Control arrangement for an automatic residential faucet

• US 7,537,195 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2007
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Masco Corporation Of Indiana (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Jonte, Patrick, McDaniel, Jason A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivell; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rost; Andrew J
• Application Number:
  US11/820,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20070235672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 251/129.04, 462/3, 4675-678
• US Class Current: 251/129.04
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/9464 Faucets and spouts

Abstract

A hands-free faucet comprises a spout, a valve, a position sensitive device, and a logical control. The position sensitive device is positioned on the user'"'"'s side of the spout, and has a trigger zone and an extended zone, each defined in part by a distance range from the position sensitive device. The logical control comprises a manual mode, wherein the position sensitive device is deactivated and the valve remains open, and a hands-free mode, wherein the valve is opened when the position sensitive device detects an object within the trigger zone, and wherein the valve is closed only when the position sensitive device does not detect an object within the trigger zone and does not detect an object that is moving within the extended zone.

Claims

1. A hands-free faucet for a sink constructed and arranged for permitting a flow of water to be initiated and to be stopped without physical contact with the faucet, the sink including a bottom portion, the hands free faucet comprising:

a spout having an outlet end;

a valve fluidly coupled to the spout and being movable between an open position wherein the flow of water through the outlet end of the spout is initiated and a closed position wherein the flow of water through the outlet end of the spout is stopped;

a position sensitive detection device defining a trigger zone and an extended zone, the trigger zone being defined at least in part by a distance range, wherein the position sensitive detection device is configured to generate a signal when the position sensitive detection device detects an object within at least one of the trigger zone and the extended zone; and

a logical control operably coupled to the valve and to the position sensitive detection device, the logical control configured to move the valve from the closed position to the open position in response to the signal from the position sensitive detection device indicating that an object is within the trigger zone, and the logical control configured to maintain one of the closed position and the open position of the valve in response to the signal from the position sensitive detection device indicating that an object is within the extended zone.

2. The hands-free faucet of claim 1, wherein the logical control is configured to not cause the valve to move from the closed position to the open position solely in response to the signal from the position sensitive detection device indicating that an object is within the extended zone, and the logical control is configured to cause the valve to remain in the open position in response to the signal indicating that an object is in the extended zone.

3. The hands-free faucet of claim 1, wherein the logical control is configured to cause the valve to remain in the open position only when the signal from the position sensitive detection device indicates that an object is within the trigger zone or that an object is moving within the extended zone.

4. The hands-free faucet of claim 1, wherein the logical control includes a manual mode and a hands-free mode, the position sensitive detection device being deactivated when the hands-free faucet is in the manual mode and the valve remaining the open position.

5. The hands-free faucet of claim 1, wherein the position sensitive detection device is supported adjacent the outlet end of the spout and is configured to provide an optical signal directed toward the bottom portion of the sink.

6. The hands-free faucet of claim 1, wherein the position sensitive detection device makes measurements at a plurality of frequencies, including at least a faster frequency and a slower frequency.

7. The hands-free faucet of claim 6, wherein the faster frequency is used for a period of time following a detection of an object.

8. The hands-free faucet of claim 6, which further includes a safety timer constructed and arranged to shut off the flow of water after the flow has been running for a period of time.

9. The hands-free faucet of claim 6, wherein the faster frequency is used to provide superior information in at least one low information condition.

10. The hands-free faucet of claim 1, wherein the sink includes a sink deck and the trigger zone is positioned entirely above the sink deck and the extended zone is positioned below the trigger zone.

11. A hands-free faucet comprising:

a valve; and

a position sensitive detection device defining a detection zone including a trigger zone and an extended zone, the hands-free faucet being constructed and arranged wherein the presence of an object in the trigger zone adjusts the valve for activating a flow stream, and wherein the presence of an object within the extended zone does not adjust the valve for causing an existing flow stream to continue but not activating a flow stream.

12. The hands-free faucet of claim 11, further comprising a logical control, the valve being operably coupled to the logical control and the position sensitive detection device.

13. The hands-free faucet of claim 12, wherein the logical control includes a manual mode and a hands-free mode, the position sensitive detection device being deactivated when the hands-free faucet is in said manual mode and the valve remaining open, the valve being opened in the hands-free mode when the position sensitive detection device detects an object within the trigger zone, wherein the valve is closed only when the position sensitive detection device does not detect an object within the trigger zone and does not detect an object that is moving within the extended zone.

14. The hands-free faucet of claim 11, wherein the trigger zone extends above a sink deck and the extended zone extends below the sink deck.

15. A faucet assembly comprising:

a sink deck;

a spout including an outlet end supported above the sink deck;

a sink basin including a bottom portion extending below the sink deck;

a valve fluidly coupled to the spout;

a position sensitive detection device defining a detection zone including a trigger zone extending above the sink deck and an extended zone extending below the sink deck; and

a logical control operably coupled to the valve and to the position sensitive detection device, the logical control being configured to open the valve when an object is detected within the trigger zone and maintain the valve in its existing state when an object is detected within the extended zone.

16. The faucet of claim 15, wherein the position sensitive detection device is supported adjacent the outlet end of the spout and is configured to provide an optical signal directed toward the bottom portion of the sink basin.