WO2022070027A1 - A control system for hydraulic plants - Google Patents

Abstract

Control system for hydraulic plants comprises a mixing device (2) and a control unit (3) associated therewith. The mixing device (2) has two inlets (2a, 2b) that are connectable with a hydraulic plant for receiving and mixing respective water flows at a different temperature and a plurality of 5 outlets (2c) that are connectable to respective utilities to dispense a mixed flow of water. The control unit (3) comprises an audio acquisition peripheral (4) configured to acquire and identify a plurality of voice commands and is configured to modulate a water flowrate entering and exiting the mixing device (2) as a function of the voice commands 10 identified by the audio acquisition peripheral (4).

Description

DESCRIPTION

A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HYDRAULIC PLANTS

Technical field

The present invention relates to the technical sector of hydraulic plants, in particular of hydraulic plants for sanitary use.

More in detail, the present invention relates to a control system for a hydraulic plant that is applicable both in a domestic and public environment.

Prior art

A hydraulic plant comprises all networks, which can be made through pipes, and devices that enable the water to be distributed to the utilities present in an environment and the relative discharges to be collected.

Operationally, the water is dispensed from water mains to the hydraulic plant, which conveys the water to the various utilities connected to the plant as a function of the needs of the users.

Usually, the water is heated by an electric heater or thermal heater and a heated water line and a line of water at ambient temperature which are mixed locally arrive at the single dispensing points according to the needs of the individual user.

The term utility thus means any device connected to the hydraulic plant the operation of which requires or need water to be dispensed (by way of example, showers, bathtubs, bidets and wash basins are cited).

Nevertheless, plants of known type have drawbacks that make them highly inefficient, in particular with respect to installation and maintenance procedures and to the dispensing of water in the various utilities connected to the plant.

For example, in known plants, dispensing of water is controlled by respective mixers of mechanical type that can be manipulated by a user to regulate the quantity of hot and cold water that is supplied.

These mixers are very subject to wear because of the continuous manipulating thereof which is necessary for being able to operate the utility with which they are associated, but causes rapid deterioration thereof with a subsequent risk of leaks and also the release of potentially harmful substances into the flow of dispensed water (for example substances used to make an aesthetic finish of the mixer).

Further, if the plant is installed in public places, hygiene problems become particularly apparent that are due to the high number of persons who inevitably handle mixers or other accessible components of the system and the control of consumption because it is not possible to ensure conscientious use of the available utilities.

Further, the great variety of utilities that are connectable to known plants has also led to problems of standardization that are particularly serious in the installation and maintenance phase because it is necessary to have available components that are specific and have been set up to be compatible with the single utilities.

Another drawback of known plants that are manipulated and controlled manually is due to the waste of water (for example, once the manipulator is activated, the user has to wait for a few seconds and/or minutes for the water to reach the desired temperature before being able to use the water to wash himself).

In the sector, the need is strongly felt for simple and cheap solutions that on the one hand enable plants of known type to be simplified structurally and on the other hand enable operation to be optimized with particular attention to consumption and hygiene aspects. Object of the invention

In this context, the technical task underlying the present invention is to propose a control system for hydraulic plants which obviates at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art cited above.

In particular, one object of the present invention is to provide a control system for hydraulic plants that is able to simplify the structure thereof, at the same time permitting greater control of performance and operation thereof. Another object of the present invention is to provide a control system for hydraulic plants that enables water waste to be reduced and minimised.

The stated technical task and the specified objects are substantially achieved by a control system for hydraulic plants comprising the technical features disclosed in one or more of the accompanying claims.

According to the present invention, a control system for hydraulic plants is shown, in particular hydraulic plants for sanitary use, which comprises a mixing device and a control unit associated with the mixing device.

The mixing device has two inlets that are connectable with a hydraulic plant for receiving and mixing respective water flows at a different temperature and a plurality of outlets that are connectable to respective utilities to dispense a mixed flow of water to the utilities.

The control unit comprises an audio acquisition peripheral configured to acquire and identify a plurality of voice commands. Further, the control unit is configured to modulate a flowrate of the flows of water entering and exiting the mixing device as a function of the voice commands identified by the audio acquisition peripheral.

Advantageously, the control system described here enables the hydraulic plant to be simplified structurally in which it is installed because it has a single mixing device that is able to supply a plurality of utilities.

Advantageously, the control system further enables the operation of the plant to be optimized because it does not require manual manipulation in particular of the mixer for the operation thereof, reducing wear to and thus deterioration of the components thereof, at the same time also eliminating possible sanitary risks.

The dependent claims, incorporated herein by reference, correspond to different embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the approximate and thus non-limiting description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a control system for hydraulic plants, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 shows a schematic view of the control system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment according to the present invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

In the appended figures, the numerical reference 1 indicates in general a control system for hydraulic plants, to which reference is made in the following of the present description simply as system 1 .

In particular, the system 1 described here is configured to perform a check of a hydraulic plant, in other words the system 1 enables all the aspects to be controlled, monitored and managed that are connected to the distribution and dispensing of water in a hydraulic plant.

The present invention is applicable in a particularly advantageous manner in the sanitary field, i.e. when it is installed in environments like bathrooms that contain a high number of utilities (showers, bath tubs, bidets, wash basins and the like) that have to be connected to the hydraulic plant.

Structurally, the control system 1 comprises a mixing device 2 and a control unit 3 associated therewith.

The mixing device 2 is designed to receive set quantities of water from different and distinct lines of the hydraulic plant to mix the quantities of water together and in turn supply the quantities of water to the utilities.

For this purpose, the mixing device 2 has two inlets 2a, 2b that are connectable to respective supply lines for supplying a hydraulic plant to receive therefrom distinct flows of water having different temperatures.

In particular, the mixing device 2 has a first inlet 2a that is connectable to a cold water supply line and a second inlet 2b that is connectable to a hot water supply line.

The term cold water is used in the common sense of the term, in the context of hydraulic plants, the water is supplied from municipal water mains (or by a similar water source) without any heat treatment being applied to the water (without ruling out the possibility of performing treatments of another type, for example treatments for a sanitary purpose). The term hot water on the other hand is used, again with reference to the context of hydraulic plants, for the water that is supplied from municipal water mains that is heat-treated for example inside a boiler in order to increase the temperature thereof up to a preset value.

The mixing device 2 further comprises a plurality of outlets 2c each of which is connectable to a distinct utility of the hydraulic plant so as to be able to supply the utility with a mixed flow of water resulting from the combination of the two flows of water received from the mixing device 2 through the respective inlets 2a, 2b.

In other words, the mixing device 2 can be installed inside a wall of the environment in which a plurality of utilities is present such as, by way of non-limiting example, showers, bathtubs, wash basins, bidets, WCs and/or the like.

In this manner, it is possible to prepare a single mixing device 2 that supplies a plurality of distinct outlets inside one or more environments, reducing the overall structural complexity of the plant and simplifying installation and maintenance operations.

What has been described above does not rule out the possibility of several outlets 2c being connected to distinct dispensing points of the water that belong to the same utility (think for example of distinct nozzles of the same shower cabinet).

The modulation of the water flowrates entering/exiting the mixing device 2 is controlled through suitable valves arranged at the inlets 2a, 2b and each outlet 2c.

The operating management of the valves, i.e. the opening and closure thereof, is controlled by the control unit 3 associated with the mixing device 2.

In other words, the control unit 3 is connected to the mixing device 2 so as to be able to control activation of the valves thereof by then managing the quantity of water entering/exiting each opening of the mixing device 2.

In this manner, the control unit 3 is able to set the water flowrate both entering and exiting the mixing device 2, thus enabling not only the quantity of water to be determined that is dispensed to a specific utility but also the temperature thereof to be modified simply by increasing/decreasing the flowrate of the flow of water received from one input 2a, 2b rather than another.

In other words, with a single control unit 3 and a mixing device 2, it is possible to control and set the flowrate and temperature of a plurality of utilities present in one or more environments.

In this manner, the single dispensing utilities comprise only the dispenser of mixed water exiting the centralised mixing device 2 and are not equipped with a mixer.

The control unit 3 comprises an audio acquisition peripheral 4, for example a microphone configured to acquire and identify a plurality of voice commands, as a function of which the control unit 3 modulates the flowrate of the flows of water entering/exiting the mixing device 2.

In other words, the control unit is designed to receive commands of voice type from a user by controlling the operation of the mixing device 2 as a function of the content of the instructions received vocally.

In this manner, the user does not have to manipulate or even touch the mixing device 2 because activating the dispensing of water to a given utility would be obtainable by a simple voice command, thus enabling the hygienic conditions of use to be improved.

Further, the mixing device 2 is not manipulated continuously, thus reducing wear thereto, obtaining in this manner an extension of the working life thereof and reducing the risk that leaks and/or releases of potentially harmful substances are created.

In figure 2 an embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically, which is adapted to recover utilities water which would otherwise be dispersed. Figure 2 shows schematically a traditional discharge tank 10 of a WC and an additional discharge water tank 20, configured to contain water recovered from other utilities for subsequent use in the flushing of the WC.

In particular, when a user commands the dispensing of a flow of water at a certain flowrate and temperature through the dispenser of a utility (for example, a shower, a washbasin and/or a bidet) the water exiting said utility takes a period of time to exit at the desired temperature and this quantity of water would be wasted in discharges of traditional hydraulic plants.

In order to remedy this waste of water, the initially dispensed quantity of water that has not yet reached the desired temperature set by the user is diverted to the additional tank 20 of recovered water for use in the flusher of the WC, in addition to the quantity of water present in the main tank 10 of the WC during normal use.

In this manner, when recovered water from one or more utilities is available, it is delivered to the supplementary tank 20 for priority use over the water in the traditional tank 10 (arriving from the water mains to which the hydraulic plant is connected).

The supplementary tank 20 has no control over the entry of water: it is configured to always receive recovered water, if the water is delivered by the control unit 3.

Any excess recovered water arriving at the supplementary tank 20 is discharged from the overfall that is always present in tanks of this type and is discharged directly into the WC.

When the user presses the push command 30, he generates a flow of air that is diverted by the diverter 40.

The mechanical level float 23 of the supplementary tank 20 controls the mechanical diverter 40 by switching the flow between the channel 12, which is connected directly to the main tank 10, and the channel 22, which is connected directly to the supplementary tank 20.

If the level in the supplementary tank 20 is sufficient, the diverter 40 will be in the condition of diverting to the channel 22 (to the discharge of the WC) otherwise, the recovered water will be diverted to the channel 12.

In other words, when a user presses the push command 30 of the WC, the air produced is conveyed from the channel 32 to the air splitter 32 and the air flow continues in the two branches 33 and 34 to the diverter 40.

The level of water LV1 , LV2 in the tank 20 moves the float 23 inside the tank 20, the float 23 in turn activating mechanically the diverter 40, blocking the flow of air arriving from one of the two branches 33, 34.

Number 13 indicates the water inlet line present in traditional WCs arriving from the water mains to which the plant is connected. Number 21 indicates the inlet line of recovered water recovered from a utility, owing to the intervention of the control unit 3.

The user will not notice anything but the discharged water will come from the supplementary tank 20 if sufficient and from the main tank 10 if not sufficient in 20.

The main tank 10 acts substantially in a totally traditional manner, but to discharge and replenish the level of the water.

The supplementary tank 20 is automatically filled at a command signal of the control unit 3 if recovered water is available coming from one or more utilities and replaces the traditional tank 10 at the moment in which the water level is sufficient.

Preferably, the control unit 3 further comprises a memory module 5 on which at least one control table is stored in which each voice command is associated with respective dispensing parameters of the mixed flow of water, i.e. of the flow of water exiting the mixing device 2.

In particular, the dispensing parameters are adapted to identify a specific utility to which the mixed flow of water has to be sent and at least one respective property, like, by way of example, at least one from among: water temperature, flowrate of water and total quantity of water to be dispensed to the utility.

In other words, in the control table, a specific action that the control unit 3 performs on the mixing device 2 is associated with each voice command.

In particular, the control table then enables the commands that are receivable from the user to be encoded, thus enabling the utility to be identified that has to be supplied and the parameters of the supply.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit 3 further comprises a recognition module configured to analyse the voice commands acquired from the audio acquisition module 4 and to identity as a function of the voice commands the specific user who gave the voice command.

For example, in a domestic environment the voice recognition module is configured to recognize the occupants of the house in which the system 1 is installed.

This recognition can be performed for example by comparing one or more features of a voice command received with one or more samples recorded in the step of installation or configuration of the system 1 .

Advantageously, the memory module 5 can store a plurality of tables, each of which is associated with a distinct user.

In this manner, it is possible to obtain a further level of customisation inasmuch as the same voice command can be associated with different dispensing parameters according to the specific preference of the user who gives the command.

For example, two distinct users could have different preferences regarding the temperature and quantity of water dispensed by a shower.

In this context, a “turn on shower” command received from a first user causes the activation of the shower according to first water temperature and flowrate parameters whereas the same “turn on shower” command received from a second user will cause the activation of the shower in accordance with second water temperature and flowrate parameters, these parameters are advantageously settable by the single users as a function of their preferences.

For this purpose, one or several control tables are editable to permit in this manner each user to associate respective dispensing parameters with specific commands in accordance with each user’s preferences.

Alternatively or additionally, the memory module 5 can comprise or be connected to a database (for example an online database) and be managed by artificial intelligence algorithms that enable it to analyse the voice command received to interpret and transform it into an activation command for activating the device even in the absence of the control table or in response to the receipt of commands that are not contained therein by a comparison with the information contained in the database.

Preferably, the memory module 5 can be made by a local readable storage medium, or be installed at or integrated into the control unit 3 as in the case shown by way of example in figure 1 , or by a remote storage device such as for example a computing cloud, or by a local medium connected to a remote medium that performs a backup function.

In each of the contexts indicated above, the modification of the information contained in the control table can be performed both locally or by acting on the memory module 5 directly by the control unit 2, or remotely.

In fact, the control unit 3 is connected or connectable to at least one remote terminal, and is configured to receive from this remote terminal one or more control signals by means of which it is possible to edit the control table present in the memory module 5 or which can also be associated with or equivalent to specific voice commands.

In other words, it is possible to control the control unit 3 so as to activate the mixing device 2 according to specific dispensing parameters also by acting by means of a remote terminal connected to the control unit 3.

The remote terminal can comprise for example a node of a home automation plant, such as for example a virtual assistant that is able to interpret human language or a control unit of a home automation plant.

The remote terminal can also comprise a terminal of portable type, such as for example a smartphone, a tablet or a computer.

Advantageously, the system 1 can further comprise a plurality of sensors connected to the control unit 3 and configured to detect one or more parameters of the flows of water both entering and exiting the mixing device 2.

Obviously, the system 1 can also comprise of the sensors configured to detect one or more parameters of the environment in which the system is installed and has to operate, such as for example temperature, humidity or other things.

In general, the sensors can comprise at least one from among: a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow meter.

Preferably, the control unit is configured to store the parameters that it has obtained via the sensors, so as to permit subsequent analysis thereof and to help identify possible abnormal situations.

For example, a determined sensor could detect a decrease in the pressure of one or both the flows of water entering the mixing device 2, which could indicate a fault in the supply lines supplying the hydraulic plant.

Or a variation could be detected, for example a decrease, of the temperature of the hot water entering the supply device 2, this situation could indicate a fault in the boiler installed in the hydraulic plant.

More in general, monitoring the parameters, in particular of the flows of water, provides important information on the operation of the hydraulic plant that can be used not only to identify and report faults but also to identify the reaching of preset optimum operating conditions

For example, a temperature sensor applied to the outlet 2c associated with a specific utility is able to identify when the flow of water dispensed to the utility has reached a preset temperature selected by the user.

The control unit 3 can further comprise or be connected/connectable to a graphic interface 6 configured to show a graphic representation of at least one parameter so as to make the parameter immediately visible to the user.

The graphic interface is achievable, for example, by means of an output video peripheral. This graphic interface 6 can also be made by both an output and input peripheral, for example a touchscreen, so as to enable the user not only to display information on the system 1 but also for example to edit the control table locally.

In general, the graphic interface 6 with which the control unit 3 is coupled can also be made by a local device, for example a device integrated into the system 1 , or by a remote device.

For example, the control unit 3 can be configured to send the information gathered by each sensor to a remote terminal, for example the already cited nodes of the home automation or smartphone system or also to the processors of a control or maintenance centre or a remote terminal included in the system 1 .

This aspect is particularly advantageous in the context of monitoring performance or reduction of waste.

In fact, gathering, storing and displaying the information gathered by the sensors enable the consumption of the plant to be assessed carefully and also optimation or correction interventions of abnormal situations to be possibly performed by means of the control unit 3.

For example, a sensor could identify that an unusually high quantity of water is being dispensed to a specific utility, for example with respect to a record of the consumption of that specific utility.

This datum could for example indicate a leak/malfunction of the plant or the fact that a user has forgotten to stop dispensing water in a given utility. In the first case, it is possible to program a maintenance intervention, in the second case it is possible, (also remotely) to send the control unit 3 the appropriate voice command to interrupt the dispensing of water.

Advantageously, to alert the user to the occurrence of an anomaly, the control unit 3 is configured to generate alert signals, specifically alert signals of acoustic and/or optical type, as a function of a comparison between the one or more parameters of the flows of water and respective set threshold values that identify the situations listed above. For example, the control unit can generate a specific alert signal to warn a user of a potential fault, identifiable by reading abnormal values of pressure entering or exiting the mixing device 2.

The control unit 3 can further generate specific alert signals to warn the user that certain operating conditions have been reached, like a set temperature or a dispensing volume of the water in a specific utility, which is identifiable by the water reaching a set temperature or flowrate at the outlet associated with that utility.

Preferably, the comparison made to generate alert signals (whether they serve to identify faults/abnormal situations or serve to identify the reaching of a set operating condition) is not made only with respect to the parameters gathered by the sensors that monitor the features of the flows of water, but also by taking into account the environmental parameters gathered by the sensors that monitor the environment in which the system

1 is installed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, also the threshold values that are compared can be displayed and modified by the user according to the same methods already illustrated with reference to the display and modification of the control table.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the system 1 further comprises a plurality of devices of acoustic and/or optical type such as for example loudspeakers and lights of LED type, which are activatable by the control unit 2 according to the same methods with which the mixing device

2 is controlled, or as a function of the voice commands that are received and identified by the audio acquisition peripheral.

In particular, the control system can be connected both by a cabled connection and by a wireless connection, with sound system and/or with a lighting system of the environment in which it is installed so as to enable the user to check the operation also of these plants (switching on/off of set light points and/or switching on/or set loudspeakers) by simple voice commands that are purchased and identified by the control unit 3 by the audio acquisition peripheral 4 thereof.

Also the voice commands controlling the acoustic/optical devices can be stored in the control table and edited according to the same methods set out above for the voice commands for the control of the operation of the mixing device 2.

Advantageously, the present invention achieves the proposed objects, obviating the drawbacks lamented in the prior art, making available to the user a control system for hydraulic plants with a simple structure that is easy and safe to use.

Claims

1. A control system for hydraulic plants, in particular hydraulic plants for sanitary use, comprising:

- a mixing device (2) having two inlets (2a, 2b) that are connectable with a hydraulic plant for receiving and mixing respective water flows at a different temperature, said mixing device having a plurality of outlets (2c) that are connectable to respective utilities to dispense a mixed flow of water to said utilities;

- a control unit (3) associated with the mixing device (2) and comprising an audio acquisition peripheral (4) configured to acquire and identify a plurality of voice commands, said control unit (3) being configured to modulate a water flowrate entering and exiting the mixing device (2) as a function of said voice commands.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit (3) comprises a memory module (5) adapted to store at least one control table in which each voice command is associated with respective dispensing parameters of the mixed flow of water, said parameters being adapted to identify a utility and at least one from among: water temperature, flowrate of water and total quantity of water to be dispensed to said utility.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit (3) comprises a recognition module configured to analyse the voice commands and identify a user as a function of said voice commands, said memory module (5) being adapted to store a plurality of tables associated with respective users.

4. The system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said memory module (5) comprises at least one from among a local readable storage support or a remote storage device, preferably a computing cloud.

5. The system according to any one of the preceding claims from 2 to 4, wherein the at least one control table is editable by a user to associate at least one dispensing parameter with a respective voice command.

6. The system according to any one of the preceding claims from 2 to 4, wherein the control unit (3) comprises a graphic interface (6) configured to show a graphic representation of at least one dispensing parameter of the mixed flow of water and/or at least one control table.

7. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (3) is connectable to a remote terminal, preferably a portable remote terminal, said control unit (3) being further configured to receive from the remote terminal a control signal, said control signal being associated with at least one voice command.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the remote terminal comprises one or more devices of a home automation plant, the control unit (3) being configured to receive the voice commands also via said home automation plant.

9. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of sensors adapted to detect one or more water flow parameters, said sensors preferably comprising at least one from among: a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow meter.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the control unit (3) is configured to store one or more parameters detected by the sensors to permit a subsequent analysis thereof.

11. The system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the control unit (3) is configured to generate an alert signal, preferably an alert signal of acoustic and/or optical type, depending on a comparison between one or more parameters detected by the sensors and respective set threshold values.

12. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of acoustic and/or optical devices, the control unit (3) being configured to activate said acoustic and/or optical devices as a function of the plurality of voice commands.

13. The system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (3) is configured to divert recovered water from one or more utilities to a supplementary tank (20) for discharging the water of a WC.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein the water recovered from one or more utilities is the water that a user does not use waiting for the water to reach the desired flowrate and temperature.

15. System according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the supplementary tank (20) is filled at a command coming from the control unit (3) in the event of a presence of available recovered water and replaces the traditional discharge tank (10) at the moment in which the water level therein is sufficient.