Electronic faucet
First Claim
1. An electronic faucet, comprising:
- a spout having a housing that extends from a base end of said housing to a distal free end of said housing, said base end having a substantially planar mounting surface;
an infra-red detector supported within said housing proximate said base end, said housing having an outer surface with said detector being recessed from said outer surface, said infra-red detector having an optical axis oriented in a direction that is parallel to the plane in which said mounting surface lies, and said optical axis extending through an opening in said outer surface of said housing at a location in which said outer surface forms an obtuse angle with said mounting surface.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic faucet having a spout, a electronically actuated valve, and a microprocessor-based control circuit for operating the valve to enable or disable water flow through the spout. The microprocessor has a control program which includes a calibration routine that uses an infra-red sensor to determine an adjustable setpoint indicative of the signal received from the sensor in the absence of an object in front of the faucet. The microprocessor switches the valve from its closed state to its open state when the signal from the sensor either increases above the setpoint by a selected amount or decreases below the setpoint by a selected amount. This provides a window about the setpoint within which differences between the setpoint and the signal do not result in opening of the valve. Object detection is accomplished using a tracking routine that adjusts the setpoint in an attempt to track the sensor signal. If the sensor signal undergoes a change that is too large to be tracked, then the microprocessor switches on the valve. Once the sensor signal drops back into a range of values about a stored calibration point, the valve is closed. The control circuit is part of an electronics module that is mounted within the spout and that is held in place between the spout tube and the spout housing. The module includes a curved recess having a shape that conforms to the spout tube so that the module is retained in place at its upper end by the spout tube.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An electronic faucet, comprising:
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a spout having a housing that extends from a base end of said housing to a distal free end of said housing, said base end having a substantially planar mounting surface;
an infra-red detector supported within said housing proximate said base end, said housing having an outer surface with said detector being recessed from said outer surface, said infra-red detector having an optical axis oriented in a direction that is parallel to the plane in which said mounting surface lies, and said optical axis extending through an opening in said outer surface of said housing at a location in which said outer surface forms an obtuse angle with said mounting surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. An electronic faucet, comprising:
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a spout having a housing that extends from a base end of said housing to a distal free end of said housing;
a spout tube extending through said housing from an opening in said base end to an opening in said free end;
a valve having a water inlet, a water outlet, and at least one input that controls switching of said valve between an open state and a closed state, wherein said valve permits water flow through said valve between said inlet and said outlet when in said open state and prevents water flow through said valve between said inlet and said outlet when in said closed state;
an electronic control circuit coupled to said input of said valve, said circuit including a microprocessor, a memory accessible by said microprocessor, a control program stored in said memory, and a sensor coupled to said microprocessor, said sensor being supported by said housing and being operable to generate a signal indicative of the presence or absence of objects located within a region of space near said housing; and
said control circuit including a support member that supports said microprocessor and memory in said spout, said support member having a first surface portion in contact with said spout tube and at least one other surface portion in contact with said housing. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. An electronic faucet, comprising:
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a spout having a housing that extends from a base end of said housing to a distal free end of said housing;
a spout tube that extends through said housing from an opening in said base end to an opening in said free end;
a valve having a water inlet, a water outlet, and at least one input that controls switching of said valve between an open state and a closed state, wherein said valve permits water flow through said valve between said inlet and said outlet when in said open state and prevents water flow through said valve between said inlet and said outlet when in said closed state;
an electronic control circuit coupled to said input of said valve, said circuit including a microprocessor, a memory accessible by said microprocessor, a control program stored in said memory, and a sensor coupled to said microprocessor, said sensor being supported by said housing and being operable to generate a signal indicative of the presence or absence of objects located within a region of space near said housing;
said control circuit including a support member that supports said microprocessor and memory in said spout, said support member having first and second sides and being retained in said housing by contact with said first side at opposite ends of said support member and with said second side at one or more intermediate locations. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A spout assembly for an electronic faucet, comprising:
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a spout housing that extends from a base end of said housing to a distal free end of said housing;
a spout tube that extends through said housing from an opening in said base end to an opening in said free end; and
an electronics module interposed between said spout tube and said spout housing, said electronics module being retained in place within said spout housing by contact of said electronics module with said spout tube and said spout housing. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electronic faucet, comprising:
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a spout having a first housing that extends from a base end of said housing to a distal free end of said housing, said first housing having an opening at a location intermediate said base end and said free end;
a second housing located within said first housing and having a unitary protruding portion that extends into said opening, said second housing being formed of an infra-red transmissive material;
an infra-red detector supported within said protruding portion of said second housing, said detector having a field of view that extends through a front surface of said protruding portion. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification