Voice-controlled faucet for water conservation

摘要

The invention provides simplified methods and devices for conserving water by controlling water flow from plumbing fixtures using voice or sound commands. One aspect of the invention provides a method for conserving water that includes the step of: providing a faucet or showerhead or the like with voice or sound control of the amount of water flow, which control does not include control of temperature of water exiting the fixture. Another aspect of the invention provides a device for conserving water that includes a voice or sound command-responsive control unit that controls the amount of flow of water from a plumbing fixture such as a faucet or showerhead by actuating a valve that is disposed downstream of the mixing of hot and cold water. Valve states may include only open and closed, i.e., on and off, or may optionally include one or more intermediate flow positions.