METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING WATER TO AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20190315488A2
• Filed: 10/25/2018
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Water-Guard Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Water-Guard Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Bis, Steven, Ramachandran, Krishnan
• Granted Patent: US 10,815,007 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/02 Toilet fittings of general application A47K
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/36 Other airport installations ground installations for de-icing aircraft B64F5/20
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/02 for transferring liquids other than fuel or lubricants
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/302 using electrical or electro-mechanical means B67D7/307 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/32 with ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/001 Build in apparatus for autonomous on board water supply and wastewater treatment (e.g. for aircrafts, cruiseships, oil drilling platforms, railway trains, space stations)
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 1/00 Methods or layout of installations for water supply E03B3/00, E03B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 11/00 Arrangements or adaptations of tanks for water supply water-butts E03B3/03; storage aspects B65D, B65G, F17B, F17C; foundations E02D27/38; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil engineering techniques E04H7/00; tower aspects E04H12/00
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 11/10 for public or like main water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/00 Water conservation; Efficient water supply; Efficient water use

Abstract

There are described methods and systems for supplying water to an aircraft. A water supply assembly is fluidly coupled to a water storage tank via a supply line. An overflow line is fluidly coupled to the water supply assembly. One or more sensors are configured to determine an amount of water in the water storage tank. One or more processors are communicative with the one or more sensors and configured to: determine a desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank; determine from the one or more sensors that an amount of water in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water; and, in response to determining that the amount of water in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water, transmit an instruction for causing water being supplied from the water supply assembly to the water storage tank to be diverted to the overflow line.

Claims

1. A method for supplying water to an aircraft, comprising:

determining a desired amount of water to be contained in a water storage tank onboard an aircraft;

supplying water via a supply line to the water storage tank;

determining that an amount of water contained in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water; and

in response to determining that the amount of water contained in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water, diverting the supply of water away from the water storage tank and to an overflow line.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to determining the desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank, receiving a selection of the desired amount of water to be received in the water storage tank.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the selection comprises receiving a selection of a volume of water to be contained in the water storage tank.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein receiving the selection comprises receiving:

a selection of a percentage of a volume of the water storage tank to be filled with water;

or a selection of a volume of water to be supplied to the water storage tank.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein supplying water to the water storage tank comprises supplying water to the water storage tank from a water supply assembly comprising a water supply tank and the supply line.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein diverting the supply of water comprises activating an overflow valve fluidly coupling the water supply assembly and an overflow line.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein diverting the supply of water comprises moving the overflow valve from a first position, in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the overflow line, to a second position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the water storage tank.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, further comprising:

determining that the aircraft is in a pre-takeoff taxi mode; and

in response to determining that the aircraft is in the pre-takeoff taxi mode, moving the overflow valve from the second position to the first position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that the aircraft is in the pre-takeoff taxi mode comprises determining that a parking brake of the aircraft is deactivated.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising:

prior to determining the desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank, determining that the aircraft is in a parked mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the aircraft is in the parked mode comprises determining that a parking brake of the aircraft is activated.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein diverting the supply of water comprises diverting the supply of water away from the water storage tank and to a drain mast of the aircraft, via the overflow line.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein determining the desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank comprises using historical water consumption data.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, further comprising treating the water at one or more points in the supply line.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein determining that the amount of water in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water comprises using one or more of:

a water level sensor for determining an amount of water contained in the water storage tank; and

a flow sensor for determining a rate of flow of water into the water storage tank.

16. A system for supplying water to an aircraft, comprising:

a water supply assembly;

a water storage tank fluidly coupled to the water supply assembly;

an overflow line fluidly coupled to the water supply assembly;

one or more sensors configured to determine an amount of water in the water storage tank; and

one or more processors communicative with the one or more sensors and configured to;

determine a desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank;

determine from the one or more sensors that an amount of water in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water; and

in response to determining that the amount of water in the storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water, transmit an instruction for causing water being supplied from the water supply assembly to the water storage tank to be diverted away from the water storage tank and to the overflow line.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a user interface communicative with the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive via the user interface a selection of the desired amount of water to be received in the water storage tank.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the selection comprises a selection of a volume of water to be contained in the storage tank.

19. The system of claim 17 or 18, wherein the selection comprises:

a selection of a percentage of a volume of the water storage tank to be filled with water;

or a selection of a volume of water to be supplied to the water storage tank.

20. The system of any one of claims 16-19, wherein the water supply assembly comprises:

a water supply tank; and

a supply line fluidly coupling the water supply tank and the water storage tank.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the overflow line is fluidly coupled to the supply line.

22. The system of any one of claims 16-21, wherein the system further comprises an overflow valve fluidly coupling the water supply assembly and the overflow line.

23. The system of any one of claims 16-22, wherein the overflow valve is moveable between a first position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the overflow line, and a second position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the water storage tank.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the instruction comprises an instruction to move the overflow valve from the first position to the second position.

25. The system of any one claims 22-24, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine that the aircraft is in a pre-takeoff taxi mode; and

in response to determining that the aircraft is in the pre-takeoff taxi mode, transmit an instruction to cause the overflow valve to move from the second position to the first position.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the aircraft is in the pre-takeoff taxi mode by determining that a parking brake of the aircraft is deactivated.

27. The system of any one of claims 16-26, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the aircraft is in a parked mode.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the aircraft is in the parked mode by determining that a parking brake of the aircraft is activated.

29. The system of any one of claims 22-28, wherein the overflow valve comprises a motorized valve.

30. The system of any one of claims 16-29, further comprising an aircraft drain mast fluidly coupled to the overflow line.

31. The system of any one of claims 16-30, wherein the one or more sensors comprise at least one of:

a water level sensor for determining an amount of water contained in the water storage tank; and

a flow sensor for determining a rate of flow of water into the water storage tank.

32. The system of any one of claims 16-31, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank by using historical water usage data.

33. The system of any one of claims 16-32, further comprising a treatment apparatus for treating water at one or more points in the water supply assembly.

34. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer program code, wherein the computer program code is configured, when executed by a computer, to cause the computer to carry out a method comprising:

determining a desired amount of water to be contained in a water storage tank;

determining an amount of water contained in the water storage tank;

determining that the amount of water in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water; and

in response to determining that the amount of water in the water storage tank corresponds to the desired amount of water, transmitting an instruction for causing a supply of water to the water storage tank to be diverted away from the water storage tank and to an overflow line.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein determining the desired amount of water comprises determining the desired amount of water from a selection of the desired amount of water to be received in the water storage tank.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the selection comprises a selection of a volume of water to be contained in the water storage tank.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 or 36, wherein the selection comprises:

a selection of a percentage of a volume of the water storage tank to be filled with water;

or a selection of a volume of water to be supplied to the water storage tank.

38. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 34-37, wherein transmitting the instruction comprises transmitting an instruction for activating an overflow valve fluidly coupling a water supply assembly and the overflow line.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 38, wherein transmitting the instruction comprises transmitting an instruction for moving the overflow valve from a first position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the overflow line, to a second position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the water storage tank.

40. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 34-39, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the aircraft is in a pre-takeoff taxi mode; and

in response to determining that the aircraft is in the pre-takeoff taxi mode, transmitting an instruction to cause the overflow valve to move from the second position to the first position.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein determining that the aircraft is in the pre-takeoff taxi mode comprises determining that a parking brake of the aircraft if deactivated.

42. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 34-41, wherein the method further comprises:

prior to determining the desired amount of water to be contained in a water storage tank, determining that the aircraft is in a parked mode.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 42, wherein determining the aircraft is in the parked mode comprises determining that a parking brake of the aircraft is activated.

44. The computer-readable medium of any one of claims 34-43, wherein determining the desired amount of water to be contained in the water storage tank comprises using historical water usage data.

45. A kit of parts comprising:

an overflow valve; and

instructions for fluidly coupling the overflow valve to a water supply assembly and an overflow line, the water supply assembly comprising a water supply tank fluidly coupled to a supply line fluidly coupled to a water storage tank onboard an aircraft,

wherein the overflow valve is moveable between a first position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the overflow line, and a second position in which water is prevented from flowing between the water supply assembly and the water storage tank.

46. The kit of parts of claim 45, wherein the instructions are further for coupling the overflow valve to the supply line.