Smart water valve

Smart Water Valve

For home or business, a solution for problems that cause water damage or water loss.• Details on the types of problems

Smart Water Valve solves• Details on how it works.• Details on the unique patented

technology

05/02/2023 Confidential 2

Introduction – Goals / Objectives

Castlebridge Enterprises, Inc. is an environmental care, technology development partnership with a goal of developing innovative solutions and products that conserve water, and mitigate water damages by reducing unintended water loss.

Innovation and development was sparked by the partners’ own personal experiences in which unintended water loss and property damage occurred. This, they learned, was a commonly shared problem.

When searching for a solution, they could not find a simple and practical product available on the market.


The Castlebridge Partners

Roger Burlage◦Thirty five years as an entertainment industry executive

with a vast array of experience and success in the film and television business, including orchestrating two initial public offerings along with extensive management and related experiences in several other industries.

Alex Pesek◦Mechanical Engineer. Ten years experience developing

measurement and control instrumentation. Skilled in flow computation, control systems, and electro/permanent magnetic circuit design.

Brian Burlage ◦Forty years of Engineering and Marketing experience

with process control instrumentation.


Market Background

Many water conservation efforts are directed at reducing the use of water by limiting volume or flow of water. Examples of this are low volume flush toilets and low flow shower heads.

Little has been done to limit water consumption and damages in situations where something has gone terribly wrong. Examples of these are; toilets that continue to run and broken or ruptured connection hoses.

Insurance industry studies find these failures are the major reason for insurance damage claims.

In many situations the water may just continue to run for days, unnoticed and undetected. Even the smallest leaks can add up to thousands of gallons a month.


Real Problems – Smart Water Valve is the Answer

Burst Supply Lines or leaking fittings.Water spills and overflows onto the floor Toilets with Flushing Valves that hang-up and

water continues to run down into the bowl undetected for hours.

Toilets that have developed a leak past the Flushing Valve and a cyclic slow drain down and refill of the Tank occurs

Toilets will faulty Refill Valves and the water continues to run and goes down the overflow tube into the bowl undetected for hours.


Typical Toilet Installation


Smart Water Valve Technology Overview


Principle of Operation

The Smart Water Valve determines the fill time, or normal use cycle, required to operate the water appliance.For example: When the toilet is flushed, it will time the refill event and add a convenience factor of 150% to the fill time. This calculated set time is to accommodate occasional back to back flush sequences and avoid inconvenience for the user.

In normal operational use, with the onset of water flow, the Smart Water Valve compares the actual elapse time to the set time it has stored for the water appliance.

If the water flow continues, (even those flows in the drips /sec range) and the elapsed time exceeds the set time the Smart Water Valve will close, stopping the water flow to the appliance.


Smart Water Valve Overview

Cover

Actuate Lever

Battery Tray

Set-Up/Test Button

LED’s

Valve Body

Outlet Connection

Inlet Connection


Product Features and Benefits

Physical Features Small size installs in tight spaces with simple tools. Industry Standard Inlet and Outlet Connections

Outlet Connection3/8 IPS

Inlet Connection¼ NPT1.48

2.002.56

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User Convenience and Interface Set-Up/Test

◦ Depress and hold three seconds, start water appliance and device learns normal operational time.

◦ Momentarily depress at any time to set valve to closed position or simply pull actuate lever down manually to close valve.

Actuate Lever is located in front center to make seeing and operating it simple.◦ Shown in tripped or valve closed position, valve can

be reset by simply pushing up on the Lever Battery Tray

◦ A pull out battery tray makes installation or replacement of the two AA alkaline batteries simple.

◦ A low battery LED and audible beep will indicate when replacement is necessary

Confidential



User Convenience and Interface

Visual Red and Green LED’s Alerts

Audible Alerts work synchronously with LED

External Leak Detector Probe◦ Two wire connection to Smart Water Valve which can be placed

on the floor for added protection. The microprocessor automatically deploys or enables firmware algorithm in presence of the probe

Temperature Monitoring◦ Automatically closes Smart Valve when temperature drops

below freezing.


Technology Differentiators

The user interface and operation of the Smart Water Valve is straight forward, however the technology used is very important in assuring dependable, repeatable, and accurate performance.



Normal Operating State• Water flows through the valve body

past the valve plug and seat.• Water flow moves the flow

detection ram into coil magnetic field, altering coil inductance.

• Microprocessor detects inductance change, starts timer and checks against initial set-up time

Closed State• Microprocessor determines that

the flow exceeded initial set-up time.

• Microprocessor sends signal to energize actuate coil, releasing Actuate Lever

• Actuate Lever moves to visible trip position, and plug moves to close off water flow.



Flow Detection Technology

Flow

Flow Ram

Flux Path

Magnetic Circuit

◦ Detecting water flow at the start and end of a water use cycle is critical. Sensing flows as small as 10 drips/sec. is accomplished by using a ferrous Flow Ram that is moved by the flow of water. As the Flow Ram moves, the measured coil inductance increases.

◦ The result is a very repeatable and dependable flow detection method without hysteretic effects seen in discrete switch flow rams.

◦ The Flow Ram is the only wetted moving part.



Actuate Lever Mechanism◦ The Actuate Lever is held in the “Latched

Position” by a permanent magnet, core, and pole piece. No battery power is consumed to securely maintain the Actuate Lever in the "Latched" state.

◦ The Actuate Lever is toggled to the “Un-latched position” when the Microprocessor signals to electrically energize the coil, This counters the permanent magnet in the circuit and releases the Actuate Lever to toggle to the “un-latched” position, allowing the plug stem to travel to the closed position.

Actuate Lever “Latched”

Actuate Lever “Un-latched”

Actuate Lever

Flux PathPermanent

Magnet

CoilUn-energized

Plug Stem

CoilEnergized

Plug StemNo battery power to maintain normal state.No complicated and unreliable mechanical trip or catch parts.



Digital Electronics◦ Microprocessor Circuit spends 99.99% of time in sleep state,

conserving battery power. 5 year Battery life. ◦ PCB integrates all electrical functions (microprocessor, flow ram

circuitry, latching circuitry, LED’s and Audible alarm) for more reliable manufacture, factory test and user performance.

◦ Interactive learning and set up of the normal water use cycle. ◦ Valve will trip to safe state (water off) on “Low Battery” detection.◦ Valve will trip to safe state (water off) on freezing temperature

detected.◦ Monitors battery state. LED Flashes on “Low Battery”◦ Valve will trip to safe state (water off) when optional external leak

detector detects moisture.◦ Diagnostic check for correct operation. Green LED flashes during

all “flow events”◦ Built in circuit voltage and flow detection compensation algorithm

maintain performance parameters.



Firmware Functionality ◦ Set Mode (learn and set the duration time for normal water event)

Press Set-Up/Test button for 3 sec. User then starts the normal use flow event, for example, flush the toilet. After holding test/set button for 3 sec, 1 audible beep is heard followed by green LED flash every sec until flow is detected then red LED flashes until flow event has ended. Water valve automatically set flow duration time and exits Set Mode.

◦ Test Mode (close valve)Press and release Set-Up/Test button for < 3 sec. Audible beep is heard and the valve automatically trips and closes. Valve can be reset (open) by manually rotating up the Actuate Lever.

◦ Flow Detect-(normal operation)Green LED Flashes 1 time every 4 seconds while flow is ongoing.

◦ Flow Detect-(abnormal, flow exceeds preset time)Green LED Flashes 3 times, simultaneously with 3 audible beeps, actuate function closes valve.

◦ External Leak Detect 1-(leak detected but no flow is detected)Red LED Flashes 1 time every 4 seconds for as long as leak is detected for up to 10 min. No other action taken.

◦ Eternal Leak Detect 2 -(leak detected for more than 10 min or if flow is also detected)Audible beep 3 times and Red LED flashes 3 times,. Indicates that leak has been detected and valve will actuate.

◦ Cyclic Leak Detect-(Water used on a periodic basis, like a leaking flushing valve)Audible Beep 3 times each beep followed by Red and Green LED Flashes. Followed by actuate function which closes valve.

◦ Change BatteriesAudible Beep 1 time and Red LED flash 1 time



Wireless Communication Capability

Why Wireless Communication? Wireless communication can tie Smart Water Valve to a Home Automation system along with other devices like Smoke Alarms, Thermostats, Carbon Monoxide detectors. The possibility for early detection of problems and information that can potentially lower insurance cost.

Smart Water Valve is a digital electronic device. The capability to add wireless communication for immerging home automation systems is possible.



Intellectual Property US Patent Protected

◦ US 7392817 B2◦ US 7451777 B2◦ US 7779852 B2

European Patent Pending 2982891


For more information:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Smart water valve

Technology

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