Self-contained, buoyant, and water-tight wireless flood detector
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A detector comprising:
- a water-tight, floatable, self-contained housing that carries external electrodes molded into the water-tight, floatable, self-contained housing that are configured to detect a change in an environment from dry to wet in an area adjacent to the external electrodes,wherein the external electrodes are coupled to sensor interface circuits coupled to control circuits coupled to a wireless transmitter coupled to an internal antenna for communicating wirelessly with a displaced monitoring unit,wherein the internal antenna is configured to be above an upper surface of an external fluid in contact with the external electrodes, andwherein an alarm signal is generated to indicate the change in the environment from dry to wet in the area adjacent to the external electrodes.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A floatable flood detector has a watertight housing that carries internally a wireless transmitter and a fluid sensor. In the presence of sensed fluid, an alarm message can be transmitted by the transmitter to a displaced monitoring unit. The sensor has a portion exposed to the fluid of interest outside of the housing. The antenna is carried, at least at a fluid level, relative to the floating housing.
57 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A detector comprising:
-
a water-tight, floatable, self-contained housing that carries external electrodes molded into the water-tight, floatable, self-contained housing that are configured to detect a change in an environment from dry to wet in an area adjacent to the external electrodes, wherein the external electrodes are coupled to sensor interface circuits coupled to control circuits coupled to a wireless transmitter coupled to an internal antenna for communicating wirelessly with a displaced monitoring unit, wherein the internal antenna is configured to be above an upper surface of an external fluid in contact with the external electrodes, and wherein an alarm signal is generated to indicate the change in the environment from dry to wet in the area adjacent to the external electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A flood detector comprising:
-
a floatable water resistant housing that carries internally a wireless transmitter connected to an antenna and to control circuits, sensor interface circuits connected to the control circuits, and at least one electrode connected to the sensor interface circuits, wherein the at least one electrode is molded into the floatable water resistant housing and configured to detect a change in an environment from dry to wet in an area adjacent to the at least one electrode, wherein an alarm message is transmitted by the wireless transmitter, via the antenna, to a displaced monitoring unit when the change in the environment from dry to wet in the area adjacent to the at least one electrode is immediately detected by the at least one electrode, and wherein the antenna is configured to be above an upper surface of an external fluid in contact with the flood detector.
-
-
8. A method for detecting a flood comprising:
-
placing a self-contained, floatable fluid detector at a location, wherein the self-contained, floatable fluid detector comprises an antenna connected to a transmitter that is connected to control circuits that are connected to sensor interface circuits that are connected to an electrode on a surface of the self-contained, floatable fluid detector; sensing a presence of an external fluid adjacent to the self-contained, floatable fluid detector by the electrode; generating signals by the electrode in response to the external fluid being sensed; processing the signals; and wirelessly transmitting, via the transmitter and the antenna, a selected message to a displaced location, wherein the antenna is configured to be above an upper surface of the external fluid being detected. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification