Abstract:
A sensor device ( 6 ) for a toilet having a seat moveable between a raised position and lowered position is provided. The sensor device ( 6 ) includes a housing ( 8 ) adapted to be removably coupled to the toilet and a controller ( 18 ) disposed within the housing ( 8 ). The sensor device ( 6 ) further includes a motion sensor ( 16 ) in communication with the controller ( 18 ) and adapted to activate a first signal when the seat is in either the raised or lowered position and a user is positioned within a first predetermined range of the toilet.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    A conventional toilet typically includes a toilet bowl and a toilet seat that is movable between a lowered position and a raised position. For a variety of reasons, it is desirable that the toilet seat is left in the lowered positioned for the next user. 
         [0002]    Currently, there are devices available to provide some indication to a user that the toilet seat is in the raised position. Several devices sense the position of the toilet seat and continuously alert the user audibly or visually that the seat is in the raised position. These devices continuously sound an alarm when the seat is raised or when the seat has been left in the raised position. 
         [0003]    Sounding an alarm when the toilet seat is in the raised position after use is effective, but has its drawbacks. As an example, none of the prior art devices protect the next user when the previous user ignores the alarm. Thus, there is a need for an improved toilet sensor that warns the next user when the seat has inadvertently been left in the raised position. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A sensor device for a toilet having a seat moveable between a raised position and lowered position is provided. The sensor device includes a housing adapted to be removably coupled to the toilet and a controller disposed within the housing. The sensor device further includes a motion sensor in communication with the controller and adapted to activate a first signal when the seat is in either the raised or lowered position and a user is positioned within a first predetermined range of the toilet. 
         [0005]    This summary is provided to introduce several concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of the present disclosure will become readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an environmental view of one embodiment of a toilet seat sensor device shown in use on a toilet; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of internal components of the toilet seat sensor device of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing a control schematic for the toilet seat sensor device of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    A toilet seat sensor device  6  constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is best seen by referring to  FIG. 1 . The sensor device  6  is suitable for use with a toilet A having a toilet seat B and a toilet bowl C. The sensor device  6  includes an array of internal sensor components  7  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) that are contained within a housing  8 . The toilet sensor device  6  further includes a cover  10  adapted to be secured to the housing  8  in any suitable manner to enclose the array of internal sensor components  7  therein. 
         [0011]    The housing  8  is mountable to the underside of the toilet seat B in any well-known manner, such as with an adhesive. The sensor device  6  is mounted at about the waist level to the underside of the forward end of the toilet seat B to sense a person standing in front of the toilet A when the seat B is raised. In this position, the sensor device  6  will be the farthest away from the toilet seat C when the seat B is in the raised position, keeping the sensor device  6  away from any possible urination splatter. It should be appreciated, however, that the sensor device  6  may be mounted anywhere on the toilet seat B without detracting from its function and purpose. 
         [0012]    The housing  8  and cover  10  is made from any suitable water-resistant material, such as plastic. The sensor device  6  may be any preferred shape, such as round, square, etc. Moreover, the sensor device  6  is suitably sized to fit on the underside of the toilet seat B without protruding from the perimeter of the toilet seat B when the toilet seat B is in the lowered position or interfering with the closure or lowering of the toilet seat B. 
         [0013]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the sensor components  7  will now be described in greater detail. The sensor components  7  include a position sensor  12 , a proximity sensor  14 , and a motion sensor  16 , a controller  18 , and a battery  20 . One or more of the internal sensor components  7  can be manufactured as a single silicon chip; however, each component will be discussed separately for clarity and ease of illustration. 
         [0014]    The position sensor  12  detects the orientation and position of the toilet seat B. The position sensor  12  may be any suitable mechanical, optical, or electrical sensor, such as a tilt sensor, a programmable tilt switch, etc. The position sensor  12  sends a signal to the controller  18  when the toilet seat B is moved from the lowered position to the raised position or when it is moved from the raised position to the lowered position. 
         [0015]    The proximity sensor  14  may be any suitable optical or electrical sensor, such as a capacitive sensor, a photoelectric sensor, or an infrared sensor that is capable of sensing an object, such as a person, within the proximity sensor range. The proximity sensor range may be any suitable range, such as a 180 degree 3 foot range from the sensor  14  when the toilet seat B is in the raised position. When the user moves beyond the predetermined proximity sensor range, the proximity sensor  14  sends a signal to the controller  18 , and the controller  18  initiates a warning. The warning will sound, flash, etc., until the position sensor  12  sends a signal to the controller  18  indicating that that seat B has been lowered. If the seat B is not lowered, the warning will sound, flash, etc., until a predetermined amount of time, such as 10 seconds, elapses. If the seat B is left in the raised position and the predetermined amount of time elapses, the motion sensor  16  will override the proximity sensor  14  to detect a person walking towards the toilet A with the seat B in the raised position. The motion sensor  16  may be any suitable off-the-shelf motion sensor, such as an infrared motion detector. The motion sensor  16  is activated when a person moves into a predetermined motion detector range surrounding the toilet A when the toilet seat B has been left in the raised position. The predetermined motion detector range could be, for instance, a 180 degree 10 foot range from the motion detector  16 . When the user moves into the predetermined motion detector range, the motion sensor  16  sends a signal to the controller  18  to produce a warning. The warning alerts the user that the toilet seat B is in the raised position. The warning is disabled when position sensor  12  sends a signal to the controller  18  indicating that the seat B has been lowered, when the user leaves the predetermined motion detector range, or when a predetermined amount of time elapses. 
         [0016]    The controller  18  may be any suitable logic controller that includes a microprocessor  21  for processing the sensor inputs. The controller  18  also includes a memory unit  22 , a timer  24 , and a notification device  26 , all in communication with the microprocessor  21 . 
         [0017]    The memory unit  22  may be any suitable device that stores instructions and logic for processing the sensor input signals. The timer  24  is any suitable device that interfaces with the microprocessor  21  to disable the notification device  26  after a certain period of time. For example, when a user raises the toilet seat B and thereafter leaves the predetermined area, the notification will be produced for a limited amount of time, such as ten seconds. 
         [0018]    The notification device  26  may be any suitable device for producing audible or visual warnings, such as alarms, songs, chimes, flashing lights, colored lights, or other notifications. The microprocessor  21  may, if desired, instruct the notification device  26  to produce a different notification in response to different signal inputs. For instance, a standard alarm may sound when the seat B is left in the raised position, yet a soft chime, a flashing light, or another non-startling warning may be generated when a user approaches the seat B in the raised position. In this manner, a user who approaches the toilet in the middle of the night, for instance, is not startled by the loud noise. 
         [0019]    Still referring to  FIG. 2 , the internal battery  20  is in electrical communication with the array of internal sensor components  7 . The battery  20  may be any well-known battery that has sufficient power to support a sufficiently large number of toilet seat “cycles” (one cycle being the raising and lowering of the toilet seat B) or any other suitable lifespan of the sensor device  6 . 
         [0020]    Operation of the sensor device  6  may be best understood by referring to  FIG. 3 . When the toilet seat B is in the lowered position, the sensor device  6  is OFF, as indicated by block  28 . A user activates the sensor device  6  by raising the toilet seat B, as indicated by decision block  30 . When the seat B is raised, the position sensor  12  sends a signal to the controller  18  indicating that the seat B is in the raised position, as indicated by block  32 . 
         [0021]    If the user lowers the seat B after using the toilet A (as indicated by decision block  34 ), the sensor device  6  turns OFF, as indicated by block  28 . However, if the user leaves the toilet seat B in the raised position and then leaves the predetermined proximity sensor range, the proximity sensor  14  sends a signal to the controller  18 , as indicated by block  36 . The controller  18  processes the signal and sends power to the notification device  26  to produce a notification, such as an alarm, as indicated by block  38 . The controller  18  also starts the timer  24 , as indicated by block  42 . 
         [0022]    If, after hearing or seeing the alarm, the user returns to the toilet A and lowers the seat B, the position sensor  12  sends a signal to the controller  18  indicating that the toilet seat is in the lowered position, as indicated by decision block  40 . At this point, the sensor device  6  turns OFF, as indicated by block  28 . If, however, the user does not return to the toilet A to lower the seat B, the alarm will continue to sound until the timer  24  elapses (as indicated by decision block  42 ) and signals the controller  18  to disable the notification device  26 , as indicated by block  44 . The timer  24  could be set to elapse, for example, after 10 seconds. 
         [0023]    After the timer  24  elapses and the alarm is disabled, the sensor device  6  goes a standby mode, as indicated by block  46 . The sensor device  6  remains in this standby mode until a user enters the predetermined motion detector range and the motion sensor  16  sends a signal to the controller  18 , as indicated by decision block  48 . The controller  18  processes the signal and sends power to the notification device  26  to produce a notification, such as an alarm, as indicated by block  38 . 
         [0024]    The alarm will continue to sound until either the seat B is lowered or the timer  24  elapses, as indicated by decision blocks  40  and  42 . Preferably, the alarm sounds for a sufficient amount of time such that the user is warned that the toilet seat B is in the raised position. However, the alarm is also sufficiently brief in duration such that if the user wishes to use the toilet A with the seat B in the raised position, the alarm is not going off for the entire duration of use. 
         [0025]    While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.