Method for analysing a drinking water installation in the building inventory

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (400) for analyzing a drinking water system (300) in an existing building, in which one or more mobile sensor units (100, 430a-i) are temporarily attached to an existing drinking water system (300) of a building (302) for the temporary monitoring of the drinking water system (300) during operation, wherein the one or more mobile sensor units (100, 430a-i) are configured to record measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system (300), in which measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system (300) are recorded for a period of time with the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) attached to the drinking water system (300), in which the measured values ​​recorded with the sensor units (100, 430a-i) during the period of time are stored, and in which the measured values ​​stored during the period of time are evaluated in order to obtain an evaluation result (500).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for analyzing a drinking water system in an existing building.

[0002] Recent technological advancements include drinking water systems whose components incorporate various sensors for monitoring and / or controlling the system to improve drinking water hygiene. For example, EP 3 695 057, EP 3 695 058, EP 3 695 059, and EP 3 695 060 disclose drinking water systems with various sensors for monitoring.

[0003] Furthermore, components for drinking water systems, such as a hygienic cistern made of EP 3 705 635, are known from the prior art, the installation of which in a drinking water system enables, for example, the automatic execution of hygienic flushing and can thus ensure sufficient drinking water hygiene.

[0004] The drinking water systems and components described above can therefore be used to monitor the hygiene of drinking water systems and to meet hygiene requirements.

[0005] However, many buildings, particularly older ones, some decades old, have drinking water systems that lack any or adequate sensor-based hygiene monitoring or control. To improve the hygiene of such drinking water systems, it would be conceivable to renovate them and equip them with the components described above, such as hygienic cisterns. However, without a thorough analysis of the drinking water system, this approach is quite expensive and, if a complete renovation is not carried out, may lead to unsatisfactory results, as potential hygiene risks might only be reduced in certain parts of the system, while other hygiene problems persist.

[0006] Against this background, the present invention aims to provide a method for improving drinking water hygiene in existing buildings, thereby at least partially reducing or avoiding the disadvantages described above from the prior art.

[0007] The aforementioned problem is solved according to the invention by a method for analyzing a drinking water system in an existing building, in which one or more mobile sensor units are temporarily attached to an existing drinking water system of a building for the temporary monitoring of the drinking water system during operation, wherein the one or more mobile sensor units are configured to record measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system, in which measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system are recorded for a period of time with the one or more sensor units attached to the drinking water system, in which the measured values ​​recorded with the sensor units during the period of time are stored, and in which the measured values ​​stored during the period of time are evaluated in order to obtain an evaluation result.

[0008] In this way, an analysis to improve drinking water hygiene can be carried out on an existing drinking water system without installed sensors or with insufficient sensor capacity, without having to replace any components of the drinking water system beforehand. Instead, the analysis can be performed by the minimally invasive temporary installation of sensor units, without having to interfere with the existing structure of the drinking water system. This also enables analysis of a drinking water system where modifications to the system itself, especially during operation, are not possible or permitted, for example, for technical and / or legal reasons.

[0009] Furthermore, it has become apparent that simply recording measurements at a drinking water system in a single moment, for example by manually stopping a temperature measuring device, may occasionally reveal hygiene problems, but is insufficient for a systematic analysis and hygienic optimization of the drinking water system. The present method does not merely collect data in a single moment, but rather records measurements, particularly time series, at the drinking water system over a specific period. This allows for the systematic detection of hygiene problems in the drinking water system during the subsequent analysis of the stored measurements, especially those that only occur at certain times or under specific usage scenarios.

[0010] This method is used to analyze drinking water systems in existing buildings, specifically the existing drinking water system of a building. The analysis focuses particularly on hygiene aspects of the drinking water system. Such an analysis can provide transparency regarding the water quality of the drinking water system, for example, its hygiene.

[0011] The drinking water system includes, in particular, a drinking water piping system and several drinking water outlets connected to it. The drinking water piping system may, in particular, include a cold water piping system for supplying the connected drinking water outlets with cold water and / or a hot water piping system for supplying the connected drinking water outlets with hot water. The hot water piping system may, in particular, include a water heater and / or a hot water storage tank.

[0012] Drinking water outlets can include one or more of the following: tap, toilet flush, urinal flush, bathtub or shower outlet, and hygiene flushing device. Individual drinking water outlets can be connected to one or both of the cold and hot water supply systems. For example, a urinal flush is typically supplied only by the cold water supply system, while a mixer tap for a washbasin, bathtub, or shower is supplied by both the cold and hot water supply systems.

[0013] The cold water piping system preferably comprises at least one cold water distribution pipe, for example a cold water riser, to which one or more cold water branches are connected for supplying drinking water outlets connected to the respective cold water branches. The hot water piping system preferably comprises at least one hot water distribution pipe, for example a hot water riser, to which one or more hot water branches are connected for supplying drinking water outlets connected to the respective hot water branches.

[0014] Circulation lines can be connected to one or more of the hot water strands, in particular via a circulation valve, whereby water from the hot water strand in question can be directed back to the heat generator via the respective circulation line.

[0015] Furthermore, circulation lines can also be connected to one or more of the cold water strands, in particular via a circulation valve, whereby water from the relevant cold water strand can be circulated via the respective circulation line.

[0016] The drinking water system is connected to a transfer point of the local drinking water supplier, specifically to the building's water service connection. The drinking water system can be supplied with drinking water from the local water network via this transfer point. A water meter is preferably installed at the transfer point.

[0017] The drinking water system is a drinking water system within an existing building. Therefore, it is an existing drinking water system installed in an existing building. The drinking water system may have been installed and / or in operation for at least one year, preferably at least five years, and ideally at least ten years, optionally with interim modifications. This method is particularly suitable for older drinking water systems, as these are more prone to hygiene problems and often lack comprehensive sensor technology.

[0018] In this process, one or more mobile sensor units are temporarily attached to the drinking water system for monitoring during operation. These mobile sensor units are, in particular, separate assemblies from the existing drinking water system components, connected to the system only temporarily. If the drinking water system has components with integrated sensors, such as a hygienic flushing unit with a temperature sensor, the mobile sensor units are additional, separate units. When using only these separate sensor units, i.e., without using sensors integrated into the existing drinking water system, data quality and / or integrity is independent of the installed sensors and can thus be better ensured.

[0019] Preferably, at least 5, more preferably at least 10, and in particular at least 20 mobile sensor units are installed on the drinking water system. The number of mobile sensor units can be selected depending on the complexity and / or size of the drinking water system. This allows for a more precise analysis of the drinking water system. The sensor units are installed at various measuring points within the drinking water system. Accordingly, preferably at least 5, more preferably at least 10, and in particular at least 20 mobile sensor units are installed at various measuring points within the drinking water system.

[0020] It is also generally possible to install multiple sensor units at a single measuring point if the sensor units monitor different operating parameters. For example, one sensor unit for temperature measurement and another sensor unit for volumetric flow rate measurement can be mounted at the same measuring point or immediately adjacent to it. In such a case, instead of two separate sensor units, a single sensor unit with multiple sensors can be used, allowing the sensor unit to measure both temperature and volumetric flow rate, for example.

[0021] The one or more mobile sensor units are designed to record measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system. For this purpose, each sensor unit has one or more sensors for recording measured values. These operating parameters can include, for example, the water temperature and / or the water flow rate at a specific point (measuring point) within the drinking water system.

[0022] Furthermore, the sensor units can have their own power supply, for example a battery, especially a rechargeable battery, to power the sensors and any electronics within the sensor units. This makes the sensor units self-sufficient and flexible in their use, without requiring a separate power supply at the deployment site. However, it is also conceivable that the sensor units have a connection for an external power supply.

[0023] In this process, measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system are recorded over a period of time using one or more sensor units attached to the drinking water system.

[0024] For this purpose, the one or more sensor units can each have a control unit that initiates the acquisition of measured values ​​from the respective one or more sensors of the control unit, particularly at predefined measurement intervals. In this way, the sensor units can acquire the measured values ​​autonomously. The control unit can also process values ​​acquired from one or more sensors, for example, summing, integrating, or averaging measured values ​​acquired over a measurement interval to obtain a derived measured value that can then be stored. The acquired and stored measured values ​​therefore need not be raw sensor data, but can also be values ​​obtained by processing raw measurement data. Preferably, the raw sensor data is acquired and stored.In this way, the raw measurement data can be used in the subsequent evaluation, especially by a central evaluation unit, which can improve the data quality and / or data integrity.

[0025] The period in question can be a predefined timeframe. However, the end of the period can also be determined dynamically during the period, for example, by conducting a preliminary analysis of the recorded measurements to determine whether the period has already been long enough.

[0026] In this process, the measured values ​​acquired by the sensor units during the specified period are stored. The measured values ​​can be stored directly on the respective sensor units. For this purpose, the one or more sensor units can, in particular, have their own memory on which the measured values ​​are stored. Specifically, the respective control unit of the one or more sensor units, if provided, can be configured to store the acquired measured values ​​on the memory. The measured values ​​stored on a sensor unit can then be read out, for example, after the specified period has elapsed, via a dedicated data interface of the sensor unit, and stored on a central evaluation unit for analysis of the measured values ​​acquired by the one or more sensor units.

[0027] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the one or more sensor units have a communication link to a central evaluation unit, via which the recorded measurements are transmitted. In this way, the measurement data can be stored centrally on the evaluation unit during the measurement period. This enables, for example, preliminary evaluations to be carried out during the current period and / or online monitoring of the measurements. The preliminary evaluations make it possible, for example, to determine whether the originally planned period is long enough or needs to be extended. Online monitoring of the measurements also makes it possible to determine during the ongoing measurements whether the sensor units are functioning correctly.

[0028] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the sensor units temporarily store the measured values ​​and only transmit them to the central evaluation unit via the communication link after a certain period has elapsed. The communication link can be wired or wireless. In particular, a sensor unit can have its own communication unit for wireless communication, for example, a Bluetooth, NB-IoT, LTE-M, or WLAN module. This makes it easier to mount the sensor units without the need for wiring.

[0029] The process involves evaluating the measured values ​​stored over a specific period to obtain a result. This evaluation includes, in particular, an analysis of drinking water hygiene to identify potential and / or existing hygiene problems within the drinking water system. This allows for a systematic analysis of the drinking water system. The resulting analysis enables the identification and implementation of solutions for hygienic optimization of the drinking water system. Because measurements were collected over a period of time, the analysis can reveal hygiene problems that, for example, only occur at certain times or under specific usage scenarios of the drinking water system. This, in turn, facilitates a systematic analysis and hygienic optimization of the drinking water system.

[0030] The evaluation of the stored measured values ​​can be performed, in particular, on a central evaluation unit. In other words, the measured values ​​acquired during the specified period by the one or more sensor units are preferably evaluated on a central evaluation unit to obtain the evaluation result. This enables centralized evaluation of the measured values, especially from multiple sensor units. Preferably, the central evaluation unit evaluates the raw measurement data from the sensor units. In this way, data integrity and / or data quality can be better ensured centrally. In particular, this allows for a uniform evaluation of the raw measurement data from different sensor units. This avoids artifacts caused by potentially differing evaluations of the raw measurement data on the various sensor units.

[0031] The evaluation of the measured values ​​may include, in particular, the calculation of average values ​​of measured values ​​and / or the checking of measured values ​​for falling below or exceeding one or more predetermined limit values.

[0032] The following describes various embodiments of the method. The individual embodiments can be combined with one another as desired.

[0033] In one embodiment, the one or more mobile sensor units are removed from the drinking water system after the specified period. The mobile sensor units are therefore only mounted on the drinking water system for recording the measured values ​​during this period. It has been found that monitoring a drinking water system over a specific period allows for the analysis and detection of potential and / or existing hygiene problems, enabling optimization of the drinking water system based on the resulting evaluation. For this purpose, continuous monitoring of the drinking water system with permanent sensors is unnecessary, thus saving on conversion and investment costs.The one or more mobile sensor units can be disassembled and used to analyze the next drinking water system, so that several existing drinking water systems can be analyzed successively with one set of sensor units.

[0034] In one embodiment, one or more of the sensor units comprise a temperature sensor. The sensor units are specifically designed to monitor the temperature at a point (measuring point) within the drinking water system, particularly the water temperature at the point where the sensor unit is mounted. Temperature readings for the water temperature can be obtained, in particular, by measuring the temperature of a component of the drinking water system from which the water temperature can be inferred, for example, by measuring the temperature of a drinking water pipe within the drinking water system's piping system.This simplifies the installation and removal of the sensor unit, as the sensor unit is simply placed on the outside of a drinking water system pipe, fixed in place, and preferably insulated. The insulation of the sensor unit and / or its one or more sensors reduces heat radiation, thus enabling, for example, more accurate temperature measurements.

[0035] The water temperature in a drinking water system has a significant impact on hygiene within the system. Excessively high temperatures in the cold water and excessively low temperatures in the hot water can promote the growth of pathogens, particularly Legionella bacteria. Using temperature sensors, temperature time series can be recorded at specific points within the drinking water system. Subsequent analysis of this data allows, for example, the determination of whether predefined minimum temperatures are not met and / or predefined maximum temperatures are exceeded at specific points in the drinking water system, such as at certain times of day or under specific usage scenarios.

[0036] In one embodiment, one or more of the sensor units comprise a flow rate sensor. Stagnant water in the drinking water system can lead to bacterial contamination. By monitoring the flow rate, it can be determined whether the water from a section of the drinking water system, for example, a cold and / or hot water line, is flushed sufficiently frequently, for example, by drawing water from drinking water taps or via designated circulation lines.

[0037] The flow sensor can be, in particular, a magnetic-inductive flow meter that can, for example, be mounted externally onto a pipe of the drinking water system. This simplifies the installation and removal of the sensor unit, as the sensor unit is simply placed on the outside of the drinking water system pipe, secured, and optionally insulated.

[0038] Stagnation of drinking water within the drinking water system can also be detected by one or more temperature sensors. In particular, a constant temperature over a longer period, especially below a predefined hot water temperature reference value for a hot water pipe or above a predefined cold water temperature reference value for a cold water pipe, can indicate stagnation. Furthermore, sudden temperature changes can indicate that the relevant pipe has been flushed.

[0039] In one embodiment, one or more of the sensor units, preferably the majority, and in particular all of the sensor units, are designed as surface-mounted units. This enables minimally invasive monitoring of the drinking water system. In particular, the mobile sensor units can be temporarily attached to the drinking water system in this way without significant assembly and disassembly effort.

[0040] In this context, an attachment unit is understood to be a sensor unit which, or whose sensor, is simply attached from the outside to a component of the drinking water system, for example to a section of pipe, and is fixed there if necessary, for example by clipping it on, tying it down or gluing it on, and optionally insulated.

[0041] If the sensor unit includes a temperature sensor, this sensor is preferably designed to determine measured values ​​for the temperature of a component of the drinking water system to which the sensor unit is attached, in particular with a measuring surface of the sensor unit. In this way, for example, measured values ​​for the temperature of a pipe section or a fitting, such as a valve or outlet fitting, can be recorded, from which the temperature of the water present in the pipe section or fitting can be deduced.

[0042] If the sensor unit includes a volumetric flow sensor, this sensor is preferably designed to determine measured values ​​for the volumetric flow rate of water flowing through a component of the drinking water system from outside the component. For this purpose, magnetic-inductive flow meters are particularly suitable, which can, for example, be mounted externally onto a pipe section or another component of the drinking water system without requiring any modifications to the structure of the drinking water system.

[0043] In one embodiment, the drinking water system has several water lines, and at least one mobile sensor unit is attached to at least two of the water lines, preferably to the majority of the water lines, and in particular to each water line. This allows the drinking water system to be systematically analyzed. Preferably, the temperature of the water in the entire drinking water system, and more preferably in each water line, can be monitored and analyzed in this way. If sensor units are attached to only some of the water lines, the selection is preferably based on the line configuration of the drinking water system. This enables a representative analysis of the drinking water system.

[0044] In one embodiment, the drinking water system has one or more circulation valves, and at least one, preferably several, and in particular each, of the one or more circulation valves is fitted with at least one mobile sensor device. The sensor devices in question can, in particular, be attached directly to the respective circulation valve, or directly upstream of the circulation valve on the pipe leading to the circulation valve, or directly downstream of the circulation valve on the circulation pipe leading away from the circulation valve.

[0045] Furthermore, the sensor devices in question preferably each include a temperature sensor to measure the temperature at the circulation valve or immediately before or after the circulation valve on the line leading to or from the circulation valve. This allows subsequent analysis to determine, for example, whether the circulation valves are properly adjusted to prevent hygiene problems, or whether they need to be reconfigured or even replaced.

[0046] In one embodiment, the monitoring period, particularly the specified period, is in the range of 1 to 365 days, preferably in the range of 7 to 100 days, more preferably in the range of 14 to 70 days, and particularly in the range of 21 to 42 days. It has been found that monitoring a drinking water system for too short a period can lead to certain usage scenarios—for example, usage scenarios dependent on the time of day and / or day of the week—not being adequately recorded, depending on the building's use. Therefore, the minimum duration of the monitoring period is preferably 1 day, more preferably 7 days, and particularly at least 14 days. In this way, typical usage scenarios are reliably recorded.

[0047] It is possible that there may be special, possibly random, scenarios that occur less frequently, such as component failure (e.g., pump failure) or events involving abnormal use of the drinking water system (e.g., a weekend trip at hotels or use of sports facilities). To capture such special scenarios with a higher probability, the period is preferably at least 21 days, preferably at least 28 days.

[0048] The time period is preferably limited to a maximum of 365 days, and more preferably to a maximum of 100 days. This allows even rare special scenarios to be captured. The period can be further limited to a maximum of 70 days, and in particular to a maximum of 42 days, especially if special scenarios are less likely at the drinking water system. A shorter period can save costs.

[0049] In one embodiment, one or more of the sensor devices record measured values ​​at predetermined time intervals. In this way, time series for measured values ​​at a respective measuring point in the drinking water system can be recorded.

[0050] The time intervals between two successive measurements with a sensor are preferably in the range of 1 to 120 minutes, more preferably in the range of 2 to 60 minutes, and particularly in the range of 5 to 30 minutes, for example in the range of 15 to 30 minutes. The measured values ​​acquired at predetermined time intervals are preferably temperature measurements.

[0051] Stagnant water in a hot water pipe typically cools down relatively slowly. Similarly, stagnant water in a cold water pipe typically heats up relatively slowly. Therefore, it is sufficient to measure the temperature at specific time intervals. This significantly reduces the amount of data to be stored and analyzed without substantial loss of accuracy.

[0052] One or more of the sensor devices can also acquire measured values ​​at shorter intervals or continuously, in particular volumetric flow rates. Furthermore, the corresponding sensor devices can summate or integrate raw measured values, especially volumetric flow rates, over a measurement interval and thus acquire summed measured values ​​over that interval.

[0053] In one embodiment, information about the corresponding measuring point and / or the corresponding measuring time is stored with the measured values. This allows the measured values ​​to be reliably assigned to the respective measuring point in the drinking water system or the corresponding time within the period during subsequent analysis. In particular, the evaluation of the stored measured values ​​preferably depends on the information about the corresponding measuring point and / or the corresponding measuring time. The information about the measuring point can be, for example, an identifier, such as sensor ID or sensor unit ID, of the relevant sensor device or a relevant sensor within the relevant sensor device, or a positional indication of the measuring position in the drinking water system and / or in the building.Information about the measurement time can, for example, include information about the date and / or time of the measurement, or information about a relative measurement time since the beginning of the period.

[0054] In one embodiment, information about the drinking water system and / or the building is taken into account when evaluating the measured values. Information about the building, in particular the building structure, and / or about the drinking water system, in particular the riser diagram, is typically known or can be defined for the purposes of evaluation. In particular, the measuring points can be assigned to the building structure, for example, to a building section, a floor, a room, and / or a location within a room. Considering the information about the drinking water system and / or the building when evaluating the measured values ​​enables targeted data analysis, such as filtering, sorting, and / or summing of measured values ​​depending on the information about the drinking water system and / or the building. In this way, for example, measured values ​​belonging to a drinking water riser or a room can be summed or averaged.This makes it possible to identify hygiene weaknesses in the drinking water system.

[0055] Preferably, a digital twin of the drinking water system and / or the building is specified for the evaluation of the measurement results, which is taken into account when evaluating the measurement data.

[0056] In one embodiment, the evaluation of the measured values ​​includes: averaging the measured values ​​and / or comparing the measured values ​​with each other. For example, averages of measured values ​​can be calculated based on various criteria, such as averages of measured values ​​assigned to a drinking water line, a measuring point, and / or a specific time interval within the period.

[0057] During the evaluation, measured values ​​or values ​​derived from them, in particular measured values ​​from a string, a measuring point and / or a time interval, can be compared, for example, with measurement data on the hot water temperature at the water heater and / or hot water storage tank and / or at a return line, in particular circulation line, to the water heater.

[0058] In one embodiment, the evaluation result is displayed, preferably in the form of a heatmap. In particular, measured values ​​for temperatures or values ​​derived therefrom, for example averages, can be displayed as a heatmap, for example sorted in descending order by temperature. For example, temperature values, especially of the hot water piping system, below a predetermined minimum temperature, for example 55°C, can be displayed in one or more first colors, for example red or yellow and red, and temperature values ​​above the minimum temperature can be displayed in one or more second colors, for example green or green and blue.

[0059] Further features and advantages of the method will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the attached drawing.

[0060] The drawing shows Fig. 1 a sensor unit, Fig. 2 a central evaluation unit, Fig. 3 an existing drinking water system of a building with mounted sensor units and a central evaluation unit, Fig. 4 an embodiment of the method and Fig. 5 an example of an evaluation result.

[0061] Fig. 1 shows an example of a sensor unit in a highly schematic representation.

[0062] The sensor unit 100 comprises as functional components a control unit 102, a data storage unit 104, a voltage source 106, a communication unit 108 and a sensor 110, which in this case is designed as a temperature sensor, for example with a Pt100 element.

[0063] In the present example, the sensor unit 100 has a housing 112 in which the control unit 102, the data storage unit 104, the power supply 106, and the communication unit 108 are housed. However, the components of the sensor unit 100 can also be housed in several housings, which may be connected to each other by one or more cables.

[0064] In this example, the sensor 110 is designed as a separate unit connected to the housing 112 via a cable 111. This makes it easier to position the sensor 110 in confined spaces. For mounting on a pipe section or component, such as a valve, of a drinking water system, the sensor 110 can, for example, simply be placed on the outside of the pipe section or component and secured there with adhesive tape. Preferably, the sensor 110 is also insulated on the outside, i.e., on the side facing away from the pipe section or component, to reduce measurement errors due to heat radiation. The housing 112 can then be fixed to the drinking water system within reach of the cable 111, for example, with adhesive tape, cable ties, or hook-and-loop fasteners.

[0065] Alternatively, the sensor 110 can also be housed in the casing 112, for example on a mounting surface of the casing 112, with which the casing can be attached to a pipe section or a component of the drinking water system and fixed there.

[0066] The control unit 102 controls the sensor unit 100. The control unit 102 includes, in particular, at least one microprocessor and at least one memory containing instructions, the execution of which on the at least one microprocessor controls the sensor unit 100. For example, the control unit 102 can access the data memory 104 as memory for the instructions or alternatively have its own instruction memory.

[0067] The control unit 102 is specifically designed to acquire measured values ​​using the sensor 110. In particular, the control unit 102 can be programmed via stored commands to acquire a temperature measurement using the sensor 110 at specific time intervals, for example, every 15 minutes, and to store this measurement on the data storage device 104. Furthermore, the control unit 102 preferably includes a timer and stores information about the measurement time along with the measured values. Additionally, the control unit 102 can store information about the identity of the sensor unit 100, for example, a sensor unit ID stored in the memory of the control unit 102, along with the measured temperature values. This enables the subsequent assignment of the measured values ​​to the sensor unit 100.

[0068] In this example, the communication unit 108 is configured for wireless communication. For instance, the communication unit 108 can be configured as a Bluetooth, NB-IoT, LTE-M, or WLAN module. In this way, the sensor unit 100 can receive commands via a wireless communication link 150, such as a command to begin acquiring measurements, a command to stop acquiring measurements, and / or a command to transmit measurements via the communication unit 108. Furthermore, the sensor unit 100 can send data via a wireless communication link 150, in particular measurements acquired by the sensor 110 and, if necessary, temporarily stored on the data storage device 104.

[0069] The power source 106 supplies the components of the sensor unit 100 with voltage, enabling the sensor unit to operate independently without an external power supply. This allows the sensor unit 100 to be used flexibly and easily. The power source 106 can be, for example, a battery, particularly a rechargeable battery.

[0070] Sensor unit 100 is designed for temperature measurement. Additionally or alternatively, the sensor unit can also be designed for volumetric flow measurement. For this purpose, a volumetric flow sensor, in particular a magnetic-inductive flow meter that can be mounted externally onto a pipe, can be provided in addition to or as an alternative to sensor 110.

[0071] Fig. 2 shows a central evaluation unit in a highly schematic representation.

[0072] The central evaluation unit 200 comprises, as functional components, a control unit 202, a data storage unit 204, a communication unit 208, and a user interface 210. For power supply, the central evaluation unit 200 can be connected to an external power source. It is also conceivable that the evaluation unit 200 includes its own power source, for example, a battery, particularly a rechargeable battery. This allows for more flexible operation of the evaluation unit 200.

[0073] In this example, the central evaluation unit 200 is represented as a device 212. However, it is also conceivable that the components of the central evaluation unit 200 are distributed across different devices. Furthermore, components of the evaluation unit 200 can also be implemented as a cloud application on a cloud server.

[0074] The control unit 202 controls the central evaluation unit 200. The control unit 202 includes, in particular, at least one microprocessor and at least one memory containing instructions, the execution of which on the at least one microprocessor controls the evaluation unit 200. For example, the control unit 202 can access the data memory 204 as memory for the instructions or alternatively have its own instruction memory.

[0075] The control unit 202 is specifically designed to establish a wireless communication link 150 via the communication unit 208 to one or more sensor units, such as the sensor unit 100 in Fig. 1, to establish, and to send control commands to the respective sensor unit 200 and / or to receive measurement data. For example, the control unit 202 can be configured to send a start command to the one or more sensor units at the beginning of a predefined period, so that they begin acquiring measured values, and at the end of the predefined period to send a transmission command to the sensor units so that they stop acquiring measured values ​​and transmit the measured values ​​acquired during the period to the evaluation unit 200 via the wireless communication link 150.

[0076] The control unit 202 is further configured to store the measured values ​​received via the wireless communication link 150 on the data storage device 204 and then to perform an evaluation of the stored measured values ​​in order to obtain an evaluation result. The control unit 202 can then, in particular, output the evaluation result via the user interface 210, for example, a screen of the user interface 210.

[0077] Fig. 3 The diagram shows a schematic representation of an existing drinking water system in a building, i.e., a drinking water system within the existing building stock.

[0078] The drinking water system 300 of building 302 comprises a drinking water piping system 304, which is connected to a transfer point 306 of the local water supplier. A water meter 308 is provided at the transfer point 306, which measures the volume of water drawn from the local water network 310. In this example, the transfer point is the service connection of building 302.

[0079] The drinking water supply system 304 comprises a cold water supply system 312 with a cold water riser 314, from which several cold water strands 316 branch off to supply drinking water outlets 318, 320 in the individual floors of the building 302.

[0080] Furthermore, the drinking water supply system 304 comprises a hot water supply system 322 with a hot water riser 324, from which several hot water branches 326 extend to supply the drinking water outlets 318 on the individual floors of the building 302. A circulation line 330 is connected to each end of the hot water branches 326 via a circulation valve 328, and these lines are joined to form a common circulation line 331.

[0081] The hot water supply system 322 also includes a hot water heater 340 and a hot water storage tank 342, which can be used to heat and temporarily store water supplied via the house connection.

[0082] The circulation line 331 is connected to the hot water heater 340 via a pump 332 in order to reheat water circulated in the hot water supply system 322.

[0083] In this example, the drinking water outlets 318 are connected to both the cold water supply system 312 and the hot water supply system 322. For example, the drinking water outlets 318 could be mixing valves for a shower, a bathtub, or a washbasin.

[0084] In this example, the drinking water outlets 320 are only connected to the cold water supply system 312. For example, the drinking water outlets 320 could be (cold) water taps, a toilet flush, or a hygiene flushing unit to perform temperature- and / or time-controlled hygiene flushes in the cold water supply system 312.

[0085] Drinking water system 300 is an existing drinking water system within the building. Drinking water system 300 may, for example, have been installed in building 302 for several years, possibly even decades.

[0086] The following will now be based on the Fig. 4 an embodiment of the method for analyzing the drinking water system 300 from Fig. 3 described.

[0087] Fig. 4 shows an exemplary implementation of the method for analyzing a drinking water system in an existing building using a flowchart.

[0088] In procedure 400, several sensor units 430a-i (see Fig. 3 ) at various measuring points 432a-i (see Fig. 3) of the drinking water system 300 (step 402). The sensor units 430a-i are preferably mounted without interfering with the structure of the drinking water system 300, for example by placing and fixing the one or more sensors of the respective sensor units 430a-i onto a respective component of the drinking water system from the outside, for example in the case of sensor units 430a-f onto a pipe section of the cold or hot water pipe system 312, 322 at the respective measuring point 432a-f and in the case of sensor units 430g-i onto the respective circulation valve 328 or onto a pipe section immediately before or after the circulation valve 328.

[0089] The 430a-i sensor units can be used in particular like the 100 sensor unit. Fig. 1 be trained. In addition to or as an alternative to sensor 110, the respective sensor units 100 may also have a sensor for detecting the volume flow.

[0090] In procedure 400, measured values ​​are acquired by the sensor units 430a-i over a specified period, for example, four weeks, and stored on the respective data storage device 104 of the sensor units 430a-i (step 404). For this purpose, for example, a central evaluation unit 450, which, like the evaluation unit 200, consists of Fig. 2 can be trained to send control commands to the sensor units 430a-i via a wireless communication link 150 at the beginning of the period to cause them to start acquiring measured values ​​and to store the measured values ​​on the respective data storage device 104.

[0091] After the specified period has elapsed, the stored measured values ​​are evaluated by the evaluation unit 450 (step 406). For this purpose, control commands can be sent from the central evaluation unit 450 to the sensor units 430a-i via a wireless communication link 150 to cause them to stop acquiring measured values ​​and to send the measured values ​​stored on the respective data storage device 104 to the central evaluation unit 450. The central evaluation unit 450 can then receive the measured values ​​from the sensor units 430a-i, store them on the data storage device 204, and evaluate them to obtain an evaluation result.

[0092] The evaluation preferably takes into account data 408 concerning the building structure of building 302 and / or the piping diagram of the drinking water system 300. This data 408 can, for example, be stored in the data storage 204 of the evaluation unit 200.

[0093] The evaluation unit 450 can, for example, compare measured temperatures with a specified minimum and / or maximum temperature when evaluating the measurement results and generate a corresponding evaluation result if the minimum or maximum temperature is exceeded or not reached.

[0094] The evaluation result is then displayed via the user interface 210 (step 410), for example on a screen of the user interface 210. In this way, a user can identify hygiene problems of the drinking water system 300 based on the analysis performed and derive measures to optimize the drinking water system 300 and implement them if necessary (step 412).

[0095] Fig. 5 shows an example of an evaluation result as it can be determined by the central evaluation unit 450 and output via the user interface 210.

[0096] To determine the evaluation result 500, the individual measured values ​​for the respective measuring points 432a-d on the cold water piping system 312 are monitored for exceeding a maximum temperature, and the individual measured values ​​for the respective measuring points 432e-i on the hot water piping system 322 are monitored for falling below a minimum temperature. The results are then displayed on a pipe layout diagram of the drinking water system 300 in the form of a heat map with different colors (in Fig. 5(indicated by different hatching patterns). Areas of the drinking water system 300 where no exceedances of maximum temperatures or falls below minimum temperatures have occurred are colored green in this example ("OK"); areas of the drinking water system 300 where sporadic, short exceedances of maximum temperatures or falls below minimum temperatures have occurred are colored yellow in this example ("borderline"); and areas of the drinking water system 300 where exceedances of maximum temperatures or falls below minimum temperatures have occurred more frequently or for longer periods over short periods are colored red in this example ("critical"). In this way, the user can immediately identify hygiene problems in the drinking water system 300 and derive optimization measures.

[0097] The sensor units 430a-i can be removed from the drinking water system 300 again after the end of the specified period (step 414 in Fig. 4 ) and are therefore available for use in analyzing a future drinking water system, for example in another building. Reference symbol list:

[0098] 100, 430a-iSensor unit 102Control unit 104Data storage 106Power source 108Communication unit 110Sensor 111Cable 112Housing 150Communication connection 200, 450Central evaluation unit 202Control unit 204Data storage 208Communication unit 210User interface 212Device 300Drinking water system 302Building 304Drinking water piping system 306Transfer point 308Water meter 310Local water network 312Cold water piping system 314Cold water riser 316Cold water section 318, 320Drinking water taps 322Hot water piping system 324Hot water riser 326Hot water section 328Circulation valve 330, 331 Circulation line 332 Pump 340 Water heater 342 Hot water storage tank 400 Procedure 402, 404, 406, 410, 412, 414 Steps of the procedure 408 Data 432a-i Measuring point

Claims

1. Method (400) for analyzing a drinking water system (300) in an existing building, - in which one or more mobile sensor units (100, 430a-i) are temporarily attached to an existing drinking water system (300) of a building (302) for the temporary monitoring of the drinking water system (300) during operation, wherein the one or more mobile sensor units (100, 430a-i) are configured to record measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system (300), - in which measured values ​​for operating parameters of the drinking water system (300) are recorded for a period of time with the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) attached to the drinking water system (300), - in which the measured values ​​recorded with the sensor units (100, 430a-i) during the period of time are stored, and - in which the measured values ​​stored during the period of time are evaluated in order to obtain an evaluation result (500).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the fact thatthe one or more mobile sensor units (100, 430a-i) are to be dismantled from the drinking water system (300) after the expiry of the period.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that one or more of the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) comprise a respective temperature sensor (110).

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that one or more of the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) include a volume flow sensor.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that one or more of the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) are designed as attachment units.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the fact that the drinking water system (300) has several water strands (316, 326) and at least one mobile sensor unit (100, 430a-i) is attached to at least two of the water strands (316, 326), preferably to each of the water strands.

7. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by the fact that the drinking water system (300) has one or more circulation valves (328) and at least one, preferably several, in particular at each of the one or more circulation valves (328) has at least one mobile sensor unit (100, 430a-i) attached.

8. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by the fact that the period is in the range of 1 - 365 days, preferably in the range of 7 - 100 days, and particularly in the range of 14 - 70 days.

9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by the fact that one or more of the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) acquire measured values ​​at predetermined time intervals, wherein the time intervals between two successive measurements with one sensor unit (100, 430a-i) are preferably in the range of 1 - 120 minutes, more preferably in the range of 2 - 60 minutes, and in particular in the range of 5 - 30 minutes.

10. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the fact that Information about the associated measuring point (432a-i) and / or the associated measuring time is stored with the measured values.

11. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by the fact that When evaluating the measured values, information about the drinking water system (300) and / or the building (302) is taken into account.

12. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by the fact that The evaluation of the measured values ​​includes: averaging the measurement data and / or comparing the measured values ​​with each other.

13. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by the fact that The evaluation result (500) is displayed.

14. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized by the fact that the measured values ​​recorded during the period with the one or more sensor units (100, 430a-i) are evaluated on a central evaluation unit (200) in order to obtain the evaluation result (500).

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