JP2002155554A - Automatic faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic faucet in which a main body can be easily diverted between an automatic faucet exclusive for driving a sensor and an automatic faucet provided with a manual valve. SOLUTION: In the main body 12, a second supply chamber 30 usable as a chamber to which fluid is supplied separately from fluid to a first supply chamber 16 is provided. In the second supply chamber 30, an installation port 35 opened outside the main body 12 is provided, and on this installation port 35, either a manual valve device 50 to open/close a flow passage between the second supply chamber 30 and a discharge chamber 20 or a cap 36 to seal the installation port 35 is selectively installed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a main body, a first connection port to which a supply pipe is connected, a first supply chamber communicating with the first connection port, and a first supply chamber communicating with the first supply chamber. A supply chamber including a discharge chamber communicating with the water discharge port, a sensor for sensing an object such as a user's hand or a cup, and a control device for driving an automatic valve such as a solenoid valve based on a signal from the sensor; The present invention relates to an automatic faucet that discharges and stops fluid flowing from a water faucet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a main body is connected to a first supply pipe.
A connection port, a first supply chamber communicating with the first connection port, and a discharge chamber communicating with the first supply chamber and communicating with the water discharge port, for sensing an object such as a user's hand or a cup; An automatic faucet that includes a sensor and a control device that drives an automatic valve such as an electromagnetic valve based on a signal from the sensor, and that discharges and stops a fluid flowing from the supply pipe; There is known an automatic faucet which is provided only with an automatic valve driven by the sensor, and which is exclusively used for driving a sensor and which controls discharge of fluid only by this sensor. However,
Such an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor does not pose a problem during normal use, such as when the user is washing his / her hands, but is used by the user when the user wants to continuously discharge fluid. The operability was not always good, for example, the sensor had to be continuously detected. Therefore, in order to compensate for such a problem of the automatic faucet dedicated to the sensor drive, there is known an automatic faucet with a manual valve which can perform a fluid discharge operation by a manual operation when desired even when the automatic valve is closed. I have. In such an automatic faucet with a manual valve, it is necessary to provide a channel opened and closed by a manual valve in addition to a channel opened and closed by the automatic valve.

[0003]

However, an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor only needs to have only a flow passage opened and closed by an automatic valve in its body, whereas the automatic faucet with a manual valve as described above is sufficient. In the plug, the main body also needs to be provided with a flow path that is opened and closed by the manual valve as described above.
Therefore, the conventional automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor is inferior in versatility, for example, its main body cannot be used for an automatic faucet with a manual valve. Also, in the case of a conventional automatic faucet with a manual valve, if the manual valve is incorporated into the main body, it is naturally very difficult to use the automatic faucet exclusively for driving the sensor. Even if the user tries to use it, the user may operate the manual valve by mistake, or as a result of incorporating the manual valve even though the manual valve is unnecessary, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the automatic faucet is unnecessarily increased. Was. Thus, in the conventional automatic faucet,
It is difficult to divert between an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor and an automatic faucet with a manual valve. For example, it has not been possible to easily use each type of automatic faucet according to the situation of the installation location.

By the way, in an automatic faucet with a manual valve, it is a usual usage mode to discharge water by making a sensor detect an object. Only when necessary, the manual valve is operated to discharge water. Do. For example, it is used as an automatic faucet when washing hands, and as a manual faucet when drawing water into a bucket. Here, in the conventional automatic faucet with a manual valve, an operation unit such as a handle for operating the manual valve is provided in an easily operated portion such as a side surface of the main body, so that there is no need to operate the manual valve. Nevertheless, there was a high possibility that the manual valve was operated by mistake. Especially, in a kindergarten wash basin that is frequently used by children etc. who cannot operate the manual valve properly, it is difficult to operate it as a manual valve at normal times, and only when it is necessary for teachers to use it. Although an operable mode is preferable, if the operation portion of the manual valve is provided at a site where the operation is easy, the manual valve may be operated unnecessarily.

[0005] Each of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional automatic water faucet.
By providing a second supply chamber that can be used as a chamber to which the fluid is supplied separately from the fluid to the supply chamber, an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor and an automatic faucet with a manual valve can be used easily. It is intended to provide a faucet. In particular, in the inventions of claims 2 and 3, when the above-mentioned second supply chamber is sealed to form an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor, it is another object of the present invention to maintain good sanitation of the second supply chamber. . Another object of the present invention is to reduce the risk of erroneously operating a manual valve when an automatic faucet with a manual valve is used.

Another object of the present invention is to make it difficult for a manual valve to be erroneously operated in an automatic faucet with a manual valve.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems Means adopted by each of the present invention to solve the above problems will be described below. The automatic faucet according to claim 1 of the present invention is configured such that “a main body, a first connection port to which a supply pipe is connected, a first supply chamber communicating with the first connection port, and a first supply chamber. A discharge chamber that communicates with the water outlet, and a sensor that senses an object such as a user's hand or a cup, and a control device that drives an automatic valve such as a solenoid valve based on a signal from the sensor. An automatic faucet for discharging / stopping a fluid flowing from the supply pipe, wherein the main body has a second supply chamber usable as a chamber to which a fluid is supplied separately from the fluid to the first supply chamber. And the second
The supply chamber or the discharge chamber is provided with a mounting port that opens to the outside of the main body, and the mounting port seals a manual valve device or a mounting port that opens and closes a flow path between the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber. An automatic faucet, wherein one of the caps is selectively attached.

[0008] By providing a mounting port in which a manual valve device or a cap can be selectively mounted in a second supply chamber or a discharge chamber which can be used as a chamber to which a fluid is supplied separately from the fluid to the first supply chamber. Only by selectively mounting either the manual valve device or the cap, a manual valve is provided between the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber to form an automatic faucet with a manual valve, or the mounting port is sealed. An automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor can be easily formed, and the main body can be easily applied to various automatic faucets. Thereby, the versatility of the main body is improved. still,
The mounting port is provided on the discharge chamber side when the discharge chamber is disposed outside, and is provided on the second supply chamber side when the second supply chamber is disposed outside. . In addition, in the case of an automatic faucet with a manual valve, in addition to supplying the same fluid as the first supply chamber to the second supply chamber, a fluid discharge operation can be performed by a sensor or a manual valve device. ,
By supplying different fluids to the first supply chamber and the second supply chamber, such as hot water and water, ordinary tap water and purified water, an automatic faucet with a manual valve that selectively discharges different fluids can also be used. .

According to the present invention, when the main body is diverted to the automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor and the automatic faucet with the manual valve, the present invention is not limited to the diversion of the main body as it is, It is also possible to use the same form as it is and to perform another processing on the details. Specifically, the base material of the main body formed by casting or injection molding is common, and different processing is performed on details, or a part of the processing is omitted or added, and the automatic faucet of another aspect is provided. An embodiment in which the main body is diverted can be exemplified.

[0010] The automatic faucet according to claim 2 of the present invention comprises:
"A cap is attached to the attachment port, and the second
2. The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein a communication port that connects a supply chamber and the discharge chamber is provided, and the communication port is sealed by the cap.

When the mounting port is sealed to form an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor, the second supply chamber is not used as a chamber to which fluid is actively supplied. By sealing the communication port that communicates with the fluid, the fluid supplied to the first supply chamber can be prevented from flowing into the second supply chamber via the discharge chamber. Therefore, even when used as an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor, so-called "dead water" does not occur in the second supply chamber, and the sanitary condition in the second supply chamber can be kept good.

The automatic faucet according to claim 3 of the present invention comprises:
"The second supply chamber is provided with a second connection port to which a supply pipe different from the supply pipe connected to the first connection port can be connected, and the second connection port is sealed by a sealing member. An automatic faucet according to claim 1 or claim 2 ".

By sealing the second connection port, which is the primary side of the second supply chamber, with a sealing member, the second supply chamber can be shut off from the outside, and the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber communicate with each other. In this case, water from the discharge chamber can be prevented from leaking through the second supply chamber. Further, when the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber are not communicated with each other, water from the discharge chamber does not leak through the second supply chamber in the first place, but if the second connection port is left open, The cavity is unnecessarily opened to the outside, and dust and insects enter the second supply chamber, thereby deteriorating the sanitary condition. Therefore, by sealing the second connection port, dust and insects can be prevented from entering the inside of the second supply chamber, and the inside of the second supply chamber can be kept in an extremely good sanitary state.

The automatic faucet according to claim 4 of the present invention is
The automatic faucet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting port is provided on a back side of the main body.

By providing the mounting port on the back side of the main body, the manual valve device can be arranged on the back side of the main body when the manual valve device is attached to the mounting port. Therefore,
The operation becomes more difficult than when the manual valve device is mounted on the front side of the main body. Here, in the automatic faucet with a manual valve, the water can be stopped and stopped basically by making the sensor detect an object, but the operation of the manual valve may be required only when necessary. . For example, in places where children, etc. who cannot operate the manual valve properly (such as faucets installed in kindergartens), it is usually difficult to operate the manual valve easily, and it is possible to operate it only when necessary. Certain embodiments are preferred. Therefore, by configuring the mounting port as in the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risk of erroneously operating the manual valve.

The automatic faucet according to claim 5 of the present invention comprises:
"The body includes a first connection port to which a supply pipe is connected, a first supply chamber communicating with the first connection port, and a discharge chamber communicating with the first supply chamber and communicating with the water discharge port, A sensor that senses an object such as a user's hand or a cup and a control device that drives an automatic valve such as a solenoid valve based on a signal from the sensor are provided to discharge and stop the fluid flowing from the supply pipe. An automatic faucet, wherein the main body has a second supply chamber used as a chamber to which a fluid is supplied separately from the first supply chamber, and between the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber. An automatic faucet ", wherein a manual valve device for opening and closing the flow path is provided, and an operation section for operating the manual valve device is provided on the back side of the main body.

By providing the operation section on the rear side of the main body, the operation section can be made difficult to operate, and the possibility of erroneously driving the manual valve device can be reduced. When such an automatic faucet with a manual valve according to the present invention is provided in a place where an unspecified number of people use it, such as a washroom in a kindergarten or various public facilities, the manual valve is operated unnecessarily. It is hard to be performed and is suitable. In addition, since the manual valve of the automatic faucet with a manual valve is operated in a rare use mode such as a bucket water reservoir or when connecting a hose to flow water, two or more automatic faucets are provided. If not, not all of them need to be automatic faucets with manual valves,
At least one may be an automatic faucet with a manual valve.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of an automatic faucet to which each of the inventions of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. The automatic faucet 10 according to the present embodiment has a deck surface 1 behind a bowl of a sink.
It is installed above. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which a cap 36 and a sealing member 38 are attached to form an automatic faucet 10 dedicated to driving a sensor, and FIG. 2 shows an automatic faucet with a manual valve device 50 attached. Faucet 10
It is the aspect which made it. The automatic faucet 10 with a manual valve shown in FIG. 2 is provided with an operation section 70 of a manual valve device 50 on the back side of the main body 12. An example of the automatic faucet 10 according to the invention of claim 5 is shown in FIG. It is also shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, a main body 12 constituting the main part of the automatic faucet is provided with a first connection port 14, and the first connection port 14 is provided with a supply pipe from a water supply pipe. 6
0 is connected. Specifically, a female screw is formed in the first connection port 14, and an end of the supply pipe 60 is screwed to the female screw. Further, the first connection port 14 is connected to the main body 1.
The first supply chamber 16 communicates with a discharge chamber 20 that communicates with a water discharge port 18.

In the middle of the supply pipe 60, the supply pipe 60
An automatic valve 22 such as a solenoid valve that opens and closes an internal flow path is provided. The automatic valve 22 is controlled by a control device 26 installed under the deck surface 1 by a signal emitted from a sensor 24 attached to an attachment port 23 provided in the front of the main body 12.
Driven by The sensor 24 detects the presence or absence of an object such as a user's hand or a cleaning object in front of the sensor 24.
The control device 26 receives the signal when the sensor 24 detects the object, opens the automatic valve 22, and receives the signal when the sensor 24 does not detect the object, and closes the automatic valve 22.
The automatic valve 22 is controlled. In this way, the water discharge from the water supply port 18 through the water supply port 18 through the first connection port 14, the first supply chamber 16, and the discharge chamber 20 can be controlled.

Behind the first supply chamber 16, a second partition is provided via a partition.
A supply chamber 30 is provided. In addition, a second connection port 32 that connects the second supply chamber 30 to the outside is provided behind the first connection port 14. Further, a communication port 34 that communicates with the discharge chamber 20 is provided above the second supply chamber 30. At the rear of the communication port 34, a mounting port 35 formed to open to the outside on the back side of the main body 12 is provided. As will be described later, the mounting port 35 includes:
The cap 36 or the manual valve device 50 can be attached from the outside.

The second connection port 32 has a sealing member 38.
Is mounted, and the second connection port 32 is sealed.
Specifically, a female screw is engraved in the second connection port 32, and a sealing member 38 having a seal member 40 attached to the outer peripheral surface of the distal end is screwed to the female screw. In addition, mounting mouth 3
A cap 36 is attached to 5, and the attachment port 35 is sealed. The cap 36 includes an insertion portion 44 and a flange 42 provided around the base end. A male screw is engraved on the outer peripheral surface near the base end of the insertion portion 44, and the mounting port 35 is provided.
The insertion portion 44 is screwed into a female screw engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the cap 36, and the cap 36 is attached. Further, a sealing member 46 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 44 on the proximal end side with respect to the male screw.
Are attached to seal the mounting port 35 and the cap 36.

The distal end of the insertion section 44 is inserted into the communication port 34 via a seal member 47 to seal the communication port 34. The flange portion 42 of the cap 36 is attached in close contact with the outer surface of the main body 12, covers the mounting port 35 when the cap 36 is mounted on the mounting port 35, and integrates the cap 36 with the main body 12. Thus, the beauty of the automatic faucet 10 is improved. In each of the first, third, and fourth aspects of the present invention, the cap 36 is not limited to the configuration in which the communication port 34 is also sealed, but may be configured to seal only the mounting port 35.

As described above, in this embodiment, the second supply chamber 30 is divided into the primary side and the secondary side (the second connection port 32 side and the mounting port 35 side).
It is sealed at two places and used as an automatic faucet exclusively for driving the sensor by the sensor 24. In this example, the second supply chamber 30 is sealed at two places on the primary side and the secondary side (the second connection port 32 side and the mounting port 35 side), but in the present invention, the second supply chamber 30 is not necessarily sealed. It is not limited to sealing at places,
It is good also as sealing with either. However,
If the second supply chamber 30 is sealed at two places on its primary side and secondary side (the second connection port 32 side and the mounting port 35 side) as in this example, water is discharged from the discharge chamber 20 side. Since there is no intrusion and the second connection port 32 is not opened to the outside, the sanitary condition of the second supply chamber 30 can be kept good.

An embodiment in which the automatic faucet 10 used as the automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor is used as an automatic faucet with a manual valve will be described with reference to FIG.
Note that the automatic faucet with a manual valve shown in FIG. 2 is also an example of the automatic faucet according to the invention of claim 5, and the embodiment of the invention of claim 5 will be described together.

When the automatic faucet 10 is used as an automatic faucet with a manual valve, a well-known manual valve device 50 such as a lift valve is screwed into the mounting port 35 instead of the cap 36. Further, a supply pipe 62 branched from a supply pipe 60 on the primary side of the automatic valve 22 is connected to the second connection port 32. In this manner, even when the automatic valve 22 is closed, the supply valve 6 is opened by opening the manual valve device 50.
2, the second connection port 32, the second supply chamber 30, the discharge chamber 20
The water can be discharged from the water discharge port 18 via.

Also, since the operating portion 70 of the manual valve device 50 is mounted on the back side of the main body 12, it is provided so that it is difficult to operate as compared with the case where it is mounted on the side surface of the main body 12. Thus, the risk of erroneously operating the manual valve device 50 can be reduced, and the water discharge control by the control device 26 can be preferentially used. Therefore, when a child or the like who cannot operate the manual valve device 50 properly uses the automatic faucet 10, the manual valve device 50 is connected to the main body 1.
2 It is preferable to provide on the back side.

Here, the communication port 34 is formed as a valve seat 55 so that the packing 52 of the manual valve device 50 can be seated and securely closed. As described above, in the present embodiment, the main body 12 can use the opening 48 of the communication port 34 as the valve seat 55 in order to divert from an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor to an automatic faucet with a manual valve. Although processing is performed, the processing difference between the main body 12 used as an automatic faucet exclusively for driving the sensor and the main body 12 used as an automatic faucet with a manual valve is slight.
Can be formed.

In the present embodiment, it has been described that the sensor 24 is attached to the attachment port 23 provided on the front surface of the main body 12. However, as shown in FIGS. A slit 28 is provided continuously over the lower end of the main body 12. The slit 28 is for allowing the connection cord 3 attached to the sensor 24 to pass through the inside of the main body 12, and is a novel type that can be applied to various types of automatic faucets in addition to the automatic faucet according to the present invention. It is related to the insertion structure. Hereinafter, the insertion structure will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, a slit 28 is provided at the lower end of the main body 12 so as to be connected to the mounting opening 23 opened in the main body 12. The slit 28 has a width through which the connection cord 3 can be inserted. The slit 28 is provided in this manner, and the connection cord 3 is accommodated in the main body 12 from the slit 28, thereby connecting the connection cord 3 to the mounting port 23.
It is not necessary to insert the sensor 24 from above, and the mounting work of the sensor 24 can be simplified. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
The rear portion where the sensor 24 is attached needs to route the flow path such as the first supply chamber 16. If the slit 28 is not provided, the connection cord 3 is connected to the attachment port 2 from the tip.
3 to the inside, and furthermore, it must be inserted through the main body 12 and pulled to the control device 26. Therefore, a large space must be secured between the outer wall of the main body 12 and the partition of the internal flow path (the partition of the first supply path 16 in this example). In particular, the control device 26
If a connector for connection with the camera is installed, a larger space must be secured.
For this reason, the flow path structure in the main body 12 is restricted, resulting in a complicated flow path structure and a problem that the main body 12 itself has to be enlarged. On the other hand, according to the present insertion structure, since the connection cord 3 can be inserted into the main body 12 by the slit 28,
It is possible to prevent the flow path structure from becoming complicated and the main body 12 from being enlarged.

A cover 54 is attached to the slit 28 after the connection cord 3 is inserted, thereby improving the appearance of the automatic faucet 10. Note that the cover 54 is not necessarily required when the slit is provided in a manner invisible to the user. For example, if the main body 12 below the sensor 24 is buried in the deck surface 1 or the like, the main body 12 provided with the slit 28 is hidden under the deck surface 1 or the like. Is less. However, a slit 28 is provided on the front side of the main body 12 on the deck surface 1 as in this example.
In the case where the slit 28 is provided in a portion that is easily visible to the user, it is preferable to cover the slit 28 with the cover 54 for improving the aesthetic appearance as described above.

The main body 12 provided with the slit 28
At the end, a protruding engaged portion 5 is provided, and a protruding engaging portion 56 provided on the cover 54 is engaged with the engaged portion 5 so that the cover 54 is Attached to. Note that the means for attaching the cover 54 is
6. Not limited to the engaged portion 5, a fitting portion and a fitted portion for slidingly fitting the cover to the main body 12 from below may be provided, or the cover may be screwed to the main body 12.

[0033]

Since each of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention is configured as described above, an automatic faucet whose main body can be easily diverted by an automatic faucet dedicated to driving the sensor and an automatic faucet with a manual valve. can do. In particular, in the automatic faucet according to the second and third aspects, when the second supply chamber is sealed to form an automatic faucet dedicated to the sensor, the sanitary condition of the second supply chamber can be maintained well. Further, in the automatic faucet according to the fourth aspect, when an automatic faucet with a manual valve is used, the risk of erroneously operating the manual valve can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, an automatic water faucet with a manual valve, in which the manual valve is unlikely to be erroneously operated, can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an automatic faucet, which is an automatic faucet dedicated to driving a sensor.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a main part of the automatic faucet, which is an automatic faucet with a manual valve.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an automatic faucet.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a main body for explaining a slit and a cover.

[Explanation of symbols]

1; deck surface, 3; connection cord, 5; engaged portion, 10;
Automatic faucet, 12; body, 14; first connection port, 16; first
Supply chamber, 18; water outlet, 20; discharge chamber, 22; automatic valve,
23; mounting opening, 24; sensor, 26; control device, 28;
Slit, 30; second supply chamber, 32; second connection port, 3
4; communication port, 35; mounting port, 36; cap, 38; sealing member, 40; sealing member, 42; flange portion, 44; insertion portion, 46; sealing member, 47; sealing member, 50; , 52; packing, 54; cover, 55; valve seat,
56; engagement part, 60; supply pipe, 62; supply pipe, 70; operation part.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Saeki 308 Kurono, Gifu City Inside Caveike Co., Ltd. (72) Eiichi Matsui 2770-1770 Wakabacho, Tsuruga-shi, Fukui Prefecture Reference) 2D060 BB02 BC07 BE11 BE15 CA04 CA09 3H051 AA09 BB10 CC17 FF02

Claims (5)

[Claims] A first connection port to which a supply pipe is connected to a main body, a first supply chamber communicating with the first connection port, and a discharge chamber communicating with the first supply chamber and communicating with a water discharge port. With
A sensor that senses an object such as a user's hand or a cup, and a control device that drives an automatic valve such as a solenoid valve based on a signal from the sensor includes a sensor that discharges fluid flowing from the supply pipe.
An automatic faucet for stopping, wherein the main body is provided with a second supply chamber that can be used as a chamber to which a fluid is supplied separately from the fluid to the first supply chamber; The discharge chamber is provided with a mounting port that opens to the outside of the main body, and the mounting port is either a manual valve device that opens and closes a flow path between the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber, or a cap that seals the mounting port. An automatic faucet, characterized in that is selectively attached. 2. A cap is mounted on the mounting port, and a communication port for communicating the second supply chamber and the discharge chamber is provided, and the communication port is sealed by the cap. The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The second supply chamber is provided with a second connection port to which a supply pipe different from a supply pipe connected to the first connection port can be connected, and the second connection port is sealed. The automatic faucet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the faucet is sealed by a member. 4. The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein said mounting port is provided on a back side of said main body. 5. A main body, a first connection port to which a supply pipe is connected, a first supply chamber communicating with the first connection port, and a discharge chamber communicating with the first supply chamber and communicating with a water discharge port. With
A sensor that senses an object such as a user's hand or a cup, and a control device that drives an automatic valve such as a solenoid valve based on a signal from the sensor includes a sensor that discharges fluid flowing from the supply pipe.
An automatic faucet for stopping, a second supply chamber used as a chamber to which a fluid is supplied separately from the fluid to the first supply chamber;
An automatic faucet, wherein a manual valve device for opening and closing a flow path between a supply chamber and the discharge chamber is provided, and an operation unit for operating the manual valve device is provided on a back side of the main body. .