Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03C—DOMESTIC PLUMBING INSTALLATIONS FOR FRESH WATER OR WASTE WATER; SINKS
  • E03C1/00—Domestic plumbing installations for fresh water or waste water; Sinks
  • E03C1/02—Plumbing installations for fresh water
  • E03C1/05—Arrangements of devices on wash-basins, baths, sinks, or the like for remote control of taps
  • E03C1/055—Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like
  • E03C1/057—Electrical control devices, e.g. with push buttons, control panels or the like touchless, i.e. using sensors
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
  • Y10T137/0318—Processes
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
  • Y10T137/8593—Systems
  • Y10T137/86389—Programmer or timer

Definitions

• Actuator for valves and a method for operating such are known in the art.
• the invention relates to an actuating device for fittings, in particular for Samtärarmaturen, with at least one input unit having a plurality of sensors, which are connected to a control unit, and at least one drive unit for at least one closure device for at least one fluid line, in particular for a valve a water pipe, which is controllable with the control unit.
• the invention relates to a method for operating a Betuschists ⁇ device for valves, especially for sanitary fittings, in which depending on sensor signals at least one drive unit for a VerInstitutvoiraum a fluid line, in particular for a valve of a water pipe, is controlled.
• Actuators of the type mentioned above are used in particular for setting a water temperature and / or a water volume flow in sanitary installations.
• the object of the present invention is to design a device and a method of the type mentioned at the outset such that a simple and reliable continuous change of fluid volume flows and / or fluid temperatures is made possible.
• the device should be space-saving and without great technical effort to be realized.
• the device should be operated as maintenance-free and wear-resistant as possible.
• a parameter for the closure device which specifies in particular a valve lift of the valve, is changed via three sensors.
• a mixing ratio of cold and warm fluid in particular of water
• a fluid volume flow can be adjusted.
• at least two adjacent sensors must be actuated one after the other. This is done by stroking the sensors, it does not matter which sensor is started. Since the sensors are arranged along a closed curve, it is possible to start at any point of the curve. Depending on the order in which the sensors are actuated, that is, depending on the direction in which the curve is followed, the parameter is increased or decreased. A labeling of the sensors is therefore not required. It is also an extreme change due to accidental operation a wrong sensor not possible. Incidentally, the arrangement of the three sensors on a closed curve is extremely space-saving.
• control unit has a decrementer / incrementer with which the parameter can be increased or decreased.
• a decrementer / incrementer can be realized without great technical effort, for example by programming the control unit.
• control unit has a timer with which a time interval can be predetermined within which two sensor signals are detected as belonging together, that is to say an actuation of the actuating device desired by a user is detected.
• the sensors can be actuated by overstretching, in particular with at least one finger, particularly easily for children and the elderly.
• the actuator when used as part of a shower fitting, is a water jet and thus possibly exposed to temperature fluctuations.
• a first particularly advantageous embodiment therefore provides contact sensors which have the advantage that they are essentially not susceptible to temperature fluctuations.
• capacitive sensors can be used here, which can be actuated without contact pressure.
• an alternative advantageous embodiment provides non-contact sensors that can be actuated without direct contact.
• infrared sensors are provided here, which are particularly simple and can be realized without great technical effort.
• a particularly advantageous embodiment provides that the sensors are guided along a guide device for the user in particular at least one finger are arranged, so that the actuating device can also be operated blind.
• a particularly advantageous embodiment provides a turntable which has at least one engagement, in particular a finger recess.
• the operating comfort is significantly increased, in particular for users who prefer a quasi-mechanical actuating device.
• the engagement can be assigned to the sensors, so that the actuation of the sensors can be done with the finger.
• the engagement may be a continuous hole in the turntable, in which, upon rotation of the turntable, the finger can be guided along the sensors. In this way, both non-contact and touch sensors can be actuated directly with the finger.
• the turntable has at least one magnet, which can be guided by rotation of the turntable along the sensors implemented as field probes.
• Magnets have the advantage that they can be integrated in the turntable, so they can be arranged encapsulated, so that they are invisible from the outside and protected from environmental influences, especially from heat and moisture.
• the field probes can be arranged encapsulated.
• the positioning of the engagement relative to the sensors is irrelevant since the actuation of the sensors does not take place directly with the finger but with the magnet.
• the turntable has at least one mirror element which can be guided by rotation of the turntable along the sensors implemented as reflected light barriers is.
• the light emitted by the respective reflected light barrier is reflected at the mirror element as soon as it is guided along the reflected light barrier.
• At least three sensors are arranged along at least two closed curves, in particular two concentric circles, with which different operating parameters, in particular the water quantity and the water temperature, can be changed.
• This has the advantage that two different operating parameters can be changed independently of each other.
• corresponding closure devices in particular a hot water valve and a cold water valve in a hot water line or a cold water line, can then be opened or closed with the control unit.
• the drive is performed when signals are detected by at least two adjacent sensors arranged at least three substantially along a closed curve. In this way, it is prevented as far as possible that an accidental actuation of only one of the sensors already takes place. In addition, by the order in which the at least two adjacent sensors are actuated, it can be determined whether the closing devices should be opened or closed.
• the sensors are polled cyclically, so that the parameter can be decremented or incremented so many times until a valve lift is set which predetermines a desired fluid temperature or a desired fluid volume flow.
• An advantageous embodiment provides, upon repeated detection of a signal from the same sensor to negate a previous decrementation or incrementation in order to reverse a change in the parameters.
• the drive is only performed if the signals of the at least two adjacent sensors are detected within a predetermined time interval.
• FIG. 1 shows schematically a first embodiment of a Betschistsvorrich ⁇ device for a sanitary fitting
• FIG. 2 schematically shows a method for operating the system illustrated in FIG.
• FIG. 3 shows schematically a second embodiment of a Betschistsvorrich ⁇ device for a sanitary fitting.
• FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• the actuating device for a sanitary fitting which is designated overall by the reference numeral 1, has three sensors 2, 3, 4 which each form a corner of an imaginary equilateral triangle. Along the sensors 2, 3, 4 extends an annular guide trough 5, which is formed in a control panel, not shown.
• the guide trough 5 serves to guide a finger 6 of a user upon actuation of the actuating device 1.
• the sensors 2, 3, 4 are each connected via a signal line 7, 8, 9 to a control unit 10.
• control unit 10 With the control unit 10 is via a control line 11, a drive unit 12 of a valve 13 in a water pipe 14 controllable.
• the control unit 10 has a decrementer / incrementer 15 with which a parameter which predetermines a valve lift of the valve 13 can be decremented or incremented as soon as corresponding sensor signals are detected.
• the control unit 10 has a sensor memory 16 for the last actuated sensor 2, .3, 4. Otherwise, the control unit 10 has a timer 17 with which a time interval is specified in which the detection of a plurality of sensor signals is to be interpreted by the control unit 10 as a user-desired actuation.
• the user with his finger 6 In order to open or close the valve 13, the user with his finger 6 must be guided in the corresponding direction along the guide trough 5 to at least two adjacent ones of the three sensors 2, 3, 4.
• valve 13 Depending on the number of cycles of the finger 6 in the guide trough 5, a degree of opening or closing of the valve 13 is effected with the control unit 10. With each revolution, depending on the circulation direction, the parameter for the valve lift is incremented or decremented three times and the valve lift is changed accordingly.
• FIG. 2 shows how the actuating device 1 is operated with the control unit 10. At the beginning, a sweep of the sensors 2, 3, 4 is started with the control unit 10 in a method step 101.
• a first checking step 102 it is now checked whether one of the sensors 2, 3, 4 has been actuated. If none of the sensors 2, 3, 4 was actuated, the content of the sensor memory 16 is deleted in a method step 103. Subsequently, the method is terminated with a method step 104 and automatically restarted again in a manner known per se, not shown, with method step 101 at a later time. In this way, the sensors 2, 3, 42 are interrogated cyclically.
• a method step 105 the designation of this sensor 2, 3, 4 is stored in the sensor memory 16 and a time loop with the time from Timer 17 preset length (time interval) started.
• a second checking step 106 it is checked in a second checking step 106 whether an adjacent sensor 3, 4, 2 has been actuated within the predetermined time interval. If no adjacent sensor 3, 4, 2 was actuated, then in the method step 103 the sensor memory 16 is deleted and the method is subsequently terminated in the method step 104.
• a third checking step 107 it is checked whether this sensor 3, 4, 2 is in the clockwise direction before or is arranged behind the detected in the first verification step 102 sensor 2, 3, 4.
• step 108 the parameter for the valve lift is decremented. With this parameter is then - not shown in the figure 2 - the drive unit 12 is driven and the valve lift of the Valve 13 reduced according to the decrement.
• a method step 109 the designation of the second actuated sensor 3, 4, 2 is stored in the sensor memory 16 and the time loop is repeated from the checking step 106.
• the second actuated sensor 3, 4, 2 is arranged in the clockwise direction in front of the first actuated sensor 2, 3, 4, the parameter for the valve lift is incremented in a method step 110 and the valve lift is incremented analogously to Process step 108 is increased accordingly.
• method step 109 the designation of the second actuated sensor 2, 3, 4 is stored in the sensor memory 16 and the time loop is also repeated from the checking step 106.
• the method steps 106 to 109 or 110 are cyclically repeated as often until it is detected in the monitoring step 106 that no further sensor has been actuated within the predetermined time interval. In this way, the valve lift is reduced or increased in accordance with the number of repetitions, that is to say the number of actuations of adjacent sensors 2, 3, 4.
• FIG. 3 shows a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• the second embodiment differs from the first, shown in Figure 1 in that instead of the guide trough 5, two coaxial annular guide troughs 205, 305 are provided.
• the sensors 202, 203, 204, 302, 303, 304 of the respective guide trough 205, 305 form the corners of a corresponding hexagon.
• each sensor pair is connected in parallel.
• Each sensor pair is connected via a signal line not shown in Figure 3 with a control unit, not shown, analogous to the first exemplary embodiment.
• a first drive unit of a hot water valve in a hot water pipe and a second drive unit of a cold water valve of a cold water pipe can be controlled.
• the sensors 202, 203, 204 are actuated along the inner guide trough 205 analogously to the first exemplary embodiment with a finger, so that the hot water valve and the cold water valve are simultaneously opened or closed.
• the sensors 302, 303, 304 are actuated along the outer guide trough 305 so that the hot water valve is opened and at the same time the cold water valve is closed or the hot water valve is closed and at the same time the cold water valve is opened ,
• a single mixing valve can be provided.
• touch sensors it is also possible to use other sensors, for example contactless sensors, capacitive sensors or infrared sensors.
• the guide troughs 5, 205, 305 may each be provided a turntable, which has an engagement for a finger.
• the turntable is rotatably mounted around the center of the imaginary triangle formed by the sensors.
• the engagement may be a continuous hole in which the finger along the respective Sensors is guided.
• the intervention may also be only one depression, and the sensors detect the presence of the finger through the turntable.
• the engagement must be arranged on the turntable so that it is guided along a rotation close to the sensors.
• At least one mirror element can also be arranged on the underside of the turntable. By rotating the turntable, the mirror element is guided along the sensors realized as reflected light barriers. In this case, the positioning of the engagement relative to the sensors does not matter that the sensors are not actuated directly by the finger, but by the mirror element.
• the mirror elements and magnets can be provided, which are assigned as field probes as sensors.
• the previous incrementation or decrementation of the parameter for the valve lift is negated if the same sensor has been actuated twice in succession.
• valve lift is decremented in a full clockwise rotation and counterclockwise incremented.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Domestic Plumbing Installations (AREA)
• Power-Operated Mechanisms For Wings (AREA)
• Portable Nailing Machines And Staplers (AREA)
• Reciprocating, Oscillating Or Vibrating Motors (AREA)
• Manufacture Of Motors, Generators (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Families Citing this family (29)

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• 2004
  • 2004-08-18 DE DE102004039917A patent/DE102004039917B4/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2005
  • 2005-08-16 AT AT05777080T patent/ATE449990T1/de active
  • 2005-08-16 WO PCT/EP2005/008883 patent/WO2006018275A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2005-08-16 DE DE200550008588 patent/DE502005008588D1/de active Active
  • 2005-08-16 US US11/660,229 patent/US7784481B2/en active Active
  • 2005-08-16 EP EP20050777080 patent/EP1779211B1/fr not_active Not-in-force

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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