Smart water supply valve system and method for controlling same

• US 10,233,621 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jongseok
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Minh
• Application Number:
  US15/568,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20180148912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 1374875, 137553, 137552, 137554
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/04 Water-basin installations specially adapted to wash-basins or baths valves, faucets, mixing valves, taps F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/05 Arrangements of devices on wash-basins, baths, sinks, or the like for remote control of taps remote control of taps or the like per se F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/055 Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2001/0418 having temperature indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/02 electric F16K31/004 takes precedence; magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/005 for measuring fluid parameters F16K37/0033 takes precedence

Abstract

A smart water supply valve system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an inflow unit for being supplied with water through one or more pipes; a valve for allowing/suspending the flow of water input through the inflow unit; a first sensing unit for sensing the pressure or flow rate of water unit input through the input unit; a second sensing unit for sensing at least one of the movement, the shape, and the heat distribution of an object; a controller for controlling the amount of opening/closing of the valve or the flow rate of water on the basis of sensing outputs from the first and second sensing units; and an outflow unit for discharging water supplied from the pipe.

Claims

1. A smart water supply valve system comprising:

an inlet supplied with water through one or more pipes;

a valve configured to open or close water input through the inlet;

a first sensing unit configured to sense a pressure or a flow rate of water input through the inlet;

a second sensing unit configured to sense a size of an object and at least one of a motion, a shape and a heat distribution of an of the object;

an outlet configured to discharge water supplied from the one or more pipes; and

a controller configured to;

control a switching rate of the valve or the flow rate of water on the basis of an output of the first sensing unit and an output of the second sensing unit,

determine a user mode in accordance with the output of the second sensing unit,

when the user mode is a first mode, cause the valve to change an amount of water discharged to a first unit amount, and maintain a temperature of the water at a first predetermined temperature, and

when the user mode is a second mode, cause the valve to change the amount of water discharged to a second unit amount, and maintain the temperature of the water at a second predetermined temperature,

wherein the second sensing unit includes a camera and at least one of an infrared sensor, a first temperature sensor, a heat distribution sensor and a proximity sensor,

wherein the first mode indicates that the size of the object is more than a predetermined size, and

wherein the second mode indicates that the size of the object is less than the predetermined size.

2. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 1, wherein the first sensing unit includes at least one of a pressure sensor and a flow rate sensor.

3. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 2, wherein the pressure sensor or the flow rate sensor is installed in at least one of the inlet, the outlet and the valve, through which water passes.

4. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor, the first temperature sensor, the proximity sensor, the heat distribution sensor or the camera is installed near the outlet through which water is discharged.

5. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 1, further comprising a power module configured to supply a power source to the valve, the first sensing unit, the second sensing unit or the controller.

6. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 5, further comprising a communication module configured to receive a control command from the outside or transmitting internal data to the outside.

7. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 1, wherein the inlet further includes a hot water inlet supplied with hot water from the one or more pipes, a cool water inlet supplied with cool water from the one or more pipes, a mixing water unit where the hot water and the cool water are mixed with each other, and a second temperature sensor installed in the mixing water unit to measure a temperature of the mixed water.

8. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 5, further comprising a display module configured to display the switching rate of the valve, the flow rate of water, the temperature of the water, or the user mode.

9. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 5, further comprising a valve electric driving module configured to perform a switching operation of the valve.

10. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 5, further comprising a manual switching module configured to manually switch the valve.

11. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 8, wherein the controller provides a function to previously reserve and set the amount of water and the temperature of the water discharged through the outlet.

12. The smart water supply valve system according to claim 6, wherein the communication module receives information to previously reserve and set the amount of water and the temperature of the water, from a mobile device.

13. A method for controlling a smart water supply valve system, the method comprising:

sensing that water enters an inlet;

sensing a pressure or a flow rate of the water entering the inlet via a first sensing unit;

sensing a size of an object and at least one of a motion, a shape and a heat distribution of of the object via a second sensing unit;

selecting a user mode based on the size of the object, the sensed motion, the shape or the heat distribution of the object;

when the user mode is a first mode, causing a valve to change an amount of water discharged to a first unit amount, and maintaining a temperature of the water at a first predetermined temperature; and

when the user mode is a second mode, causing the valve to change the amount of water discharged to a second unit amount, and maintaining the temperature of the water at a second predetermined temperature,

wherein the second sensing unit includes a camera and at least one of an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, a heat distribution sensor and a proximity sensor,

wherein the first mode indicates that the size of the object is more than a predetermined size, and

wherein the second mode indicates that the size of the object is less than the predetermined size.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein causing the valve to change the amount of water discharged includes variably controlling the amount of water by controlling a discharging time of the water or a switching rate of the valve.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein causing the valve to change the amount of water discharged includes variably controlling the temperature of water by controlling at least one of a switching rate of a hot water valve and a switching rate of a cool water valve.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising displaying information on an accumulated usage of water for a specific time period and an average temperature of water for a specific time period.

17. The method according to claim 13, further comprising receiving a control command from an external device or transmitting internal data stored in a memory to the external device through a communication module.