Fluid Dispenser with Time of Flight Proximity Sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017319014-A1
Application number	US-201715589011-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 8, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2016
Publication date	Nov 9, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hand cleaning fluid dispenser for dispensing fluid onto a user's hand includes a time of flight sensor to determine a distance of a hand of a user below an outlet of the dispenser from which the dispenser when activated dispenses the fluid and a controller to activate the dispenser to dispense the fluid from the outlet when the hand is sensed to be within a predetermined range of distances below the outlet.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser for dispensing fluid onto a user's hand, the dispenser including a time of flight sensor to determine at successive times a distance of a moving object relative an outlet of the dispenser from which the dispenser when activated dispenses the fluid;
the dispenser including a controller to activate the dispenser to dispense the fluid from the outlet when the distance of the moving object is sensed to be within a first set of predetermined distances below the outlet that fluid dispensed from the outlet will engage the moving object.

2 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller activates the dispenser to dispense a first dose of fluid when the moving object is first sensed to be within the first set of predetermined distances below the outlet.

3 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the dispenser includes a battery, the dispenser is powered by the battery and the controller controls the operation of the flight sensor to reduce the consumption of the electrical power from the battery by changing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense the distance of moving objects from the outlet.

4 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 3 in which the controller changing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense the distance of moving objects as a function of the distance of sensed.

5 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 4 wherein the controller increasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the distances sensed reduce and the controller decreasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the distances sense increase.

6 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 3 in which the controller changing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense the distance of moving objects as a function of the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed.

7 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 4 in which the controller changing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense the distance of moving objects as a function of the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed.

8 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 6 wherein the controller increasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed reduces and the controller decreasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed increases.

9 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 3 wherein:
in which the controller changing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense the distance of moving objects as a function of the distance of sensed,
wherein the controller increasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the distances sensed reduce and the controller decreasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the distances sensed increase,
the controller changing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense the distance of moving objects as a function of the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed,
the controller increasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed reduces and the controller decreasing the frequency that the sensor is activated to sense a moving object as the time passed since the distance of a moving object was last sensed increases,
when the time of flight sensor does not sense during a first period of time moving objects within a second set of predetermined distances greater than distances of the first set of predetermined distances, the controller controlling the sensor to sense at a first frequency, and
while the time of flight sensor is sensing at the first frequency or greater than the first frequency, when a moving object is sensed within the first set of predetermined distances relative the outlet the controller controlling the sensor to sense at a second frequency less that the first frequency.

10 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 9 wherein:
while the time of flight sensor is sensing at the second frequency or less than the first frequency when a moving object is sensed within a third set of predetermined distances relative the outlet within the first set of predetermined distances but less than at least some of the distances within the first set of predetermined distances, the controller controlling the sensor to sense at a frequency less than the second frequency, and
when the time of flight sensor does not sense during a third period of time a moving object within the third set of predetermined distances the controller controlling the sensor to sense at a frequency at or below the second frequency.

11 . A hand cleaning fluid dispenser as claimed in claim 3 wherein the dispenser includes a reservoir containing the fluid to be dispensed, a pump for dispensing fluid from the reservoir out the outlet and onto the user's hand.

12 . A device having a consumable attribute which is consumed during use and which is replaceable,
the consumable attribute having a reference surface which varies in distance from a reference point as the consumable attribute is consumed, a time of flight sensor to determine a distance of the reference surface from the reference point, a controller to estimate the extent to which the consumable attribute is present in the device based on the distance determined by the sensor.

13 . A device as claimed in claim 12 wherein:
the device is a dispenser of the consumable attribute,
the consumable attribute comprising a consumable material to be dispensed by the dispenser, and
the consumable material having the reference surface which varies in distance from the reference point as the consumable material is dispensed.

14 . A device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the dispenser comprises a fluid dispenser,
the consumable material comprises a fluid,
the fluid dispenser including reservoir containing the fluid, the fluid within the reservoir having an upper surface comprising the reference surface
the reference point being above the upper surface,
the controller estimating the extent to which the reservoir is full or empty based on the distance determined by the sensor.

15 . A device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the dispenser comprises a paper dispenser,
the consumable material comprises a paper supply comprising a roll of paper sheet material or a stack of paper sheet material,
the paper supply having a surface of the paper sheet material comprising the reference surface, the controller estimating the extent to which the paper supply is full or empty based on the distance determined by the sensor.

16 . A device as claimed in claim 12 wherein:
the device is a refuse bin,
the bin having an interior cavity bounded by a circumferentially extending side wall and a bottom wall, and an access opening via which refuse material may be inserted into the bin and form a pile of the refuse within the cavity supported on the bottom wall and constrained between the side walls with the pile having an upwardly directed uppermost surface which varies in distance from the reference point as the refuse material is inserted into the bin,
the uppermost surface comprising

Assignees

• Op Hygiene Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Ophardt Heiner
• Lang Albrecht

Classifications

• G01S17/08

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title

• A47K10/38

  the web being rolled-up · CPC title

• B65F1/14

  Other constructional features; {Accessories}(holders or carriers for hand articles A45F5/00; fastening devices E05C) · CPC title

• G01S17/88

  Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• A47K10/42

  dispensing from a store of single sheets, e.g. stacked · CPC title