Electronic faucets for long-term operation

• US 20070063158A1
• Filed: 07/03/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fatih Guler, Gregory Greene, Kay Herbert, Natan Parsons, Xiaoxiong Mo
• Original Assignee: Fatih Guler, Gregory Greene, Kay Herbert, Natan Parsons, Xiaoxiong Mo
• Inventors: Mo, Xiaoxiong, Herbert, Kay, Guler, Fatih, Parsons, Natan, Greene, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 7,690,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/129.40
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/05 Arrangements of devices on wash-basins, baths, sinks, or the like for remote control of taps remote control of taps or the like per se F16K
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/057 touchless, i.e. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 1/10 Devices for preventing contamination of drinking-water pipes, e.g. means for aerating self-closing flushing valves vacuum-breakers in general F16K, F16L
• CPC Class Codes: E03C 2201/40 Arrangement of water treatment devices in domestic plumbing installations
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 3/02 Self-closing flushing valves self-closing valves in general F16K21/04
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/105 touchless, e.g. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/402 acting on a diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7758 Pilot or servo controlled
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7762 Fluid pressure type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86389 Programmer or timer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/9464 Faucets and spouts

Abstract

An electronic faucet (10) mounted on a countertop (12) includes a housing, at least one fluid inlet line (24a, 24b) extending into the housing, a fluid outlet (46) from the housing, a solenoid (142, 143) for operating a valve controlling the fluid flow between at least one inlet line and the outlet, and a control circuit (206) for controlling the opening and closing of the valve.

Claims

1. A sensor-based flow-control system, comprising:

a conduit having at least one inlet and an outlet fluid;

a main valve interposed in said conduit and controlled by an electromechanical actuator receiving control signals for switching between an open state of said valve permits fluid flow through the conduit, and a closed state of said valve preventing fluid flow through the conduit; and

a sensor for generating sensor output signals to an electronic control circuit constructed and arranged to provide said control signals to said electromechanical actuator.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the control circuit begins a timing interval only if no previous timing interval is incomplete.

3. The control system of claim 1 wherein the object sensor includes an infrared object detector.

4. The control system of claim 3 wherein the infrared object detector is an active infrared object detector.

5. The control system of claim 4 wherein the infrared object detector is a passive infrared object detector.

6. The control system of claim 1 wherein the object sensor includes an ultrasonic object detector.

46. A method for controlling the sensor-based flow-control system of claim 1.

7. An electronic faucet comprising

a housing adapted to seat against a support surface and defining an internal barrel having a bottom wall, a sidewall and an open top;

at least one fluid inlet extending through the bottom wall into the barrel into the barrel;

a fluid outlet in the sidewall of the barrel;

a valve cartridge seated in said barrel through the open top thereof, said cartridge including

a valve for controlling fluid flow between said at least on inlet line and said outlet, and

a solenoid actuator for opening and closing the valve;

means for releasably retaining the valve cartridge in the barrel;

a faucet head removably mounted to the housing and covering the open top of the barrel, said faucet head including a wall;

a proximity sensor at the faucet which produces an output signal of a selected duration and approached by a user'"'"'s extremity, and

a control circuit in the faucet head which responds to said signal by activated said solenoid so as to open the valve, said valve cartridge being removable from the barrel while the housing remains seated against said support surface by separating the faucet head and retaining means from the housing.

8. The faucet defined in claim 7 and further including a check valve releasably retained in each inlet line, each check valve being accessible from the barrel when the cartridge is removed from the barrel.

9. The faucet defined in claim 7 and further including a spout having a first end connected to said fluid outlet and a second end spaced laterally from the barrel.

10. The faucet defined in claim 9 and further including a second proximity sensor located adjacent to the second end of the spout and delivering a second output signal to said control circuit so long as the second sensor sensors a user'"'"'s extremity and when that control circuit responds to said second signal by activating the solenoid to open the valve.

11. The faucet defined in claim 7 wherein said proximity sensor is a capacitive-type sensor.

12. The faucet defined in claim 11 wherein said sensor includes

an electrically conductive pad incorporated into said wall of the faucet head and surrounded by electrically insolating material, and

an electrical lead connecting the pad to said control circuit.

13. The faucet defined in claim 7 wherein the faucet head contains a battery for energizing the control circuit and solenoid.

14. The faucet defined in claim 7 wherein the faucet includes means for connecting the control circuit to a power source.

15. The faucet defined in claim 7 wherein

a faucet head includes a shell removably mounted to the housing and having an open top, and

a cap removably secured to the shell to provide access to the control circuit in the faucet head, the proximity sensor being incorporated into the cap and including a spring contact connecting the proximity sensor to said control circuit.

16. The faucet defined in claim 7 wherein the valve includes a pilot valve.

17. The faucet defined in claim 7 wherein said actuator is of a latching type.

18. The faucet defined in claim 17 wherein the latching actuator is of the isolated type.

19. An electronic faucet comprising

a housing;

at least one fluid inlet line flowing extending into the housing;

a fluid outlet from the housing;

a solenoid valve in the housing controlling the fluid flow between said at least one inlet line and the outlet, and

control means for controlling the opening and closing of the valve, said control means including

power supply means, and

a control circuit for controlling the delivery from the power supply means to the valve, said control circuit comprising

a touch pad accessible from outside the housing,

a detector connected to the touch pad for producing a touch signal when the touch pad is touched, and

a controller responsive to the touch signal for delivering power to the valve so as to open the valve for a selected time duration.

20. The faucet defined in claim 19 wherein the controller includes means in the housing for adjusting said time duration.

21. An electronic faucet comprising

a housing;

at least one fluid inlet line extending into the housing;

a fluid outlet from the housing;

a solenoid valve in the housing controlling the fluid flow between said at least one inlet line in the outlet, and

a control circuit for controlling the opening and closing of the valve.

22. A valve device, comprising:

a fluid input port and a fluid output port;

a valve body defining a valve cavity and including a valve closure surface; and

a fram assembly providing two pressure zones and being movable within said valve cavity with respect a guiding member;

said fram assembly being constructed to move to an open position enabling fluid flow from said fluid input port to said fluid output port upon reduction of pressure in a first of said pressure zones; and

being constructed to move to a closed position, upon increase of pressure in said first pressure zone, creating a seal at said valve closure surface.

23. The valve device of claim 22, wherein said two pressure zones include two chambers separated by said fram assembly and wherein said first pressure zone includes a pilot chamber.

24. The valve device of claim 23 including an operator constructed and arranged to release pressure in said pilot chamber and thereby initiate movement of said fram member from said closed position to said open position.

25. The valve device of claim 24, wherein said operator includes a latching actuator.

26. The valve device of claim 24, wherein said operator includes a non-latching actuator.

27. The valve device of claim 24, wherein said operator includes an actuator having an isolation membrane for containing fluid inside a plunger cavity of said actuator.

28. The valve device of claim 22 wherein said fram assembly includes a pliable member and a stiff member, said pliable member being constructed to come in contact with said valve closure surface to form said seal in said closed position.

29. The valve device of claim 28, wherein said valve closure surface includes a lip providing said seal in said closed position.

30. The valve device of claim 22 including a bias member.

31. The valve device of claim 30 wherein said bias member is constructed and arranged to assist movement of said fram member from said open position to said closed position.

32. The valve device of claim 30 wherein said bias member includes a spring.

33. The valve device of claim 30 wherein said guiding member includes a pin.

34. The valve device of claim 33 wherein said pin includes a grove.

35. The valve device of claim 22 wherein, wherein said two pressure zones include two chambers separated by said fram assembly and wherein said first pressure zone includes a pilot chamber and a second of said pressure zones includes an input chamber;

and wherein said guiding member includes a pin having a grove providing a passage from said input chamber to said pilot chamber.

36. The valve device of claim 23 including a manual operator constructed and arranged to release pressure in said pilot chamber and thereby initiate movement of said fram member from said closed position to said open position.

37. The valve device of claim 23 including an electromagnetic operator constructed and arranged to displace a magnetic element and thereby release pressure in said pilot chamber to initiate movement of said fram member from said closed position to said open position.

38. A method of controlling fluid flow, comprising:

providing a fluid input port and a fluid output port associated with a valve body defining a valve cavity and including a valve closure surface;

providing a fram assembly defining two pressure zones and being movable within said valve cavity with respect a guiding member;

reducing a pressure in a first of said pressure zones and thereby initiating movement of said fram assembly to an open position enabling fluid flow from said fluid input port to said fluid output port; and

closing a control passage to increase of pressure in said first pressure zone and thereby initiating movement of said fram assembly from said open position to said closed position preventing fluid flow from said fluid input port to said fluid output port.

39. An electromagnetic actuator, comprising:

a solenoid coil and an armature housing constructed and arranged to receive a ferromagnetic armature including a distal part, and

a membrane secured with respect to said armature housing and arranged to enclose at least partially said distal part to seal armature fluid within an armature pocket having a fixed volume, wherein displacement of said distal part displaces said membrane with respect to a valve passage controlled by said actuator, and

an armature port providing a fluid passage for said armature fluid between said distal part and a proximal part of said armature thereby enabling energetically efficient movement of said armature between open and closed positions with respect to said valve passage.

40. The actuator of claim 39 further including a permanent magnet arranged to form a latching actuator.

41. The actuator of claim 40 further including a bias spring positioned and arranged to biases said armature toward its extended position.

42. The actuator of claim 39, 40 or 41 wherein said armature fluid includes incompressible fluid comprising corrosion inhibitor.

43. The actuator of claim 39, 40 or 41 wherein the incompressible fluid consists essentially of water mixed with a corrosion inhibitor.

44. The actuator of claim 39, 40 or 41 wherein said distal part of the armature is arranged to compress said membrane against a valve seat when said armature is disposed in its extended armature position.

45. An actuator system comprising:

an actuator including an armature and a coil operable by application of a coil drive and thereby displace said armature;

a membrane partially enclosing said armature and armature fluid;

an armature port providing a fluid passage for said armature fluid inside said armature between said distal part and a proximal part of said armature;

an armature sensor constructed to detect displacement of said armature; and

a control circuit constructed to apply said coil drive to said coil in response to an output from said armature sensor.