Touchless lavatory optical time of flight proximity
AssigneeB/E Aerospace, Inc.
InventorAVINASH HASIRUMANE SRIKANTEGOWDA
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A time-of-flight controlled touchless device is disclosed. The time-of-flight controlled touchless device includes a time-of-flight sensor and a microcontroller in operable communication with the time-of-flight sensor. The microcontroller is configured to command the time-of-flight sensor to emit a photon in a predefined direction, command the time-of-flight sensor to receive the photon reflected off a surface, determine a target object's distance based on a time-of-flight between emitting the photon and receiving the photon, compare the target object's distance to a predefined range, and, responsive to the target object's distance being within the predefined range, command an actuator on a dispensing valve to activate to dispense a liquid.
Claims20
A time-of-flight controlled touchless device, comprising:
- a time-of-flight sensor;
- and
- a microcontroller in operable communication with the time-of-flight sensor, the microcontroller configured to:
- command the time-of-flight sensor to emit a photon in a predefined direction, wherein the time-of-flight sensor includes an infrared laser that emits the photon;
- command the time-of-flight sensor to receive the photon reflected off a surface;
- determine a target object's distance based on a time-of-flight between emitting the photon and receiving the photon;
- compare the target object's distance to a predefined range;
- and
- responsive to the target object's distance being within the predefined range, command an actuator on the dispensing valve to activate to dispense a liquid.
An aircraft lavatory, comprising:
- a time-of-flight controlled touchless device, the time-of-flight controlled touchless device comprising:
- a time-of-flight sensor;
- and
- a microcontroller in operable communication with the time-of-flight sensor, the microcontroller configured to:
- command the time-of-flight sensor to emit a photon in a predefined direction, wherein the time-of-flight sensor includes an infrared laser that emits the photon;
- command the time-of-flight sensor to receive the photon reflected off a surface;
- determine a target object's distance based on a time-of-flight between emitting the photon and receiving the photon;
- compare the target object's distance to a predefined range;
- and
- responsive to the target object's distance being within the predefined range, command an actuator on a dispensing valve to activate to dispense a liquid.
A method of operating a time-of-flight controlled touchless device, the method comprising:
- commanding, by a microcontroller, a time-of-flight sensor to emit a photon in a predefined direction, wherein the time-of-flight sensor includes an infrared laser that emits the photon;
- commanding, by the microcontroller, the time-of-flight sensor to receive the photon reflected off a surface;
- determining, by the microcontroller, a target object's distance based on a time-of-flight between emitting the photon and receiving the photon;
- comparing, by the microcontroller, the target object's distance to a predefined range;
- and
- responsive to the target object's distance being within the predefined range, commanding, by the microcontroller, an actuator on a dispensing valve to activate to dispense a liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.