JP2002348921A - Indicating handle of water faucet for water purifier indicating replacement time of water purifier filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a handle for a water faucet for a water purifier capable of automatically detecting the rotating operation time or frequency to inform a user of a replacement time for a filter in the water purifier. SOLUTION: In this indicating handle 10, a detection switch 11 for detecting rotation of the handle 10 in a designated angle, and an arithmetic operating part 12 for obtaining a signal from the detection switch 11 to add the use time and frequency and conducting various operation are provided, and a part of the indicating handle 10 is provided with an indicating part for indicating addition result of the arithmetic operating part 12, and a battery 14 for providing each part with power, whereby the replacement time of the filter in the water purifier 30 is indicated in the indicating part depending on the rotating time and frequency of the indicating handle 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handle of a water purifier faucet for discharging or stopping water produced by a water purifier, and more particularly, to display a replacement time of a filter constituting a water purifier. The present invention relates to a display handle of a faucet for a water purifier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art According to the data of the Water Purifier Council, an industry association, 26% of nationwide water purifiers for removing dirt from tap water are used by about 10 million households. In recent years, it has become a general product. In addition, from April 2002, this type of water purifier is also subject to the "Household Goods Quality Labeling Law", and the water purification capacity and the like must be displayed in a unified test method.

[0003] The general structure of a water purifier consists of an activated carbon layer that adsorbs organic substances and odors, a filtration membrane layer centered on a hollow fiber membrane for removing bacteria and turbidity, and, in some cases, for removing lead ions. And an ion-exchange resin layer according to the flow of water. Each of these layers naturally has a lower capacity than the initial capacity as the filtration or adsorption proceeds, and must be replaced after a certain period of use.

[0004] For this reason, in the conventional water purifier, in order to facilitate replacement of each filter, a so-called "cartridge" in which the filters are put together is used. By
The ability of each layer is returned to the initial value.

[0005] However, it is very difficult for a general household having the water purifier to know when to replace the cartridge. Of course, the instructions for the water purifier clearly state that "please replace it after about a few months", but in ordinary households, when you start using it, you often forget it completely, and in some cases, , Totally effective
We sometimes use a cartridge that has lost its capacity for many years.

The present inventor has studied how to easily display the replacement time so that the cartridge can be used only for an appropriate period of time without any administrative burden on the user. It has been.
What emerged in this study is that the frequency of use of water purifiers in each home varies. However, early replacement of the cartridge is rather preferable, so it is considered that there is no problem if a case of frequent use is assumed.

[0007] As described above, the reduction in the capacity of the cartridge in which the filters are combined is proportional to the amount of dirt removed, and the amount of dirt removed depends on the degree of contamination of the supplied tap water and water purification. It is related to the amount of used.
However, the “quality” of tap water is considered to have become substantially uniform throughout the country due to the efforts of the water departments in each region.
As an index for measuring the amount of garbage removed, etc.
Is considered sufficient.

For example, if the maximum usage of a cartridge in a water purifier capable of producing 5 liters of water per minute is 30,000 liters, an integrating flow meter is provided in the water purifier, etc. By indicator or electrical signal,
It is of course conceivable to inform the user of the replacement time of the cartridge. However, it is difficult to reduce the size of the flowmeter itself, and it is considered that the flowmeter itself is liable to break down, because a rotating component must be used.

For this reason, the present inventor searched for another index instead of the so-called direct flow rate of purified water, and as described above, the purified water amount used daily in ordinary households is as follows.
Approximately 80 liters even if the maximum estimate
6 minutes), which translates to 30,000 liters (corresponding to about 100 hours).
Considering the general situation of obtaining purified water for a glass or about 4 liters of pot-like water, the number of uses of a 30,000 liter water purifier capable of purifying is about 30,000 times. You might also say that. This number can be easily understood from the number of handle operations of the water purifier faucet.

From the above, the inventor of the present invention can check the usage time of the water purifier, that is, the water purifier faucet, or the number of times of operating the handle of the water purifier as an index indicating the replacement time of the filter of the water purifier. He realized that it was good and completed the present invention.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned situation in such a water purifier, and an object of the present invention is to provide a filter constituting a water purifier or a cartridge integrating the filter. Is to clearly indicate the replacement time on the handle of the water purifier faucet.

That is, an object of the first aspect of the present invention is to automatically detect a rotation operation time or number and inform a user of a time for replacing a filter in a water purifier. It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier handle for a water purifier.

Another object of the invention according to claim 2 is to achieve the same object as in claim 1 and to notify the time of replacement of the filter in the water purifier by sound or light. It is an object of the present invention to provide a water purifier handle for a water purifier.

Further, the object of the present invention according to claim 3 is to achieve the same object as in claim 1 or 2, and by devising a detection sensor to obtain a simple structure with few failures. It is an object of the present invention to provide a handle of a faucet for a water purifier, which can be made inexpensive.

[0015]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, means according to the first aspect of the present invention will be described with reference numerals used in the embodiments described below. A display handle 10 used for a water purifier faucet 20 for discharging or stopping purified water from a vessel 30. A detection handle for detecting that the handle 10 has been turned by a predetermined angle in the display handle 10. A switch 11;
An arithmetic processing unit 12 that obtains a signal from the detection switch 11, adds the usage time or the number of times of use, and performs various arithmetic processing is provided.
In part, a display unit 13 for displaying the result of addition in the arithmetic processing unit 12 and a battery 14 for supplying power to each unit are provided, and the rotation time or the number of rotations of the display handle 10 is provided. A display handle 10 for a water purifier faucet, wherein the replacement time of the filter in the water purifier 30 is displayed on the display unit 13.

That is, the display handle 10 according to the present invention.
The opening / closing operation of the water purifier faucet 20 originally used for the water purifier 30 is performed, and the amount of water purification performed by the water purifier 30 during the rotation operation is automatically determined. , And informs the user when to replace the filter in the water purifier 30. In other words, the display handle 10 is provided with a display unit 13 for displaying a used flow rate or a usable remaining amount, or a used time or a usable time at a place where a user naturally looks when using the display handle. However, the user is prompted to replace the water purifier 30 in the water purifier 30 based on the numbers and symbols displayed on the display unit 13.

In order to indicate the replacement time of the filter in the water purifier 30, the detection switch 11 for detecting the opening time or the number of opening of the display handle 10 is important.
The detection switch 11 may be a tilt sensor as described in claim 3, but for example, a magnet is embedded in the main body of the water purifier faucet 20 shown in FIG. 2 to detect when the magnet approaches the magnet. Alternatively, a sensor using a magnet sensor or a Hall element may be used.
Of course, since the display handle 10 is rotated within a predetermined range as shown in FIG. 2 by a human hand, a mechanical sensor using the rotational power, for example,
It may be a limit switch that conducts electricity when it comes into contact with a projection provided on the main body side of the water purifier faucet 20.

The signal from the detection switch 11 described above is processed by the arithmetic processing unit 12. The processing is performed by adding the number of times of input or integrating the input time. The result is displayed by a number or a picture on the display unit 13. For example,
If the number of times the display handle 10 is used is displayed, the number of times it is used, or how many times it can be used until the filter in the water purifier 30 is replaced, is displayed. The same applies to the case where the input time is integrated. . "Remaining amount" in this case
The calculation may be based on data (for example, 100 hours or 30,000 times) based on the result of normal use in a general household described above.

Needless to say, the detection switch 11, the arithmetic processing unit 12 and the display unit 13 are driven by the battery 14 provided in the display handle 10. The battery 14 may be implemented so as to be replaceable on the display handle 10. However, in the embodiment described below, when the filter of the water purifier 30 is replaced, the display handle 10 is also replaced. Assuming that
After being stored and energized, the periphery of the battery 14 is solidified with a potting resin. By doing so, the durability of the display handle 10 used near the water such as the sink 40 is enhanced.

If the battery 14 is left in a built-in state, the detection switch 11 may be used as described in claim 3 due to vibrations from shipment to installation. , Which is the range of the error and can be ignored.

Therefore, the display handle 10 according to the first aspect is provided.
Can automatically perform the original operation of operating the water purifier faucet 20 and, by the operation, automatically display the replacement time of the filter in the water purifier 30. Thereby, the filter of the water purifier 30 is changed. The water purifier 30 can always be used in an optimum state.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a means adopted by the invention according to claim 2 is the display handle 1 according to claim 1.
0, "When the use time or the number of times of use exceeds a predetermined value by a signal from the detection switch 11, the arithmetic processing unit 12 that compares the use time or the number of times of use with the stored data issues a warning by sound or light that the filter replacement time has come. An operation signal is issued to at least one of the speaker 15 and the lamp 16 that emits the signal. "

That is, the display handle 1 according to claim 2
0 indicates the replacement time of the filter of the water purifier 30 in the display unit 13.
, And at least one of the loudspeaker 15 and the lamp 16 so that the notification of the replacement time is made more reliable.

The speaker 15 preferably emits an intermittent or continuous high sound, and can be easily heard by an elderly person who is far from his ear. Lamp 16
It is preferable to use a light-emitting diode with low power consumption.
For example, a portion which is easily seen by a person, such as a front side of the display handle 10 as shown in FIG. 2 or a portion which is naturally seen when the display handle 10 is operated as shown in FIG. Good to be.

The speaker 15 and the lamp 16 are
The driving is controlled by the arithmetic processing unit 12 described above, and the electric power is naturally supplied from the battery 14.

Therefore, the display handle 10 according to the second aspect is provided.
In addition to exhibiting the same function as that of the above-described claim 1, the time to replace the filter of the water purifier 30 is detected by either sound or light from the speaker 15 or the lamp 16 speaker 15. , The filter can be used in an optimal condition.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display handle according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the detection switch is a contact having a substantially Y or U shape. That is, the inclination sensor is constituted by the terminal 11a and the conductive ball 11b housed therein. "

That is, the display handle 1 according to the third aspect.
0 indicates that the detection switch 11 focuses on the fact that this is to be rotated, and the contact switch 11a and the conductive ball 11b
And the detection switch 11 is an inclination sensor.

By doing so, the faucet for the water purifier 20
When the display handle 10 is rotated so that the button is in the “open” state, as shown in FIG. 5A or FIG.
The conductive ball 11b enters between the two contact terminals 11a.
1b. That is, since the switch is turned on by the conductive ball 11b, the signal is processed by the arithmetic processing unit 12. When the display handle 10 is rotated and the water purifier faucet 20 is brought into the "closed" state as shown in FIG. 5 (b) or FIG. 7 (b), the conductive ball 11b rolls. Of the contact terminal 11a, and the energization is released.

If the detection switch 11 having the above-described configuration is provided, the operation of the detection switch 11 is ensured, and the structure is simple.

Therefore, the display handle 10 according to claim 3 is provided.
In addition to exhibiting the same function as that of the first or second aspect, the operation of the display handle 1 for detecting the replacement time of the filter of the water purifier 30 can be performed more reliably and the number of failures is reduced.
It is also possible to finish the entire 0 at low cost.

[0032]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water purifier using a display handle according to the present invention; FIG. The dexterous faucet 20 is shown attached to a sink 40 employed in a general household. Tap water is supplied to the sink 40 by the water pipe 41,
The tap water supplied from the water pipe 41 is also supplied to the water supply pipe 42 via the branch cock. The hot water from the hot water supply pipe 51 and the water from the water supply pipe 41 are also supplied to the mixing faucet 50 provided at a position about 40 cm or more away from the faucet faucet 20 on the sink 40.

The tap water from the water supply pipe 42 is once sent into the water purifier faucet 20 provided on the sink 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply pipe 4 is provided inside the water tap 20 for the water purifier.
Water supply passage 21 into which tap water sent from 2 enters once
And a feed passage 22 which communicates with the water supply passage 21 via a valve seat 24, and a water purification passage 23 independent of the feed passage 22 and the water supply passage 21. A valve body 25 provided at an inner end of a valve shaft 26 rotated by the display handle 10 moves forward and backward with respect to a valve seat 24 between the feed passage 21 and the feed passage 22.

The valve shaft 26 rotated by the display handle 10 according to the present invention is configured to advance and retreat with respect to the main body of the water tap 20 for the water purifier. When the valve body 25 provided at the end separates from the valve seat 24,
Tap water from the water supply pipe 42 enters the feed passage 22. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, tap water is supplied from the feed pipe 31 into the water purifier 30 because the feed pipe 22 is connected to the feed passage 22. Of course, a filter for removing dirt and smell is built in the water purifier 30, and tap water filtered through the filter, that is, purified water is connected to the water purifier 30. The water is again fed to the water purifier faucet 20 through the water purification pipe 32.

The water purification pipe 32 of the water purifier 30 is connected to the water purification passage 23 of the water purifier faucet 20 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and this water purification passage 23 is also shown in FIG. Since such a discharge pipe 23a is connected, the purified water formed by the water purifier 30 is discharged onto the sink 40.

Now, the faucet 20 for a water purifier constructed as described above will be described.
The display handle 10 according to the present invention to be attached to the
First, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a mounting hole 17 for mounting to the tip of the valve shaft 26 on the water purifier faucet 20 side is provided. Is fixed so that relative rotation with respect to the valve shaft 26 inserted through is not performed. Of course, if the fixing screw is loosened, the display handle 10 can be easily removed from the water purifier faucet 20.

The display handle 10 has a detection switch 11 for detecting that the handle 10 has been rotated by a predetermined angle, and a signal from the detection switch 11 to obtain the usage time or An arithmetic processing unit 12 for adding the number of times and performing various arithmetic processing is provided. A display unit 13 for displaying the addition result in the arithmetic processing unit 12 is provided on a part of the display handle, and power is supplied to each unit. The provision of a battery 14 for providing the battery is a basic configuration thereof.

In the present embodiment, the detection switch 11 constituting the display handle 10 is a tilt sensor composed of a contact terminal 11a and a conductive ball 11b. However, the detection switch 11 is a magnet switch, a hose element, or a simple limiter. As described above, the configuration may be implemented by a switch. When the detection switch 11 is configured by a contact terminal 11a and a conductive ball 11b,
These contact terminals 11a and conductive balls 11b are
As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 5, the display handle 10 may be provided at the base end portion and opposite to the mounting hole 17, and as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. It may be implemented so as to be embedded in the ten lever portions.

The signal from the detection switch 11 described above is sent to the arithmetic processing unit 12 for processing. This type of arithmetic processing unit 12 is extremely downsized due to the development of electronic technology in recent years. Therefore, it may be provided at any part of the display handle 10. That is, it may be provided on the base portion of the display handle 10 as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, or may be a lever portion of the display handle 10 as shown in FIG.

The calculation result obtained by the calculation processing unit 12 is displayed on the display unit 13 as, for example, the use time or the number of times of the display handle 10 or the remaining usable time or the number of times. The mounting position of the display handle 10 of the display unit 13 can be freely set, but the front of the base of the display handle 10 as shown in FIG. 2 or the lever of the display handle 10 as shown in FIG. Either aspect is conceivable.

Of course, the display operation of the display unit 13 is performed by a signal from the arithmetic processing unit 12, and the display method is also a full-screen display with numbers, patterns, or color changes (initially, the front is green). The light that glows may be changed to red as the filter replacement time of the water purifier 30 approaches.) The display unit 13 of the present embodiment specifically employs a small liquid crystal display device, and has a remaining time for filter replacement,
The telephone number, address, etc. of the exchange request destination are displayed.

Since the display unit 13, the arithmetic processing unit 12 and the detection switch 11 are operated by electric power, a battery 14 is incorporated in the display handle 10 as a power source. This battery 14 may be replaceable, but in the present embodiment, the display handle 1
In this case, resin sealing is performed in a storage location for the display handle 10 so as to prevent water from getting wet, thereby improving the durability of the entire display handle 10.

The display handle 10 of the present embodiment is
In addition to the display of the expiration of the deadline by the numbers and symbols on the display unit 13, the display can be performed by sound from the speaker 15 and light from the lamp 16.
The lamp 16 and the lamp 16 are connected to the arithmetic processing unit 12 as a matter of course.

The speaker 15 and the lamp 16 and the display unit 13 described above are advantageously provided integrally with the display handle 10. If the replacement time limit is notified by these, the filter in the water purifier 30 used in that case will be replaced, and when the replaced filter is started to be used, the display handle is displayed. This is because the integrated data in the arithmetic processing unit 12 at 10 becomes completely unnecessary. In addition, the life of the battery 14 itself is generally approaching at this time.

From the above, the display handle 10 of this embodiment is replaced with another new one when the filter in the water purifier 30 is replaced. Of course, the battery 14 can be replaced. The data in the arithmetic processing unit 12 may be updated or reset so that the data can be updated or replaced at the time of replacement.

[0046]

As described in detail above, first, in the invention according to claim 1, as exemplified in the above embodiment,
"A display handle 10 used for a water purifier faucet 20 for discharging or stopping purified water from a water purifier 30. The display handle 10 detects that the handle 10 has been turned by a predetermined angle. And a calculation processing unit 12 that obtains a signal from the detection switch 11, adds the use time or the number of times of use, and performs various calculation processes. Display unit 1 for displaying the addition result and the like in processing unit 12
3 and a battery 14 for supplying electric power to each part, and the display unit 1 indicates the replacement time of the filter in the water purifier 30 according to the rotation time or the number of rotations of the display handle 10.
3 has a feature in its configuration, whereby the rotation operation time or number is automatically detected and the user is notified of the time for replacing the filter in the water purifier. Thus, it is possible to provide a handle of a faucet for a water purifier which can be made into a water purifier.

The display handle 10 according to claim 2 is provided.
In the first embodiment, "the detection switch 11
When the use time or the number of times of use becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value according to the signal from the controller 15, the arithmetic processing unit 12, which compares the use time or the number of times of use with the stored data, issues a warning that the filter replacement time has come by sound or light. At least one of them is designed to emit an activation signal. "This has the characteristic that the same effect as in claim 1 can be obtained, and the notification of the filter replacement time can be notified by sound or light. This can be done by adding at least one of them.

Further, the display handle 10 according to claim 3 is
The above-mentioned claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that the detection switch 11 is a tilt sensor constituted by a contact terminal 11a having a substantially Y or U shape and a conductive ball 11b housed therein. With the above feature, the same effects as those of the display handle 10 according to the first or second aspect can be exerted, and furthermore, it is possible to make the display handle less inexpensive and inexpensive.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view centering on a kitchen sink using a water tap for a water purifier to which a display handle according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a water tap for a water purifier to which the display handle is applied.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the faucet for the water purifier.

4A and 4B show a first embodiment of a display handle according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is an enlarged sectional view and FIG. 4B is a bottom view.

5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a detection switch in the display handle shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 5A is a cutaway front view when the detection switch is in an energized state; FIG. It is a fracture | rupture front view at the time of becoming a state.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a second embodiment of the display handle according to the present invention.

7A and 7B show the operation of the detection switch in the display handle shown in FIG. 6, wherein FIG. 7A is a cutaway front view when the detection switch is energized, and FIG. It is a fracture | rupture front view at the time of becoming.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 display handle 11 detection switch 11a contact terminal 11b conductive ball 12 arithmetic processing unit 13 display unit 14 battery 15 speaker 16 lamp 17 mounting hole 20 water purifier faucet 21 water supply passage 22 feed-in passage 23 water purification passage 23a discharge pipe 24 valve seat 25 valve Body 26 Valve shaft 30 Water purifier 31 Feed pipe 32 Water purifier 40 Sink 41 Water pipe 42 Water supply pipe 50 Mixing faucet 51 Hot water supply pipe

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kazunori Yamamoto 389-9, Iwasa, Miyama-cho, Yamanashi-gun, Gifu Prefecture F-term in the Yamamoto Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A display handle used for a water purifier faucet for discharging or stopping water purification from a water purifier, wherein the display handle detects that the handle is turned by a predetermined angle. A detection switch and a calculation processing unit that obtains a signal from the detection switch, adds the use time or the number of times of use, and performs various calculation processes are provided. A display unit for displaying the addition result and the like, and a battery for supplying power to each unit are provided, and the display unit indicates the replacement time of the filter in the water purifier according to the rotation time or the number of rotations of the display handle. The display handle of the faucet for a water purifier, characterized in that the display handle is displayed on the display. 2. When the use time or the number of uses exceeds a predetermined value according to a signal from the detection switch, the arithmetic processing unit that compares the use time or the number of times of use with the stored data, uses sound or light to notify the time to replace the filter. 2. The display handle of a water purifier faucet according to claim 1, wherein an activation signal is issued to at least one of a speaker and a lamp that issue a warning. 3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the detection switch is a tilt sensor composed of a contact terminal having a substantially Y or U shape and a conductive ball housed therein.
Or the display handle of the water tap for water purifiers according to claim 2.