U.S. patent application number 12/127775 was filed with the patent office on 2009-12-03 for showerhead presence detection system.
Invention is credited to Rudolph G. Hechfeilner, Richard P. Ringelstetter.
Application Number | 20090293190 12/127775 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41377921 |
Filed Date | 2009-12-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090293190 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ringelstetter; Richard P. ;
et al. |
December 3, 2009 |
SHOWERHEAD PRESENCE DETECTION SYSTEM
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.
Inventors: |
Ringelstetter; Richard P.;
(Boise, ID) ; Hechfeilner; Rudolph G.; (Campbell,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GERARD CARLSON
4503 S. RIVA RIDGE WAY
BOISE
ID
83709
US
|
Family ID: |
41377921 |
Appl. No.: |
12/127775 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/605 ; 4/623;
4/668 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03C 1/0408 20130101;
E03C 1/057 20130101; E03C 1/06 20130101; E03C 1/066 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/605 ; 4/623;
4/668 |
International
Class: |
E03C 1/05 20060101
E03C001/05 |
Claims
1. A system for automatically controlling the water flow in a
showerhead in a showering environment comprising: a showerhead, the
showerhead further includes a presence detector, a showerhead
height adjuster, wherein the showerhead height adjuster is capable
of vertically adjusting the height of the showerhead, wherein the
accuracy of said presence detector is improved by using the
showerhead height adjuster to adjust the height of the
showerhead.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the showerhead height adjuster
further comprises: a support arm, the support arm is substantially
horizontal, the support arm further includes a first end and a
second end, the first end of the support arm is attached to the
showerhead, a vertical pole, the vertical pole is substantially
perpendicular to the support arm, the second end of the support arm
is slidably attached to the vertical pole, wherein the height of
said showerhead is adjusted by vertically sliding the support arm
on the vertical pole.
3. The system of claim 2, the presence detector further includes an
optimal focal direction, wherein said optimal focal direction is
maintained when said showerhead is adjusted.
4. The system of claim 1, the presence detector further includes an
optimal focal direction, wherein said optimal focal direction is
maintained when said showerhead is adjusted.
5. A system for automatically controlling the water flow in a
showering environment comprising: a presence detector for detecting
the presence of a person within the showering environment, a
showerhead, a distance estimator for providing an estimate of the
distance between the showerhead and a person within the showering
environment, wherein said estimate is used to predict the identity
of a person within the showering environment, wherein customized
personal services based on the predicted identity are provided.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the personal services provided
are at least one of the following: setting preferred water
temperature, setting a radio to a preferred station, playing
pre-selected music, setting a television to a preferred
station.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein the personal service provided is
a hot water shutoff wherein when hot water temperature exceeds a
predetermined customized temperature setting, the water flow is
shut off.
8. A system for conserving power to a presence sensor in a
showering environment comprising: an electronic control unit, the
electronic control unit is interfaced to the presence sensor, the
electronic control unit is configured to be able to switch the
power of the presence sensor off and on, a sensor group comprising
at least one environmental sensor, wherein each environmental
sensor is capable of detecting the presence of an associated
sensor-specific environmental condition of the showering
environment, wherein whenever at least one environmental sensor
detects a presence of its sensor-specific environmental condition,
the electronic control unit switches the power of the presence
sensor on.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the showering environment further
includes a temperature of water flowing through the showerhead,
wherein said sensor group includes a first sensor wherein the
sensor-specific environmental condition of said first sensor is the
temperature of water flowing through the showerhead exceeding a
first threshold.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the showering environment
further includes ambient light, wherein said sensor group includes
a second sensor wherein the sensor-specific environmental condition
of said second sensor is the luminance of the ambient light
exceeding a second threshold.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the showering environment
further includes water flowing through the showerhead, wherein said
sensor group includes a third sensor wherein the sensor-specific
environmental condition of said third sensor is the volume of the
water flowing through the showerhead exceeding a third
threshold.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the showering environment
further includes water flowing through the showerhead, wherein said
sensor group includes a third sensor wherein the sensor-specific
environmental condition of said third sensor is the volume of the
water flowing through the showerhead exceeding a third
threshold.
13. The system of claim 8, wherein the showering environment
further includes ambient light, wherein said sensor group includes
a second sensor wherein the sensor-specific environmental condition
of said second sensor is the luminance of the ambient light
exceeding a second threshold.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the showering environment
further includes water flowing through the showerhead, wherein said
sensor group includes a third sensor wherein the sensor-specific
environmental condition of said third sensor is the volume of the
water flowing through the showerhead exceeding a third
threshold.
15. The system of claim 8, wherein the showering environment
further includes water flowing through the showerhead, wherein said
sensor group includes a third sensor wherein the sensor-specific
environmental condition of said third sensor is the volume of the
water flowing through the showerhead exceeding a third
threshold.
16. The system of claim 8, wherein the showering environment
further includes a button having an on state and an off state, said
button is interfaced to the electronic control unit, wherein said
sensor group includes a fourth sensor wherein the sensor-specific
environmental condition of said fourth sensor is said button being
in the on state.
17. A system for maintaining the temperature of water from a hot
water supply and a cold water supply flowing to a showerhead in a
showering environment within a specified range comprising: a
temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of water flowing
from the showerhead, an electronic control unit, wherein the
temperature sensor is interfaced to the electronic control unit,
the electronic control unit is configured to be able to switch the
hot water supply to the showerhead off and on, the electronic
control unit is configured to be able to switch the cold water
supply to the showerhead off and on, wherein whenever said
temperature sensor detects a temperature above a third
predetermined temperature set point, the electronic control unit
switches the hot water supply off. wherein whenever said
temperature sensor detects a temperature below a fourth
predetermined temperature set point, the electronic control unit
switches the cold water supply off.
18. A method for conserving water in a showering environment having
a water supply, a showerhead, an activation detector, a water valve
capable of being opened and closed wherein, when the water valve is
opened, water flow between the water supply and the showerhead is
permitted, otherwise, waterflow to the showerhead is blocked, a
temperature sensor capable of detecting when the temperature of
water between the water supply and the showerhead reaches or
exceeds a given threshold, a person detector capable of predicting
when person is correctly positioned in said showering environment
comprising the steps of: step 1. if the water valve is opened,
close the water valve, step 2. if the activation detector fails to
detect an activation event, repeat this step until the activation
detector detects an activation event, step 3. open the water valve,
step 4. if said temperature sensor detects that the water flow
between the water supply and the showerhead has exceeded a first
threshold, proceed to next step, otherwise, repeat this step, step
5. if the person detector predicts a person is correctly positioned
in the showering environment, open the water valve, otherwise close
the water valve, step 6. proceed to step 5.
19. The method of claim 18, further including a step 5b, inserted
between steps 5 and 6, that reads as follows: 5b. if a terminating
event is detected, then close the water valve if not already
closed, and proceed to step 1.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein step 4 further enhanced to read
as follows: step 4. if said temperature sensor detects that the
water flow between the water supply and the showerhead has exceeded
said first threshold, proceed to next step, otherwise, measure the
time that has elapsed since step 4 was initially executed, and if
the elapsed time exceeds a second threshold, proceed to step 1,
otherwise. repeat this step.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the activating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature exceeding a
third threshold, a button being pushed).
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the terminating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature falling
outside a specifed range, the time the water valve is opened
exceeding a fourth threshold, the time that water valve is closed
exceeding a fifth threshold).
23. The method of claim 20, wherein the terminating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature falling
outside a specifed range, the time the water valve is opened
exceeding a fourth threshold, the time that water valve is closed
exceeding a fifth threshold).
24. The method of claim 19, wherein the activating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature exceeding a
third threshold, a button being pushed).
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the terminating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature falling
outside a specifed range, the time the water valve is opened
exceeding a fourth threshold, the time that water valve is closed
exceeding a fifth threshold).
26. The method of claim 19, wherein the terminating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature falling
outside a specifed range, the time the water valve is opened
exceeding a fourth threshold, the time that water valve is closed
exceeding a fifth threshold).
27. The method of claim 18, wherein step 4 further enhanced to read
as follows: step 4. if said temperature sensor detects that the
water flow between the water supply and the showerhead has exceeded
said first threshold, proceed to next step, otherwise, measure the
time that has elapsed since step 4 was initially executed, and if
the elapsed time exceeds a second threshold, proceed to step 1,
otherwise. repeat this step.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the activating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature exceeding a
third threshold, a button being pushed).
29. The method of claim 18, wherein the activating event is at
least one of the following events: (water temperature exceeding a
third threshold, a button being pushed).
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 providing more elaborate and more
sophisticated sensing schemes to accommodate variations in height.
Unfortunately, these improvements, although effective, are
significantly more expensive.
[0004] What is needed is a way to improve the performance of
cost-effective showerhead sensors without dramatically increasing
the overall cost.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[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 mechanical
adjustment of the height of the showerhead. While mechanical
adjustment of showerhead for comfort is not new, the combination of
using height adjustment carefully implemented according to the
teachings of the claimed invention to improve the accuracy of a
showerhead sensor is novel and overcomes limitations and provides
new and unobvious benefits over the prior art.
[0006] Other embodiments teach the deployment of an electronic
control unit in conjunction with the showerhead to provide new
benefits. In one embodiment, presence detection is used to measure
the distance between the showerhead and the person showering to
predict the identity of the showering person, and then to provide
personal services, such as turning on a radio to pre-selected
station to suit the preferences of the identified showering person.
Another embodiment describes interfacing sensors capable of
detecting an environmental condition of interest with the
electronic control unit such that when a certain environment
condition is detected, the electronic control unit can be put into
a power saving mode to save battery life. For example, such a
sensor might detect ambient light in the room, to conserve power
when the room is dark. Yet another embodiment teaches the use of a
temperature sensor in conjunction with an electronic control unit
controlling a valve so that the water flow can be shutoff whenever
the water temperature falls outside of a specified interval, as a
safety feature to avoid exposing a showering person to freezing and
scalding water temperatures.
[0007] Another embodiment teaches a method for conserving water
usage teaching very specific steps and by deploying a water valve
to stop the water flow, until certain activation conditions are
met, then maintaining water flow only when a shower person is
detected, and terminating water flow during specified terminating
conditions such as a "short shower" timer expiring.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE INVENTION
[0008] FIG. 1 shows generally the preferred embodiment of the
invention, a showerhead having an embedded presence detector and a
height adjustor that can be used to maximize the accuracy of the
presence detector.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention where
presence detection is used to identify a showering person and
provide service customized for the identified person.
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a power-saving embodiment of the
invention where room sensors are used to detect conditions that
make it appropriate to put the electronic control unit into a low
power mode.
[0011] FIG. 4 illustrates yet another embodiment where a sensor
measures the water temperature, and this information is used to
shut off the water flow to the showerhead under possibly unsafe
conditions.
[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart yet another embodiment where
water is conserved by using sensors and buttons to detect
appropriate conditions in which to start or stop the water
flow.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[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 FIG.
1, the showerhead 10 is attached to a support arm 30 substantially
perpendicular so that the showerhead is pointed down toward the
floor. Also illustrated is a vertical support 40 attached to the
shower wall 70 with supports 50 and 50'. A support arm 30 is
attached to the vertical support 40 such that the support arm 30
and be adjusted to a higher or lower height to accommodate users of
varying heights. Although this embodiment illustrates the use of a
vertical pole to aid in the adjustment of the head, the invention
is useful with other showerhead height adjustment mechanisms. In
this embodiment, an adjustor 60 is generally illustrated to show
generally a means to fix the height of the support arm 30 at a
fixed position. The dotted lines illustrate a showerhead 10' with
the presence detector 20', attached to the support arm 30' having
been lowered.
[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention where
presence detection is used to identify a showering person and
provide service customized for the identified person. Referring to
FIG. 2, an electronic control unit 110 is introduced, that is
interfaced to the presence detector 20 and a personal service
device such as a radio 130 with an interface 140. The term
"personal service devices" is contemplated to be generally
construed herein to include any consumer device capable of
providing a customizable useful or entertaining purpose in a shower
environment. Consumer electronic devices such as radios,
televisions, and media players such as mp3 music players are
particularly contemplated. The interface between the electronic
control unit 110 and the device 130 could be hard-wired, but the
preferred interface is a wireless communication means such as
infrared or radio technologies. In this embodiment, the presence
detector 20 is configured to detect not only the presence of a
showering person, but also to detect the height of the showering
person as represent by the "X" 120 of FIG. 2. The electronic
control unit 110 has an associated table that maps height ranges to
likely showering persons and identifies the showering person based
on the detected height. After identifying the showering person, a
pre-selected personal service customized for the identified person
is deployed. In FIG. 2, upon the detection of a particular person,
the electronic control unit 110 would turn on the "personal
services" device, which is illustrated in FIG. 2 as a radio 130,
and tune it to a station specifically customized for the identified
showering person. The electronic control unit 110 needs to have
some kind of control interface 140 with the personal services
device such as the illustrated radio 130. The interface 140 could
be implemented hardwired, or using a wireless technology.
[0016] In one embodiment, the presence detector is implemented
using infrared or related technologies. Infrared and related
technologies typically have an "optimal focal direction", which
herein means the direction and distance of the presence detector to
its intended target that produces the most accurate detection
results. A key benefit of this embodiment is that the "optimal
focal direction" can be maintained by adjusting the sensor in the
showerhead downward when a smaller person is showering. This
differs from prior art systems having a fixed showerhead position,
which would result in less accurate distance measurement for a
smaller showering person because, for infrared, for example, the
accuracy of the infrared would decrease as the distance between the
fixed shower head and the head of the showering person
increases.
[0017] This embodiment contemplates the introduction of a generic
"distance estimator" that estimates the height of the showering
person, and that height is used to predict the identity of the
showering person so that personalized services can be provided
based on the identity of the showering person. In the preferred
embodiment, the "distance estimator" is implemented using the
infrared based presence detector 20 coupled with the electronic
control unit 110, but other distance estimator implementations are
contemplated as well.
[0018] FIG. 2 shows a simplified example of one embodiment of the
invention. Although the electronic control unit 110 is shown as a
box above the shower head 10 in FIG. 2, the invention is not so
limited. For example, the electronic control unit could be
implemented as electronics within the showerhead, or alternatively,
could be situated somewhere else within or without the showering
environment. Likewise, the personal service device is illustrated
as a radio 130 in FIG. 2, but the invention is not so limited. For
example, the personal service device could be any appropriate
consumer-friendly device including, but not limited devices playing
music, video, or any kind of media presentation. The personal
service device could also set the water temperature to a
temperature preferred by the showering person.
[0019] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment where one or more room
sensors 210, forming a sensor group, are deployed and interfaced to
the electronic control unit 110. (The interface is not illustrated
in FIG. 3). Sensor here is used in a general sense to include any
sensor capable of detecting something of interest in the
environment by performing a measurement and comparing that
measurement to a pre-defined threshold. For example, a temperature
sensor could measure the temperature of the room and measure the
room temperature against a temperature set point, where the
temperature set point would be serving as the threshold. The
purpose of the sensors is to detect an environment condition of
interest, and then to put the electronic control unit 110 into a
low power mode when its higher powered functionality is likely not
needed, thus saving battery life for systems powered by batteries.
For example, the sensor 210 could be used to determined ambient
light, and the electronic control unit 110 could then power down
the presence detector when the room was dark under the theory that
people do not generally shower in the dark. A different sensor 210
could be used to measure water temperature and/or water flow to
signal the electronic control unit 110 to stay in low power mode
until water is flowing and has reached a predetermined
temperature.
[0020] Another variation of the sensor 210 is a button where a
showering person, upon arrival, presses the button to bring the
system out of low power mode. The system could return to low power
mode under a number of possible circumstances, including a time
delay, or detection of an appropriate environmental condition.
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a specific use of a temperature sensor
220. Here, the sensor is not used to signal power down mode, but
rather is used for safety purposes to detect unsafe or unpleasant
water temperatures, to allow the electronic control unit 110 to
shut off the water supply whenever an inappropriate water
temperature is detected.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method to deploy the
claimed technology to conserve water in a showering environment.
The method generally works as follows: First, the system begins in
a "sleep" mode, and it remains there until is activated by an
activation event. An activation event is contemplated to be
anything measurable parameter that indicates that a person has
arrived at the shower. For example, a button could be installed,
and the showering user would push the button to alert the system of
his or her presence. Alternatively the water temperature could be
measured, and an activation event could be when the water
temperature reaches a particular activation set point to reflect
that a user has arrived and has manually turned on the water.
[0023] Once an activation event is detected, the system enters an
"auto" mode, and turns on the water valve to enable water flow. The
water flow typically stays on while the system waits for the water
to warm up to a preset "warm enough" set point. The person then
enters the shower and perhaps adjusts the height of the showerhead
if such an adjustment is present. The system then uses presence
detection--or a "person detector"--typically implemented with
infrared sensing technology, to predict the presence of a person.
Various schemes for predicting the person of a person can be
deployed by making various adjustments to the sensitivity of the
sensors. For example, it is often desirable to allow the detection
of a hand to qualify as a person prediction, so that a showering
person can start the flow and test the water temperature before
stepping into the shower. Because of earlier steps, the water
should be at least at the "warm enough" temperature threshold. The
system conserves water by shutting off the water valve when the
person detector predicts the absence of a showering person and
resumes water flow when the presence of a showering person is
predicted. Optionally, the shower could terminate due to the
detection of a terminating event. A terminating event is
contemplated to be anything that reasonable would provide a basis
for terminating a shower. For example, providing a "long enough"
timeout to encourage short showers (that could then be extended by
pushing the button) is one example of a terminating event. Another
category of terminating events might be safety considerations, for
example, a terminating event could be the temperature of the shower
approaching a scalding temperature, or perhaps a "too cold"
temperature.
[0024] The main idea of this embodiment is to reduce the amount of
wasted water by intelligently trying to determine situations where
shower water is likely to be going straight down the drain, and not
onto a showering person, and closing the water valve in those
situations and resuming water flow, when a showering person is
likely to be present. The sensing at the first provides for the
case when water flow is enabled so that the water will warm up at
which times the shower may be elsewhere waiting. The system
intelligently will shut off the water when the "warm enough"
temperature is reached.
[0025] The descriptions above and the associated drawing are
provided for illustration, not limitation. As one skilled in the
art will appreciate, there are other embodiments of the present
invention not illustrated deploying slight modifications that
nonetheless are consistent with claimed invention. Accordingly, the
invention should only be limited by the claims as set forth
below:
* * * * *