Automated water dispensers that use cameras to detect water cups

Abstract

This application relates to an automated water dispenser with a camera-based cup detection system, comprising a water outlet structure, a water receiving box, a main body, a liquid level measurement module, a cup detection module, and an internal control circuit. The main body includes a vertical casing and a support frame extending to one side from the top, used to house and accommodate the water outlet structure, the liquid level measurement module, the cup detection module, and the internal control circuit. The water outlet structure includes a faucet and an electronic valve, connected to the faucet. The cup detection module is located on the support frame next to the water outlet structure. The cup detection module is a camera mounted on the support frame, with its shooting angle facing the water receiving box to detect the cup to be dispensed and its height. The cup detection module automatically identifies the placement of the cup, eliminating the need for manual start by the user, achieving completely contactless water dispensing. This avoids the risk of bacterial or viral transmission caused by frequent touching of water valves in public places, greatly improving hygiene and convenience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automated home appliance manufacturing, and in particular to an automated water dispenser that uses a camera to detect water cups. Background Technology

[0002] As people's living standards continue to improve, water dispensers, as a common household appliance, are gradually developing towards intelligent technology. Currently, most traditional water dispensers on the market are mechanical, requiring manual operation to turn the water valve on and off. Users often need to hold a cup to fill it while bending over to observe the water level and wait for the cup to be full before turning off the valve. This is not only inconvenient, but frequent touching of the water valve in public places also increases the risk of bacterial or viral transmission.

[0003] Existing technical solutions include setting different water dispensing levels on the smart water dispenser's display screen for users to select, automatically stopping the water flow when the user-set value is reached. Alternatively, they may use audio (CN203720666U) to determine the water level inside the cup, automatically stopping the water flow when the cup is nearly full. Another option is to use an infrared or capacitive sensor placed near the water dispenser to detect the presence of a cup (CN213605850), automatically starting water dispensing upon detection and automatically stopping when the cup is removed, requiring no contact between the user and the dispenser itself. Finally, a server may record the user's cup information, allowing the user to control the water dispensing and stopping via a WeChat mini-program or other server-side mechanism.

[0004] In existing technical solutions, users still need to manually click "start," failing to achieve contactless water dispensing. Audio solutions are too expensive, and ambient noise can easily interfere with the sensors, leading to misjudgments. It's impossible to achieve a fully automatic water shut-off function where users can place the cup without waiting for a response. Alternatively, users need to open their phones and tap a mini-program each time they need to dispensing water, which is inconvenient and unsuitable for many scenarios where smartphones are not readily available. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, this application proposes an automated water dispenser with camera detection of water cups, including a water outlet structure, a water receiving box, a main body, a liquid level measurement module, a water cup detection module, and an internal control circuit; The main body includes a vertical box and a support frame extending to one side from the top, which is used to set up and accommodate the water outlet structure, liquid level measurement module, water cup detection module and internal control circuit; The water outlet structure is located at the bottom of the main tank, receiving signals from the internal control circuit to perform the water dispensing action; The water collection box is located at the bottom of the main body and extends in the same direction as the support frame; it is used to place cups to be filled with water. The liquid level measurement module is installed on the surface of the main body where the water receiving box is located, and is used to measure and output the liquid level height information inside the cup to be filled with water; The water cup detection module is installed next to the water outlet structure on the support frame. It is used to detect the water cup to be received and to detect and output the height information of the water cup to be received. The internal control circuit is located inside the main body and connects the liquid level measurement module, the water cup detection module, and the water outlet structure. It is used to receive the information output by the liquid level measurement module and the water cup detection module and output control signals to the water outlet structure.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the outlet structure includes a faucet and an electronic valve. The faucet is connected to the electronic valve, and the electronic valve receives a control signal output from an internal control circuit to the outlet structure to control the opening and closing of the electronic valve.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the water cup detection module consists of multiple vertically arranged infrared pairs disposed on the water receiving box mounting surface of the main housing. The infrared pairs emit infrared signals to the water cup and receive the reflected infrared signals to detect the water cup to be received and to detect the height information of the water cup to be received.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the water cup detection module is a line laser rangefinder mounted on a support frame. The line laser rangefinder emits a laser beam into the water receiving box and receives the reflected laser beam to detect the water cup to be received and to detect the height information of the water cup to be received.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the cup detection module is a camera mounted on a support frame, with the camera angled toward the water container to detect the cup to be filled and its height.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the liquid level measurement module employs a ToF ranging module, which is positioned near the water outlet structure. The ToF ranging module emits light signals into the water cup to be filled and receives the reflected light signals to measure the liquid level height information inside the water cup.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the number of infrared pairs is at least five.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the surface of the main body with the water receiving box is provided with scale markings, and the camera module detects the height information of the cup to be filled by observing the scale markings aligned with the mouth of the cup.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the main housing is made of plastic.

[0014] In one possible implementation, a removable door panel is provided on the back of the main body.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this utility model are: The water cup detection module can automatically identify where the water cup is placed, eliminating the need for users to manually click to start. This achieves a completely contactless water dispensing process, avoiding the risk of bacterial or viral transmission caused by frequent touching of water valves in public places, and greatly improving the hygiene and convenience of use.

[0016] Using a ToF ranging module for liquid level measurement, the water level inside the water dispenser can be accurately obtained; combined with a water cup detection module to detect the size and position of the water cup, the water can be automatically stopped when the cup is nearly full, eliminating the need for users to spend time observing and waiting. This solves the inconvenience of traditional water dispensers that require manual bending over to observe the water level and manually turn off the water valve, while also avoiding water overflow that causes waste and cleaning trouble.

[0017] Suitable for various scenarios, whether at home, in the office or in public places, the water dispenser can be used easily and conveniently, greatly expanding the application range of the product.

[0018] The internal control circuit organically combines the liquid level measurement module, the water cup detection module, and the electronic valve to achieve integrated intelligent operation of water level monitoring, water cup detection, and water dispensing control. This drives the water dispenser to upgrade from a traditional mechanical type to a highly intelligent type, meeting consumers' growing demand for smart home products.

[0019] Other features and aspects of this application will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are included in and form part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of this application together with the specification and serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0021] Figure 1A A side view of an automated water dispenser structure according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 1B This application shows a front view of the structure of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2A A structural side view of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 2B This application shows a front view of the structure of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3A A structural side view of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 3B The diagram shows a front view of the structure of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote elements that have the same or similar functions. Although various aspects of the embodiments are shown in the drawings, they are not necessarily drawn to scale unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0023] It should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model or simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0024] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0025] The term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, embodiment, or illustration.” Any embodiment illustrated herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other embodiments.

[0026] Furthermore, to better illustrate this application, numerous specific details are provided in the following detailed embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application can be implemented without certain specific details. In some instances, methods, means, components, and circuits well-known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail in order to highlight the main points of this application.

[0027] specifically refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B , Figure 1A A side view of an automated water dispenser structure according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 1B The diagram shows a front view of the structure of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application.

[0028] The utility model of this application is an automated water dispenser 100, the structure of which includes a water outlet structure 101, a water receiving box 102, a main body 103, a liquid level measurement module 104, a water cup detection module 105 and an internal control circuit 106. The main housing 103 includes a vertical housing and a support frame extending to one side from the top, used to house and accommodate a water outlet structure 101, a liquid level measurement module 104, a water cup detection module 105, and an internal control circuit 106. The water outlet structure 101 is located at the bottom of the main housing 103 and receives signals from the internal control circuit 106 to initiate water dispensing. A water receiving box 102 is located at the bottom of the main housing and extends in the same direction as the support frame, used to hold water cups to be collected. The liquid level measurement module 104 is located at the bottom of the main housing... The water receiving box has a surface for measuring and outputting the liquid level information inside the cup to be filled. A cup detection module 105 is located next to the outlet structure 101 on the support frame, used to detect the cup to be filled and to detect and output its height information. An internal control circuit 106 is located inside the main housing, connecting the liquid level measurement module, the cup detection module, and the outlet structure 101. It receives information from the liquid level measurement module 104 and the cup detection module 105 and outputs control signals to the outlet structure 101. This automated water dispenser 100, through modular division of labor, achieves full automation from cup detection to automatic water shut-off, eliminating the need for manual operation, improving ease of use and safety, and reducing the risk of contact infection in public places.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the water outlet structure 101 includes a faucet and an electronic valve. The faucet is connected to the electronic valve, which receives control signals from the internal control circuit 106 and controls the opening and closing of the electronic valve. The electronic valve has a fast response speed and can accurately execute the start and stop commands of the internal control circuit, avoiding the delay or leakage problems of traditional mechanical valves. Combined with circuit control, it realizes automatic switching of water outlet, ensuring that the water receiving process does not require manual touch, thus improving hygiene.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the water cup detection module 105 consists of multiple vertically arranged infrared photocells mounted on the water receiving box mounting surface of the main housing. The infrared photocells emit infrared signals towards the water cup and receive the reflected infrared signals to detect the water cup to be received and its height. Multiple sets of infrared photocells can accurately identify water cups of different heights, resulting in high detection accuracy.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the number of infrared phototransistors is at least five. For example... Figure 1B As shown, the infrared pair includes infrared pair 105(1), infrared pair 105(2), infrared pair 105(3), infrared pair 105(4), and infrared pair 105(5), wherein each infrared pair includes at least one infrared emitting device and at least one infrared receiving device.

[0032] specifically refer to Figure 2A and Figure 2B , Figure 2AThis paper shows a structural side view of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2B This diagram shows a front view of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application. In one possible implementation, the cup detection module is a linear laser rangefinder 205 mounted on a support frame. The linear laser rangefinder 205 emits a laser beam into the water receiving box 102 and receives the reflected laser beam to detect the cup to be dispensed and its height. Laser ranging offers high accuracy, directly measuring the distance from the water outlet to the cup rim, quickly determining whether a cup is placed and its height. It is suitable for cups of different materials and shapes, has strong anti-interference capabilities, and improves detection efficiency and versatility.

[0033] Specifically, the second possible automated water dispenser 200 includes a water outlet 201, a water receiving box 202, a main body 203, a liquid level measurement module 204, a water cup detection module 205, and an internal control circuit 206. The liquid level measurement module 204 uses a ToF ranging module and is placed inside the water outlet 201, close to the main body. The water cup detection module 205 uses a line laser ranging module and is placed outside the water outlet 201. The internal control circuit 206 is located inside the main body 203 and connects to the electronic valve, the liquid level measurement module, and the water cup detection module. The electronic valve controls the opening and closing of the water outlet 201.

[0034] specifically refer to Figure 3A and Figure 3B , Figure 3A This paper shows a structural side view of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3B The diagram shows a front view of the structure of an automated water dispenser according to an embodiment of this application.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the cup detection module is a camera 305 mounted on a support frame. The camera 305 is angled towards the water container 302 to detect the cup to be filled and its height. By combining scale markings with camera visual recognition, it can flexibly adapt to various cup shapes without requiring a complex sensor layout. The camera can intuitively capture the cup's state, and with image algorithms, accurately determine the cup's height, making it particularly suitable for irregularly shaped cups and expanding the applicability of the water dispenser.

[0036] Specifically, the third possible automated water dispenser 300 includes a water outlet 301, a water receiving box 302, a main body 303, a liquid level measurement module 304, a water cup detection module 305, and an internal control circuit 306. The liquid level measurement module 304 uses a ToF ranging module and is placed inside the water outlet 301, close to the main body. The water cup detection module 305 uses a camera module and is placed outside the water outlet with the camera angle facing inwards. A series of scale lines are arranged vertically on the surface of the main body facing the water receiving box to represent different heights. The internal control circuit 306 is located inside the main body 303 and connects to the electronic valve, the liquid level measurement module, and the water cup detection module. The electronic valve controls the opening and closing of the water outlet 301.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the liquid level measurement module 104 employs a Time-of-Flight (ToF) ranging module. The ToF ranging module is positioned near the outlet structure 101, emitting light signals into the water cup and receiving the reflected light signals to measure the liquid level inside the cup. ToF technology can measure liquid level changes in real time with high precision, quickly feeding back the liquid level height to the internal control circuit. Compared to traditional audio or infrared liquid level detection, it is unaffected by liquid color or transparency, has strong anti-interference capabilities, and ensures accurate water shut-off before the cup is full, preventing overflow.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the main housing 103 has scale markings on the side facing the water cup, and the camera module detects the height information of the water cup by observing the scale markings aligned with the mouth of the water cup.

[0039] In one possible implementation, before the cup detection module detects the cup, its detection frequency is once per second. Once the cup detection module begins detecting the cup height, its detection frequency increases to at least 10 times per second. This combination of low-power standby and high-frequency activation saves energy and enables rapid response to cup placement, ensuring accurate position detection and providing a reliable trigger for subsequent automatic water dispensing. In one possible implementation, the main housing 103 is made of plastic.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the back of the main housing 103 is provided with a removable door panel.

[0041] The various embodiments of this application have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical application, or improvement of the technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An automated water dispenser that uses a camera to detect water cups, characterized in that, include: The water outlet structure, water receiving box, main body, liquid level measurement module, water cup detection module and internal control circuit; The main housing includes a vertical housing and a support frame extending to one side from the top, used to set up and accommodate the water outlet structure, the liquid level measurement module, the water cup detection module, and the internal control circuit; The water outlet structure is located at the bottom of the main tank and receives signals from the internal control circuit to perform water discharge. The water receiving box is located at the bottom of the main body and extends in the same direction as the support frame, and is used to place a cup to be filled with water. The liquid level measurement module is installed on the surface of the main body where the water receiving box is located, and is used to measure and output the liquid level height information inside the cup to be filled with water; The water cup detection module is located next to the water outlet structure on the support frame. The water cup detection module is a camera installed on the support frame. The camera's shooting angle is towards the water receiving box to detect the water cup to be received and to detect the height information of the water cup to be received. The internal control circuit is located inside the main housing and is connected to the liquid level measurement module, the water cup detection module, and the water outlet structure. It is used to receive information output by the liquid level measurement module and the water cup detection module and output control signals to the water outlet structure.

2. The automated water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water outlet structure includes a faucet and an electronic valve. The faucet is connected to the electronic valve, and the electronic valve receives control signals output from the internal control circuit to the water outlet structure to control the opening and closing of the electronic valve.

3. An automated water dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that, The liquid level measurement module adopts a ToF ranging module, which is located near the water outlet structure. It emits light signals into the water cup to be filled and receives the reflected light signals to measure the liquid level height information inside the water cup.

4. An automated water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body of the container has scale markings on the surface of the water receiving box. The camera module detects the height of the cup to be filled by observing the scale markings aligned with the rim of the cup.

5. An automated water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body is made of plastic.

6. An automated water dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body has a removable door panel on the back.

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