WO2009147691A1

WO2009147691A1 - Self- powered flow-meter with wireless connection to central unit

Info

Publication number: WO2009147691A1
Application number: PCT/IT2009/000234
Authority: WO
Inventors: Miriam Surro; Domenico Lamboglia; Sabato Manfredi
Original assignee: Miriam Surro; Domenico Lamboglia
Priority date: 2008-06-05
Filing date: 2009-05-28
Publication date: 2009-12-10
Also published as: ITRM20080085U1

Abstract

This invention consists of a configurable device that is self sufficient as far as the energetic requirement (by transformation of the kinetic energy of the flow crossing it into electric energy and the optimal strategy of accumulation and use of this) of tele reading which can be integrated into the current monitoring system for water and gas net, and it is able to transmit data, by wireless links. The pervasive installation of this invention in a water net, for example, will permit to extend the current functions offered by the manager with. 1) Automatic reading for the consumptions and memorisation, in its own memory for supplementary information as data and other parameters. 2) Periodical Transmission of the readings to the management central office by GSM/GPRS/UMTS/EDGE or zigbee net. 3) Simplified management of all installed meters on the territory near the operative central by the management software which permits the visualisation and the control of the meters. 4) Communication to the central unit for damages to water net by sms to the central and to the responsible of the plant maintenance company. 5) Activation of a series of signalling and alarms realised in messages on the display which the invention is endowed with (excessive water consumption, alarm for possible loss or forgotten open tap, timely suspension, of supply). 6) Possibility for the water manager, having at disposal readings for great part of the net, to estimate and localise probable losses of the water net.

Description

SELF- POWERED FLOW-METER WITH WIRELESS CONNECTION TO CENTRAL UNIT

Description

Field of Application

The present invention relates to an electronic system for monitoring, and controlling of water and gas, self powered with a little turbine converting kinetic energy of the flow passing through it into electric energy, in turn stored in an accumulator.

This accumulator is able to power an electronic device with the ability to read the data of the monitoring apparatus (system), to elaborate them, to store them in itself and to proceed the forwarding of them by wireless communication units. (GSM/GPRS/UMTS/EBGE/ZLGBEE) towards, a remotely system from which it receives instructions about the actions it has to engage. This system allows to avail all the advantages, offered by a monitoring and controlling electronic system, that are hard to obtain in a traditional mechanic system.

In particular, this invention is to be applied to all those fields where the opportunity to monitor a liquid or a gas endowed with kinetic energy is required, without the compulsory appealing to electric net or battery alimentation.

For example, the mentioned above system could substitute the existing water meter in all the houses as a support to the net manager, in order to monitor the consumptions of one's own use. With this substitution the manager is able to get a tele-reading system avoiding the expenses of sending- an. operator for the reading..

The same is for a gas distribution system. Another peculiarity of the system is the possibility to monitor the tanks level and/or to measure the water or gas flow in different strategic points of the distribution net, in order to detect lines with loss, and in case of gas tanks, to allow the control of eventual deceitful provisions, or rather to monitor that none could go to restock the tank unknown to the manager.

Prior Art

With the introduction of new generation electric meters (which communicate directly to the energetic manager all the use consumption), a new frontier in the field of consumption estimation is opened, through the "hourly tele price", and the individuation of the characteristics of one's own use.

So in the last years was invented a series of devices concerning different fields, of application, for monitoring, and, controlling, from remotely workspaces, without having to reach the device physically.

These devices go through a great disadvantage; they have the inconvenience. to- require an. eleGtric. alimentation, for. their functioning by- the use of the electric net or of batteries.

These devices are often installed in places that are hard to be connected tø- the electric net- or- in- ease of a- battery alimentation- (with- a^ limited- duration) they require a periodical substitution. On the other hand the net is present or easy to access, and there is a long series of inconveniences, both concerning the bureaucracy and the costs for the connection of the electric net.

One of the most important innovations of the current invention is the adoption of an alternative solution permitting a provident and optimal use of the alimentation in an autonomous alimentation system. The water or gas flow passing through the system activates a generator converting the kinetic energy into electric energy, that is stored in an accumulator and it is. delivered, to. the. device..

Taking in consideration the fact that the part of the system mostly requiring energy is the part destined to the transmission of the data on wireless links (it is typically a series of impulses of circa hundreds of mA)_r adopting, an optimised, strategy, of periodical communication interrupted with long periods of capturing and elaborating (thanks to micro controls ultra low power already existing on the market whose energetic need for their work is in a range from about 1 uA to hundreds of uA) was possible an effective self energetic sustainability.

A practical example is applicable to the case that someone would like to adopt a system to substitute the current water and gas meters: the energy produced by the generator existing in the system is stored for a month maintaining, the. functioning, of the, acquisition, and. memorization, data, unity, and at the end of the month the part destined to the wireless communication is made functioning for some minutes.

Brief description of drawing

Figure 1: Conceptual diagram of the system

Figure 2: Diagram of the function principle of the installed device for a user in case of application on a water or gas net.

Figure 3: Block diagram of the control unit.

Figure 4: Conceptual diagram of the functioning software.

Detailed description

This device consists of a very small electronic device that acquires the readings of the monitoring apparatus, storing them inside of its own memory, and sending, them. periodicalLy to. the. central, system, through. GPRS/GSM/UMTS/EDGE or Zigbee net.

Adopting this integration/substitution device for the current water and gas- meters- the following listed- advantages- are obtained, as- it is- also- shown in Figure 1.

1) Save of costs and time

Saving of the specialised personnel costs for the meters reading. Elimination of the failed reading because of the ever less presence of the users in the houses.

2). Realistic Invoicing.

The invoicing is realised on the basis of the real consumptions avoiding the account invoicing, that is not very appreciated by costumers.

3) Saving and rationalization, of the consumptions-

Possibility to make the readings at predetermined times and days in order to estimate the consumptions in established periods or hours of the days and so to better rationalize the distribution.

Possibility to produce invoices for consumed volumes in established hours trying to stimulate the users for more rational water consumption able to dim the consumption peak in predetermined hours.

4) Alarm signal to the user

Possibility to activate a series of automatisms and alarms able to realize sms destined to the users (e.g. excessive water consumption, alarm for eventual lnss. ox fiat a. fhtgαtterxopeiLtap_^ etc.).

5) Whole monitoring, maintenance and control for the water net by installed meters on the territory

The specialised personnel for the control of the management central may have a general idea of all the electronic device present on the territory through the own seat installed PC.

For. each user with aα installed system,, it will he, possible, to verify, the consumptions, the existence of problems, and to send specific remotely commands as well (e.g. A higher frequency of reading in order to permit analyses of the consumptions for a particular user). These commands will be automatically revealed by the electronic device in a phase called "synchronisation", and during this phase the device will send all the accumulated readings in its own memory to the server and it will ask the same, server, all the suspended commands for itself More precisely the architecture, a part from the Hardware and the Firmware (Figure 3) constituting each electronic device, has some Software (Figure 4) to support the architecture by which the authorised operators and. maintainers could, have, access to the. management system through the authentication. When the operator is authenticated by the system, he will access an interface and visualise all the data of the meters organically spread in the net; obtaining in this way the global vision that allows him to control the localised electronic devices, if they are working and what are revealing.

Claims

1. The system (6) in Figure 1 for remotely water and/or gas monitoring and controlling (7),

- Self powered with a little turbine (1), converting the kinetic energy obtained by the flow passing through the electric energy stored in an accumulator (2) that is in turn able to power,

- an electronic device (3). This electronic device reads the data from the monitoring apparatus (8), elaborates them, memorizes them inside and proceeds to the forwarding

- by the wireless link (GSM/GPRS/UMTS/EDGE/ZIGBEE) (4), towards a remotely system (5) that acquires the sent data and it is able to send commands, if occurred, to the system, and to make both actions of analyses, ancLof invoicing,(in. case, of water and gas. net),

2. The system (6) according to claim 1 includes a little turbine (1) converting the kinetic energy of the fluid flow in electric energy storable in. an. accumulator, and- usable to- power the electronic device.

3. The system (6) according to claim 2 includes an electronic device (3) with the purpose to elaborate data and to transmit them to remotely wireless- communication- unit*.

4. The system (6) according to claim 3, includes a wireless communication unit able to open a connection protected from external intrusions with- a- remote- information- system- to- which are- to- be- sent- accumulated data and from which are to be received the commands to execute.