Liquid purification or separation – With alarm – indicator – register – recorder – signal or... – Transparent
Patent
1991-06-24
1992-12-15
Dawson, Robert A.
Liquid purification or separation
With alarm, indicator, register, recorder, signal or...
Transparent
137551, 137555, 116202, 210 961, 2104331, 362 32, 362800, B01D 3514
Patent
active
051714299
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an apparatus for discharging water such as a water faucet and in particular, to an apparatus constructed to emit light to output water in response to the temperature, quality, pressure or volume of water.
BACKGROUND ART
There has been proposed an automatic faucet wherein a switch is operable to change the volume or temperature of the output water. A lamp is turned on and off so that a user may visually recognize the volume or temperature of water.
It is well known that a water purifier includes a purifying agent such as an activated carbon to purify tap water. The water purifier typically includes a changeover valve operable to selectively discharge tap water and purified water. A lamp is turned on when the changeover valve is operated to provide purified water. A sensor (for example, conductance meter) is provided to detect the quality of purified water, and a warning lamp is turned on when the quality of the purified water deteriorates. A similar warning lamp is turned on when the volume of water flowing through the purifying agent exceeds a predetermined level.
Those lamps are often placed in a control box which is separated from a water faucet. In some case, the lamps are mounted to a faucet, but to the upper portion of the faucet, so that water hardly splashes the lamps. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that the user can not easily view the lamps.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for discharging water comprising a water passageway, wherein the apparatus further includes sensor means for sensing characteristics of water flowing through the water passageway, and light emitting means for emitting light to the water passageway or a region downstream of the water passageway in response to the characteristics as sensed.
In the apparatus of the present invention, the characteristics includes one or more of the following: water temperature, water flow, water pressure and water concentration.
In the apparatus of the present invention, the water concentration is pH and/or hardness.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for discharging water including an outlet port, a plurality of feed water passages connected to the outlet port, and passage selection means for selectively communicating the outlet port with either one of the plurality of feed water passages, wherein the apparatus further includes sensor means for sensing which one of the plurality of feed water passages is selected by the passage selection means, and light emitting means for emitting light to the feed water passage or a region through which water flows from the outlet port in response to the sensing by the sensor means.
In this case, a filtering element is disposed in either one of the feed water passages.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for discharging water including a filtering element, wherein the apparatus further includes sensor means disposed downstream of the filtering element for sensing the quality of water, and light emitting means for emitting light to a passage in the apparatus or a region through which the water flows from an outlet port in response to the sensing by the sensor means.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for discharging water including a filtering element, wherein the apparatus further includes sensor means for sensing integrated flow of water flowing through the filtering element, and light emitting means for emitting light to a passage in the apparatus or a region through which the water flows from an outlet port in response to the total amount of flow as sensed.
In the apparatus of the present invention, the light emitting means comprises a light emitting device and an optical fiber for guiding light from the light emitting device. Of course, any light emitting device other than LED and any light transmitter other than the optical fiber may be used.
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REFERENCES:
patent: 4849098 (1989-07-01), Wilcock et al.
patent: 4851818 (1989-07-01), Brown et al.
patent: 4901207 (1990-02-01), Sato et al.
patent: 4933080 (1990-06-01), Rundzaitis et al.
patent: 5114570 (1992-05-01), Nelson et al.
Dawson Robert A.
Drodge Joseph
Inax Corporation
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