Sensor operated water flow control
First Claim
1. A system for controlling the flow of water through water supply means, including:
- a sensor operatively associated with said water supply means to cause water to be supplied by said water supply means;
a first control circuit coupled with said sensor for sensing and determining the continued external activation characteristic of the presence of a user or external activation proximate to said sensor and within the range of energization of said sensor and the absence of the characteristic of external activation or presence of a user;
a second control circuit including water flow time commencement means responsive to said characteristic for determining the time of commencement of the flow of water through said water supply means in response to an external activation of said sensor after the elapse of a predetermined period of time; and
a third control circuit responsive to said second control circuit including water flow shut-off means for permitting water to flow solely for a predetermined period of time after commencement of water flow by said second control circuit, said third control circuit causing the water flow to be shut off after a predetermined period of time of water flow and overriding said second control circuit to prevent said second control circuit from commencing water flow.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor activated unit, e.g., a drinking fountain or a wash basin, for preventing unwanted operation. The sensor has a power on reset circuit that makes use of a resistor capacitor network and a voltage threshold comparing device to create a time delay that will inhibit the operation of the unit for a nominal predetermined time period when current is first supplied to the sensor. The sensor does not activate until a user steps up to the unit and is within a preset range or distance from the unit. Use is made of an infrared sensor for controlling the operation of the unit. Circuitry is provided to control the time of commencement of the operation of the unit, the time period duration of operation, and down time of the unit before it is readied for operation again.
121 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A system for controlling the flow of water through water supply means, including:
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a sensor operatively associated with said water supply means to cause water to be supplied by said water supply means; a first control circuit coupled with said sensor for sensing and determining the continued external activation characteristic of the presence of a user or external activation proximate to said sensor and within the range of energization of said sensor and the absence of the characteristic of external activation or presence of a user; a second control circuit including water flow time commencement means responsive to said characteristic for determining the time of commencement of the flow of water through said water supply means in response to an external activation of said sensor after the elapse of a predetermined period of time; and a third control circuit responsive to said second control circuit including water flow shut-off means for permitting water to flow solely for a predetermined period of time after commencement of water flow by said second control circuit, said third control circuit causing the water flow to be shut off after a predetermined period of time of water flow and overriding said second control circuit to prevent said second control circuit from commencing water flow. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14)
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8. A system for controlling the flow of water, including a sensor circuit, a water supply unit, and a shut-off valve;
- said sensor circuit including;
a power supply having a conventional A.C. source input and an output supplying filtered D.C. power, an A.C. sample, and unfiltered A.C. power; a power line phase synchronization detector circuit having its input coupled to said power supply for receiving said A.C. sample and an output; a capacitive discharge L.E.D. driver having two inputs and a single output; a transmitter including an L.E.D. coupled to said capacitive discharge single output for supplying an infrared energy signal through an infrared transmitting filter; a photosensor circuit including a photodiode sensor and high gain amplifier means for amplifying a received infrared signal, reflected from an object on which said infrared signal impinged during a sample period and reflected from the object after being transmitted from said L.E.D., said L.E.D consistently sampling at the same time with respect to zero voltage crossing of the A.C. power source, said photosensor circuit providing for a high degree of rejection of extraneous pulsing line powered light sources; a gated relative comparator circuit coupled to said high gain amplifier means and to said power line synchronization detector circuit controlling the duration of the sample period during which the output of said high gain amplifier means is sampled; an output conditioning circuit coupled to said gated relative comparator to provide a signal output when an object is detected in the path of said transmitted signal within a preselected distance from said transmitter; and an interface circuit coupled to said output conditioning circuit for converting an "on-off" signal to the components. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
- said sensor circuit including;
Specification