Automatic faucet control device and control method

• US 6,996,863 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toto Limited
• Original Assignee: Toto Limited
• Inventors: Kaneko, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Justine R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/489,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20050000015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 430/2, 430/4, 462/3
• US Class Current: 4/623
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors

Abstract

An automatic faucet control device including an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing a flow channel of a faucet, a ray emitting device (5) for emitting infrared rays to a target to be detected, a ray receiving device (6) for receiving the infrared rays reflected by the target, a sensing decision device for the deciding presence or absence of the target by an output from the ray receiving device (6), and an electromagnetic valve controller for controlling the electromagnetic valve based on a signal from the sensing decision device. The ray emitting device (5) has a first polarizing plate (7) allowing a polarized light component to be transmitted, and the ray receiving device (6) has a second polarizing plate (8) for allowing a polarized light component different from the rays transmitted through the first polarizing plate (7) to be transmitted therethrough.

Claims

1. An automatic faucet control device having a detection means for detecting infrared rays of emitted infrared light, the infrared rays being incident on a target to be detected and being reflected thereby, so as to sense the target coming closer to a spout and then to allow water to automatically run, the device being attached to a washbowl, a washbasin, or a sink, wherein

the infrared rays of the detection means are directed toward the washbowl, the washbasin, or the sink;

the detection means includes;

a first polarization means for allowing a linearly polarized component of the emitted infrared rays to be transmitted therethrough and a second polarization means for allowing a linearly polarized component of received infrared rays to be transmitted therethrough; and

planes of polarization of the first polarization means and the second polarization means cross each other, so that the detection means does not detect mirror-reflected rays from a surface of the washbowl, the washbasin, or the sink but detects diffuse-reflected rays from the target.

2. An automatic faucet control device attached to a washbowl, a washbasin, or a sink, comprising:

an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing a flow channel of a faucet, a ray emitting means for emitting infrared rays to a target to be detected, a ray receiving means for receiving the infrared rays reflected by the target, a sensing decision means for deciding presence or absence of the target by an output from the ray receiving means, and an electromagnetic valve control means for controlling the electromagnetic valve based on a sensing signal from the sensing decision means, wherein

the ray emitting means has a first polarization means for allowing a polarized component to be transmitted therethrough; and

the ray receiving means has a second polarization means for allowing a polarized component different from the rays transmitted through the first polarization means to be transmitted therethrough, so that mirror-reflected rays from a surface of the washbowl, the washbasin, or the sink are not detected but diffuse-reflected rays from the target are detected, whereby the sensing decision means determines the presence of the target.

3. The automatic faucet control device according to claim 2, wherein the first and the second polarization means are polarizing plates provided so that their planes of polarization perpendicularly cross each other.

4. A control method of an automatic faucet attached to a washbowl, a washbasin, or a sink, for detecting infrared rays of emitted infrared light, the infrared rays being incident on a target to be detected and being reflected thereby, and for sensing the target coming closer to a spout and then to allow water to automatically run, the infrared rays being directed toward the washbowl, the washbasin, or the sink, the method comprising the steps of:

emitting the infrared rays to a first polarization means to allow a linearly polarized component to be transmitted therethrough so that the linearly polarized component is incident on an object; and

allowing reflected rays of the linearly polarized component reflected by the object to be incident on a second polarization means having a plane of polarization crossing a plane of polarization of the first polarization means so as to detect only a linearly polarized component transmitted through the second polarization means, whereby mirror-reflected rays from a surface of the washbowl, the washbasin or the sink are not detected, but diffuse-reflected rays from the object are detected to allow water to run.