Fluid dispenser having infrared user sensor
First Claim
1. A hands-free dispenser for dispensing a product into a target area, comprising:
- a dispensing mechanism;
a light emitting diode associated with said dispensing mechanism;
a controller; and
a photodetector associated with said light emitting diode that detects light levels of a target area and which generates a voltage received by said controller that corresponds to detected light levels, wherein said controller compares a Momentary Difference Value in said voltage to an Average Difference value in said voltage plus a Target Offset value, said controller sending a signal to said dispensing mechanism when said Momentary Difference value is greater than said Average Difference Value plus said Target Offset value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dispensing system is disclosed which utilizes a controller in conjunction with a photodetector in order to provide automatic dispensing to a user when an object enters a target area. A controller is programmed to pulse a light source that is mounted proximate the photodetector. The controller constantly monitors the voltage at the receiving signal of the photodetector, and evaluates the difference in voltage from the light pulsed on and off. The controller sums the differences, and constantly updates the differences over a designated period to create an average difference value. The average difference value is summed with a target offset value and compared to a momentary voltage difference. When the momentary difference exceeds the sum of the target offset value and average difference, the controller sends a signal to a dispense mechanism which dispenses a fluid or other product on the object.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A hands-free dispenser for dispensing a product into a target area, comprising:
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a dispensing mechanism; a light emitting diode associated with said dispensing mechanism; a controller; and a photodetector associated with said light emitting diode that detects light levels of a target area and which generates a voltage received by said controller that corresponds to detected light levels, wherein said controller compares a Momentary Difference Value in said voltage to an Average Difference value in said voltage plus a Target Offset value, said controller sending a signal to said dispensing mechanism when said Momentary Difference value is greater than said Average Difference Value plus said Target Offset value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method for dispensing product, comprising:
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pulsing a light source proximate to a photodetector; reading and storing an Active Voltage value from said photodetector when said light source is illuminated; reading and storing an Ambient Voltage value from said photodetector when said light source is not illuminated; calculating a Momentary Difference between said Active Voltage value and said Ambient Voltage value; comparing said Momentary Difference to a sum of an Average Difference and a Target Offset, wherein said Average Difference is calculated from prior Momentary Difference values of said photodetector over a time interval; generating a signal to dispense when said Momentary Difference is greater than said sum; and dispensing the product when said signal to dispense is received by a dispensing mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification