METHOD OF LEARNING

Subject of the Invention

The invention relates to a ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences, which detects the movements and behaviors of the user by means of the sensors it includes, records and learns said movements and behaviors, and repeats the learned actions in case the other necessary conditions have also been satisfied, and to a method of learning.

State of the Art

The ceramic sanitary ware are mainly used for the purpose of personal cleaning in the bathrooms and toilets. With the advancing technology, the ceramic sanitary ware, i.e. the components of the ceramic sanitary ware, have also started to be become automated. The toilet seat covers and the toilet seats, which are among the components of the ceramic sanitary ware, automatically open and close according to the presence and the movement of a user, and similarly, the flushing systems for the ceramic sanitary ware perform the flushing process according to the user movements and in some cases according to the duration of use of the ceramic sanitary ware by the user, wherein these systems are also able to automatically adjust the quantity of water to be used in flushing according to the contamination level.

Said systems according to the state of the art perform certain processes automatically based on predefined scenarios and variables. In other words, they operate according to the scenarios and conditions defined by the manufacturer, rather than the expectations and preferences of the users. This causes the situation where the functions are not performed in the manner desired by the user in case the preferences predicted by the manufacturer and the preferences of the user are different. More specifically, in case a ceramic sanitary ware, in which the toilet seat cover opens automatically according to the presence of a user, is used in a narrow space, the toilet seat cover opens automatically every time there is a user present in said space, irrespective of whether or not the ceramic sanitary ware is actually used. In an embodiment where the flushing of the ceramic sanitary ware takes place automatically depending on the use, the predefined liquid quantity to be used for the purpose of flushing may be greater or smaller than the quantity preferred by the user or the flushing process may occur even in cases where the flushing is not desired.

With the ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences and the method of learning according to the invention, the actions performed automatically by the ceramic sanitary ware are automatically optimized in line with the user preferences and a customized experience is offered, which is specific to the user and the ambience of use. Object of the Invention

An object of the invention is to develop a ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences and a method of learning, wherein the actions automatically performed by the ceramic sanitary ware and/or the components of the ceramic sanitary ware may be customized automatically in line with the user choices and preferences.

Another object of the invention is to develop a ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences and a method of learning, wherein the movements and behaviors of a user are recorded via various sensors, said movements and behaviors a re learned and the learned actions are automatically repeated in case the necessary conditions have been satisfied.

Another object of the invention is to develop a ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences and a method of learning, wherein the variables, which affect the automatic actions of the components of the ceramic sanitary ware, i.e. which determine the operating principles of said components, are automatically updated in line with the repeated user behaviors recorded, by means of various sensors.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention relates to a ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences, which detects the movements and behaviors of the user by means of the sensors it includes, records and learns said movements and behaviors, and repeats the learned actions in case the other necessary conditions have also been satisfied, and to a method of learning. More particularly, the invention relates to a ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences and to a method of learning, wherein the circumstances under which the actions automatically performed by the ceramic sanitary ware and/or the components of the ceramic sanitary ware are performed manually by a user or the circumstances under which the realization of the automatic action is prevented by a user are recorded and wherein the subsequent actions that are to take place automatically are decided by evaluating said recorded inputs.

The automatic ceramic sanitary ware comprise various sensors, which are used to detect the user movements and the use of the components of the ceramic sanitary ware, and various actuators, which enable various functions of the ceramic sanitary ware to be controlled automatically in line with the detected movements. It is possible, by means of these sensors, to detect the variables like the movement, proximity, position of the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat and contamination, while the actuators may enable the flushing process to be performed automatically and the automatic movement of the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat to be provided. A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises at least one main processing unit, which enables to record the data received from the sensors and actuators and to automatically control the actuators based on these data. In the embodiments where the process of flushing of the ceramic sanitary ware takes place automatically, the proximity and movement sensors are employed to detect the presence of a user, and the contamination sensors are employed in some embodiments for the purpose of detecting the contamination after the use. In such embodiments, in case a user has been detected to walk away after the detection of said user's presence, this may be interpreted to mean that the ceramic sanitary ware has been used and the use has ended and the flushing process may be performed automatically after the user has moved away. Likewise, in case it is detected by the contamination sensors that the ceramic sanitary ware has become contaminated and the user has left, i.e. the use has ended, the flushing process may be performed automatically. However, the circumstances under which the flushing function is to be activated and the quantity of liquid with which the flushing process is to be performed may differ according to the preferences, choices and habits of the users.

The method of learning for the ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences according to the invention operates based on the principle of

• recording the repeated user interventions in the variables affecting the automatic operating principle of the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat and/or flushing system and/or in the components of the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat and/or flushing system, and

• automatically updating the variables affecting the operating principle of the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat and/or flushing system and/or automatically programming the movements of the components of the toilet seat cover and/or toilet seat and/or flushing system in line with such repeated interventions.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the circumstances under which a user activates the flushing system are recorded and the flushing system is activated automatically in case the contamination and similar conditions, for which the user activates the flushing system, have developed.

Depending on their preferences and use habits, the individuals may prefer activating the flushing system prior to using the ceramic sanitary ware in order to enable the liquid within the ceramic sanitary ware to be cleaned. In an exemplary embodiment, in case a user most of the time activates the flushing system before using the ceramic sanitary ware, this fact is recorded by the system and the flushing system is automatically activated before the use next time the user approaches the ceramic sanitary ware.

In another exemplary embodiment, in case a user manually actives the flushing system again despite the use of the ceramic sanitary ware having been ended and the automatic flushing process having been performed and in case this action is frequently repeated following the uses, this fact is recorded, and for the subsequent uses, the automatic flushing process is enabled to be performed with greater quantity of liquid than the previous flushing and/or the number of automatic flushing processes per use is enabled to be increased if the flushing takes place already with the maximum quantity of liquid.

In an embodiment where it is possible to set the circumstances under which the flushing system is to be activated, more specifically, where it is possible to set the value of the contamination level upon reaching which the flushing process is to be performed; in other words, where it is possible to set the flushing sensitivity, in case the user manually activates the flushing system after the use despite said user having set a high value for the contamination level required for the realization of the flushing process and in case this action is repeated, the contamination level required for the flushing process is automatically set to a lower value for the subsequent uses.

In the embodiment where the system includes the predefined values as the contamination level required for the flushing process, in case the user frequently prefers a certain contamination level at a certain time interval, the system is automatically set to the respective contamination level during said time interval. In an exemplary embodiment, in case the user sets the contamination level required for the flushing process to a minimum value for the flushing process during the night and sets the contamination level required for the flushing process to a maximum value for the flushing process during the daytime, said setting operation is performed automatically by the system.

The quantity of liquid within the S-pipe of the ceramic sanitary ware may decrease as a result of evaporation and thus, the malodor may pervade from the wastewater installation to the ambience and the airborne bacteria and particles may diffuse into the ambience. This problem is faced in cases where the ceramic sanitary ware is not used for a long duration. In order to prevent this problem, some embodiments include a holiday function for the flushing system, wherein in cases where the holiday function is enabled, the flushing process is performed automatically at certain intervals irrespective of the contamination level and the use, thereby preventing a decrease in the quantity of liquid within the S-pipe. In the embodiments comprising a holiday function, it is necessary for this function to be manually activated by the user. With the method according to the invention, the dates and/or days on which the holiday function is activated in a repeating manner are recorded and the holiday function is enabled to be automatically activated on the recorded dates and/or days.

In another exemplary embodiment, the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat open automatically depending on the movements of the user. The toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat may automatically open in case it is detected that the user is approaching and may automatically close as a result of the user moving away. However, depending on the ambience where the ceramic sanitary ware is located, the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat may open even in cases when the ceramic sanitary ware will not be used. Owing to the method of learning for the ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences according to the invention, the circumstances under which the ceramic sanitary ware is not used despite the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat having been opened and the distance from which the sensors are triggered in such circumstances are recorded and the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat are prevented from opening for the respective distances in case these circumstances are repeated and the system is programmed such that the triggering of the sensors from a closer range is required for the opening of the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat. In this way, the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat are prevented from opening as a result of the door movements in the ambience where the ceramic sanitary ware is located or as a result of the user passing in front of the ceramic sanitary ware for a different purpose.

Similarly, in the embodiments where the toilet seat cover and the toilet seat move automatically, only the toilet seat cover may be desired to open or the toilet seat may also be desired to open along with the toilet seat cover during the use depending on the user preferences. In most embodiments, the toilet seat cover opens automatically as a result of the user approaching the ceramic sanitary ware and if desired, the user may enable also the toilet seat to open. In case it is detected that the user opens prior to use also the toilet seat in addition to the automatically opening toilet seat cover and in case this circumstance is frequently repeated, the system enables, for the subsequent uses, also the toilet seat to automatically open along with the toilet seat cover as a result of the detection of the user.

In another embodiment, the user interventions in the toilet seat cover are also desired to be recorded. For this purpose, it is necessary to detect the position of the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat. In this embodiment, at least one sensor, capable of detecting the position of the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat, is utilized.

Owing to the fact that, in the ceramic sanitary ware in which the flushing process and the opening and/or closing of the toilet seat cover and/or the toilet seat take place automatically, said automated actions are customized again in an automated manner in line with the choices, preferences and the habits of the user, said actions will take place based on the preferences of the user instead of the preferences of the manufacturer, thanks to the ceramic sanitary ware capable of learning the user preferences and the method of learning, and this will enable the invention to be preferred by the users.