# US 11,306,465 B2 · Water spout control device, water spout control system, and water spout control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,306,465 B2 - Document ID: US11306465B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/048,074 - Filed: 2019-03-08 - Published: 2021-06-03 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2018-04-19 - Assignees: LIXIL Corporation - Applicants: LIXIL Corporation - Inventors: Nobuhiro Taki; Yuki Shirai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306465B2 ## CPC - E03C 1/057: {touchless, i.e. using sensors} - E03C 1/05: Arrangements of devices on wash-basins, baths, sinks, or the like for remote control of taps (remote control of taps or the like per se F16K) - G01S 17/04: Systems determining the presence of a target - G06V 10/255: {Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes} - G06V 10/44: Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components - G01B 11/002: {for measuring two or more coordinates} - G01V 8/20: using multiple transmitters or receivers - G06V 2201/07: Target detection - E03C: DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER (not connected to either water-supply main or to waste pipe A47K; devices of the kind used in the ground E03B, E03F); SINKS - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02) ## Abstract Provided is a water spout control device that has a target object detector configured to: detect whether a target object exists in a first detection region and to determine a position of the target object when the target exists in the first detection region according to an image information of a regional image; a holding object detector configured to detect whether a holding object holding the detection target exists in a second detection region different from the first detection region and to determine a position of the holding object when the holding object exists in the second detection region; and a controller configured to control water discharging according to a detection result by the target object detector and a detection result by the holding object detector, wherein water spout conditions in the plurality of detection regions for controlling the water discharging from a faucet spout are different from each other. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A water spout control system, comprising: an imaging device configured to capture an image of an imaging target region including a faucet spout from a upward side of the faucet spout, and a water spout control device configured to acquire image information of the image captured by the imaging device, wherein the water spout control device further comprises: a target object detector configured to detect whether a target object as a detection target exists in a first detection region and to determine a position of the target object in a case in which the detection target exists in the first detection region according to an image information of a regional image in which the imaging target region including a plurality of detection regions are captured, wherein the regional image is generated by the imaging device capturing the imaging target region, and the first detection region comprises at least one detection region among the plurality of detection regions; a holding object detector configured to detect whether a holding object holding the detection target exists in a second detection region and to determine a position of the holding object in a case in which the holding object exists in the second detection region according to the image information, the second detection region being different from the first detection region among the plurality of detection regions; and a controller configured to control water discharging according to a detection result by the target object detector and a detection result by the holding object detector, wherein water spout conditions in the plurality of detection regions for controlling the water discharging from the faucet spout are different from each other. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The water spout control system of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the water discharging in a case in which the position of the target object is determined and a predetermined first water spout condition is satisfied, and the controller controls the water discharging in a case in which the position of the holding object is determined and a second water spout condition is satisfied, wherein a period from the holding object being detected until the water discharging starts of the second water spout condition is longer than a period from the target object being detected until the water discharging starts of the first water spout condition. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The water spout control system of claim 1, wherein the imaging target region is a region including the faucet spout. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The water spout control system of claim 1, wherein the second detection region is set to be around the first detection region. ### Claim 5 A water spout control method, comprising: detecting whether a target object as a detection target exists in a first detection region and determining a position of the target object in a case in which the target exists in the first detection region by a target object detector according to an image information of a regional image generated by an imaging device in which a plurality of detection regions are captured, by a target object detector, the first detection region being at least one region among the plurality of detection regions; detecting whether a holding object holding the detection target exists in a second detection region and determining a position of the holding object in a case in which the holding object exists in the second detection region according to the image information by a holding object detector, the second detection region being different from the first detection region among the plurality of detection regions; and controlling water discharging according to a detection result by the target object detector and a detection result by the holding object detector by a controller, wherein the imaging device is configured to capture an image of an imaging target region including a faucet spout from a upward side of the faucet spout. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The water spout control system of claim 1, wherein the water spout condition in the first detection region for controlling the water discharging is different from the water spout condition in the second region.