U.S. patent number RE40,310 [Application Number 10/838,183] was granted by the patent office on 2008-05-13 for water purification system and method including dispensed volume sensing and control.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Barnstead Thermolyne Corporation. Invention is credited to Chester E. Chomka, Thomas J. Larkner, Kerry W. Leppert, Steven C. Peake, Joseph F. Tilp, Tina M. Timmerman, Eric J. Willman.
United States Patent |
RE40,310 |
Larkner , et al. |
May 13, 2008 |
Water purification system and method including dispensed volume
sensing and control
Abstract
A water purification system for purifying water flowing through
a water flow path. The system includes a water purification device
having an inlet and an outlet in the water flow path and at least
one interior volume communicating with the inlet and outlet. A
purification medium is disposed within the interior volume of the
water purification device. A flow control system is provided
controlling a volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet.
The flow control system includes an input device configured to
allow a user to input a desired volume of purified water to be
dispensed from the outlet and a sensing device coupled with the
electronic input device and operative to determine the volume of
purified water being dispensed from the outlet. A flow regulation
device is coupled with the flow control system and operative to
stop the discharge of purified water at the outlet upon reaching
the desired volume of purified water.
Inventors: |
Larkner; Thomas J. (Dubuque,
IA), Peake; Steven C. (Dubuque, IA), Chomka; Chester
E. (Dubuque, IA), Tilp; Joseph F. (Dubuque, IA),
Willman; Eric J. (White Bear Lake, MN), Leppert; Kerry
W. (Dubuque, IA), Timmerman; Tina M. (Dubuque, IA) |
Assignee: |
Barnstead Thermolyne
Corporation (Dubuque, IA)
|
Family
ID: |
27060284 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/838,183 |
Filed: |
May 3, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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09520827 |
Mar 8, 2000 |
6328881 |
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Reissue of: |
09923212 |
Aug 6, 2001 |
06432300 |
Aug 13, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
210/87; 210/109;
210/136; 210/138; 210/194; 210/94; 222/189.06; 222/23; 222/36;
222/52; 702/46 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C02F
1/008 (20130101); C02F 2209/40 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B01D
17/12 (20060101); B01D 35/14 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;210/85,87,93,94,97,100,109,136,138,194,195.1,258,416.1
;222/23,36,52,189.06,251 ;702/45,46,50-55 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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WO 99/18040 |
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Apr 1999 |
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EP |
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WO 98/52874 |
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Nov 1998 |
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WO |
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0 947 231 |
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Oct 1999 |
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WO |
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WO 99/65832 |
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Dec 1999 |
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WO |
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Other References
European Search Report, dated Jun. 5, 2001. cited by other .
LabSales Catalogue, New Ideas, Autumn 1999 (7 pages). cited by
other .
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Office Action in Ex
Parte Reexamination, U.S. Appl. No. 90/007,005, Date Mailed Sep.
14, 1005. cited by other .
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Final Office Action in
Ex Parte Reexamination, U.S. Appl. No. 90/007,005, mailed Sep. 14,
2006 (19 pages). cited by other .
In Re Patent of Thomas J. Larkner et al., After Final Amendment
filed in Ex Parte Reexamination, U.S. Appl. No. 90/007,005, faxed
to Central Reexamination Unit on Nov. 14, 2006 (18 pages). cited by
other .
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Office Action in Ex
Parte Reexamination, U.S. Appl. No. 90/007,005, mailed May 15, 2006
(23 pages). cited by other .
In Re Patent of Thomas J. Larkner et al., Amendment filed in Ex
Parte Reexamination, U.S. Appl. No. 90/007,005, faxed to Central
Reexamination Unit on Jul. 17, 2006 (19 pages). cited by
other.
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Primary Examiner: Drodge; Joseph
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wood, Herron & Evans, LLP
Parent Case Text
The present application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No.
09/520,827 filed Mar. 8, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,881, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in
its entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A water purification system for purifying water flowing through
a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the system
comprising: a water purification device in a water flow path having
an outlet, said water purification device having at least one
interior volume; a purification medium positioned within the
interior volume; a pump for moving water through the purification
medium; a flow control system for controlling a volume of purified
water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path, the flow
control system including an input device configured to allow a user
to input a desired volume of purified water to be dispensed from
the outlet of the water flow path during a dispense cycle and a
sensing device operable to generate a signal used to determine a
volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet of the water
flow path; .[.and.]. a flow regulation device coupled with the flow
control system and operable to stop the discharge of purified water
at the outlet of the water flow path when the desired volume of
purified water has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow
path.[...]. .Iadd.; and wherein the flow control system is
configured to execute a system leak checking routine to determine
whether purified water is leaking from the system based at least in
part on the signal from the sensing device used to determine a
volume of purified water dispensed from the outlet of the water
flow path and disable the pump when a leak is
detected..Iaddend.
2. A water purification system for purifying water .[.flowing
through a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the
system.]. comprising: .Iadd.a recirculating water flow circuit
including a recirculating water flow path having an inlet and an
outlet; a pump for moving and recirculating water through the
recirculating water flow path;.Iaddend. a water purification device
in .[.a.]. .Iadd.the .Iaddend.water flow path .[.having an
outlet.]. , said water purification device having at least one
interior volume; a purification medium positioned within the
interior volume; an input device configured to allow a user to
input a desired volume of water to be dispensed from the outlet of
the water flow path during a dispense cycle; a sensing device
operable to generate a signal used to determine a volume of water
dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path; an electronic
control coupled with the sensing device and having an output
responsive to the signal for indicating the volume of water
dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path; and .[.a display
coupled to the electronic control and responsive to the output for
displaying the volume of water dispensed from the outlet of the
water flow path..]. .Iadd.a flow regulation device controlled by
the electronic control to selectively dispense purified water
through the outlet or recirculate water through the recirculating
water flow path; wherein the electronic control is operable to
control the flow regulation device to stop the discharge of
purified water through the outlet of the water flow path when the
desired volume of purified water has been dispensed from the outlet
of the water flow path and sets the flow regulation device to
automatically recirculate water through the water flow path upon
stopping the discharge of purified water through the outlet of the
water flow path..Iaddend.
3. A water purification .[.device.]. .Iadd.system .Iaddend.for
purifying water .[.flowing through a water flow path between an
inlet and an outlet, the system.]. comprising: a water purification
device in a water flow path having an outlet, said water
purification device having at least one interior volume; a
purification medium positioned within the interior volume; a pump
for moving water through the purification medium; an input device
configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of purified
water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path during
a dispense cycle; a sensing device configured to sense a fluid
characteristic of the water flowing through the water flow path,
the fluid characteristic being at least indirectly indicative of
the volume of water flowing through .Iadd.the outlet of
.Iaddend.the water flow path; a flow regulation device coupled to
the water flow path and configured to control the discharge of
purified water from the outlet of the water flow path; .[.and.]. a
control coupled to the input device, the sensing device, and the
flow regulation device, the control operating to manipulate
information generated by the input device and the sensing device to
thereby control the flow regulation device to dispense the desired
volume of purified water from the outlet of the water flow
path.[...]. .Iadd.; and a remote dispensing gun for dispensing
purified water from the water flow path and connectable to the
water flow path at a location separate from the outlet, the control
being operable to manipulate information to determine the presence
of the remote dispensing gun for controlling the flow of water
through the water flow path..Iaddend.
4. A water purification system for purifying water .[.flowing
through a water flow path between an inlet and an outlet, the
system.]. comprising: .Iadd.a recirculating water flow circuit
including a recirculating water flow path having an inlet and an
outlet; a pump for moving water through the recirculating water
flow path;.Iaddend. a water purification device in .[.a.].
.Iadd.the .Iaddend.water flow path .[.having an outlet.]. , said
water purification device having at least one interior volume; a
purification medium positioned within the interior volume; an input
device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of
water to be dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path during
a dispense cycle; a sensing device .[.operable to generate a
signal.]. .Iadd.comprising a timer .Iaddend.used to determine a
volume of water dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path;
.Iadd.and .Iaddend. .[.an electronic control coupled with the
sensing device and having.]. .Iadd.an electronic control comprising
means for correlating a desired volume of purified water input by
the user to a dispense time and generating .Iaddend.an output
responsive to the .[.signal.]. .Iadd.timer .Iaddend.for indicating
the volume of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of
the water flow path until the desired volume of water to be
dispensed from the outlet of the water flow path is reached.[.;
and.]. .Iadd.and causing recirculation through the water flow path
after reaching the desired volume of water..Iaddend. .[.a display
coupled to the electronic control and responsive to the output for
displaying the volume of water remaining to be dispensed from the
outlet of the water flow path until the desired volume of water to
be dispensed from the water flow path is reached..].
.Iadd.5. The water purification system recited in claim 1 further
comprising a remote dispensing gun connected to the water flow path
downstream of the interior volume containing the purification
medium for dispensing purified water from the water flow path at a
location different from the output of the water flow path; and
wherein the flow control system is configured to execute the system
leak checking routine to determine whether purified water is
leaking from the system based at least in part on indication of
whether the remote dispensing gun is in use..Iaddend.
.Iadd.6. The water purification system recited in claim 2 wherein
the sensing device measures the volume of water flowing into the
inlet of the water flow path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.7. The system recited in claim 2 wherein the sensing device
is a vane-type water flowmeter..Iaddend.
.Iadd.8. The system as recited in claim 7 wherein the vane-type
water flowmeter is positioned upstream of the inlet to the
recirculating water flow path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.9. The system as recited in claim 2 wherein the pump can be
operated at a full speed and at a lower recirculation speed, and
the electronic control controls the speed of the pump in accordance
with the following steps: setting pump speed to the full speed when
the user initiates a desired volume of purified water to be
dispensed; positioning the flow regulation device to dispense
purified water through the outlet with the pump set at full speed;
positioning the flow regulation device to stop flow through the
outlet when the desired volume of water has been dispensed; and
setting the pump speed to the lower recirculation speed after the
flow regulation device has been positioned to stop flow through the
outlet..Iaddend.
.Iadd.10. The system recited in claim 2 wherein a check valve is
located in the water flow path downstream of the outlet and
upstream of the inlet to help prevent backflow from the
inlet..Iaddend.
.Iadd.11. The system recited in claim 2 further comprising a remote
dispensing gun connected to the recirculating water flow path
downstream of the interior volume containing the purification
medium and upstream of the inlet of the recirculating water flow
path for dispensing purified water from the water flow path at a
location different from the outlet of the water flow
path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.12. The system as recited in claim 2 further comprising a
display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume
of water that has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow
path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.13. The system recited in claim 2 further comprising a
display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume
of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of the water
flow path until the desired volume of water to be dispensed from
the water flow path is reached..Iaddend.
.Iadd.14. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the water flow
path is a recirculating water flow path and the remote dispensing
gun is connected to the water flow path downstream of the interior
volume containing the purification medium and upstream of an inlet
to the water flow path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.15. The system as recited in claim 14 further comprising a
check valve downstream of the flow regulation device and the remote
dispensing gun and upstream of an inlet to the water flow
path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.16. The system recited in claim 4 further comprising a flow
regulation device controlled by the electronic control to
selectively dispense purified water through the outlet or
recirculate water through the water flow path; wherein the
electronic control controls the flow regulation device to stop the
discharge of purified water through the outlet of the water flow
path and automatically recirculates water through the water flow
path when the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed
from the outlet of the water flow path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.17. The system recited in claim 4 further comprising a final
filter that filters purified water immediately before it exits the
system through the outlet..Iaddend.
.Iadd.18. The system recited in claim 4 further comprising a remote
dispensing gun connected to the recirculating water flow path
downstream of the interior volume containing the purification
medium and upstream of the inlet of the recirculating water flow
path for dispensing purified water from the water flow path at a
location different from the outlet of the water flow
path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.19. The system recited in claim 4 further comprising a
pressure regulator for regulating water pressure of water feeding
into the recirculating water flow path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.20. The system as recited in claim 4 further comprising a
display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume
of water that has been dispensed from the outlet of the water flow
path..Iaddend.
.Iadd.21. The system recited in claim 4 further comprising a
display coupled to the electronic control for displaying the volume
of water remaining to be dispensed from the outlet of the water
flow path until the desired volume of water to be dispensed from
the water flow path is reached..Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to water purification
systems and methods and, more specifically, to control systems used
to sense and control a volumetric amount of water dispensed from
the system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Water purification systems are used to provide high quality reagent
grade water for various applications, including the field of
scientific testing and analysis. Many of these applications require
that the total organic carbon content of the water be on the order
of 10 parts per billion or less ASTM. Type I water is the highest
purity and is used for high performance liquid chromatography,
atomic absorption spectrometry, tissue culture, etc. Type II water
is less pure and may be used for hematological, serological, and
microbiological procedures. Type III water is suitable for general
laboratory qualitative analyses, such as urinalysis, parasitology
and histological procedures. Two prior systems for purifying water
are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,397,468 and 5,399,263, each
assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The disclosure
of each of these patents is hereby incorporated by reference
herein.
Purified water dispensing systems that currently provide automatic
controlled dispensing of water do so using a timed dispense
technique. This is accomplished by electronically controlling a
solenoid valve and holding the solenoid valve open for a
user-programmed time period. The user sets this time based on the
amount of water they wish to dispense from the system. The user
determines a relationship between dispensing time and flow rate for
their specific system and operating conditions. Another method of
controlling the dispensed amount of purified water involves
manually opening a valve with the system pump shut off. Actuation
of a switch in the valve initiates the pump when the valve is open.
The pump remains energized for a time programmed by the user. When
the time has expired, the pump is turned off by the control system.
The manual valve remains open until the user returns to the system
to close this valve. One significant drawback to this method is
that the manual valve may remain open for some time until the user
returns to shut it off. The main reason for using this method is to
provide a manner of dispensing water into a larger vessel without
holding a remote operating valve open for a long period of time and
without running the water out of the vessel. Another drawback to
both of these prior methods relates to the accuracy of the volume
dispensed when relying on a user-defined relationship between
dispensing time and dispensed volume. If the time value entered by
the user is too long, the vessel being filled may run over.
Generally, if the time value is incorrect by being either too long
or too short, the user must manually correct the dispensed amount
of water by removing water from the vessel or manually filling the
vessel to the required amount. This, of course, defeats the purpose
of having an automatic dispense control. The relationship between
dispensed volume and dispensing time will also vary for any given
system, depending on the pressure at the inlet of the system, the
voltage on any pump associated with the system, the condition of
the filters and membranes, among other factors.
In light of these and other problems in the art, it would be
desirable to provide a water purification system having an accurate
and automatic manner of sensing and, preferably, controlling the
volume of water discharged from the system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention, in one aspect, provides a water purification
system for purifying water flowing through a water flow path, and
having a sensing device coupled with an electronic control for
accurately indicating the volume of water dispensed from an outlet
of the system. More specifically, the system includes a water
purification device having an inlet and an outlet in the water flow
path and at least one interior volume communicating with the inlet
and outlet. A purification medium is positioned within the interior
volume of the water purification device. The sensing device
operates to generate a signal that is used to determine a volume of
water dispensed from the outlet. The electronic control is coupled
with the sensing device and includes an output responsive to the
signal generated by the sensing device for indicating the volume of
water dispensed from the outlet. The sensing device may comprise a
flow sensor or, for example, a timer. The flow sensor may be
coupled upstream of the inlet or downstream of the inlet, or at any
other suitable location in the water flow path. The upstream
position is preferred so that any contaminates from the sensor will
be filtered out or purified by the purification device. If the
sensing device is a timer, the timer is associated with a look-up
table in the electronic control having time values usable to
determine an amount of time for dispensing a desired volume of
purified water from the outlet. Alternatively, the control may
include an algorithm which is used in conjunction with the timer
for dispensing the desired volume of purified water from the
outlet. The control may further include an alerting device
configured to alert the user when the desired volume of purified
water has been dispensed from the outlet.
In the preferred embodiment, the control system includes an input
device configured to allow a user to input a desired volume of
purified water to be dispensed from the outlet. A flow regulation
device is coupled with the control system and operative to stop the
discharge of purified water at the outlet upon reaching the desired
volume of purified water.
Various objectives, advantages and features of the invention will
become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art
upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a water purifying system in
accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a flow control system for use in the
water purification system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic representation of the flow control system
of FIG. 2;
FIG. 3 is a software flow diagram of the "AUTOMATIC DISPENSE
ROUTINE" performed by the flow control system of the present
invention;
FIG. 4 is a software flow diagram of the "TOTAL VOLUME DISPENSED
ROUTINE" performed by the flow control system of the present
invention;
FIG. 5 is a software flow diagram of the "CALIBRATION ROUTINE"
performed by the flow control system of the present invention;
and
FIG. 6 is a software flow diagram of the "SYSTEM CHECK ROUTINE"
performed by the flow control system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings, and to FIG. 1 in particular, a
water purification system 10 is illustrated in accordance to the
principles of the present invention for dispensing a controlled
volume of purified water as desired by a user. Water purification
system 10 includes a fluid circuit or water flow path 12 having a
water inlet 14 connected to a source of water (not shown), and a
water|outlet 16 for dispensing the controlled volume of water that
has been purified by the system. As will be described in greater
detail below, the fluid circuit 12 is preferably designed so that
the volume of water entering inlet 14 corresponds to the volume of
purified water dispensed at the outlet 16. When purified water is
not being dispensed at the outlet 16, the fluid circuit 12 is
preferably designed to recirculate the water through the circuit
12.
Further referring to FIG. 1, water enters the inlet 14 of the fluid
circuit 12 through a check valve 18, a flow control system 20 and a
pressure regulator 22. As will be described in greater detail
below, flow control system 20 is provided to allow a user to input
a desired volume of water to be dispensed at the outlet 16, and
also to determine the volume of water dispensed from the water
purification system 10. A user interface 24, including a user input
26 (FIG. 2) and user display 28 (FIG. 2), is coupled to the flow
control system 20 for receiving user inputs as well as providing a
display of information to the user. Pressure regulator 22 is
provided to limit or regulate the pressure within the fluid circuit
12 to a predetermined value, such as 15 psi. A pump 30 is
preferably connected in the fluid circuit 12 to circulate the water
into through the circuit 12. Pump 30 preferably has at least two
operating speeds so that when purified water is not being dispensed
from the system 10, the pump 30 is set to operate at a
predetermined "recirculation speed". The speed of pump 30 is
preferably increased to a predetermined "full speed" when purified
water is being dispensed through the outlet 16 or through an
optional remote dispensing gun 32 connected to the fluid circuit 12
as described in detail below. Alternatively, the pump 30 may have
only a single operating speed, or the pump 30 may be eliminated and
fluid circuit 12 may simply receive pressurized water through
pressure regulator 22.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the water purification system 10 includes
a water purification device 34 having an inlet and an outlet
connected in the fluid circuit 12 and in fluid communication with
at least one interior volume of the device 34. The water
purification device 34 is more fully disclosed in co-pending
application U.S. Ser. No. 09/520,529, filed on Mar. 8, 2000, and
hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
Briefly, water purification device 34 comprises a filter assembly
36 including a plurality of identically constructed cartridges
38a-d coupled in fluid communication with each other and with the
inlet and outlet of the water purification device 34. In operation,
water circulating or passing through the fluid circuit 12 is
directed through the filter assembly 36 or cartridges 38a-d as
schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. Purified water exiting from
cartridge 38d moves past a sanitization port 40 which may be used
to periodically inject a sanitent into fluid circuit 12 as
necessitated by application requirements. A jumper 42 is provided
for optionally connecting the remote dispensing gun 32 to the fluid
circuit 12 as described in detail below.
Upon exiting the filter assembly 36, the purified water enters a
dispense manifold 44 connected in the fluid circuit 12. The
dispenser manifold 44 includes a first normally-closed solenoid
valve 46 that is coupled to the flow control system 20. The
normally-closed solenoid valve 46 may be selectively opened by the
user to direct water through a final filter 48 and through the
water outlet 16. When purified water is not being dispensed, a
normally-open solenoid valve 50 is provided to direct the water in
a recirculating manner through a check valve 52 and back to the
beginning of fluid circuit 12 to be continuously recirculated by
pump 30. Check valve 52 prevents backflow from inlet 14 and also
provides any necessary back pressure for a manual valve (not shown)
associated with the option remote dispensing gun 32.
Flow control system 20 is the primary focus of the present
invention and is illustrated according to a preferred embodiment in
FIG. 2. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention,
flow control system 20 includes a vane-type flow sensor 54 that is
coupled to a flow controller 56 of the flow control system 20. Flow
sensor 54 is operable to generate a signal that is used by the flow
controller 56 to determine a volume of water dispensed from the
water outlet 16. The flow controller 56 provides an output that is
responsive to the signal generated by the flow sensor 54 for
indicating the volume of water dispensed from the outlet 16.
The flow control system 20 of the present invention is provided to
allow a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed at
the outlet 16, and also to determine the volume of water dispensed
from the water purification system 10. The user input 26 of the
user interface 24 (FIG. 1) is preferably in the form of a control
panel (not shown) that permits the user to simply enter the desired
volume of purified water to be dispensed through outlet 16. The
user display 28 of user interface 24 (FIG. 1) is preferably in the
form of an LCD or similar display that provides a user-readable
indication of the volume of purified water dispensed, or to be
dispensed, by the water purification system 10. An optional alert
58 may be associated with the flow controller 56 to provide a
visual and/or audible indication to the user when the desired
volume of purified water has been dispensed.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention as shown in
FIG. 2, the flow sensor 54 includes a pulse generator 60 that is
operable to generate a predetermined number of pulses in response
to a predetermined volume of water dispensed through outlet 16,
such as 6,900 pulses for every liter of purified water dispensed
through the outlet 16. The flow controller 56 includes a pulse
counter 62, accumulated pulse counter 64 and memory 66 coupled to a
microcontroller 68 for monitoring and controlling the volume of
purified water dispensed through outlet 16. It will be appreciated
that while flow sensor 54 and flow controller 56 are illustrated as
separate components, they may be combined into a single device
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
Operation of the water purification system 10, including the flow
sensor 54 and flow controller 56, will now be described in
connection with monitoring and controlling the volume of purified
water dispensed through outlet 16. Flow controller 56 is operable
to run the software routines of FIGS. 3-6 to perform the following
functions: 1) automatically dispense a predetermined volume of
water corresponding to a desired volume of water input into the
flow controller 52 by the user through the user input 26; 2)
monitor the volume and total volume of purified water dispensed by
the water purification system 10; 3) calibrate the water
purification system 10 to automatically dispense the desired volume
of water input by the user; and 4) perform a system check to
identify the presence of the remote dispense gun 32 or a leak in
the system 10. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
software may reside in the memory 66 of the flow controller 56
and/or on tape, disc or diskette associated with the flow
controller 56, although the location of the software is not limited
to the flow controller 56 as will be appreciated by those of
ordinary skill in the art.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the "AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE" 70 will
now be described. The purpose of this routine is primarily to
permit a user to input a desired volume of water to be dispensed by
the water purification system 10, and to control the system 10 to
dispense the desired volume of water input by the user. Another
purpose of this routine is to provide a user-readable display of
the volume of water remaining to be dispensed through the outlet
16. At step 72, the flow controller 56 receives, through the user
input 26, the volume of water desired by the user to be dispensed
through outlet 16. At step 74, the flow controller 56 calculates a
pulse count corresponding to the desired volume of water, and sets
the calculated pulse count in the memory 66. For example, if the
user desires one liter of purified water to be dispensed through
the outlet 16, the flow controller sets a pulse count value of
6,900 in the memory 66. A determination is made at step 76 whether
the user has pressed the "dispense key" to initiate automatic
dispensing of the desired volume of purified water. If the
"dispense key" has been pressed, the flow controller 56 resets the
pulse counter 62 to zero at step 78 and sets the pump 30 to operate
at "full speed" at step 80. At step 82, the flow controller 56
opens the normally-closed solenoid valve 46 associated with the
dispense manifold 44 to dispense purified water through the water
outlet 16. As water is dispensed at the outlet 16, flow sensor 54
is generating pulses through pulse generator 60 corresponding to
the volume of water being dispensed. At step 84, the pulse counter
62 of the flow controller 56 is counting the pulses generated by
the pulse generator 60 of the flow sensor 54. A decision is made at
step 86 whether the pulse count generated by the pulse generator 60
equals the pulse count set in memory 66. If not, the pulse counter
62 continues to count the pulses generated by the pulse generator
60. However, if the generated pulse count does equal the pulse
count set in memory 66, the flow controller 56 closes the solenoid
valve 46 at step 88 to stop discharge of water through the outlet
16, and resets the pump 30 to its "recirculation speed" at step
90.
Further referring to FIG. 3, as the pulse counter 62 is counting
pulses generated by the pulse generator 60, the flow controller 56
subtracts the present pulse count from the pulse count set in
memory 66 and converts the pulse count remainder to a volume of
water remaining to be dispensed, as indicated at step 92. The flow
controller 56 provides a display of the volume of water remaining
to be dispensed on the use display 28, as indicated at step 94.
While not shown, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill
in the art that the flow controller 56 could convert the present
pulse count to a volume of water actually dispensed, and display
that information to the user as well on the user display 28. When
the desired volume of purified water has been dispensed, the flow
controller 56 will actuate alert 58 to provide an indication to the
user that the dispense cycle is completed. It will be appreciated
that the "AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE" 70 permits the user simply to
input a desired volume of water to be dispensed, and thereafter
accurately controls the dispensed volume of water to correspond to
the desired volume input by the user.
With reference now to FIG. 4, the "TOTAL VOLUME DISPENSED ROUTINE"
95 will be described. The purpose of this routine is to monitor the
total volume of purified water dispensed by the water purification
system 10, and to provide this information to the user for various
service, billing, warranty and usage-type purposes. In particular,
at step 96, a volume of purified water is dispensed through the
outlet 16. At step 98, the pulse generator 60 associated with the
flow sensor 54 generates a series of pulses that are counted by the
pulse counter 62, as well as by the accumulated pulse counter 64,
of the flow controller 56. At step 100, the accumulated pulse
counter 64 stores and accumulates the pulses generated by the pulse
generator 60 over multiple dispensing operations of the water
purification system 10. At step 102, the flow controller 56
converts the accumulated pulses counted by the accumulated pulse
counter 64 to a total volume of purified water dispensed by the
water purification system 10. As indicated at 104, this information
may be used as service information to inform the user when service
or maintenance of the system 10 is required. The service or
maintenance may include changing the filter assembly 36 or
injecting a sanitant into the fluid circuit 12 through the
sanitization port 40, for example. As indicated at 106, the total
volume of water dispensed by the water purification system 10 may
also be used for billing information so that the user may be
accurately charged for the volume of purified water dispensed by
the system 10. As indicated at 108, this information may also be
used for warranty information or, as indicated at 110, for
usage-type information, such as the total volume of water that has
been dispensed through the a particular water purification system
10 over a predetermined period of time.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the "CALIBRATION ROUTINE" 112 will now be
described. The purpose of this routine is to calibrate the water
purification system 10 to accurately dispense the desired volume of
purified water at the outlet 16. At step 114, a determination is
made whether the flow controller 56 has been set to operate in a
"calibration mode". If yes, a determination is made at step 116
whether the user has depressed the "dispense key". If the user has
depressed the "dispense key", the flow controller 56 dispenses a
predetermined volume of purified water corresponding to a
predetermined pulse count. For example, at step 118, if the flow
controller 56 is set to operate in "calibration mode" and the
"dispense key" has been pressed, the flow controller 56 may be
programmed to dispense a liter of purified water corresponding to a
pulse count of 6,900. As indicated at 120, the user measures the
actual volume of water dispensed, and inputs that value into the
flow controller 56 through the user input 26 at step 122. At step
124, the flow controller 56 calculates an error corresponding to
the difference between the predetermined volume of water to be
dispensed in "calibration mode" and the actual volume of water
dispensed at the outlet 16. Thereafter, at step 126, the flow
controller 56 increments or decrements the predetermined pulse
count to obtain the predetermined volume of water that should be
dispensed when the "dispense key" is pressed and the flow
controller 56 is set to operate in "calibration mode". For example,
it may be determined through the "CALIBRATION ROUTINE" 112 that one
liter of dispensed purified water actually corresponds to a pulse
count of 6,985 instead of 6,900. By calibrating the pulse count to
correspond to the actual volume of water dispensed, all following
automatic dispense cycles should be very accurate.
Referring now to FIG. 6, the "SYSTEM CHECK ROUTINE" 128 will now be
described. The purpose of this routine is to determine either the
connection of the remote gun 32 to the fluid circuit 12 or a leak
in the system 10. At step 130, a determination is made whether the
"dispense key" has been depressed. If yes, control is passed to the
"AUTOMATIC DISPENSE ROUTINE" 70 as described above. If not, a
determination is made at step 132 whether a pulse has been detected
by the pulse counter 62 associated with the flow controller 56. If
a pulse is detected at step 132, the pulse counter 62 counts the
pulse at step 134. At step 136, the flow controller 56 determines
whether the pulse count of pulse counter 62 is greater than a
predetermined pulse number stored in memory 66. If the pulse count
exceeds the predetermined pulse number stored in memory 66, a
determination is made at step 138 whether the remote gun 32 is
present. This information may be provided through a query of the
user to verify that the remote gun 32 is or is not connected to the
fluid circuit 12. If the user indicates at step 138 that the remote
gun 32 is not present, flow controller 56 shuts off pump 30 at step
140, and may also cause the water purification system 10 to be
disconnected from the water source (not shown) at step 142.
Thereafter, the flow controller 56 may provide a display warning to
the user on user display 28 to warn the user to check for a leak in
the system 10 at step 144.
If a determination is made at step 138 that the remote gun 32 is
connected to the fluid circuit 12, the flow controller 56 turns the
pump 30 to "full speed" at step 146. A determination is made at
step 148 whether a pulse is detected by the pulse counter 62,
indicating that purified water is being dispensed through the
remote gun 32. If no pulse is detected at step 148, indicating that
the valve (not shown) of the remote gun 32 has been closed, the
flow controller 56 resets the pump 30 to operate at its
"recirculation speed" at step 150.
While a vane-type flow sensor 54 is shown in the preferred
embodiment of FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that other sensing
devices are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of
the present invention. For example, the sensing device may have a
voltage or current output rather than a pulse output as described
in detail above. Moreover, while a vane-type flow sensor has been
described in detail, it will be appreciated that the flow sensor
may comprise an ultrasonic, paddlewheel or similar flow sensor
readily known by those of ordinary skill in the art. Additionally,
and as illustrated in FIG. 2A, the sensing device may include a
timer and look-up table 152 or timer and algorithm 154 associated
with the flow controller 56. For example, as indicated at 158 in
FIG. 2A, the user may input a desired volume of purified water to
be dispensed by system 10 through the user input 26. In the event
the sensing device comprises a timer and look-up table 152, the
flow controller 56 includes a look-up table that correlates a
desired volume of purified water input by the user to a dispense
time corresponding to opening of the normally-closed solenoid valve
46. In this embodiment, the user's input of the desired volume of
purified water to be dispensed by the system 10 is converted by the
sensing device 152 into a time value for opening the
normally-closed solenoid valve 46. In this way, the water
purification system 10 discharges a desired volume of purified
water input by the user as indicated at 160.
Alternatively, when the sensing device is a timer and algorithm,
the flow controller 56 converts the user's input of the desired
volume of purified water to be dispensed into a time value for
opening the normally-closed solenoid valve 46. The time value is
computed in the algorithm by dividing the desired volume of
purified water input by the user by the known flow rate of the
system 10.
It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in art that while
the flow control system 20 has been described as being positioned
upstream of the inlet to the water purification device 34, the flow
control system may alternatively be positioned downstream of the
outlet of the water purification device 34 without departing from
the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description
of these preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have
been described in some detail, it is not the intention of the
Applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the
appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and
modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. This
has been a description of the present invention, along with the
preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently
known. Various aspects of this invention may be used alone or in
different combinations. The scope of the invention itself should
only be defined by the appended claims, wherein we claim:
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