WATER GENERATOR UTILIZING AN AIR CONDITIONER SYSTEM
A method and system for generating and providing drinking water is provided. The method for providing drinking water includes collecting condensed water from an air conditioner unit, storing in a tank the water that was collected, filtering the water so as to eliminate contaminants and activating an on-demand water pump so as to send the water to a faucet for dispensation. A water generator for providing drinking water is also provided. The water generator can include an air conditioner unit, a tank for collecting condensed water from the air conditioner unit, a pipe for transferring the condensed water from the air conditioner unit to the tank, a filter for eliminating contaminants from the water pumped through the filter and an on-demand water pump for sending the water through the filter and to a faucet for dispensation
Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCHNot Applicable.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON CDNot Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of drinking water generation systems and more particularly to drinking water generation systems configured for integration with an air conditioner system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Water is a natural resource currently under threat around the world. This critical resource is already in short supply across parts of the world and will become even scarcer in the coming decades. Increases in water scarcity arise from different causes. First and foremost, the enormous growth in human population has had a dramatic effect on water levels due to human consumption. In the last century, the world population has tripled and it is expected to rise from the present 6.5 billion to 8.9 billion by 2050. Water scarcity will intensify accordingly. Second, the economic development and urbanization of the world has called for increased allocations of water for domestic, agriculture and industrial sectors. As industry worldwide grows, so does water consumption. Lastly, climate change has impacted the amount of drinking water available for use by humans.
Various conventional systems for extracting drinking water from the air are available. These systems generally use an apparatus that enables the condensation process to occur, thereby producing a condensate that is harvested as pure drinking water. An air conditioner system, for example, naturally produces a condensate as it cools air. At least one known system for extracting drinking water from the air operates by using the condensate from an air conditioning unit, and further includes a water treatment or water purification step. The process of extracting drinking water from the air is advantageous since it eliminates the need for access to groundwater or seawater and the ambient air is a sustainable and accessible resource.
The approaches above, however, stop short of providing a method for delivering the collected drinking water to a user. Previous solutions provide a solution for water extraction from air wherein the extracted water is generally collected in a container or other type of repository. But conventional approaches do not provide a solution for delivering the water to users in a convenient way. That is, although previous approaches have addressed the problem of extracting potable drinking water from the ambient air, previous approaches have not sufficiently dealt with the issue of providing the collected water to individuals for use.
Therefore, there is a need to overcome the deficiencies with the prior art and more particularly for a more efficient way to generate drinking water from an air conditioner system and provide it for use.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to water generation and provide a novel and non-obvious method and system for generating and providing drinking water. In an embodiment of the invention, the method for providing drinking water includes collecting condensed water from an air conditioner unit, storing in a tank the water that was collected, filtering the water so as to eliminate contaminants and activating an on-demand water pump so as to send the water to a faucet for dispensation.
In another embodiment of the invention, a water generator for providing drinking water can be provided. The water generator can include a tank for collecting condensed water from an air conditioner unit, a filter for eliminating contaminants from the water collected in the tank and an on-demand water pump for sending the water to a faucet for dispensation.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, an alternative water generator for providing drinking water can be provided. The water generator can include an air conditioner unit, a tank for collecting condensed water from the air conditioner unit, a pipe for transferring the condensed water from the air conditioner unit to the tank, a filter for eliminating contaminants from the water pumped through the filter and an on-demand water pump for sending the water through the filter and to a faucet for dispensation.
Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:
Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to generation of drinking water and provide a novel and non-obvious method and system for generating drinking water and providing it for use. The present invention improves upon the prior art by providing a drinking water generation system that collects condensate from an air conditioner unit into a tank, filters the water for contaminants and then utilizes an on-demand water pump to send the water to a faucet for dispensation. In one embodiment, the on-demand water pump may send the water through the filter, thereby eliminating contaminants from the water, and then to the faucet for dispensation. In another embodiment, the on-demand water pump may be activated only when the faucet is activated. In yet another embodiment, the on-demand water pump may be de-activated when the water level in the tank falls below a predefined threshold.
Referring now to the drawing figures in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in
In another embodiment, the pipe 104 transfers the condensate from the air conditioner 102 to the water generator assembly 101 using gravity as an aid. In yet another embodiment, the pipe 104 transfers the condensate from the air conditioner 102 to the water generator assembly 101 using a water pump (not shown). Further, the pipe 104 may travel from an outdoor air conditioner 102 to an indoor water generator assembly 101, or vice versa.
The water generator assembly 101 may be located indoors or outdoors and may be positioned below the air conditioner system 102. The water generator assembly 101 may further be recessed into the floor 103 or ground, so as to be completely or partially lower than the floor line and allow gravity to assist in the feed process of the water. The drinking water production processes conducted within water generator assembly 101, as well as more detail on the interior of water generator assembly 101, are provided below in greater detail with reference to
The water generator assembly 101 produces filtered drinking water that is pumped out via a pipe 109 to a faucet 107 for dispensation. Pipe 109 transfers the filtered drinking water from the water generator assembly 101, which may be either indoors or outdoors, to faucet 107, which also may be either indoors or outdoors. Pipe 109 may comprise some or all of the features described for pipe 104. Faucet 107 may be located indoors or outdoors and may comprise any conventional spigot, tap, or valve for controlling the release of a liquid. An electrical line 106 provides electricity, such as 120V, to the contents of the water generator assembly 101. An overflow valve 110 is also shown, which is described in greater detail below with reference to
In another embodiment of the present invention, the on-demand water pump 202 is de-activated when sensor 215 senses that the water level within the tank 200 falls below a predefined threshold. Sensor 215 may, for example, comprise a float switch that senses when a water-floating element within sensor 215 falls below a predefined position, thereby deactivating the on-demand water pump 202.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the tank 200 includes an overflow valve 110 that allows water 210 to escape from the tank 200 when the water level within the tank 200 rises above a predefined level. Overflow valve 110 may, for example, comprise an opening at a particular water level, wherein the opening allows water to flow out of the tank 200 when the water level reaches the opening and wherein the opening includes a screen, a check valve, and/or other obstruction to prevent the ingress of contaminants and/or insects into the tank 200.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the on-demand water pump 202 includes a directional flushing valve 216 that allows a user to empty and clean the assembly 101 for storage or extended periods of non-use. Directional flushing valve 216 may, for example, comprise an opening that allows water to flow out when emptying water from the water generator assembly 101 is necessary.
Although specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is not to be restricted, therefore, to the specific embodiments. Furthermore, it is intended that the appended claims cover any and all such applications, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A method for providing drinking water, the method comprising:
- collecting condensed water from an air conditioner unit;
- storing in a tank the water that was collected;
- filtering the water so as to eliminate contaminants; and
- activating an on-demand water pump so as to send the water to a faucet for dispensation.
2. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of collecting further comprises collecting condensed water from the air conditioner unit and transferring the water via a pipe to the tank.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of filtering further comprises activating the on-demand water pump so as to send the water in the tank through the filter.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of activating further comprises sensing that the faucet has been activated and activating the on-demand water pump so as to send the water to the faucet for dispensation.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of activating further comprises sensing that the faucet has been activated and activating the on-demand water pump so as to send the water in the tank through the filter and to the faucet for dispensation.
6. The method of claim 4, further comprising deactivating the on-demand water pump when the tank is empty.
7. A water generator, comprising:
- a tank for collecting condensed water from an air conditioner unit;
- a filter for eliminating contaminants from the water collected in the tank; and
- an on-demand water pump for sending the water to a faucet for dispensation.
8. The water generator of claim 7, wherein the tank is sealed such that contents of the tank are isolated.
9. The water generator of claim 8, further comprising a pipe for transferring condensed water from the air conditioner unit to the tank.
10. The water generator of claim 9, wherein the filter comprises a carbon material.
11. The water generator of claim 9, wherein the on-demand water pump is connected to the filter so as to send the water in the tank through the filter and to the faucet for dispensation.
12. The water generator of claim 7, further comprising a pipe for transferring the water from the on-demand water pump to the faucet.
13. The water generator of claim 7, further comprising a sensor connected to the on-demand water pump, wherein the sensor activates the on-demand water pump upon sensing activation of the faucet.
14. The water generator of claim 7, further comprising a water level sensor connected to the on-demand water pump, wherein the water level sensor de-activates the on-demand water pump upon sensing a water level in the tank is below a predefined threshold.
15. The water generator of claim 7, further comprising an overflow valve that allows water in the tank to exit the tank when a water level in the tank exceeds a predefined threshold.
16. A water generator, comprising:
- an air conditioner unit;
- a tank for collecting condensed water from the air conditioner unit;
- a pipe for transferring the condensed water from the air conditioner unit to the tank;
- a filter for eliminating contaminants from water pumped through the filter; and
- an on-demand water pump for sending the water through the filter and to a faucet for dispensation.
17. The water generator of claim 16, wherein the tank is sealed such that contents of the tank are isolated.
18. The water generator of claim 16, further comprising a sensor connected to the on-demand water pump, wherein the sensor activates the on-demand water pump upon sensing activation of the faucet.
19. The water generator of claim 16, further comprising a water level sensor connected to the on-demand water pump, wherein the water level sensor de-activates the on-demand water pump upon sensing a water level in the tank is below a predefined threshold.
20. The water generator of claim 16, further comprising an overflow valve that allows water in the tank to exit the tank when a water level in the tank exceeds a predefined threshold.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 9, 2009
Publication Date: Jan 13, 2011
Inventor: James Windham
Application Number: 12/500,500
International Classification: F25D 17/04 (20060101); F25D 21/14 (20060101);