Lavatory system

Abstract

A lavatory system having at least one wash station and at least one electrically operated fixture is disclosed. The lavatory system includes a control system for operating the at least one electrically operated fixture. The control system comprises a power supply system, a detection system, and a fixture actuation system. According to one embodiment, the detection system comprises a processor, a sensor configured to detect a user within a sensing region, and a sampling circuit configured to store a signal from the sensor that is used by the processor to activate the fixture. According to another embodiment, the power supply system includes a power source providing an output voltage for operating components of the control system, a detector monitoring the output voltage, and a switch for electrically disconnecting the power source from the components of the control system if the output voltage drops below a predetermined level. According to one embodiment, the power source is at least one photovoltaic cell coupled to the lavatory system.

1 . A control system for use with a lavatory system for use by a user having at least one wash station and at least one electrically operated fixture, the control system comprising: 
 a detection system including a control circuit configured to operate during a first period during which a sensing region is monitored for the presence of the user followed by a second period during which power consumption by the control circuit is reduced; and    a fixture actuation system coupled to the detection system and configured to control the flow of a fluid through the fixture based upon a signal received from the control circuit during the first period    wherein the second period is greater than the first period so that total power consumption by the control circuit can be reduced.    
     
     
         2 . The control system of  claim 1  wherein the second period is at least 100 times greater than first period.  
     
     
         3 . The control system of  claim 2  wherein the second period is between approximately 100 milliseconds and approximately 400 milliseconds and the first period is between approximately 0.5 milliseconds and approximately 2 milliseconds during the cycle period.  
     
     
         4 . The control system of  claim 3  wherein the second period is approximately 250 milliseconds and the first period is approximately 1 millisecond.  
     
     
         5 . The control system of  claim 1  wherein the control circuit comprises a processor.  
     
     
         6 . The control system of  claim 5  wherein the processor is a central processing unit having a clock rate greater than approximately 32 kilohertz (kHz).  
     
     
         7 . The control system of  claim 6  wherein the central processing unit has a clock rate ranging from approximately 32 kHz to 20 megahertz (MHz).  
     
     
         8 . The control system of  claim 1  wherein the fixture actuation system comprises a valve configured to control the flow of fluid through the at least one fixture.  
     
     
         9 . A control system for use with a lavatory system for use by a user having at least one wash station and at least one electrically operated fixture, the control system comprising: 
 a control circuit;    a sensor coupled to the control circuit and including a transmitter and a receiver configured to the user within a sensing region; and    a sampling circuit coupled to the control circuit and the sensor and configured to store a first signal and a second signal from the receiver;    wherein a difference between the first signal and the second signal is received by the control circuit for determining whether to activate the fixture.    
     
     
         10 . The control system of  claim 9  further comprising a device configured to receive a pulse from the control system and to provide a first output to the sampling circuit and a second output to a second device configured to provide a first output to the sampling circuit and a second output for activating the transmitter.  
     
     
         11 . The control system of  claim 10  further comprising a power supply, wherein the power supply includes at least one of a battery, a photovoltaic cell, or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         12 . The control system of  claim 9  further comprising a fixture actuation system having a switch electrically coupled to a valve and configured to receive an input signal from the processor representative of the desired position of the valve.  
     
     
         13 . The lavatory system of  claim 9  wherein the transmitter is configured to emit pulses of infrared light into the sensing region and the receiver is configured to measure the level of infrared light in the sensing region, wherein the sampling circuit includes a first capacitor configured to store the first signal representative of the level of infrared light in the sensing region when the transmitter is not emitting infrared light and a second capacitor configured to store the second signal representative of the level of infrared light in the sensing region when the transmitter is emitting infrared light.  
     
     
         14 . A power supply system for a lavatory system having a control system for operating a fixture, the power supply system comprising: 
 a power source configured to be electrically coupled to the control system and to provide an output voltage;    a detector configured to monitor the output voltage of the power source; and    a switch configured to electrically disconnect the power source from the control system when the output voltage of the power source drops below a predetermined level.    
     
     
         15 . The power supply system of  claim 14  wherein the power source is at least one photovoltaic cell configured to convert ambient light energy into an output voltage.  
     
     
         16 . The power supply system of  claim 15  wherein the at least one photovoltaic cell is an array of photovoltaic cells.  
     
     
         17 . The power supply system of  claim 16  further comprising an energy storage element electrically coupled between the photovoltaic cell and the switch for storing the output voltage generated by the photovoltaic cell.  
     
     
         18 . The power supply system of  claim 17  wherein the energy storage element is a capacitor.  
     
     
         19 . The power supply system of  claim 14  further comprising a regulator for adjusting the output voltage of the power source before being received by the control system.  
     
     
         20 . A lavatory system comprising: 
 a lavatory providing at least one wash station and having at least one basin and at least one fixture;    a control system for controlling the flow of fluid to the at least one fixture;    an array of photovoltaic cells coupled to the lavatory and configured to provide power to the at least one fixture.    
     
     
         21 . The lavatory system of  claim 19 , wherein the lavatory is located above the at least one fixture and includes a recess for receiving the array of photovoltaic cells.  
     
     
         22 . The lavatory system of  claim 20 , wherein the array of photovoltaic cells are integrally formed with the lavatory.