Hybrid fitting with water jet detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10590636-B2
Application number	US-201715696627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A method for operating a sanitary fitting, and to a sanitary fitting. The sanitary fitting is equipped to deliver a water jet and has at least one manual actuator for manual regulation of at least one water jet flow rate or a water jet temperature, and a sensor arrangement that is equipped for sensor-controlled regulation of a predefined water jet flow rate and a predefined water jet temperature. The sensor arrangement is equipped to detect the presence of an object in an external detection area and a control unit is provided to distinguish whether the object detected first is a water jet or a different object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating a sanitary fitting that is adapted to deliver a water jet, having at least one manual actuator for a manual regulation of at least one of water jet flow rate or a water jet temperature, and a sensor arrangement that is equipped for sensor-controlled regulation of a predefined water jet flow rate and a predefined water jet temperature, the method comprising:
monitoring an external detection area by the sensor arrangement;
detecting a presence of an object in the detection area by the sensor arrangement, the object being a first detected object;
evaluating the first detected object and distinguishing whether the first detected object is a water jet or a different object; and
sensor-controlled regulating of the predefined water jet flow rate and the predefined water jet temperature if the first detected object is the different object, the sensor-controlled regulating being inhibited if the first detected object is the water jet.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first detected object is the different object and wherein the predefined water jet flow rate and the predefined water jet temperature are stopped when the different object is no longer detected in the detection area.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the different object is at least a hand or another object that has a larger extent viewed in a transverse direction than the water jet.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of evaluating the first detected object is performed by a control unit.

5. A sanitary fitting adapted to deliver a water jet, the sanitary fitting comprising:
at least one manual actuator for a manual regulation of at least one of a water jet flow rate or a water jet temperature;
a sensor arrangement for sensor-controlled regulation of a predefined water jet flow rate and a predefined water jet temperature, the sensor arrangement being adapted to detect a presence of an object in an external detection area, the object being a first detected object; and
a control unit adapted to evaluate the first detected object and to distinguish whether the first detected object is a water jet or a different object,
wherein the control unit is configured to:
evaluate the first detected object and distinguish whether the first detected object is the water jet or the different object; and
perform sensor-controlled regulation of the predefined water jet flow rate and the predefined water jet temperature if the first detected object is the different object, the sensor-controlled regulating being inhibited if the first detected object is the water jet.

6. The sanitary fitting according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit is integrated in the sensor arrangement.

7. The sanitary fitting according to claim 5 , wherein the sensor arrangement includes at least one optical sensor that is arranged in alignment with the water jet, and wherein the detection area has a detection area width that is greater than a water jet diameter.

8. The sanitary fitting according to claim 5 , wherein at least a detection area length of the detection area is greater than a sensor arrangement length of the sensor arrangement or wherein a detection area width of the detection area is greater than a sensor arrangement width of the sensor arrangement.

9. The sanitary fitting according to claim 5 , wherein no mechanical sensor is provided for detecting a stroke of the actuator.

Assignees

• Grohe Ag

Inventors

• Schoenbeck Heiko
• Jung Andreas
• Steinhoff Stefan

Classifications

• E03C1/055

  Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like · CPC title

• E03C1/057 Primary

  touchless, i.e. using sensors · CPC title