The present invention relates generally to a touchless dispenser, and more particularly to a touchless dispenser for a lavatory.
Dispensers may be provided for dispensing a liquid, such as a liquid soap or hand sanitizer. The dispensers may sit on a counter or attach to a wall for example.
The present application provides a touchless dispenser for sensing a presence of a user's hands and dispensing a fluid to the user once the user's hands are positioned below an outlet.
According to an aspect, a touchless dispenser is provided including a body, a motor housing coupled to the body and defining a chamber, a control assembly at least partially disposed in the chamber, the control assembly including a control board, a motor communicatively coupled to the control board, a cam coupled to the motor, an actuator configured to be driven between first and second positions by movement of the cam, and a sensor communicatively coupled to the control board, a reservoir coupled to the body for holding fluid, and a tube assembly having an inlet coupled to the reservoir to receive fluid from the reservoir and an outlet positioned forward of the sensor through which the fluid is dispensed, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a presence of a user, which is communicated to the control board to cause the actuator to be driven from the first position to the second position to contact the tube assembly to dispense the fluid in the tube assembly to the user.
According to another aspect, a touchless dispenser is provided including a body, a vertical mounting plate coupled to a rear of the body and including a plurality of openings for receiving respective lock pins of a mounting bracket for mounting the dispenser to a vertical surface, a horizontal mounting plate coupled to a bottom of the body and including a plurality of openings for receiving the respective lock pins of the mounting bracket for mounting the dispenser to a horizontal surface, a motor housing coupled to the body, a control assembly at least partially disposed in motor housing, a reservoir coupled to the body for holding fluid, and a tube assembly having an inlet coupled to the reservoir to receive fluid from the reservoir and an outlet through which the fluid is dispensed.
According to still another aspect, a method of operating a dispenser having a body, a motor housing coupled to the body, a reservoir coupled to the body for holding a fluid, and a tube assembly having an inlet and outlet is provided. The method includes sensing a presence of a user via an IR sensor positioned rearward of the outlet of the tube assembly, communicating the presence of the user to a control board disposed in the motor housing, driving a cam to rotate to drive an actuator from a first position to a second position contacting the tube assembly via a command from the control board, and delivering fluid from the outlet of the tube assembly to the user, wherein the cam contacts a cam switch after being driven to communicate to the control board to turn off a motor to prevent dispensing until another presence is detected.
The foregoing and other features of the application are described below with reference to the drawings.
The principles of the present application relate to a touchless dispenser for dispensing liquid soap, hand sanitizer, etc. in an aircraft lavatory, and thus will be described below in this context. It will be appreciated that the principles of the application may be applicable to dispensers for other applications, for example dispenser of other liquids located in any suitable environment.
Turning initially to
The body 12 may include a recessed area 24 (
The body 12 also includes a vertical portion 30 configured to abut or be in close proximity to a wall or other vertical surface when mounted via the vertical mounting plate 14, and a horizontal portion 32 configured to abut or be in close proximity to a counter or other horizontal surface when mounted via the horizontal mounting plate 16. The horizontal portion 32 may have a curved upper surface 34 that defines with a bottom of the motor housing 18 an area 36 for receiving a user's hands. The curved upper surface 34 may also serves as a drip tray for fluid. The vertical portion 30 and horizontal portion 32 may be formed as one piece, or as several pieces coupled together in any suitable manner.
The vertical mounting plate 14, the motor housing 18, the reservoir assembly 20, and the cover 22 may all attach to the vertical portion 30 in a suitable manner. For example, the vertical portion 30 includes an opening 40 through which a portion of the reservoir assembly 20 extends, a plurality of openings 42 and 44 for aligning with corresponding openings 46 and 48 in the reservoir assembly 20, a plurality of openings 50 for aligning with corresponding openings 52 in the motor housing 18, and a plurality of openings 54 for aligning with corresponding openings 56 in the vertical mounting plate 14. The openings are configured to receive suitable fasteners to couple the components together. For example, the openings 42 and 46 may receive fasteners 60, the openings 44 and 48 may receive fasteners 62, the openings 50 and 52 may receive fasteners 64, and the openings 54 and 56 may receive fasteners 66.
Similarly, the horizontal mounting plate 16 may attach to the horizontal portion 32 in a suitable manner. For example, the horizontal portion 32 includes a plurality of openings (not shown) that align with corresponding openings 70 in the horizontal mounting plate 16. The openings in the horizontal portion 32 and the openings 70 receive suitable fasteners to couple the components together, such as fasteners 72.
The vertical mounting plate 14 and the horizontal mounting plate 16 each include additional openings for coupling to a mounting bracket 80 or the like, which allows for attachment to or removal from a vertical surface or a horizontal surface, for example to allow a member of a flight crew to transport the dispenser 10 to/from other parts of the aircraft. For example, the vertical mounting plate 14 and the horizontal mounting plate 16 include a plurality of respective openings 82 and 84 each having a first portion that receives a respective lock pin 86 of the mounting bracket 80 and a second portion smaller than the first portion that secures to the respective lock pin 86 upon rotation of mounting bracket relative to the plate 14 or 16. The vertical mounting plate 14 and the horizontal mounting plate 16 also include respective openings 88 and 90 that receive an alignment pin 92 of the mounting bracket 80 that assists with alignment of the dispenser 10 relative to the vertical mounting plate 14 or the horizontal mounting plate 16. The mounting bracket 80 can also include a plurality of openings 94 that receive suitable fasteners to secure the mounting bracket 80 to the wall or surface.
Turning now to the reservoir assembly 20 in detail, the reservoir assembly includes a reservoir 100, a cover 102 at a top of the reservoir 100, a flap 104 pivotally coupled to the cover 102, and a tube assembly 106 coupled to a bottom of the reservoir 100.
The reservoir 100 includes a main body 110 defining a chamber 112 for receiving a fluid, such as soap or sanitizer, a stepped portion 114 at a rear of the main body 110, a bottom portion 116 (
The cover 102 abuts the top of the reservoir 100 and includes an opening 130 for receiving the flap 104 and the plurality of openings 48 that align with the openings 44 in the vertical portion 30 to receive the fasteners 62. The flap 104 may be pivotally coupled to the cover 102 at the opening 130 in any suitable manner, such as by pins 132 received in openings 134 at opposite sides of the flap 104 that are also received in corresponding openings 136 in the cover 102 and held by suitable retainers 138. The flap 104 is pivotable relative to the cover 102 to enable refilling of the reservoir 100 without removal of the dispenser 10 from the mounting bracket 80.
Referring additionally to
The first valve 146 includes a closing member or ball 156 that is in a first or open position against a ledge in the tube 140 away from the inlet 142 allowing fluid from the reservoir 100 to enter to tube 140, and that is movable to a second or closed position as shown in
Turning now to the cover 22 in detail, the cover 22 is designed to surround the reservoir 100 and overlap a portion of the motor housing 18. The cover includes an opening 170 at its front through which the transparent portion 120 of the reservoir 100 is visible, openings 172 at its rear that align with the openings 46 and 42 to receive the fasteners 60, and a recessed area 174 for receiving an indication display 176.
The recessed area 174 includes an opening 178 that aligns with an opening 180 in the motor housing 18 for one or more wires to extend through for attachment to the indication display 176. The indication display is configured to be received in the recessed area 174 to be flush with the cover 22, and can include suitable icons 182 and 184, such as a water drop with a transmission symbol below it and a battery symbol. When a user's hand is detected, the icon 182 may light up or flash to provide a visual indication that the dispenser 10 has been activated. The icon 182 may also light up or flash periodically when no activation has been detected to indicate the dispenser 10 is operational, for example by flashing a light every 5 seconds.
The battery icon 184 may be lit up flash a first color, such as green, to indicate there is sufficient battery, and may be lit up or flash a second color, such as orange, to indicate the battery is low. Alternatively, the battery icon 184 may only light up or flash once the battery has reached a low power level. In either embodiment, the battery icon 184 may light up or flash to indicate low battery a predetermined number of activations before the battery can no longer operate the dispenser 10. For example, the batter icon 184 may flash orange when the battery is low to indicate there are fifty activations left before the battery can no longer operate the dispenser 10. In an embodiment, the indication display 176 can be a capacitive sensor providing an alternative method of activating the dispenser.
Turning additionally to
Turning additionally to
Turning now to the motor assembly 214, the motor assembly 214 includes a bracket 230, a motor 232 connected to the control board 212 via a connector 234, a cam switch 236 connected to the control board 212 via a connector 238, a bracket switch 240, a cam 242, an actuator 244, an actuator bracket assembly 246, and a bracket switch actuator 228. The bracket 230 may be coupled to the bottom portion 192 of the motor housing 18 in any suitable manner, such as by fasteners 248 surrounded by washers 250 that are received in openings 252 in the bracket 230 that align with corresponding openings in the bottom portion 192 of the motor housing 18. The bracket 230 can be positioned above the control board 212 toward a side of the control board 212, and the bracket 230 may include a plurality of openings for various components of the motor assembly 214. For example, the bracket 230 may include a plurality of openings 254 that may receive fasteners 256 that are received in corresponding openings 258 in the motor 232 to connect the motor 232 to the bracket 230. The bracket 230 may also include an opening 260 through which a shaft 262 of the motor 232 extends, and a plurality of openings 264 that align with corresponding openings 266 in the bracket switch 240 to receive fasteners 268 that are surrounded by washers 270. It will be appreciated that the shaft 262 may extend from the motor 232 or be otherwise connected to a shaft of the motor 232 in a suitable manner.
The bracket switch 240 may also include openings 280 that align with openings 282 in the cam switch 236 and openings 284 in the bracket switch actuator 228 to receive fasteners 286 that are surrounded by washers 288. The fasteners 286 are received in corresponding washers 290 and nuts 292 abutting the bracket switch 240. The cam 242 abuts the bracket 230 and bracket switch 240 and is attached to the shaft 262 of the motor 232 to be driven by the motor, for example by a set screw 294.
The actuator 244 includes a body 300, a hammer portion 302 at an end of the body 300 for compressing the tube 140 to deliver fluid to the user, and a slot 304 at the other end of the body 300. A projection 306 extending from the cam 242 is received in the slot 304 to drive the actuator 244 toward and away from the tube 140. The actuator 244 is held in position by the actuator bracket assembly 246, which includes a first portion 308 with a projection 310 and openings 312 on opposite sides of the projection 310, and a second portion 314 with a channel 316 and openings 318 on opposite sides of the channel 316. The openings 312 are aligned with the openings 318 to receive fasteners 320, and the projection 310 is received in the channel 316 along with the body 300 of the actuator 244 to hold the actuator 244 in position and allow it to move horizontally toward and away from the tube 140.
To install the dispenser 10, for example in the lavatory of the aircraft, the mounting bracket 80 is attached to either a wall or a counter in the lavatory via suitable fasteners received in the openings 94. If the dispenser 10 is being vertically mounted, the openings 82 are aligned with the lock pins 86 and the dispenser 10 is advanced towards the mounting bracket 80 until the lock pins 86 extend through the first portion of the openings 82. The dispenser 10 is then rotated relative to the mounting bracket 80 to move the lock pins 86 into the second portion of the openings 82 to secure the dispenser to the mounting bracket 80 and thus the wall of the lavatory. Similarly, if the dispenser 10 is being horizontally mounted, the openings 84 are aligned with the lock pins 86 and the dispenser 10 is advanced towards the mounting bracket 80 until the lock pins 86 extend through the first portion of the openings 84. The dispenser 10 is then rotated relative to the mounting bracket 80 to move the lock pins 86 into the second portion of the openings 84 to secure the dispenser to the mounting bracket 80 and thus the counter of the lavatory.
To operate the dispenser 10, the switch 206 is moved from an OFF position to an ON position. Once the dispenser is on, the icon 182 may be configured to flash to provide a visual indication to the user that the dispenser is active. When a user positions her hands in the area 36, the user's hands move below the outlet 144 before the sensor 202 is activated due to the outlet being positioned forward of the sensor. Once a portion of the user's hands are below the sensor 202, another portion of the user's hands, for example the user's palm, is positioned below the outlet 144.
When the sensor 202 detects the presence of the user's hands, the presence is communicated to the motor assembly 214. In an embodiment, the icon 182 may light up or flash to indicate to the user that the dispenser 10 has been activated. The motor 232 is thereby activated for one cycle, for example to effect one revolution of the cam 242. The motor 232 rotates effecting movement of the cam 242, which rotates to move the projection 306 within the slot 304 to move the actuator 244 from a first position to a second position. The cam 242 can complete one revolution whereby it contacts the bracket switch activator 228 causing the cam switch 236 to communicate to the control board 212 to turn off the motor 232. In the second position, the hammer portion 302 of the actuator 244 contacts the tube 140. The force of the hammer portion 302 against the tube 140 causes the biasing force of the spring 166 to be overcome and the poppet 162 to move from the first position to the second position, thereby allowing the fluid to flow from the tube 140 through the inlet 160 of the valve 148 to the outlet 164 and out of the outlet 144 of the tube assembly 106 into the user's hands. The force of the hammer portion 302 against the tube 140 also causes the ball 156 to move from the first position to the second position closing the inlet 142 of the tube assembly 106 to prevent fluid from the reservoir 100 from entering the tube 140 as fluid is being dispensed from the outlet 144.
The electronics have logic configured to provide one activation regardless of the amount of time the user's hands or other object are under the sensor 202. This prevents the reservoir 100 from being drained if an object is advertently left below the sensor 202. If the user desires more fluid, the user first removes her hands from below the sensor 202 and then repositions her hands below the sensor 202.
The aforementioned systems, components, (e.g., body, housing, reservoir assembly, sensors, among others), and the like have been described with respect to interaction between several components and/or elements. It should be appreciated that such devices and elements can include those elements or sub-elements specified therein, some of the specified elements or sub-elements, and/or additional elements. Further yet, one or more elements and/or sub-elements may be combined into a single component to provide aggregate functionality. The elements may also interact with one or more other elements not specifically described herein.
In the specification and claims, reference will be made to a number of terms that have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify a quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term such as “about” is not to be limited to the precise value specified. In some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Moreover, unless specifically stated otherwise, a use of the terms “first,” “second,” etc., do not denote an order or importance, but rather the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used to distinguish one element from another.
Although certain embodiments have been shown and described, it is understood that equivalents and modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims will occur to others who are skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/026,995 filed May 19, 2020, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63026995 | May 2020 | US |