IP Library Granted Patent US 11,512,457
Granted Patent B2
US 11,512,457 · App. 17/042,068 · Granted Nov 29, 2022

Water spout control device, water spout control system, and water spout control method

Inventors: Nobuhiro Taki (Tokyo, JP); Yuki Shirai (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: LIXIL Corporation
E03C1/057E03C1/0404
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,512,457
App. No.
17/042,068
Granted
Nov 29, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A water spout control device has a target object detector configured to detect a position of a target object as a detection target in a regional image according to an image information of the regional image. The regional image being generated by capturing an imaging target region including a faucet spout. A faucet spout port detector may be configured to detect a position of a faucet spout port of the faucet spout in the regional image. A determiner may be configured to determine whether to discharge water according to the position of the target object detected by the target object detector and the position of the faucet spout port detected by the faucet spout port detector.

Claims (28)

1. A water spout control device, comprising:

a target object detector configured to detect a position of a target object as a detection target in a regional image according to an image information of the regional image, the regional image being generated by capturing an imaging target region including a faucet spout from a upward side of the faucet spout;

a faucet spout port detector configured to detect a position of a faucet spout port of the faucet spout in the regional image; and

a determiner configured to determine whether to discharge water according to the position of the target object detected by the target object detector and the position of the faucet spout port detected by the faucet spout port detector.

2. The water spout control device of claim 1 ,

wherein the regional image is sequentially captured in a time series to form a plurality of regional images,

the target object detector is configured to detect the position of the target object in each regional image of the plurality of regional images, and

the water spout control device further includes a switcher configured to switch a water discharging state regarding the water to be discharged according to the position of the target object at time when the target object is detected by the target object detector and the position of the target object at any time before the time when the target object is detected.

3. The water spout control device of claim 2 , wherein the switcher is configured to switch the water discharging state according to a change of the positions of the target object detected by the target object detector in the time series.

4. The water spout control device of claim 2 , further comprising a state detector configured to detect a state of the target object according to the regional image and the target object detected by the target object detector,

wherein the switcher is configured to switch the water discharging state according to the state of the target object detected by the state detector.

5. The water spout control device of claim 2 , further comprising a characteristic extractor configured to extract characteristic of a human in the regional image according to the regional image,

wherein the switcher is configured to switch the water discharging state according to the characteristic of the human extracted by the characteristic extractor.

6. The water spout control device of claim 2 , further comprising a behavior extractor configured to extract a behavior of a human in the regional image according to the regional image,

wherein the switcher is configured to switch the water discharging state according to the behavior of the human extracted by the behavior extractor.

7. The water spout control device of claim 2 , further comprising an instruction detector configured to detect a content of an instruction according to an instruction information indicating the instruction to switch the water discharging state,

wherein the switcher is configured to switch the water discharging state according to the content of the instruction detected by the instruction detector.

8. The water spout control device of claim 2 , further comprising an instruction detector configured to detect content of an instruction according to an instruction information indicating the instruction to switch the water discharging state,

wherein the switcher is configured to update the water discharging condition to switch the water discharging state according to the content of the instruction acquired from the instruction detector.

9. The water spout control device of claim 2 , wherein the water discharging state is at least one of a type of the water to be discharged or a form of the water to be discharged.

10. A water spout control system, comprising:

an imaging device configured to capture a regional image including a faucet spout, and

the water spout control device of claim 2 , which is configured to acquire the image information of the regional image captured by the imaging device.

11. The water spout control device of claim 1 , wherein the faucet spout port detector is configured to receive positional coordinates of the faucet spout port so as to detect the position of the faucet spout port of the faucet spout in the regional image.

12. A water spout control method, comprising:

detecting a position of a target object as a detection target in a regional image according to an image information of the regional image in which an imaging target region including a faucet spout from a upward side of the faucet spout, by a target object detector;

detecting a position of a faucet spout port of the faucet spout in the regional image, by a faucet spout port detector; and

determining whether to discharge water according to the position of the target object detected by the target object detector and the position of the faucet spout port detected by the faucet spout port detector, by a determiner.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR ASSIGNEE Recorded Feb 2, 2023
From: LIXIL CORPORATION
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062635/0802 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 21, 2021
From: LIXIL GROUP CORPORATION
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055985/0215 →
MERGER Recorded Apr 19, 2021
From: LIXIL CORPORATION
To: LIXIL GROUP CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 056875/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 3, 2020
From: TAKI, NOBUHIRO; SHIRAI, YUKI
To: LIXIL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 054539/0935 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2018-067373 · Mar 30, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210010251A1 · Jan 14, 2021
Cited By (1)
US 12,325,987