Electronic Faucet with Voice, Temperature, Flow and Volume Control

• US 20090056011A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James L. Wolf, Stephen O. Gregory
• Original Assignee: James L. Wolf, Stephen O. Gregory
• Inventors: Wolf, James L., Gregory, Stephen O.
• Granted Patent: US 8,572,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 4/623
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors

Abstract

An ergonomic water conserving faucet assembly that pivots around a cognitive central point providing touchless water temperature, flow rate, volume control and spray pattern adjustment through multiple, hygienic means. The assembly comprises a pivotable, ergonomic, ball-shaped spout that may be used statically or hand held; a retractable water delivery hose connecting the spout to a water source; a water mixing valve at the water source delivering water of preselected temperature; solenoid valves controlling flow; proximity and object detection sensors mapping the sink area and detecting input signals; speech sensors with microphone for voice control; an LED display of water temperature; internal speakers delivering audible prompts; and an electronic controller recognizing speech and supervising operations.

Claims

1. A touchless water temperature and flow control faucet adapted for use with external sources of hot and cold water, the faucet comprising:

a faucet stem pivotally attached to a mounting base such that said stem has freedom of pivotal motion through an arc of stem movement with respect to the mounting base;

a water supply conduit extending through the stem and adapted for connection, in use, to external sources of hot and cold water;

a spout having at least two selectable water outlets and carrying said water supply conduit arranged for delivering water through a selected one of said water outlets, wherein said spout is alternatively engagable with the stem wherein the stem supports the spout for pivotal motion through said arc of stem movement and removable from the stem for hand held use;

outlet selection means for variably selecting one of the water outlets to deliver water;

mixing means for variably mixing hot and cold water in the water supply conduit to adjust temperature;

flow adjusting means for varying water flow rate in said water supply conduit;

flow on-off selecting means for variably switching water flow “

on”

or “

off”

in said water supply conduit;

an electronic controller adapted to receive signals respectively indicative of a flow pattern selection, a water temperature, a flow rate, and an on-off flow selection, and in response to control said outlet selection means, mixing means, flow adjusting means, and flow on-off selecting means; and

a touchless control user interface adapted, in use, to receive touchless control instructions from a user and to send a corresponding signal to said electronic controller, wherein the touchless control instructions vary parameters of delivered water selected from flow pattern, temperature, flow rate, on-off selection, and combinations thereof.

2. The faucet of claim 1, further comprising:

means for delivering a fixed volume of water;

wherein said electronic controller is further adapted to control said means for delivering a fixed volume of water, and said touchless control user interface is further adapted, in use, to receive touchless control instructions from a user selecting delivery of a fixed volume of water and to correspondingly signal said electronic controller.

3. The faucet of claim 1, further comprising:

angle sensing means operable for sensing the angular position of said stem with respect to said mounting base and for sending a corresponding signal to said electronic controller.

4. The faucet of claim 3, further comprising:

height sensing means for sensing a distance from said spout to the highest and lowest external planes below the spout and for sending a corresponding signal to said electronic controller for determining a dynamic field of operation of the spout in relation to its angular position.

5. The faucet of claim 3, wherein:

said angle sensing means is an accelerometer in said spout, producing a signal corresponding to the angular position of said stem with respect to said mounting base.

6. The faucet of claim 1, wherein:

said touchless control interface comprises at least one touchless on-off sensor having a sensing field with pre-established top and bottom height limits as a function of angular position and detecting when an object is present in the sensing field, determining the distance of the object from the sensor, and sending a signal to said controller indicative of an on-off flow selection instruction dependent upon the distance of the object from the sensor.

7. The faucet of claim 1, wherein said touchless control interface comprises at least one touchless sensor having a sensing field, operative to detect the presence of an object in the sensing field, and to send a signal to said controller to enable automatic operation of the faucet in response thereto.

8. The faucet of claim 1, wherein said touchless control interface is adapted to receive touchless instructions by voice activation based upon voice recognition of commands by a user.

9. The faucet of claim 8, wherein said touchless control interface is adapted to receive voice recognition input signals to vary on-off flow selection, adjust water temperature, control flow rate, select delivery of a fixed volume of water, select a water outlet, or combinations thereof.

10. The faucet of claim 1, further comprising:

means for sensing water temperature in said faucet and transmitting temperature data to said electronic controller;

wherein said electronic controller is programmed to respond to signals indicating water temperature in excess of a predetermined temperature limit by causing issuance of an audible and visual warning.

11. The faucet of claim 10, wherein said electronic controller is programmed to respond to signals indicating water temperature in excess of said predetermined limit by disabling water delivery through the faucet.

12. The faucet of claim 1, wherein;

said water supply conduit is extendable from the base while connected to the spout, thereby enabling handheld operation of the spout.

13. The faucet of claim 1, wherein said spout is configured as a ball.

14. The faucet of claim 1, wherein said touchless control user interface comprises a proximity sensor adapted to provide instructions for water on-off selection;

further comprising means for detecting when the spout is removed from said stem and in response thereto disabling said proximity sensor with respect to instructions for on-off selection.

15. The faucet of claim 1, wherein said touchless control user interface comprises a proximity sensor adapted to provide instructions for water temperature adjustment;

further comprising means for detecting when the spout is removed from said stem and in response thereto disabling said touchless control user interface with respect to instructions for water temperature adjustment.

16. A touchless water temperature and flow control faucet adapted for use with external sources of hot and cold water, the faucet comprising:

a faucet stem pivotally attached to a mounting base such that said stem has freedom of pivotal motion through an arc of stem movement with respect to the mounting base;

a water supply conduit extending through the stem and adapted for connection, in use, to external sources of hot and cold water;

a spout engagable with the stem in a home position in which the stem supports the spout for pivotal motion through said arc of stem movement, and wherein the spout carries said water supply conduit for delivering water to the spout;

an electronic controller adapted to selectively establish at least a setup mode and a normal mode of faucet operations;

angle monitoring means for monitoring and communicating angular position of the faucet stem with respect to said mounting base to said electronic controller;

a downward directed sensor in said spout controlled by said electronic controller such that when the electronic controller is in setup mode and the stem is moved through the arc of stem movement, the downward directed sensor maps the particular external contours below the spout over the arc of stem movement and communicates mapping data to the electronic controller, and when the electronic controller is in normal mode, the downward directed sensor monitors the area intermediate the downward directed sensor and the mapped contour below the sensor to detect, in use, the presence of an object other than a mapped contour and to communicate data indicative of the detected object to the electronic controller;

temperature adjusting means for variably mixing hot and cold water from said sources of hot and cold water in said water supply conduit;

flow rate adjusting means for varying water flow rate in said water supply conduit;

flow on-off selecting means for variably switching water flow on or off in said water supply conduit;

wherein the electronic controller is adapted to receive data from said angle monitoring means and the downward directed sensor, when in setup mode establishing and retaining a map, and when in normal mode determining an on-off flow selection by decision derived from a comparison to said retained map, and wherein the electronic controller is further adapted to receive signals respectively indicative of a water temperature and a flow rate and in response to control mixing means for adjusting water temperature and flow adjusting means; and

a touchless control user interface adapted to receive touchless control instructions from a user and to send a corresponding signal to said electronic controller, wherein the touchless control instructions vary parameters of delivered water selected from temperature and flow rate, and combinations thereof.

17. The faucet of claim 16, further comprising:

means for delivering a fixed volume of water;

wherein said electronic controller is further adapted in normal mode to control said means for delivering a fixed volume of water; and

said touchless control user interface is further adapted, in use, to receive touchless control instructions from a user selecting delivery of a fixed volume of water and to correspondingly signal said electronic controller.

18. The faucet of claim 16, wherein:

said angle monitoring means is an accelerometer in said spout.

19. The faucet of claim 16, wherein said downward directed sensor comprises at least one touchless on-off sensor having a downward directed sensing field, adapted in setup mode to detect a dynamic field of acceptable faucet operation with bottom plane and top plane as a function of spout angle, and adapted in normal mode to sense relative height of a detected external object relative to the dynamic field of acceptable faucet operation, and to send a signal to said electronic controller indicative of an on-off flow selection instruction dependent upon the height of the detected object in the dynamic field of acceptable faucet operation.

20. The faucet of claim 16, wherein said touchless control interface is adapted to receive touchless instructions by voice activation based upon voice recognition of commands by a user.

21. The faucet of claim 16, wherein said spout further comprises:

a nozzle connected to said water supply conduit and providing at least two water outlets having different water flow patterns;

flow pattern selection means for variably selecting a water outlet from said at least two water outlets for receiving water from the water supply conduit;

wherein the electronic controller is further adapted when in normal mode to receive flow pattern selection parameters, and in response to control the flow pattern selection means to select a water outlet; and

a touchless control user interface adapted to receive touchless control instructions from a user and to send a corresponding signal to said electronic controller, wherein the touchless control instructions vary parameters for flow pattern selection.

22. The faucet of claim 21, wherein said touchless control interface is adapted to receive voice recognition input signals to vary on-off flow selection, adjust water temperature, control flow rate, select delivery of a fixed volume of water, select a water outlet, or combinations thereof.

23. The faucet of claim 16, wherein said electronic controller is programmed to respond to signals indicating water temperature in excess of a predetermined temperature by causing issuance of an audible and visual warning.

24. The faucet of claim 16, wherein;

said spout is removable from said stem;

the spout carries manual switches for adjusting faucet operation when the spout is removed from the stem; and

said water supply conduit is extendable from the stem while connected to the removed spout, thereby enabling handheld use of the spout.

25. The faucet of claim 24, wherein said touchless control user interface includes touchless proximity sensors carried on the spout, further comprising:

means sensing when said spout is removed from said stem and notifying said electronic controller;

wherein the electronic controller is adapted to deactivate said touchless proximity sensors carried on the spout when notified that the spout is removed from the stem.

26. The faucet of claim 24, wherein said touchless control user interface includes touchless proximity sensors carried on the spout, adapted to provide instructions for water on-off selection, further comprising:

means for detecting when the spout is removed from said stem and in response thereto disabling said touchless proximity sensors with respect to instructions for on-off selection.

27. The faucet of claim 24, wherein said touchless control user interface includes touchless proximity sensors carried on the spout, adapted to provide instructions for water temperature adjustment, further comprising:

means for detecting when the spout is removed from said stem and in response thereto disabling said touchless proximity sensors with respect to instructions for water temperature adjustment.