 show actual water height data gathered by the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system.
- the graphs will be used to demonstrate how the water height, as a function of time or cumulative water height intervals, can be used mathematically by equation, or with respect to time or intervals, in order to identify toilet problems and anomalies.
- binary counter/oscillator IC 800 is permitted to run non-stop in the astable mode when collecting any sequential data, such as during a flush cycle.
- FIG. 20 graphs the complete normal flush cycle of a properly working toilet that exhibits no anomalies or problems of any kind.
- FIGS. 20E-1 through 20E-4 shows a complete listing of the graphed data, which will be used herein for reference.
- Starting water height 900 shows the toilet tank 52 water height at the moment the toilet is flushed.
- Tank evacuation 902 is the relatively linear decrease in water height that occurs as toilet tank 52 drains into unobstructed bowl 54 through flush valve 61 .
- FIG. 20A shows only the tank evacuation 902 of FIG. 20 .
- the a and b constants can then be more accurately mathematically derived from the recorded data, if desired.
- the water height could be sampled one or more times during tank evacuation 902 , as a function of time, and stored for later comparison, the purpose for which will be described shortly.
- the water height in tank 52 could be sampled every one-half second and recorded. Recorded data during tank evacuation 902 can also be used to establish the rate of change of the data, in terms of water height with respect to time. From the FIGS.
- time is the cumulative function of the t 1 interval of binary counter/oscillator IC 800 , and is derived by adding the LOW time period immediately preceding a given t 1 interval, to the t 1 interval, as is cumulatively represented in the FIGS. 20E-1 through 20E-4 column identified as “Time”.
- FIG. 20B shows the normal tank evacuation profile of FIG. 20 of tank 52 water height as a function of interval, where the t 1 intervals are simply consecutively tracked on the graphs x-axis.
- the constants a and b are generally in the range of 0.000433 and 3.224E-6, respectively.
- the exemplary toilet monitoring and intelligent control system recognizes a flush when any t 1 interval falls below a predetermined setpoint of the average and/or standard deviation of 4 preceding t 1 intervals. For example, assume the water height W is stable in tank 52 with a bit count of 2500. When the user initiates a flush by pressing flush handle 56 and raising flapper 62 off of flush valve seat 65 , and water height W drops more than 50 bits within a single t 1 interval, the t 1 interval negative displacement compared to the average pre-flush water height W average and/or standard deviation indicates that a flush has occurred.
- FIG. 7 illustrates an example starting water height 94 before a flush is initiated, corresponding to starting water height 900 in FIG. 20 .
- Water heights 92 , 90 , and 88 show the successively lower water heights at the 1 second, 2 second, and 3 second intervals, respectively.
- That 2 or 3 seconds after the flush has been initiated provides enough recorded data for the complete normal flush profile to be mathematically derived, in terms of the a and b constants, particularly if the sample rate during the mentioned 2 or 3 seconds was substantially high.
- the now derived a and b constants can now be used, for example, at the 5 second mark during the same flush cycle, in order to determine if an anomaly or problem has occurred. For instance, using the actual data of FIGS.
- the graphed curve is the result of the changing interval time period that occurs as the water rises and the t 1 interval increases accordingly.
- the very linear and predictable consistency of the refill phase allows the exemplary system to accurately estimate the total volume of water for each flush cycle, as was previously described in terms of FIG. 27 , as well as the actual water flow rate into tank 52 from fill valve 66 . For example, if the starting water height in tank 52 is known prior to a flush cycle being initiated by the user, and the flush valve closure water height 904 is determined, the net difference in height as measured by the t 1 intervals, when multiplied by the tank 52 cross-section, will provide the total tank 52 flush volume.
- any of the anomalies and problems that produce unintentional water flow that results in any tank 52 change in water height can be calculated accurately by simply measuring water displacement with respect to time and, if desired, recording or datalogging the same.
- the tank refill 906 also allows the volumetric water flow of fill valve 66 into tank 52 to be calculated accurately, as any desired water height interval can be finitely measured in terms of both displacement and time.
- FIG. 20 The graph and corresponding data of FIG. 20 establish the baseline from which most toilet-related anomalies and problems can be compared and therefore detected, which include not only the tank-specific problems of leaks, wide-open flush valves, and faulty fill valves, but the bowl-specific problems of overflows and the user-related anomaly of double-flushes.
- FIG. 21 through FIG. 26 provide actual comparison data in graph form.
- FIG. 34A shows a top down view of the toilet bowl 54 and FIG. 34B shows a slightly rotated side view of the same toilet bowl 54 .
- flush valve 61 When a flush is initiated by the user and flush valve 61 is opened, water enters bowl 54 through water entry port 30 and begins to fill the empty interior water channels 40 , exiting into bowl 54 through siphon jet 55 b and rim holes 55 a , with intake water flow arrows 42 showing the direction of flow into bowl 54 and exhaust water flow arrows 44 showing the direction of flow out of the bowl.
- FIG. 20 reflects a profile which consistently and repeatedly mirrors tank evacuation equation trace 910 . But when obstruction 68 in FIG. 3A is in any way reducing the flow rate of water w 1 in bowl 54 , or if a blockage is present anywhere in or beyond exhaust port 63 , which in turn cause water w 1 in bowl 54 to begin to rise, the water evacuation of tank 52 through flush valve 61 into bowl 54 is impeded, resulting in a measurable change in tank evacuation 902 's profile. When water w 1 in bowl 54 continues to rise until rim holes 55 a are covered, the water flow from tank 52 into water channels 40 is further impeded, presenting the possibility of an imminent overflow if the water is not terminated immediately, the overflow being addressed herein shortly. FIG.
- FIG. 21 shows the graph of a complete single flush cycle when the siphon jet—also known as the siphon port—is blocked or there is an obstruction immediately in front of the siphon jet that is preventing the water in the toilet bowl from draining, as was just described above.
- flush valve closure water height 928 indicates that despite the blockage, flapper 62 has seated on flush valve seat 65 and closed flush valve 61 , preventing further water evacuation into bowl 54 from tank 52 .
- tank evacuation 926 is noticeably different from tank evacuation 902 shown in FIG. 20 .
- FIG. 26 shows the tank evacuation graphs of FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 overlaid onto as a single graph to make the visual comparison straightforward.
- Tank evacuation 926 which is the result of obstruction 68 , results in a slower evacuation of tank 52 . Comparing the data in FIGS. 20E-1 through 20E-4 with that in FIGS. 21E-1 through 21E-5 shows that within 4 seconds, the water height W in tank 52 of tank evacuation 926 is lagging behind that of tank evacuation 902 by nearly 165 bits, which is roughly equivalent to one-half inch in terms of actual water displacement. At 6 seconds the lag is nearly 265 bits, which is more than three-quarter inch difference in water displacement. It can readily be seen that the failure of bowl 54 to evacuate properly can be determined by either time or equation, as was previously discussed.
- FIG. 21B has been included to show the graph of the obstructed bowl with respect to water height and interval.
- FIG. 21C and FIG. 21D show the tank refill with by time and interval, respectively.
- FIG. 21 graphs the complete flush profile when only a single flush is initiated by the user.
- a severe blockage of exhaust port 68 often results in an elevated water height w 1 in bowl 54 for a period of time following that initial flush.
- the toilet is often flushed a second time shortly after the first flush, and often before the first flush cycle has completed, which frequently results in bowl 54 overflowing.
- FIG. 22 shows the graph of a back-to-back flushes within a brief time interval when an obstruction is preventing exhaust port 68 from evacuating bowl 54 .
- first flush tank evacuation 964 is more than 10 seconds in duration, during which time bowl water height w 1 is rising in bowl 54 due to the obstruction.
- Flush valve closure water height 970 shows that flapper 62 closed at the approximate water height 83 , as shown in FIG. 8 , and first flush tank refill 972 occurred within the expected approximately 45 seconds, but shortly after end-of-first-flush water height 974 occurred, the toilet was again flushed.
- Second flush tank evacuation 976 took more than 12 seconds, and flush valve wide-open interval 978 , which remains basically flat and stable, indicates that flapper 62 failed to close and seal off flush valve 61 , because the tank water height 84 has not dropped low enough for positive buoyancy of flapper 62 to drop, resulting in an overflow condition of bowl 54 where water w 1 is now above the rim and draining onto the floor.
- the exemplary system described herein is able to detect: (a) the obstruction on the basis of the change in either the time of evacuation, or by equation, of first flush tank evacuation 964 ; (b) the brief interval between the first and second flush; (c) the impending overflow on the basis of the change in either time of evacuation, or by equation of the second flush tank evacuation 976 ; and (d), the actual overflow condition on the basis of the absence of the rate of change in flush valve wide-open interval 978 , which followed the analysis of the second flush tank evacuation.
- FIG. 22A , FIG. 22B , FIG. 22C , and FIG. 22D show the exploded first and second tank evacuations by time and by interval, with their respective linear equations and the a and b constants associated with the same, for reference.
- a leak from tank 52 which typically occurs due to a faulty flapper or fill valve, generally results in water moving from tank 52 to bowl 54 , or leaking from tank 52 directly onto the floor because of cracks in the porcelain, loose or rusted tank 52 retaining bolts, or a degraded or defective gasket immediately below and between flush valve 61 and bowl 54 .
- Fill valve 66 responds to the leak by refilling tank 52 and float 112 responds to the corresponding change in tank 52 water height.
- fill valves may exhibit “phantom flushes” or “equilibrium” failures during the refill of tank 52 .
- FIG. 23 shows the tank water height response to a leak whereby the fill valve “phantom flushes” 4 times, followed by the fill valve temporarily exhibiting the “equilibrium” failure mode, concluding with 1 additional “phantom flush”.
- Fill valve open water heights 965 , 966 , 967 , and 968 all reflect the float 112 water height 81 in FIG. 13B , at which point fill valve 66 allows water to fill tank 52 until fill valve closure water heights 950 , 952 , 954 , and 956 , which correspond to water height 80 , have been reached, causing fill valve 66 to terminate water flow.
- the exemplary system described herein can track and detect just the negative water height displacement over time, or the cyclic water height displacement over time, identifying either/or as a toilet leak.
- fill valve closure water height 956 occurs, the leak once again causes a negative displacement of water, resulting in water height 81 , but instead of fill valve 66 responding by opening and once again filling tank 52 to water height 80 , fill valve equilibrium water height 960 occurs, which although is relatively stable, produces fill valve flow variation water height peaks 962 for a period of time.
- tank refill 957 fill valve closure height 958 , which is followed by a succession of additional “phantom flushes” (not shown in the graph).
- microcontroller 801 may have annunciator module 350 produce an additional alert.
- monitoring device 325 and 340 could additionally transmit data and alerts via any one of several RF frequencies and protocols.
- FIG. 13A shows the tank 52 water displacement when a fill valve fails in the “open” condition, allowing water to “bleed” or “seep” into tank 52 when float 112 has risen to its maximum vertical height, which should cause a properly functioning fill valve to terminate water flow completely.
- tank water height W has continued to rise to water height 82 , which is the maximum height of overflow tube 199 , and begins to drain into overflow tube 199 and then into bowl 54 .
- FIG. 24 shows the graph of this type of fill valve failure following a flush.
- a flush has been initiated and the sequence of tank evacuation 970 , followed by flush valve closure water height 971 , tank refill 972 , and fill valve closure water height 973 . Because fill valve 66 continues to “bleed” water into tank 52 , increasing water height ramp 974 continues to rise until it reaches overflow tube water height 976 , at which point the water drains into overflow tube 199 and then into bowl 54 .
- the FIG. 24 increase from fill valve closure water height 973 to overflow tube height 976 is approximately 500 bits, which represents a displacement of approximately 1.5 inches. From FIG. 24 it can be seen that increasing water height 974 spans a period of approximately 435 seconds, a timeframe that occurs 8.2 times per hour. From FIG.
- the leak graphed in FIG. 24 is therefore approximately 8.2 ⁇ 1.5′′ ⁇ 0.5 gallons, or 6.15 gallons-per-hour.
- the exemplary system described herein tracks the increasing water height 974 , thereby detecting the faulty fill valve 66 , as well as accurately tracking and/or datalogging the amount of water lost over any given period of time.
- FIG. 3 shows flush valve 61 , comprised of flapper 62 and flush valve seat 65 , where flapper 62 is in the full vertical position, indicating that flush valve 61 is “open” and allowing water W to freely drain from tank 52 into bowl 54 .
- FIG. 25 shows a pre-flush water starting height 900 , at which point the user has initiated a flush.
- Tank evacuation 902 occurs, but the flapper 62 failing to close upon flush valve seat 65 creates flush valve wide-open duration 978 , which continues until the problem is corrected.
- the exemplary system described herein tracks and detects the wide-open flush valve problem, as well as accurately tracking and/or datalogging the amount of water lost over any given period of time.
- the wide-open flush valve can be determined by the exemplary system when: (a), wide-open duration 978 represents no rate of change for a period of time; or (b), when a tank refill does not occur within a period of time.
- FIG. 7 shows monitoring device 325 deployed within tank 52
- FIG. 28 shows a monitoring device 340 which hangs over tank 52 's rim, with annunciator module 350 on the exterior surface and conductors 310 , 314 positioned inside tank 52 and in contact with water W.
- FIG. 7 also shows a solenoid valve 72 positioned between water supply valve 70 and fill valve 66 's valve body stem 104 .
- Microcontroller 801 's port 811 can be configured to actuate a simple circuit that is connected to solenoid valve 72 , turning it “on” or “off”, as needed.
- Microcontroller 801 may turn solenoid valve 72 “off” if a leak, wide-open flush valve, overflow, or faulty fill valve is detected.
- LVFT's low-volume-flush toilets
- overflows which the exemplary system described herein can detect and, when desired, can alert the user as well as terminate the water flow.
- LVFT's many of these toilets have had their fill valve float heights improperly set, which means that the actual flush volumes are higher than the manufacturer's recommended volume-per-flush, and in many cases are unnecessary.
- non-LVFT toilets are installed around the world, frequently using 3, 4, and even 5 gallons-per-flush.
- microcontroller 801 Another feature of the exemplary system is microcontroller 801 's ability to track actual usage of the toilet to which it is attached by determining if and how often back-to-back double flushes are used and responsively turning “on” and “off” solenoid valve 72 to control the amount of that fills tank 52 through fill valve 66 .
- solenoid valve 72 When monitoring device 325 or 340 is connected to solenoid valve 72 , in addition to terminating water flow due to a leak or other problem to prevent water loss and/or water damage, solenoid valve could be turned off prematurely before float 112 of fill valve 66 reaches its maximum height, and thereby decreasing the flush volume of the next flush. In one instance, no double-flushes or a minimum number of double-flushes are detected over a given time period. When the exemplary system detects the tank refill 906 occurring, solenoid valve could be turned “off” before water height W raises float 112 and fill valve 66 turns off, thereby decreasing the total flush volume.
- solenoid valve may be turned off during tank refill 906 at reduced water height 92 ( FIG. 7 ) instead of float 112 water height 94 . If another period of time elapsed where no double-flushes occurred, microcontroller 801 may actuate port 811 to turn off solenoid valve 72 at reduced water height 90 . Conversely, consider a situation where the fill valve 66 float 112 is intentionally set at or near maximum height for a given user or tenant, with the purpose being to allow monitoring device 325 or 340 to optimize the flush volume over time.
- microcontroller 801 may allow port 811 to fill tank 52 to a higher water height W in order to increase the flush volume. Or, if the flush volume is already at its maximum level due to the setting of fill valve 66 float 112 , microcontroller could signal an alert that the flush volume is insufficient, which could also signal that the potential for overflows exists.
- FIGS. 29-33 show example operations performed by microcontroller 644 of monitoring device 340 .
- the microcontroller 644 upon power up (block 450 ) the microcontroller 644 resets variables (block 452 ) and then sleeps for X seconds (block 454 ).
- the microcontroller wakes itself up after X seconds and samples the output of sensor 648 to determine whether the sensor is in the water (decision block 456 ). If the sensor is not in the water (no exit to decision block 456 ), the microcontroller 644 again sleeps for X seconds (block 454 ) and checks again. This operation will continue indefinitely until the microcontroller determines that the sensor 648 has been placed in water (“yes” to decision block 456 ).
- the microcontroller 644 determines the sensor 648 is in the water, the microcontroller times a predetermined time delay (e.g., 30 minutes) to permit the environment to stabilize (block 458 ) and then begins executing a main loop (block 460 ). In this main loop, the microcontroller 644 first checks whether the button 810 has been pressed (decision block 462 ). If the button has not been pressed (no exit to decision block 462 ), the microcontroller may delay a predetermined delay (block 464 ) and then read the oscillator/divider pulse width (block 466 ).
- a predetermined time delay e.g. 30 minutes
- the microcontroller 644 then analyzes the acquired sensor measurement signal to determine whether a flush has occurred (block 468 ), whether a leak has been detected (block 470 ), whether the fill valve has failed to terminate water flow (block 472 ), and whether any other user alerts are required (block 474 ). Whether or not any of said conditions have occurred, the microcontroller 644 may also determine whether data logging is required (decision block 476 ). Each of decision blocks 462 , 468 , 470 , 472 , 474 and 476 can invoke additional conditional functions that are performed when the condition tested for has tested true. This main loop 460 is continually executed as long as the monitoring device 340 is in service.
- decision block 470 detects a leak by tracking negative or cyclic water displacement during non-flush periods. See description above for more detail.
- Decision block 472 detects whether the fill valve has failed to terminate water flow and is bleeding into the tank by detecting positive water displacement.
- FIG. 30 is a flow chart that shows an example function to be performed when a flush is detected by decision block 468 .
- the microcontroller 644 Upon detection of a flush, the microcontroller 644 begins cycling user alerts (block 530 ) and performs further tests based on historical data the microcontroller 644 previously collected and stored in local memory. For example, microcontroller 644 can determine whether the current flush is the first flush the monitoring device 340 has ever detected (i.e., it is newly installed) (block 532 ). If it is the first flush (yes exit to decision block 532 ), the microcontroller 644 monitors the flush profile to determine if any probe compensation is necessary (block 534 ).
- this compensation includes detecting how long the probe is out of the water between the last time it sees decreasing water height and the first time it sees increasing water height—thus estimating the distance between the bottom of the probe and the bottom of the tank. This allows microcontroller 644 to later extrapolate falling and rising water levels to the gap between the bottom of the probe and the bottom of the tank.
- the microcontroller 644 detects whether this is not the first flush (“no” exit to decision block 532 ). If the water height/level is (still) decreasing (yes exit to decision block 536 ), the microcontroller 644 determines whether the decrease in water level/height is due to a normal evacuation (decision block 538 ). Microcontroller 644 has determined that the evaluation profile is not normal, resulting in overflow detection in block 540 (see description above). If not due to a normal evacuation (no exit to decision block 538 ), microcontroller 644 declares that an overflow/blockage has been detected (block 540 ).
- the monitoring device 340 can terminate water supply to the toilet by closing a valve automatically (block 546 ). Either way, the routine shown in FIG. 30 returns a flag or code to the main loop 460 (see “return” block 480 of FIG. 29 ), which will cause the microcontroller 644 to generate a user alert alerting the user to the problem (decision block 482 ).
- Decision blocks 536 , 538 provide a “do until” loop that enables the controller 644 to detect when the water level is no longer decreasing—meaning that the tank is drained. At this point, the flapper valve should close and the tank should begin to fill up again. If microcontroller 644 detects that the water height is no longer decreasing (no exit to decision block 536 ), it then determines whether the water height begins to increase (decision block 542 ).
- microcontroller 644 determines whether to add in a compensation factor (block 544 ) that accounts for the sensor 308 potentially not being long enough to extend to the bottom of the tank (if the sensor is not long enough, then the tank could have begun to refill and the sensor will not yet “see” the refilling because it hasn't yet reached the level of the sensor). The process then loops back to decision block 542 to check again whether the water height is increasing.
- the microcontroller 644 declares a wide open flush valve has been detected and activates alerts (block 552 ). This is based on recognizing that (a) a flush has occurred, (b) the water level is no longer decreasing and (c) the water level is not increasing even after waiting a period of time that would allow the rising water level to reach the level of the sensor).
- the monitor device 340 detects, by monitoring the sensor 648 output, whether the problem of the rising water has been corrected quickly—for example by a flapper valve falling into a seal position late (decision block 560 ). If so, control returns to continually monitor water height to detect the end of the flush cycle (decision block 542 ). If the problem is not corrected quickly (no exit to decision block 560 ), this means refill water is continuing to escape the tank through the flush valve and potentially wasting tremendous amounts of water. When this condition is detected, embodiments the microcontroller 644 can automatically close the water valve to terminate water flow into the toilet (block 558 ) and return an error code to the main loop for generating user alerts ( FIG. 29 , block 480 , 482 ).
- the microcontroller 644 looks at historical data (e.g., a flag or an event log) to determine whether the current flush is a second flush (block 550 ).
- “second flush” does not mean the second flush the device 340 has ever detected but rather a subsequent flush in a sequence of flushes in rapid succession during typical operation. Often, users will flush twice if they think or detect that something is wrong with the toilet.
- Microcontroller 644 in this context detects a second flush by detecting a flush cycle that occurs relatively close in time to a previous flush cycle. If the second flush (yes exit to decision block 550 ), the microcontroller 644 data logs an event set flag (block 544 ) and optionally may evaluate flush events to adjust tank refill volume accordingly (block 547 ).
- the microcontroller 644 detects that a flush operation is complete, terminates all alerts and data logs events (block 556 ) and then optionally may evaluate flush events and adjust tank refill volume based on measured volume of water flow during the flush cycle (block 557 ).
- FIG. 31 shows an example flow chart for a routine microcontroller 644 performs in response to user manual depression of push button 810 (see FIG. 29 decision block 462 ).
- microcontroller 644 Upon depression of push button 810 , microcontroller 644 introduces a one second delay (block 500 ) and then detects whether the push bottom has been released (decision block 502 ). If the microcontroller 644 detects a push button depression with a duration of less than one second (yes exit to decision block 502 ), it invokes a master reset by sending a master reset code back to the FIG. 29 routine which then causes the microcontroller to reset (see FIG. 29 , block 478 ).
- the microcontroller 644 detects whether the push button is released before another one second delay (block 504 ) has passed (decision block 506 ). If the user has depressed the push button for more than one second but less than two seconds (yes exit to decision block 506 ), the microcontroller 644 enters a test mode (block 512 ) in which it times a one second delay (block 514 ) and then detects whether the water height is increasing (decision block 516 ) or decreasing (decision block 520 ). If the water height is detected as increasing (decision block 516 yes exit), the microcontroller 644 will flash a green light either way (block 518 ).
- the microcontroller 644 If the microcontroller 644 detects that the water height is decreasing (yes exit to decision block 520 ), the microcontroller 644 will flash a red LED (block 522 ). This tells the user the device is working. If the microcontroller 644 detects that the water height is neither increasing nor decreasing (no exit to decision block 520 ), the microcontroller 644 will flash both the red and green LED (block 524 ). In the example non-limiting embodiment, the microcontroller 644 continues this test mode operation for ten minutes (decision block 526 ) and then automatically reverts to normal operation (yes exit to decision block 526 ). In some embodiments, an additional button pressed at this time could be detected for to release the unit from the test mode.
- the microcontroller 644 may interpret that button press as a request to test all user interface devices by flashing indicators 808 , providing an audible alert on annunciator 809 and/or transmitting data and/or data logging of all data (block 510 ).
- FIG. 32 shows an example non-limiting flow chart of function that microcontroller 644 may perform in order to generate a user alert (see decision block 474 of FIG. 29 ), e.g., based upon error codes returned by the various other test routines.
- the microcontroller 644 encodes the error condition for the number of LED light flashes that indicators 808 flash.
- the variable X is set to 2. If a bad leak has been detected (decision block 572 ), the variable X is set to 3. If a leak has been ignored (decision block 574 ), the variable X is set to 4. If a wide open flush valve has been detected (decision block 576 ), X is set to 10.
- X may also be set to 10. If a fill valve failure has been detected (block 580 ), then X may be set to 3. Microcontroller 644 then flashes the LEDs X number of times as well as activates the audio annunciator 809 that same number of X times (block 582 ). Microcontroller 644 may then delay two seconds (block 582 ) and detect whether an overflow condition exists (decision block 584 ). If the overflow condition does not exist (no exit to decision block 584 ), the FIG. 32 routine may return to the main loop shown in FIG. 29 . However, if an overflow condition does exist (block 584 yes exit), the monitoring device 340 may continue to generate an alert unless/until the user presses the push button 810 to silence or reset the alert (decision block 586 ).
- FIG. 33 shows an example data logging function which allows, in some embodiments, monitor device 340 to harvest and transmit toilet operating data for further analysis such water usage analysis.
- the microcontroller 644 the microcontroller 644 :
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Sanitary Device For Flush Toilet (AREA)
Abstract
Description
-
- The processor may evaluate a sequence of rates of change to detect toilet operation abnormalities.
- The processor detects predetermined sequences of rates of change. The processor detects rate of change using a rolling block interval analysis.
- The processor uses a linear equation to analyze the rate of change measurement signal.
- The processor determines an anomaly in water flow within the toilet bowl based on the rate of change of the toilet tank water level measurement signal.
- The processor determines the toilet is leaking in response to the rate of change.
- The processor determines the toilet is leaking by tracking the direction and/or the cycles of the rate of change.
- The processor determines the toilet fill valve is defective in response to the rate of change.
- The processor determines the toilet fill valve is defective by tracking the direction of the rate of change followed by the absence of rate change.
- The processor determines the toilet flush valve is open in response to the rate of change.
- The processor determines the toilet flush valve is open by tracking the absence of the rate of change.
- The processor determines current and/or imminent toilet overflow in response to the rate of change.
- The processor determines toilet overflow based on magnitude of rate of change.
- The processor detects fluid volume usage based on rate of change.
- The processor detects the prolonged absence of double flushes.
- The sensor is configured for placement within a toilet tank, the water level sensor producing a measurement signal indicating the level of fluid within the toilet tank.
- The transducer comprises at least one of (a) a valve, (b) an optical indicator, (c) an audible sound generator, and (d) a transmitter.
- The water level sensor comprises a capacitive sensor but could be any type of water level sensor. The disclosed processes thus could work with a different type of sensor.
- The capacitive sensor comprises first and second conductors, the first conductor being covered by an insulator.
- The processor logs the rate of change for later retrieval and water usage tracking.
- The sensor is configured to be disposed inside the tank and has a length that is less than the extent of the water level change within the tank, and the processor uses the measurement signal to extrapolate the measurements based on the extent of the water level change within the tank.
- The processor is configured to sleep and to wake up at time intervals to sample the rate of change.
- The toilet tank monitor is battery powered and has no on/off switch.
where LT is either the inductance of
-
- writes/updates all flush, evacuation, refill, and operational variables to internal memory as they occur (block 600)
- writes/updates all cumulative intentional and unintentional volumetric water flow to the internal memory (block 602)
- writes/updates cumulative events such as leaks, overflows, wide open flush valves, faulty fill valves and the like to internal memory (604)
- writes/updates cumulative total number of flushes to keep track of the number of flushes that the toilet has experienced (block 606)
- writes/updates average number of flushes per defined interval (block 608). writes/updates average water volume per flush to the memory, as well as tank refill volume adjustments (block 610, 612)
- writes/updates cumulative total number of master resets (block 614)
- transmits all of this data on demand of periodically via telemetry, cable or other communications means of any sort for external analysis (block 616).
The invention is not to be limited to the above disclosed embodiments, but rather is intended to cover variations and equivalents with the spirit and scope of the claims.
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US15/814,097 US10385559B2 (en) | 2016-11-17 | 2017-11-15 | Toilet monitoring and intelligent control |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201662423502P | 2016-11-17 | 2016-11-17 | |
US15/814,097 US10385559B2 (en) | 2016-11-17 | 2017-11-15 | Toilet monitoring and intelligent control |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20180135285A1 US20180135285A1 (en) | 2018-05-17 |
US10385559B2 true US10385559B2 (en) | 2019-08-20 |
Family
ID=62107633
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/814,097 Active US10385559B2 (en) | 2016-11-17 | 2017-11-15 | Toilet monitoring and intelligent control |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US10385559B2 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10962402B1 (en) | 2019-09-13 | 2021-03-30 | Flo Technologies, Inc. | Low power consumption toilet tank leak detection device |
WO2021205464A1 (en) * | 2020-04-11 | 2021-10-14 | Patel Parth Mahendrakumar | Fully automated wireless and sensorless liquid level controller for overhead tank |
US11959791B2 (en) | 2021-12-09 | 2024-04-16 | B/E Aerospace, Inc. | Systems and methods for smart point level sensing of waste tank |
US11987967B1 (en) * | 2023-06-05 | 2024-05-21 | Patrick Gerard Stack | High efficiency toilet |
Families Citing this family (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102017005626B4 (en) * | 2017-06-14 | 2019-01-31 | Diehl Aviation Gilching Gmbh | Determination of a waste water level in a vehicle tank, measuring arrangement and wastewater arrangement |
WO2019143879A1 (en) * | 2018-01-22 | 2019-07-25 | Grody Charles Dylan | Programmable toilet flush initiating, monitoring and management system and method thereof |
US11866922B2 (en) | 2020-01-16 | 2024-01-09 | Hydraze, Inc. | Programmable toilet flush initiating, monitoring and management system and method thereof |
US11739513B2 (en) | 2018-01-22 | 2023-08-29 | Hydraze, Inc. | Programmable toilet flush initiating, monitoring and management system and method thereof |
KR20210015870A (en) * | 2018-05-31 | 2021-02-10 | 킴벌리-클라크 월드와이드, 인크. | Toilet maintenance automation system |
US10863254B2 (en) | 2018-07-12 | 2020-12-08 | Silicon Controls Pty Ltd | Telemetric devices and methods of dynamic transmission frequency |
US20200071919A1 (en) * | 2018-08-06 | 2020-03-05 | Hari Prasad | Leak proof toilet flushing system |
EP3873313A1 (en) * | 2018-10-30 | 2021-09-08 | Shine Bathroom Technologies, Inc. | Intelligent networked toilet system with customizable feature set |
US10942056B2 (en) * | 2019-02-20 | 2021-03-09 | B/E Aerospace, Inc. | Tank continuous level sensing based on average flush volume |
DE102019105614A1 (en) * | 2019-03-06 | 2020-09-10 | Viega Technology Gmbh & Co. Kg | Cistern, in particular concealed cistern, for a toilet or urinal, as well as a drinking water pipe system with a cistern |
US10830626B2 (en) * | 2019-03-18 | 2020-11-10 | Nir Pechuk | Container filling or emptying guidance device |
CN111637891B (en) * | 2020-05-06 | 2022-07-05 | 北京小趣智品科技有限公司 | Toilet positioning method and system |
CN113137090A (en) * | 2021-05-20 | 2021-07-20 | 安徽天柱绿色能源科技有限公司 | Modularization lavatory of no liquid discharge |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5036553A (en) * | 1990-06-26 | 1991-08-06 | Sanderson Dilworth D | Fully automatic toilet system |
US5589823A (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 1996-12-31 | Lange; Robert | Remote status indicator for holding tanks containing no moving parts |
US5790991A (en) * | 1997-03-31 | 1998-08-11 | Johnson; Charles F. | Apparatus for automatically regulating water level in a swimming pool |
US5891330A (en) * | 1996-02-06 | 1999-04-06 | Morris; Nathan | Waste treatment system |
US20130046477A1 (en) * | 2011-08-16 | 2013-02-21 | Elwha LLC, a limited liability company of the State of Delaware | Systematic distillation of status data relating to regimen compliance |
US20170131174A1 (en) * | 2015-11-10 | 2017-05-11 | Belkin International, Inc. | Water leak detection using pressure sensing |
US20180010322A1 (en) * | 2016-07-07 | 2018-01-11 | As Ip Holdco, Llc | Systems to Automate Adjustment of Water Volume Release To A Toilet Bowl To Correspond to Bowl Contents, Toilets Including the System and Related Methods |
-
2017
- 2017-11-15 US US15/814,097 patent/US10385559B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5036553A (en) * | 1990-06-26 | 1991-08-06 | Sanderson Dilworth D | Fully automatic toilet system |
US5589823A (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 1996-12-31 | Lange; Robert | Remote status indicator for holding tanks containing no moving parts |
US5891330A (en) * | 1996-02-06 | 1999-04-06 | Morris; Nathan | Waste treatment system |
US5790991A (en) * | 1997-03-31 | 1998-08-11 | Johnson; Charles F. | Apparatus for automatically regulating water level in a swimming pool |
US20130046477A1 (en) * | 2011-08-16 | 2013-02-21 | Elwha LLC, a limited liability company of the State of Delaware | Systematic distillation of status data relating to regimen compliance |
US20170131174A1 (en) * | 2015-11-10 | 2017-05-11 | Belkin International, Inc. | Water leak detection using pressure sensing |
US20180010322A1 (en) * | 2016-07-07 | 2018-01-11 | As Ip Holdco, Llc | Systems to Automate Adjustment of Water Volume Release To A Toilet Bowl To Correspond to Bowl Contents, Toilets Including the System and Related Methods |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US10962402B1 (en) | 2019-09-13 | 2021-03-30 | Flo Technologies, Inc. | Low power consumption toilet tank leak detection device |
WO2021205464A1 (en) * | 2020-04-11 | 2021-10-14 | Patel Parth Mahendrakumar | Fully automated wireless and sensorless liquid level controller for overhead tank |
US11959791B2 (en) | 2021-12-09 | 2024-04-16 | B/E Aerospace, Inc. | Systems and methods for smart point level sensing of waste tank |
US11987967B1 (en) * | 2023-06-05 | 2024-05-21 | Patrick Gerard Stack | High efficiency toilet |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20180135285A1 (en) | 2018-05-17 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US10385559B2 (en) | Toilet monitoring and intelligent control | |
US6802084B2 (en) | Tank leak detection and reporting system | |
US11873633B2 (en) | Systems to monitor a toilet bowl and to determine a bowl status | |
US8310369B1 (en) | Detecting unintended flush toilet water flow | |
US7814582B2 (en) | System and method for measuring and monitoring overflow or wetness conditions in a washroom | |
CA3037628C (en) | Universal dispenser monitor | |
CN102598073B (en) | A system and a method for motivating and/or prompting persons to wash hands | |
US7757708B1 (en) | Toilet bowl overflow prevention and water conservation system and method | |
US20040199989A1 (en) | Toilet and urinal leak detection and warning system and method | |
US9920511B2 (en) | Methods, systems, and software for providing a blocked sewer alert | |
EP3232882B1 (en) | System comprising a receptacle and a control system to avoid unnecessary flushing | |
WO2006042053A2 (en) | Intelligent flow control unit and water management system | |
WO2019020977A1 (en) | Integrated hand washing system | |
CA2953353C (en) | Electronic fill valve and assembly | |
US20180066975A1 (en) | Networked leak and overflow detection, control and prevention system and high-sensitivity low flow leak detection device | |
KR20070005217A (en) | Toilet/bidet apparatus having automatic flushing/saving function and method for controlling thereof | |
US10626585B1 (en) | Sewer back-flow preventer monitor | |
WO2006083507A2 (en) | Toilet bowl water level indication | |
GB2392454A (en) | Automatic urinal flushing system | |
CN218323014U (en) | Toilet flushing structure utilizing gravity of human body | |
CA3066559C (en) | Sewer back-flow preventer monitor | |
US20240151569A1 (en) | Consumable usage measurement using sound, temperature, and centralized analytics | |
JPH0768716B2 (en) | Drainage system clogging detection method in automatic water washing equipment |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: NTH SOLUTIONS, LLC, PENNSYLVANIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CANFIELD, ERIC L.;SOMA, SCOTT J.;SIGNING DATES FROM 20171114 TO 20171115;REEL/FRAME:044139/0163 |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: ENTITY STATUS SET TO UNDISCOUNTED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: BIG.); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: SMALL ENTITY |
|
FEPP | Fee payment procedure |
Free format text: ENTITY STATUS SET TO SMALL (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: SMAL); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: SMALL ENTITY |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: NOTICE OF ALLOWANCE MAILED -- APPLICATION RECEIVED IN OFFICE OF PUBLICATIONS |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: H2O CONNECTED, LLC, PENNSYLVANIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:NTH SOLUTIONS, LLC;REEL/FRAME:049450/0118 Effective date: 20190612 |
|
STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: PUBLICATIONS -- ISSUE FEE PAYMENT VERIFIED |
|
STCF | Information on status: patent grant |
Free format text: PATENTED CASE |
|
MAFP | Maintenance fee payment |
Free format text: PAYMENT OF MAINTENANCE FEE, 4TH YR, SMALL ENTITY (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: M2551); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: SMALL ENTITY Year of fee payment: 4 |