Abstract: A tank-type flusher including an intake valve, a diaphragm-operated flush valve, a pressure control mechanism. The intake valve is connected to an external water source and constructed to close water flow to a water storage tank at about a predefined water level in the water tank. The diaphragm-operated flush valve is constructed to control a flush valve member between a seated state and an unseated state that allows water discharge from the water tank into a toilet bowl. The diaphragm separates a pressure chamber and a pilot chamber. The diaphragm is arranged to seal the pressure chamber to maintain pressure forcing the flush valve member to the seated state thereby preventing the water discharge from the water storage tank to the toilet bowl. The pressure control mechanism is constructed an arranged, upon actuation, to reduce pressure in the pilot chamber of the diaphragm-operated flush valve thereby reduce pressure in the pressure chamber causing the water discharge.

Abstract: A latching-valve system (10) includes a piezoelectric transducer (44) mounted on its housing (16). To change the valve's state, a microcontroller (54) causes a valve driver (58) to drive current through the actuator's coil (12). It continues driving current through the coil (12) until the transducer's output reaches a magnitude characteristic of the disturbance that typically results when the actuator's armature (22) reaches the end of its travel. At that point, the microcontroller (54) stops driving current through the coil. If the characteristic sound does not occur within a predetermined duration, the microcontroller (54) causes a voltage-multiplier circuit (Q1, L1, D1) to increase the voltage that the valve driver (58) applies to the coil.

Abstract: By depressing a push button (13), a user deforms a flexible diaphragm (30) and thereby causes an incompressible fluid to flow from a first actuation-chamber segment (42) through openings (48) in a divider wall (46) and into a second chamber segment (44). That flow deforms a second flexible diaphragm (40), which accordingly causes an actuator shaft (58) to break the seal formed by an O-ring (57) and thereby permit flow from a main valve inlet (11) through a main valve outlet (12). When the user releases the push button (13), an actuator check valve (50) prevents the incompressible fluid from returning through the divider-wall openings (48) to the first chamber segment (42). The actuator therefore returns only slowly, through a bleed orifice (72). A pressurizer conduit (86) communicates the valve's outlet pressure to a stop chamber (82) and thereby causes the position of a stop member (76) to be dependent on that pressure.

Abstract: A valve system (10) includes a piezoelectric transducer (44) mounted on its housing (16). To change the valve's state, a microcontroller (54) causes a valve driver (58) to drive current through the actuator's coil (12) at a relatively high level. It continues driving current through the coil (12) at the high level until the transducer's output reaches a magnitude characteristic of the disturbance that typically results when the actuator's armature (22) reaches the end of its travel. At that point, the microcontroller (54) reduces coil drive.

Abstract: A manifold (116) supplies pressurized water through a pressurizer conduit (30) to a pressure chamber (24) by which the pressurized water thereby introduced into the pressure chamber (24) holds a flush valve (12) seated in a flush opening at the base of a toilet tank (18). The manifold (116) also supplies water through a fill tube (144) to the interior of the toilet tank (18). A flow restricter (146) mounted on the valve member (12) fits into the outlet of the fill tube so as to restrict its flow area when the flush valve (12) is unseated. This helps maintain the manifold pressure employed to close the flush valve (12). When that valve closes, it retracts the flow diverter (146) from the fill tube (114) to allow the tank to fill rapidly. A flow-rate controller (148) tends to reduce variations in the pressure applied to the flush-valve member (12) that would otherwise result from source-pressure variations.

Abstract: An object sensor (18) detects an object such as a hand (20) and operates a valve (52) that permits liquid soap (86) to flow from a disposable soap container (12). The liquid soap is typically quite viscous but tends to be expelled because of pressure applied from a carbon-dioxide cartridge (32). A pressure-regulator assembly (40) permits gas from the carbon dioxide cartridge (32) to enter the soap container (28) only so long as the soap container's internal pressure is less than a predetermined maximum.

Abstract: A toilet room flush valve includes a body having an inlet and an outlet. There is a valve seat between the inlet and outlet and a valve assembly is movable within the body and positioned to close upon the seat to control flow from the inlet to the outlet. A cover is mounted upon the body and defines a pressure chamber with the valve assembly. There is a bypass connecting the inlet and pressure chamber whereby the pressure therein maintains the valve assembly upon the seat. A flex tube is fixed relative to the cover at one end thereof, with the other end of the flex tube being attached to the valve assembly remote from the pressure chamber. There is a passage in the flex tube opening to the body outlet at one end thereof. A vent passage connects the pressure chamber with the flex tube passage and a pilot controls flow through the vent passage.

Abstract: A remote valve (46) controls relief of pressure by way from a pilot-valve chamber (38) whose pressure in turn controls pressure relief pressure chamber (24) by which a pressurized-water source holds a flush valve (12) seated in a flush opening at the base of a toilet tank (18). An actuator chamber defined by a housing (74) and flexible diaphragms (72) and (94) contains an incompressible fluid, and the user's depression of a push button (44) causes that fluid to be displaced through a check valve (100) so as to displace a valve member (102), which is coupled to one of the flexible diaphragms, from a sealing position to an unsealing position, where it permits flow from a valve inlet (104) to a valve outlet (48). This relieves the pressure that holds the flush valve (12) closed. A spring (101) biases the valve member (102) to a rest position, to which it tends to return when the user releases the push button (44).

Abstract: A latching-valve system (10) includes a piezoelectric transducer (44) mounted on its housing (16). To change the valve's state, a microcontroller (54) causes a valve driver (58) to drive current through the actuator's coil (12). It continues driving current through the coil (12) until the transducer's output reaches a magnitude characteristic of the disturbance that typically results when the actuator's armature (22) reaches the end of its travel At that point, the microcontroller (54) stops driving current through the coil. If the characteristic sound does not occur within a predetermined duration, the microcontroller (54) causes a voltage-multiplier circuit (Q1, L1, D1) to increase the voltage that the valve driver (58) applies to the coil.

Abstract: By depressing a push button (42), a toilet user opens a valve (44) that permits pressure holding a flush valve (12) seated to be exhausted through a pressure-relief line (48). The pressure in the flow path by which liquid thereby leaves the outlet (46) of the remote valve (44) tends to hold that remote valve's valve member (100) open after the user releases the push button (42). But pressure from the pressure-relief line (48) slowly builds up in a seating-pressure chamber (110) by fluid flow through a high-flow-resistance path provided by a passage containing a fluted pin (114). After a resultant delay sufficient to permit the toilet's tank (16) to empty through the outlet (22) controlled by the flush valve (12), the pressure within the seating-pressure chamber (80) reaches a point at which the force exerted by it on the valve member (110) exceeds the flow-path-pressure force tending to keep that valve member unseated.

Abstract: A valve system (10) includes a piezoelectric transducer (44) mounted on its housing (16). To change the valve's state, a microcontroller (54) causes a valve driver (58) to drive current through the actuator's coil (12) at a relatively high level. It continues driving current through the coil (12) at the high level until the transducer's output reaches a magnitude characteristic of the disturbance that typically results when the actuator's armature (22) reaches the end of its travel. At that point, the microcontroller (54) reduces coil drive.

Abstract: A latching-valve system (10) includes a piezoelectric transducer (44) mounted on its housing (16). To change the valve's state, a microcontroller (54) causes a valve driver (58) to drive current through the actuator's coil (12). It continues driving current through the coil (12) until the transducer's output reaches a magnitude characteristic of the disturbance that typically results when the actuator's armature (22) reaches the end of its travel. At that point, the microcontroller (54) stops driving current through the coil. If the characteristic sound does not occur within a predetermined duration, the microcontroller (54) causes a voltage-multiplier circuit (Q1, L1, D1) to increase the voltage that the valve driver (58) applies to the coil.

Abstract: An object sensor (18) detects an object such as a hand (20) and operates a valve (52) that permits liquid soap (86) to flow from a disposable soap container (12). The liquid soap is typically quite viscous but tends to be expelled because of pressure applied from a carbon-dioxide cartridge (32). A pressure-regulator assembly (40) permits gas from the carbon dioxide cartridge (32) to enter the soap container (28) only so long as the soap container's internal pressure is less than a predetermined maximum.

Abstract: An object sensor (18) detects an object such as a hand (20) and operates a valve (52) that permits liquid soap (86) to flow from a disposable soap container (12). The liquid soap is typically quite viscous but tends to be expelled because of pressure applied from a carbon-dioxide cartridge (32). A pressure-regulator assembly (40) permits gas from the carbon dioxide cartridge (32) to enter the soap container (28) only so long as the soap container's internal pressure is less than a predetermined maximum.

Abstract: Pressure from the input water line (26) holds a toilet's flush-valve member (12) in its seat so as to prevent water in the toilet tank (16) from flowing through flush ports (18) and a flush conduit (22) into the toilet bowl or urinal. To release water through the flush conduit (22) a solenoid (42) is actuated to relieve the pressure acting on the flush-valve (12) so that a bias spring (24) lifts the flush-valve (12) off its seat (14). A solenoid (118) for performing this function can be located remotely from the flush-valve assembly and communicate with it by a hydraulic line (108).

Abstract: In an automated flush system (10), a control circuit (12) controls a flusher (16) in response to the output of a sensor (14). The vertical sensitivity pattern (24) of the sensor (14) is angled downward. Consequently, radiation that the sensor (14) emits tends to be reflected away from the sensor (14) by relatively specular vertical enclosure surfaces such as that of a stall door (18), while more-diffuse deflectors, such as a user that the sensor (14) is intended to detect, tend to reflect greater percentages of the sensor radiation back to the sensor (14). Similarly reduced sensitivity to enclosure surfaces results from a horizontal sensitivity pattern (40) having a reduced-sensitivity central region. The sensor system can thereby more reliably avoid confusing enclosure surfaces with users, on whose detection the system's automatic flush strategy is based.

Abstract: An automatic soap dispenser (10) includes a disposable soap container including a dispensing mechanism (20) in which walls of an interior chamber (56) cooperate with a diaphragm (62) and a plunger (66) to form a transit chamber (64), which is resiliently expandable against the force of a spring (80). When a solenoid (58) permits the diaphragm (62) to move away from the outlet of a passage (50) in a flow path from the interior of a pressurized reservoir (18) to the expandable transit chamber (64), travel of the plunger (66) permits the transit chamber (64)'s pressure-relieving outlet opening to expand so that the pressure within the transit chamber (64) is determined predominantly by the force of the spring (80) rather than by the pressure within the reservoir (18). The velocity of the liquid dispensed from the transit chamber (64) through the dispensing mechanism's spout (16) is therefore relatively independent of the pressure within the reservoir (18).

Abstract: An automatic soap dispenser (10) includes a bellows-type collapsible container (18) of liquid soap. Constant-force springs (40 and 42) compress the container so as to expel the soap through a spout (16) when a valve-containing dispensing mechanism (20) permits it. When a sensor (14) detects an object such as a user's hand, a control circuit (56) operates the dispensing mechanism to permit soap flow through the spout for a predetermined time interval. Because of the constant-force springs, there is no need to use electric power to eject the liquid soap despite its typically high viscosity.

Abstract: In response to a infrared-radiation sensor assembly (12), a control circuit controls an electromechanical valve (18) in an automatic faucet (16). Reflector surfaces (44, 46) so form a sensor beam as to cause the sensor to be insensitive to the presence of a sink (24). The ratio of the resultant radiation pattern's horizontal extent to its vertical extent is greater than it would be in the absence of the reflector surfaces (44, 46). The control circuit is battery-powered, and the electromechanical valve (18) is of the latching variety so as to conserve the battery's energy.

Abstract: A control circuit (56) for responding to infrared light from a target region and operating an electric valve (54) in response is disposed at a protected location remote from the target region. It detects the presence of objects by means of light conducted to it by a fiber-optic cable (32).