HYBRID FITTING WITH WATER JET DETECTION

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, wherein the sensor arrangement is equipped to detect the presence of an object in an external detection area and wherein a control unit is provided that is equipped to evaluate an object detected first and to distinguish whether the object detected first is a water jet or a different object. The present invention makes possible an economical production, the use of standard components, and low wear.

Claims

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 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; 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 different object was detected first in the detection area, the sensor-controlled regulating being inhibited if a water jet was detected first in the detection area.

2. The method according to claim 1, 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 and it was determined that the different object was detected first.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different object is at least a hand or an 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 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; and a control unit adapted to evaluate an object detected first and to distinguish whether the object detected first is a water jet or a different object.

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 control unit is adapted to: evaluate the first detected object and distinguish whether the first detected object is the water jet or a different object; and perform sensor-controlled regulation of the predefined water jet flow rate and the predefined water jet temperature if the different object was detected first in the detection area, the sensor-controlled regulating being inhibited if a water jet was detected first in the detection area.

8. 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.

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

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

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0038] FIG. 1 is a basic illustration of the method for operating a sanitary fitting,

[0039] FIG. 2 is a first manual regulation of a water flow rate,

[0040] FIG. 3 is a second manual regulation of a water flow rate,

[0041] FIG. 4 is a sensor-controlled regulation of a predefined water flow rate, and

[0042] FIG. 5 is a detection of the presence of an object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows a schematic and basic illustration of the method for operating a sanitary fitting. The method starts here in step a) with the monitoring by the sensor arrangement of an external detection area. If an object is present in the detection area, then detection by the sensor arrangement of the presence of an object in the detection area follows in step b). This is followed in step c) by an evaluation of the object detected first and a distinguishing of whether the first detected object is a water jet or a different object. The method can be carried out by means of a microcontroller by way of example. The microcontroller here also has a memory unit. State variables can be stored in the memory unit. In step c) an object state variable 17 is stored here. The object state variable 17 can assume three values or three states. The first state is referred to here as “water jet” and is stored when it has been determined in step c) that the first detected object is a water jet. The second state of the object state variable 17 is referred to here as “different object” and is stored when it has been determined in step c) that the first detected object is a different object. If neither the first state nor the second state is recognized or is no longer recognized, then “null” is stored here as the third state by way of example.

[0044] The step c) is followed here by an if-then decision. If the stored object state variable 17 is the “different object” state, then in step d) a sensor-controlled regulation of the predefined water jet flow rate and the predefined water jet temperature follows. In this case, the method is continued in a sensor-controlled circuit 16. If the state stored in step c) is “water jet,” however, then the method is continued in a manual circuit 15. By way of example, in the sensor-controlled circuit 16, the step d) is followed by a step e), in which a further monitoring, detection, and evaluation is carried out. Here, the object state variable 17 is again stored. The step e) is followed once again by an if-then decision. If the state now stored is still “different object,” then the sensor-controlled regulation of the predefined water jet flow rate and the predefined water jet temperature continues to occur. But if the “water jet” state was stored, then the sensor-controlled regulation is stopped in a step f). After the stoppage, the method starts again with step a).

[0045] It can also be seen in FIG. 1 that the method in the manual circuit 15 is pursued further if the object state variable 17 has the “water jet” state in the first if-then decision. In this case a monitoring, detection, and evaluation follows here by way of example in a step g), wherein the object state variable 17 is stored here as well. An if-then decision follows here as well, wherein step g) continues to be executed if the object state variable 17 has the “different object” or “water jet” state. If the object state variable 17 has the “null” state, however, then the method begins again with step a).

[0046] In FIG. 2, a first manual regulation of a water jet flow rate 18 of a sanitary fitting 1 is shown. The sanitary fitting 1 has an actuator 2 and a sensor arrangement 3. The sensor arrangement 3 is implemented with an optical sensor 13 by way of example. The sanitary fitting 1 has an outlet 24, from which the water jet 4 emerges. The actuator 2 is constructed in the manner of an adjusting lever here. The actuator 2 is displaced upward in the manner of a tilting motion and is in a minimum opening position. In this minimum opening position, a minimum first adjustment angle 20 can be seen. Consequently, the sanitary fitting 1 delivers a minimum water jet 4 with a minimum water jet flow rate 18. The water jet 4 has a flow direction 19 here. Even this minimum water jet flow rate 18 or the minimum water jet 4 is detected by means of the sensor arrangement 3.

[0047] Additionally indicated in FIG. 2 is a longitudinal direction 21; a transverse direction points into the plane of the drawing here. Viewed in the transverse direction, the sensor arrangement 3 is arranged in alignment with the water jet 4 so that it can detect the water jet 4.

[0048] In FIG. 3, a second manual regulation of a water jet flow rate 18 of a sanitary fitting 1 is shown. The sanitary fitting 1 has an actuator 2 and a sensor arrangement 3. The sensor arrangement 3 has a sensor arrangement length 10. The sanitary fitting 1 delivers a maximum water jet 4 with a maximum water jet flow rate 18. For this purpose, the actuator 2 is located in a maximum opening position. The maximum opening position is represented by means of the maximum first adjustment angle 20.

[0049] It is evident from the representation in FIG. 3 that the sensor arrangement 3 is equipped such that it measures or detects or determines an object distance 22. The object distance 22 here is located in a predetermined water jet region, which is associated with the presence of a water jet 4. If the sensor arrangement 3 measures an object distance 22 in this predefined water jet region, then the presence of a water jet 4 is detected. In FIG. 3, the object distance 22 is equal to a water jet distance 23.

[0050] In FIG. 4, a sensor-controlled regulation of a predefined water jet flow rate 18 of a sanitary fitting 1 is shown. It can be seen that the actuator 2 is in a closed position. A different object 6, namely a hand 8, is located in a detection area 5 of the sensor arrangement 3. The sensor arrangement 3 is constructed here with an optical sensor 13. By way of example, a control unit 7 is integrated in the sensor arrangement 3. Here, the different object 6 or the hand 8 was detected first by the sensor arrangement 3. The different object 6 was recognized by the means that a measured object distance 22 is less than a minimum water jet distance 23 of a predefined water jet region. Consequently, the measured object distance 22 lies outside the predefined water jet region. Because a different object 6 was detected first here, a sensor-controlled regulation of the predefined water jet flow rate 18 takes place. In this connection, the water jet 4 also has a predefined water jet temperature, which is not indicated here. The optical sensor 13 of the sensor arrangement 3 is aligned with the water jet 4 here when viewed in the longitudinal direction 21 or vertically and in the transverse direction. The sensor arrangement 3 thus monitors a detection area length 9 of the detection area 5.

[0051] In FIG. 5, a sensor arrangement 3 is shown that is constructed with an optical sensor 13. The view here is from above onto a sensor arrangement 3. For the purpose of orientation, a transverse direction 25 is indicated in FIG. 5, with a longitudinal direction here projecting into the plane of the drawing. Accordingly, the sensor arrangement 3 is oriented in the transverse direction 25 or horizontally. The sensor arrangement 3 or the optical sensor 13 thus detects a detection area width 11 of a detection area 5. In the top part of FIG. 5, no object is present, for which reason no object is detected here by the sensor arrangement 3. In the bottom part of FIG. 5, a water jet 4 can be seen in cross-section with a water jet diameter 14 in the detection area 5. By means of the horizontally oriented sensor arrangement 3, border areas next to the water jet 4 can also be detected.

[0052] The sensor arrangement 3 detects the presence of an object here, namely the presence of the water jet 4. The fact that it is a water jet 4 is detected because a measured object distance 22 is located in a predefined water jet region. Consequently, the measured object distance 22 corresponds here to a water jet distance 23.

[0053] By means of the horizontally oriented sensor arrangement 3 from FIG. 5, an object width 26 can also be measured. For this purpose, the sensor arrangement 3 is constructed by way of example with multiple optical sensors 13 arranged next to one another in the transverse direction. Here, too, a water jet 4 is detected because the measured object width 26 is located in a predefined water jet region. The measured object width 26 corresponds here to the water jet diameter 14.

[0054] A method for operating a sanitary fitting and a sanitary fitting are thus disclosed, wherein economical production, the use of standard components, and low wear are made possible. Moreover, high operational reliability is ensured, since even a minimal water jet can be detected by means of the sensor arrangement.

[0055] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.