Lixil Corporation

Yuki Shirai

Nobuaki Itazu

Azumi Kamata

Hiroyuki Oura

Nobuhiro Taki

Kenta Tanaka

Mamoru Hashimoto

A water spout control device has a target object detector configured to detect a position of a target object as a detection target in a regional image according to an image information of the regional image. The regional image being generated by capturing an imaging target region including a faucet spout. A faucet spout port detector may be configured to detect a position of a faucet spout port of the faucet spout in the regional image. A determiner may be configured to determine whether to discharge water according to the position of the target object detected by the target object detector and the position of the faucet spout port detected by the faucet spout port detector.

Water spout control device, water spout control system, and water spout control method

Provided is a water spout control device that has a target object detector configured to: detect whether a target object exists in a first detection region and to determine a position of the target object when the target exists in the first detection region according to an image information of a regional image; a holding object detector configured to detect whether a holding object holding the detection target exists in a second detection region different from the first detection region and to determine a position of the holding object when the holding object exists in the second detection region; and a controller configured to control water discharging according to a detection result by the target object detector and a detection result by the holding object detector, wherein water spout conditions in the plurality of detection regions for controlling the water discharging from a faucet spout are different from each other.

A detachment sensor detects attachment and detachment of a water discharger to and from a retainer. An object sensor detects presence of an object. A controller causes water discharge triggered by detection of an object by the object sensor while the water discharger is attached to the retainer and suppresses water discharge triggered by detection of an object by the object sensor while the water discharger is detached from the retainer. The controller suppresses water discharge triggered by detection of an object by the object sensor after attachment of the water discharger to the retainer until a non-detection state of an object by the object sensor continues for a predetermined period of time.

Automatic faucet and kitchen

A human body sensor has a light emitting portion to emit light to an object, a light reception portion to receive the light reflected from the object, a light reception amount determiner, a distance measurement determiner, a moving object determiner, and a detection determiner. When an amount of the reflected light is a threshold or more under the detection state, the detection determiner determines to switch the determination from the detection state to the non-detection state under a condition that the distance measurement determiner determines that the detection target does not exist, and when an amount of the reflected light is less than the predetermined threshold under the detection state, the detection determiner determines to switch the determination from the detection state to the non-detection state under a condition that the moving object determiner determines that the object does not exist.

Human body detection sensor and automatic faucet

A human body detection sensor includes: a detection decision unit that decides whether a state is a detection state or a non-detection state of a detection target; a specular reflection decision unit that decides whether or not reflected light that is incident onto a line sensor is specularly-reflected light; and a continuation decision unit that decides whether or not a state in which the detection target exists is ongoing, wherein, when specularly-reflected light is detected while a determination is made indicating the detection state, the detection decision unit keeps the result of a determination indicating the detection state without change if the result of the decision by the continuation decision unit indicates that the state is ongoing and changes the determination to a determination indicating the non-detection state if the result of the decision shows any other states.

A person-detecting sensor includes: a range-finding unit that decides whether a distance to a detection object falls within a predetermined detection distance range; a received-light quantity decision unit that decides whether a received-light quantity is equal to or greater than a predetermined received-light quantity threshold; and a continuation decision unit that decides whether a state of the detection object being present is ongoing. In the received-light quantity decision unit, after water discharge is started upon the detection determination unit determining a detection object to be under detection state, for a period during which the continuation decision unit decides the state in which the detection object being present is ongoing, the received-light quantity threshold is set to be lower than prior to when the water discharge is started.

Person-detecting sensor and automatic water faucet

A person-detecting sensor includes: a range-finding unit that decides whether distance to a detection object falls within a predetermined detection distance range; and a specular reflection decision unit that decides whether reflected light is specularly-reflected light. The specular reflection decision unit performs a threshold determination regarding the count of pixels or the proportion of pixels exhibiting a received-light quantity of a predetermined proportion or greater with respect to the maximum received-light quantity among received-light quantities from the reflected light and decides that the reflected light is specularly-reflected light when the count of the pixels or the proportion of the pixels is a predetermined threshold or less.

An automatic water faucet includes: a water faucet; an imaging unit provided in a water discharge port of the water faucet and that images light reflected from a measure-distance target; a distance measurement unit that measures a distance from the imaging unit to the measure-distance target based on image data; a threshold setting unit that sets a threshold for distance; a detection unit that detects the measure-distance target as a detection object if the distance is shorter than the threshold set by the threshold setting unit; and a water supply control unit that causes the water faucet to discharge water in response to the detection unit detecting a detection object and causes the water faucet to stop supplying water in response to the detection unit not detecting a detection object. The threshold setting unit increases the threshold setting in response to the detection unit detecting a detection object.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Yuki Shirai