System for the control and monitoring of sanitary appliances

• US 20040011716A1
• Filed: 02/24/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aqua Rotter GmbH
• Original Assignee: Aqua Rotter GmbH
• Inventors: Roschinsky, Christian, Sandt, Burkhard, Rennau, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 6,992,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/143
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/04 Domestic or like local pipe systems domestic plumbing E03C1/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31162 Wireless lan
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31394 Field management, low level, instruments and controllers acting in real time
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31395 Process management, specification, process and production data, middle level

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for the control and monitoring of electronic sanitary appliances with a command level, an automation level and a field level. In the automation level the automation stations (1) are each connected by a field bus (2) with several sanitary appliances (A, B, C, D, E), at least one radio station (4) is provided which communicates via a connected line with the appropriate automation station. Said radio station is in connection with at least one part (C, D) of the several sanitary appliances by means of a wireless data transmission path.

Claims

1. A system for the control and monitoring of electronic sanitary appliances with a command level, an automation level and a field level, in which automation stations (1) provided in the automation level are each connected to several sanitary appliances through a field bus (2), characterized in that

at least one wireless control station (4) communicating with the associated automation station in a line-bound way through the field bus is provided, which is in communication at least with a part (C, D) of the several sanitary appliances (A, B, C, D, E) through each one wireless data bus.

2. A system according to claim 1,

characterized in that the data communication through said wireless data bus is bidirectional.

3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2,

characterized in that one wireless control station (4) is each connected in a wireless manner to said sanitary appliances provided within one up to three adjacent sanitary rooms at maximum.

4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

characterized in that in addition to the sanitary appliances (C, D) connected to said wireless control stations (4) in a wireless manner, sanitary appliances (A, B, E) communicating with the field bus (2) in a line-bound way are provided.

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

characterized in that said sanitary appliances (C) connected in a wireless manner to said wireless control stations (4) are battery-operated.

6. A system according to claim 5,

characterized in that the voltage values of the batteries supplying said sanitary appliances (C) are measured and informed to said associated wireless control station (4) through said wireless data bus.

7. A system according to claim 5 or claim 6,

characterized in that the communication between said wireless control stations (4) and said battery-operated sanitary appliances (C) is achieved with low power consumption if possible.

8. A system according to claim 7,

characterized in that said battery-operated sanitary appliances (C) are only switchable into the receiving state after a message is available which is transmitted from said automation station (1) to said associated wireless control station (4) and determined for them.

9. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

characterized in that with the use of a plurality of said equally acting wireless control stations (4) at least one of said sanitary appliances (C, D) comprises a selector for the automatic selection of that wireless control station for the wireless data communication, the data bus of which has the best transfer characteristics to said sanitary appliance (C, D).

10. A system according to claim 9,

characterized in that the selection of said wireless control station is achieved by means of a comparison of the electric field strengths received from the individual wireless control stations.

11. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 10,

characterized in that with the use of a plurality of wireless control stations, data communication between at least one part of these is provided by means of radio transmission.

12. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 11,

characterized in that the data transmitted to said sanitary appliances (A, B, C, D, E) include instructions on a limited release of said sanitary appliances for their use in compliance with the instructions.

13. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 12,

characterized in that the data transmitted to said sanitary appliances (A, B, C, D, E) include instructions on a limited release of said sanitary appliances for a special use.