Leak Protection Valve Control via Occupancy Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing leak protection systems in water installations fail to differentiate between water usage patterns and do not ensure that fire fighting equipment remains under necessary operating pressure when the building is populated, leading to potential water shortages during emergencies.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes movement sensors to adjust the sensitivity of leak monitoring and forces the opening of the shutoff valve when individuals are present, ensuring fire fighting equipment is under water pressure while allowing for two-phase monitoring to optimize leak protection and alarm communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If a shutoff valve is controlled by a leak protection system to close automatically when leaks are detected, then water loss is reduced, but fire fighting equipment may be deprived of necessary operating pressure when the building is populated
Solution Approach 1:
The shutoff valve transitions from a static closed state to a dynamic state where it can automatically open when movement sensors detect occupancy, ensuring fire fighting equipment receives water pressure when needed while maintaining leak protection when the building is empty
Solution Approach 2:
Movement sensors provide feedback about building occupancy to the control box, which then adjusts the shutoff valve state accordingly - closing the valve when no movement is detected to prevent water loss, and opening it when movement is detected to ensure fire fighting readiness
2Reliability
If movement sensors are used to detect building occupancy and control the shutoff valve, then fire fighting equipment remains operational when populated, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control box serves multiple functions: it monitors water consumption data from the flow meter, receives signals from movement sensors, controls the shutoff valve, and activates alarm systems - consolidating these functions into a single device rather than requiring separate systems for each function
3Reliability
If the shutoff valve is forced open when movement is detected to ensure fire fighting pressure, then fire safety is maintained, but leak detection sensitivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system dynamically adjusts its sensitivity based on occupancy state - when movement is detected, the system prioritizes fire safety by keeping the valve open, while when no movement is detected, it switches to sensitive leak monitoring mode to detect and prevent water loss
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
When, according to the invention, the supply water installation in buildings, such as schools, institutions and the like, is protected with a leak protection system, which is capable of registering the presence of individuals in the building by means of movement sensors (5), these sensors (5) will be able to a apply a signal (5a) to a control box (4), so that forced opening of the shutoff valve (3) may take place in case of fire. The control box (4) has two phases, viz. monitoring via the sensors (5) of a populated building and a depopulated building, respectively, and thereby the possibility of changing phase and thus switching the system from a leak monitoring system, which is capable of giving an alarm, but not of shutting off the water, to a leak protection system, which is capable of giving an alarm and shutting off the water. This switching takes place automatically, which gives the greatest possible certainty of both leak protection and pressure water in case of fire.