CN117616181A

CN117616181A - Bathroom accessory and method for controlling a bathroom accessory

Info

Publication number: CN117616181A
Application number: CN202280048155.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: K·普齐比拉; H·尚贝克; C·H·波伯格; D·迈因卡
Original assignee: Grohe AG
Current assignee: Grohe AG
Priority date: 2021-07-06
Filing date: 2022-06-29
Publication date: 2024-02-27
Also published as: WO2023280651A1; DE102021117431A1; EP4367334A1; US20240301671A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a sanitary fitting (1), comprising at least: -a fitting housing (2) having at least one outlet opening (3); -a distance sensor (4) for determining a distance of the object (5); and-a controller (14) by means of which at least one program of the sanitary fitting (1) can be selected or controlled in dependence on the distance of the object (5). Furthermore, a method for controlling a sanitary fitting (1) is proposed.

Description

Bathroom accessory and method for controlling a bathroom accessory

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sanitary fitting and a method for controlling a sanitary fitting. Such sanitary fittings are used in particular for delivering liquids to a lavatory, sink, shower and/or bathtub as required.

Background

Known sanitary fittings can be operated using operating elements such as buttons and/or levers. One of the drawbacks of such manipulating elements is that touching them may spread pathogens to different users. Thus, such sanitary fittings do not always meet high sanitary standards. Furthermore, the manipulation of the sanitary fitting by means of the manipulating element may be uncomfortable.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to at least partially solve the problems described with reference to the prior art and in particular to provide a sanitary fitting which meets high hygiene standards and which can also be handled comfortably. Furthermore, a method is to be provided by means of which sanitary and comfortable handling of the sanitary fitting is possible.

This object is solved by a sanitary fitting and a method according to the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the features listed individually in the dependent claims can be combined with each other in any technically reasonable manner and define further embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the features which are specified in the claims are explained and explained in more detail in the description, wherein further preferred embodiments of the invention are described.

A sanitary fitting contributing to this has at least the following parts:

-a fitting housing having at least one outlet opening;

-a distance sensor for determining a distance of the object; and

-a controller by means of which at least one program of the sanitary fitting can be selected or controlled in dependence of the distance of the object.

Sanitary fittings are used, for example, for providing liquids, in particular water, at a lavatory basin, sink, shower and/or bathtub. The sanitary fitting has a fitting housing which is preferably composed at least in part of plastic and/or (cast) metal (for example brass). The fitting housing may have an outlet which is fixed to the fitting housing in a stationary or movable manner, in particular pivotably and/or at least partially pullout. The fitting housing and/or the outlet has at least one outlet opening for the liquid. The liquid can be released, in particular, via the at least one outlet opening into the surroundings of the sanitary fitting. Further, the sanitary fitting may include a mixing valve for mixing cold water and hot water to form mixed water having a desired mixed water temperature. The mixing valve is arranged in particular in the fitting housing. Cold water may be supplied to the mixing valve, in particular via a cold water line, and hot water may be supplied to the mixing valve via a hot water line. The cold water can have a cold water temperature of, in particular, a maximum of 25 ℃ (celsius), preferably 1 ℃ to 25 ℃, particularly preferably 5 ℃ to 20 ℃. The hot water may have a hot water temperature of in particular a maximum of 90 ℃, preferably 25 ℃ to 90 ℃, particularly preferably 55 ℃ to 65 ℃. The sanitary fitting may in particular be fastened to a carrier, such as a toilet basin, sink, bathtub, shower stall and/or a workbench.

The sanitary fitting also has a distance sensor. The distance sensor may in particular be arranged on the fitting housing or on the underside of the outlet of the fitting housing. The distance of the object can be determined by a distance sensor. The distance may be in particular the distance between the object and the distance sensor or the sanitary fitting. The object may be, for example, at least one hand and/or an item of a user of the sanitary fitting. The article may be, for example, a container for holding a liquid, such as a drinking vessel and/or a tank. Furthermore, the article may be an article to be cleaned. The distance sensor can in particular control the sanitary fitting as a function of the distance of the object. In particular, the distance sensor thus enables contactless and/or comfortable operation of the sanitary fitting. For example, a dynamic three-dimensional (hand) gesture can be detected as a movement or in particular a course of movement of the object by means of a distance sensor.

The sanitary fitting has a controller which is intended and arranged for selecting and/or controlling at least one program of the sanitary fitting in dependence of the distance of the object. The controller may for example comprise a microcontroller and/or be arranged in the accessory housing. Furthermore, it can be provided that the control unit and the distance sensor form a structural unit. The at least one program is in particular a predetermined or predefinable routine, a sequence and/or a duration of a plurality of program steps, a functional execution of the sanitary fitting and/or an action instruction for a user of the sanitary fitting. The at least one program may be stored in the data memory of the sanitary fitting, for example in the form of digital data. For example, the controller may be used to enable activation of the liquid output through the sanitary fitting and to enable a further deactivation of the activation of the liquid output after a predetermined and/or predefinable duration has elapsed. The controller may be arranged to adjust the amount and/or temperature of the liquid to be output, in particular automatically according to a predetermined (temporal) sequence or program steps and/or according to the (currently) detected distance of the object. For this purpose, at least one shut-off valve and/or mixing valve of the sanitary fitting can be controlled by a controller. Selecting and/or controlling may include activating, deactivating, switching, and/or changing at least one program. Furthermore, the control may include the opening, tuning back or switching of program steps of at least one program. In addition, the control may take into account the time participation of the user of the sanitary fitting. For example, if the user requires more or less time for a certain program step, this may be identified by the distance sensor, so that the order and/or duration of the program steps may be adjusted by the controller. In particular, the course of the at least one program can therefore be controlled or influenced as a function of the distance of the objects.

The distance sensor may be designed according to the type of the infrared sensor. Alternatively, the distance sensor may also be designed in the form of an optical sensor, an inductive sensor, a radar sensor, a laser distance meter, a light mixing detector, a laser radar sensor or an ultrasonic sensor.

The transit time of the sensor signal of the distance sensor can be determined. By determining the transit time of the sensor signal, the distance of the object can be measured indirectly, since the transit time of the sensor signal depends on the location at which the sensor signal is reflected by the object. To calculate the transit time, a distance sensor (data-conductively) can be connected to the controller of the sanitary fitting. The controller may comprise, inter alia, a microprocessor.

Multiple distance zones can be monitored by distance sensors. For example, 2 to 10 distance zones, preferably 2 to 3 distance zones, can be monitored by means of a distance sensor. In particular, by monitoring it can be determined whether the object is located in at least one distance zone. At least one program of the sanitary fitting can be selected, activated and/or controlled, inter alia, in dependence of the distance zone or zones in which the object is located. For example, if the object is located in the first distance zone, the procedure of the bathroom accessory may be preconnected. For example, if the object is located in the second distance zone, the procedure of the sanitary fitting can be switched back. For example, if the object is located in the third distance zone, a selected procedure of the sanitary fitting may be activated or initiated. The distance zone may in particular be a region or space, in particular a three-dimensional region or space. Furthermore, the distance zone may be formed in particular in the assembled state of the sanitary fitting and/or under the outlet, the outlet opening and/or the distance sensor when the sanitary fitting is in use. In addition, the distance zones may each be designed, for example, as arcuate, ring segment-shaped and/or truncated sphere-shaped.

The first distance zone may have a first pitch to the distance sensor, the second distance zone may have a second pitch to the distance sensor, and the third distance zone may have a third pitch to the distance sensor. The second pitch may be greater than the first pitch and/or the third pitch may be greater than the second pitch. For example, the first spacing may be 0cm (centimeter) to 7.5cm, the second spacing may be 7.5cm to 15cm and/or the third spacing may be 15cm to 22.5cm. Thus, the distance zones may (directly) border each other.

The sanitary fitting may have a display. The display may be arranged, for example, on the accessory housing and/or on the outlet of the accessory housing. Furthermore, the display may be designed, for example, according to the type of LCD display or OLED display. For example, the program of activation of the sanitary fitting, the operating state of the sanitary fitting and/or the action instructions for the user of the sanitary fitting can be displayed by means of the display.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is also presented a method for controlling a sanitary fitting, the method having at least the steps of:

a) Determining a distance of the object using a distance sensor; and

b) At least one program of the sanitary fitting is selected or controlled according to the distance of the object.

The method is particularly useful for controlling a sanitary fitting as described previously or in accordance with the invention. Steps a) and b) may in particular be performed sequentially or at least partly simultaneously. For example, the determination of the distance of the object in step c) may be performed continuously.

In step b), at least one of the following procedures may be selected and/or controlled:

-hand washing;

-filling at least one container with a predetermined amount of liquid; or alternatively

-activating and deactivating the output of liquid via the outlet opening of the sanitary fitting.

The status of the sanitary fitting and/or the action instructions for the user of the sanitary fitting may be displayed on a display of the sanitary fitting. The status may include, for example, a selected program of the sanitary fitting and/or a mixed water temperature of the mixed water.

For example, when the "hand wash" program is activated, the program steps of applying soap, applying soap to the hand, washing the soap, and/or wiping the hand may be performed by the toilet and bathroom accessory and/or displayed on the display. Thus, it is possible to assist in hand washing, in particular in accordance with guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). For this purpose, the timer of the individual program steps can also be displayed on the display. For example, when the program "filling at least one container with a predetermined amount of liquid" is activated, a predetermined and/or predeterminable amount of liquid may be output, for example, in order to fill a drinking vessel or tank with liquid.

For further details on the method, please refer to the description of the sanitary fitting fully.

According to another aspect, a sanitary fitting is presented having a distance sensor and a component adapted to perform the steps of the methods disclosed herein. "component" may include, inter alia, one or more of the following: a controller, a microcontroller, a data memory, a data connection, a display device (e.g. a display), a counter or time element (timer), at least one further sensor, an energy source, etc. The design scheme can fully use the explanation of the bathroom accessories and/or the method.

Furthermore, a computer program is proposed, comprising commands that cause the sanitary fitting disclosed herein to perform the method steps disclosed herein. A computer readable medium may also be provided on which the computer program is stored.

Drawings

The invention and the technical field are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. It should be noted that the drawings illustrate particularly preferred variants of the invention, but the invention is not limited thereto. The drawings schematically show:

fig. 1 shows a bathroom accessory with a distance sensor in a side view.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a sanitary fitting 1 fastened to a toilet 10. The sanitary fitting 1 comprises a fitting housing 2 with an outlet opening 3 through which liquid can be output to a basin 10. In addition, a distance sensor 4 for determining the distance of the object 5 is arranged on the accessory housing 2. By means of the distance sensor 4 it can be monitored whether the object 5 is located in a first distance zone 6 having a first distance 11 to the distance sensor 4, in a second distance zone 7 having a second distance 12 to the distance sensor 4, and/or in a third distance zone 8 having a third distance 32 to the distance sensor 4. For this purpose, the distance sensor 4 is connected in a data-conducting manner to a controller 14, by means of which the transit time of the sensor signal of the distance sensor 4 can be determined. For example, the first pitch 11 may be 0cm to 7.5cm, the second pitch 12 may be 7.5cm to 15cm and/or the third pitch 13 may be 15cm to 22.5cm. Thus, the distance zones 6, 7, 8 (in the direction of the distance sensor 4) each have a depth of 7.5 cm. In addition, the distance zones 6, 7, 8 extend arcuately and concentrically around the distance sensor 4. Depending on which of the distance zones 6, 7, 8 the object 5 is located in, at least one program of the sanitary fitting 1 can be selected and/or controlled by the controller 14. In addition, the controller 14 is connected in a data-conducting manner to the display 9 of the sanitary fitting 1, via which display the status or action instructions of the sanitary fitting 1 can be displayed to a user of the sanitary fitting 1.

The sanitary fitting 1 can be handled hygienically and at the same time comfortably by means of the invention.

List of reference numerals

1. Bathroom accessory

2. Fitting shell

3. Outlet opening

4. Distance sensor

5. Object(s)

6. First distance zone

7. Second distance zone

8. Third distance zone

9. Display device

10. Lavatory basin

11. First distance of

12. Second distance

13. Third distance

14. Controller for controlling a power supply

Claims

1. A sanitary fitting (1) comprising at least:

-a fitting housing (2) having at least one outlet opening (3);

-a distance sensor (4) for determining a distance of the object (5); and

-a controller (14) by means of which at least one program of the sanitary fitting (1) can be selected or controlled depending on the distance of the object (5).

2. The sanitary fitting (1) according to claim 1, wherein the distance sensor (4) is designed according to the type of infrared sensor.

3. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the transit time of the sensor signal of the distance sensor (4) can be determined.

4. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of distance zones (6, 7, 8) can be monitored by the distance sensor (4).

5. The sanitary fitting (1) according to claim 4, wherein a first distance zone (6) has a first spacing (11) to the distance sensor (4), a second distance zone (7) has a second spacing (12) to the distance sensor (4) and a third distance zone (8) has a third spacing (13) to the distance sensor (4).

6. The sanitary fitting (1) according to any of the preceding claims, having a display (9).

7. A method for controlling a sanitary fitting (1), the method having at least the following steps:

a) Determining a distance of the object (5) with the distance sensor (4); and

b) At least one program of the sanitary fitting (1) is selected or controlled in dependence on the distance of the object (5).

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein in step b) at least one of the following procedures can be selected and/or can be controlled:

-hand washing;

-activating and deactivating the output of liquid via the outlet opening (3) of the sanitary fitting (1).

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the status of the sanitary fitting (1) or an action instruction for a user of the sanitary fitting (1) is displayed on a display (9) of the sanitary fitting (1).

10. A sanitary fitting (1) having a distance sensor (4) and means adapted to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. A computer program comprising commands that cause a sanitary fitting (1) according to claim 10 to perform the method steps according to any one of claims 7 to 9.