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EP-4059897-B1 - WATER TREATMENT WITH SERVER COMPUTER

EP4059897B1EP 4059897 B1EP4059897 B1EP 4059897B1EP-4059897-B1

Inventors

  • OKUDERA, Shohei
  • YAMADA, RYO
  • MAEDA, YOSUKE
  • NISHIO, Manabu

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20201112

Claims (7)

  1. A water treatment system (1) comprising a water treatment apparatus (30) and a computer apparatus (20) being a server, wherein the water treatment apparatus (30) comprising: a receiving unit (36) configured to receive an input of water; and a plurality of installation mechanisms (32) in which modules for water treatment is installable, wherein as the modules, a plurality of types of modules (40) are available to be selected depending on functions of the modules, and the water treatment apparatus (30) is configured to provide a water treatment function corresponding to the function of the modules to the water received at the receiving unit by installing the modules in at least a part of the plurality of installation mechanisms; wherein the computer apparatus (20) includes: a communication unit (201) configured to communicates with an external apparatus (10A, 10B), a storage unit (202) configured to store data and programs used by the computer apparatus (20), and a control unit (203); wherein the control unit (203) is configured to: acquire information indicating a use of water by a user, identify a combination of modules corresponding to the use among the modules based on the acquired information, and notify the user of the identified combination of modules; wherein the control unit (203) comprises an operation content acquisition module (2041) configured to acquire content of a user's operation when the computer apparatus (20) receives an input of information from the user of the external apparatus; wherein the control unit (203) comprises a reception control module (2042) configured to control a process by which the computer apparatus (20) receives a signal from the external apparatus in accordance with a communication protocol; wherein the control unit (203) comprises a transmission control module (2043) configured to control a process by which the computer apparatus (20) transmits a signal to the external apparatus in accordance with a communication protocol; wherein the control unit (203) comprises a water demand prediction module (2044) configured to predict use of water and amount of water demanded at a location where the water treatment apparatus (30) is installed based on actual results of water treatment performed by the water treatment apparatus based on a trained model, wherein the trained model is based on time-series data of the actual results of water treatment by the water treatment apparatus; wherein the control unit (203) comprises a combination identification module (2045) configured to identify a combination of modules to be installed in the water treatment apparatus in accordance with a prediction result of water demand prediction module (2044).
  2. The water treatment system (1) according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of types of modules has a predetermined size or structure, and each of the plurality of installation mechanisms has a shape corresponding to the size or structure of the module.
  3. The water treatment system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a discharge unit (37) configured to discharge treated water which has been treated by the modules installed in the plurality of installation mechanisms, wherein the input of water comprises drain water of the discharged treated water.
  4. The water treatment system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of types of modules include at least one of a module having a function of purifying water by a filter, a module having a function of supplying electric power, a module having a function of generating water from air, or a module having a function of heating or cooling water.
  5. The water treatment system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a sensing unit configured to measure the water received at the receiving unit or a status of water treatment performed by the modules installed in the plurality of installation mechanisms; and a transmission unit configured to transmit a sensing result of the sensing unit to the computer apparatus.
  6. The water treatment system (1) according to claim 5, wherein the computer apparatus (20) includes a storage unit (202), and the control unit (203) causes the storage unit (202) to store the sensing result received from the water treatment apparatus identifies a combination of modules to be installed in the water treatment apparatus among the plurality of types of modules, based on the sensing result of the sensing unit, and notifies a user of the water treatment apparatus of the identified combination of modules.
  7. The water treatment system (1) according to claim 6, wherein the storage unit (202) stores information specifying each of the modules and a function of the module in association with each other, and in the identifying a combination of the modules, the control unit identifies a function of the module required by the user in accordance with the acquired use of the water and identifies the combination of modules based on the identified function.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a water treatment apparatus, a water treatment system, a water treatment method, and a computer apparatus. The invention is related to a water treatment system as defined in claim 1. BACKGROUND ART Large-scale water treatment equipment is in operation to meet the demands for water in various places. For example, as equipment for drinking water treatment, predetermined devices such as a filtration device, a dust removal device, a sedimentation pond, an ozone contact layer, and an activated carbon adsorption pond are prepared to meet the demands for water in various places (the number of households, etc.), thereby performing treatment from water intake to purification. For example, various techniques such as sludge treatment are used in equipment for sewage treatment. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-353497 (Patent Literature 1) discloses a technique for sewage treatment. US 2014/091041 A1 relates to a mobile modular water filtration unit and control system. CN 109110843 A relates to a modular water filtration device. WO 2019/059310 A1 relates to an information processing device for a water treatment system. And US 2014/116870 A1 relates to an apparatus for resource distribution. CITATION LIST PATENT LITERATURE Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-353497 SUMMARY TECHNICAL PROBLEM Such a water treatment system has been provided to local residents as a public service by local governments, such as municipalities, and the like. However, the cost of installing infrastructure tends to be large to operate a water treatment system with large-scale water treatment equipment. In addition, water has a wide variety of uses. For example, some water is used for drinking, some for washing dishes after meals, and some for flushing toilets. Therefore, when large-scale water treatment equipment is operated, it tends to be large equipment that is a combination of water treatment apparatuses so that it can be fit for various uses. In addition, even if large-scale water treatment equipment is installed, it may not be able to meet a wide variety of demands for water. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a water treatment system that meets a wide variety of demands for water without incurring the infrastructure costs of large-scale water treatment equipment. SOLUTION TO PROBLEM The invention is defined by the appended claims. According to an example, a water treatment apparatus is provided. The water treatment apparatus comprises: a receiving unit configured to receive an input of water; and one or more installation mechanisms in which a module for water treatment is installable, wherein as the module, a plurality of types of modules are available to be selected depending on functions of the modules, and the water treatment apparatus is configured to provide a water treatment function corresponding to the function of the module to the water received at the receiving unit by installing the module in at least a part of the one or more installation mechanisms. According to an example, a water treatment method is provided. The water treatment method includes a method of performing water treatment in a water treatment apparatus, wherein the water treatment apparatus comprises: a receiving unit configured to receive an input of water; and one or more installation mechanisms in which a module for water treatment is installable, as the module, a plurality of types of modules are available to be selected depending on functions of the modules, and the water treatment method comprises providing a water treatment function corresponding to the function of the module to the water received at the receiving unit by installing the module in at least a part of the one or more installation mechanisms. According to an example, a water treatment system is provided. The water treatment system comprises a water treatment apparatus and a computer apparatus, wherein the water treatment apparatus comprises: a receiving unit configured to receive an input of water; and one or more installation mechanisms in which a module for water treatment is installable, as the module, a plurality of types of modules are available to be selected depending on functions of the modules, the water treatment apparatus is configured to provide a water treatment function corresponding to the function of the module to the water received at the receiving unit by installing the module in at least a part of the one or more installation, the water treatment apparatus further comprises: a sensing unit configured to measure the water received by the receiving unit or a status of water treatment performed by the module installed in the installation mechanisms; and a transmission unit configured to transmit a sensing result of the sensing unit to an external computer apparatus, the computer apparatus includes a control unit and a st