An automatic faucet or tap (also hands-free faucet, touchless faucet, electronic faucet, motion-sensing faucet, sensor faucet, or infrared faucet) is a faucet equipped with a proximity sensor and mechanism that opens its valve to allow water to flow in response to the presence of a user's hands in close proximity. The faucet closes its valve again after a few seconds or when it no longer detects the presence of a user's hands.
Automatic faucets are common in public washrooms, particularly in airports and hotels, where they reduce the transmission of disease-causing microbes. [1] They can also be found in some kitchens and in the washrooms of some private residences. Other uses include providing drinking water to pets or livestock, whereby the presence of an animal activates the electronic sensor control allowing water to flow into a watering trough or dish.
Automatic faucets were first developed in the 1950s but were not produced for commercial use until the late 1980s when they first appeared to the general public in locations where users such as arthritis sufferers have difficulty controlling domestic tap handles. More commonly in locations to avoid bacteria transfer such as hospitals and surgeries, in food preparation locations, in public washrooms and in industrial locations where hands are contaminated by chemicals or grease etc. They have gradually become commonplace in more developed countries.
Sensor-activated faucets were invented by the Australian Norman Wareham, [2] who initiated electronic controls of water flow for domestic, commercial, medical and industrial uses. As described in the following excerpts from the patent claim, the system is activated by various electronic sensor means to achieve ‘no touch’ flow control to prevent bacteria transfer in areas such as hospital and surgery use or in areas of food preparation. It includes an electronic thermo-responsive control to prevent scalding, or water flow exceeding pre-set safe temperatures and by use of pre-set electronic timer devices, prevention of flooding and waste of water. In the event of an unplanned reduction of the cold water supply; to prevent scalding or the flow of higher than pre-set temperature, the patent also includes a thermo-responsive device capable of instantly cancelling the operation of the solenoid valve which supplies the hot water.
Water saving. The accurate pre-set control of flow rate, temperature and precise time allows the flow to be accurately set to provide the correct quantity to fill hand basins, or sinks, or baths to the pre-set level ensuring optimum amounts of correct temperature water is dispensed for each purpose. When used for sensor activated automatic use rather than manual control use, such as for public hand basins or showers in parks or beaches etc. or for flushing cisterns or tanks after each use, the combination of precise control of flow rate and time of flow ensuring only the predetermined quantity is dispensed, avoids wasted water and consequent disposal of excess grey water. When users move away from public hand basins or showers, the sensor controlled flow of water is immediately stopped avoiding waste.
10. A liquid flow control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outlet has a thermo-responsive means capable of cancelling the operation of the solenoid operated valve which controls the hot water.
11. A liquid flow control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the switches are actuated by air pressure means provided by a bellows.
13. A liquid flow control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said switch means is actuated by proximity sensing means.
14. A liquid flow control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said switch means is actuated by an interrupted light beam and photo-sensitive device.
15. A liquid flow control device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said switch means is actuated by a contact button.
Automatic faucets are usually powered by normal domestic electricity using 12 volt transformers but where electricity is not available such as parks or beaches or agricultural locations, as the system requires negligible low voltage electrical power, the system was designed to function off rechargeable batteries or two 6-volt lantern batteries.
In addition to United States patent 4,428,422, patents were also awarded in Australia (#74774/81), Great Britain (#2,083,092), Germany (G 81 26 239.6), Canada (#1,169,329), and New Zealand (#198,226).
In the Geneva International Inventions Exhibition in 1982, the product was awarded the gold medal in the Architectural Division.[ citation needed ]
In Australia, the product was awarded the Australian Design Award and the Australian Design Selection Certificate. In 1985, it was awarded the Australian Plumbing Industry Excellence in Design and the "Commercial and Industrial" award and the "Product for Disabled" award and the "Product for Domestic Use Certificate".
Automatic faucets have the advantage of shutting off automatically after hand washing, thereby reducing water waste. When installed in a home, sensor faucets alleviate the need for parents to ensure that children have turned off the faucet. Their automatic shutoff mechanism also greatly reduces the risk of sink overflow due to a faucet being left on either inadvertently or deliberately. [3]
Because of their assistive qualities, automatic faucets are often found at assisted living establishments. Automatic faucets are water saving devices, helping save 70% of the water that would otherwise be unused and conserve as much as 3-5% of the water used by a standard household. Other benefits of automatic faucets are found in inhibiting the spread of germs which are known to thrive on faucet handles, as well as help prevent or mitigate scalding incidents caused by hot water. [4]
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category. In an open valve, fluid flows in a direction from higher pressure to lower pressure. The word is derived from the Latin valva, the moving part of a door, in turn from volvere, to turn, roll.
Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related areas of metrology, automation, and control theory. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making.
A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint.
An actuator is a component of a machine that produces force, torque, or displacement, usually in a controlled way, when an electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic input is supplied to it in a system. An actuator converts such an input signal into the required form of mechanical energy. It is a type of transducer. In simple terms, it is a "mover".
Fluid power is the use of fluids under pressure to generate, control, and transmit power. Fluid power is conventionally subdivided into hydraulics and pneumatics. Although steam is also a fluid, steam power is usually classified separately from fluid power. Compressed-air and water-pressure systems were once used to transmit power from a central source to industrial users over extended geographic areas; fluid power systems today are usually within a single building or mobile machine.
A tap is a valve controlling the release of a fluid.
A plumbing fixture is an exchangeable device which can be connected to a plumbing system to deliver and drain water.
A ballcock is a mechanism or machine for filling water tanks, such as those found in flush toilets, while avoiding overflow and backflow. The modern ballcock was invented by José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez, a Mexican priest and scientist, who described the device in 1790 in the Gaceta de Literatura Méxicana. The ballcock device was patented in 1797 for use in steam engines by Edmund Cartwright.
An electroactive polymer (EAP) is a polymer that exhibits a change in size or shape when stimulated by an electric field. The most common applications of this type of material are in actuators and sensors. A typical characteristic property of an EAP is that they will undergo a large amount of deformation while sustaining large forces.
This is a glossary of firefighting equipment.
An irrigation controller is a device to operate automatic irrigation systems such as lawn sprinklers and drip irrigation systems. Most controllers have a means of setting the frequency of irrigation, the start time, and the duration of watering. Some controllers have additional features such as multiple programs to allow different watering frequencies for different types of plants, rain delay settings, input terminals for sensors such as rain and freeze sensors, soil moisture sensors, weather data, remote operation, etc.
In petroleum and natural gas extraction, a Christmas tree, or tree, is an assembly of valves, casing spools, and fittings used to regulate the flow of pipes in an oil well, gas well, water injection well, water disposal well, gas injection well, condensate well, and other types of well.
A soap dispenser is a device that, when manipulated or triggered appropriately, dispenses soap. It can be manually operated using a handle or can be automatic. Soap dispensers are often found in public toilets.
A thermal expansion valve or thermostatic expansion valve is a component in vapor-compression refrigeration and air conditioning systems that controls the amount of refrigerant released into the evaporator and is intended to regulate the superheat of the refrigerant that flows out of the evaporator to a steady value. Although often described as a "thermostatic" valve, an expansion valve is not able to regulate the evaporator's temperature to a precise value. The evaporator's temperature will vary only with the evaporating pressure, which will have to be regulated through other means.
A control valve is a valve used to control fluid flow by varying the size of the flow passage as directed by a signal from a controller. This enables the direct control of flow rate and the consequential control of process quantities such as pressure, temperature, and liquid level.
A valve actuator is the mechanism for opening and closing a valve. Manually operated valves require someone in attendance to adjust them using a direct or geared mechanism attached to the valve stem. Power-operated actuators, using gas pressure, hydraulic pressure or electricity, allow a valve to be adjusted remotely, or allow rapid operation of large valves. Power-operated valve actuators may be the final elements of an automatic control loop which automatically regulates some flow, level or other process. Actuators may be only to open and close the valve, or may allow intermediate positioning; some valve actuators include switches or other ways to remotely indicate the position of the valve.
A thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) is a valve that blends hot water with cold water to ensure constant, safe shower and bath outlet temperatures to prevent scalding.
Instrumentation is used to monitor and control the process plant in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. Instrumentation ensures that the plant operates within defined parameters to produce materials of consistent quality and within the required specifications. It also ensures that the plant is operated safely and acts to correct out of tolerance operation and to automatically shut down the plant to prevent hazardous conditions from occurring. Instrumentation comprises sensor elements, signal transmitters, controllers, indicators and alarms, actuated valves, logic circuits and operator interfaces.
Automatic balancing valves are utilised in central heating and cooling systems that rely on flow of water through the system. They use the latest flow technology to ensure that the design flow rate is achieved at all times irrespective of any pressure changes within the system.
An automatic soap dispenser is a device that dispenses a controlled amount of soap solution. They are often used in conjunction with automatic faucets in public restrooms. They function to conserve the amount of soap used and stem infectious disease transmission.