Frequency modulated sprayer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10358801-B2
Application number	US-201715662946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Aug 1, 2016
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

A sprayer including a fluid carrier having an inlet configured to receive water from a water source and an outlet for emitting water, and including a vibration source coupled to a portion of the fluid carrier between the inlet and the outlet. When the sprayer is in a first mode of operation, water is emitted from the outlet in a first pattern; and when the sprayer is in a second mode of operation, the vibration source is configured to oscillate the fluid carrier such that water is emitted from the outlet in a second pattern.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sprayer comprising:
a housing having a hollow body extending from an inlet end to an outlet end;
fluid carrier extending within the hollow body from the inlet end to the outlet end, the fluid carrier being configured to receive water from a water source and emit water through the outlet end;
an actuator coupled to the housing; and
a vibration source located within the hollow body and coupled to a portion of the fluid carrier between the inlet end and the outlet end;
wherein water is emitted from the outlet end in a first pattern in a first mode of operation in response to the actuator being in a first position; and
wherein the vibration source is configured to oscillate the fluid carrier such that water is emitted from the outlet end in a second pattern in a second mode of operation in response to the actuator being in a second position.

2. The sprayer of claim 1 , further comprising a signal generator configured to produce a signal that oscillates the vibration source.

3. The sprayer of claim 2 , further comprising an amplifier that receives the signal from the signal generator and outputs an amplified signal that is received by the vibration source.

4. The sprayer of claim 3 , further comprising a switch on or in the hollow body of the housing, wherein the switch controls the vibration source in response to the actuator position.

5. The sprayer of claim 4 , wherein the signal generator and the amplifier are also housed in the housing.

6. The sprayer of claim 1 , wherein the vibration source is configured to oscillate the fluid carrier between a first position and a second position to produce the second pattern of water emitted from the outlet.

7. The sprayer of claim 6 , further comprising a signal generator configured to produce a signal that oscillates the vibration source between the first position and the second position.

8. The sprayer of claim 7 , wherein the signal is a waveform.

9. The sprayer of claim 2 , wherein the waveform is one of a square wave, a step wave, and a sawtooth wave.

10. The sprayer of claim 1 , further comprising a signal generator configured to produce an audio signal that moves the vibration source.

11. The sprayer of claim 10 , wherein the audio signal is music.

12. A sprayer comprising:
a housing having a hollow body extending from an inlet end to an outlet end;
a fluid carrier disposed in the hollow body of the housing and having an inlet which extends through the inlet end and is configured to receive water, and an outlet for emitting water through the outlet end;
a vibration source disposed in the hollow body of the housing and operable in a first mode of operation, in which the water is emitted from the outlet having a first shape, and in a second mode of operation, in which the vibration source moves the fluid carrier such that the water is emitted from the outlet having a second shape that is different than the first shape; and
a controller located in or on the housing and configured to switch the vibration source between the first and second modes of operation.

13. The sprayer of claim 12 , further comprising:
a signal generator that produces a signal from input power; and
an amplifier that receives the signal from the signal generator and outputs an amplified signal to the vibration source in the second mode of operation to oscillate the fluid carrier, wherein the controller includes a touch sensitive panel that controls operation of the signal generator and the amplifier through a user input.

14. The sprayer of claim 13 , wherein each of the signal generator, the amplifier, and the controller is located in or on the housing.

15. The sprayer of claim 14 , wherein the vibration source is operable in a third mode of operation, in which the water is emitted from the outlet having a third shape that is different than the first and second shapes, and the controller switches the vibration source between the first, second, and third modes of operation by a user input into the controller.

16. The sprayer of claim 13 , wherein the amplified signal has a shape that is different than the second shape.

17. A sprayer comprising:
a hollow body having an inlet end with an inlet and an outlet end with an outlet, the inlet end being configured to detachably mount to a spout of a kitchen faucet;
a water supply tube that extends through the inlet into the hollow body and is moveable relative to the hollow body; and
a vibration source located inside the hollow body and operable in a first mode of operation, in which the water supply tube does not move relative to the hollow body and water is dispensed from the outlet having a first shape, and a second mode of operation, in which the vibration source moves the water supply tube relative to the hollow body to dispense water from the outlet having a second shape that is different than the first shape.

18. The sprayer of claim 17 , further comprising a signal generator that produces a signal, wherein the vibration source moves the water supply tube in response to the signal from the signal generator.

19. The sprayer of claim 18 , wherein the signal produced by the signal generator is a variable signal that is adjustable by a controller to change the shape of the variable signal and the second shape.

20. A faucet comprising the spout, a base supporting the spout, the sprayer of claim 19 operatively coupled to the spout, and a handle configured to control water flow to the sprayer from a water supply, wherein the water supply tube extends through the spout and the base to fluidly connect with the water supply.

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Velapure Amruta Shyam
• Ogreenc Fred
• Esche John C

Classifications

• E03C1/0404 Primary

  Constructional or functional features of the spout · CPC title

• B05B1/002

  designed to reduce the generation or the transmission of noise or to produce a particular sound; associated with noise monitoring means · CPC title

• B05B1/14

  with multiple outlet openings (B05B1/02, B05B1/26 take precedence); with strainers in or outside the outlet opening · CPC title

• B05B17/0607

  generated by electrical means, e.g. piezoelectric transducers · CPC title

• B05B7/02

  Spray pistols; Apparatus for discharge (for spraying particulate material B05B7/14; with means for heating the material to be sprayed B05B7/16; with means for supplying fluent material to a discharge device B05B7/24) · CPC title