Smart bathroom fixtures and systems

• US 20020007510A1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1998
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: W. Stephen G. Mann
• Original Assignee: W. Stephen G. Mann
• Inventors: Mann, W. Stephen G.
• Application Number:
  US09/944,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20020007510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 4/300
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/105 touchless, e.g. using sensors

Abstract

Image sensors, processors, and control systems facilitate automatic sensor operated bathroom fixtures, systems for controlling bathroom fixtures, and methods of bathroom fixture design, control, and management, as well as the control and management of hygiene and water resources. The networked plumbing systems also help facility managers and law enforcement personnel monitor the operation of various bathrooms in a facility or at remote facilities. Image sensors are used for controlling several showers, faucets, urinals, or water closets in large bathroom complexes. Image based intelligent bathroom fixtures and systems help enhance the privacy of users by ensuring that law abiding users need not be disturbed by police foot patrols into the restroom areas, or by security guards entering simply to make inspections. An aquionics bathroom control system of the invention maintains the cleanliness, safety, security, and privacy of the occupants in a smart bathroom environment. Additionally, in some embodiments, a bathroom facility of the invention may be used for mass decontamination during times of emergency for processing victims of a nuclear, biological, or chemical incident. Once ubiquitously installed for routine control of fixtures, the apparatus facilitates a secondary usage such as monitoring by triage staff, medical personnel, decontamination officers, or law enforcement officers during times of terrorist consequence management.

Claims

1. A bathroom control system for controlling one or more bathroom fixtures, said system comprising:

one or more image sensors, said one or more image sensors being arranged to detect subject matter within a detection zone in a bath environment;

optics for producing one or more watertight seals and for allowing light from said detection zone to pass toward said one or more image sensors.

one or more image capture devices responsive to one or more inputs from said one or more image sensors, and for producing one or more picture signals containing one or more pictures of subject matter within said detection zone;

one or more image processors responsive to said one or more picture signals, and containing one or more picture storage devices;

a controller to receive an output from said one or more image processors; and

one or more actuators responsive to an output from said controller, said one or more actuators coupable to one or more bathroom fixtures.

2. The bathroom control system as described in claim 1 for controlling a toilet, in a toilet stall, in which one or more of said image sensors is an infrared array sensor system having an infrared light source, said one or more processors being an image processor for creating an image mask for reducing sensitivity of said bathroom control system to reflections from a door of said toilet stall, said image mask formed by accumulating images from said door at various angles of openness.

3. The bathroom control system as described in claim 1 for controlling decon showers, in a decon facility, said one or more processors being an image processor for creating a probability map of probabilities of each subject in said decon facility being sprayed from each controllable dimension of an array of separately controllable shower dimensions., said controllable dimensions comprising said actuators being responsive to said probability map.

4. The bathroom control system as described in claim 1 for controlling at least one water spraying device, said controller being less responsive to subject matter in said detection zone during a time interval when said spraying device is active.

5. A bathroom control system for controlling one or more bathroom fixtures, said system comprising:

one or more image sensors, said one or more image sensors being arranged to detect subject matter within a detection zone in a bath environment;

optics for producing one or more watertight seals and for allowing light from said detection zone to pass toward said one or more image sensors.

one or more image capture devices responsive to one or more inputs from said one or more image sensors, and for producing one or more picture signals containing one or more pictures of subject matter within said detection zone;

image processing means for determining whether or not said one or more picture signals corresponds to usage of a bathroom fixture;

a controller to receive an output from said one or more image processors; and

one or more actuators responsive to an output from said controller, said one or more actuators coupable to one or more bathroom fixtures, said one or actuators being actuated when one of;

said usage is detected;

after said usage has been detected but is no longer presently detected.

6. The bathroom control system of claim 5 wherein one or more video cameras include said image sensors, said video cameras responsive to a getting of lesser biological sensitivity.

7. The bathroom control system of claim 6 where said getting of lesser biological sensitivity is a responsiveness to infrared light.

8. The bathroom control system of claim 6 where said optics includes one or more viewports that are relatively transparent to a getting of high camera sensitivity, and much less transparent to a getting of biological sensitivity.

9. The bathroom control system of claim 8 where said getting of lesser biological sensitivity is a responsiveness to infrared light, such that said viewports are relatively transparent in the infrared and much less transparent in the visible portion of the spectrum of light.

10. The bathroom control system of claim 9 wherein said image sensor is incorporated into said viewport, said combination of image sensor and viewport being a vitrionic device.

11. The bathroom control system of claim 9 wherein said image sensor is incorporated into a vitrionic material.

12. A bathroom control system for controlling one or more bathroom fixtures, said system comprising:

user detection means comprising at least one video camera having a field of view that includes subject matter within a detection zone in a bath environment said at least one video camera borne by a wall, ceiling, or bath fixture of said bathroom in order to scan at least a fraction of the bath environment, said video camera being adapted to provide, in the form of output signals, images of bodies in the bathroom;

means for capturing the output signals which are obtained from said at least one video camera;

means for temporary and permanent storage of data pertaining to said images at successive times;

means for comparing the digitized images pertaining to the same body at successive times;

means for assessing the nature of a body as to whether it is a human body, and for assessing the actions and changes in position, orientation, or movement of the body on the basis of said images;

p1 means for determining usage patterns of one or more bathroom fixtures located in said bathroom;

storage means for storage of at least one mathematical function for each of at least some of said said usage patterns;

comparison means for comparison of a mathematical function of a current usage of at least one bathroom fixture with mathematical functions of past usage of the same fixture;

decision means adapted to operate one or more actuators in response to said comparison means, said decision means responsive to said body being observed by said camera, said one or more actuators coupable to one or more bathroom fixtures.

14. A bathroom control system for controlling a plurality of bathroom fixtures, said bathroom control system including all the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is borne by a ceiling above said fixtures, said sensor having a field of view that includes space for being occupied by users of said fixtures, said bathroom control system including a map of said fixtures, said system also including means for determining which of said fixtures is in use, and for automatically actuating one or more of said fixtures by way of said actuators, in response to a usage pattern of a user of said one or more of said fixtures.

15. A bathroom control system for controlling a plurality of urinals, said bathroom control system including the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is housed on a ceiling above said urinals, said sensor having a field of view that includes space in front of said urinals, said bathroom control system including means for determining which of said urinals are in use, and for automatically flushing one or more of said urinals by way of said actuators.

16. The bathroom control system of claim 15, wherein said sensor is positioned to acquire a view into the bowl of each of said urinals, said bathroom control system further including visual means for determining which of said bowls contains waste matter, and for determining an approximate concentration of waste matter in each of said bowls, said bathroom control system also including means for actuation of any combination of said respective actuators in response to the respective presence of waste matter in each of said bowls.

17. A bathroom control system for controlling two toilets, said bathroom control system including the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is borne by one of:

a wall behind said toilets;

ceiling above said toilets;

said sensor having a center of projection approximately in a plane of a toilet stall partition between said at two toilets, said sensor having a field of view that includes space in front of each of said toilets, said bathroom control system including means for determining which of said toilets are in use, and for automatically flushing one or both of said toilets by way of said actuators.

18. The bathroom control system of claim 17., wherein said sensor is positioned to acquire a view into the bowl of each of said toilets, said bathroom control system further including visual means for determining which of said bowls contains waste matter, and for determining an approximate concentration of waste matter in each of said bowls, said bathroom control system also including means for actuation of any combination of said respective actuators in response to the respective presence of waste matter in each of said bowls.

19. A bathroom control system for controlling a plurality of lavatories, said bathroom control system including the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is borne by a ceiling above said lavatories, said sensor having a field of view that includes space in front of said lavatories, said bathroom control system including means for determining which of said lavatories are in use, and for automatically turning on water to whichever one or more of said lavatories is in use, by way of said actuators.

20. A bathroom control system for controlling a plurality of jets in a bath, said bathroom control system including the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is borne by one of:

a ceiling above said bath;

behind an at least partially transparent portion borne by said bath;

within said bath,

said sensor having a field of view of one or more bathers in said bath, said actuator for actuation of at least some of said plurality of jets, in response to proximity of one or more users to said at least some of said plurality of jets.

21. The bathroom control system of claim 20 where said bath is made of transparent material, said sensor being disposed behind said transparent material.

22. A bathroom control system for controlling a shower, said bathroom control system including the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is one of:

housed in a shower stall in which said shower is housed;

borne by a nozzle of said shower;

borne by a wall behind said shower;

borne by a ceiling above said shower,

said sensor having a field of view that includes space in front of said shower, said bathroom control system including means for determining when said shower is occupied, and for automatically turning on water, by way of said actuators, whenever said shower is occupied.

23. A bathroom control system for controlling a plurality of showers in a shower room, said bathroom control system including the features of claim 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is borne by a ceiling of said shower room, said sensor having a field of view that includes space in front of said showers, said bathroom control system including means for determining which of said showers is occupied, and for automatically turning on water, by way of said actuators, to whichever one or more of said showers is occupied.

24. The bathroom control system of claim 23, further including a body recognition system for identifying who is using one or more of said showers, said bathroom control system also including means for billing a user of said shower for an amount of a resource consumed by respective users of said system.

25. The bathroom control system of claim 23, further including a body recognition system for identifying who is attempting to use one or more of said showers, said bathroom control system also including means for preventing unauthorized users from using said one or more showers.

26. The bathroom control system of claim 23, further including a comfort mode for providing a more pleasant shower experience to a first class of users, and a discomfort mode for providing a less pleasant shower experience to a second class of users, said bathroom control system including a body recognition system for identifying whether or not a given user of said system has enrolled in a first class of users, said bathroom control system providing a discomfort mode for users not recognized as belonging to said first class of users.

27. The bathroom control system of claim 26 where said discomfort mode is achieved by spraying a user with cold water, and said comfort mode is achieved by spraying a user with warm water.

28. The bathroom control system of claim 26 where said body recognition system comprises an analysis of pictures captured from said sensor.

29. The bathroom control system of claim 26 where said body recognition system includes a pushbutton comprised of a fingerprint scanner for a user to press in order to start one of said showers, wherein said sensor causes said one of said showers to stop automatically when said user steps away from said one of said showers.

30. A bathroom control system for controlling a column shower, said column shower having a plurality of stations extending radially outward from a central shower column, said bathroom control system including all the features of claims 12 where said video camera is a sensor which is borne by said shower column, said sensor having a field of view that includes a portion of each of said stations, said bathroom control system including means for determining which of said stations is occupied, and for automatically turning on water, by way of said actuators, to whichever one or more spray heads corresponds to whichever one or more stations is occupied.

31. The bathroom control system of claim 30, said column shower for providing up to N stations, said column having N viewports around an outside surface of said column, said system including optics inside said column for directing light collected from each of said viewports into a single video camera.

32. The bathroom control system of claim 30, said column shower for providing up to N stations, said column having N viewports around an outside surface of said column, said system including N video cameras inside said column, each responsive to light collected from each corresponding viewport.

33. The bathroom control system of claim 32, said column shower being a six station column shower for being installed in a hexagonal shower room.

34. The bathroom control system of claim 33 where said video camera is a sensor which has at least two uses, a first use being a utilitarian use, for being a sensor for said system to provide touchless automatic operation of said actuator, and a second use being a safety and security use for providing a security system, said security system providing one of:

transmission of images depicting bathroom activity to at least one remote monitoring station;

storage, for evidence, of images depicting bathroom activity;

automated monitoring means to automatically determine any unusual activity patterns and decision means adapted to operate alarm means should the activity or movement being observed give cause for concern.

35. The bathroom control system of claim 34 for use in a bath, said automated monitoring means to automatically determine if a bather is at risk of drowning in said bath.

36. The bathroom control system of claim 35 said automated monitoring means including means for determining if at least one bather is present in said bath during a time in which no head is visible above a waterline of said bath, said control system activating an alarm.

37. The bathroom control system of claim 36 for controlling a bath, said actuator responsive to light transmitted through an at least partially transparent portion of said bath.

38. The bathroom control system of claim 37 where said bath comprises a bath tub made of at least partially transparent material.

39. The bathroom control system of claim 38 where said bath tub is made of a material comprising at least one of:

smoked acrylic;

smoked polycarbonate;

mirrored acrylic;

mirrored polycarbonate;

glass.

40. The bathroom control system of claim 33 said hexagonal shower room for being a men'"'"'s shower room installed in a mass decontamination facility having seven hexagonal shaped rooms, another of said seven hexagonal shaped rooms being a women'"'"'s shower room, each of said men'"'"'s and women'"'"'s shower rooms having one of said six station column showers, wherein said sensors are transmit live video picture signals to emergency personnel for remotely operating said mass decontamination facility.

41. A method of providing safety and security in a bathroom environment, without compromising privacy, said method comprising the steps of:

installing the bathroom control system of claim 40 in a variety of bathrooms in a bathroom network;

capturing images from an output from at least one sensor said sensor being said video camera, in each of said bathrooms;

recording said images in an encrypted archive;

maintaining two separate archives, one corresponding to men'"'"'s bathrooms and another corresponding to women'"'"'s bathrooms;

providing investigatory access to security officers, or other officials who may help ensure bathroom safety;

ensuring that male officials can only view images captured from men'"'"'s bathrooms, and that female officials can only view images captured from women'"'"'s bathrooms.

13. A bathroom control system for controlling one or more bathroom fixtures, said system comprising:

user detection means comprising a plurality of video cameras each of which has a field of view that includes subject matter within a detection zone in a bath environment each of said plurality of video cameras borne by a wall, ceiling, or bath fixture of said bathroom in order to scan at least a fraction of the bath environment, said video cameras having overlapping fields of view, said video camera being adapted to provide, in the form of output signals, images of bodies in the bathroom;

picture capture means for obtaining pictures from said video cameras;

means for storage of the pictures captured from said video cameras at successive times;

means for comparing the pictures pertaining to the same body at successive times;

means for calculation of the position, orientation, or movement of a body and to determine whether it is a human body, and for determining changes in attitude of the body on the basis of these successive images;

decision means adapted to operate one or more actuators in response to said comparison means, said decision means responsive to said body being observed by said cameras, said one or more actuators coupable to one or more bathroom fixtures.

42. A method of bathroom control for controlling one or more bathroom fixtures, said method comprising the steps of:

capturing, through optics for allowing light from a detection zone to pass toward one or more image sensors, one or more images, from said one or more image sensors, said image sensors being arranged to detect subject matter within a detection zone in a bath environment;

obtaining one or more pictures from one or more image capture devices responsive to one or more inputs from said one or more image sensors, said pictures depicting subject matter within said detection zone;

processing and storing said one or more pictures;

activating a controller receiving an output from said one or more image processors; and

actuating one or more actuators coupled to one or more bathroom fixtures in response to an output from said controller.