Kohler Company

Carter J Thomas

Mary J Reid

David C Shafer

Todd D Dannenberg

Fred Judson Heinzmann

Andrew J Paese

William Robert Burnett

Steven M Tervo

Robert C Giese

David J O'Connell

Thomas A Bonnell

Alan D Bengtson

Peter William Swart

Anton J Kolar

Ronald A Bauer

Herbert V Kohler, Jr

Erich D Slothower

James M Piatt

Daniel N Halloran

John M Bloemer

Jason T Lanius

Michael J Kurth

Jeffrey F Tempas

William F Gordon

David J Richter-O'Connell

Jeffrey C Hildebrand

Carl F Mueller

Michael G Cook

Edwin R Potter, Jr

Thomas W Clarke

Jason S Lind

An apparatus is provided to control a plumbing fixture, such as a whirlpool, that has electrically operated components. The apparatus has a dial that is moveable by the user into a plurality of positions to select a function of the plumbing fixture to be controlled. A unique sensor arrangement detects motion and the direction of the motion and provides a signal to a controller that changes the valve of a pointer that designates which function is presently selected. The user then presses a keypad to indicate whether the selected function is to be activated or deactivated and to control the intensity of the selected function. The signals from the keypad also are applied to the controller.

User interface for controlling a whirlpool tub

A lighting system suitable for chromatherapy includes a plurality of light fixtures mounted through walls of a tub basin to project different color light into the water in the tub. The light fixtures are operated by a central control unit and each includes a housing having a concave internal surface. An array of light emitting diodes that project different color light is mounted under a cap covering one end of the housing. A lens is threaded onto the opposite end of the housing from within the tub basin to secure the light fixture to the tub. The concave surface has the different color light projected on it, and reflects light out the light fixture in mixed fashion.

Bathtub chromatherapy system

Handle

Tub for bathing

A fluid flow device includes an actuator, an RF transmitter, a gated RF receiver, and a processor. The RF transmitter is configured and arranged to produce a plurality of pulses of RF energy spaced apart in time to form a sensor field. The gated RF receiver is configured and arranged to receive RF energy reflected by objects within the sensor field. The processor is coupled to the gated RF receiver for evaluating the reflected RF energy. The processor is also coupled to the actuator and is configured and arranged to activate the actuator in response to the reflected RF energy to control fluid flow. In addition, a new low power radar sensor operates by providing radar pulses that are non-uniformly spaced in time. In operation, a burst of pulses is initiated in the transmitter. Between each burst is a period of rest time in which the transmitter is not transmitting RF energy.

Radar devices for low power applications and bathroom fixtures

Disclosed herein is a bath tub having a deep basin without an internal overflow. Instead, an overflow trough encircles the basin and collects water falling over a rim of the basin. A pump directs water within the overflow trough through a conduit back into the basin, so as to continuously maintain water flowing over the rim of the basin. Micro-effervescence and a chromatherapy system can also be provided with such a tub.

Overflowing soaker bath tub

The present invention is 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. The invention is also 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.

Advanced touchless plumbing systems

Growing community of inventors

Cedarburg, WI, United States of America

Carter J Thomas