Vacuum wastewater device, vacuum wastewater device arrangement and method for removing wastewater from a wastewater reservoir using at least one vacuum wastewater device

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum wastewater device, a vacuum wastewater device arrangement as well as a method for removing wastewater from a wastewater reservoir. The vacuum wastewater device comprises a vacuum wastewater device inlet fluidically connectable to a wastewater reservoir, a vacuum wastewater device outlet configured to be supplied with vacuum from a vacuum unit, a valve unit arranged between the vacuum wastewater device inlet and the vacuum wastewater device outlet, an electronic control unit configured to control the valve unit, thereby controlling a fluid flow from the wastewater reservoir through the vacuum wastewater device, and a first sensor arrangement configured to detect a pressure inside the vacuum wastewater device as a first value. In addition, a second sensor arrangement is provided configured to detect a second value related to the vacuum wastewater device.

1 . A vacuum wastewater device comprising:
 a vacuum wastewater device inlet fluidically connectable to a wastewater reservoir,   a vacuum wastewater device outlet configured to be supplied with vacuum from a vacuum unit,   a valve unit arranged between the vacuum wastewater device inlet and the vacuum wastewater device outlet,   an electronic control unit configured to control the valve unit, thereby controlling a fluid flow from the wastewater reservoir through the vacuum wastewater device, and   at least a first sensor arrangement configured to detect a pressure inside the vacuum wastewater device as a first value,   
       characterized in that the vacuum wastewater device comprises at least a second sensor arrangement configured to detect at least a second value related to the vacuum wastewater device, and wherein the electronic control unit is configured to adapt control of the valve unit based on the first value provided by the first sensor arrangement and/or the at least one second value provided by the second sensor arrangement. 
     
     
         2 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one second sensor arrangement is a pressure sensor, a vibration sensor, an acoustic sensor, a position sensor, an acceleration sensor, a light sensor, a temperature sensor and/or a sensor detecting an induced voltage. 
     
     
         3 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 2 , characterized in that the at least one second sensor arrangement is configured to detect a vibration of the vacuum wastewater device as the second value. 
     
     
         4 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the electronic control unit stores at least a first threshold value for the first value and at least a second threshold value for the second value, wherein a first threshold value and a corresponding second threshold value together provide a threshold value pair, and wherein the electronic control unit is configured to adapt control of the valve unit as a function of the first value and the at least one second value relative to the at least one threshold value pair. 
     
     
         5 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the electronic control unit is configured to determine at least a wastewater fluid flow through the vacuum wastewater device using a time-based evaluation of the first value and/or the at least one second value. 
     
     
         6 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 5 , characterized in that the vacuum wastewater device comprises a signal generator, wherein the signal generator is configured to indicate a status of the vacuum wastewater device related to the wastewater fluid flow. 
     
     
         7 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the vacuum wastewater device is configured to be operated self-sufficient. 
     
     
         8 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the vacuum wastewater device comprises a power generation unit and a power storage unit configured to generate and store power used to operate the vacuum wastewater device. 
     
     
         9 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the electronic control unit of the vacuum wastewater device is provided as a plug-in electronic control unit having one housing configured to be detached from a housing of the valve unit. 
     
     
         10 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the vacuum wastewater device comprises a communication module configured to communicate with a further communication module of a further vacuum wastewater device. 
     
     
         11 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the vacuum wastewater device comprises at least one third sensor arrangement, and wherein the electronic control unit is configured to be activated based on a sensor signal from the at least one third sensor arrangement. 
     
     
         12 . The vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the control unit is configured to provide information about an amount of wastewater extracted from the wastewater reservoir based on the first value and the at least one second value. 
     
     
         13 . A vacuum wastewater device arrangement having at least two vacuum wastewater devices according to  claim 1 , wherein at least a first vacuum wastewater device is fluidically connected to a first wastewater reservoir, wherein at least a second vacuum wastewater device is fluidically connected to a second wastewater reservoir, wherein the first vacuum wastewater device and the second vacuum wastewater device are each fluidically connected to a same vacuum unit, and wherein each vacuum wastewater device of the vacuum wastewater device arrangement comprises a communication module configured to communicate with another vacuum wastewater device of the vacuum wastewater device arrangement, characterized in that each vacuum wastewater device of the vacuum wastewater device arrangement is configured to control the respective valve unit of the respective vacuum wastewater device based on data communicated between the at least two vacuum wastewater devices. 
     
     
         14 . A method for extracting wastewater from a wastewater reservoir using at least one vacuum wastewater device according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises at least the following steps:
 introducing a vacuum provided by the vacuum unit into the wastewater reservoir via a valve unit of the vacuum wastewater device fluidically connected to the wastewater reservoir;   controlling the valve unit of the vacuum wastewater device based on a first value detected by a first sensor arrangement and/or at least a second value detected by a second sensor arrangement;   determining whether extraction of wastewater from the wastewater reservoir is complete based on the first value and/or the at least one second value.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , wherein at least two vacuum wastewater devices are used for extracting wastewater from the wastewater reservoir, characterized in that the step of controlling the valve unit of one of the at least two vacuum wastewater devices is performed based on data communicated between the at least two vacuum wastewater devices.