MULTI-MODE HANDS FREE AUTOMATIC FAUCET

• US 20100012194A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Faucet Company (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Masco Corporation Of Indiana (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Huffington, Todd, Marty, Garry M., Jonte, Patrick B., Burke, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,127,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 137/1
• 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: Y10T 137/0318 Processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8158 With indicator, register, recorder, alarm or inspection means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/8175 Plural
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/86389 Programmer or timer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87917 Flow path with serial valves and/or closures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/9464 Faucets and spouts

Abstract

A hands-free faucet comprises a proximity sensor, a logical control, a handle, a spout, and a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout and the handle.

Claims

1. A faucet comprising:

a faucet body hub;

a manual valve handle movably coupled to the faucet body hub to control a manual valve, the manual valve handle being electrically coupled to the faucet body hub;

a spout coupled to the faucet body hub by an insulator so that the spout is electrically isolated from the faucet body hub;

a capacitive sensor having an electrode coupled to at least one of the faucet body hub and the manual valve handle; and

a controller coupled to the capacitive sensor, the controller determining which of the manual valve handle and the spout is touched by a user based on an output signal from the capacitive sensor.

2. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is an oscillator having an input coupled to the electrode and an output coupled to the controller.

3. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the controller uses the output signal from the capacitive sensor to distinguish between when the manual valve handle is tapped by the user, when the manual valve handle is grabbed by the user, when the spout is tapped by the user, and when the spout is grabbed by the user to control operation of the faucet in different modes.

4. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the faucet comprises a single hole mount faucet.

5. The faucet of claim 1, wherein a first output signal change is detected by the controller when the manual valve handle is touched by a user, and a second output signal change is detected by the controller when the spout is touched by a user, the first output signal change being greater than the second output signal change.

6. The faucet of claim 1, wherein a contact assembly electrically couples the manual valve handle to the faucet body hub, the contact assembly including a support and a resilient contact member movably coupled to the support to move along with the valve handle.

7. The faucet of claim 6, wherein the manual valve includes a movable valve stem, and the resilient contact member includes a spring receiving the stem.

8. The faucet of claim 1, wherein the insulator defines a capacitive coupling between the hub and the spout.

9. The faucet of claim 8, wherein the insulator includes a radially outwardly extending flange positioned intermediate a lower end of the spout and an upper end of the hub to reduce the effects of water droplets providing an electrical bridge therebetween.

10. A faucet comprising:

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 positioned intermediate the user input member of the handle and the spout.

11. The faucet of claim 10, further comprising:

a capacitive sensor coupled to the hub; and

a controller operably coupled to the capacitive sensor, the controller determining which of the user input member of the manual valve handle and the spout is touched by a user based on an output signal from the capacitive sensor.

12. The faucet of claim 10, wherein the capacitive coupling is defined by an insulator positioned intermediate the hub and the spout.

13. The faucet of claim 12, wherein the hub includes a base and an upwardly extending inner member concentrically received within the spout, and the insulator includes a side wall positioned intermediate the inner member and the spout.

14. The faucet of claim 12, wherein the insulator includes a radially outwardly extending flange positioned intermediate a lower end of the spout and an upper end of the hub to reduce the effects of water droplets providing an electrical bridge therebetween.

15. The faucet of claim 10, wherein the capacitive coupling is defined by an insulator positioned intermediate the hub and the user input member of the handle.

16. The faucet of claim 10, wherein the capacitive sensor is an oscillator having an input coupled to the electrode and an output coupled to the controller.

17. The faucet of claim 10, wherein the controller uses the output signal from the capacitive sensor to distinguish between when the user input member of the handle is tapped by the user, when the user input member of the handle is grabbed by the user, when the spout is tapped by the user, and when the spout is grabbed by the user to control operation of the faucet in different modes.

18. The faucet of claim 10, wherein the faucet comprises a single hole mount faucet.

19. The faucet of claim 10, wherein a first output signal change is detected by the controller when the user input member of the handle is touched by a user, and a second output signal change is detected by the controller when the spout is touched by a user, the first output signal change being greater than the second output signal change.

20. The faucet of claim 10, wherein a contact assembly electrically couples the manual valve handle to the hub, the contact assembly including a support and a resilient contact member movably coupled to the support to move along with the valve handle.

21. The faucet of claim 20, wherein the resilient contact member includes a spring receiving the valve stem.

22. A faucet comprising:

a first component;

a second component;

an impedance coupling between the first component and the second component;

a sensor coupled to the first component; and

a controller operably coupled to the sensor, the controller determining which of the first component and the second component is touched by a user based on an output signal from the sensor.

23. The faucet of claim 22, wherein the first component comprises a faucet body hub, and the second component comprises a spout coupled to the faucet body hub by an insulator.

24. The faucet of claim 22, wherein the first component comprises a faucet body hub, and the second component comprises a manual valve handle movably coupled to the faucet body hub to control a manual valve.

25. The faucet of claim 22, wherein the impedance coupling is a capacitive coupling.

26. The faucet of claim 25, wherein the capacitive coupling has a capacitance of about 100 pF.

27. The faucet of claim 22, wherein the impedance coupling is a resistive coupling.

28. The faucet of claim 27, wherein the resistive coupling has a resistance of about 1.5K ohms.

29. A faucet comprising:

a spout;

a handle;

a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout and the handle;

a proximity sensor having an active state and an inactive state; and

a logical control operably coupled to the touch control and the proximity sensor, the logical control including;

a first mode, wherein the proximity sensor is inactive;

a second mode, wherein the proximity sensor is active; and

a mode controller that changes the faucet between the first mode and the second mode in response to substantially simultaneous grasping of the spout and tapping of the handle.

30. The faucet of claim 29, wherein:

grasping of the spout comprises a touch of greater than approximately 350 milliseconds; and

tapping of the handle comprises at least one touch of less than less than approximately 350 milliseconds.

31. The faucet of claim 29, wherein the tapping of the handle comprises two sequential touches.

32. The faucet of claim 29, wherein the touch control comprises a single sensor electrically coupled to both the spout and the handle.

33. The faucet of claim 29, wherein the touch control comprises a first sensor electrically coupled to the spout and a second sensor electrically coupled to the handle.

34. The faucet of claim 29, further comprising a mode indicator configured to provide a visual indication of at least one of the first mode and the second mode.

35. The faucet of claim 29, wherein the first mode is a manual mode such that positioning of the handle toggles water flow on and off.

36. The faucet of claim 29, wherein the second mode is a hands-free mode such that changes in the state of the proximity sensor toggles water flow on and off.

37. The faucet of claim 29, wherein the first mode is a touch mode such that tapping one of the handle and the spout toggles water flow on and off.

38. A faucet comprising:

a spout;

a handle;

a touch control operably coupled to at least one of the spout and the handle;

a proximity sensor having an active state and an inactive state;

a logical control operably coupled to the touch control and the proximity sensor, the logical control including;

a first mode, wherein the proximity sensor is inactive;

a second mode, wherein the proximity sensor is active; and

an audio device configured to provide one of an ascending tone and a descending tone when the logical control transitions from the first mode to the second mode, and the audio device provides the other of the descending tone and the ascending tone when the logical control transitions from the second mode to the first mode.

39. The faucet of claim 38, wherein the audio device comprises a speaker operably coupled to the logical control.

40. The faucet of claim 38, further comprising a mode indicator configured to provide a visual indication of at least one of the first mode and the second mode.

41. The faucet of claim 38, wherein the first mode is a manual mode such that positioning of the handle toggles water flow on and off.

42. The faucet of claim 38, wherein the second mode is a hands-free mode such that changes in the state of the proximity sensor toggles water flow on and off.

43. The faucet of claim 38, wherein the first mode is a touch mode such that tapping one of the handle and the spout toggles water flow on and off.

44. The faucet of claim 43, wherein tapping comprises a touch of less than approximately 350 milliseconds.

45. A method comprising:

determining a characteristic impedance of a human body;

coupling a first faucet component to a second faucet component with an impedance coupling having an impedance selected to approximate the characteristic impedance of a human body;

coupling a sensor to the first faucet component; and

determining which of the first faucet component and the second faucet component is touched by a user based on an output signal from the sensor.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the impedance coupling is a capacitive coupling.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the capacitive coupling has a capacitance of about 100 pF.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the impedance coupling is a resistive coupling.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the resistive coupling has a resistance of about 1.5K ohms.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the sensor is a capacitive sensor.