JP2016166469A - Automatic water faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic water faucet which prevents water from being discharged unintentionally caused by detection of an object by a detection sensor when a water discharge part is rotated.SOLUTION: An automatic water faucet 1 includes: a water discharge part 3 including a water discharge port 32a at a tip and rotatable in a horizontal turning direction; a valve device provided in a water discharge path leading to the water discharge port; an object detection sensor 6 provided at the water discharge part and capable of detecting an object in a detection region in the vicinity of the water discharge port; rotation detection means capable of detecting the rotation of the water discharge part; and control means capable of controlling water discharge and water stop from the water discharge port. The control means can perform control so that, in the case where the object detection sensor has detected an object, the control means opens the valve device to discharge water and, in the case where the object detection sensor has not detected the object, closes the valve device to stop the water discharge. Also, when the rotation detection means has detected the rotation of the water discharge part, even when the object detection sensor has detected the object, the control means performs control of closing the valve device to prohibit water discharge.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic faucet.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an automatic faucet that includes a detection sensor, discharges water when the detection sensor detects an object, and stops water when the detection sensor does not detect the object.

  Specifically, for example, in Patent Document 1, a sensor that detects an object below the water outlet, a valve device that performs water discharge and water stop from the water outlet based on a detection signal of the detection sensor, and rotation An automatic faucet provided with a currant direction detection means for detecting the direction of the water discharge portion of the head is described. In this automatic water faucet, the valve device is controlled to be prohibited from opening when the direction of the water discharge part is out of a predetermined range.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-88634

  However, in the case of the automatic faucet of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that unintentional water discharge may occur when the detection sensor detects tableware or the like when the water discharge portion is rotated within a predetermined range.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and provides an automatic water faucet in which unintentional water discharge is suppressed due to detection of an object by a detection sensor when the water discharge portion is rotated. It is an issue.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
A water discharger provided with a water discharge port at the tip and rotatable in the horizontal turning direction;
A valve device provided in a water discharge path leading to the water outlet;
An object detection sensor provided in the water discharge unit and capable of detecting an object in a detection region near the water discharge port;
Rotation detecting means capable of detecting the rotation of the water discharger;
Control means capable of controlling water discharge and water stop from the water outlet;
An automatic water faucet with
When the object detection sensor detects an object, the control means opens the valve device to discharge water, and when the object detection sensor does not detect an object, It is possible to control the water discharge by closing the valve device, and when the rotation detection unit detects the rotation of the water discharge unit, even if the object detection sensor detects an object, Control is performed to close the valve device and prohibit water discharge.

  According to the automatic water faucet of the present invention, unintended water discharge when the water discharge portion is rotated is suppressed.

It is the perspective view which illustrated one embodiment of the automatic faucet of the present invention. It is an internal perspective view of the A section of FIG. It is the block diagram which illustrated one embodiment of the internal structure of the automatic faucet of the present invention. It is the flowchart which illustrated one embodiment of control in the automatic faucet of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an embodiment of the automatic faucet of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of part A of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the internal structure of the automatic faucet of the present invention.

  The automatic faucet 1 is provided on the upper surface 2 a of the sink 2. The sink 2 is provided with a sink E that opens upward, and the user cleans dishes, cooking utensils, ingredients, etc. in the sink E with water supplied from the automatic faucet 1 to the sink E. Can do.

  The automatic faucet 1 includes a water discharge portion 3 that rises from the upper surface portion 2a of the sink 2 and extends toward the sink E side.

The water discharger 3 is rotatable in the horizontal turning direction on the upper surface 2 a of the sink 2.
Specifically, the water discharger 3 includes a vertically long main body 31 standing from the upper surface 2a of the sink 2, and a spout 32 extending from the upper part of the main body 31 toward the sink E side. Moreover, the spout part 32 is a reverse side U-shaped side view curved from the upper part of the main-body part 31 toward the sink E side, and the spout 32a opened downward is provided in the front-end | tip part. . Inside the spout portion 32, a water discharge channel (not shown) for supplying water to the water discharge port 32a is formed.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a hollow cylindrical portion 33 constituting a part of the outer surface of the main body 31 is provided on the base end side (the upper surface 2 a side of the sink 2) of the main body 31 of the water discharger 3. And a fixed shaft portion 34 inserted into the cylindrical portion 33. The fixed shaft portion 34 has a vertically long and substantially cylindrical shape, rises upward from the inside of the sink 2, and protrudes through the upper surface portion 2 a of the sink 2. In the vicinity of the upper end portion of the fixed shaft portion 34, an identification pattern portion 4 made of vertical stripes at equal intervals in the circumferential direction is provided. The inner peripheral surface 33a of the cylindrical portion 33 and the outer peripheral surface 34a of the fixed shaft portion 34 are close to each other and face each other.

  On the inner peripheral surface 33 a of the cylindrical portion 33, the rotation detection means 5 is provided at the same height position as the identification pattern portion 4 of the fixed shaft portion 34.

  And when the automatic faucet 1 rotates the water discharging part 3 whole in a horizontal turning direction, the cylindrical part 33 will slide on the outer periphery centering on the fixed shaft part 34, and will rotate in the circumferential direction.

  In this embodiment, the rotation detecting means 5 is an optical sensor and can detect the identification pattern portion 4 provided on the fixed shaft portion 34. Specifically, when the water discharger 3 is rotated in the horizontal turning direction, the cylindrical part 33 rotates in the circumferential direction on the outer side of the fixed shaft part 34, so that the rotation detection means 5 is provided in the fixed shaft part 34. The vertical stripe pattern of the identification pattern part 4 can be optically read. Thereby, the rotation detection means 5 can detect that the water discharger 3 is rotating. Moreover, in the automatic faucet 1 of this embodiment, since the identification pattern part 4 of the rotation shaft part 34 is read by the rotation detection means 5 provided on the inner peripheral surface 33a of the cylindrical part 33, it is ensured with a small number of parts. The rotation of the water discharger 3 can be detected. Further, since the rotation detecting means 5 is not exposed to the outside, the automatic faucet 1 having a compact design can be obtained.

  Further, the automatic faucet 1 includes an object detection sensor 6, a valve device 7 and a control means 8.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the object detection sensor 6 is provided on the lower side of the spout portion 32 located on the water discharge port 32 a side. The object detection sensor 6 uses a region S between the water outlet 32a and the bottom of the sink E as a detection region. The object detection sensor 6 is capable of detecting an object that has been pushed out to the detection area, and outputs a signal in a state in which the object is being detected.

  The object detection sensor 6 is a sensor that can detect a part of a human body or an object such as tableware without contact. Although the form of the object detection sensor 6 is not specifically limited, For example, it can be comprised with the limited reflection type photoelectric sensor using infrared rays. The limited reflection type photoelectric sensor has a light projecting unit (not shown) and a light receiving unit (not shown), and has a light emitting / receiving directivity angle reduced to obtain a strong light receiving output. The axis and the light receiving axis intersect at a relatively large angle. For this reason, the operation area (detection area) of the limited reflection photoelectric sensor is an area of a limited distance range where the light projection light beam and the light reception light beam intersect.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the automatic faucet 1 includes a piping system 9 that supplies water to the water discharge unit 3 and a valve device 7 provided in the piping system 9. In this embodiment, the piping system 9 of the automatic faucet 1 is provided inside the sink 2. The piping system 9 includes a water supply pipe 90 to which tap water is supplied from a water pipe, a hot water supply pipe 91 to which hot water is supplied from a water heater, and a water supply pipe 92.

  The downstream end of the water supply pipe 90 and the downstream end of the hot water supply pipe 91 are connected to the upstream end of the water supply pipe 92. The water supply pipe 92 is supplied with water from the water supply pipe 90 and hot water from the hot water supply pipe 91. The downstream end of the water supply pipe 92 is connected to the water discharger 3. The mixed water obtained by mixing the water in the water supply pipe 90 and the hot water in the hot water supply pipe 91 is supplied from the water supply pipe 92 to the water discharger 3 through the water discharge path.

  The piping system 9 has a bypass pipe 93 that connects the water supply pipe 90 and the water supply pipe 92. A manual valve 70 is provided in the bypass pipe 93. By opening the manual valve 70 in the event of a power failure or failure, the water in the water supply pipe 90 can be discharged from the water discharge section 3 via the bypass pipe 93 and the water supply pipe 92.

  The valve device 7 is provided in a water discharge path (a part of the piping system 9) leading to the water discharge port 32a. The valve device 7 is constituted by electromagnetic valves 71, 72, 73 in addition to the manual valve 70. The electromagnetic valve 71 is for adjusting the water supply flow rate provided in the water supply pipe 90, and the flow rate of water supplied from the water supply pipe 90 to the water supply pipe 92 is changed by changing the opening degree. The solenoid valve 72 is for adjusting the hot water flow rate provided in the hot water supply pipe 91, and the flow rate of hot water supplied from the hot water supply pipe 91 to the water supply pipe 92 is changed by changing the opening degree.

  In this way, by adjusting the opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 71 and the electromagnetic valve 72, the mixing ratio of hot water supplied from the water supply pipe 90 and the hot water supply pipe 91 to the water supply pipe 92 is adjusted, and discharged from the water discharger 3. You can adjust the temperature of the water to be played. Further, the amount of water supplied from the water supply pipe 90 and the hot water supply pipe 91 to the water supply pipe 92 is adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of the electromagnetic valve 71 and the electromagnetic valve 72, and the water discharged from the water discharge port 32a. The amount of can be adjusted.

  In addition, the electromagnetic valve 73 is provided in the water supply pipe 92, and whether or not the water supplied to the water supply pipe 92 is supplied to the water discharge port 32a by opening and closing, that is, the water discharge from the water discharge unit 3 and Stopping water discharge (stopping water) can be switched.

  Further, the valve device 7 is provided with a check valve 74 provided in the water supply pipe 90 or the hot water supply pipe 91. The thermistor V can be used, for example, when feedback control of the electromagnetic valve 71 and the electromagnetic valve 72 is performed when adjusting the hot water temperature.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the control means 8 can be provided in the vicinity of the valve device 7, for example. The control means 8 is electrically connected to the object detection sensor 6, the rotation detection means 5 and the valve device 7.

  The control means 8 controls opening and closing of the valve device 7 based on a signal from the object detection sensor 6. Specifically, when the object detection sensor 6 detects an object and outputs a signal, the control means 8 opens the valve device 7 to discharge water, and the signal from the object detection sensor 6 If not output, the valve device 7 is closed to stop water discharge. That is, when the object detection sensor 6 detects an object in the detection area, the control means 8 that has received a signal from the object detection sensor 6 opens the electromagnetic valve 73 of the valve device 7. As a result, water supplied from both or one of the water supply pipe 90 and the hot water supply pipe 91 to the water supply pipe 92 is discharged from the water discharge port 32 a of the water discharge unit 3. Further, when the object detection sensor 6 does not detect an object in the detection area, the output of the signal is stopped, and the control means 8 closes the electromagnetic valve 73 provided in the water supply pipe 92 and discharges water from the water discharge unit 3. Is stopped.

  When the water discharger 3 is rotating, the rotation detection unit 5 detects the rotation of the water discharger 3 and a detection signal is transmitted to the control unit 8. When the control means 8 receives the signal from the rotation detection means 5, even if the object detection sensor 6 detects an object, the control means 8 performs control to close the valve device and prohibit water discharge.

  In addition to FIGS. 1-3, one Embodiment of the control in the automatic faucet of this invention is described based on FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of control in the automatic faucet of the present invention.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the water discharge unit 3 of the automatic faucet 1 is not rotating, when the object detection sensor 6 detects an object, the control unit 8 controls the water discharge unit 3 to discharge water. Is done. Further, when the water discharge portion 3 of the automatic water faucet 1 is not rotating, when the object detection sensor 6 does not detect an object, the control means 8 controls the water stop state.

  On the other hand, when the water discharger 3 of the automatic faucet 1 is rotating, the rotation detection unit 5 detects the rotation of the water discharger 3, and a signal of this detection is transmitted to the control unit 8. In this case, even if the object detection sensor 6 detects an object, the control means 8 prohibits water discharge from the water discharge unit 3 and controls the water stop state. Further, when the water discharge unit 3 of the automatic water faucet 1 is rotating, when the object detection sensor 6 does not detect an object, the control unit 8 controls the water stop state.

  As described above, when the rotation detection unit 5 detects the rotation of the water discharger 3, the control unit 8 closes the valve device 7 even if the object detection sensor 6 detects an object such as tableware. Control to prohibit water discharge. For this reason, even when the object detection sensor 6 detects an object such as tableware when the water discharger 3 is rotated, unintentional water discharge from the water discharger 3 is suppressed. Therefore, the automatic faucet 1 can save water and is easy to use.

  For example, when the water discharge part 3 of the automatic faucet 1 in the water discharge state is rotated, the control means 8 that has received a signal from the rotation detection means 5 closes the valve device 7 and stops water discharge. Control can be performed.

  In this embodiment, the case where the rotation detection means 5 is an optical sensor is illustrated (FIG. 2), but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the rotation of the water discharger 3 can be detected. A well-known sensor etc. can be employ | adopted suitably.

  Specifically, for example, the rotation detection means 5 is a magnetic sensor (non-contact type) that detects an identification pattern using a magnetic material, or a rotary that detects the frictional resistance of the contact portion between the cylindrical portion 33 and the fixed shaft portion 34. A sensor (contact type) can be exemplified. Moreover, as another rotation detection means 5, forms, such as a tact switch (contact type) by which a switch is pushed by rotation of the cylindrical part 33, can be illustrated.

  As described above, the rotation detecting means 5 detects the relative movement between the cylindrical portion 33 and the fixed shaft portion 34 (movement (rotation) of either the cylindrical portion 33 or the fixed shaft portion 34) due to the rotation of the water discharger 3. It is preferable to detect. As a result, the rotation detection means 5 can reliably detect the rotation of the water discharger 3.

  In addition, the arrangement | positioning position of the rotation detection means 5 is not limited to the form illustrated in FIG. Although not shown, specifically, for example, rotation detection means such as an optical sensor is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed shaft portion, and the identification pattern as illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion. A part etc. can also be provided. In this case, the identification pattern portion provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion moves around the rotation detecting means provided on the fixed shaft portion. For this reason, similarly to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the rotation detection unit can read the identification pattern portion of the rotation shaft portion, and can reliably detect the rotation of the water discharge portion with a small number of parts. . Moreover, as another embodiment, a rotation detection means can be provided outside the water discharge portion (tubular portion).

  As described above, the automatic faucet 1 has the following configuration. A water discharger 3 having a water discharge port 32a at the tip and capable of rotating in a horizontal turning direction. A valve device 7 provided in the water discharge path leading to the water discharge port 32a. An object detection sensor 6 provided in the water discharge unit 3 and capable of detecting an object in a detection region near the water discharge port 32a. A rotation detecting means 5 capable of detecting the rotation of the water discharger 3. Control means 8 capable of controlling water discharge and water stoppage from the water discharge port 32a.

  When the object detection sensor 6 detects an object, the control means 8 opens the valve device 7 to discharge water, and when the object detection sensor 6 does not detect an object. The valve device 7 can be closed to stop the water discharge. Further, when the rotation detection unit 5 detects the rotation of the water discharger 3, the control unit 8 closes the valve device 7 and prohibits water discharge even if the object detection sensor 6 detects an object. Take control.

  In addition, a hollow cylindrical portion 33 and a fixed shaft portion 34 inserted into the cylindrical portion 33 are provided on the proximal end side of the water discharge portion 3. It is preferable that the shape part 33 rotates the outer side of the fixed shaft part 34 in the circumferential direction. The rotation detecting means 5 is provided on the inner peripheral surface 33a of the cylindrical portion 33 or the outer peripheral surface 34a of the fixed shaft portion 34, and detects the relative movement between the cylindrical portion 33 and the fixed shaft portion 34. It is preferable to detect the rotation of the water discharger 3.

  The automatic faucet of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the control means can be provided in a location other than the vicinity of the water discharger or the vicinity of the valve device. The object detection sensor may be another human body detection sensor using visible light or ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, the location of the object detection sensor can be designed as appropriate. And the automatic faucet of this invention is not restricted to a sink, It can install in other places where a faucet is conventionally used, such as a washstand.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic faucet 3 Water discharge part 32a Water discharge port 33 Cylindrical part 33a Inner peripheral surface 34 Fixed shaft part 34 Outer peripheral surface 5 Rotation detection means 6 Object detection sensor 7 Valve apparatus 8 Control means

Claims (2)

A water discharger provided with a water discharge port at the tip and rotatable in the horizontal turning direction;
A valve device provided in a water discharge path leading to the water outlet;
An object detection sensor provided in the water discharge unit and capable of detecting an object in a detection region near the water discharge port;
Rotation detecting means capable of detecting the rotation of the water discharger;
Control means capable of controlling water discharge and water stop from the water outlet;
An automatic water faucet with
When the object detection sensor detects an object, the control means opens the valve device to discharge water, and when the object detection sensor does not detect an object, It is possible to control the water discharge by closing the valve device, and when the rotation detection unit detects the rotation of the water discharge unit, even if the object detection sensor detects an object, An automatic faucet that performs control to close the valve device and prohibit water discharge. On the proximal end side of the water discharge part, a hollow cylindrical part and a fixed shaft part inserted into the cylindrical part are provided, and when the water discharge part rotates, the cylindrical part is , Rotate the outside of the fixed shaft portion in the circumferential direction,
The rotation detecting means is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion or an outer peripheral surface of the fixed shaft portion, and detects the relative movement between the cylindrical portion and the fixed shaft portion to thereby discharge the water. The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein rotation of the part is detected.

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