Sloan Valve Company

Arichell Technologies Inc.

Other

Haiou Wu

Xiaoxiong Mo

Natan E Parsons

Kay Herbert

Fatih Guler

Yue Zhang

Qiaohong Chen

Timothy Moulton

Reeshi Pradhan

Jean Daher

A light ring assembly for a bathroom fixture. The light ring may illuminate one or more light sources in a predetermined sequence and/or in an overlapping manner to create a pulse of light that traverses the circumference of the light ring. Different patterns, colors, and/or sequences of light may be used to convey messages and signals to owners, maintenance, and/or users.

Light ring for plumbing fixtures

A hybrid sensor for calibrating a primary active infrared (IR) sensor to more accurately locate, continuously calibrate, and conserve energy by more accurately detecting via the active IR detection is described herein. The hybrid sensor includes one or more infrared sensors and one or more time-of-flight sensors. The time-of-flight sensor may remain in a dormant state (e.g., low power or sleep mode) until the one or more infrared sensors detect an object. In response to detecting an object, the time-of-flight sensor may be activated to obtain several measurements of the object. After obtaining the measurements, the time-of-flight sensor may return to its dormant state. The hybrid sensor may use the measurements obtained by the time-of-flight sensor to calibrate the one or more infrared sensors to provide more accurate measurements on an object-by-object basis.

Hybrid time-of-flight sensor and IR sensor

An optical system includes one or several passive optical detectors sensitive to ambient (room) light for controlling, for example, the operation of automatic faucets or automatic bathroom flushers. The passive optical sensors provide signals to flow controllers, including control electronics and flow valves and require only very small amounts of electrical power for sensing users of bathroom facilities, and thus enable battery operation for many years. To control the operation of automatic faucets or automatic bathroom flushers based on ambient light, the controller executes novel algorithms.

Passive sensors and control algorithms for faucets and bathroom flushers

The present invention is directed to novel optical sensors and novel methods for sensing optical radiation. The novel optical sensors and the novel optical sensing methods are used, for example, for controlling the operation of automatic faucets and flushers. The novel sensors and flow controllers (including control electronics and valves) require only small amounts of electrical power for sensing users of bathroom facilities, and thus enable battery operation for many years. A passive optical sensor includes a light detector sensitive to ambient (room) light for controlling the operation of automatic faucets or automatic bathroom flushers.

Passive sensors for automatic faucets and bathroom flushers

Passive sensors for automatic faucets

Disclosed is a method and system for converting or retrofitting manually-operated flush valves. A conversion system for converting an installed manually-operated flush valve includes a power module, a control module, and a driver module mechanically coupled to a manual handle to externally activate the converted flush valve.

System and method for converting manually operated flush valves

In an automated flush system (,), a control circuit (,) controls a flusher (,) in response to the output of a sensor (,). The vertical sensitivity pattern (,) of the sensor (,) is angled downward. Consequently, radiation that the sensor (,) emits tends to be reflected away from the sensor (,) by relatively specular vertical enclosure surfaces such as that of a stall door (,), while more-diffuse deflectors, such as a user that the sensor (,) is intended to detect, tend to reflect greater percentages of the sensor radiation back to the sensor (,). Similarly reduced sensitivity to enclosure surfaces results from a horizontal sensitivity pattern (,) having a reduced-sensitivity central region. The sensor system can thereby more reliably avoid confusing enclosure surfaces with users, on whose detection the system's automatic flush strategy is based.

Automatic flusher with bi-modal sensitivity pattern

In response to a infrared-radiation sensor assembly (12), a control circuit controls an electromechanical valve (18) in an automatic faucet (16). Reflector surfaces (44, 46) so form a sensor beam as to cause the sensor to be insensitive to the presence of a sink (24). The ratio of the resultant radiation pattern's horizontal extent to its vertical extent is greater than it would be in the absence of the reflector surfaces (44, 46). The control circuit is battery-powered, and the electromechanical valve (18) is of the latching variety so as to conserve the battery's energy.

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West Roxbury, MA, United States of America

Haiou Wu