CA1190306A - Ultrasonically operated water faucet - Google Patents
Ultrasonically operated water faucetInfo
- Publication number
- CA1190306A CA1190306A CA000399437A CA399437A CA1190306A CA 1190306 A CA1190306 A CA 1190306A CA 000399437 A CA000399437 A CA 000399437A CA 399437 A CA399437 A CA 399437A CA 1190306 A CA1190306 A CA 1190306A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- faucet
- fluid
- ultrasonic
- fluid outlet
- predetermined
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S15/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
- G01S15/88—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
- E03C—DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER; SINKS
- E03C1/00—Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks
- E03C1/02—Plumbing installations for fresh water
- E03C1/05—Arrangements of devices on wash-basins, baths, sinks, or the like for remote control of taps
- E03C1/055—Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like
- E03C1/057—Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like touchless, i.e. using sensors
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S4/00—Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
- Y10S4/03—Electric flushing
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A water faucet is disclosed that is automatically turned on and off in response to the proximity of the user's hand or other object to the faucet. An ultrasonic transducer is located in the faucet near the water outlet and transmits bursts of ultrasonic waves. When a wave reflects off a user's hand and creates an echo signal, the echo is detected by the ultrasonic transducer. Circuitry connected to the ultrasonic transducer determines when an object is within a predetermined distance of the faucet by measuring the time elapsed between the transmission of the burst and the recep-tion of the echo. Once an object is within this predetermined distance, the circuitry causes a valve to open and water is supplied by the faucet.
A water faucet is disclosed that is automatically turned on and off in response to the proximity of the user's hand or other object to the faucet. An ultrasonic transducer is located in the faucet near the water outlet and transmits bursts of ultrasonic waves. When a wave reflects off a user's hand and creates an echo signal, the echo is detected by the ultrasonic transducer. Circuitry connected to the ultrasonic transducer determines when an object is within a predetermined distance of the faucet by measuring the time elapsed between the transmission of the burst and the recep-tion of the echo. Once an object is within this predetermined distance, the circuitry causes a valve to open and water is supplied by the faucet.
Description
3~
ULTRASONICALLY OPERATED WAI'ER FAUCET
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field o-f water faucets for use in sinks and the like and more particualrly to ~aucets that turn on or off automatically.
Water faucets that will turn off by themselves have been used for years in public lavatories in order to guard against the waste of water due to faucets being left on accidentally.
Where both hot and cold water is available from the faucet, it i5 doubly important to prevent the waste of hot water since energy must be consumed to heat the water.
The shut-off mechanisms used in the past have usually been spring loaded return devices in the valve mechanism itself. The valve itself may take the form of a spring loaded knob which the user turns approximately one quarter to one half a turn. When the knob is released by the user it returns to its off position.
Alternatively the knob may be one which the user pushes to cause water to flow. In either of these types of faucets a delay mechanism may be built in so that the water will flow for a predetermined amount of time after the knob is released so that the user may wash both hands together. This solution is seldom completely satisfactory because the amount of delay may be too 3~
little for some users and for others it may be more than necessary, thus wasting water.
There are many industrial applications for water faucets w~ere it is desirable to have a valve mechanism which can be turned on and off without having to use the user's hands. For example, in hospitals, laboratories and industrial work areas of various types one often finds foot or knee operated faucetsO
These allow the user to wash his hands or objects in his hands without having to operate a faucet control with his hands.
This is often necessary for sanitary as well as convenience reasons. However, these types of faucets can be allowed to run longer than is required, thus wasting water.
Home use also accounts for a significant amount of water usage. It is not uncommon for water to be left running while a person does another task and then returns to the sink. Handi~
capped persons also frequently have difficulty in using standard faucets in an economical manner, and sometimes they require special faucets tha-t can be operated with very little force or with parts o their bodies other than their hands.
None of these prior art devices fully satlsfies the need 24 for a faucet whic:h supplies water just for the time it is needed.
In addition, some of these mechanical devices only partially satisfy the needs which they were designed to meet, and they are becoming increasingly more expensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention a water faucet is provided which has an ultrasonic sensor to sense the presence of a user's hand or an object that is within a desired proximity of a faucet. The ultrasonic sensor is connected to a control circuit that activates an electrically controlled valve. When the user's hand is brought under the faucet the water is turned on and remains on for as long as the user's hand is under the faucet. When the user's hand is removed, th~ water is shut off, thus ensuring no more water than is necessary is used.
The ultrasonic sensor comprises an electostatic, ultrasonic transducer connected to driving and d~tection circuitry. The transducer is mounted on the faucet near the water outlet and is connected to the circuitry by wires in the faucet housing.
The circuitry is contained in a waterproof housing and is in turn connected to a solenoid vaLve in the water line leading to the outlet~ 3rive circuitry causes the transducer to emit 24 bursts of ultrasonic waves of s~elected frequencies. An object .
in the path of these waves will reflect sorne of them back to the transducer and will be detected by the transducer. Detection circuitry measures the time between the emission of the burst and the detection of the reflected waves. This time i5 directly proportional to the distance between the object and the transducer~ The circuitry can be set to energize the solenoid valve and turn on the water when an object is detected within a predetermined proximity or range of distances from the transducer. In addition, provision can be made so that the object to faucet distance at which the water is turned on or off can be varied as required by the specific application.
A faucet that is operated by a proximity detector has a number of significant advantages over the prior art. Since the faucet is on only during the time the user' 6 hands are under the faucet, there will be less water wasted. Where such a faucet is used for both hot and cold water, conservation of water will also result in the conservation of energy as less hot water is used. In industrial and medical applications such a faucet will be more convenient to use -than ones with prior art mechanical linkages, and there will be less like-lihood that water will be wasted. The same will be true of home use, especially for the handicapped who may have difficulty 24 using conventional faucets.
3~
~7arious aspects of the invention are as follows:
A faucet for a -Fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distanc2 measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for de-tecting and measuring the distance of an object from the fluid ou-tlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet i.n response to the detection of an object within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined distance.
~ faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet, distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial rel~ationship with the 1uid outlet for detecting and measuring 0 the distance of an object from the fluid outle-t; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of an object within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventiny the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
-4a ~3'1~3~
A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid lnlet, a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluld outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measurlny means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing- from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined distance.
A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring thè distance of a surface from the fluid outlet, and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
-4b ,~....
~3~3~
A method of controlling the flow of fluid from a faucet comprlsing:
detecti.ng the distance of an object from the faucet;
turning on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit; and turning off the fluid when the di.stance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limi.t.
1~ A method of controlling the flow of fluid from a faucet comprising:
detecting the distance of a surface from the faucet, turnin~ on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit; and turning off the fluid when the distance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limit.
4c-.., 3~
BRIEF ~SCRIP r I u 7F " Ir rR ~I N ~,s Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a perspective drawing of a sink with a faucet in accordance with the preferred e~bodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a side cross sectional view of a faucet with an ultrasonic transducer.
Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the device of Figure 3.
Figure 5 shows a side cross sectional view of an alterna-tive embodiment of Figure 3.
Figure 6 shows a bottom view of the device of Figure 5.
~0 Figure 7 shows an exploded view of an ultrasonic transducer.
Figure 8 shows a block diagram of control circuitry with 23 an ultrasonic transducer.
33~
Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit to oper~te the ultrasonic transducer.
Figure 10 shows a schematic di.agram of a response distance control circuitO
Figure 11 shows a schematic dLagram of a circuit for convertlng elapsed time signals into distance signals.
Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit to convert distance signals into on-off signals for a faucet.
Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an alternate circuit 14 to operate the ultrasonic transducer.
.3~
D SCRIPTION OF THE_PREE'ERRED EMBODIMENT
The block diagram of Figure 1 shows a hot water supply line 10 and a cold water supply line 12 coupled to respective manual valves 14 and 16. The water from the two manual valves is mixed together and supplied to a supply line 18, which in turn is connected to a solenoid valve 20. Water from solenoid valva 20 exits from faucet outlet 2~ to a sink (not shown).
An ultrasonic transducer 24 is mounted near faucet outlet 22 and is electrically connected to control circuitry 26. The control circuitry is electrically connected to the solenoid valve and opens and closes the valve in response to the signals from ultrasonic transducer 240 Figure 2 shows a sink 28 with a faucet 30 mounted over it on a counter 32. Ultrasonic tra~sducer 24 is mounted on the underside of the faucet near outlet 22. There is a control knob 34 for the hot water manual valve to allow for adjustment of the temperature and the flow rate of the water. There is also a control knob for the cold water that is not visible ir. this view.
In Figure 3 faucet 30 is shown in cross section, and in 24 Figure 4 a botton view of the faucet is shown. Ultrasonic ~3~)3~
transducer 24 is held in the faucet by a bezel 36 and an electrically insulative seal 38. A retain:ing spring 40 holds ultrasonic transducer 24 against the seal~ An electrical cable 42 is connected to the ultrasonic transducer and is protected by a wireway 44 in the faucet. A waterway 46 carries the water from the solenoid valve (not shown in this figure) to outlet 22.
The faucet i5 fastened to the counter in the conventional manner.
Figures 5 and 6 show an alternate arrangement of the ultrasonic transducer with respect to outlet 22 to provide for an earlier turn on as the uæer's hands approach the faucet.
Here~ with the ultrasonic transducer placed in front of the water outlet, cable 42 is in a wireway 44' formed on top of the waterway and covered by a removeable cover 48.
In the exploded view of Figure 7 it can be seen that uLtrasonic transducer 24 comprises an inner rlng 50 lnto which is placed a grooved plate 52 covered by a foil 54. A retainer 56 holds the grooved plate and foil in the inner ring and, the whole assembly is covered by a housing 58. Electrical leads (not shown) are attached to grooved plate 52 and foil 54. The foil comprises a thin insulator covered with a thin conductive 24 layer, and the grooved plate and the foil form a capacltor.
This capacitor acts as bo-th an electrostatic loudspeaker and an electrostatlc microphone, depending upon the signals applied to it by the circuitry to which it is connected. ~ltrasonic waves are generated by placing an alternating current voltage across the plates of the capacitor, and the foil vibrates at the frequency of the voltage, in the same manner as the cone of a loudspeaker. The vlbrations of the foil are carried through the air as ultrasonic waves. An ultrasonic transducer of the type just described is disclosed in detail in ~. S. Patent No .
4,085,297 granted 18 April 1978 to Paglia and assigned to the Polaroid Corporation. An alternate embodiment o-f an ultrasonic transducer is disclosed in U~ S. Patent No. 4,081,626 granted 28 March 1978 to Muggli, et al and also assigned to the Polarold Corporation.
~15 Figure 8 is a block diagram of control circuitry 26.
Ultrasonic transducer 24 is connected to a power interface circuit 62 that is driven by a digital section 64. A precisely controlled alternating current signal is supplied to digital sectlon 64 by a clock circuit 60, and the frequency of the waves emitted hy the ultrasonic transducer is determined by clock circuit 60. The power interface circult supplies the transmit si~nal to the ultrasonic transducer that produces a transmitted 24 ultrasonic pulse 66. Part of this pulse reflects off of an 3(~6 object 68, such as a hand, in its path and produces an echo 70.
The echo returns to the ultrasonlc transducer, which now acts like an electrostatic microphone; and the foil vibrates in response to the echo. This vibration is detected by an analog curcuit 72 connected to ultrasonic transducer 24. The analog circuit i5 connected ~o the digital section, and the digital section receives a processed echo signal from the analog circuit. A solenoid control circuit 74 is connected to digital section 64 and analog circuit 72, and the solenoid control circuit energizes or de-energizes solenoid valve 20 in accordance with the signals received from the analog circult and the digital section.
Ultrasonic transducer 24 and the circuitry to operate it, corresponding to clock circuit 60, power interface circuit 62, digital section 64 and analog circuit 72 are available from the Polaroid Corporation in the form of its Ultrasonic Ranging Unit which is used in some of the company's cameras and i5 also sold separately. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of ~he Polaroid ultrasonic circuit board which operates ultrasonic transducer 24. The transducer is connected to connector pins numbered 1 and 2, and the other relevant connections are shown on sub-se~uent figures showing circuitry that interfaces with the 24 ultrasonic circuit board. The circuits on the ultrasonic 3~
circuit board are discussed in greater detail in U. S. Paten-t No. 4,199,246 granted 22 April 1980 to Muggli and assigned to the Polaroid Corporation. Alternative ultrasonic ranging circuits are disclosed in the following ~. S. Patents: No.
3,522,764 granted 4 August 1970 to Biber, No. 3,523,275 granted 4 August 1970 to Gross and No. 4,148,574 granted 10 April 1979 to Johnson.
The Ultrasonic Ranging Unit as supplied by Polaroid is set to measure distances between ~9 and 35 -Eeet. In order to respond to the smaller distances usually encountered between a faucet and a user's hands, some modifications must be made to the Polaroid circuit, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 10 shows a response distance control circuit that is connected between pin 12 on digital section 64 and pin 7 on power inter-face circuit 62; the connection point is indicated at 76 in Figure 9.
The ultrasonic burst transmitted by ultrasonic transducer 24, as supplied, contains 56 cycles. If distances shorter than 0.9 feet are to be measured the number of cycles transmitted needs to be reduced. The circuitry in Figure 10 provides for 23 selected reduction of the number of cycles transmitted in X
3(~
accordance with the setting of a switch 78. The signal applied to the circuit input at pin 12 is XLOG which ~orresponds to the length of ~he transmit burst, ancl this signal is supplied to an adjustable 12 bit binary counter 80 which is connected to switch 78. Th2 switch selects ~he number of transmit cycles and the corre ponding mi.nimum range in accordance with the following Table I:
TABLE I
10Switch Settings No~ o Transmit Minumum Range A B C D E Cycles (appro mate) .. . . _ 1 1 1 1 0 3 4.5 inches O 1 1 1 0 5 ~.75 "
lS O O 1 1 0 g 5.3 "
O O O 1 0 25 7.5 "
O O O O 1 56 (normal) 10.8 Switch 78.is also connected to a dual AND gate 8~ and a dual flip flop 84 which together produce a modified XLOG signal for power interface circuit ~2. The connector pins denoted 8, 3 and 5 on Figure 10 are for connection to corresponding pins in a connector 88 shown in Figure 11. A monostable multivibrator 86 provides a reset pulse to counter 80 before the start of the transmission of each ul~rasonic bur.st and also resets flip-flop 84.
28 Figure 11 shows a portion of solenoid control circuit 74 30~
which comprises a section of a circuit supplied by Polaroid Corporation know as the EDB. Thi 9 circuit converts a signal from the ultrasonic circuit board, Figure 9, that indicates the time elapsed between the transmission of an ultrasonic burst and the receipt of an echo in-to a signal indicating the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the object that reflected the burst. Connector 88 connects this circuit to pins on the circuit in Figure 9 :indicated in the left-hand column of boxes on the connector. The heart o~ the EDB
circuit is a three digit binary coded decimal (BCD) counter 90.
A clock signal is provided to counter 90 (pin 12) by a crystal controlled oscillator 92 through a divider 94. Each cycle of the output signal of divider 94 is proportional to an increment of distance traveled by the ultrasonic burst. To convert elapsed time into distance counter 90 is started when the ultrasonic burst is transmitted and is stopped when an echo is received. The time the counter has run i9 then a direct indication of distance between ultrasonic transducer 24 and the objec~ that produced the echo.
An oscillator 96 provides a periodic VSW signal to initiate the transmission of an ultrasonic burst. The VSW signal is supplied to the circuits in Figures 9 and 10~ The XLOG signal 24 from digital section 64 indicates the exact time of transmission )3~
- of the ultrasonic burst and i5 supplied to a latch 98 which in turn supplies a start signal to counter 90. When an echo is received, digital section 64 produces a signal MFLOG which is also supplied to latch 98, and latch provides a stop signal to counter 90. The output pins Q0, Ql, Q2 and Q3 carry a digital signal indicating the value of one of three siginificant digits representing distance between the ultrasonic transducer and an object. Three other output pins, one o which is denoted DS2, indicate which of the three significant digits is present on the output pins Q0 through Q3. A connector 100 shows the connection points between the output pins on counter 90 and the input pins on an input circuit in Figure 12.
Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a circuit used to con-vert the distance information from the EDB circuit in Figure 11 into an on~off signal for solenoid valve 20. An input buffer circuit 102 is connected to counter 90 in the EDB circuit as described above and supplies buffered digital signals to a quad latch 103. The quad :Latch in turn is connected to a four line to one of 16 decoder 104. Decoder 104 is used to select the par-ticular value of the least significant digit from counter 90 corresponding to the desired turn-on di~tance for the faucet~
In addition, ranging control is provided by the set~ing of a 24 switch 106, in cooperation with a NAND gate 107, that is also 3~~
connected to decoder 104. The digit se~ect signal DS2 is supplied to a latch 108 as is -the clock signal from the EDB
circuit. When diglt select signal DS2 appears, it indicates that the second most significant digit is on the digital output of counter 90 and that consequently the signal that is already in latch 103 is the least most significant digit. At this time the clock signal from the EDB circuit is latched in latch 108, and this latched clock signal is supplied to lat~h 103. The least significant digit is thereby latched in latch 103 and is decoded by decoder 104.
Ranging control of on-off distances is provided by a switch 106 connected to a NAND gate 107. The switch i5 also connected to outputs of decoder 104 that correspond to possible turn-on distances selected to be less than the distance from the ultra sonic transducer to the bottom of the sink, and the settings of the switch determine the actual turn-on distance. In this em-bodiment, output pin 4 of decoder 104 corresponds to a turn-on distance of 0.3 feet and output pins 6 and 5 to 0.4 and 0.5 feet, respectively. ~hen an object is within the distance corresponding to one of these output pins, the signal on that output will go low. When a signal on any one of the inputs of NAND gate 107 is low, the output of NAND gate 107 is high, whlch 2l4 causes the water to be turned on as is described below. If 3~
input pins 4 and 2 of NAND gate 107 are connected ~o +SV by switch 106, then the water will be turned on when an object is within 0.3 feet of the faucet. If the signal on decoder 104 output pin 6 is connected to NAND gate 107, the water will be turned on when an object is within 0.4 feet of the faucet, and if the signal on pln S is connected to ~he NAND gate, the wa~er will be turned on when an object is within 0.5 feet. I'hus through the use of switch 106 the faucet can be turned on or off at various predetermined heig~ts above -the bottom of the sink to allow for the presence of obj~cts in the bottom of the sink without causing the faucet to turn on. In addition, it can be used to govern the amount of water used by controlling how close . a user's hands must be to the faucet before the water will turn on as well as how far a userls hands can be from the faucet before it will turn off.
The output signal from NAND gate 107 (pin 12) is passed through some additional circuits for buffering and override control to an optical cou~ler 110. The optical coupler drives a relay 112 which .in turn drives a solenoid 114 in solenoid valve 20. In the preferred embodiment, the relay i5 a Potter and ~rumfield R10-EI-X2 V-185 and the solenoid valve is an Eaton BK-25840-1 S-53, a type used in appliances such as washing machines 24 and dish washers.
Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of an alternate circuit to operate the ultrasonic transducer that is simpler than the ultrasonic circuit board supplied by Polaroid. A 47 to 50 kHz ultrasonic signal for the ultrasonic transducer is produced by an oscillator 120 and the number o~ cycles of the ultrasonic signal that i5 to be transmitted in each signal burst is dete~tined by a divider circuit 122 and logic circuitry 124 connected to oscillator 120. The number of cycles in the transmitted burst depends upon which output of divider circuit is connected to a select pulses input of logic circuitry 124.
For output Q4 there will be 8 cycles; for ~5, 16 cycles, for Q6, 32 cycles; and for Q7, 64 cycles. ~te transmit signal from logic circuitry contains a signal burst approximately every 200 milliseconds.
The transmit signal is supplied to the ultrasonic trans-ducer through an amplifier 12G and a transformer 128. The transfornter is wound around a Ferroxcube core No. 1107 A250 using 5 turns of No. 32 wire in the primary winding and 220 turns of ~o. 38 wire in the secondary wlndinq, Echoes received by ultrasonic transducer 24 are antplified and detected in an ampliier and detector circuit 130 connected to the secondary of transformer 128. The output of circuit 130 is delivered 24 to a complementary output buffer circuit 132 to which is also v~
connected a blanking circuit ~34 to blank the output when a burst is being transmitted.
When the faucet is used in a typical kitchen sink, it has been found convenient to use 0.5 feet as the normal turn-off distance and 0.3 to 0.4 feet as the turn-on distance~ It wilL
be appreciated by those skilled in the-art that other di~tances can be chosen to suit the particular application for which the faucet is used, and that the turn-on and turn-off distances depend on the distances and geometrical relationships between the faucet and the top and the bottom of the sink or other receptacle for the 1uid from the faucet.
It will also be appreciated that other pararneters can be lS varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, other drive circuits can be used for the ultrasonic transducer and other types of transducers ~re available. The location of the ultrasonic transducer on the faucet may also be varied to suit the particular conditions o-f its use. It has been found convenient to use an ultrasonic transducer in the preferred e~nbodiment that. ha~ a cone of radiation of about 30 dagrees, with an ultrasonic signal drop of about 20 dB at ~0 degrees o:Ef axis, so that objects outside of 24 the Lmmediate vicinity o the faucet do not cause the faucet to 3~
turn on. Howevex, there may be applicatlons where a wider or narrower cone of radiation will be more suitable. In addition, there may be applications where it will be desirable to use separate transmit and receive trnsducers as shown in previou~ly referenced U. S. Patent 3,522,764 by placing one transducer in front of outlet 22 and -the other behind or by placing them side by side.
If it is desired to have the temperature of the water ~rom the faucet controlled automatically, a thermostatically control-led valve, such as commonly available ones using a bimetallic thermostat element, can be used instead of valves 14 and 16.
Such a valve would eliminate the need for any adjustments by 14 the user.
ULTRASONICALLY OPERATED WAI'ER FAUCET
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field o-f water faucets for use in sinks and the like and more particualrly to ~aucets that turn on or off automatically.
Water faucets that will turn off by themselves have been used for years in public lavatories in order to guard against the waste of water due to faucets being left on accidentally.
Where both hot and cold water is available from the faucet, it i5 doubly important to prevent the waste of hot water since energy must be consumed to heat the water.
The shut-off mechanisms used in the past have usually been spring loaded return devices in the valve mechanism itself. The valve itself may take the form of a spring loaded knob which the user turns approximately one quarter to one half a turn. When the knob is released by the user it returns to its off position.
Alternatively the knob may be one which the user pushes to cause water to flow. In either of these types of faucets a delay mechanism may be built in so that the water will flow for a predetermined amount of time after the knob is released so that the user may wash both hands together. This solution is seldom completely satisfactory because the amount of delay may be too 3~
little for some users and for others it may be more than necessary, thus wasting water.
There are many industrial applications for water faucets w~ere it is desirable to have a valve mechanism which can be turned on and off without having to use the user's hands. For example, in hospitals, laboratories and industrial work areas of various types one often finds foot or knee operated faucetsO
These allow the user to wash his hands or objects in his hands without having to operate a faucet control with his hands.
This is often necessary for sanitary as well as convenience reasons. However, these types of faucets can be allowed to run longer than is required, thus wasting water.
Home use also accounts for a significant amount of water usage. It is not uncommon for water to be left running while a person does another task and then returns to the sink. Handi~
capped persons also frequently have difficulty in using standard faucets in an economical manner, and sometimes they require special faucets tha-t can be operated with very little force or with parts o their bodies other than their hands.
None of these prior art devices fully satlsfies the need 24 for a faucet whic:h supplies water just for the time it is needed.
In addition, some of these mechanical devices only partially satisfy the needs which they were designed to meet, and they are becoming increasingly more expensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention a water faucet is provided which has an ultrasonic sensor to sense the presence of a user's hand or an object that is within a desired proximity of a faucet. The ultrasonic sensor is connected to a control circuit that activates an electrically controlled valve. When the user's hand is brought under the faucet the water is turned on and remains on for as long as the user's hand is under the faucet. When the user's hand is removed, th~ water is shut off, thus ensuring no more water than is necessary is used.
The ultrasonic sensor comprises an electostatic, ultrasonic transducer connected to driving and d~tection circuitry. The transducer is mounted on the faucet near the water outlet and is connected to the circuitry by wires in the faucet housing.
The circuitry is contained in a waterproof housing and is in turn connected to a solenoid vaLve in the water line leading to the outlet~ 3rive circuitry causes the transducer to emit 24 bursts of ultrasonic waves of s~elected frequencies. An object .
in the path of these waves will reflect sorne of them back to the transducer and will be detected by the transducer. Detection circuitry measures the time between the emission of the burst and the detection of the reflected waves. This time i5 directly proportional to the distance between the object and the transducer~ The circuitry can be set to energize the solenoid valve and turn on the water when an object is detected within a predetermined proximity or range of distances from the transducer. In addition, provision can be made so that the object to faucet distance at which the water is turned on or off can be varied as required by the specific application.
A faucet that is operated by a proximity detector has a number of significant advantages over the prior art. Since the faucet is on only during the time the user' 6 hands are under the faucet, there will be less water wasted. Where such a faucet is used for both hot and cold water, conservation of water will also result in the conservation of energy as less hot water is used. In industrial and medical applications such a faucet will be more convenient to use -than ones with prior art mechanical linkages, and there will be less like-lihood that water will be wasted. The same will be true of home use, especially for the handicapped who may have difficulty 24 using conventional faucets.
3~
~7arious aspects of the invention are as follows:
A faucet for a -Fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distanc2 measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for de-tecting and measuring the distance of an object from the fluid ou-tlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet i.n response to the detection of an object within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined distance.
~ faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet, distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial rel~ationship with the 1uid outlet for detecting and measuring 0 the distance of an object from the fluid outle-t; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of an object within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventiny the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
-4a ~3'1~3~
A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid lnlet, a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluld outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measurlny means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing- from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined distance.
A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring thè distance of a surface from the fluid outlet, and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
-4b ,~....
~3~3~
A method of controlling the flow of fluid from a faucet comprlsing:
detecti.ng the distance of an object from the faucet;
turning on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit; and turning off the fluid when the di.stance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limi.t.
1~ A method of controlling the flow of fluid from a faucet comprising:
detecting the distance of a surface from the faucet, turnin~ on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit; and turning off the fluid when the distance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limit.
4c-.., 3~
BRIEF ~SCRIP r I u 7F " Ir rR ~I N ~,s Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 shows a perspective drawing of a sink with a faucet in accordance with the preferred e~bodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a side cross sectional view of a faucet with an ultrasonic transducer.
Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the device of Figure 3.
Figure 5 shows a side cross sectional view of an alterna-tive embodiment of Figure 3.
Figure 6 shows a bottom view of the device of Figure 5.
~0 Figure 7 shows an exploded view of an ultrasonic transducer.
Figure 8 shows a block diagram of control circuitry with 23 an ultrasonic transducer.
33~
Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit to oper~te the ultrasonic transducer.
Figure 10 shows a schematic di.agram of a response distance control circuitO
Figure 11 shows a schematic dLagram of a circuit for convertlng elapsed time signals into distance signals.
Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit to convert distance signals into on-off signals for a faucet.
Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an alternate circuit 14 to operate the ultrasonic transducer.
.3~
D SCRIPTION OF THE_PREE'ERRED EMBODIMENT
The block diagram of Figure 1 shows a hot water supply line 10 and a cold water supply line 12 coupled to respective manual valves 14 and 16. The water from the two manual valves is mixed together and supplied to a supply line 18, which in turn is connected to a solenoid valve 20. Water from solenoid valva 20 exits from faucet outlet 2~ to a sink (not shown).
An ultrasonic transducer 24 is mounted near faucet outlet 22 and is electrically connected to control circuitry 26. The control circuitry is electrically connected to the solenoid valve and opens and closes the valve in response to the signals from ultrasonic transducer 240 Figure 2 shows a sink 28 with a faucet 30 mounted over it on a counter 32. Ultrasonic tra~sducer 24 is mounted on the underside of the faucet near outlet 22. There is a control knob 34 for the hot water manual valve to allow for adjustment of the temperature and the flow rate of the water. There is also a control knob for the cold water that is not visible ir. this view.
In Figure 3 faucet 30 is shown in cross section, and in 24 Figure 4 a botton view of the faucet is shown. Ultrasonic ~3~)3~
transducer 24 is held in the faucet by a bezel 36 and an electrically insulative seal 38. A retain:ing spring 40 holds ultrasonic transducer 24 against the seal~ An electrical cable 42 is connected to the ultrasonic transducer and is protected by a wireway 44 in the faucet. A waterway 46 carries the water from the solenoid valve (not shown in this figure) to outlet 22.
The faucet i5 fastened to the counter in the conventional manner.
Figures 5 and 6 show an alternate arrangement of the ultrasonic transducer with respect to outlet 22 to provide for an earlier turn on as the uæer's hands approach the faucet.
Here~ with the ultrasonic transducer placed in front of the water outlet, cable 42 is in a wireway 44' formed on top of the waterway and covered by a removeable cover 48.
In the exploded view of Figure 7 it can be seen that uLtrasonic transducer 24 comprises an inner rlng 50 lnto which is placed a grooved plate 52 covered by a foil 54. A retainer 56 holds the grooved plate and foil in the inner ring and, the whole assembly is covered by a housing 58. Electrical leads (not shown) are attached to grooved plate 52 and foil 54. The foil comprises a thin insulator covered with a thin conductive 24 layer, and the grooved plate and the foil form a capacltor.
This capacitor acts as bo-th an electrostatic loudspeaker and an electrostatlc microphone, depending upon the signals applied to it by the circuitry to which it is connected. ~ltrasonic waves are generated by placing an alternating current voltage across the plates of the capacitor, and the foil vibrates at the frequency of the voltage, in the same manner as the cone of a loudspeaker. The vlbrations of the foil are carried through the air as ultrasonic waves. An ultrasonic transducer of the type just described is disclosed in detail in ~. S. Patent No .
4,085,297 granted 18 April 1978 to Paglia and assigned to the Polaroid Corporation. An alternate embodiment o-f an ultrasonic transducer is disclosed in U~ S. Patent No. 4,081,626 granted 28 March 1978 to Muggli, et al and also assigned to the Polarold Corporation.
~15 Figure 8 is a block diagram of control circuitry 26.
Ultrasonic transducer 24 is connected to a power interface circuit 62 that is driven by a digital section 64. A precisely controlled alternating current signal is supplied to digital sectlon 64 by a clock circuit 60, and the frequency of the waves emitted hy the ultrasonic transducer is determined by clock circuit 60. The power interface circult supplies the transmit si~nal to the ultrasonic transducer that produces a transmitted 24 ultrasonic pulse 66. Part of this pulse reflects off of an 3(~6 object 68, such as a hand, in its path and produces an echo 70.
The echo returns to the ultrasonlc transducer, which now acts like an electrostatic microphone; and the foil vibrates in response to the echo. This vibration is detected by an analog curcuit 72 connected to ultrasonic transducer 24. The analog circuit i5 connected ~o the digital section, and the digital section receives a processed echo signal from the analog circuit. A solenoid control circuit 74 is connected to digital section 64 and analog circuit 72, and the solenoid control circuit energizes or de-energizes solenoid valve 20 in accordance with the signals received from the analog circult and the digital section.
Ultrasonic transducer 24 and the circuitry to operate it, corresponding to clock circuit 60, power interface circuit 62, digital section 64 and analog circuit 72 are available from the Polaroid Corporation in the form of its Ultrasonic Ranging Unit which is used in some of the company's cameras and i5 also sold separately. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of ~he Polaroid ultrasonic circuit board which operates ultrasonic transducer 24. The transducer is connected to connector pins numbered 1 and 2, and the other relevant connections are shown on sub-se~uent figures showing circuitry that interfaces with the 24 ultrasonic circuit board. The circuits on the ultrasonic 3~
circuit board are discussed in greater detail in U. S. Paten-t No. 4,199,246 granted 22 April 1980 to Muggli and assigned to the Polaroid Corporation. Alternative ultrasonic ranging circuits are disclosed in the following ~. S. Patents: No.
3,522,764 granted 4 August 1970 to Biber, No. 3,523,275 granted 4 August 1970 to Gross and No. 4,148,574 granted 10 April 1979 to Johnson.
The Ultrasonic Ranging Unit as supplied by Polaroid is set to measure distances between ~9 and 35 -Eeet. In order to respond to the smaller distances usually encountered between a faucet and a user's hands, some modifications must be made to the Polaroid circuit, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 10 shows a response distance control circuit that is connected between pin 12 on digital section 64 and pin 7 on power inter-face circuit 62; the connection point is indicated at 76 in Figure 9.
The ultrasonic burst transmitted by ultrasonic transducer 24, as supplied, contains 56 cycles. If distances shorter than 0.9 feet are to be measured the number of cycles transmitted needs to be reduced. The circuitry in Figure 10 provides for 23 selected reduction of the number of cycles transmitted in X
3(~
accordance with the setting of a switch 78. The signal applied to the circuit input at pin 12 is XLOG which ~orresponds to the length of ~he transmit burst, ancl this signal is supplied to an adjustable 12 bit binary counter 80 which is connected to switch 78. Th2 switch selects ~he number of transmit cycles and the corre ponding mi.nimum range in accordance with the following Table I:
TABLE I
10Switch Settings No~ o Transmit Minumum Range A B C D E Cycles (appro mate) .. . . _ 1 1 1 1 0 3 4.5 inches O 1 1 1 0 5 ~.75 "
lS O O 1 1 0 g 5.3 "
O O O 1 0 25 7.5 "
O O O O 1 56 (normal) 10.8 Switch 78.is also connected to a dual AND gate 8~ and a dual flip flop 84 which together produce a modified XLOG signal for power interface circuit ~2. The connector pins denoted 8, 3 and 5 on Figure 10 are for connection to corresponding pins in a connector 88 shown in Figure 11. A monostable multivibrator 86 provides a reset pulse to counter 80 before the start of the transmission of each ul~rasonic bur.st and also resets flip-flop 84.
28 Figure 11 shows a portion of solenoid control circuit 74 30~
which comprises a section of a circuit supplied by Polaroid Corporation know as the EDB. Thi 9 circuit converts a signal from the ultrasonic circuit board, Figure 9, that indicates the time elapsed between the transmission of an ultrasonic burst and the receipt of an echo in-to a signal indicating the distance between the ultrasonic transducer and the object that reflected the burst. Connector 88 connects this circuit to pins on the circuit in Figure 9 :indicated in the left-hand column of boxes on the connector. The heart o~ the EDB
circuit is a three digit binary coded decimal (BCD) counter 90.
A clock signal is provided to counter 90 (pin 12) by a crystal controlled oscillator 92 through a divider 94. Each cycle of the output signal of divider 94 is proportional to an increment of distance traveled by the ultrasonic burst. To convert elapsed time into distance counter 90 is started when the ultrasonic burst is transmitted and is stopped when an echo is received. The time the counter has run i9 then a direct indication of distance between ultrasonic transducer 24 and the objec~ that produced the echo.
An oscillator 96 provides a periodic VSW signal to initiate the transmission of an ultrasonic burst. The VSW signal is supplied to the circuits in Figures 9 and 10~ The XLOG signal 24 from digital section 64 indicates the exact time of transmission )3~
- of the ultrasonic burst and i5 supplied to a latch 98 which in turn supplies a start signal to counter 90. When an echo is received, digital section 64 produces a signal MFLOG which is also supplied to latch 98, and latch provides a stop signal to counter 90. The output pins Q0, Ql, Q2 and Q3 carry a digital signal indicating the value of one of three siginificant digits representing distance between the ultrasonic transducer and an object. Three other output pins, one o which is denoted DS2, indicate which of the three significant digits is present on the output pins Q0 through Q3. A connector 100 shows the connection points between the output pins on counter 90 and the input pins on an input circuit in Figure 12.
Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a circuit used to con-vert the distance information from the EDB circuit in Figure 11 into an on~off signal for solenoid valve 20. An input buffer circuit 102 is connected to counter 90 in the EDB circuit as described above and supplies buffered digital signals to a quad latch 103. The quad :Latch in turn is connected to a four line to one of 16 decoder 104. Decoder 104 is used to select the par-ticular value of the least significant digit from counter 90 corresponding to the desired turn-on di~tance for the faucet~
In addition, ranging control is provided by the set~ing of a 24 switch 106, in cooperation with a NAND gate 107, that is also 3~~
connected to decoder 104. The digit se~ect signal DS2 is supplied to a latch 108 as is -the clock signal from the EDB
circuit. When diglt select signal DS2 appears, it indicates that the second most significant digit is on the digital output of counter 90 and that consequently the signal that is already in latch 103 is the least most significant digit. At this time the clock signal from the EDB circuit is latched in latch 108, and this latched clock signal is supplied to lat~h 103. The least significant digit is thereby latched in latch 103 and is decoded by decoder 104.
Ranging control of on-off distances is provided by a switch 106 connected to a NAND gate 107. The switch i5 also connected to outputs of decoder 104 that correspond to possible turn-on distances selected to be less than the distance from the ultra sonic transducer to the bottom of the sink, and the settings of the switch determine the actual turn-on distance. In this em-bodiment, output pin 4 of decoder 104 corresponds to a turn-on distance of 0.3 feet and output pins 6 and 5 to 0.4 and 0.5 feet, respectively. ~hen an object is within the distance corresponding to one of these output pins, the signal on that output will go low. When a signal on any one of the inputs of NAND gate 107 is low, the output of NAND gate 107 is high, whlch 2l4 causes the water to be turned on as is described below. If 3~
input pins 4 and 2 of NAND gate 107 are connected ~o +SV by switch 106, then the water will be turned on when an object is within 0.3 feet of the faucet. If the signal on decoder 104 output pin 6 is connected to NAND gate 107, the water will be turned on when an object is within 0.4 feet of the faucet, and if the signal on pln S is connected to ~he NAND gate, the wa~er will be turned on when an object is within 0.5 feet. I'hus through the use of switch 106 the faucet can be turned on or off at various predetermined heig~ts above -the bottom of the sink to allow for the presence of obj~cts in the bottom of the sink without causing the faucet to turn on. In addition, it can be used to govern the amount of water used by controlling how close . a user's hands must be to the faucet before the water will turn on as well as how far a userls hands can be from the faucet before it will turn off.
The output signal from NAND gate 107 (pin 12) is passed through some additional circuits for buffering and override control to an optical cou~ler 110. The optical coupler drives a relay 112 which .in turn drives a solenoid 114 in solenoid valve 20. In the preferred embodiment, the relay i5 a Potter and ~rumfield R10-EI-X2 V-185 and the solenoid valve is an Eaton BK-25840-1 S-53, a type used in appliances such as washing machines 24 and dish washers.
Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of an alternate circuit to operate the ultrasonic transducer that is simpler than the ultrasonic circuit board supplied by Polaroid. A 47 to 50 kHz ultrasonic signal for the ultrasonic transducer is produced by an oscillator 120 and the number o~ cycles of the ultrasonic signal that i5 to be transmitted in each signal burst is dete~tined by a divider circuit 122 and logic circuitry 124 connected to oscillator 120. The number of cycles in the transmitted burst depends upon which output of divider circuit is connected to a select pulses input of logic circuitry 124.
For output Q4 there will be 8 cycles; for ~5, 16 cycles, for Q6, 32 cycles; and for Q7, 64 cycles. ~te transmit signal from logic circuitry contains a signal burst approximately every 200 milliseconds.
The transmit signal is supplied to the ultrasonic trans-ducer through an amplifier 12G and a transformer 128. The transfornter is wound around a Ferroxcube core No. 1107 A250 using 5 turns of No. 32 wire in the primary winding and 220 turns of ~o. 38 wire in the secondary wlndinq, Echoes received by ultrasonic transducer 24 are antplified and detected in an ampliier and detector circuit 130 connected to the secondary of transformer 128. The output of circuit 130 is delivered 24 to a complementary output buffer circuit 132 to which is also v~
connected a blanking circuit ~34 to blank the output when a burst is being transmitted.
When the faucet is used in a typical kitchen sink, it has been found convenient to use 0.5 feet as the normal turn-off distance and 0.3 to 0.4 feet as the turn-on distance~ It wilL
be appreciated by those skilled in the-art that other di~tances can be chosen to suit the particular application for which the faucet is used, and that the turn-on and turn-off distances depend on the distances and geometrical relationships between the faucet and the top and the bottom of the sink or other receptacle for the 1uid from the faucet.
It will also be appreciated that other pararneters can be lS varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, other drive circuits can be used for the ultrasonic transducer and other types of transducers ~re available. The location of the ultrasonic transducer on the faucet may also be varied to suit the particular conditions o-f its use. It has been found convenient to use an ultrasonic transducer in the preferred e~nbodiment that. ha~ a cone of radiation of about 30 dagrees, with an ultrasonic signal drop of about 20 dB at ~0 degrees o:Ef axis, so that objects outside of 24 the Lmmediate vicinity o the faucet do not cause the faucet to 3~
turn on. Howevex, there may be applicatlons where a wider or narrower cone of radiation will be more suitable. In addition, there may be applications where it will be desirable to use separate transmit and receive trnsducers as shown in previou~ly referenced U. S. Patent 3,522,764 by placing one transducer in front of outlet 22 and -the other behind or by placing them side by side.
If it is desired to have the temperature of the water ~rom the faucet controlled automatically, a thermostatically control-led valve, such as commonly available ones using a bimetallic thermostat element, can be used instead of valves 14 and 16.
Such a valve would eliminate the need for any adjustments by 14 the user.
Claims (58)
1. A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of an object from the fluid outlet, and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of an object within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined distance.
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of an object from the fluid outlet, and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of an object within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined distance.
2. A faucet as in claim 1 wherein the predetermined distance is adjustable.
3. A faucet as in claim 1 wherein the distance detecting means further comprises:
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet, and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet, and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
4. A faucet as in claim 3 further comprising a housing containing the fluid outlet and the ultrasonic transducer means, wherein the ultrasonic transducer means has a transmitting surface that faces substantially the same direction as the direction of fluid flow from the fluid outlet.
5. A faucet as in claim 3 wherein the circuit means comprises:
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
6. A faucet as in claim 5 wherein the measurement means comprises time measurement means for measuring the elapsed time between the emission of an ultrasonic signal and the receipt of an echo and wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a predetermined elapsed time.
7. A faucet as in claim 6 wherein the predetermined elapsed time is adjustable.
8. A faucet as in claim 7 wherein the valve means comprises an electrically operated solenoid valve.
9. A faucet as in claim 8 wherein the fluid is water and further comprising sink means for receiving the water.
10. A faucet as in claim 5 wherein the ultrasonic transducer means comprises a single unit for emitting the ultrasonic signal and for receiving ultrasonic echoes.
11. A faucet as in claim 1 further comprising temperature control means connected to the fluid inlet for controlling the temperature of the fluid.
12. A faucet as in claim 11 wherein the temperature control means comprises a thermostatically controlled valve.
13. A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of an object from the fluid outlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of an object within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of an object from the fluid outlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of an object within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no object is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
14. A faucet as in claim 13 wherein the predetermined range of distances is adjustable.
15. A faucet as in claim 13 wherein the distance measuring means further comprises:
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet; and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic trans-ducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet; and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic trans-ducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
16. A faucet as in claim 15 wherein the circuit means comprises:
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of an object from the fluid outlet.
17. A faucet as in claim 16 wherein the measurement means comprises time measurement means for measuring the elapsed time between the emission of an ultrasonic signal and the receipt of an echo and wherein the predetermined range of distances corresponds to a predetermined range of elapsed times.
18. A faucet as in claim 17 wherein the predetermined range of elapsed times is adjustable.
19. A faucet as in claim 18 wherein the valve means comprises an electrically operated solenoid valve.
20. A faucet as in claim 19 wherein the fluid is water and further comprising sink means for receiving the water.
21. A faucet as in claim 15 further comprising a housing containing the fluid outlet and the ultrasonic transducer means, wherein the ultrasonic transducer means has a transmitting surface that faces substantially the same direction as the direction of fluid flow from the fluid outlet.
22. A faucet as in claim 16 wherein the ultrasonic trans-ducer means comprises a single unit for emitting the ultrasonic signal and for receiving ultrasonic echoes.
23. A faucet as in claim 13 further comprising temperature control means connected to the fluid inlet for controlling the temperature of the fluid.
24. A faucet as in claim 23 wherein the temperature control means comprises a thermostatically controlled valve.
25. A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined distance.
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet;
distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet; and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined distance of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined distance.
26. A faucet as in claim 25 wherein the predetermined distance is adjustable.
27. A faucet as in claim 25 where in the distance detecting means further comprises:
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet; and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic trans-ducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet; and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic trans-ducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
28. A faucet as in claim 27 wherein the circuit means comprises:
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
29. A faucet as in claim 28 wherein the measurement means comprises time measurement means for measuring the elapsed time between the emission of an ultrasonic signal and the receipt of an echo and wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a predetermined elapsed time.
30. A faucet as in claim 29 wherein the predetermined elapsed time is adjustable.
31. A faucet as in claim 30 wherein the valve means comprises an electrically operated solenoid valve.
32. A faucet as in claim 28 wherein the ultrasonic trans-ducer means comprises a single unit for emitting the ultrasonic signal and for receiving ultrasonic echoes.
33. A faucet as in claim 25 further comprising temperature control means connected to the fluid inlet for controlling the temperature of the fluid.
34. A faucet as in claim 27 further comprising a housing containing the fluid outlet and the ultrasonic transducer means, wherein the ultrasonic transducer means has a transmitting surface that faces substantially the same direction as the direction of fluid flow from the fluid outlet.
35. A faucet for a fluid comprising:
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet, distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet, and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
a fluid inlet;
a fluid outlet, distance measuring means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet for detecting and measuring the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet, and valve means coupled between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet and coupled to the distance measuring means for causing the fluid to flow from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet in response to the detection of a surface within a predetermined range of distances of the fluid outlet and for preventing the fluid from flowing from the fluid inlet to the fluid outlet when no surface is detected within the predetermined range of distances.
36. A faucet as in claim 35 wherein the predetermined range of distances is adjustable.
37. A faucet as in claim 35 wherein the distance measuring means further comprises:
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet; and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic trans-ducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
ultrasonic transducer means located in a predetermined spatial relationship with the fluid outlet; and circuit means connected to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing signals to be transmitted from the ultrasonic trans-ducer means and for responding to echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducer means to produce a signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
38. A faucet as in claim 37 wherein the circuit means comprises:
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
transmit means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for causing the ultrasonic transducer means to emit an ultrasonic signal;
receive means coupled to the ultrasonic transducer means for detecting ultrasonic echoes received by the ultrasonic transducer means; and measurement means coupled to the transmit means and the receive means for producing the signal indicative of the distance of a surface from the fluid outlet.
39. A faucet as in claim 38 wherein the measurement means comprises time measurement means for measuring the elapsed time between the emission of an ultrasonic signal and the receipt of an echo and wherein the predetermined range of distances corresponds to a predetermined range of elapsed times.
40. A faucet as in claim 39 wherein the predetermined range of elapsed times is adjustable.
41. A faucet as in claim 40 wherein the valve means comprises an electrically operated solenoid valve.
42. A faucet as in claim 37 further comprising a housing containing the fluid outlet and the ultrasonic transducer means, wherein the ultrasonic transducer means has a transmitting surface that faces substantially the same direction as the direction of fluid flow from the fluid outlet.
43. A faucet as in claim 38 wherein the ultrasonic trans-ducer means comprises a single unit for emitting the ultrasonic signal and for receiving ultrasonic echoes.
44. A faucet as in claim 35 further comprising temperature control means connected to the fluid inlet for controlling the temperature of the fluid.
45. A method of controlling the flow of fluid from a faucet comprising:
detecting the distance of an object from the faucet;
turning on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit, and turning off the fluid when the distance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limit.
detecting the distance of an object from the faucet;
turning on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit, and turning off the fluid when the distance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limit.
46. A method as in claim 45 wherein at least one of the first and second predetermined limits is adjustable.
47. A method as in claim 45 wherein the step of detecting the distance of an object from the faucet further comprises the steps of:
emitting an ultrasonic signal;
detecting an ultrasonic echo; and measuring the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo.
emitting an ultrasonic signal;
detecting an ultrasonic echo; and measuring the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo.
48. A method as in claim 47 wherein the step of turning on the fluid comprises detecting when the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo is equal to or less than a first predetermined time but equal to or greater than a second predetermined time.
49. A method as in claim 48 wherein the step of turning off the fluid comprises detecting when the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo is more than the first predetermined time or less than the second predetermined time.
50. A method as in claim 48 wherein at least one of the predetermined times is adjustable.
51. A method as in claim 49 wherein at least one of the predetermined times is adjustable.
52. A method of controlling the flow of fluid from a faucet comprising:
detecting the distance of a surface from the faucet;
turning on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit; and turning off the fluid when the distance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limit.
detecting the distance of a surface from the faucet;
turning on the fluid when the distance is equal to or less than a first predetermined limit but equal to or greater than a second predetermined limit; and turning off the fluid when the distance is greater than the first predetermined limit or less than the second predetermined limit.
53. A method as in claim 52 wherein at least one of the first and second predetermined limits is adjustable.
54. A method as in claim 52 wherein the step of detecting the distance of a surface from the faucet further comprises the steps of:
emitting an ultrasonic signal;
detecting an ultrasonic echo; and measuring the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo.
emitting an ultrasonic signal;
detecting an ultrasonic echo; and measuring the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo.
55. A method as in claim 54 wherein the step of turning on the fluid comprises detecting when the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo is equal to or less than a first predetermined time but equal to or greater than a second predetermined time.
56. A method as in claim 55 wherein the step of turning off the fluid comprises detecting when the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic signal and the detection of the ultrasonic echo is more than the first predetermined time or less than the second predetermined time.
57. A method as in claim 55 wherein at least one of the predetermined times is adjustable.
58. A method as in claim 56 wherein at least one of the predetermined times is adjustable.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US06/247,997 US4402095A (en) | 1981-03-26 | 1981-03-26 | Ultrasonically operated water faucet |
| US247,997 | 1981-03-26 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1190306A true CA1190306A (en) | 1985-07-09 |
Family
ID=22937223
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000399437A Expired CA1190306A (en) | 1981-03-26 | 1982-03-25 | Ultrasonically operated water faucet |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4402095A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0061837A1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS57177474A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU562514B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1190306A (en) |
| DK (1) | DK137482A (en) |
| NO (1) | NO820987L (en) |
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-
1981
- 1981-03-26 US US06/247,997 patent/US4402095A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1982
- 1982-02-25 EP EP82300961A patent/EP0061837A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1982-03-19 AU AU81718/82A patent/AU562514B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1982-03-24 NO NO820987A patent/NO820987L/en unknown
- 1982-03-25 DK DK137482A patent/DK137482A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1982-03-25 CA CA000399437A patent/CA1190306A/en not_active Expired
- 1982-03-26 JP JP57048789A patent/JPS57177474A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU8171882A (en) | 1982-09-30 |
| JPS57177474A (en) | 1982-11-01 |
| EP0061837A1 (en) | 1982-10-06 |
| NO820987L (en) | 1982-09-27 |
| DK137482A (en) | 1982-09-27 |
| US4402095A (en) | 1983-09-06 |
| AU562514B2 (en) | 1987-06-11 |
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