Leak-detecting check valve, and leak-detection alarm system that uses said check valve
First Claim
1. A leak-detecting check valve that is characterized by being equipped witha valve casing that sets the circumference of a cylindrically shaped fluid channel;
- a main-valve sheet that is installed inside said valve casing;
a main valve that has a large fluid-channel opening and that is equipped at its center with an ancillary-valve sheet, and that also is elastically energized toward the water-inlet side of said fluid channel and against said main-valve sheet by a main-valve spring;
an ancillary valve that has a narrow fluid-channel opening, and that is elastically energized toward the water-inlet side of said fluid channel and against said ancillary-valve sheet by an ancillary-valve spring;
a movable device that is installed nearer to the water-outlet side of said fluid channel than are said main valve and said ancillary valve, and moves in said fluid channel in conjunction with the movement of said main valve or said ancillary valve, as is the case; and
a sensor that is implanted inside a valve casing on the water-outlet side of said fluid channel such that said sensor faces said fluid channel, so that said sensor senses said movable device when it moves to a specified location, thereby entering an area where sensing is possible, and transmits valve-movement-detection signals.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
One object of the present invention is to monitor water pipes regularly and to detect water leaks by using basic equipment and to provide a device that generates an alarm when a leak occurs. The present invention responds not only to minor leaks that occur naturally because, for instance, a water pipe is decrepit, but also responds to human-caused leaks, such as those that occur because a person forgets to turn off a water faucet or because of the failure of equipment such as a hot-water heater. The present invention is a leak-detection alarm system that is composed of two main parts: (1) a leak-detecting check valve that detects movements of a movable device that makes the same movement as the valve element of a check valve that is attached to a water pipe and performs switching, and that transmits as detection signals the movement of valve elements, and (2) a signal-processing device that analyzes detection signals transmitted by the leak-detecting check valve and actuates a leak-detection alarm. The leak-detecting check valve has a main valve and an ancillary valve. The main valve operates in response to a high rate of flow of fluid through the pipe, such as occurs when there is a large leak that corresponds to said human-cause leaks, and the ancillary valve operates in response to low rate of flow of fluid through a pipe, such as occurs when there is a small leak that occurs naturally.
56 Citations
7 Claims
-
1. A leak-detecting check valve that is characterized by being equipped with
a valve casing that sets the circumference of a cylindrically shaped fluid channel; -
a main-valve sheet that is installed inside said valve casing; a main valve that has a large fluid-channel opening and that is equipped at its center with an ancillary-valve sheet, and that also is elastically energized toward the water-inlet side of said fluid channel and against said main-valve sheet by a main-valve spring; an ancillary valve that has a narrow fluid-channel opening, and that is elastically energized toward the water-inlet side of said fluid channel and against said ancillary-valve sheet by an ancillary-valve spring; a movable device that is installed nearer to the water-outlet side of said fluid channel than are said main valve and said ancillary valve, and moves in said fluid channel in conjunction with the movement of said main valve or said ancillary valve, as is the case; and a sensor that is implanted inside a valve casing on the water-outlet side of said fluid channel such that said sensor faces said fluid channel, so that said sensor senses said movable device when it moves to a specified location, thereby entering an area where sensing is possible, and transmits valve-movement-detection signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
Specification