MULTI-MODE HANDS FREE AUTOMATIC FAUCET
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A faucet comprising:
- a faucet body hub;
a manual valve handle movably coupled to the faucet body hub to control a manual valve, the manual valve handle being electrically coupled to the faucet body hub;
a spout coupled to the faucet body hub by an insulator so that the spout is electrically isolated from the faucet body hub;
a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to at least one of the faucet body hub and the manual valve handle; and
a controller coupled to the capacitive sensor, the controller determining which of the manual valve handle and the spout is touched by a user based on an output signal from the capacitive sensor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hands-free faucet comprises a proximity sensor, a logical control, a handle, a spout, and a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout and the handle.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A faucet comprising:
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a faucet body hub; a manual valve handle movably coupled to the faucet body hub to control a manual valve, the manual valve handle being electrically coupled to the faucet body hub; a spout coupled to the faucet body hub by an insulator so that the spout is electrically isolated from the faucet body hub; a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to at least one of the faucet body hub and the manual valve handle; and a controller coupled to the capacitive sensor, the controller determining which of the manual valve handle and the spout is touched by a user based on an output signal from the capacitive sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A faucet comprising:
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a faucet body hub; a manual valve supported by the hub, the valve including a movable valve stem; a manual valve handle movably supported by the hub and operably coupled to the valve stem to control the manual valve, the manual valve handle including a user input member; a spout supported by the hub; and a capacitive coupling positioned intermediate the user input member of the handle and the spout. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A faucet comprising:
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a first component; a second component; an impedance coupling between the first component and the second component; a sensor coupled to the first component; and a controller operably coupled to the sensor, the controller determining which of the first component and the second component is touched by a user based on an output signal from the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A faucet comprising:
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a spout; a handle; a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout and the handle; a proximity sensor having an active state and an inactive state; and a logical control operably coupled to the touch control and the proximity sensor, the logical control including; a first mode, wherein the proximity sensor is inactive; a second mode, wherein the proximity sensor is active; and a mode controller that changes the faucet between the first mode and the second mode in response to substantially simultaneous grasping of the spout and tapping of the handle. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A faucet comprising:
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a spout; a handle; a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout and the handle; a proximity sensor having an active state and an inactive state; a logical control operably coupled to the touch control and the proximity sensor, the logical control including; a first mode, wherein the proximity sensor is inactive; a second mode, wherein the proximity sensor is active; and an audio device configured to provide one of an ascending tone and a descending tone when the logical control transitions from the first mode to the second mode, and the audio device provides the other of the descending tone and the ascending tone when the logical control transitions from the second mode to the first mode. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method comprising:
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determining a characteristic impedance of a human body; coupling a first faucet component to a second faucet component with an impedance coupling having an impedance selected to approximate the characteristic impedance of a human body; coupling a sensor to the first faucet component; and determining which of the first faucet component and the second faucet component is touched by a user based on an output signal from the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification