Municipal water delivery control systems
DCFirst Claim
1. A municipal water supply control system, comprising an underground water main, at least one water consumer station downstream from the water main and an underground water delivery channel joining the water main to the water consumer, underground valve means located either in the underground water main, the underground water delivery channel or there between for controlling the passage of water to the water consumer, underground valve activation means, responsive to an activation signal for activating the underground water valve means between a closed condition and an open condition, valve activation control means for issuing the activation signal and data channel means for establishing a wired or wireless data channel between the valve activation control means and the underground valve actuation means to deliver the activation signal thereto, the underground valve means including a drive motor and a valve housing, the valve housing having a first inlet and a first outlet and a channel there between, the valve housing containing a valve element movable between an open position and a closed position, respectively to open or close the channel, the activation signal includes a data conponent representative of a target position for the valve element, detection means for detecting the position of the motor axle in order to determine the current position of the valve element, and comparison means for comparing the target position with the current position.
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Abstract
A municipal water supply control system includes an underground water main, at least one water consumer station downstream from the water main, and an underground water delivery channel joining the water main to the water consumer. Underground valve means may be located either in the underground water main, the underground water delivery channel or in between the two for controlling the passage of water to each water consumer. Underground valve actuation means responsive to an activation signal activate the underground water valve means between a closed condition and an open condition. A data channel means establishes a wired or wireless data channel between a valve activation control means for issuing the activation signal and the underground valve actuation means.
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Citations
29 Claims
- 1. A municipal water supply control system, comprising an underground water main, at least one water consumer station downstream from the water main and an underground water delivery channel joining the water main to the water consumer, underground valve means located either in the underground water main, the underground water delivery channel or there between for controlling the passage of water to the water consumer, underground valve activation means, responsive to an activation signal for activating the underground water valve means between a closed condition and an open condition, valve activation control means for issuing the activation signal and data channel means for establishing a wired or wireless data channel between the valve activation control means and the underground valve actuation means to deliver the activation signal thereto, the underground valve means including a drive motor and a valve housing, the valve housing having a first inlet and a first outlet and a channel there between, the valve housing containing a valve element movable between an open position and a closed position, respectively to open or close the channel, the activation signal includes a data conponent representative of a target position for the valve element, detection means for detecting the position of the motor axle in order to determine the current position of the valve element, and comparison means for comparing the target position with the current position.
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23. A method of controlling a municipal water supply, of the type having an underground water main, at least one water consumer station downstream from the water main, an underground water delivery channel joining the water main to the water consumer and an underground valve for controlling the passage of water to the water consumer, comprising the steps of providing an underground valve activator which is responsive to an activation signal for activating the underground water valve between closed condition and an open condition, providing a valve activation controller for issuing the activation signal;
- and providing a data channel between the valve activation controller and the valve activator to deliver the activation signal thereto to the underground water valve means, wherein the step of providing an underground valve activator includes the steps of providing a unidirectional drive motor and a valve housing with a first inlet and first outlet and a channel there between, locating a valve element in the housing which is movable between an open position and a closed position, respectively to open or close the channel, and powering the drive motor so that the valve element is movable between the closed and open positions under the action of the motor travelling at least a portion of one rotation, further comprising the step of configuring the activation signal to include a data component representative of a target position for the valve element.
- View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
Specification