US 12,077,952 B2
Systems and methods for automatically controlling a faucet
Joel T. Smith, Cedarburg, WI (US); Gregory de Swarte, Sheboygan, WI (US); Marwan E. Estiban, Mequon, WI (US); and Krishna C. Poduru, Sheboygan, WI (US)
Assigned to Kohler Co., Kohler, WI (US)
Filed by Kohler Co., Kohler, WI (US)
Filed on Dec. 12, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/711,962.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/786,902, filed on Dec. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0209897 A1, Jul. 2, 2020
Int. Cl. E03C 1/05 (2006.01); E03C 1/04 (2006.01); F16K 37/00 (2006.01); G05D 7/06 (2006.01); G06F 18/24 (2023.01)
CPC E03C 1/057 (2013.01) [E03C 1/0404 (2013.01); F16K 37/005 (2013.01); F16K 37/0058 (2013.01); G05D 7/0623 (2013.01); G06F 18/24 (2023.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for controlling a faucet, the system comprising:
a spout configured to direct fluid into a sink;
a camera arranged to capture images of the sink;
a ranging sensor configured to generate data corresponding to relative depths corresponding to two or more surfaces of the object; and
a processing circuit including a processor and memory, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving an image captured by the camera;
identifying in the image an object positioned beneath the spout, the identifying based on a comparison of a static image of the sink to the image received from the camera, wherein the static image comprises a previously captured image of a fixed background and is stored within the memory;
analyzing the image received from the camera to identify a type of object included in the image received from the camera;
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the type of object identified in the image received from the camera in response to identifying the object beneath the faucet; and
determining, based on data from the ranging sensor as fluid from the spout fills the object, a relative depth between an edge of the object and the fluid contained in the object, and wherein causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink with fluid flow characteristics that correspond to the object type in the image comprises:
causing the spout to direct fluid into the sink to fill the object until the relative depth satisfies a threshold relative depth.