Faucet assembly with water quality indicator

• US 20060289343A1
• Filed: 06/19/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watts Regulator Company (Watts Water Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Watts Regulator Company (Watts Water Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Craig A., Henss, Mark, Murphy, Shannon
• Granted Patent: US 7,743,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/85
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/05 Conductivity or salinity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/44 Time
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2307/06 Mounted on or being part of a faucet, shower handle or showerhead
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/20 Portable or detachable small-scale multistage treatment devices, e.g. point of use or laboratory water purification systems
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/04 Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2201/40 Arrangement of water treatment devices in domestic plumbing installations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8225 Position or extent of motion indicator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8242 Electrical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/9464 Faucets and spouts

Abstract

A faucet assembly including a base defining a water delivery passageway, a valve member received in the base and movable between a closed position wherein flow through the water delivery passageway is blocked and an opened position wherein flow through the water delivery passageway is permitted, a magnet secured to the valve member such that, when the valve member is rotated to the opened position, the magnet is aligned with a sensor bore of the base, and when the valve member is rotated to the closed position, the magnet is unaligned with the sensor bore, a metal rod positioned in the sensor bore, and a Hall effect sensor positioned below the base in alignment with the sensor bore and adapted to switch on when the magnet is aligned with the sensor bore and switch off when the magnet is unaligned with the sensor bore.

Claims

1. A faucet assembly comprising:

a base including a water delivery passageway extending between bottom and top ends of the base, a valve assembly bore extending from a sidewall of the base to the water delivery passageway, and a sensor bore extending from the bottom end of the base to the valve assembly bore;

a valve member received in the valve assembly bore of the base for rotation about a longitudinal axis extending between a first end received in the water delivery passageway and a second end extending out of the base, wherein the valve member is adapted to be rotated between a closed position wherein flow through the water delivery passageway is blocked and an opened position wherein flow through the water delivery passageway is permitted;

a magnet secured to the valve member such that, when the valve member is rotated to the opened position, the magnet is aligned with the sensor bore intersecting the valve assembly bore, and when the valve member is rotated to the closed position, the magnet is unaligned with the sensor bore;

a metal rod positioned in the sensor bore; and

a Hall effect sensor positioned below the bottom end of the base in alignment with the sensor bore and adapted to switch on when the magnet is aligned with the sensor bore and switch off when the magnet is unaligned with the sensor bore.

2. A faucet assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a processor connected to the Hall effect sensor and programmed to sum a filter usage time equal to time that the Hall effect sensor is switched on.

3. A faucet assembly according to claim 2, further comprising first and second light emitting diodes (LEDs) connected to the processor, wherein the processor is programmed to activate the first LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter usage time is less than a predetermined usage limit, and activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter usage time is equal to or greater than the predetermined usage limit.

4. A faucet assembly according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further programmed to sum filter installment time equal to overall time since filter replacement and activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter installment time is equal to or greater than a predetermined filter life limit.

5. A faucet assembly according to claim 3, further comprising first and second electrical resistance sensors connected to the processor, wherein the first sensor is for insertion into an inlet of a RO membrane and the second sensor is for insertion into a permeate water outlet of the RO membrane, and wherein the microprocessor is programmed to:

compare the electrical resistance of the water in the inlet and the electrical resistance of the water in the outlet to get a percent total dissolved solids (TDS) reduction; and

activate the first LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the percent TDS reduction is greater than a predetermined percent TDS reduction limit, and successively activate the first and the second LEDs when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the percent TDS reduction is less than the predetermined percent TDS reduction limit.

6. A faucet assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

first and second LEDs;

a first electrical resistance sensor for insertion into an inlet of a RO membrane and a second electrical resistance sensor for insertion into a permeate water outlet of the RO membrane; and

a processor connected to the Hall effect sensor, the first and second LEDs, and the first and the second electrical resistance sensors, wherein the microprocessor is programmed to,

compare the electrical resistance of the water in the inlet and the electrical resistance of the water in the outlet to get a percent total dissolved solids (TDS) reduction, and

activate the first LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the percent TDS reduction is greater than a predetermined percent TDS reduction limit, and activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the percent TDS reduction is less than the predetermined percent TDS reduction limit.

7. A faucet assembly according to claim 6, further comprising two switches connected to the processor that can be set in four different configurations associated with four different predetermined percent TDS reduction limits.

8. A reverse osmosis water filtering system including a faucet assembly according to claim 5, and further comprising a reverse osmosis membrane having a permeate water output port connected to the water delivery passageway of the faucet assembly and a filter connected to an inlet of the reverse osmosis membrane.

9. A faucet assembly according to claim 3, wherein the processor, the LEDs and the Hall effect sensor are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), and the PCB is mounted within a housing secured to the bottom end of the base, and wherein the PCB includes a battery contact and a battery clip for receiving a battery for providing power for the PCB, and wherein the assembly further includes a battery drawer removably received in an opening of the housing and adapted to support a battery between the battery contact and the battery clip.

10. A faucet assembly according to claim 9, wherein the housing also includes a window that receives an LED light tube mounted over the LEDs of the PCB.

11. A faucet assembly comprising:

a base defining a water delivery passageway;

a valve member adapted to be moved between a closed position wherein flow through the water delivery passageway is blocked and an opened position wherein flow through the water delivery passageway is permitted;

a sensor housing secured to a bottom end of the base and including an opening;

a printed circuit board (PCB) secured within the sensor housing and having mounted thereon a battery contact, a battery clip, and a processor, wherein the processor is electrically connected to the battery contact and the battery clip; and

a battery drawer removably received in the opening of the sensor housing and adapted to support a battery between the battery contact and the battery clip when the battery drawer and the battery are inserted into the opening of the sensor housing.

12. A faucet assembly according to claim 11, further comprising first and second light emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on the PCB and operatively connected to the processor, wherein the sensor housing also includes a window that receives an LED light tube mounted over the LEDs of the PCB.

13. A faucet assembly according to claim 12, further comprising a first electrical resistance sensor for insertion into an inlet of a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane and a second electrical resistance sensor for insertion into a permeate water outlet of the RO membrane, wherein the electrical resistance sensor are operatively connected to the processor, and the processor is programmed to:

compare the electrical resistance of the water in the inlet and the electrical resistance of the water in the outlet to get a percent total dissolved solids (TDS) reduction; and

activate the first LED when the percent TDS reduction is greater than a predetermined percent TDS reduction limit, and activate the second LED when the percent TDS reduction is less than the predetermined percent TDS reduction limit.

14. A faucet assembly according to claim 13, further comprising two switches connected to the processor that can be set in four different configurations associated with four different predetermined percent TDS reduction limits.

15. A faucet assembly according to claim 13, further comprising:

a metal rod extending from the valve member, through the base, into the sensor housing;

a magnet secured to the valve member such that, when the valve member is rotated to the opened position, the magnet is aligned with the metal rod, and when the valve member is rotated to the closed position, the magnet is unaligned with the metal rod; and

a Hall effect sensor mounted on the PCB below the metal rod and connected to the processor, wherein the Hall effect sensor is adapted to switch on when the magnet is aligned with the metal and switch off when the magnet is unaligned with the metal rod;

wherein the processor is further programmed to activate the LEDs only when the Hall effect sensor is switched on.

16. A faucet assembly according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

repeatably activate the first and the second LEDs successively when the percent TDS reduction is less than the predetermined percent TDS reduction limit;

sum a filter usage time equal to time that the Hall effect sensor is switched on;

activate the first LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter usage time is less than a predetermined usage limit; and

activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter usage time is equal to or greater than the predetermined usage limit.

17. A faucet assembly according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further programmed to sum filter installment time equal to overall time since filter replacement and activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter installment time is equal to or greater than a predetermined filter life limit.

18. A faucet assembly according to claim 12, further comprising:

a metal rod extending from the valve member, through the base, into the sensor housing;

a magnet secured to the valve member such that, when the valve member is rotated to the opened position, the magnet is aligned with the metal rod, and when the valve member is rotated to the closed position, the magnet is unaligned with the metal rod; and

a Hall effect sensor mounted on the PCB below the metal rod and connected to the processor, wherein the Hall effect sensor is adapted to switch on when the magnet is aligned with the metal and switch off when the magnet is unaligned with the metal rod;

wherein the processor is programmed to activate the LEDs only when the Hall effect sensor is switched on.

19. A faucet assembly according to claim 18, wherein the processor is programmed to sum a filter usage time equal to time that the Hall effect sensor is switched on, activate the first LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter usage time is less than a predetermined usage limit, and activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter usage time is equal to or greater than the predetermined usage limit.

20. A faucet assembly according to claim 18, wherein the processor is programmed to sum filter installment time equal to overall time since filter replacement, activate the first LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter installment time is less than a predetermined filter life limit, and activate the second LED when the Hall effect sensor is switched on and the filter installment time is equal to or greater than a predetermined filter life limit.