JP2003047567A - Water feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water feed device which is easy to install and has excellent sensing performance if an automatic water faucet by simultaneously designing the both of the automatic water faucet and the washing bowl and also which has a new outer appearance so as to permit a user to normally comfortably wash hands. SOLUTION: The water feed device is provided with the washing bowl having a drain, with a water supply port which is connected to a water supply pipe and has a water supply port and with the automatic water faucet which has a sensor adjacently to the water supply port. A projection light from the sensor is reflected against the surface of the washing bowl and the automatic water faucet is attached to an upper part on the inner surface of the washing bowl so as to permit the reflection light to go out of the washing bowl surface. The shape of the washing bowl on the inner surface is formed to have a continuous and smooth airflow shape without having a partial swelling part by bending an upper side to have a projection when its cross section is vertically viewed from one side and bending a lower side to have a recession when its cross section is vertically viewed from one side.

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 provided with an automatic faucet in the cleaning ball surface.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional automatic faucet, the automatic faucet and the cleaning ball are separately designed so as to be compatible with various kinds of cleaning balls.

The automatic faucet automatically discharges water when a sensor senses a hand that has been put out for washing the hand in the cleaning ball. That is, the infrared light projected from the sensor is reflected by the hand out and the reflected light is received. When the level of the amount of received light is increased by the reflected light, it is recognized that the hand is extended, and water is automatically discharged from the water supply port. (FIG. 24) As described above, in order to detect the sensor by a series of hand washing operations in which a hand is put into the cleaning ball, it is necessary to direct the light emitted from the sensor to the inner surface of the cleaning ball.

However, since the light emitted from the sensor is directed to the inner surface of the cleaning ball, a large amount of the reflected light reflected by the inner surface of the cleaning ball may be received. When the amount of received light exceeds the predetermined amount of received light, the change in the amount of received light when the hand is extended becomes small, and it becomes difficult to detect that the hand is extended. (FIG. 25) Therefore, in the past, an automatic water faucet was installed outside the cleaning ball such as the upper surface of the counter so that the reflected light from the cleaning ball surface would not be directly received and the amount of the reflected light received. Was kept at a low level. Therefore, when the automatic water faucet is also used for various cleaning balls, the installation location of the automatic water faucet and the shape and material of the cleaning ball are restricted so as to prevent erroneous detection.

For example, when a washing ball is provided on the counter, an automatic faucet is attached to a faucet attachment hole provided on the counter near the washing ball. Therefore, the installation work is not good because the installation work is complicated, such as opening a mounting hole in the counter, installing a cleaning ball on site, and installing an automatic water faucet. In mounting the automatic faucet, since it is mounted on a counter formed separately from the cleaning ball, there is a degree of freedom in the mounting position. for that reason,
Depending on the construction method, the mounting position may shift, and there is a possibility that the mounting may be apt to cause false detection.

The automatic faucet is particularly popular in public facilities because it can discharge water without contact. Therefore, for cleaning balls that use an automatic faucet, cost is more important than appearance.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to design both an automatic faucet and a cleaning ball at the same time in order to solve the above problems, so that the workability is excellent and the detection of the automatic faucet is possible. It has good performance and a novel appearance,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a water supply device that allows a user to comfortably wash a hand.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, in the water supply device according to the first aspect of the present invention, a cleaning ball having a drainage port and a cleaning ball connected to the water supply pipe are provided. It is equipped with a water supply port for supplying water to, and is composed of an automatic faucet with a sensor adjacent to this water supply port.The light projected from the sensor is reflected on the cleaning ball surface, and the reflected light is the cleaning ball. The water faucet is characterized in that the automatic faucet is mounted above the inner surface of the cleaning ball so as to face out of the plane.

As a result, the reflected light from the cleaning ball is
In the steady state, the light receiving level satisfying the water discharge condition is not reached, and there is no problem of causing water discharge due to erroneous detection such as water discharge even when the hand is not extended. Therefore, the installer can install it with confidence and deliver it to the customer. Further, since the automatic water faucet is located inside the cleaning ball, not only the cleanability around the water faucet is good, but also the cleaning ball itself has no raised portion other than the water faucet, so that the cleanability is good. Also, since the automatic water faucet is attached to the inner surface of the cleaning ball, it is not necessary to secure a place to install the automatic water faucet outside the cleaning ball as in the conventional case. The space can be widened, and it has an unprecedented novel appearance, so that the user can always comfortably wash the hands.

In the water supply device according to the second aspect of the present invention, the inner shape of the cleaning ball is formed so that the upper side is curved to have a convex shape in one longitudinal cross section and the lower side is curved to have a concave shape in one vertical cross section. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply device has a continuous and smooth streamline shape without a partial raised portion.

As a result, the light projected from the sensor is not reflected on the surface of the cleaning ball and directly returns to the sensor, or diffuse reflection is not generated in the cleaning ball, and the amount of light received when not in use can be suppressed to a low level. Therefore, it is possible to surely recognize the outstretched hand at the time of hand washing, and erroneous detection is eliminated.

In the water supply apparatus of the invention of claim 3, the cleaning ball has an outer peripheral wall formed outward from the upper end of the rim, the lower end of the outer peripheral wall is flat, and the upper end of the rim is flat. The water supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a downward slope is provided from the rear side of the cleaning ball toward the front side.

As a result, when viewed from the side, the rim of the cleaning ball itself is inclined downward from the side, so that the appearance of the cleaning ball can be improved. Further, if the opening is provided on the flat surface, the cleaning ball is placed so as to cover the opening, and the outer peripheral wall is supported by the edge of the opening, whereby the opening can be easily attached.

In the water supply device according to the invention of claim 4, the sensor of the water faucet is built in at a position above and adjacent to the water supply port. Any one water supply device was used.

As a result, the sensing performance is excellent and the fingertips can be washed. Further, if the sensor is located higher than the surface of the cleaning ball, it is possible to secure a sufficient distance to the reflection position on the inner surface of the cleaning ball and avoid erroneous detection.

In the water supply apparatus according to the invention of claim 5, the mounting portion of the automatic faucet has a curved shape along the inner surface shape of the cleaning ball, and the faucet is fitted into the faucet mounting hole of the cleaning ball. The water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a guide is provided for determining the position of and controlling the rotation direction.

Thus, when the water faucet is attached, it does not come into contact with the inner surface of the cleaning ball smoothly so that water does not leak from between the cleaning ball and the water faucet, and by providing the guide, the user or the cleaner does not have to do something. Even if the faucet is moved under certain conditions, the faucet body will not shift from a certain position during construction, and there will be no risk of erroneous detection due to changes in the light projection position. You can

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the water supply device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the cleaning ball is made of stainless steel.

As a result, even if the easily-reflective stainless steel is used as a cleaning ball, it is possible to maintain a comfortable usability without causing an erroneous detection, and it is possible to secure an unprecedented appearance.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The water supply device 1 of the present invention comprises a cleaning ball 2 having a drainage port 7, an automatic faucet 10 connected to a water supply pipe and having a water supply port 12 for supplying water into the cleaning ball 2 and a sensor. It is configured.

The automatic faucet 10 is provided on the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2. In particular, only the attached automatic faucet 10 is projected on the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2,
Other than that, it has no continuous protrusions and has a continuous streamlined shape. Further, between the water supply port 12 of the automatic water faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2, a hand-washable space is formed. As a method of mounting the automatic faucet 10, for example, an opening which is a faucet mounting hole 50 is provided in the cleaning ball 2, a water supply pipe is inserted through the faucet mounting hole 50, and the faucet mounting hole 50 is covered. There is a method of attaching the automatic faucet 10 as described above. In particular, the light emitted from the sensor 13 is the cleaning ball 2
The automatic faucet 10 is attached to the upper rear side of the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2 so that the reflected light is reflected by the surface and the reflected light is directed upward outside the surface of the cleaning ball 2. By providing the guide on the side of the automatic faucet 10 with respect to the mounting hole of the cleaning ball 2, the positional deviation after mounting the faucet is reduced in the front-rear, left-right direction, and the rotation direction, and the position of light emitted from the sensor 13 is reduced. No more worrying about changes.

Alternatively, there is a method in which the cleaning ball 2 is burred and only the faucet mounting portion is raised to mount the automatic faucet 10. In this case, no step is formed at the joint between the faucet mounting portion and the automatic faucet 10. Further, the boundary portion 8 between the automatic water faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 may be formed by welding so as to have a seamless curved surface. (FIG. 19) Further, in the case where the faucet exterior portion 11 of the automatic faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 are made of the same material by welding or the like to be connected and then are integrally formed by polishing. It is possible to create an unprecedented sense of unity from the cleaning ball 2 to the automatic faucet 10.

Since the automatic faucet 10 supplies water and stops water by the detection of the sensor 13, the designability and usability in the near future can be improved. It can also be said to be more hygienic because it can be supplied and stopped without touching the faucet body.

When the automatic water faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 are fitted together, the infrared rays projected from the sensor 13 of the automatic water faucet 10 will not be reflected perpendicularly to the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2 at the reflection position. It must be installed at an acute angle to the tangent of the cross section. That is,
When the light is reflected perpendicularly to the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2, there is a possibility that the light receiving level may satisfy the water discharge condition, and water may be discharged due to an erroneous detection even though the sensor 13 is in a state where the hand is not extended. . Therefore, by setting the incident angle of the infrared ray to the reflecting portion of the cleaning ball 2 at an acute angle, such a water discharge defect does not occur.

Next, the structure of the automatic faucet 10 will be described. The automatic faucet 10 includes at least an electromagnetic opening / closing valve (hereinafter, referred to as an electromagnetic valve), a controller that controls opening / closing of the electromagnetic valve, a sensor 13 that transmits a signal of the opening / closing, and a water supply port 1.
2. Equipped with a power supply. The water supply port 12, the sensor 13, the solenoid valve and the controller may be embedded in the faucet exterior part 11 at a location remote from the cleaning ball 2.
By embedding only the sensor 13 and the other functional portion outside the faucet exterior portion 11, the shape of the automatic faucet 10 can be freely designed. In particular, by installing the sensor 13 on the upper part of the water supply port, the sensing performance is excellent and the fingertips can be washed. Not only that, the shape of the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2 has a continuous streamline with unevenness from the rim toward the inside of the drainage port. A sufficient distance can be secured and false detection can be avoided. (Fig. 4,
5)

Further, it is preferable that the water supply port 12 and the mounting portion of the automatic water faucet 10 are provided at a position within the surface of the cleaning ball 2 and higher than the lowest position 5a of the rim 5 of the cleaning ball 2. In particular, when a drain plug (not shown) that can be opened and closed is provided at the drain port, an overflow hole (not shown) is provided, and the water supply port 12 and the mounting portion of the automatic water tap 10 are provided at a position higher than the overflow hole. To do so. A check valve is preferably provided near the water supply port 12.

By using stainless steel as the material of the cleaning ball 2 described above, it is possible to reduce the weight as compared with the pottery. In the case of stainless steel, the surface finish of the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2 is reduced to a hairline finish or a shot blast finish to suppress the surface gloss and not only a product excellent in design can be molded, but also the light is emitted from the sensor 13. It is also possible to reduce the risk of false detection by suppressing the reflectance of infrared rays. In particular, when it is used under adverse conditions than when it is used in public facilities, it is preferable to use stainless steel in consideration of durability, strength, corrosiveness, lightness and the like.

Although the faucet exterior portion 11 of the automatic faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 may be made of different materials, the faucet exterior portion 11 of the automatic faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 may be made of the same material. Or, if the colors are the same, the washing ball 2 to the automatic faucet 1
It is possible to provide a continuous sense of unity up to 0, and it is possible to provide the user with a comfortable water supply device 1. The material can be, for example, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, or synthetic resin. In particular, titanium is superior in corrosion resistance to other materials and is also excellent in corrosion resistance to seawater, etc., so it is effective to install it in a hand washing area near the coast. The specific gravity is about 6 compared to stainless steel, for example.
It can be said to be relatively light, tough, and excellent in workability.

Next, a specific embodiment of the water supply device 1 in which the automatic faucet 10 is attached to the surface of the cleaning ball 2 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and 6 to 8. 1 and 6, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the automatic faucet 10 has a shape that considerably protrudes from the cleaning ball 2. The sensor 13 is attached to the tip of the automatic faucet 10.
And a water supply port is provided. Due to the shape of this automatic faucet 10, a space for hand washing can be secured between the water supply port 12 and the cleaning ball 2, that is, the drain port 7. The cleaning ball 2 used here has a thin shape (here, the thickness from the lowermost portion of the rim 5 to the bottom surface of the cleaning ball 2 is about 100 mm, usually about 150 mm) to improve the design. There is.

The shape of the cleaning ball 2 can be made thin by curving the upper side into a convex shape 3 on one side longitudinal section and the lower side into a concave shape 4 on one side longitudinal section. . In addition, by making the cleaning ball 2 thin, a sufficient space under the cleaning ball 2 can be secured, and the cleaning ball 2 can be placed under a cleaning wheel 2 under a wheelchair or while sitting on a chair. You can put your legs firmly in the side space and perform actions such as hand washing with a comfortable posture. Further, the cleaning ball 2 has an outer peripheral wall formed outward from the upper end of the rim 5 and has a flat lower end on the outer peripheral wall. The outer peripheral lower end of the rim 5 is easily placed by placing it on the opening of the counter. It has such a shape that the water supply device 1 can be installed. Further, the upper end of the rim forms a downward slope from the rear where the automatic faucet 10 is installed to the front.

When the cleaning ball 2 has a thin shape as described above, the water supplied from the water supply port 12 hits the cleaning ball 2 and bounces off, so that the periphery of the cleaning ball 2 is likely to be wet. Therefore, in order to prevent water splashing, air bubbles (preferably fine air bubbles) are mixed in the water supply. As a bubble mixing means for mixing bubbles in the water supply, there are a method of entraining air at a flow velocity of water, a method of forcibly feeding air by a pump, and the like. Then, the bubble mixing means is provided in the water supply port 12 of the automatic faucet 10 or in the water supply pipe path, whereby bubbles can be mixed into the water supply. FIG. 20 shows an example of a foam cap attached to the tip of the water supply port 12 as the bubble mixing means 35. In order to make the bubbles finer, it is preferable that the water supply port 12 be provided with a plurality of meshes 36 (a plurality of fine holes may be arranged in parallel in the water supply direction) in the water supply direction to diffuse the bubbles. As a result, with the conventional automatic faucet 10, 5 L / min
However, it is possible to obtain a sufficient feeling of water supply and a cleaning effect such as hand washing with a water supply rate of 4 L or less per minute. Therefore, it is possible to save a lot of water when it is frequently used in public facilities. In addition, the inclusion of air bubbles also prevents water from splashing from the surface of the cleaning ball 2, which is particularly effective when the cleaning ball 2 is thin.

2 is a front view of the water supply apparatus 1 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a front view of the water supply apparatus 1 of FIG.
The water inlet 12 is higher than the lowest position 5a of the rim 5,
There is an air gap. 3 is a side view of the water supply device 1 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a side view of the water supply device 1 of FIG. Since the rim 5 is tilted from the back side toward the front to make the front of the rim 5 the lowest, the water supply port 12
It is possible to secure a sufficient space between the drainage port 7 and the drainage port 7, and it is easy to put the hand into the space of the cleaning ball 2 when washing the hand.

Next, the sensing performance of the sensor 13 is shown in FIG.
It will be described based on Nos. 4 and 25. FIG. 25 shows a conventional sensor system. That is, the infrared rays 44 projected from the sensor 13 built in the center of the spout body below the water supply port of the automatic faucet 10 are reflected by the concave curved portion 4 on the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2, and the reflected light 45 is received by the sensor 13. The element senses, and as shown in FIG. 24, when the amount of light received satisfies the average water discharge condition from the set level, water is discharged. This time,
When the center of the portion where the infrared ray 44 hits the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2 is set to point C and the tangent line in the cross section at this point C is set to B, when the infrared ray 44 and the tangent line B intersect perpendicularly, it is a condition that is likely to be erroneously detected. there were. This is because the cleaning ball 2 is generally hemispherical in shape.

On the other hand, even if the distance from the sensor 13 to the point C is 200 mm or less, the condition is likely to be erroneously sensed, and it is impossible to set the automatic faucet 10 on the cleaning ball 2 such as pottery in the past. There is a possibility that different combinations will occur. Alternatively, even in a settable combination, there is a possibility that the automatic faucet 10 may be erroneously sensed due to a positional shift or the like after the construction.

However, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the combination of the automatic water faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 of the present invention, the shape of the φ500 cleaning ball A-A cross section is from the upper portion of the rim 5 of the cleaning ball 2. It has a gentle shape that is continuous from convex shape to concave shape toward the drainage port 7 (the depth of the cleaning ball 2, that is, the depth from the rim upper surface to the drainage port is about 100 mm) and is built in the spout 10. When the angle when the center of the infrared ray 44 projected from the sensor 13 is reflected at the point C on the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2 is α (β in FIG. 5), the orientation of the automatic faucet 10 is changed from 55 degrees to 70 degrees. Even if you shake it, it will stay around 50 ° <α <60 °,
Sensors 13 and cleaning balls 2 do not intersect vertically.
In the embodiment, the distance to the inner surface point C is 400 mm or more (>
Since it has a width of 200 mm, the possibility of erroneous detection is extremely low, and there is ample hand-washing space, making comfortable hand-washing possible.

In the automatic faucet 10 built in the center of the spout body, there is a distance between the sensor 13 and the water supply port,
Although it was unsuitable for washing fingertips such as nails, the automatic water faucet 10 constituting the present invention can adjoin the upper part of the water supply port 12 so that the water discharge direction and the sensor sensing direction can be substantially the same direction, so the water discharge is possible. It has excellent detection performance because it can be detected without fail by extending the hand in the direction indicated by the arrow, and it has the excellent point that it can handle various hand-washing operation modes such as fingertip washing.

Next, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
It will be explained based on. In the water supply device 1 shown in FIG. 9,
The automatic water faucet 10 has a shape that hardly protrudes from the cleaning ball 2. As shown in the figure, this automatic faucet 10
Is provided in the cleaning ball 2 as a substantially triangular pyramid having a rounded shape. The cleaning ball 2 has a concave shape 4 (almost hemispherical shape), which is different from the shape of the cleaning ball 2 in the water supply device 1 of FIGS. 1 and 6, and the depth on the inner side of the cleaning ball 2 ( Here, the thickness from the top of the rim 5 to the bottom of the cleaning ball 2 is about 150 mm, but the thickness from the bottom of the rim 5 to the bottom of the cleaning ball 2 is 100 mm as in FIGS. A space for hand washing is formed between the water supply port 12 and the drain port 7. In this case, since the rim 5 is easily splashed with water, it is not necessary to wet the area around the cleaning ball 2. 10. FIG. 10 is a front view of the water supply device 1 of FIG. The water supply port 12 is higher than the lowermost position 5a of the rim 5 to form an air gap. In addition, FIG. 11 is a side view of the water supply device 1 of FIG. 9.

Next, regarding still another embodiment, FIG.
The description will be made based on FIGS. In the water supply device 1 shown in FIG. 12, the faucet exterior part 11 of the automatic faucet 10 has a bridge 19 shape, and the water supply port 12 is provided at the center of the bridge 19. The bridge 19 can also be used as a handrail. Note that FIG. 13 is a front view of the water supply device 1 of FIG. 12. The water supply port 12 is higher than the lowermost position 5a of the rim 5 to form an air gap. Further, FIG. 14 is a side view of the water supply device 1 of FIG. By welding the faucet exterior part 11 and the cleaning ball 2 to be integrally formed, a sense of unity can be provided, a novel design and usability can be provided, and the strength can be improved, so that it can also be used as a handrail. can do. The shape of the cleaning ball 2 is the same as the shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

Note that FIG. 15 shows an installation state in which the water supply device 1 of FIG. 6 is attached to a wall. In each case, the back hanger 23 is attached to the wall, and the cleaning ball 2 and the lower cover 24 of the water supply device 1 are attached to the back hanger 23. Then, in the lower cover 24, the water supply pipe 17, the drain pipe 26, etc. are connected to the water supply device 1. If the lower cover 24 is also made of the same material as the cleaning balls 2 and the like, a sense of unity can be obtained. Further, since the automatic water faucet 10 is provided in the cleaning ball 2, it can be assembled in advance to the cleaning ball 2 at the factory, so that the construction at the site is easy without being influenced by the skill level of the builder. Therefore, construction troubles can be reduced. Note that the water supply device 1 shown in FIGS. 1, 9, and 12 can be installed in the same manner.

Next, the overall structure of the water supply device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. 16 shows a case where the water supply device 1 of FIG. 6 is installed on the counter 27. Under the counter 27, the water supply pipe 17 laid on the building side is branched with the water stop valve 25 interposed. One of the branched water supply pipes 17 is connected to the water supply port 12 via a solenoid valve 16. The solenoid valve 16 is connected to the controller 18. Further, the solenoid valve 22 and the controller 18 may be embedded in the automatic faucet 10,
It may be installed below the counter 27 or inside the lower cover.

Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 16, 18 and 19, the sensor 13 is installed near the upper side of the water supply port 12. As shown in FIG. 17, the sensor 13 sends a signal to the controller 18 to open / close the solenoid valves 16 and 22. In addition, if the infrared ray C2 emitted from the light emitting element of the sensor 13 is reflected by the hand extended to the vicinity of the water supply port 12 for washing the hand, and the amount of the reflected light received by the light receiving element satisfies a certain condition. The controller 18 sends a signal to open and close the solenoid valve 16,
Supply water. In this way, by using the automatic faucet 10,
It is hygienic because it can operate water supply and water stop without contact, and it can always keep the flow rate at a predetermined level, and it does not produce too much instantaneous flow rate more than necessary. I can say. In addition to infrared rays, the sensor 13 may use, for example, ultrasonic waves, as long as it can detect a human body in a non-contact manner.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 21, the water supply device 1 rotates the impeller 31 by the water flow in the path of the water supply pipe 17 (at least the water supply pipe 17 connected to the water supply port 12) to drive it. A self-power generation mechanism 30 that converts the electric current into a current and stores the electric current in the power storage unit 32 is provided. Then, using this electricity storage, the detection of the sensor 13 and the solenoid valves 16, 2 are performed.
It is advisable to open and close 2. The self-generating function is
Specifically, it is composed of an impeller 31, a magnet, a coil, and a condenser. The principle of self-power generation is water flow (3 L / min
The magnet attached to the impeller 31 that rotates at the above flow rate is preferable) stores the electric current generated by rotating in the coil in the capacitor. The sensor 13 and the solenoid valves 16 and 22 are driven by the stored electricity. It should be noted that, since electric power is not stored by self-power generation in the initial stage, it is preferably used together with the battery (dry cell) 33. Since the battery 33 and the self-power generation mechanism 30 do not require an AC power source, there are no restrictions on the installation location. Further, a latching solenoid may be used for the solenoid valves so that the electric power is not consumed as much as possible when the solenoid valves 16 and 22 are opened and closed.

Next, a method of manufacturing the cleaning ball 2 will be described. In the water supply device 1 shown in FIG. 6, the cleaning ball 2
Description will be made taking as an example the case where is manufactured from stainless steel. The same manufacturing method can be applied to other water supply devices 1.
First, in order to mold the cleaning ball 2, the meat pressure is about 1 to 1.5.
The mm plate 43 is processed into the cleaning ball 2 by press working (for example, hydraulic press, mechanical press, counter hydraulic press, etc.), NC working, spatula drawing, or the like. The cleaning ball 2 is manufactured by gradually pressing the shape of the cleaning ball 2 by a plurality of pressing steps using a plurality of press dies to form the shape. When stainless steel is pressed to form the cleaning ball 2 as described above, the cleaning ball 2
As for the shape of, the upper side is curvedly formed into a convex shape 3 on one side in longitudinal section, and the lower side is curvedly formed into a concave shape 4 on one side in longitudinal section,
In the case of press molding, it is easy to remove the mold.

Next, the procedure for attaching the water supply function section will be described. FIG. 18 shows an enlarged structure of the inside of the automatic faucet 10 at the water supply port 12. Sensor 13 and water inlet 1
The water supply sensor unit 15 consisting of 2 is inserted into the mounting hole 14 provided on the front side of the automatic water faucet 10 and fixed with the screw 29. Although not shown, a flexible water supply pipe 17 (water supply hose) is connected in advance to the water supply pipe connecting portion 17a. The assembly process can be performed in the factory. Therefore, the installation work at the site is the cleaning ball 2
Is installed, and the connection of the water supply pipe 17 and the connection of the conductive wire 28 only have to be performed.

Next, a method of attaching the automatic faucet 10 to the cleaning ball 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic faucet 10 is fixed to the cleaning ball 2 by screwing a fixing nut 54 into the fixing screw or bolt from the back of the cleaning ball 2 with a fixing member 53 wider than the opening of the faucet mounting hole 50 interposed. Although not shown, the automatic faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2
A packing is interposed between and to prevent water from entering through the opening of the faucet mounting hole 50. Specifically, FIG.
The bottom face 46 of the automatic faucet 10 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a protrusion 47 serving as a guide, and in the cleaning ball 2, a faucet mounting hole 50 for passing the water supply hose 48 of the automatic faucet 10 and the sensor cord 49. Is provided, and a guide hole 51 for receiving the guide of the automatic faucet 10 is formed at the edge of the hole. The automatic water faucet 10 is attached to the cleaning ball 2 (not shown in the figure, but packing is sandwiched between the automatic water faucet 10 and the cleaning ball 2 in order to ensure sealing).
A horseshoe-shaped fixing member 53 is passed through a fixing screw 52 protruding from the automatic faucet 10 from the back surface of the cleaning ball 2, and then tightened with a fixing nut 54. This makes it possible to regulate the rotational direction and the movement of the automatic faucet 10 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction after the assembling, so that there is no risk of a complaint that the light-projecting position of the sensor 13 is displaced and an erroneous detection occurs. Further, the bottom surface portion 46 of the automatic faucet 10 is formed into a curved surface similar to the curved surface of the cleaning ball 2 to improve the adhesion with the cleaning ball 2 and to improve the assemblability when assembling the product. 1
There is no problem such as water leakage between 0 and the cleaning ball 2.

As shown in FIG. 23, the automatic faucet 10
Since it is mounted on the inner surface of the cleaning ball 2, it is not necessary to secure a place for mounting the automatic water faucet 10 outside the cleaning ball 2 as in the conventional case. With a novel appearance that is unprecedented, users can always comfortably wash their hands.

The water supply device 1 of the present invention can be used not only for the wash ball 2 in the washroom but also for the wash ball 2 such as the hand wash wash ball 2 in the toilet and the sink wash ball 2 in the kitchen.

[0049]

According to the present invention, by designing both the automatic faucet and the cleaning ball at the same time with the above-mentioned structure, the workability is excellent, the sensing performance of the automatic faucet is good, and the appearance is novel. Thus, it is possible to provide a water supply device that allows the user to always comfortably wash the hands.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a water supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a light projecting direction of a sensor of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a light projecting direction of a sensor of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a water supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows a water supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a front view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 11 shows a side view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 12 shows a water supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

13 shows a front view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 14 shows a side view of the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a usage state diagram of a wall-mounted type using the water supply device in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an overall configuration when a water supply device according to the present invention is installed.

17 is a block diagram of the water supply device of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a view showing a mounting structure of a water supply sensor unit mounted in the hole of the faucet exterior part in FIG. 6.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a structure around the automatic faucet in FIG. 6.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a foam cap attached to the water supply port of the water supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a view showing a self-power generation mechanism incorporated in the water supply device of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a view showing a case where an automatic water faucet is attached to a cleaning ball.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a comparison between the water supply device of the present invention and a conventional water supply device.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of light received by the sensor and water discharge.

FIG. 25 is a view showing a state in which an automatic water faucet is attached near a conventional cleaning ball.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Water supply device 2 cleaning balls 3 Upper curved portion of the cleaning ball 4 Lower curved portion of the cleaning ball 5 rims 5a rim bottom position 7 drain 8 Border between cleaning bowl and automatic faucet 9 steps 10 Automatic faucets 11 Faucet exterior 11a Front part of faucet exterior 11b Parts behind the faucet exterior 12 water inlet 13 sensors 14 Mounting hole 15 Water supply sensor unit 16 solenoid valve 17 Water pipe 17a Water supply pipe connection 18 Controller 19 bridge 19a bridge leg 23 Back hanger 24 Lower cover 25 water stop valve 26 drainage pipe 27 counter 28 Conductive wire 29 screw 30 Self-power generation mechanism 31 wing 32 power storage unit 33 batteries 35 Bubble mixing means 36 mesh 44 Projection (infrared) 45 reflected light 46 Automatic faucet bottom 47 Guide 48 Water supply hose 49 sensor code 50 Faucet mounting hole 51 Guide hole 52 fixing screw 53 Fixed member 54 Fixing nut

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Code FI Theme Coat (Reference) E03C 1/14 E03C 1/14 Z (72) Inventor Hirotaka Tayuki 2-chome Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka No. 1-1 Totoki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuaki Hashida 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masato Kurihara Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 2-1, 1-1, Nakajima, Tokuki Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2D060 BA03 CA04 2D061 BA01 BC02 BC04

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning ball having a drainage port, and a water faucet connected to a water supply pipe for supplying water into the cleaning ball, and an automatic faucet provided with a sensor adjacent to the water supply port. The automatic faucet is mounted above the inner surface of the cleaning ball so that the light emitted from the sensor is reflected by the surface of the cleaning ball and the reflected light goes out of the surface of the cleaning ball. Water supply device. 2. The cleaning ball inner surface shape is such that the upper side is curved to have a convex shape on one side in longitudinal cross section and the lower side is curved to have a concave shape on one side to longitudinal cross section, and has a partial raised portion. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply device has a continuous smooth streamline shape. 3. The cleaning ball has an outer peripheral wall formed outward from the upper end of the rim, the lower end of the outer peripheral wall is flat, and the upper end of the rim extends from the rear side of the cleaning ball toward the front side. The water supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a downward slope is provided. 4. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor of the water faucet is incorporated in a position above and adjacent to the water supply port. 5. The mounting part of the automatic faucet has a curved shape along the inner surface shape of the cleaning ball, and determines the position of the faucet with respect to the faucet mounting hole of the cleaning ball and regulates the rotation direction. The water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a guide for water supply. 6. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning ball is made of stainless steel.