Sanitary, user activated, water saving, motion sensing flushing method and device

• US 20080028507A1
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Debra Lynn Ozenick
• Original Assignee: Debra Lynn Ozenick
• Inventors: Ozenick, Debra Lynn
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 4/313
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/105 touchless, e.g. using sensors

Abstract

A flushing system with a sensing module, having at least one sensor and a controller circuit having a sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said at least one sensor, and a flushing mechanism operatively coupled to said motion sensing module. The detection and trigger sub-circuit is coupled to the at least one sensor and wherein the at least one sensor comprises an infrared sensor having a defined volume of free space wherein the flushing mechanism is activated by the motion sensing module if an object is detected within said defined volume. An additional infrared sensor can be used in conjunction with the first sensor, and code executable by the controller circuit, so as to provide predetermined algorithms to activate the flushing mechanism.

Claims

1. A sanitary, user-activated, water-saving, motion-sensing flushing device comprising:

an electronically activated flushing valve;

a first sensor positioned on a first side of a toilet system and directed to sense a first area in front of said first side, said first sensor being responsively coupled to said electronically actuated flushing valve, whereby a user may actuate said electronically actuated flushing valve through interaction with said first sensing area; and

a second sensor positioned on a second side opposite of said first side and directed to sense an area in front of said second side, said second sensor being responsively coupled to said electronically actuated flushing valve, whereby a user may actuate said electronically actuated flushing valve through interaction with said second sensing area.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said toilet is a standard toilet.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said toilet is a standup urinal.

4. A flushing system, comprising:

a sensing module, having at least one sensor and a controller circuit having a sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said at least one sensor; and

a flushing mechanism operatively coupled to said sensing module.

5. The flushing system of claim 4, further comprising the controller circuit having a detection and trigger sub-circuit coupled to the at least one sensor and wherein the at least one sensor comprises an infrared sensor having a defined volume of free space wherein the flushing mechanism is activated by the sensing module if an object is detected within said defined volume.

6. The flushing system of claim 5, in combination with a standard toilet.

7. The flushing system of claim 6, in combination with a standup urinal.

8. The flushing system of claim 4, further comprising two infrared sensors each being coupled to a detection and trigger sub-circuit, the first infrared sensor and the second infrared sensor each having a defined volume of free space wherein the detection and trigger sub-circuit is triggered if and only if an object is first detected within the defined volume of one of the infrared sensors and then detected within the defined volume of the other infrared sensor within a predetermined time period, said time period being programmed in code executable by the controller circuit and determined by a timing circuit coupled to the controller circuit.

9. The flushing system of claim 8, in combination with a standard toilet.

10. The flushing system of claim 8, in combination with a standup urinal.

11. The flushing system of claim 4 further comprising a first light sensor and a first infrared sensor, the light sensor being coupled to a first branch of the detection and trigger sub-circuit and the infrared sensor being coupled to a second branch of the detection and trigger sub-circuit;

the light sensor being adapted to detect light and, thereupon cause the first branch of the sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit to be toggled TRUE;

the infrared sensor having a defined volume of free space wherein a second branch of the detection and trigger sub-circuit is toggled TRUE if an object is first detected within the defined volume of the infrared sensor; and

the controller circuit adapted to activate the flushing mechanism if both branches of the detection and trigger sub-circuit are toggled TRUE.

12. The flushing system of claim 11, in combination with a standard toilet.

13. The flushing system of claim 11, in combination with a standup urinal.

14. The flushing system of claim 4 further comprising an audio sensor being coupled to the detection and trigger sub-circuit;

the controller circuit including voice recognition software code executable thereon and adapted to activate the flushing mechanism if a predetermined voice command is inputted to the audio sensor.

15. The flushing system of claim 14, in combination with a standard toilet.

16. The flushing system of claim 14, in combination with a standup urinal.

17. A method of flushing a toilet, comprising:

sensing an event within a detection area of at least one sensor coupled to a controller circuit having a sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said at least one sensor, and upon the sensing of the event, activating a flush mechanism.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

sensing an object within a detection area of a first motion sensor coupled to a controller circuit having a sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said first motion sensor, and, within a predetermined time period;

sensing an object within a detection area of a second motion sensor coupled to the controller circuit having the sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said second motion sensor; and

activating a flush mechanism coupled to the controller circuit upon the sensing of the object with the detection area of the first motion sensor and second motion sensor within the predetermined time period.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising:

sensing light with a light sensor coupled to a controller circuit having a sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said light sensor;

sensing an object within a detection area of a motion sensor coupled to the controller circuit having the sensor detection and trigger sub-circuit operatively coupled to said motion sensor; and

activating a flush mechanism coupled to the controller circuit upon the contemporaneous sensing of the light and the object.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising:

sensing a voice by an audio sensor coupled to a controller having voice recognition code executable thereon;

comparing at least one word inputted to the audio sensor with an predetermined word saved in a memory location of the controller circuit; and

activating a flush mechanism upon the matching of the sensed word with the predetermined word.