Capacitive sensing faucet including a conductive polymer
First Claim
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1. A faucet comprising:
- a faucet body hub;
a spout coupled to the faucet body hub;
an insulator defining a capacitive coupling between the faucet body hub and the spout, wherein the insulator is formed from an electrically conductive polymer;
a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to the faucet body hub; and
a controller coupled to the capacitive sensor, an output signal from the capacitive sensor being supplied to the controller.
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Abstract
A capacitive sensing faucet is provided. In one exemplary embodiment, the faucet includes a a faucet body hub; a spout coupled to the faucet body hub; an insulator defining a capacitive coupling between the faucet body hub and the spout, wherein the insulator is formed from an electrically conductive polymer; a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to the faucet body hub; and a controller coupled to the capacitive sensor, the controller determining if the spout is touched by a user based on an output signal from the capacitive sensor.
27 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A faucet comprising:
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a faucet body hub; a spout coupled to the faucet body hub; an insulator defining a capacitive coupling between the faucet body hub and the spout, wherein the insulator is formed from an electrically conductive polymer; a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to the faucet body hub; and a controller coupled to the capacitive sensor, an output signal from the capacitive sensor being supplied to the controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A faucet comprising:
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a faucet body hub; a manual valve supported by the hub, the valve including a movable valve stem; a manual valve handle movably supported by the hub and operably coupled to the valve stem to control the manual valve, the manual valve handle including a user input member; a spout supported by the hub; and a capacitive coupling defined by an insulator positioned intermediate the hub and one of the spout and the handle, wherein the insulator is formed from an electrically conductive polymer. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification