Valves and valve actuation – Electrically actuated valve – Remote or follow-up control system for electrical actuator
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-17
2001-06-26
Rivell, John (Department: 3753)
Valves and valve actuation
Electrically actuated valve
Remote or follow-up control system for electrical actuator
C004S623000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250601
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to automated touchless plumbing facilities, and particularly to washrooms, bathrooms and kitchens that have active sensors to sense a user's position and movement, to sense fluid levels within a fixture, and to control the facilities.
Washroom facilities, including bathrooms in private dwellings and restrooms in commercial buildings, have the potential for accumulating high concentrations of bacteria. For example, high concentrations of bacteria are commonly found on toilet flush controls, faucet handles, toilet seats, floors, and entry and exit doors. There is a strong desire to develop touchless toilet facilities so that the user can avoid touching contaminated surfaces. Consequently, it is desirable to develop control systems that detect a user's, or multiple users', actions or movements, so that the various fixtures and equipment in the washroom can be controlled automatically and without the user having to physically touch a contaminated surface.
Moreover, it is desirable that the user's health and safety be maximized, while the costs, and intrusion to the washroom environment by the control system, are reduced.
Kitchen facilities, particularly commercial kitchens, are other areas where touchless plumbing fixtures are useful. For example, a kitchen staff member may use a touchless faucet after handling raw meat, thus avoiding the need to touch a faucet handle before starting the flow of water, or the need for the user to remember to remove gloves before touching the faucet handle.
There is, therefore, a need for improved plumbing fixtures that operate without the requirement that the user physically touch the appliance, and that provide increased health and safety for the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to reduce the problems described above, the present invention is directed to a system for controlling a plumbing fixture. The system includes at least two sensors, each sensor including a receiver, and a controller coupled to receive detection signals from the sensors and to generate a control signal in response to the received signals. An actuator is coupled to receive the control signal from the controller and couplable to the plumbing device to act on the bathroom device.
In certain embodiments, the sensors form a multi-sensor array, wherein each sensor in the multi-sensor array is oriented to detect objects within a respective detection zone, and the sensors are coupled to the controller to transmit detection information thereto. IN other embodiments, the controller is adapted to detect a user passing from one detection zone to the another and also to detect a height of the user.
The invention is also directed to a method of controlling plumbing fixtures that includes receiving detection signals from a plurality of sensors in a central controller, selecting, in the central controller, which of a plurality of actuators attachable to the plumbing fixtures to operate and directing control signals to the selected actuator to operate the selected actuator.
In some embodiments, the method invention further includes detecting the presence of an object within a detection zone of a sensor in a multi-sensor array and receiving detection signals from a plurality of sensors in the multi-sensor array. This may include detecting the object moving from one detection zone to another detection zone, or may include sensing a range between the object and one of the sensors of the plurality of sensors and determining a height of the object from the sensed range.
The invention is further directed to a system for controlling plumbing fixtures that includes means for receiving detection signals from a plurality of sensors, means for selecting which of a plurality of actuators attachable to the plumbing fixtures to operate and means for directing control signals to the selected actuator to operate the selected actuator.
The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The figures and the detailed description which follow more particularly exemplify these embodiments.
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Burnett William R.
Heinzmann Fred Judson
Kolar Anton J.
Paese Andrew J.
Richter-O'Connell David J.
Kohler Company
Merchant & Gould P.C.
Rivell John
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