Automatic faucet

• US 6,691,340 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2002
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toto Limited
• Original Assignee: Toto Limited
• Inventors: Nakao, Hitoshi, Kawabata, Takatoshi, Honda, Tadahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US10/146,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20030213062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 462/3, 467/5-6-8
• US Class Current: 4/623
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors

Abstract

An automatic faucet has a closing valve, a controller of the closing valve, a discharging member connected to the closing valve through a pipe, an optical sensor connected to the controller through an electric wire and a cylindrical faucet body through which the conduit and the electric wire are passed. The discharging member and the optical sensor are directed in the same direction, assembled in a unit, and installed in a single space formed in the front end portion of the faucet body.

Claims

1. An automatic faucet, comprising:

a closing valve;

a controller of the closing valve;

a discharging member connected to the closing valve through a pipe;

an optical sensor connected to the controller through an electric wire; and

a cylindrical faucet body through which the pipe and the electric wire are passed,

wherein the discharging member and the optical sensor are directed in the same direction and installed in a single space formed in the front end portion of the faucet body, the discharging member is fixed to the faucet body, and the optical sensor is clamped by a projection provided for the faucet body and the discharging member to be fixed to the faucet body.

2. An automatic faucet of claim 1, wherein the discharging member and the optical sensor are assembled in a unit to be detachable.

3. An automatic faucet of claim 1, wherein an annular space formed between the discharging member and the peripheral circumferential surface of the single space formed in the front end portion of the faucet body is partially filled with the optical sensor.

4. An automatic faucet of claim 1, wherein the discharging member is fixed to the faucet body with a screw upwardly threaded into the discharging member.

5. An automatic faucet of claim 1, wherein the discharging member is screwed into the faucet body to be fixed to the faucet body.

6. An automatic faucet of claim 5, wherein the discharging member is provided with key grooves to engage a tool for rotating the discharging member, thereby screwing the discharging member on or unscrewing the discharging member from the faucet body.

7. An automatic faucet of claim 5, wherein the discharging member is provided with slits at its front end for enabling compression of the discharging member in the radial direction and enlargement of an annular space between the discharging member and the peripheral circumferential surface of the single space, thereby easing operations for detaching the discharging member from the faucet body.