Categorized Water Usage Profiling for Leak Detection and Valve Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed water infrastructure systems face challenges in detecting leaks and abnormal water usage efficiently, leading to unnoticed waste and potential damage, as users often fail to recognize leaks until significant water loss occurs, and it is difficult to differentiate between normal and abnormal water consumption patterns.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising sensors, processors, and communication components that aggregate water usage data to create time-based profiles, compare current usage to normal profiles, and initiate remedial actions, such as automatic valve closure, to address abnormal consumption and leaks, while also differentiating between water usage patterns to identify human health or lifestyle indicators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional water monitoring methods are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but leak detection capability and water waste prevention are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments water usage monitoring into multiple categorical groups (e.g., cooking, cleaning, toilet use, showering) with distinct baseline profiles. Each category is monitored and compared independently against its specific baseline, enabling precise leak detection without requiring a single complex universal monitoring system. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high reliability in detecting abnormal usage while maintaining manageable complexity through modular category-based analysis.
2Measurement precision
If detailed water usage tracking is implemented, then water waste identification accuracy is improved, but information processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms raw water usage data into categorical classifications by changing the parameter representation from continuous flow measurements to discrete usage categories (cooking, cleaning, toilet, showering, etc.). Each category has established baseline parameters that are compared against current usage. This parameter transformation enables precise measurement and identification of water waste while simplifying data processing through category-based aggregation rather than analyzing every individual data point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces categorical baseline profiles as intermediary structures between raw sensor data and leak detection analysis. These baseline profiles serve as mediators that aggregate and normalize usage patterns into category-specific expectations. By comparing current usage against these intermediary baseline categories rather than directly analyzing raw data, the system achieves high measurement precision while reducing processing complexity through the mediating categorical framework.
3Loss of time
If continuous monitoring is performed, then leak detection timeliness is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic comparison of water usage data against categorical baselines rather than continuous analysis. The system continuously collects usage data but performs structured comparisons at intervals, updating current usage metrics against established baseline profiles for each category. This periodic action approach enables timely leak detection by maintaining continuous monitoring capability while reducing energy consumption through interval-based analysis rather than constant full-system activation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is provided for tracking, in a distributed water infrastructure, water usage by category. The system may comprise at least one processor configured to receive from at least one sensor associated with the distributed water infrastructure signals indicative of water usage in the distributed water infrastructure. The system may, based on the signals indicative of water usage, construct a plurality of profiles. The system may assign each profile to one of a plurality of water usage categories. The system may collect, from the at least one sensor, signals indicative of water usage for substantially all water delivered through the distributed water infrastructure in a time period. The system may construct a plurality of water usage profiles in the aggregate, encompassing substantially all water delivered through the distributed water infrastructure in the time period. The system may assign each constructed water usage profile to one of the plurality of water usage categories. The system may output, for display, water usage for the time period for each of the plurality of water usage categories.