JP2002294839A - Water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cope with the occurrence of abnormality to a water supply device by detecting whether solenoid on-off valves for changing water flow to a plurality of branch channels are normally operated, without depending on a flow sensor or the like provided in each branch channel, and to simplify device constitution therefor to reduce cost required for the water supply device. SOLUTION: This water supply device 10 comprises the first and second branch channels 12A, 12B; the solenoid on-off valves 16A, 16B for opening/ closing the respective channels 12A, 12B; a generator 18 performing power generating operation according to the water flow of the respective channels 12A, 12B to supply power to the solenoid on-off valves 16A, 16B; and a controller for controlling the operation of the solenoid on-off valves 16A, 16B. The state of the solenoid on-off valves 16A, 16B is grasped by the controller 24 on the basis of the power generation operating state of the generator 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water supply device,
More particularly, the present invention relates to a water supply device including a water channel, a control valve for controlling a water flow in the water channel, and a generator for generating power by the water flow.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a water supply device for flushing a toilet, water is supplied to a rim water supply passage for supplying water to a rim of a toilet and a jet hole for jetting water (wash water) toward a drain trap section of the toilet. And a jet water supply channel for diverging from the main water channel, and selectively switching and supplying water from the main water channel to the rim water supply channel or the jet water supply channel by switching operation of a switching valve as a control valve, and washing the rim of the toilet bowl And those that perform jet cleaning are known.

[0003] Here, in the rim washing, water (wash water) is sprayed onto the inner surface of the toilet bowl from a number of water injection holes formed at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction along the rim in a state of communicating with the rim water passage inside the rim. The jet flushing is for cleaning the inner surface of the toilet bowl. The jet flushing jets water (wash water) from a jet hole toward a drain trap section of the toilet to fill the drain trap section. Part of the water is forcibly discharged to the outside.

Conventionally, in this type of water supply device, a water channel is switched using an electromagnetic valve. In this case, a power supply for operating the solenoid valve is required. If a commercial power supply is used as the power supply, electrical wiring work for connecting the power supply to the water supply apparatus is required, and the work for installing the water supply apparatus becomes large, and consequently water supply. The installation cost of the device is high.
Furthermore, when a commercial power supply is used as a power supply, the water supply device becomes inoperable during a power failure.

On the other hand, when a power source such as a dry battery is used as the power source, the amount of power that can be stored in advance is limited.
There is a problem that the battery runs out easily, and if the battery runs out, the water supply device becomes inoperable. Further, in order to prevent this, the battery must be replaced periodically and frequently, and there is a problem that the maintenance work is troublesome and the cost required for the battery increases.

In this case, for example, it is conceivable to provide a generator provided with a water wheel that rotates in a water flow on the water channel. With this configuration, the power generation operation is performed using the water flow, and the power is supplied at least as power for closing the solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve can be closed. Furthermore, the controller for controlling the operation of the solenoid valve can be operated by the power supply from the generator.

[0007]

In the above-mentioned water supply device for flushing a toilet, usually, first, water in a main waterway is sent to a rim water supply channel to perform rim cleaning, and when the rim cleaning is completed, the water is simultaneously discharged. Switch the water in the main channel to the jet water channel to perform jet cleaning. In this case, a water flow should be generated only in one of the rim water supply channel and the jet water supply channel. If a water flow is generated in either of them, this is an abnormal state, and the water supply device has some trouble. Is considered to have occurred.

Therefore, in this case, it is conceivable to stop the water supply device urgently. However, in order to detect an abnormality and to make an emergency stop of the water supply device, it is necessary to grasp the state of each water flow in the rim water supply channel and the jet water supply channel.
As a solution to this case, it is generally considered that a flow sensor is provided in each water channel, and whether or not a predetermined water flow is generated in each water channel is detected by each flow sensor. However, in this case, the number of component parts of the water supply device increases, which leads to an increase in cost of the water supply device, or a problem that a space for providing the flow rate sensor needs to be secured.

The problem in the case where a plurality of water passages are provided to switch the water passages by the control valve has been described. However, a control valve is provided on one water passage, and the opening of the control valve is gradually or continuously adjusted. In a water supply device that controls a water flow by changing the same, a similar problem occurs when it is necessary to determine whether or not water is flowing in a water channel with a predetermined amount of water.

[0010]

The water supply device of the present invention has been devised to solve such a problem. According to the first aspect, a water channel, a control valve for controlling a water flow in the water channel, and a power generation operation according to a water flow rate in the water channel,
A water supply device including a generator for supplying power for operation of the control valve, and a controller for controlling the operation of the control valve, wherein the controller is configured to generate the power based on a power generation operation state of the generator. It is characterized in that the state of the control valve is detected.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of water passages, a control valve for controlling a water flow in each of the water passages, a power generation operation in accordance with a water flow rate in each of the water passages, and an electric power for operating the control valve. A water supply device comprising a generator for supplying and a controller for controlling operation of the control valve, wherein the controller detects a state of the control valve based on a power generation operation state of the generator. It is characterized by being done.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the plurality of water passages are a plurality of branch water passages branched from a main water passage, and the control valve controls the water flow of each of the branch water passages. Features.

According to a fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the control valve is an on-off valve provided on each of the branch waterways.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the third and fourth aspects, the generator is provided on the main waterway.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the generator performs the power generation operation according to the water flow rate of the water channel, the state of the water flow in the water channel, that is, the control of the water flow in the water channel based on the power generation operation state of the generator. The state of the valve is detected by a controller. For example, when a control valve that changes the opening degree stepwise or continuously on one water channel is provided, the amount of power generated by the generator becomes a size corresponding to the opening degree of the control valve, that is, the water flow rate. It is possible to detect the opening of the control valve by observing the power generation amount of the machine.

The present invention is particularly preferable when applied to a water supply device having a plurality of water channels and a control valve for controlling the water flow in each water channel (claim 2). For example, there are two waterways,
When the water flow is generated only in one of the water channels, the power generation amount of the generator becomes a magnitude corresponding to the water flow rate of the one water channel in which the water flow is generated, and the water flow is generated in any of the two water channels. If this is the case, the amount of power generated by the generator is correspondingly large. Therefore, by observing the power generation amount of the generator, it is possible to detect whether the water flow is generated only in one of the two waterways or the water flow is generated in both of them.

Alternatively, a pulse is generated in accordance with the rotation of the water turbine of the generator, and the number of pulses is checked to obtain 2 pulses.
It can be detected whether the water flow is generated only in one of the two waterways or the water flow is generated in both of them. Thereby, it is possible to know whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the water supply device, and if an abnormality has occurred, it is possible to take necessary measures such as urgently stopping the water supply device.

In the present invention, there is no need to provide a flow sensor for detecting the water flow in each water channel, and therefore, the number of component parts of the water supply device can be reduced as compared with the case where such a flow sensor is provided. And cost can be kept low. Also, there is no need to secure a space for providing the flow sensor.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a generator in each of a plurality of waterways, and to grasp (detect) the state of the control valve based on the power generation operation state of the generator. However, when the present invention is applied in a case where the plurality of waterways are a plurality of branch waterways branched from the main waterway and the control valve controls the water flow of each branch waterway (claim 3), the power generation is performed in the main waterway. By simply providing one unit (claim 5), it is possible to grasp the state of the water flow in each branch channel, that is, the state of the control valve. That is, the present invention is very effective when applied to such a water supply device.

In this case, the control valve may be a switching valve for switching the water from the main channel to each of the plurality of branch channels, but a control valve is provided with an on-off valve individually provided on each branch channel. Water from the main channel can be switched to each branch channel based on the opening and closing operations of the on-off valves (claim 4). In this case, the state of each on-off valve can be detected by monitoring the power generation operation state of the generator.

[0021]

An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a water supply device for flushing a toilet bowl will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a water supply device, 12 denotes a main waterway, and a first branch waterway (rim waterway) from the main waterway 12.
12A and a second branch channel (jet water channel) 12B are branched and extend, and each branch channel 12A,
Electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 1 as control valves for opening and closing 12B
6B.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a generator provided on the main water channel 12, which has a water wheel 20 that rotates by the water flow in the main water channel 12, and performs a power generation operation based on the rotation of the water wheel 20. In this example, the solenoid on-off valves 16A and 16B perform opening and closing operations based on the electric power generated by the generator 18. Specifically, the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A opens and closes by supplying power from the generator 18, and the electromagnetic on-off valve 16B opens and closes by supplying power from the generator 18.

A controller 24 controls the operation of the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 16B. A signal from the controller 24 is supplied to the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 16B via a valve drive unit 26. The controller 24 also controls the operation by the electric power from the generator 18.

The electric power generated by the generator 18 can be supplied directly to the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 16B, or the generated electric power can be stored in a storage means such as a capacitor, and this power can be used as a power supply for the electromagnetic on-off valve. It is also possible to supply power to 16A and 16B.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes a toilet bowl having a rim 52 along the periphery of the upper end. A rim water passage 54 is formed inside the rim 52, and a number of water injection holes 56 communicating with the rim water passage 54 are formed at the lower end surface of the rim 52.
The water (wash water) guided to the rim water passage 54 is vigorously sprayed onto the inner surface of the toilet 50 through the water injection holes 56, whereby the inner surface of the toilet 50 is washed. Is done. Reference numeral 58 denotes a jet hole for jetting water (washing water) to the drain trap unit 60 in a vigorous manner. By jetting water from the jet hole 58, the drain trap unit 60 is filled with water and the siphon action is assisted.

In this embodiment, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 4, the water in the main water passage 12 is first guided to the rim water passage 54 through the first branch water passage 12A by opening the solenoid on-off valve 16A. The inner surface of the toilet 50 is washed by water (wash water) from the water spray hole 56. That is, rim cleaning is performed.

Subsequently, when the rim cleaning is performed for a certain period of time, as shown in FIG. 4A, the solenoid on-off valve 16A closes and the solenoid on-off valve 16B on the second branch water passage 12B opens. The water in the main channel 12 is operated to be switched from the first branch channel 12A to the second branch channel 12B.
Here, water (wash water) is jet-jetted from the jet hole 58 toward the drain trap unit 60, whereby the drain trap unit 60 is filled with water and the siphon action is assisted. As a result, the water inside the toilet 50 is drained by the drain trap section 60.
Is discharged to the outside. That is, jet cleaning is performed.

FIG. 3 specifically shows the structure of the solenoid on-off valve 16A. The electromagnetic on-off valve 16A in this example is a valve that forcibly opens the valve by human power without using a power source in which electric power is stored in advance and closes the valve by receiving power supply. Specifically, it is configured to include a manual operation unit 42 for valve opening operation.

The solenoid on-off valve 16A of this embodiment is a latch-type valve that holds an open state after valve opening and a closed state after valve closing without power supply. In the figure, reference numeral 27 denotes a diaphragm-type main valve body. When the main valve body 27 is seated on a valve seat 28, the first branch water passage 12A is shut off. That is, the upstream water passage 12Aa and the downstream water passage 12Ab are in a non-communication state.

A back pressure chamber 30 is formed on the back side (upper side in the figure) of the main valve body 27. Normally, the main valve body 27 is seated on the valve seat 28 by the pressure inside the back pressure chamber 30. In state. The back pressure chamber 30 and the downstream water passage 12Ab communicate with each other through a center hole 32 formed in the center of the main valve body 27, and the center hole 32 is closed by a plunger 33. Has become.

When the plunger 33 moves upward in the figure, the water in the back pressure chamber 30 is removed from the main valve body 27 by the downstream water passage 12A.
By flowing out to b, that is, the pressure inside the back pressure chamber 30 is reduced, the valve is opened by the supply pressure of the upstream water passage 12Aa. On the other hand, the plunger 33 is shown in FIG.
When the center hole 32 is closed by the middle downward movement, the water in the upstream water passage 12Aa flows into the back pressure chamber 30 through the small hole formed in the main valve body 27, whereby the pressure inside the back pressure chamber 30 is reduced. And the pressure finally causes the main valve body 27 to close.

Numeral 34 denotes a solenoid coil in the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A, and the plunger 33 is pushed downward in the drawing by the electromagnetic repulsive force of the solenoid coil 34.

The plunger 33 is urged downward by a spring 38 in the drawing, that is, in the valve closing direction. When the plunger 33 is moved to the valve opening position, the plunger 33 is moved by the magnetic force of a latch magnet 40 provided inside the casing 36. Is held in its open state against the urging force of the valve.
After the plunger 33 has moved to the valve closing position, the plunger 33 is held in the valve closed state by the urging force of the spring 38.

The solenoid on-off valve 16A of this embodiment has a manual operation section (operation rod) 42, and a magnet 4
4 are provided and they are
Is urged upward in the figure, that is, in a direction away from the plunger 33. Here, the manual operation unit 42 is in a state of protruding upward from the casing 36.

The solenoid on-off valve 16A of this embodiment can be opened mechanically by operating the manual operation section 42. That is, when the manual operation section 42 is pushed downward by the hand or foot against the urging force of the spring 46 from the state shown in FIG. 3 (I), the plunger 33 is moved by the magnet 44 as shown in (II). It is pulled upward in the drawing by magnetic attraction against the urging force of the spring 38.
Then, the center hole 32 of the main valve body 27 communicates with the back pressure chamber 30, the pressure in the back pressure chamber 30 decreases, and the main valve body 27 opens.

As shown in (III), the plunger 33 pulled up in the figure is held at the valve opening position by the magnetic force of the latch magnet 40. That is, when the manual operation unit 42 is pushed downward in the figure, even if the manual operation unit 42 returns to the original position by the urging force of the spring 46, the plunger 33 is held at the valve open position, and the first branch water passage 12A is opened. Keep in water.

On the other hand, when the solenoid coil 34 is energized in the state of FIG. 3 (III), the plunger 33 is pushed downward in the figure by the electromagnetic repulsive force, whereby the center hole 32 of the main valve body 27 is opened. Will be closed. Thereafter, the pressure in the back pressure chamber 30 gradually increases, and finally the main valve body 27
Is seated on the valve seat 28. Here, the first branch waterway 12A is shut off, and the flow of water stops. That is, the water supply to the rim water passage 54 is stopped.

On the other hand, the electromagnetic on-off valve 16B is of the above-mentioned electromagnetic on-off valve 16A without the manual operation section 42. That is, a type that opens and closes only by electromagnetic attraction and repulsion by energizing the solenoid coil 34 is used. However, a valve having the same structure as the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A including the manual operation unit 42 may be used.

In the water supply apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the water supply start operation is performed by a manual operation without depending on the power supply. Specifically, when the manual operation unit 42 of the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A is pushed downward in the figure, the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A is opened, and water supply for toilet flushing is started here.

Thereafter, the closing operation of the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A and the opening and closing operation of the electromagnetic on-off valve 16B are performed under the control of the controller 24 by the electric power generated by the generator 18.
That is, when the electromagnetic on / off valve 16A is opened and a water flow is generated in the main water channel 12, the generator 18 starts the power generation operation, and based on the power supply from the generator 18 after the water flow is generated, the electromagnetic on / off operation is performed. The valves 16A and 16B are operated, and the operation is controlled by the controller 24.

The water supply device 10 of the present embodiment has an electromagnetic on-off valve 16A.
The solenoid on-off valve 16B opens at the same time as the valve closing operation. Both of the solenoid on-off valves 16A and 16B are opened, and the first branch water passage 12A and the second branch water passage 1 are opened.
It is an abnormal state that the water flow is generated in any of 2B. Therefore, in the water supply device 10 of this example, the generator 18
Abnormality based on the power generation operation state of the
The operation of the water supply device 10 is stopped by detecting the states of 6A and 16B.

Specifically, when the normal state shown in FIG. 4A, that is, when only one of the solenoid on-off valves 16A and 16B is open, the flow rate of water flowing through the main water passage 12 is It is only the water flow rate of one of the first branch water channel 12A and the second branch water channel 12B, and therefore the amount of power generated by the generator 18, specifically, the pulse generated by the rotation of the water wheel 20 of the generator 18 here. The number will depend on the water flow. Therefore, when the number of pulses from the generator 18 detected by the controller 24 is only the flow rate of one of the first branch water channel 12A and the second branch water channel 12B, it is determined (detected) that the state is normal. .

On the other hand, when the number of pulses from the generator 18 is larger than the flow rate of either one of the first branch water channel 12A and the second branch water channel 12B, the pulse is supplied to both the first branch water channel 12A and the second branch water channel 12B. The case where water flow is occurring, that is, the case where both of the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 16B are open,
Therefore, in this water supply apparatus 10, when the number of pulses generated by the generator 18 is larger than the flow rate of one of the branch water channels 12A and 12B, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred by the detection of the controller 24 and the electromagnetic on-off valve 16A, 16
The valve closing operation is performed for any of B and the water supply is stopped.

Here, the number of pulses generated by the generator 18 is counted by a pulse counter or the like provided in the controller 24, so that the water supply device 10 operates normally or an abnormality occurs in the water supply device 10. However, by detecting the amount of power generation (including the generated voltage) generated by the generator 18, the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 16A are detected.
The state of B can be grasped.

The water supply device 10 of this embodiment includes a generator 18
Since the controller 24 detects the state of the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A and 16B based on the power generation operation state of the power supply, the abnormality in the water supply device 10 can be determined without using the separately provided flow rate sensor. It is possible to know whether the abnormality has occurred and take necessary measures such as urgently stopping the water supply device 10 when an abnormality has occurred.

According to this embodiment, each of the branch waterways 12A, 12A
Since it is not necessary to provide a flow sensor in B, the number of component parts of the water supply device 10 can be reduced as compared with the case where such a flow sensor is provided, and the cost can be reduced. There is no need to secure a space for installing the sensor.

In the water supply device 10 of the present embodiment, a plurality of branch water channels 12A, 12B are branched from the main water channel 12, and the water flow in each of the branch water channels 12A, 12B is controlled by the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A, 16B. Therefore, even if the generator 18 is not provided in each of the plurality of waterways, the
By simply providing one, the state of the water flow in each branch water passage 12A, 12B, that is, the state of the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A, 16B can be detected based on the power generation operation state of the generator 18.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show still another embodiment of the present invention. This example shows three branch waterways from the main waterway 12, namely, a first branch waterway 12A, a second branch waterway 12B, and a third branch waterway 12B.
The branch water channel 12C is branched, and each of the electromagnetic open / close valves 1
6A, 16B and 16C are provided,
A, 16B, 16C control valve, the main channel 1
This is an example in which the flow of water from 2 to each of the branch waterways 12A, 12B, 12C is switched.

Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 6, abnormality detection can be performed in the same manner as described above. 5 and 6, the main waterway 12 is divided into three branch waterways 12A, 1A.
Although this is an example of branching into 2B and 12C, the same applies to the case where four or more branch waterways are provided.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, but this is merely an example. For example, in the present invention, a generator 18 is provided for each of the branch water channels 12A, 12B, and 12C, and the state of the water flow in each of the branch water channels 12A, 12B, and 12C, that is, It is also possible to detect the state of the on-off valves 16A, 16B, 16C and thereby determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the water supply device.

In the above embodiment, the control valve for switching the water channel is constituted by the on-off valve for opening and closing the water channel. However, the switching valve for switching the water channel is provided at a branch position of the water channel instead of such an on-off valve. Can be used as a control valve.

In the above example, each of the branch waterways 12A, 12A
An abnormality is determined when two or more of the electromagnetic on-off valves 16A, 16B, and 16C of B and 12C are open at the same time. However, in some cases, the electromagnetic on-off valve, which must be open, is closed. Even in such a case, it can be determined that this is abnormal. However, in this case, when any of the electromagnetic on-off valves is closed, the generator 18 does not operate to generate power. In this case, the power generated by the generator 18 is stored in a storage means such as a capacitor. The power supply can be used as a power source to operate the water supply device.

Further, the above embodiment is an example in which the water supply device of the present invention is applied for flushing a toilet, but the present invention can be applied to a water supply device for various other purposes and uses. It can be configured in a form in which various changes are made without departing from the gist thereof.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a water supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the water supply device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of an electromagnetic on-off valve in the water supply device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the water supply device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a water supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of the water supply device of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Water supply apparatus 12 Main waterway 12A 1st branch waterway 12B 2nd branch waterway 12C 3rd branch waterway 16A, 16B, 16C Electromagnetic on-off valve (control valve) 18 Generator 24 Controller

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Shirai 5-1-1 Koiehonmachi, Tokoname-shi, Aichi F-term in Inax Co., Ltd. (Reference) 2D039 AC04 FC00 FD02

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A waterway, a control valve for controlling a flow of water in the waterway, a generator for performing a power generation operation in accordance with a flow rate of water in the waterway, and supplying power for operating the control valve; A water supply device comprising: a controller that controls an operation of a valve, wherein the controller detects a state of the control valve based on a power generation operation state of the generator. apparatus. 2. A plurality of water channels, a control valve for controlling a water flow in each of the water channels, and a generator for performing a power generation operation in accordance with a water flow rate in each of the water channels and supplying power for operating the control valve. And a controller that controls the operation of the control valve, wherein the controller detects a state of the control valve based on a power generation operation state of the generator. Characterized water supply device. 3. The water supply device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of water passages are a plurality of branch water passages branched from a main water passage, and the control valve controls a water flow in each of the branch water passages. . 4. The water supply device according to claim 3, wherein the control valve is an on-off valve provided on each of the branch waterways. 5. The water supply device according to claim 3, wherein the generator is provided on the main waterway.