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US 2009/0288712 A1Published application
Method for controlling the water supply in a sanitary installation
AssigneeOblamatik AG
InventorsEdo Lang, Roland Obrist
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and a computer program product controls the water supply in a sanitary installation having a cold water supply line and a hot water supply line, a valve battery, which is connected to a power supply, and a sensor unit connected to the power supply. At least one trigger means outputs an action signal to an electronic controller when activated by a user by tapping on the trigger means that is embodied as a switch or by at least partially penetrating into the detection area of a trigger means that is embodied as a proximity sensor.
Claims22
A method for controlling a water supply in a sanitary installation comprising:
- a) a cold water supply line and a hot water supply line,
- b) a valve battery, which is connected to a power supply and which is provided for at least partially opening and/or mixing the water supply from the two water supply lines,
- c) a sensor unit comprising at least one trigger means and being connected to the power supply;
- and
- d) an electronic controller that is connected to the sensor unit, to the power supply, and to the valve battery,
- wherein the at least one trigger means is connected to the electronic controller and is capable of outputting an action signal to the electronic controller, the action signal differing in potential and/or quality from a rest signal which is outputted by the trigger means to the controller without action of a user on the trigger means,
- wherein each time when a user activates the trigger means, an action signal is outputted by the trigger means to the electronic controller, which electronic controller in turn assigns an individual time slot to the action signal,
- wherein, after at least one further action signal is triggered by a user within the individual time slot, the controller outputs a command which causes the valve battery to change a temperature and/or a flow value of the water supply to the sanitary installation in relation to the number of the further action signals triggered by the user and registered and processed by the electronic controller, and
- wherein, after expiration of the individual time slot assigned to a last action signal, to release the supply of water of the selected temperature and/or the selected flow value into the sanitary installation.
6 more elements
A computer program product for controlling the water supply in a sanitary installation which comprises:
- a) a cold water supply line and a hot water supply line,
- b) a valve battery, which is connected to a power supply and which is provided for opening and/or mixing the water supply from the water supply lines,
- c) a sensor unit comprising at least one trigger means and being connected to the power supply;
- and
- d) an electronic controller that is connected to the sensor unit, to the power supply, and to the valve battery, the electronic controller comprising a computer, into which the computer program product is loadable,
- wherein the at least one trigger means is connected to the electronic controller and is capable of outputting an action signal to the electronic controller, the action signal differing in potential and/or quality from a rest signal which is outputted by the trigger means to the controller without action of a user on the trigger means;
- wherein each time a user activates the trigger means, an action signal is outputted by the trigger means to the electronic controller, the computer program product allowing the electronic controller to assign an individual time slot to the action signal,
- wherein, after at least one further action signal is triggered by a user within the individual time slot, the computer program product allowing the electronic controller to output a command which causes the valve battery to change a temperature and/or a flow value of the water supply to the sanitary installation in relation to the number of the further action signals triggered by the user and registered and processed by the electronic controller which is enabled by this computer program product, and
- wherein, after expiration of the individual time slot assigned to a last action signal, the computer program product allows the electronic controller to release the supply of water of the selected temperature and/or the selected flow value into the sanitary installation.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.