Showerhead presence detection system

a detection system and showerhead technology, applied in the direction of valves, mechanical devices, engine components, etc., can solve the problems of poor detection scheme performance for people not of the optimal height, significant higher cost, and improved detection efficiency, so as to improve the detection accuracy of the showerhead sensor.

Inactive Publication Date: 2009-12-03
RINGELSTETTER RICHARD P +1
View PDF18 Cites 57 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]The present invention overcomes the limitation of the prior art as represented by the '673 patent. Like the '673 patent, the preferred embodiment of the present invention teaches placing a sensor within the showerhead. Unlike the '673 patent, one embodiment of the present invention improves the detection of the sensor in the showerhead by combining it with a mec...

Problems solved by technology

These early sensor schemes, particularly the scheme disclosed in the '673 patent, suffer from a limitation, namely, that because the sensors are particularly sensitive to the distance between th...

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Image

Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
  • Showerhead presence detection system
  • Showerhead presence detection system
  • Showerhead presence detection system

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

Embodiment Construction

[0013]The present invention is useful in any showering environment. Showering environments are well known in the art, and the present invention is not limited to a specific showing environment. A typical showering environment might include a shower wall, a shower floor, a showerhead attached to the shower wall (or elsewhere), typically using some kind of support arm. A typical showering environment might also include a supply hose that delivers water to a showerhead and some kind of water controls to turn the showering water supply off and on and to manually set the water temperature by mixing incoming hot and cold water to achieve a desirable showering temperature.

[0014]FIG. 1 shows generally the preferred embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a showing environment having a shower floor 90, a vertical shower wall 70, a showerhead 10 that receives water from a supply line 80. FIG. 1 also shows the showerhead 10 having an embedded presence detector 20. In the embodiment of ...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more

PUM

No PUM Login to view more

Abstract

A system for accurately detecting the presence of a person in a shower by combining presence detection technology, such as an infrared sensor in the showerhead, with a mechanical height adjustment of the showerhead, so that the optimal distance between the sensor and showering person can be maintained for persons of different heights. Alternative embodiments include an electronic control unit to provide power consumption management and safety features. When the electronic control unit is combined with presence detection to predict the identity of a showering person, personal services customized for the identified person are provided. An alternate embodiment teaches a process for intelligently conserving water by intelligently blocking water flow at appropriate times, based on predictable behavior of a contemplated showering person.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to water saving shower technology using presence detection.[0002]The use of presence detection technology for shower related flow control is well known in that art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,072 describes generally the use of a motion sensor near the faucet handles of a shower to automatically start and stop water flow based on the presence of a person in the shower. U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,673 (the '673 patent) describes a system for controlling the flow of water from a showerhead by placing a sensor directly within the showerhead. These early sensor schemes, particularly the scheme disclosed in the '673 patent, suffer from a limitation, namely, that because the sensors are particularly sensitive to the distance between the showering person and the showerhead, the detection scheme performs poorly for people not of the optimal height.[0003]This limitation of the '673 patent has been addressed extensively in the art by provid...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to view more
IPC IPC(8): E03C1/05
CPCE03C1/057E03C1/0408E03C1/066E03C1/06
Inventor RINGELSTETTER, RICHARD P.HECHFEILNER, RUDOLPH G.
Owner RINGELSTETTER RICHARD P
Who we serve
  • R&D Engineer
  • R&D Manager
  • IP Professional
Why Eureka
  • Industry Leading Data Capabilities
  • Powerful AI technology
  • Patent DNA Extraction
Social media
Try Eureka
PatSnap group products

Browse by: Latest US Patents, China's latest patents, Technical Efficacy Thesaurus, Application Domain, Technology Topic.

© 2024 PatSnap. All rights reserved.Legal|Privacy policy|Modern Slavery Act Transparency Statement|Sitemap