US Patent 9335297 Flow sensing device

A non-invasive, hands-free “water flow device” senses when water is and is not flowing and can give the user a visual display, of the real time water flow duration and quantity of water used by a shower (or other water dispensing device), for example. The water flow device may use an acoustic transducer (e.g., a microphone) to sense the acoustic waves generated by the flow of water during a shower. For example, the flow or lack of flow of water may be determined by analyzing the acoustic signature and/or amplitude of sounds (e.g., within a certain frequency range) in the shower.