Automatic flusher with bi-modal sensitivity pattern
US6212697A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 7, 1999 |
| Grant date | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 7, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE03D5/105
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
In an automated flush system (10), a control circuit (12) controls a flusher (16) in response to the output of a sensor (14). The vertical sensitivity pattern (24) of the sensor (14) is angled downward. Consequently, radiation that the sensor (14) emits tends to be reflected away from the sensor (14) by relatively specular vertical enclosure surfaces such as that of a stall door (18), while more-diffuse deflectors, such as a user that the sensor (14) is intended to detect, tend to reflect greater percentages of the sensor radiation back to the sensor (14). Similarly reduced sensitivity to enclosure surfaces results from a horizontal sensitivity pattern (40) having a reduced-sensitivity central region. The sensor system can thereby more reliably avoid confusing enclosure surfaces with users, on whose detection the system's automatic flush strategy is based.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.