Water sensor

• US 10,672,252 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iDevices, LLC (Hubbell, Inc.), Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Sale, Michael C., Sawaski, Joel D., Tetreault, Michael, Tracy, Hillary C., Ferguson, Eric L., Daigle, Michael A., Weaver, Casey S., Scarcella, Jeffrey A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Zhen Y
• Application Number:
  US16/067,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20190027013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 340618
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/804 containing circuits handling parameters other than liquid level
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/20 responsive to moisture
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/88 which are wireless networks

Abstract

A water sensor comprises a housing including a top portion and a bottom portion; a controller positioned within the housing; a power source electrically coupled to the controller to energize the controller; and a continuity sensor electrically coupled to the controller and including an inner arcuate portion and an outer arcuate portion, the inner arcuate portion having an electrically conductive surface spanning at least 300 degrees, the outer arcuate portion having an electrically conductive surface spanning at least 300 degrees and substantially surrounding the inner arcuate portion to define an gap therebetween, wherein the water sensor is structured to transition from a first logical state to a second logical state responsive to water bridging the gap, and wherein the controller is structured to transmit a wireless water detection signal responsive to the water sensor transitioning to the second logical state.

Claims

1. A water sensor comprising:

a housing including a top portion and a bottom portion;

a controller positioned within the housing;

a power source positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the controller to energize the controller;

a continuity sensor electrically coupled to the controller and including a first elongate member adjacent lengthwise to a second elongate member forming an elongate gap therebetween, the first elongate member and the second elongate member extending along one or more surfaces of the housing; and

control logic structured to transition from a first logical state to a second logical state responsive to water bridging the elongate gap,

wherein the controller is structured to transmit a wireless water detection signal responsive to the continuity sensor transitioning to the second logical state;

an actuating mechanism and an audible indicator, communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to silence an audible alarm generated by the audible indicator responsive to the continuity sensor transitioning from the first logical state to the second logical state responsive to the water bridging the elongate gap; and

a visual indicator surrounding the actuating mechanism.

17. The water sensor of claim 1, wherein the top portion of the housing comprises a convex top surface configured to direct water falling on the convex top surface to a periphery of the housing.

20. The water sensor of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a wireless personal area network (WPAN) controller communicatively coupled to a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller, wherein the WPAN controller is electrically coupled to the continuity sensor and configured to cause the WLAN controller to transition from an inactive state to an active state responsive to the continuity sensor transition to the second logical state, and wherein the WLAN controller is configured to transmit the wireless water detection signal after transitioning to the active state and to transition to the inactive state after transmitting the wireless water detection signal.

2. A water sensor comprising:

a housing including a top portion and a bottom portion;

a controller positioned within the housing;

a power source positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the controller to energize the controller;

a continuity sensor electrically coupled to the controller and including a first elongate member adjacent lengthwise to a second elongate member forming an elongate gap therebetween, the first elongate member and the second elongate member extending along one or more surfaces of the housing; and

control logic structured to transition from a first logical state to a second logical state responsive to water bridging the elongate gap;

wherein the controller is structured to transmit a wireless water detection signal responsive to the continuity sensor transitioning to the second logical state; and

a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first protrusion and the second protrusion extending from and perpendicular to a bottom surface of the housing and forming a second elongate gap therebetween, wherein the conductivity sensor is configured to detect a second water level with the second elongate gap different than a first water level detectable with the elongate gap between the first elongate member and the second elongate member.

3. The water sensor of claim 2, wherein the first elongate member comprises an inner arcuate portion and the second elongate member comprises an outer arcuate portion, wherein the inner arcuate portion comprises an electrically conductive surface spanning at least 300 degrees about a center of the housing, and the outer arcuate portion comprises an electrically conductive surface spanning at least 300 degrees about the center of the housing and substantially surrounding the inner arcuate portion.

4. The water sensor of claim 3, wherein the outer arcuate portion comprises an outer loop, the inner arcuate portion comprises an inner loop, and the elongate gap comprises a radial distance between the inner loop and the outer loop.

5. The water sensor of claim 4, wherein the radial distance is constant.

6. The water sensor of claim 4, wherein the radial distance is about 3.0 millimeters or less.

7. The water sensor of claim 4, wherein at least one of the outer loop or the inner loop comprises a circular shape centered on the center of the housing.

8. The water sensor of claim 3, wherein the bottom portion of the housing comprises a lateral surface and a bottom surface, and the inner arcuate portion is positioned within an area defined by the bottom surface.

9. The water sensor of claim 8, wherein the electrically conductive surface of the outer arcuate portion lies on a first plane that is parallel and spaced apart from a second plane on which the electrically conductive surface of the inner arcuate portion lies.

10. The water sensor of claim 9, wherein the first plane intersects the lateral surface of the bottom portion.

11. The water sensor of claim 10, wherein the lateral surface of the bottom portion is frustoconical and comprises a large periphery and a small periphery, wherein the small periphery is adjacent the bottom surface, and wherein an angle of the lateral surface lying on a plane orthogonal to the first plane is in the range of about 50-89 degrees to the first plane.

12. The water sensor of claim 11, wherein the lateral surface is angled at an angle in the range of about 60-80 degrees to the first plane.

13. The water sensor of claim 3, wherein at least one of the outer arcuate portion or the inner arcuate portion comprises a plurality of arcuate segments.

14. The water sensor of claim 13, wherein the outer arcuate portion comprises the plurality of arcuate segments and the plurality of arcuate segments are electrically coupled to each other.

15. The water sensor of claim 14, wherein the inner arcuate portion comprises the plurality of arcuate segments and the plurality of arcuate segments are electrically coupled to each other.

16. The water sensor of claim 3, wherein the bottom portion of the housing comprises a lateral surface and a bottom surface, and wherein the electrically conductive surface of the inner arcuate portion spans 360 degrees about a center of the bottom surface.

18. The water sensor of claim 2, wherein the first elongate member comprises an inner arcuate portion and the second elongate member comprises an outer arcuate portion, wherein the housing comprises an oval or circular bottom surface, and wherein the inner arcuate portion extends along and adjacent a periphery of a bottom surface of the housing.

19. The water sensor of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of supports elevating the housing above a support structure, the second water level defined by distal ends of the first protrusion and the second protrusion and being intermediate the bottom surface and the support structure, wherein the first water level is intermediate the bottom surface and the second water level.

21. A water sensor comprising:

a housing including a top portion and a bottom portion;

a controller positioned within the housing;

a power source positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the controller to energize the controller;

a continuity sensor electrically coupled to the controller and including a first elongate member adjacent lengthwise to a second elongate member forming an elongate gap therebetween, the first elongate member and the second elongate member extending along one or more surfaces of the housing; and

control logic structured to transition from a first logical state to a second logical state responsive to water bridging the elongate gap;

wherein the controller is structured to transmit a wireless water detection signal responsive to the continuity sensor transitioning to the second logical state;

wherein the controller comprises a wireless personal area network (WPAN) controller communicatively coupled to a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller, wherein the WPAN controller is electrically coupled to the continuity sensor and configured to cause the WLAN controller to transition from an inactive state to an active state responsive to the continuity sensor transition to the second logical state, and wherein the WLAN controller is configured to transmit the wireless water detection signal after transitioning to the active state and to transition to the inactive state after transmitting the wireless water detection signal; and

wherein the WLAN controller is configured to determine a WLAN signal strength of a wireless signal between the WLAN controller and a WLAN access point, and the WPAN controller is adapted to wirelessly transmit the WLAN signal strength to an electronic device.

22. A method of detecting water, comprising:

providing a water sensor including a top portion and a bottom portion, a controller positioned within the housing, a power source positioned within the housing and electrically coupled to the controller to energize the controller, and a continuity sensor electrically coupled to the controller and including a first elongate member adjacent lengthwise to a second elongate member forming an elongate gap therebetween, the first elongate member and the second elongate member extending along one or more surfaces of the housing, and control logic structured to transition from a first logical state to a second logical state responsive to water bridging the elongate gap;

wherein the controller is structured to transmit a wireless water detection signal responsive to the continuity sensor transitioning to the second logical state;

wherein the controller comprises a wireless personal area network (WPAN) controller communicatively coupled to a wireless local area network (WLAN) controller;

the continuity sensor transitioning from the first logical state to the second logical state responsive to the water bridging the elongate gap;

the WPAN controller transitioning from the inactive state to the active state responsive to the continuity sensor transitioning from the first logical state to the second logical state;

the WLAN controller transitioning from an inactive state to an active state responsive to a signal from the WPAN controller transmitted while the WPAN controller is in the active state;

the WLAN controller transmitting a water detection signal after transitioning to the active state and transitioning to the inactive state after transmitting the water detection signal;

the WLAN controller determining a WLAN signal strength and communicating the WLAN signal strength to the WPAN controller; and

the WPAN controller transmitting the WLAN signal strength through a personal area network (PAN).

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising the WPAN controller receiving networking information through a WPAN and using the networking information to wirelessly connect to a WLAN.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

a web service receiving the water detection signal and transmitting an electronic alert to a designated recipient.