Cloud-connected occupancy lights and status indication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11488457-B2
Application number	US-202017094583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2020
Priority date	Jun 8, 2020
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing an availability status associated with a facility. One system includes a visual indicator associated with a facility subsystem of the facility and a sensor configured to detect data associated with the facility subsystem. The system also includes a controller communicatively coupled to the visual indicator and the sensor. The controller is configured to receive a data from the sensor. The controller is also configured to determine a current availability status associated with the facility subsystem based on the data received from the sensor. The controller is also configured to control the visual indicator to indicate the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A facility subsystem comprising:
a visual indicator;
at least one fixture;
a plurality of sensors configured to detect operational data associated with the facility subsystem and comprising an operational status of the at least one fixture and an occupancy status of the facility subsystem; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the visual indicator and the sensors, the controller configured to:
receive the operational data from the sensors,
determine a current availability status for the facility subsystem based on the operational data received from the sensors, wherein the current availability status is determined as unavailable when the operational status of the fixture indicates a malfunction or the occupancy status indicates an occupancy of the facility subsystem,
provide a control signal to the visual indicator to indicate the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem, and
receive an assigned availability status associated with the facility subsystem from a remote device, wherein the assigned availability status is set by a user.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to transmit availability data associated with the facility subsystem to a remote device.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the availability data includes at least one selected from a group consisting of the current availability status and the operational data received from the sensor.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a thermal sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the visual indicator to display a first color when the current availability status is unavailable and a second color when the current availability status is available, wherein the first color is different from the second color.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem as the assigned availability status.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the facility subsystem is a restroom stall.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fixture is a toilet positioned within the facility subsystem.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fixture is a resource dispenser positioned within the facility subsystem.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the malfunction indicates a run-on condition associated with the fixture.

11. A method for providing an availability status associated with a facility subsystem, the method comprising:
receiving, from a plurality of sensors, operational data associated with the facility subsystem and comprising an operational status of at least one fixture associated with the facility subsystem and an occupancy status of the facility subsystem;
determining, with an electronic processor, a current availability status for the facility subsystem based on the operational data, wherein the current availability status is determined as unavailable when the operational status of the fixture indicates a malfunction or the occupancy status indicates an occupancy of the facility subsystem; and
providing, with the electronic processor, a control signal to a visual indicator of the facility subsystem to indicate the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem,
wherein receiving the data associated with the facility subsystem includes receiving an assigned availability status from a remote device, the assigned availability status set by a user.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem includes determining the current availability status as the assigned availability status.

Assignees

• Zurn Ind Llc

Inventors

• Chakraborty Arindam
• Trickle Glen

Classifications

• G08B5/221 Primary

  Local indication of seats occupied in a facility, e.g. in a theatre · CPC title

• G08B5/36 Primary

  using visible light sources · CPC title