Resistive coupling for an automatic faucet

• US 9,243,392 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Marty, Garry R., Sawaski, Joel D., Thomas, Kurt J., Davidson, Kyle R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, KEVIN L
• Application Number:
  US14/501,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20150013064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 137/801, 462/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2001/0415 having an extendable water outlet
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/01 Mounting; Supporting
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/14 Terminals or tapping points or electrodes specially adapted for resistors in general H01R; Arrangements of terminals or tapping points or electrodes on resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 13/02 Structural combinations of resistors impedance networks per se H03H
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/9464 Faucets and spouts

Abstract

A faucet includes a logical control, a spout, a hub, a handle, and a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout, the hub, and the handle.

Claims

1. A faucet comprising:

a first faucet component;

a second faucet component;

a sensor coupled to at least one of the first faucet component and the second faucet component; and

a resistor assembly coupled to the first faucet component and the second faucet component, the resistor assembly including

an insulating adapter,

a first electrical contact coupled to the insulating adapter and in contact with the first faucet component,

a second electrical contact coupled to the insulating adapter and in contact with the second faucet component, and

a resistor electrically coupled between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

2. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the first electrical contact is positioned between an inner surface of the insulating adapter and the first faucet component and extends around a majority of the circumference of the first faucet component.

3. The faucet of claim 2, wherein the second electrical contact is positioned between an outer surface of the insulating adapter and the second faucet component and extends around a majority of the circumference of the insulating adapter.

4. The faucet of claim 2, wherein the resistor assembly further includes a printed circuit board, and the resistor and the second electrical contact are mounted to the printed circuit board.

5. The faucet of claim 4, wherein the first electrical contact includes a ring-shaped contact, and the printed circuit board is coupled to the first electrical contact.

6. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the first faucet component includes a faucet body hub, and the second faucet component includes a spout coupled to the faucet body hub.

7. The faucet of claim 6, wherein the faucet body hub includes a spout stud, and the insulating adapter includes a cylindrical wall coupled between the spout and the spout stud.

8. The faucet of claim 1, further including a control unit operably coupled to the sensor, the control unit being configured to determine which of the first faucet component and the second faucet component is touched by a user based on an output signal from the sensor.

9. The faucet of claim 8, wherein a first output signal change is detected by the control unit when the first faucet component is touched by the user, and a second output signal change is detected by the control unit when the second faucet component is touched by the user, the first output signal change being different than the second output signal change.

10. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to at least one of the first faucet component and the second faucet component.

11. A resistor assembly for a faucet, the resistor assembly comprising:

an insulating adapter including a cylindrical wall, the cylindrical wall forming an opening configured to receive a first faucet component of the faucet;

a first electrical contact coupled to an inner surface of the insulating adapter and configured to contact the first faucet component;

a second electrical contact coupled to the insulating adapter and configured to contact a second faucet component of the faucet; and

a resistor mounted to the insulating adapter and electrically coupled between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact.

12. The resistor assembly of claim 11, wherein the first electrical contact extends a majority of a circumference of the inner surface of the insulating adapter.

13. The resistor assembly of claim 12, wherein the second electrical contact is coupled to an outer surface of the insulating adapter and extends a majority of a circumference of the outer surface of the insulating adapter.

14. The resistor assembly of claim 12, wherein the resistor assembly further includes a printed circuit board, and the resistor and the second electrical contact are mounted to the printed circuit board.

15. The resistor assembly of claim 14, wherein the first electrical contact includes a ring-shaped contact, and the printed circuit board is coupled to the first electrical contact.

16. The resistor assembly of claim 11, wherein the insulating adapter includes an upper portion and a lower portion, the first electrical contact is coupled to the lower portion, and the second electrical contact is coupled to the upper portion.

17. The resistor assembly of claim 16, wherein the upper portion of the insulating adapter includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced lobes, and the lower portion of the insulating adapter includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced ridges.

18. The resistor assembly of claim 17, wherein the resistor is coupled between at least two of the plurality of circumferentially spaced ridges.

19. The resistor assembly of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact includes a plurality of lobed portions extending radially outwardly from an inner diameter.