SANITARY FACILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND SANITARY FACILITY MANAGEMENT METHOD

Abstract

The present invention comprises a sanitary facility management system as well as a corresponding sanitary facility management method with at least one sanitary installation, which is coupled to a water supply and/or is included in a water circuit and on which at least one operating value of the at least one sanitary installation can be recorded, a sanitary facility control device connected to the at least one sanitary installation comprising at least one data transmitter and at least one signal receiver and a data processing and signal output system communicating with the sanitary facility control device via the at least one data transmitter and the at least one signal receiver, wherein the data processing and signal output system is a system learning by machine and/or a system comprising an artificial neuronal net and/or an expert system.

Claims

1. A sanitary facility management system with at least one sanitary installation, which is coupled to a water supply and/or is included in a water circuit and on which at least one operating value of the at least one sanitary installation can be recorded, a sanitary facility control device connected to the at least one sanitary installation, comprising at least one data transmitter and at least one signal receiver, and a data processing and signal output system communicating with the sanitary facility control device via the at least one data transmitter and the at least one signal receiver, wherein the data processing and signal output system is a system learning by machine and/or a system comprising an artificial neuronal net and/or an expert system.

2. A sanitary facility management system according to claim 1, wherein the data processing and signal output system is a computer or a mobile device with computer functionality and connectivity or an IT infrastructure available via the internet or a facility management system.

3. A sanitary facility management system according to claim 1, wherein a data and/or signal intermediate processing device is provided between the at least one data transmitter and the data processing and signal output system and/or between the at least one signal receiver and the data processing and signal output system.

4. A sanitary facility management system according to claim 1, wherein the data processing and signal output system is a meshed network comprising at least one basic sensor or an electronic control of one of the sanitary installations and at least one network sensor communicating with the at least one basic sensor or an electronic control of another of the sanitary installations.

5. A sanitary facility management method, in which with a sanitary facility with at least one sanitary installation, which is supplied with water and/or through which water flows and on which at least one operating value of the at least one sanitary installation is recorded in the form of data, the at least one operating value is transmitted to a data processing and signal output system with at least one data transmitter of a sanitary facility control device connected to the at least one sanitary installation, the data processing and signal output system processes the at least one operating value, at least one signal is generated in accordance therewith and the at least one signal is transmitted to the at least one signal receiver of the sanitary facility control device, wherein the data processing and signal output system learns by machine and/or generates the at least one signal using an artificial neuronal net and/or an expert system.

6. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein the data processing and signal output system analyzes the data transferred in a current process cycle and the at least one signal generated in accordance therewith in the process cycles respectively preceding the current one, deduces at least one rule and/or an algorithm for an optimization of the at least one operating value of the at least one sanitary installation therefrom, generates the at least one signal as the current signal based on the currently transmitted data and the at least one rule and/or the at least one algorithm, and transmits this current signal to the at least one signal receiver.

7. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein the data processing and signal output system machine learns at least one usage scenario from the data transmitted by the at least one data transmitter and the signals transmitted to the at least one signal receiver as well as the at least one rule and/or the at least one algorithm deduced in accordance therewith for the at least one sanitary installation, and optimizes the respective current signal in accordance with the at least one usage scenario.

8. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 7, wherein the data processing and signal output system automatically adjusts the at least one usage scenario with due regard to each process cycle.

9. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 7, wherein the data processing and signal output system automatically pre-calculates the future operating values to be expected from the data transmitter by means of the at least one usage scenario.

10. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein the data processing and signal output system automatically groups the data transmitted by the data transmitter into correct and error indicating data in comparison to the at least one rule and/or the at least one algorithm and/or the at least one usage scenario.

11. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 10, wherein the data processing and signal output system (a) initiates an action on the sanitary installation or its water supply in case of error indicating data and/or (b) issues an assistance report and/or a notification.

12. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein with a sanitary facility, which comprises several of the at least one sanitary installation, the data processing and signal output system forms an installation model from the respective rules and/or algorithms and/or usage scenarios, in which both the operating values of all individual sanitary installations of the sanitary facility as well as their interactions with each other are included.

13. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein the sanitary facility control actively changes at least one operating parameter of the at least one sanitary installation after receiving the respective at least one signal by the at least one signal receiver.

14. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein the sanitary facility control issues at least one assistance report after receiving the respective at least one signal by the at least one signal receiver.

15. A sanitary facility management method according to one claim 5, wherein the data processing and signal output system receives data from a water supply and/or a waste water disposal of the sanitary facility and processes them for generating the at least one signal.

16. A sanitary facility management method according to claim 5, wherein the data processing and signal output system receives external data from at least one additional sensor and/or a control that is not part of the sanitary facility and/or from at least one further data source that is not part of the sanitary facility, and includes the external data in the deduction of the at least one rule and/or the at least one algorithm and/or the at least one usage scenario.

Description

[0044] Embodiments of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention, including the respective embodiments of the sanitary facility management method executed by it are explained in more detail in the following figures, wherein

[0045] FIG. 1 schematically shows a general structure of one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention, in which the general process of the corresponding embodiment of the sanitary facility management method according to the invention is indicated as well;

[0046] FIG. 2 schematically shows another embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention, in which it is a leakage protection system based on a meshed communication;

[0047] FIG. 3 schematically shows a general process of a sanitary facility management method according to the invention for leakage protection;

[0048] FIG. 4 schematically shows a communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention, based on a meshed network;

[0049] FIG. 5 schematically shows a communication structure with a cloud usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention;

[0050] FIG. 6 schematically shows a communication structure with a gateway usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention;

[0051] FIG. 7 schematically shows a communication structure with a gateway and a data processing and signal output system consisting of a cloud and several devices usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention;

[0052] FIG. 8 schematically shows a communication structure with a gateway and a data processing and signal output system comprising several devices usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention; and

[0053] FIG. 9 schematically shows a simple communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system according to the invention.

[0054] In FIG. 1, a general process of one embodiment of a sanitary facility management method and the embedment of algorithms of the artificial intelligence in a sanitary facility management system 1 according to the invention, is depicted.

[0055] A sanitary facility 2 is the core of the sanitary facility management system 1. The sanitary facility 2 comprises at least one sanitary installation. It is characteristic for the at least one sanitary installation to be coupled to a water supply and/or to be included in a water circuit. The at least one sanitary installation can for example be or comprise at least one urinal 21 and/or at least one shower 22 and/or at least one washbasin tap 23 and/or at least one bathtub 24 and/or at least one toilet 25 and/or at least one shut-off valve 26.

[0056] In the shown embodiment, the sanitary management system 1 furthermore comprises at least one basic sensor 3 with which at least one operating value of the at least one sanitary installation is recorded. In other embodiments of the invention, the at least one basic sensor 3 can also be left out or serve as additional sensor(s). In these cases, at least one operating value of the sanitary installation, such as their switch cycles, their water consumption or the like, can be recorded directly on the at least one sanitary installation or by means of an electronic control device provided thereon, or the respective sanitary installation can deliver its own operating values.

[0057] In the depicted specific embodiment, further facility technology 4, which can for example comprise a light control 41 and/or a door control 42 of one or several rooms of a building is additionally part of the sanitary facility management system 1. In other embodiments of the present invention, the further facility technology 4 can also not be part of the sanitary facility management system.

[0058] One or several additional sensor(s) 5 such as motion or presence detectors is/are provided on the corresponding facility technology 4, with which operating data of the facility technology 4, such as switching data of the light control 41 and/or access data of the door control 42, are recorded.

[0059] In the shown specific embodiment, at least one user 6 of the at least one sanitary installation is furthermore involved in the sanitary facility management system 1. User data of the at least one user 6, such as a number of the users 6 using the at least one sanitary installation, their age, gender and/or mood can be recorded. Furthermore, a user feedback can be made by the at least one user 6, which can also be included in the user data. In other embodiments of the present invention, user are not involved in the sanitary facility management system.

[0060] In the shown specific embodiment, the sanitary facility management system 1 also comprises at least one further data source 7. Such further data sources 7 can for example be schedules, programmes, timetables, flight schedules, opening hours, weather forecast reports or the like. Prediction data can be deduced from the at least one further data source 7. Thus, a programme of a theatre can for example be used to determine, when a play is running and when an intermission happens. For example, if the intermission has ended and a toilet flush is continuously running, this can be an indication for a malfunction of the respective toilet. In other embodiments of the present invention, the respective sanitary facility management system can also not comprise any further data sources.

[0061] In the shown example, the respective data, that is the operating values 31 of the at least one sanitary installation, the optionally recorded operating data 51 of the facility technology 4, the optionally recorded user data 61 of the at least one user 6 and the optionally recorded forecast data 71 of the at least one further data source 7, hereinafter summarized as data, are transmitted to a data processing and signal output system 9 of the sanitary facility management system 1 by at least one data transmitter 8.

[0062] In the shown embodiment, the data processing and signal output system 9 is a computer but can also be a smartphone, a cloud or a facility management system or a combination of these possibilities in other embodiments of the present invention.

[0063] The transferred data are processed in the data processing and signal output system 9. In the shown embodiment, a formation of an installation model thereby takes place. Algorithms of the artificial intelligence are used with this installation model formation. The installation model formation makes it possible to deduce usage scenarios from the transmitted data and/or to make a correlation between the operating values of different sanitary installations of the sanitary facility 2 and/or to identify interactions between different elements of the sanitary facility 2, for example between the water supply and the at least one sanitary installation.

[0064] In the depicted example, the installation model formed of the data processing and signal output system 9 includes the water supply, the at least one sanitary installation and thus the at least one water consumer, the influence of the further facility technology 4, the influence of the users 6 and the forecast data 71 as well as the interactions between those elements.

[0065] Based on the installation model, the data processing and signal output system 9 deduces decisions and/or suggestions for further proceeding. This can include a prediction of usage situations and/or an optimization of operating parameters of the sanitary facility 2, such as an optimization of the water consumption or the consumption of other media and/or an optimization of the user experience and/or an optimization of the service on the sanitary facility 2. With the data processing and signal output system 9, actions can furthermore be actively initiated. The data processing and signal output system 9 can furthermore give at least one piece of information to the user(s) 6 and/or a facility management and/or at least one plumber.

[0066] The decisions of the data processing and signal output system 9 are transferred in the form of at least one signal 91 from the data processing and signal output system 9 to at least one signal receiver 10 of the sanitary facility control device. Thereupon, the sanitary facility control device initiates at least one action on the sanitary facility 2 and/or changes at least one operating parameter of the sanitary facility 2. Such an action can for example be a flush release and/or a cleaning stop and/or a switch-off of the water supply and/or a thermal disinfection and/or an activation of an illumination and/or another sanitary installation-specific action. Changeable operating parameters of the sanitary facility 2 can for example be a flush quantity and/or a sensitivity and/or a maximum duration and/or a discharge and/or a pressure and/or a water temperature and/or a time schedule and/or another parameter of the at least one sanitary installation.

[0067] The at least one action and/or the at least one operating parameter change has immediate effect on the sanitary facility 2.

[0068] FIG. 2 schematically shows another embodiment of the sanitary facility management system 1a according to the invention. The sanitary facility management system 1a is a leakage protection system based on a meshed communication.

[0069] The sanitary facility management system 1a includes several sanitary installations, such as a shut-off valve 26, a urinal 21, a washbasin tap 23, a toilet 25 and a shower 22. Each of the sanitary installations comprises its own electronic control device 11. Each of the sanitary installations is furthermore connected to each of the other sanitary installations via a data communication, wherein data can be reciprocally transferred from one sanitary installation to another, respectively. Thus, the sanitary installations form a meshed network, which herein serves as a data processing and signal output system.

[0070] In the shown embodiment, a flow measurement device 12 is provided on the shut-off valve 26, with which at least one flow of water through the shut-off valve 26 is measured. The flow measurement device 12 is furthermore connected to the electronic control device 11 of the shut-off valve 26. Thus, the electronic control device 11 of the shut-off valve 26 not only receives data from the flow measurement device 12, but also from all other sanitary installations of the sanitary facility management system 1a. Accordingly, the electronic control device 11 of the shut-off valve 26 can use operating data of the other sanitary installations in addition to the operating values of the shut-off valve 26 measured with the flow measurement device 12 in order to thus identify and learn typical usage scenarios. The sanitary facility management system 1a thus provides intelligent leakage detection. Thus, it is easier to identify fault situations with the sanitary facility management system 1a compared to conventional leakage protection systems, which only work based on a flow measurement and/or other data from a water supply, such as a water pressure, and which determine faulty situations and stop water supply based on simple rules, such as fixed limits for the amount of water, discharge and water abstraction duration.

[0071] Multiple sanitary facility management systems 1a can be provided in a building. A cascaded leakage protection can for example be formed by means of several of the sanitary facility management systems 1a in a water supply line and for each floor or room. Thereby, the data of several sanitary facility management systems 1a can be compared to each other.

[0072] FIG. 3 shows a general process of a sanitary facility management method according to the invention for leakage protection by means of the schematically depicted sanitary facility management system 1b. The depicted general process applies to the mesh network in FIG. 2 as well.

[0073] In the sanitary facility management system 1b, a flow characteristic 121 is recorded by a flow measurement device 12 located in a water supply line 13; a flow through the water supply line 13 is for example measured. Instead of the flow measurement device 12, a pressure gauge or other sensors can alternatively be used in the water supply line 13 for determining the flow characteristic 121, such as a water amount, a flow profile or a pressure of the water supply line 13.

[0074] The water supply line 13 supplies water to the sanitary installations of a sanitary facility 2. In the shown example, the sanitary facility 2 comprises several sanitary installations, such as a urinal 21, a shower 22, a washbasin tap 23, a bathtub 24 and a toilet 25. Of these sanitary installations, operating values 31 are recorded by at least one basic sensor 3 in the shown example. As mentioned above, the at least one basic sensor 3 can also be left out or serve as an additional sensor in other embodiments. The controls of the individual sanitary installations then generate their own operating values.

[0075] Further facility technology 4 is additionally part of the sanitary facility management system 1b in the depicted embodiment, which can for example comprise a light control 41 and/or a door control 42 of one or several rooms of a building. The further facility technology 4 does not need to be a part of the respective sanitary facility management system in other embodiments.

[0076] One or several additional sensor(s) 5 is/are provided on the corresponding facility technology 4, such as motion or presence detectors, with which operating data of the building technology 4, such as switching data of the light control 41 and/or access data of the door control 42, are recorded.

[0077] The data of the flow characteristic 121, the operating values 31 and the optionally recorded operating data 51 are transmitted to a data processing and signal output system 9 by at least one data transmitter 8. The data processing and signal output system 9 develops an installation model from the received data or compares the received data to a pre-existing installation model, and checks, whether rules of this installation model are violated and/or refines a pre-existing installation model by means of the received data.

[0078] Basic rules are included in this installation model. Such basic rules for example include limits such as a maximum discharge through the water supply line 13 for detecting a burst pipe and/or rules for correlation between discharge and consumption characteristic.

[0079] In the shown example, the installation model is refined based on a discharge and consumption profile, a user feedback and operating data 51. This refinement can for example include an identification of typical user scenarios and/or an identification of unconnected sanitary installations or other water consumers and/or a refinement of the correlation between discharge and consumption characteristic and/or an establishment of rules for predicting certain scenarios by evaluating historical discharge and consumption data and identifying of typical scenarios.

[0080] The installation model is hereby able to detect defects and/or an unusual usage behavior based on rules.

[0081] After the receipt of the data, it is being checked in the processing and signal output system 9 whether the rules of the installation model are violated. If so, the data processing and signal output system 9 sends a signal to a signal receiver 10 of a sanitary facility control device for closing a shut-off valve 26. After receiving a user confirmation by the user 6, it is queried whether there is a defect in a water supply line and/or in a water outflow line. If not, then it might have only been a false alarm and the shut-off valve 26 is opened again. If so, the shut-off valve 26 remains closed and a notification is issued to a person in charge. These pieces of information are also transmitted to the installation model for its further refinement.

[0082] FIGS. 4 to 8 schematically show possible communication structures between the individual sanitary installations and the correspondingly used data processing and signal output system principle usable with the present invention. For the sake of simplicity, the respective basic sensors, data transmitters and signal receivers were left out in the depictions.

[0083] FIG. 4 schematically shows a communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system 1c according to the invention, based on a meshed network. Similar to FIG. 2, different sanitary installations, such as a urinal 21 with the corresponding electronic control device 11, a shower 22 with the corresponding electronic control device 11, a washbasin tap 23 with the corresponding electronic control device 11, and a toilet 25 with the corresponding electronic control device 11 are herein communicating with each other in a network, wherein the data channels situated between the individual sanitary installations respectively, each enable a reciprocal communication between the sanitary installations.

[0084] FIG. 5 schematically shows a communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system 1d according to the invention with a cloud 92 communicating with a computer 93 and/or a mobile device 94, such as a smartphone or a tablet, as a data processing and signal output system 9. The cloud 92 is an IT infrastructure available via the internet. In the shown embodiment, the cloud 92 communicates with several sanitary installations each comprising an electronic control device 11, such as a washbasin tap 23, a urinal 21, a toilet 25 and a shower 22.

[0085] FIG. 6 schematically shows a communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system 1e according to the invention, in which a gateway is provided as a data and/or signal intermediate processing facility 14 between sanitary installations each comprising an electronic control device 11, such as a washbasin tap 23, a urinal 21, a toilet 25 and a shower 22 and a facility management system, serving as a data processing and signal output system 9. The connection between the sanitary installations and the gateway herein takes place via radio communication.

[0086] FIG. 7 schematically shows a communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system if according to the invention with a gateway and a data processing and signal output system 9 consisting of several components. Similar to the sanitary facility management system 1d in FIG. 5, the data processing and signal output system 9 herein consists of a cloud 92 as a data processing and signal output system 9 communicating with a computer 93 and/or a mobile device 94. The cloud 92 is an IT infrastructure available via the internet. In the shown embodiment, the cloud 92 communicates with the gateway acting as a data and/or signal intermediate processing device 14 as well as with the computer 93 and/or the mobile device 94. In turn, the gateway respectively communicates reciprocally with several sanitary installations each comprising an electronic control device 11 shown only exemplarily, such as a washbasin tap 23, a urinal 21, a toilet 25 and a shower 22 via a radio connection.

[0087] FIG. 8 schematically shows a communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system 1g according to the invention with a gateway acting as a data and/or signal intermediate processing device 14 and several devices of a data processing and signal output system 9. In the shown example, the gateway communicates reciprocally with each of the several sanitary installations, each comprising an electronic control device 11 shown only exemplarily, such as a washbasin tap 23, a urinal 21, a toilet 25 and a shower 22 via a radio connection. Furthermore, the gateway communicates with a computer 93 and/or a mobile device 94. Thereby, both the computer 93 and the mobile device 94 belong to the data processing and signal output system 9.

[0088] FIG. 9 schematically shows a simple communication structure usable with one embodiment of the sanitary facility management system 1h. With this communication structure, several sanitary installations each comprising an electronic control device 11 shown only exemplarily, such as a washbasin tap 23, a urinal 21, a toilet 25 and a shower 22, communicate with a mobile telephone acting as a data processing and signal output system 9.