JP2002294840A - Water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To drive a valve without a power supply at least after the start of water supply in a water supply device diverging water flow to one of a plurality of branch channels from a main channel. SOLUTION: This water supply device 10 comprises a main channel 12; a plurality of branch channels 12A, 12B; an on-off valve 20 for controlling the water flow of the main channel 12; a three-way diversion valve 14 for controlling the water flow of the branch channels; a generator 18 generating power by the water flow to supply electric power to the valves 20, 14; and a controller 22 for controlling the operation of the valves 20, 14. The generator 18 is provided on the main channel 12, and the on-off valve 20 is provided on the main channel 12 and upstream 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 specifically, the present invention relates to a water supply device including a main waterway, a plurality of branch waterways branched from the main waterway, a control valve that controls water flow in the main waterway and the branch waterway, and a generator that generates power using the water flow.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one type of conventional water supply device, a water supply system includes a main waterway, a plurality of branch waterways branched from the main waterway, and a control valve for controlling the water flow of each branch waterway. Things are known.

[0003] For example, as a water supply device for toilet flushing,
A rim water supply channel for supplying water to the toilet rim and a jet water supply channel for supplying water to a jet hole for jetting water (wash water) toward a drain trap portion of the toilet are branched from the main water channel, and a control valve is provided. There has been known an apparatus in which water from a main waterway is selectively switched and supplied to a rim waterway or a jet waterway by a switching operation of a switching valve as described above to perform rim cleaning and jet cleaning of a toilet. .

[0004] Here, in the rim washing, water (wash water) is sprayed onto the inner surface of the toilet from a plurality 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.

[0005] Conventionally, in this type of water supply device, the 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.

The water supply device for flushing a toilet bowl has been described above as an example. However, the water supply device is provided with a main waterway and a plurality of branch waterways branched from the main waterway, and the control valve controls the flow of water from the main waterway to the branch waterway. This problem is commonly encountered in such a water supply system.

[0008]

The water supply device of the present invention has been devised to solve such a problem. According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided (a) a main waterway, (b) a plurality of branch waterways branched from the main waterway, (c) a main waterway control valve for controlling a water flow of the main waterway, and the branch. A branch waterway control valve for controlling the flow of water in the waterway, (d) a generator common to the plurality of control valves for generating power from the waterflow and supplying power to the control valve, and (e) controlling the operation of the control valve And a controller that performs the operation.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the branch water channel control valve performs a switching operation of a water flow among the plurality of branch water channels.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the main waterway control valve is an on-off valve provided on the main waterway, and the branch waterway control valve is provided at a branch position of the branch waterway. It is a switching valve.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the generator is provided on the main waterway, and the opening and closing as the main waterway control valve is provided on the main waterway and upstream of the generator. A valve is provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, each of the plurality of branch waterways is provided with an on-off valve for opening and closing each of the branch waterways, and the on-off valves control the water flow in the branch waterway. In addition to forming a waterway control valve, the on-off valve of each branch waterway forms a main waterway control valve that controls the water flow of the main waterway as a whole.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the water supply apparatus does not use the main water channel control valve for controlling the opening and closing of the main water channel by using a power source that stores electric power in advance. In this manner, the valve is forcibly opened by human power to open the main water channel to start water supply, and after the water supply is started, each control valve is driven based on the electric power from the generator to stop water supply. It is characterized by being.

[0014]

As described above, the present invention provides a main waterway, a plurality of branch waterways, a main waterway control valve and a branch waterway control valve, and a plurality of controls for generating power in a water flow and supplying power to the control valve. A generator common to the valve and a controller for controlling the operation of the control valve are provided in the water supply device.According to the present invention, in this type of water supply device in which the water flow from the main water channel flows into a plurality of branch water channels, At least a power supply for driving the control valve after the generation of the water flow can be eliminated. That is, it is possible to eliminate power supply. Therefore, for example, it is possible to eliminate the need for a power source for at least closing the control valve in the water supply device for flushing a toilet as described above.

Alternatively, even when the control valve is driven by using a power source such as a battery, the power consumption of the battery can be reduced, and the life of the battery can be extended.

Here, the branch water channel control valve may be a valve for switching the water flow between the plurality of branch water channels.

In the present invention, the main waterway control valve can be constituted by an on-off valve provided in the main waterway, and the branch waterway control valve can be constituted by a switching valve provided at a branch position of the branch waterway. (Claim 3). In this case, the generator can be provided on the main waterway, and the on-off valve as the main waterway control valve can be provided on the main waterway and upstream of the generator (claim 4). .

For example, it is possible to provide a generator in each of a plurality of branch waterways and use the power as drive power for the control valve. If you do this,
Even if the branch waterway is in the water flow stop state, as long as the water flow in any of the branch waterways is generated, the power from the generator in the branch waterway in which the water flow is generated can be supplied as the drive power for each control valve. Becomes

However, in such a case, a large number of generators must be incorporated, which complicates the apparatus configuration and increases the cost. However, claim 4
Since the generator is provided on the main waterway, when at least one of the plurality of branch waterways is open, that is, as long as the water flow occurs in any of the branch waterways, the water flow also occurs in the main waterway. Power can be supplied from a single generator to each control valve, as in the case where a generator is provided in each branch waterway. That is, according to the fourth aspect, it is only necessary to provide a single generator, so that the apparatus configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that an opening / closing valve as a main waterway control valve is provided further upstream of the generator provided in the main waterway. It is also possible to provide this kind of on-off valve on the main waterway downstream of the generator.

However, in this case, the water supply pressure is constantly applied to the turbine of the generator, and it is necessary to make the generator, specifically the turbine section and its casing, have a pressure-resistant structure. However, if an on-off valve as a main waterway control valve is provided upstream of the generator, when the device is stopped,
That is, when the on-off valve is closed, the feedwater pressure does not act on the generator, so that there is no danger of water leakage from the turbine portion of the generator based on the feedwater pressure, and furthermore, the generator is pressure-resistant. There is no need to use a structure, and the generator itself can be configured at low cost.

In the present invention, an on-off valve may be provided in each of the plurality of branch waterways to form a branch waterway control valve. In this case, by opening and closing the on-off valve on each branch waterway, it is possible to control water flow generation / stop for each branch waterway.

The main channel can be opened by opening any of the on-off valves, and the main channels can be simultaneously shut off, that is, the water flow is stopped, by closing the on-off valves on all the branch channels. That is, in this case, the on-off valves of the branch waterways constitute a main waterway control valve that controls the water flow of the main waterway as a whole.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the water supply apparatus starts the water supply by forcibly opening the main water channel opening / closing valve by human power without using a power supply in which electric power is stored in advance, and starts power supply after the water supply is started. Each control valve is driven based on the electric power from the machine, and the water supply is stopped.

In this water supply apparatus, water supply can be started without power supply by a human operation, and after the start of water supply, the valve can be driven using the power generated by the generator due to the generated water flow. It is possible to completely eliminate power from the start of water supply to the stop of water supply.

[0026]

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. Figure 1
, 10 is a water supply device, 12 is a main waterway, and from this main waterway 12, a first branch waterway (rim waterway) 12A;
The second branch water channel (jet water channel) 12B branches and extends.

An electrically driven three-way switching valve 14 is provided at a branch position between the first branch water channel 12A and the second branch water channel 12B. Further, a generator 18 for generating electric power by rotating a water turbine 16 by a water flow is provided upstream of the branch position, that is, on the main waterway 12, and further upstream of the generator 18 as a main waterway control valve. Open / close valve (electromagnetic valve) 20 is provided.

In the present embodiment, the three-way switching valve 14 and the on-off valve 20 open and close based on the electric power generated by the generator 18. More specifically, the on-off valve 20 performs a valve closing operation by electric power from the generator 18, and the three-way switching valve 14 performs a switching operation by electric power from the generator 18. However, on-off valve 2
Regarding 0, the valve is non-electrically opened by a human operation as will be described in detail later.

Here, the first branch water channel 12A is connected to a rim water channel 54 described later, and the second branch water channel 12B
Are connected to the jet holes 58, and each branch waterway 12
A and 12B are branched into rim waterways 5 respectively.
4, to be sent to the jet hole 58.

A controller 22 controls the operation of the three-way switching valve 14 and the on-off valve 20. A signal from the controller 22 is supplied to the three-way switching valve 14 and the on-off valve 20. Note that the controller 22 also performs a control operation using electric power from the generator 18.

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 into the toilet 50 through the water spray holes 56, thereby cleaning the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Is done. Numeral 58 denotes a jet hole for jetting water (wash water) to the drain trap section 60 with vigorous jetting.
The drain trap section 60 is filled with water, and the siphon action is assisted.

In this embodiment, when the on-off valve 20 on the main waterway 12 is opened by manual operation, a water flow is generated in the main waterway 12 and the water flow is first passed through the three-way switching valve 14 to the first branch waterway 12.
A flows into A. The three-way switching valve 14 is set to such a switching position in advance. At this time, the generator 18 is connected to the main waterway 12.
The water turbine 16 is rotated by the generated water flow to generate power.

The water that has flowed into the first branch water channel 12A flows into the rim water channel 54, and subsequently has a large number of water injection holes 56.
From inside the toilet to wash the inside of the toilet bowl. That is, rim cleaning is performed.

When the rim cleaning has been continued for a certain period of time, the three-way switching valve 14 switches the direction of the water flow from the first branch water channel 12A to the second branch water channel 12B as shown in FIG. The driving of the three-way switching valve 14 at this time is performed by supplying the electric power generated by the generator 18.

Here, the water flow in the main water channel 12 flows into the second branch water channel 12 B, and is subsequently rushed from the jet hole 58 toward the drain trap portion 60. As a result, the drain trap section 60 is filled with water, and the siphon action is assisted.

Thereafter, the three-way switching valve 14 again switches the direction of the water flow from the second branch water channel 12B to the first branch water channel 12A, and water is again supplied into the toilet through the rim water channel 54 and the water injection hole 56. When the rim water supply is completed, the on-off valve 20 on the main water passage 12 is closed. At this time, the valve closing operation of the on-off valve 20 is also performed based on the electric power from the generator 18.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of the on-off valve 20 in detail. The on-off valve 20 in this example is a valve that forcibly opens and closes by receiving power from a person without using a power supply in which electric power is stored in advance. Specifically, it is configured to include a manual operation unit 42 for valve opening operation.

The on-off valve 20 of this embodiment is a latch-type valve that holds the open state after the valve is opened and the closed state after the valve is closed 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 main water passage 12 is shut off. That is, the upstream water channel 12a and the downstream water channel 12b
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. Usually, 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 12b 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 12b.
, That is, when the pressure inside the back pressure chamber 30 decreases, the valve opening operation is performed by the supply pressure of the upstream water passage 12a. On the other hand, when the plunger 33 moves downward in FIG.
a through the small holes formed in the main valve body 27.
0, whereby the pressure inside the back pressure chamber 30 increases, and the main valve body 27 finally closes due to the pressure.

Numeral 34 denotes a solenoid coil of the on-off valve 20, and the plunger 33 is pushed downward in the drawing by the electromagnetic repulsive force of the solenoid coil.

The plunger 33 is urged downward in the drawing, ie, in the valve closing direction, by a spring 38. When the plunger 33 is moved to the valve opening position, the plunger 33 is actuated 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 on-off valve 20 of this embodiment has a manual operating portion (operating rod) 42, a magnet 44 is provided at the tip thereof, and these are moved upward by a spring 46, that is, separated from the plunger 33. Biased in the direction. Here, the manual operation unit 42 is
It is in a state of projecting upward.

The on-off valve 20 of this embodiment can be opened mechanically by operating the manual operation section 42. That is, the manual operation unit 42 is moved from the state shown in FIG.
When the plunger 33 is pushed downward by a hand or foot against the urging force of 6, the magnet 44 causes the plunger 33 to oppose the urging force of the spring 38 by magnetic attraction as shown in FIG. Raised upward. 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.

Further, 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 main water passage 12
Is maintained in a water-permeable state.

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 main waterway 12
Is shut off and water flow stops. That is, the water supply to the rim water passage 54 is stopped.

In this example, the rim water supply through the first branch water channel 12A and the jet water supply through the second branch water channel 12B are performed when a predetermined amount of water flows through each branch water channel, that is, in each of the water channels. The operation is stopped when the integrated flow rate reaches a predetermined set flow rate. The measurement of the integrated flow rate can be performed by, for example, generating a pulse by rotating the water wheel 16 of the generator 18 and counting the pulses.

Alternatively, the water supply time can be measured by a timer provided in the controller 22. Furthermore, as another measuring method, the amount of water supply can be measured by charging the capacitor with the electric power generated by the generator 18 and stopping the water supply when the charged voltage reaches the set voltage.

In the water supply apparatus 10 of this embodiment, a power source for driving the on-off valve 20 and the three-way switching valve 14 after the generation of the water flow can be eliminated. In this example, since the generator 18 is provided on the main waterway 12, the branch waterway 12A,
12B, the generator 18 can be operated by the water flow generated in the main waterway 12 as long as the water flow is generated in any one of the branch waterways 12A and 12B. Electric power can be supplied from the generator 18 to each of the valves 20 and 14. That is, according to the present example, only a single generator 18 need be provided, and the apparatus configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

Further, in this example, the generator 1 provided in the main waterway 12
8 is provided further upstream in the apparatus stop state, that is, the open / close valve 2 is provided.
When the valve 0 is closed, the feedwater pressure does not act on the generator 18, and therefore, the water turbine 1 of the generator 18 is based on the feedwater pressure.
There is no danger of water leakage from the six portions, and furthermore, the generator 18 does not need to have a pressure-resistant structure, and the generator 18 itself can be configured at low cost.

Further, the water supply apparatus 10 of this embodiment can start water supply without power supply by human operation, and after the start of water supply, can be valve-driven by using the power generated by the generator 18 by the generated water flow. It is possible to completely eliminate power from the start of water supply to the stop of water supply.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
In this example, on-off valves (electromagnetic valves) 20A and 20B are provided as branch waterway control valves in the branch waterways 12A and 12B, respectively. Here, one on-off valve 20A has the same structure as on-off valve 20 in FIG. The other on-off valve 2
OB is a mode in which both valve opening and valve closing are performed by power supply without manual operation. However, it is also possible to use an on-off valve 20B having a structure similar to that of 20A.

In this example, the water path can be switched from the first branch water path 12A to the second branch water path 12B or vice versa by selectively opening or closing the on-off valves 20A and 20B. Also, on-off valves 20A, 20
By closing any of B, the water flow of the main waterway 12 can be stopped. That is, in this example, the on-off valves 20A,
20B constitutes a branch waterway control valve, and at the same time, forms a main waterway control valve for controlling generation / stop of the water flow in the main waterway 12 as a whole.

In the case of this example, water supply is started by manually opening the on-off valve 20A. Specifically, rim water supply is started. At the same time, a water flow is generated in the main waterway 12, and the water flow causes the generator 18 to generate power. After that, each valve is driven by the generator 18.
It is performed by the power supplied from. This is the same as in the above embodiment.

In the case of this example, the first and second branch waterways 12
By opening and closing the on-off valves 20A and 20B on A and 12B, it is possible to control the generation and stop of the water flow in each of the branch waterways 12A and 12B. In addition, by opening one of the on-off valves 20A and 20B, the main water passage 12 is opened, and by closing both of them, the main water passage 12 can be brought into the water flow stop state at the same time. That is, in this case, the on-off valves 20 of the branch waterways 12A and 12B are used.
A and 20B constitute a main waterway control valve that controls the water flow in the main waterway 12 as a whole.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 show still another embodiment of the present invention. As shown, in this example, the first branch waterway 1
On / off valves 20A and 20B are provided in each of the 2A and the second branch waterway 12B in the same manner as above to configure a branch waterway control valve, and at the same time, constitute a main waterway control valve for opening and closing the main waterway 12. I have. However, in this example, the generator 18 is provided on the first branch waterway 12A. That is, in this example, the generator 18 is not provided on the second branch water channel 12B. The on / off valves 20A and 20B are driven by the electric power generated by the generator 18.

In this example, the generator 18 generates power only when a water flow is generated in the first branch water channel 12A, and no water flow is generated in the first branch water channel 12A.
When the water flow is generated only in B, the generator 18 does not generate power.

Therefore, in this example, the electric power generated by the generator 18 is temporarily stored in the condenser 62 (for one cycle of water supply).
, And use this as an auxiliary power source, so that the on-off valves 20A and 20B and the controller 22
It is made to drive.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, this is merely an example. For example, in the above example, the case where there are two branch waterways is described, but the present invention can be applied to a case where there are three or more branch waterways.
In the above example, the water supply is started with no power supply by a human operation. However, the present invention can be applied to a water supply device that starts water supply with a power supply in some cases, and the water supply device for flushing the toilet bowl. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a water supply device for various purposes other than for toilet flushing.

In the above example, the water supply is stopped after a certain amount of water is flowed. However, depending on the case, the water supply may be started based on human body detection by a sensor, the valve may be switched, or the water supply may be stopped. For example, the present invention can be configured in a form in which various changes are made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[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 showing a water supply device of the same embodiment.

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

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a water supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

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

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the water supply device of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 water supply device 12 main waterway 12A first branch waterway 12B second branch waterway 14 three-way switching valve 18 generator 20, 20A, 20B on-off valve 22 controller

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2D039 AA02 AC04 DB00 EA00 FC00 3H056 AA02 AA03 BB50 CA08 CB02 CC02 CC12 CD06 DD04 GG05 3H106 DA07 DA13 DA27 DA35 DB02 DB12 DB23 DB32 DC06 DC17 DD03 EE22 EE25 EE34 GA09 KK06

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A main waterway, (b) a plurality of branch waterways branched from the main waterway, (c) a main waterway control valve for controlling the waterflow of the main waterway, and a water flow of the branch waterway. A branch waterway control valve, and (d) a generator common to the plurality of control valves, which generates power by a water flow and supplies power to the control valve;
(E) A water supply device comprising: a controller that controls the operation of the control valve. 2. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the branch waterway control valve has a function of switching a water flow among the plurality of branch waterways. 3. The main waterway control valve according to claim 2, wherein the main waterway control valve is an on-off valve provided on the main waterway, and the branch waterway control valve is a switching valve provided at a branch position of the branch waterway. A water supply device characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the generator is provided on the main channel, and an on-off valve as the main channel control valve is provided on the main channel and upstream of the generator. A water supply device, characterized in that: 5. The branch waterway control valve according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of branch waterways is provided with an on-off valve for opening and closing each of the branch waterways, and the on-off valves constitute a branch waterway control valve for controlling a water flow in the branch waterway. A water supply device, wherein the on-off valve of each branch waterway constitutes a main waterway control valve for controlling the water flow of the main waterway as a whole. 6. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply device controls the main waterway control valve that controls opening and closing of the main waterway by human power without using a power supply that stores electric power in advance. The main water channel is opened by forcibly opening the valve and the water supply is started, and after the water supply is started, each control valve is driven based on the electric power from the generator to stop the water supply. And water supply equipment.