Touchless Lavatory Sensor Grouping for False Trigger Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inadvertent triggering of sensors in touchless lavatories can lead to wasteful resource usage and uncomfortable experiences due to the increased risk of accidental activation, especially in compact spaces like airplanes.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that group sensors based on location and ambient light measurements to validate trigger events, ensuring that only intended actions are performed by comparing ambient light values from individual sensors to group averages and applying thresholds to differentiate between valid and invalid triggers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If more sensors are included in the lavatory to improve functionality and control precision, then the ability to control sink, soap dispenser, and toilet operations is improved, but the risk of inadvertently triggering sensors increases causing resource waste and user discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensors into sensor groups based on their spatial relationships. When sensors are grouped, their trigger events are evaluated collectively rather than individually. This merging approach allows the system to distinguish between intentional triggers (which would simultaneously activate multiple sensors in a group) and inadvertent triggers (which would only activate single sensors), thereby resolving the contradiction between having more sensors for better control and maintaining reliable trigger detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring ambient light conditions and using this information to validate sensor trigger events. When a sensor is triggered, the system checks whether the ambient light levels are consistent with an intentional user action versus an inadvertent activation. This feedback mechanism improves trigger reliability without requiring fewer sensors, addressing the contradiction between measurement precision and reliability.
2Volume of moving object
If sensors are placed in more compact spaces such as airplanes to save space, then the space utilization is improved, but the potential for inadvertently triggering sensors increases due to closer proximity
Solution Approach 1:
In compact spaces where sensors must be placed closer together, the patent applies sensor grouping to mitigate the increased risk of inadvertent triggers. By defining groups based on spatial proximity and functional relationships, the system can differentiate between intentional actions (affecting multiple sensors in a group) and accidental activations (affecting only one sensor), thus enabling compact sensor placement without proportionally increasing false trigger risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different validation rules to different sensor groups based on their local characteristics and spatial relationships. Each sensor group can have customized trigger validation criteria appropriate to its specific location and function within the compact lavatory space. This localized approach allows the system to optimize for both space utilization and trigger reliability in different areas of the compact environment.
3Reliability
If ambient light measurement validation is applied to all sensor triggers to reduce inadvertent activations, then the accuracy of trigger detection is improved, but the processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensor system into distinct groups based on spatial and functional criteria. This segmentation allows the ambient light validation process to be applied selectively to specific sensor groups rather than uniformly to all sensors. By dividing the system into manageable segments, the complexity of the validation process is reduced while maintaining high trigger detection accuracy for each group.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-defining sensor groups and their spatial relationships before operation. This preliminary configuration allows the ambient light validation to proceed more efficiently during actual use, as the system already has established groupings and validation criteria ready to apply. This reduces the real-time processing complexity while maintaining high detection accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling a touchless lavatory is disclosed herein. The method includes forming one or more groups of sensors (118a - 118f) from a plurality of sensors, determining that a trigger event is detected from the first sensor, and identifying a first group of sensors of the one or more groups of sensors to which the first sensor belongs. The method further includes requesting an ambient light measurement from each of the plurality of sensor. The method further includes computing an average ambient light value based on the ambient light measurement, comparing the ambient light measurement of the first sensor to the average ambient light value of all the sensors, determining that the ambient light measurement of the first sensor is less than the average ambient light value of all the sensors, and determining that the first sensor trigger event is valid.