Systems and methods for automatically controlling a faucet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12077952-B2
Application number	US-201916711962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Dec 31, 2018
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A faucet includes a spout configured to direct fluid into a sink, a camera arranged to capture images of the sink, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit may receive an image from the camera. The image may include an object positioned beneath the spout. The processing circuit may analyze the image received from the camera to assign a classification to the object included in the image. The processing circuit may cause the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the classification of the object in the image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling a faucet, the system comprising:
a spout configured to direct fluid into a sink;
a camera arranged to capture images of the sink;
a ranging sensor configured to generate data corresponding to relative depths corresponding to two or more surfaces of the object; and
a processing circuit including a processor and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an image captured by the camera;
identifying in the image an object positioned beneath the spout, the identifying based on a comparison of a static image of the sink to the image received from the camera, wherein the static image comprises a previously captured image of a fixed background and is stored within the memory;
analyzing the image received from the camera to identify a type of object included in the image received from the camera;
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the type of object identified in the image received from the camera in response to identifying the object beneath the faucet; and
determining, based on data from the ranging sensor as fluid from the spout fills the object, a relative depth between an edge of the object and the fluid contained in the object, and wherein causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the object type in the image comprises:
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink to fill the object until the relative depth satisfies a threshold relative depth.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid flow characteristics include a fluid flow duration, a fluid flow temperature, and a fluid flow rate.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit executes locally at or near the sink.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the image comprises:
performing image processing on the image received from the camera, the image processing being performed locally at the sink via an image processing system stored in the memory of the processing circuit.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining, based on a plurality of images including the object, that the object is motionless;
determining a duration in which the object is motionless and fluid is directed into the sink; and generating one or more control signals to cause one or more valves corresponding to the spout to close so as to not direct fluid from the spout.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a look-up table configured to store a plurality of object types and corresponding fluid flow characteristics, wherein the operations further comprise:
determining the fluid flow characteristics corresponding to the object type in the image received from the camera by cross-referencing the identified object type with the look-up table.

7. A faucet, comprising:
a spout configured to direct fluid into a sink;
a ranging sensor configured to generate data corresponding to relative depths corresponding to two or more surfaces of the object; and
a processing circuit including a processor and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an image from a camera arranged to capture images of the sink;
identifying in the image an object positioned beneath the spout, the identifying based on a comparison of a static image of the sink to the image received from the camera, wherein the static image comprises a fixed background and is stored within the memory;
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the type of object in the image received from the camera in response to identifying the object in the image; and
determining, based on data from the ranging sensor as fluid from the spout fills the object, a relative depth between an edge of the object and the fluid contained in the object, and wherein causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the type of object in the image comprises:
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink to fill the object until the relative depth satisfies a threshold relative depth.

8. The faucet of claim 7 , wherein the fluid flow characteristics include a fluid flow duration, a fluid flow temperature, and a fluid flow rate.

9. The faucet of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining, based on a plurality of images including the object, that the object is motionless;
determining a duration in which the object is motionless and fluid is directed into the sink; and
generating one or more control signals to cause one or more valves corresponding to the spout to close, to not direct fluid from the spout.

10. The faucet of claim 7 , wherein the memory of the processing circuit further stores a look-up table configured to store a plurality of object types and corresponding fluid flow characteristics, wherein the operations further comprise:
determining the fluid flow characteristics corresponding to the object type in the image by cross-referencing an identified object type with the look-up table.

11. The faucet of claim 7 , wherein the memory of the processing circuit further stores an image processing system, wherein the operations further comprise:
performing image processing on the image received from the camera using the image processing system stored in memory to identify an object type, and wherein the fluid flow characteristics correspond to the identified object type.

12. A method of controlling a faucet, the method comprising:
receiving, by a faucet control system, an image from a camera configured to capture images of a sink;
identifying in the image an object positioned beneath a spout configured to direct fluid into the sink, the identifying based on a comparison of a static image of the sink to the image received from the camera, wherein the static image is a previously captured image of a fixed background;
analyzing, by the faucet control system, the image received from the camera to identify an object type included in the image received from the camera;
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the object type in the image received from the camera in response to identifying the object in the image; and
determining, by the faucet control system based on data from a ranging sensor configured to generate data corresponding to relative depths corresponding to two or more surfaces of objects, a relative depth between an edge of the object and the fluid contained in the object as fluid from the spout fills the object, and wherein causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the object type in the image comprises:
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink to fill the object until the relative depth satisfies a threshold relative depth.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fluid flow characteristics include a fluid flow duration, a fluid flow temperature, and a fluid flow rate.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining, based on a plurality of images including the object, that the object is motionless;
determining a duration in which the object is motionless and fluid is directed into the sink; and
generating one or more control signals to cause one or more valves corresponding to the spout to close, to not direct fluid from th

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Smith Joel T
• De Swarte Gregory
• Estiban Marwan E
• Poduru Krishna C

Classifications

• G06F18/24

  Classification techniques · CPC title

• F16K37/0058

  Optical means, e.g. light transmission, observation ports (F16K37/0075 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16K37/005

  for measuring fluid parameters (F16K37/0033 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05D7/0623

  characterised by the set value given to the control element · CPC title

• E03C1/0404

  Constructional or functional features of the spout · CPC title