Method of and system for supplying electric power to automatic water discharge apparatus

• US 5,133,095 A
• Filed: 09/03/1991
• Issued: 07/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoxan Corp.
• Original Assignee: Hoxan Corp.
• Inventors: Shiba, Masashi, Shida, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Stephan, Steven L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davidson, Ben
• Application Number:
  US07/754,024
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 4/302, 4/303, 4/304, 4/305, 4/313, 4/623, 4/DIG. 3, 137/78.1, 251/129.15
• US Class Current: 4/313
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/10 operated electrically E03D5/01, E03D5/12 take precedence, e.g. by a photo-cell; also combined with devices for opening or closing shutters in the bowl outlet and/or with devices for raising/or lowering seat and cover and/or for swiveling the bowl
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 8/10 Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers by reflection from the object G01S17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/187 by interference of a radiation field

Abstract

An electric power supply system is provided for an automatic water discharge device for discharging water to flush a basin. An object detector detects a person before the basin. A brightness detector, which consumes less electric power than the object detector, detects a brightness surrounding the basin. An electric power is supplied to the object detector on a power supply cycle so as to intermittently render it operative and to the brightness detector on a brightness detect cycle. The brightness detect cycle is longer than the power supply cycle. After a set time period following disappearance of a person from the basin, the electric power is, on one hand, shut off from the object detector to render it inoperative and, on the other hand, supplied to the brightness detector on the brightness detect cycle immediately after the shut off of electric power to the object detector, to detect a brightness surrounding the basin. When the brightness detector detects a brightness higher than a predetermined brightness, the supply of electric power is resumed on the power supply cycle for the object detector.

Claims

1. A method of supplying electric power to an automatic water discharge device having an electrically controlled valve which is automatically actuated for a predetermined period of time to discharge water for flushing a basin when object detecting means associated with said basin detects a disappearance of a person from said basin, said method comprising the steps of:

supplying electric power at a predetermined power supply cycle to said object detecting means for detecting a person standing before said basin;

shutting off said supply of electric power to said object detecting means after an elapse of a predetermined period of time following detection of a person standing before said basin and disappearance of said person standing before said basin so as to render said object detecting means inoperative;

providing a brightness detector for detecting brightness surrounding said basin;

commencing supply of electric power to said brightness detector on a predetermined brightness detect cycle responsive to shutting off of said electric power to said object detecting means to detect brightness surrounding said basin; and

resuming said supply of electric power to said object detecting means responsive to the brightness detector detecting a brightness surrounding said basin higher than a predetermined brightness.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, and further comprising the step of:

shutting off said supply of electric power to said brightness detector at said predetermined brightness detect cycle simultaneously with said step of resuming supply of electric power to said object detecting means.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined brightness detect cycle is longer than said predetermined power supply cycle.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, and further including the step of causing said object detecting means once every said predetermined power supply cycle to detect for an object or person standing before said basin.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, and further including the step of causing said brightness detector to detect for brightness in an area surrounding said basin during each predetermined brightness detect cycle.

6. An electric power supply system for supplying electric power to an automatic water discharge device which comprises an electrically controlled valve for discharging water for a predetermined period of time to flush a basin after a person'"'"'s usage of said basin, said system comprising:

object detecting means associated with said basin for detecting a presence of and a disappearance of a person standing before said basin;

brightness detecting means associated with said basin for detecting a brightness surrounding said basin higher than a predetermined brightness; and

control means for supplying an electric power on a predetermined power supply cycle to said object detecting means to detect a person before said basin, for causing said electrically controlled valve to discharge said water when said object detecting means detects the disappearance of said person from the basin, said control means shutting off said supply of electric power to said object detecting means after an elapse of a predetermined period of time following disappearance of said person standing before the basin to render said object detecting means inoperative, commencing supply of electric power on a predetermined brightness detect cycle to said brightness detecting means after shutting off said supply of electric power to detect a brightness in the area of said basin, and resuming said supply of electric power to said object detecting means when said brightness detecting means detects a brightness in the area of said basin higher than a predetermined brightness.

7. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 6, wherein said control means further shuts off said supply of electric power to said brightness detecting means simultaneously with said resuming said supply of electric power to said object detecting means.

8. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 6, wherein said predetermined brightness detect cycle is longer than said predetermined power supply cycle.

9. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 6, wherein said object detecting means is caused once every said predetermined power supply cycle to search for an object standing before said basin.

10. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 6, wherein said brightness detecting means is caused once every said predetermined brightness detect cycle to detect for brightness in an area surrounding said basin.

11. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 6, wherein said object detecting means comprises a photo-electric sensor.

12. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 11, wherein said object detecting means comprises a light emitting element for emitting a light pulse on said predetermined power supply cycle and a light receiving element for receiving said light pulse reflected from said person to provide said control means with a signal pulse.

13. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 12, wherein said light emitting element comprises a light emitting diode.

14. An electric power supply system as recited in claim 12, wherein said light emitting element comprises an infrared light emitting diode.