Touchless fluid supply interface and apparatus

• US 6,513,787 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2001
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AS IP Holdco, LLC
• Original Assignee: American Standard International Inc (Trane Technologies plc)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Jamie Jon Aorangi, Jeromson, Peter James, Rutten, Giscard Hubertus Theodoor, Barnes, Peter Stephen, Forrest, Harold Edgar
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, A MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/674,595
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 236/12.12, 251/129.04, 137/801
• US Class Current: 251/129.04
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8359 Inspection means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/9464 Faucets and spouts

Abstract

The fluid supply apparatus supplies and controls one or more fluids while adjusting/controlling one or more continuously parameters; and includes an outlet, at least one control valve and a touchless user control interface. For example a faucet has sensors mounted thereon to control water flow (6) and temperature (16, 17). For example a user hand in field (16) will increase temperature over time and decrease in field (17). The on/off sensor field may include the water stream, a bi-colour light emitting diode indicates temperature, temperature feedback means maintains the desired temperature, a battery or super capacitor allows operation or fluid shut off if power fails, an anti-tamper feature requires the fluid to be shut off if more than one sensor is covered and a time prevents waster wastage. The hygienic touchless interface may be in a tile or flat plate. Other applications may include panel mounted fluid control systems for controlling a plurality of fluid types and associated parameters.

Claims

1. A touchless, temperature control faucet including:

at least one fluid outlet assembly from which the fluid emerges;

at least one fluid control valve which allows variable control of the temperature of the emerging fluid based on temperature feedback by a temperature signal from a temperature sensor arranged downstream of the fluid control valve;

at least one touchless control user interface adapted to receive touchless control instructions from a user, wherein the touchless control instructions varies the temperature of the emerging fluid;

at least three touchless sensors mounted on said fluid outlet assembly, each said sensor adapted to sense an object in a respective sensing field;

wherein at least one of said touchless sensors enables the switching on and off of the emerging fluid;

wherein at least one other of said touchless sensors enables the temperature of said emerging fluid to increase;

wherein at least one other of said touchless sensors enables the temperature of said emerging fluid to decrease.

2. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said touchless control user interface and said touchless sensors operate independently of the distance of the object in a respective sensing field.

3. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least one fluid control valve comprises a thermostatic valve.

4. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which includes at least two fluid inlets and wherein the at least one fluid control valve is a temperature control valve which mixes varying ratios of fluids from said at least two fluid inlets.

5. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which includes a user display including at least two visual indicators for showing a direction of fluid temperature adjustment.

6. The faucet as claimed in claim 5 wherein the first controller is disposed in the fluid outlet assembly.

7. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which includes a second controller which controls the fluid control valve according to information relating to the desired temperature and/or the on/off status.

8. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the sensors is adapted to transmit light and sense light reflected off an object positioned within a respective sensing field.

9. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the touchless control user interface includes at least one sensor disposed such that the sensing field of that at least one sensor substantially contains a portion of a trajectory of fluid emerging from the fluid outlet assembly.

10. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the touchless control user interface includes sensors disposed to have sensing fields to either side of the fluid outlet assembly.

11. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sensors are disposed near an end of the fluid outlet assembly.

12. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fluid outlet assembly includes a faucet, wherein at least one of the sensors is disposed at a location on the faucet, the location selected so that it is accessible to a user'"'"'s hands when the user uses the faucet the at least one sensor being located proximate a base of the faucet.

13. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the fluid supply apparatus is arranged such that the supply of fluid is switched on when an object is placed near the outlet of the faucet, substantially in the trajectory of fluid that emerges from the fluid supply means, and the supply of fluid is switched off otherwise.

14. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the touchless control user interface is adapted so that the temperature of the fluid may be increased by placing an object to one side of the end of the faucet and the temperature may be decreased by placing an object to another side of the faucet.

15. The faucet as claimed in claim 7 wherein the touchless control user interface includes a first controller which monitors the sensors and determines an on/off status and also a desired fluid temperature.

16. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which uses the temperature feedback to maintain the fluid temperature substantially at the desired temperature.

17. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which includes a timer which provides a delay for the cessation of the fluid supply after the removal of any object from the sensing path of any of the sensors.

18. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which arranged such that no fluid is supplied if one or more of the sensors is covered so as to render it inoperable.

19. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which includes a battery backup.

20. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 which includes a user display including at least two visual indicators in at least two different colors, wherein the brightness of each indicator, as perceived by the human eye, may be varied individually to provide a range of colors, as perceived by the human eye, to represent different temperatures of the fluid.

21. The faucet as claimed in claim 20 wherein said visual indicators are light source indicators.

22. The faucet as claimed in claim 21 wherein said light source indicators are LEDs.

23. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 including hot and cold temperature control sensors disposed to either side of a substantially central on/off sensor area.

24. The faucet as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sensors are adapted so that the supply of fluid is switched on when an object is temporarily placed near the substantial central on/off sensor area and the supply of fluid is subsequently switched off when an object is placed near the on/off sensor area.