Passive sensors for automatic faucets and bathroom flushers
First Claim
1. A system including optical sensor for controlling a flow valve of an electronic faucet or bathroom flusher, comprising:
- a flow valve constructed to control water flow;
an optical element including a lens located at an optical input port and arranged to partially define a detection field having a selected size and orientation that eliminate invalid targets;
a light detector optically coupled to said optical element and said input port, said light detector being constructed to detect ambient light; and
a control circuit for controlling opening and closing of said flow valve, said control circuit being constructed to receive periodically signal from said light detector corresponding to the detected ambient light and to control said opening and closing by executing a detection algorithm employing detection of increases and decreases of said ambient light due to the presence of a user within said detection field for several time intervals and background level of said ambient light.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to novel optical sensors and novel methods for sensing optical radiation. The novel optical sensors and the novel optical sensing methods are used, for example, for controlling the operation of automatic faucets and flushers. The novel sensors and flow controllers (including control electronics and valves) require only small amounts of electrical power for sensing users of bathroom facilities, and thus enable battery operation for many years. A passive optical sensor includes a light detector sensitive to ambient (room) light for controlling the operation of automatic faucets or automatic bathroom flushers.
-
Citations
36 Claims
-
1. A system including optical sensor for controlling a flow valve of an electronic faucet or bathroom flusher, comprising:
-
a flow valve constructed to control water flow; an optical element including a lens located at an optical input port and arranged to partially define a detection field having a selected size and orientation that eliminate invalid targets; a light detector optically coupled to said optical element and said input port, said light detector being constructed to detect ambient light; and a control circuit for controlling opening and closing of said flow valve, said control circuit being constructed to receive periodically signal from said light detector corresponding to the detected ambient light and to control said opening and closing by executing a detection algorithm employing detection of increases and decreases of said ambient light due to the presence of a user within said detection field for several time intervals and background level of said ambient light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A system including optical sensor for controlling a flow valve of an electronic faucet or bathroom flusher, comprising:
-
a flow valve constructed to control water flow; an optical element including a slit located at an optical input port and arranged to partially define a detection field having a selected size and orientation that eliminate invalid targets; a light detector optically coupled to said optical element and said input port, said light detector being constructed to detect ambient light; and a control circuit for controlling opening and closing of said flow valve, said control circuit being constructed to receive periodically signal from said light detector corresponding to the detected ambient light and to control said opening and closing by executing a detection algorithm employing detection of increases and decreases of said ambient light due to the presence of a user within said detection field for several time intervals and background level of said ambient light. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
-
-
29. A system including optical sensor for controlling a flow valve of an electronic faucet or bathroom flusher, comprising:
-
a flow valve constructed to control water flow; an optical element including an optical filter located at an optical input port and arranged to partially define a detection field having a selected size and orientation that eliminate invalid targets; a light detector optically coupled to said optical element and said input port, said light detector being constructed to detect ambient light; and a control circuit for controlling opening and closing of said flow valve, said control circuit being constructed to receive periodically signal from said light detector corresponding to the detected ambient light and to control said opening and closing by executing a detection algorithm employing detection of increases and decreases of said ambient light due to the presence of a user within said detection field for several time intervals and background level of said ambient light. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
Specification