Pressure boosting equipment for increasing the supply pressure of water at at least one intake point or hydraulic consumer.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a pressure boosting device for increasing the supply pressure of water in a water supply at least one intake point or hydraulic consumer (10), wherein the pressure boosting device includes at least one electrically driven hydraulic pump (20), characterized in that the hydraulic pump includes an integral or external pump control mechanism configured to assess water consumption or water intake at at least one intake point or consumer by means of one or more operating parameters of the pump unit and to turn the pump on or off as needed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure boosting device for increasing the supply pressure of water in at least one water intake point or hydraulic consumer, wherein the pressure boosting device includes at least one electrically driven hydraulic pump. Background Technology

[0002] Pressure boosting equipment is used in situations where a constant supply pressure is required to power hydraulic consumers or points of use, especially when the current system pressure fluctuates or is insufficient. Examples include the supply of drinking water and domestic water to private and commercial premises via water supply systems. The water pressure provided by these systems usually meets the requirements of the consumers, providing sufficient pressure for a comfortable shower.

[0003] However, if the water pressure provided by the supply equipment is insufficient, pressure boosting equipment must be installed to raise the water pressure to the desired level through additional pumping force.

[0004] In these cases, as simple pressure-boosting devices, a pump suitable for drinking water is installed upstream of the consumer or point of intake. Because continuous pump operation is uneconomical in these applications, the pump should only be operated when needed—that is, when water is being drawn / consumed—and kept in a so-called "dormant mode" at other times. Demand status, i.e., whether the water fittings are open or closed, can be identified using a flow meter installed in the supply line. Flow meters are known to have magnetic contacts that open when there is flow and connect or disconnect the pump via appropriate wiring to the pump unit.

[0005] However, such sensors (flow meters) constitute a separate component, which incurs additional installation costs. These sensors are also susceptible to common wear and tear and may malfunction.

[0006] The scenario described above involves not only the supply of domestic and drinking water at the point of use, but also each of the following devices, in which a certain hydraulic pressure should be supplied to the point of use or hydraulic consumer. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In this context, the objective of the present invention is to improve known pressure-raising devices so that they can ideally operate without additional sensing devices.

[0008] This task is solved by a pressure-increasing device according to the invention. Advantageous embodiments of the pressure-increasing device are the subject of the dependent claims. Furthermore, the claimed methods and their advantageous embodiments are also used to solve this problem.

[0009] According to the present invention, for pressure-increasing equipment of this type, a control mechanism is provided for the hydraulic pump used, either integral or external, configured to activate the pump only when needed. According to the present invention, the pump control mechanism is configured such that it assesses the current water consumption / water intake of at least one downstream consumer or intake point using one or more operating parameters of the pump unit. That is, the pump control mechanism monitors the trends of these parameters and can identify, by means of parameter changes, whether the pump needs to be operated to increase pressure. Depending on the need, the control mechanism can activate or deactivate the pump unit. Deactivation is understood as shutting down the unit, no longer driving the pump impeller via the motor. When the pump is activated, the impeller is driven by the motor at a defined speed. The pump unit includes an electric motor for driving the impeller. The pump is preferably a centrifugal pump. In electric drive devices, electrical operating parameters are generally observed.

[0010] According to the present invention, a corresponding control mechanism is added to the pump, enabling the use of pressure boosting devices without additional sensing devices for flow measurement, such as flow meters. Instead, this function is entirely taken over by the pump's control mechanism, which can assess current demand or the flow in the supply line and through the pump by observing one or more operating parameters of the pump unit. Importantly, the control mechanism monitors the operating parameters not only when the pump unit is activated but also when it is deactivated. It is conceivable that the same parameters are observed for both activation and deactivation; however, different or additional parameters can also be monitored.

[0011] For example, it is conceivable that these motor operating parameters can be used to assess the flow through the pump or detect changes in the flow. If the flow through the pump decreases, it can be assumed that consumption at the drawdown point or hydraulic consumer is decreasing or nearing its end. If there is currently no demand at the drawdown point or consumer, there is zero flow through the pump and the unit remains inactive. In this initial state, an increase in demand causes the flow through the pump to rise, which can also be reliably identified using one or more motor operating parameters and trigger the activation of the pump unit.

[0012] In an advantageous embodiment of the pressure-boosting equipment, the control mechanism is configured such that, for example, the electrical power consumption of the pump unit or, alternatively, the current flowing through the windings of the electric motor of the pump unit, is monitored as a motor operating parameter. Using these two parameters, the flow rate through the pump can be deduced, and thus an increase in water consumption at the point of intake or the consumer can be reliably determined.

[0013] According to another advantageous embodiment of the pressure boosting device, the control mechanism is configured such that it shuts off the pump unit once it detects a decrease in motor operating parameters, particularly a decrease in electrical power consumption or winding current. Lower power consumption or reduced motor current implies a lower motor load, which can be confirmed by a decrease in the delivery flow. Advantageously, definable boundary values ​​can be set. If the motor power or winding current falls below the associated boundary values, the control mechanism puts the pump into a dormant mode by shutting off the pump unit.

[0014] Ideally, no power consumption occurs when the pump unit is deactivated. However, due to water intake at the point of use or demand from the consumer, a certain flow occurs based on the basic pressure of the water supply equipment. This flow, as an external current (Fremddurchströmung), appears in the pump and puts the pump impeller into rotation. The pump drive unit acts as a generator in this case. The control mechanism thus identifies the external current by means of the voltage / current induced in the motor windings of the pump unit. According to an advantageous embodiment, the pump control mechanism is thus configured such that it monitors the voltage / current induced in the motor windings when the pump unit is deactivated and preferably compares it with a defined boundary value. When the boundary value is exceeded, the pump unit is activated.

[0015] As briefly described above, pressure boosting devices can be used to supply at least one point of access for shower fittings.

[0016] Similarly, pressure-boosting devices are used to supply washbasin fittings or other bathroom fittings. Generally, the invention can be used in situations where a minimum water pressure should be supplied to at least one point of use or at least one corresponding consumer.

[0017] In addition to the pressure-boosting device according to the invention, the invention also relates to a method for operating the pressure-boosting device. According to the invention, the hydraulic pump is used to assess water consumption or water intake at at least one consumer or intake point using one or more operating parameters of the integrated pump unit, and the pump is turned on or off as needed by the intake point and / or consumer. Accordingly, the method is characterized by the same advantages and features as previously explained using the pressure-boosting device according to the invention. For this reason, a repeated description is omitted.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the delivery volume of the consumer or the point of use can be assessed using the detected power consumption or winding current of the pump unit. Here, the pump unit is shut down when the power consumption or winding current drops below a specific threshold value. Ideally, such a threshold value can be set and dynamically changed. Furthermore, the deactivated pump unit is switched on when a predetermined current or voltage is induced in the pump's motor windings while the pump is in a stopped operating state. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The following relies on the only appendix Figure 1 The application illustrated herein is used to explain other advantages and features of the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The only appendix Figure 1 A water supply system for supplying water to a shower fixture 10 in a private space is shown. The amount of water necessary for showering can be set by a consumer via a shower fitting 11. The water supply system is further equipped with a water tank 21, which is connected to a public water supply network 22. Drinking water is supplied from the domestic water storage tank 21 to the shower fixture 10 or the shower fitting 11. Because the water pressure provided by the water supply equipment 22 and the corresponding water pressure present in the domestic water tank 21 are insufficient to supply the shower fixture 10 with the necessary water pressure, a pump 20 suitable for drinking water is intermediately connected between the domestic water storage tank 21 and the fitting 11. This pump brings the drinking water delivered from the domestic water storage tank 21 to the desired pressure level.

[0021] Since the pump 20, which is suitable for drinking water, especially the centrifugal pump, should only operate when the shower fitting 11 is turned on and water is actually drawn from the domestic water storage 21, the pump 20 must be able to know the status of the shower fitting 11.

[0022] To save on the cost of flow meters used in the prior art, the pump should be able to identify, without sensors, whether the accessory 11 of the shower unit 10 is open or closed via integrated software functions. To identify the state of accessory 11, the fact that the electric motor driving the pump impeller consumes power when the flow rate is very low, and thus its winding current decreases, can be utilized. If, for example, the winding current falls below a predetermined threshold, the pump is automatically shut off. Identifying that accessory 11 is open is slightly more complex, as the pump 20 must recognize this while it is in the off state. For this purpose, it is assumed that when accessory 11 is open, the flow rate of domestic water from the domestic water reservoir 21 toward accessory 11 or shower head 10 is greater than zero, thus allowing external flow to pass through the pump 20. This excites the impeller of the pump 20 to rotate and induces a current or voltage in the motor windings of the electric motor driving the pump 20. The pump control mechanism can identify this induced current or voltage and activate the electric motor.

[0023] The following example of a shower device 10 is used in this application. However, the shower device 10 can also be an accessory for a washbasin or other hydraulic consumable.

Claims

1. Pressure increasing device for increasing the supply pressure in the water supply of at least one point of use or at least one hydraulic consumer, wherein, The pressure-increasing device includes at least one pump unit with an electrically driven hydraulic pump. Its features are, The hydraulic pump includes an integral or external pump control mechanism configured to assess water intake at at least one point of use or water consumption at at least one consumer using one or more motor operating parameters of the pump unit, thereby assessing the flow through the pump, and to turn the pump on or off as needed, wherein the assessment is performed not only when the pump unit is on but also when the pump unit is off.

2. The pressure increasing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by The pump control mechanism monitors the power consumption and / or winding current of the pump unit and, based on these motor operating parameters, identifies the flow through the pump, water intake at the intake point, or water consumption of the consumer.

3. The pressure increasing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by The pump control mechanism is configured to shut down the pump unit once it detects a decrease in power consumption or winding current.

4. The pressure increasing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized by The pump control mechanism is configured to shut down the pump unit once it determines that the power consumption or winding current is below a defined boundary value.

5. The pressure increasing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by The pump control mechanism is configured such that it turns on the pump unit whenever it detects a voltage / current induced in the motor windings when the pump unit is turned off.

6. The pressure increasing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by The pump control mechanism is configured to activate the pump unit when it detects that the induced voltage / current exceeds a predetermined boundary value.

7. The pressure increasing apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized by, The pump control mechanism is configured such that the pump unit is only switched off and / or switched on when a boundary value is exceeded for the minimum configurable duration.

8. The pressure increasing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by, At least one point of access is a shower fixture accessory, a washbasin accessory, or other accessory.

9. Method for operating a pressure increasing device for increasing the supply pressure in the supply of at least one point of withdrawal or hydraulic consumer, wherein The pressure-increasing device includes at least one pump unit with an electrically driven hydraulic pump, characterized in that the hydraulic pump identifies water intake at at least one intake point or water consumption at at least one consumer by means of one or more motor operating parameters of the pump unit, thereby identifying the delivery flow through the pump, and switches the pump on or off as needed by the intake point or consumer, wherein the pump control mechanism monitors one or more motor operating parameters not only when the pump unit is on but also when the pump unit is off.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The current flow through the pump and / or water intake at at least one intake point or water consumption at at least one consumer are assessed using the detected power consumption and / or winding current of the pump unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The pump unit is shut off when the electrical power is consumed or the winding current falls below a defined boundary value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The pump unit is shut off when the electrical power consumption or the winding current falls below a defined boundary value for a limited duration.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that, The pump unit is switched on when a defined current or a defined voltage is induced in the motor windings of the pump while the pump unit is switched off.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The pump unit is switched on when the induced voltage / current exceeds the minimum value for a limited duration.

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