Claims:1. A system (10) for managing liquid usage in a predefined locality, wherein the system (10) comprises:
a processing subsystem (20) hosted on a server (30), and configured to execute on a network to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules comprising:
an input module (40) configured to:
receive a plurality of reservoir details of one or more reservoirs (160) in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality; and
receive one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs (160) upon registration, based on activation of a predefined sensor (50) from a sleep mode, wherein the one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor (50) based on a predefined schedule, wherein the predefined sensor (50) is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs (160);
a controlling module (70) operatively coupled to the input module (40), wherein the controlling module (70) is configured to transmit a signal to a control unit (60) operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs (160) to control an operation of the control unit (60) based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters,
wherein the operation of the control unit (60) corresponds to an indication of a current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs (160);
a tracking module (80) operatively coupled to the controlling module (70), wherein the tracking module (80) is configured to:
track the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit (60); and
identify first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage; and
a categorization module (90) operatively coupled to the tracking module (80), wherein the categorization module (90) is configured to:
create one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users; and
categorize the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality.
2. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of reservoir details comprises at least one of a count of the one or more reservoirs (160) located in the predefined locality, a capacity of each of the one or more reservoirs (160), a reservoir type, and height of each of the one or more reservoirs (160).
3. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprises at least one of liquid level in the one or more reservoirs (160), and the current quantity of the liquid present in the one or more reservoirs (160).
4. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predefined sensor (50) comprises an ultrasonic sensor (170).
5. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation of the control unit (60) comprises at least one of opening or closing of the control unit (60) and turning ON or turning OFF the control unit (60).
6. The system (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing subsystem (20) comprises a prediction module (190) operatively coupled to the tracking module (80), wherein the prediction module (190) is configured to:
receive one or more liquid usage preferences from the one or more users upon identifying the first quantity of liquid being consumed;
predict second quantity of liquid to be refilled in the one or more reservoirs (160) for a second predefined time period based on at least one of the first quantity of liquid being consumed and the one or more liquid usage preferences; and
generate an alert for the one or more users based on the prediction, wherein the alert corresponds to information regarding the prediction, for the one or more users to make one or more decisions corresponding to the management of the liquid usage.
7. A method (240) for managing liquid usage in a predefined locality, wherein the method (240) comprises:
receiving, by an input module (40), a plurality of reservoir details of one or more reservoirs in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality; (250)
receiving, by the input module (40), one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs upon registration, based on activation of a predefined sensor from a sleep mode, wherein the one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor based on a predefined schedule, wherein the predefined sensor is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs; (260)
transmitting, by a controlling module (70), a signal to a control unit operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs to control an operation of the control unit based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters, wherein the operation of the control unit corresponds to an indication of a current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs; (270)
tracking, by a tracking module (80), the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit; (280)
identifying, by the tracking module (80), first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage; (290)
creating, by a categorization module (90), one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users; and (300)
categorizing, by the categorization module (90), the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality (310).
8. The method (240) as claimed in claim 7, comprises receiving, by a prediction module (190), one or more liquid usage preferences from the one or more users upon identifying the first quantity of liquid being consumed.
9. The method (240) as claimed in claim 8, comprises predicting, by the prediction module (190), second quantity of liquid to be refilled in the one or more reservoirs for a second predefined time period based on at least one of the first quantity of liquid being consumed and the one or more liquid usage preferences.
10. The method (240) as claimed in claim 9, comprises generating, by the prediction module (190), an alert for the one or more users based on the prediction, wherein the alert corresponds to information regarding the prediction, for the one or more users to make one or more decisions corresponding to the managing of the liquid usage.
Dated this 18th day of August 2021 Signature

Harish Naidu
Patent Agent (IN/PA-2896)
Agent for the Applicant
, Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] Embodiments of a present disclosure relate to liquid usage management, and more particularly to a system and a method for managing liquid usage.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Managing liquid usage corresponds to not only monitoring and controlling a liquid level in a liquid storage device but also refers to an activity of planning, developing, distributing, and managing the optimum use of liquid resources. Control of the liquid level in a tank, reactor, or other vessel is important in many process applications. The main reason for managing the liquid usage is to keep a track of inventory in terms of volume or weight. Other reasons could be for safety purposes and to get better efficiency as accurate level measurement increases efficiency. Liquid could be oil, liquor, mixed media waste, water, and the like. There are multiple approaches implemented to measure the liquid level. However, such multiple approaches are less efficient and less reliable because a system used in such multiple approaches is prone to errors when not handled appropriately.
[0003] In the case of water, as it is known that water is essential for survival, the water must be conserved. Water is stored in multiple reservoirs including natural reservoirs and artificial reservoirs. Natural reservoirs include lakes, water vapor, groundwater, aquifers, ice, snow, and the like. Artificial reservoirs include one or more overhead tanks, one or more sumps, one or more artificial ponds, and the like. However, continuous consumption of water from such multiple reservoirs and improper weather conditions because of population expansion and increase in pollution is causing a shortage of water. To overcome such a problem, managing the water used by people is an important task. There are multiple approaches implemented to manage water usage as well.
[0004] However, such multiple approaches are less efficient because one or more sensors used in such multiple approaches are kept active throughout, thereby wasting a huge amount of energy. Furthermore, in communities, the schedule of water delivery and the quantity of water supplied is set and may vary at times, resulting in water shortages. At other times, the water supply would be such that most of it would get wasted, and hence having improper water usage management.
[0005] Hence, there is a need for an improved system and method for managing liquid usage which addresses the aforementioned issues.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0006] In accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure, a system for managing liquid usage in a predefined locality is provided. The system includes a processing subsystem hosted on a server. The processing subsystem is configured to execute on a network to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules. The processing subsystem includes an input module. The input module is configured to receive a plurality of reservoir details of one or more reservoirs in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality. The input module is also configured to receive one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs upon registration, based on activation of a predefined sensor from a sleep mode. The one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor based on a predefined schedule. The predefined sensor is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs. The processing subsystem also includes a controlling module operatively coupled to the input module. The controlling module is configured to transmit a signal to a control unit operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs to control an operation of the control unit based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters. The operation of the control unit corresponds to an indication of a current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs. Further, the processing subsystem also includes a tracking module operatively coupled to the controlling module. The tracking module is configured to track the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit. The tracking module is also configured to identify first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage. Furthermore, the processing subsystem also includes a categorization module operatively coupled to the tracking module. The categorization module is configured to create one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users. The categorization module is also configured to categorize the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality.
[0007] In accordance with another embodiment, a method for managing liquid usage in a predefined locality is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of reservoir details of one or more reservoirs in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality. The method also includes receiving one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs upon registration, based on activation of a predefined sensor from a sleep mode, wherein the one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor based on a predefined schedule, wherein the predefined sensor is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs. Further, the method also includes transmitting a signal to a control unit operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs to control an operation of the control unit based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters, wherein the operation of the control unit corresponds to an indication of a current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs. Furthermore, the method also includes tracking the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit. Furthermore, the method also includes identifying first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage. Furthermore, the method also includes creating one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users. Furthermore, the method also includes categorizing the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality.
[0008] To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will follow by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the appended figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of a system for managing liquid usage in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram representation of an exemplary embodiment of the system for managing the liquid usage of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a liquid usage management computer or a liquid usage management server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flow chart representing steps involved in a method for managing liquid usage in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0013] Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0015] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.
[0016] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting.
[0017] In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0018] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system for managing liquid usage. As used herein, managing the liquid usage refers to an activity of planning, developing, distributing, and managing the optimum use of liquid resources. In an embodiment, liquid may include oil, liquor, mixed media waste, water, and the like. Thus, the system described hereafter in FIG. 1 is the system for managing the liquid usage in a predefined locality.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of a system (10) for managing liquid usage in a predefined locality in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Liquid may be stored in one or more reservoirs. In one embodiment, the one or more reservoirs may include a tank, a reactor, a vessel, or the like. In an embodiment, when the liquid may be water, the one or more reservoirs may include one or more natural reservoirs such as, but not limited to, lakes, water vapor, groundwater, aquifers, ice, snow, and the like. In another embodiment, the one or more reservoirs may include one or more artificial reservoirs such as, but not limited to, one or more overhead tanks, one or more sumps, one or more artificial ponds, and the like. Further, in an embodiment, the predefined locality may include a society, a community, an area, a village, a district, a city, an apartment, a house, an organization, or the like. Thus, the one or more reservoirs may be placed in the predefined locality and the liquid usage by one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality may have to be managed using the system (10).
[0020] The system (10) includes a processing subsystem (20) hosted on a server (30). In one embodiment, the server (30) may include a cloud server. In another embodiment, the server (30) may include a local server. The processing subsystem (20) is configured to execute on a network (not shown in FIG. 1) to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules. In one embodiment, the network may include a wired network such as a local area network (LAN). In another embodiment, the network may include a wireless network such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, a near field communication (NFC), infra-red communication (RFID), or the like.
[0021] Basically, for the system (10) to manage the liquid usage by the one or more users, certain details of the one or more reservoirs may have to be known by the system (10). Thus, the processing subsystem (20) includes an input module (40). The input module (40) is configured to receive a plurality of reservoir details of the one or more reservoirs in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and the one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality. In one embodiment, the plurality of reservoir details may include at least one of a count of the one or more reservoirs located in the predefined locality, a capacity of each of the one or more reservoirs, a reservoir type, height of each of the one or more reservoirs, capacity of each of the one or more reservoirs, and the like. In such embodiment, the reservoir type may include an overhead reservoir, an underground reservoir, a ground-level reservoir, or the like. In an embodiment, the plurality of reservoir details may be stored in a database (as shown in FIG. 2) associated with the processing subsystem (20). In one embodiment, the database may include a local database or a cloud database.
[0022] However, in an embodiment, for the system (10) to be able to receive the plurality of reservoir details of the one or more reservoirs located in the predefined locality, the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality may have to be registered with the system (10). Thus, in one embodiment, the processing subsystem (20) may also include a registration module (as shown in FIG. 2) operatively coupled to the input module (40). The registration module may be configured to register the predefined locality with the system (10) upon receiving a plurality of locality-related details from the one or more users via a locality-related device. In one exemplary embodiment, the plurality of locality-related details may include at least one of a predefined locality name, a geo-location of the predefined locality, a count of the one or more users staying the predefined locality, a count of houses in the predefined locality, and the like. Also, in an embodiment, the plurality of locality-related details may be stored in the database. Moreover, in an embodiment, the locality-related device may include a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, or the like. The registration module may also be configured to register each of the one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality with the system (10) upon receiving a plurality of user details via a user device. In one exemplary embodiment, the plurality of user details may include a username, one or more contact details, a user address, and the like. In an embodiment, the plurality of user details may be stored in the database. Also, in an embodiment, the user device may include a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, or the like.
[0023] In one embodiment, upon receiving the plurality of reservoir details, the corresponding one or more reservoirs may also get registered with the system (10). Later, upon registration, monitoring of a liquid level in each of the one or more reservoirs may have to be initiated. Thus, in one embodiment, a predefined sensor (50) may be installed in association with each of the one or more reservoirs. Further, the input module (40) is also configured to receive one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs upon registration, based on activation of the predefined sensor (50) from a sleep mode. The one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor (50) based on a predefined schedule. The predefined sensor (50) is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs. In one exemplary embodiment, the one or more parameters may include at least one of the liquid level in the one or more reservoirs, a current quantity of the liquid present in the one or more reservoirs, and the like.
[0024] Basically, in an embodiment, upon installing the predefined sensor (50), the predefined sensor (50) may be set to the sleep mode to save energy and configured to get activated in accordance with the predefined schedule. In a specific embodiment, the predefined sensor (50) may include an ultrasonic sensor. As used herein, the term “ultrasonic sensor” is defined as an electronic device that measures the distance of a target object by emitting ultrasonic sound waves and converts the reflected sound into an electrical signal. In a case of liquid usage management, the target object refers to liquid. In an embodiment, the ultrasonic sensor may be placed on top of the one or more reservoirs. Further, the distance from a top surface of the liquid may provide a value for the liquid level in the one or more reservoirs. Suppose the height of the one or more reservoirs is 2 meters (m), and the distance measures using the ultrasonic is 0.5 m, then the liquid level would be measured from a bottom of the one or more reservoirs, that is 1.5 m. Further, the current quantity of the liquid can also be found using the value of the liquid level thus obtained. Suppose volume of each of the one or more reservoirs is 1000 liters (L). Then as the height of 2 m is for the volume of 1000 L, then the liquid level of 1.5 m would be for 750 L upon performing the calculation. This is how the current quantity of liquid present in each of the one or more reservoirs can be calculated. Also, in an embodiment, a quantity of liquid that has been consumed can be calculated. For example, for the current quantity of liquid available in the one or more reservoirs being 750 L, for the volume being 1000 L, then the quantity that has been consumed would be 250 L. In an alternative embodiment, the predefined sensor (50) may include a radar sensor, a pressure level sensor, a capacitance level sensor, an optical level sensor, or the like. Moreover, in an embodiment, the predefined sensor (50) may be powered by a predefined power source. In one exemplary embodiment, the predefined power source may include solar power, a battery, or the like.
[0025] In one exemplary embodiment, the predefined schedule may include onetime daily, twice daily, thrice daily, onetime in a week, or the like. In an embodiment, the predefined schedule may be fixed by the one or more users. In such embodiment, the one or more users may include a secretary of the predefined locality, an owner of the predefined locality, a member of the predefined locality, an authorized user responsible to monitor the one or more reservoirs in the predefined locality, or the like. In another embodiment, the predefined schedule may be fixed by the system (10) based on monitoring of the liquid usage by the one or more users in real-time using a machine learning (ML) technique. In such embodiment, the predefined schedule may be updated with time as the system (10) learns a pattern of the liquid usage of the one or more users in real-time, wherein the liquid usage may vary with time. As used herein, the term “machine learning” is defined as an application of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
[0026] Upon sensing the corresponding one or more parameters, certain action may have to be taken to avoid shortage of liquid, overfilling of the one or more reservoirs, or the like. Thus, in an embodiment, a control unit (60) may be coupled to the one or more reservoirs to control a flow of liquid into the one or more reservoirs. Also, the processing subsystem (20) includes a controlling module (70) operatively coupled to the input module (40). The controlling module (70) is configured to transmit a signal to the control unit (60) operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs to control an operation of the control unit (60) based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters. In one exemplary embodiment, the control unit (60) may include at least one of a motor, one or more valves, and the like. In one exemplary embodiment, the one or more valves may include a relay actuator. Also, in an embodiment, the one or more reservoirs may also be associated with an alternative state-latch, wherein the alternative state-latch is operatively coupled to the control unit (60). In an embodiment, the alternative state-latch may be used in case the signal used to control the control unit (60) is not enough to control the operation of the control unit (60).
[0027] In one embodiment, the one or more reservoirs may be connected to a main liquid supplying unit via the control unit (60). Upon receiving the signal from the controlling module (70), the operation of the control unit (60) may be controlled, thereby controlling the flow of the liquid into the one or more reservoirs. In one embodiment, the signal may include an electrical signal which may be needed to operate the control unit (60). Also, in an embodiment, the operation of the control unit (60) may include at least one of opening or closing of the control unit (60), turning ON or turning OFF the control unit (60), and the like. Suppose the one or more reservoirs are half-filled, then the control unit (60) may be turned ON or opened via the signal, thereby letting the liquid from the main liquid supply unit flow into the corresponding one or more reservoirs. Later, once the corresponding one or more reservoirs are completely filled, the control unit (60) is turned OFF or closed via the signal received from the controlling module (70). Thus, the operation of the control unit (60) corresponds to an indication of the current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs. Also, in one embodiment, a single control unit (60) can be used for all of the one or more reservoirs. Thus, the control unit (60) may operate only for a reservoir of the one or more reservoirs which is in need of the operation of the control unit (60) and may remain OFF or closed for the rest of the one or more reservoirs.
[0028] Further, suppose a first count of the one or more reservoirs are used by a first group of the one or more users, a second count of the one or more reservoirs are used by a second group of the one or more users, and the like in the corresponding predefined locality. Thus, based on a frequency of ON-OFF cycles or opening-closing cycle of the control unit (60) for the first predefined count of the one or more reservoirs, may help in tracking the liquid usage by the first group of the one or more users. Also, the processing subsystem (20) includes a tracking module (80) operatively coupled to the controlling module (70). The tracking module (80) is configured to track the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit (60). Thus, in an embodiment, the liquid usage of each of the one or more users may be tracked on daily basis based on the frequency of the operation of the control unit (60). Then, the trend may be plotted for the first predefined time period such as, but not limited to, for a week, for a month, for a year, or the like. This trend of the liquid usage may act as historic data for each of the one or more users. Later, the tracking module (80) is also configured to identify first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage. In one exemplary embodiment, the tracking module (80) may identify the first quantity of liquid being consumed in real-time using the ML technique. For example, suppose on daily basis, the trend of the liquid usage for a month included one or more values for the liquid usage such as 250 L, 500 L, 750 L, or the like, Then, the first quantity of liquid consumed would be an average of the these one or more values for the corresponding month.
[0029] Later, based on the tracking of the liquid usage of the one or more users, the one or more users may have to be identified as heavy consumers, moderate consumers, mild consumers, or the like. Thus, the processing subsystem (20) also includes a categorization module (90) operatively coupled to the tracking module (80). The categorization module (90) is configured to create one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users. The categorization module (90) is also configured to categorize the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality. Suppose the first group of the one or more users is consuming a minimum quantity of liquid of all of the one or more users, then the first group of the one or more users may be categorized under the predefined category including a mild consumer category. Similarly, based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by the one or more users, the one or more users may be categorized under the predefined category such as the mild consumer category, a moderate consumer category, a heavy consumer category, or the like. Therefore, in one embodiment, the one or more labels that may have been generated by the categorization module (90) may include mild consumer, moderate consumer, heavy consumer, or the like.
[0030] Moreover, in an embodiment, upon categorizing the one or more users in the predefined locality, the one or more users belonging to the mild consumer category may be acknowledged by one or more authorities. In one embodiment, the acknowledgment may include at least one of appraisal, a reward, an incentive, a prize, a coupon, and the like. Further, in one embodiment, the one or more authorities may include a secretary, an owner, a user, or the like of the predefined locality of the one or more users. In another embodiment, the one or more authorities may include a government official, a private sector official, a local area authority, or the like. Such activity may encourage the one or more users to use smallest quantity of liquid, thereby preventing wastage of liquid.
[0031] In one exemplary embodiment, the processing subsystem (20) may also include a prediction module (as shown in FIG. 2) operatively coupled to the tracking module (80). The prediction module may be configured to receive one or more liquid usage preferences from the one or more users upon identifying the first quantity of liquid being consumed. In one embodiment, the one or more liquid usage preferences may include at least one of mentioning about festivals in upcoming months, mentioning of events that may occur in upcoming months, mentioning about an arrival of guests of an upcoming day or days, mentioning about an outing that may happen in upcoming months, mentioning about a reduction in a count of the one or more users in the predefined locality, and the like. Thus, in an embodiment, based on the one or more liquid usage preferences received, the corresponding users may need a more quantity of liquid in future or less quantity in comparison to a current quantity of liquid that the one or more users may be currently consuming. In such embodiment, the current quantity of liquid corresponds to the first quantity of liquid being consumed by the one or more users.
[0032] The prediction module may also be configured to predict second quantity of liquid to be refilled in the one or more reservoirs for a second predefined time period based on at least one of the first quantity of liquid being consumed and the one or more liquid usage preferences. In one exemplary embodiment, the prediction module may predict the second quantity of liquid that may be needed to be refilled in the one or more reservoirs for the second predefined time period using the ML technique. In an embodiment, the second quantity of liquid may be greater than the first quantity of liquid in a case when the liquid may be water, when the one or more liquid usage preferences may include at least one of mentioning about festivals in upcoming months, mentioning of events that may occur in upcoming months, mentioning about an arrival of guests of an upcoming day or days, and the like, as a count of the one or more users may increase. In another embodiment, the second quantity of liquid may be less than the first quantity of liquid in a case when the liquid may be water, when the one or more liquid usage preferences may include at least one of mentioning about an outing that may happen in upcoming months, mentioning about a reduction in a count of the one or more users in the predefined locality, and the like. Also, in an embodiment, the second predefined time period may include a day, a week, a month, a year, or the like.
[0033] In addition, the prediction module may also be configured to generate an alert for the one or more users based on the prediction. The alert may correspond to information regarding the prediction, for the one or more users to make one or more decisions corresponding to the management of the liquid usage. In one exemplary embodiment, the alert may include an audio alert, a text message, an email, or the like. In one embodiment, the one or more decisions may include requesting an authority of the main liquid supply unit to supply more quantity of liquid during the second predefined time period, requesting the authority of the main liquid supply unit to supply less quantity of liquid during the second predefined time period, changing the predefined schedule of activation of the predefined sensor (50) from the sleep mode, and the like.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a block diagram representation of an exemplary embodiment of the system (10) for managing the liquid usage of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Suppose a society ‘S’ (100) decides to take the initiative of conserving water and hence may use the system (10) proposed in the present disclosure for managing water usage. Initially, the society ‘S’ (100) may be registered with the system (10) by a secretary ‘A’ (105) of the society ‘S’ (100) via the registration module (110) upon receiving a plurality of society-related details via a society-related laptop (120). Later, one or more members (130) of the society ‘S’ (100) also register with the system (10) via the registration module (110) upon providing a plurality of member details via a respective personalized mobile phone (140). The plurality of society-related details and the plurality of member details are stored in the database (150) of the system (10). Suppose the society ‘S’ (100) has the one or more reservoirs (160) including 10 overhead tanks and 5 sumps. The capacity of each of the one or more reservoirs (160) is about 1500 liters (L) with the height being 2.5 meters (m). These are the plurality of reservoir-related details which are also stored in the database (150) upon receiving via the input module (40), thereby registering the one or more reservoirs (160) of the society ‘S’ (100) also with the system (10). Then, the ultrasonic sensor (170) is installed in each of the one or more reservoirs (160), and is configured to be in sleep mode and get activated only three times in a day that is; once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once in the evening. So, whenever the ultrasonic sensor (170) is active, the water level in the one or more reservoirs (160) is measured. Along with that, the current quantity of water present in the one or more reservoirs (160) is also measured. These are the one or more parameters which are also received by the system (10) via the input module (40).
[0035] Further, the motor (180) is also connected between the main supply (185) and the tanks, and a valve is connected to the sump. Now suppose on a third day after registering on the system (10), the water level measured in the tanks has gone below half of the total capacity of the tanks. Then, the signal is transmitted to the motor (180) via the controlling module (70), for the motor (180) to turn ON, so that the water is been refilled into the tanks. Basically, as a frequency of the operation of the motor (180) corresponds to a number of times the tanks were required to be refilled and based on this the water usage can be tracked by the tracking module (80) by generating the trend for the water usage on daily basis for a month. Suppose the first quantity of water consumed by the one or more members (130) of the society ‘S’ (100) for the month is identified to be about 10,000 L via the tracking module (80) upon obtaining the average of the water usage that happened daily for the month. Later, the one or more members (130) are categorized via the categorization module (90) based on the first quantity of water that is been consumed by the one or more members (130). Further, based on the first quantity of water and upon receiving the one or more liquid usage preferences of water from the one or more members (130) via the prediction module (190), the second quantity of water that may be needed for an upcoming month can be predicted. Upon making the prediction, the one or more members (130) are alerted about the same via a text message shared by the system (10) via the prediction module (190), so that the one or more members (130) may take certain actions for the management of the water usage. Also, suppose some of the one or more members (130) are categorized under the mild consumer category by the categorization module (90), then the corresponding one or more members (130) are appreciated in a gathering, so that rest of the one or more members (130) and people who attend the corresponding gathering may get motivated to conserve water.
[0036] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a liquid usage management computer (200) or a liquid usage management server (200) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The liquid usage management server (200) includes processor(s) (210), and memory (220) operatively coupled to a bus (230). The processor(s) (210), as used herein, means any type of computational circuit, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing microprocessor, a very long instruction word microprocessor, an explicitly parallel instruction computing microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing circuit, or a combination thereof.
[0037] Computer memory elements may include any suitable memory device(s) for storing data and executable program, such as read only memory, random access memory, erasable programmable read only memory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, hard drive, removable media drive for handling memory cards and the like. Embodiments of the present subject matter may be implemented in conjunction with program modules, including functions, procedures, data structures, and application programs, for performing tasks, or defining abstract data types or low-level hardware contexts. Executable program stored on any of the above-mentioned storage media may be executable by the processor(s) (210).
[0038] The memory (220) includes a plurality of subsystems stored in the form of executable program which instructs the processor(s) (210) to perform method steps illustrated in FIG. 4. The memory (220) includes a processing subsystem (20) of FIG 1. The processing subsystem (20) further has following modules: an input module (40), a controlling module (70), a tracking module (80), and a categorization module (90).
[0039] The input module (40) is configured to receive a plurality of reservoir details of one or more reservoirs (160) in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality. The input module (40) is also configured to receive one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs (160) upon registration, based on activation of a predefined sensor (50) from a sleep mode. The one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor (50) based on a predefined schedule. The predefined sensor (50) is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs (160).
[0040] The controlling module (70) is configured to transmit a signal to a control unit (60) operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs (160) to control an operation of the control unit (60) based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters. The operation of the control unit (60) corresponds to an indication of a current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs (160).
[0041] The tracking module (80) is configured to track the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit (60). The tracking module (80) is also configured to identify first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage.
[0042] The categorization module (90) is configured to create one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users. The categorization module (90) is also configured to categorize the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality.
[0043] The bus (230) as used herein refers to be internal memory channels or computer network that is used to connect computer components and transfer data between them. The bus (230) includes a serial bus or a parallel bus, wherein the serial bus transmits data in a bit-serial format and the parallel bus transmits data across multiple wires. The bus (230) as used herein, may include but not limited to, a system bus, an internal bus, an external bus, an expansion bus, a frontside bus, a backside bus, and the like.
[0044] FIG. 4 is a flow chart representing steps involved in a method (240) for managing liquid usage in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method (240) includes receiving a plurality of reservoir details of one or more reservoirs in the predefined locality upon registration of the predefined locality and one or more users residing in the corresponding predefined locality in step 250. In one embodiment, receiving the plurality of reservoir details may include receiving the plurality of reservoir details by an input module (40).
[0045] The method (240) also includes receiving one or more parameters associated with the one or more reservoirs upon registration, based on activation of a predefined sensor from a sleep mode, wherein the one or more parameters are sensed via the predefined sensor based on a predefined schedule, wherein the predefined sensor is operatively coupled to the one or more reservoirs in step 260. In one embodiment, receiving the one or more parameters may include receiving the one or more parameters by the input module (40).
[0046] Furthermore, the method (240) includes transmitting a signal to a control unit operatively coupled with each of the one or more reservoirs to control an operation of the control unit based on at least one of the plurality of reservoir details and the one or more parameters, wherein the operation of the control unit corresponds to an indication of a current quantity of liquid present in the one or more reservoirs in step 270. In one embodiment, transmitting the signal may include transmitting the signal by a controlling module (70).
[0047] Furthermore, the method (240) also includes tracking the liquid usage of each of the one or more users by generating a trend of the liquid usage for a first predefined time period based on the operation of the control unit in step 280. In one embodiment, tracking the liquid usage may include tracking the liquid usage by a tracking module (80).
[0048] Furthermore, the method (240) also includes identifying first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users for the first predefined time period upon obtaining an average of the trend of the liquid usage in step 290. In one embodiment, identifying the first quantity may include identifying the first quantity by the tracking module (80).
[0049] Furthermore, the method (240) also includes creating one or more labels based on the identification of the first quantity of liquid being consumed by each of the one or more users in step 300. In one embodiment, creating the one or more labels may include creating the one or more labels by a categorization module (90).
[0050] Furthermore, the method (240) also includes categorizing the one or more users under a predefined category upon assigning with the one or more labels, thereby managing the liquid usage in the predefined locality in step 310. In one embodiment, categorizing the one or more users may include categorizing the one or more users by the categorization module (90).
[0051] In one exemplary embodiment, the method (240) may also include receiving one or more liquid usage preferences from the one or more users upon identifying the first quantity of liquid being consumed. In such embodiment, receiving the one or more liquid usage preferences may include receiving the one or more liquid usage preferences by a prediction module (190).
[0052] Further, in one exemplary embodiment, the method (240) may include predicting second quantity of liquid to be refilled in the one or more reservoirs for a second predefined time period based on at least one of the first quantity of liquid being consumed and the one or more liquid usage preferences. In such embodiment, predicting the second quantity may include predicting the second quantity by the prediction module (190).
[0053] Furthermore, in one exemplary embodiment, the method (240) may also include generating an alert for the one or more users based on the prediction, wherein the alert corresponds to information for the one or more users to make one or more decisions corresponding to the managing of the liquid usage. In such embodiment, generating the alert may include generating the alert by the prediction module (190).
[0054] Further, from a technical effect point of view, the implementation time required to perform the method steps included in the present disclosure by the one or more processors of the system is very minimal, thereby the system maintains very minimal operational speed.
[0055] Various embodiments of the present disclosure enable managing the liquid usage such that energy wasted is least as the predefined sensor used may remain in sleep mode though out, and is activated according to a predefined schedule set by a user. Also, a feature of the system to predict the future requirement of liquid, makes the system more reliable and more efficient because the user can manage the liquid supply based on the prediction. Furthermore, as the one or more users are categorized and appreciated based on the quantity of liquid being consumed by the corresponding one or more users, motivates the one or more users to conserve liquid.
[0056] While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
[0057] The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.