JP2011033090A - Flow regulating valve device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flow regulating valve device, capable of accurately controlling and moving a valve element by a stepping motor by confirming the position of the valve element. <P>SOLUTION: The flow regulating valve device 24 includes a flow regulating valve 28, a stepping motor 26, and a decelerating mechanism 72. The device further includes a reference position detecting sensor 90 which detects, when a cam member 76 which receives driving force from the stepping motor 26 through the deceleration mechanism 72 is moved, that the cam member 76 reaches a specific reference position. The reference position is set to a position between a discharge start position where a main valve element 36 starts to discharge water and a water-stopping standby position where the main valve element 36 is in a water-stopping standby state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow control device, and more particularly, to a flow control valve using a stepping motor as a drive unit for the flow control valve.

  Conventionally, a flow control valve (flow control valve), a stepping motor that drives the valve body of the flow control valve, a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force from the stepping motor to the valve body, and water discharge and flow control A device including an operation unit and a control unit that controls the operation of a stepping motor is known.

  By the way, in the flow control valve device using such a stepping motor as the drive unit, when the valve body is driven by the stepping motor, the position of the valve body is continuously detected, and based on the detection result. Since feedback control that rotates the stepping motor and moves the valve body to the target position increases the cost, normally such feedback control is not performed and the valve body is moved to the target position (opening). The valve body is moved by supplying pulses to the stepping motor by the number of pulses necessary for the movement.

  However, in this case, since the position of the valve body cannot be confirmed in a non-energized state before use, that is, it is not known where the stepping motor is currently positioning the valve body. When the valve body is moved by sending a pulse to the stepping motor by the number of pulses corresponding to the discharged water flow rate (that is, according to the planned movement amount of the valve body), the original valve body position is confirmed correctly. If it is not possible, there is a problem that it is difficult to cause the water to be discharged at an accurate flow rate.

An object of solving this problem is disclosed in the following patent document.
In the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, the valve body is moved from the closed state to the fully opened state by the rotation of the stepping motor, and the fully opened position is confirmed by using the step out due to the contact with the stopper at this time. Thereafter, the valve body is moved by reversing the stepping motor until the valve opening degree corresponding to the designated flow rate is reached, and water is discharged.
However, if it does in this way, useless water discharge will be performed at the beginning, and a user's unexpected water discharge will be performed and will surprise a user.

  In a flow control device using a stepping motor, when the valve body is moved in the opening direction due to backlash (gap) between the members of the transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the stepping motor to the valve body side, the flow regulating valve is closed. There is a problem that a so-called hysteresis phenomenon occurs, in which the position of the valve body is deviated from when it is moved in the direction.

Specifically, after rotating the stepping motor with the number of pulses necessary to move the valve body in the opening direction by a certain amount from a certain position, the position of the valve body is the original even if the stepping motor is reversed with the same number of pulses. There is a problem that a difference occurs in the discharged water flow rate between the direction of increasing the discharged water flow rate and the direction of decreasing the discharged water flow rate without returning to the position.
In this case, the water discharge flow rate is inaccurate and the user's feeling of use is impaired.

In the following Patent Document 2, the number of pulses corresponding to the backlash generated between the gears of the speed reducer is included as a correction pulse number when the discharge water flow rate is increased and decreased, and the rotation of the stepping motor is controlled. It is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 also discloses that the pulse corresponding to backlash is included as the number of correction pulses to control the rotation of the stepping motor.
However, these Patent Documents 2 and 1 do not describe how to obtain the number of pulses corresponding to backlash.

On the other hand, Patent Document 3 discloses an invention concerning a reduction gear for a valve, and discloses a method for measuring a backlash between gears in the reduction gear.
However, the one disclosed in Patent Document 3 is intended to determine the backlash in the speed reducer itself, in which the position of the valve body is controlled by a stepping motor, and the valve body therefor. The essential and important points in the flow control device, such as where to set the reference position, are not disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 2998525 Japanese Patent No. 2898477 JP 2001-221362 A

The present invention has been made for the purpose of providing a flow control device capable of moving a valve element with a stepping motor while accurately controlling the position of the valve element against the background as described above. .
Another object of the present invention is to correct the backlash between the members of the transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the stepping motor to the valve body side, and to move the valve body accurately by the required movement amount by the stepping motor. An object of the present invention is to provide a flow control device that can perform the above-described operation.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve, a stepping motor that drives the valve body of the flow control valve, a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force from the stepping motor to the valve body, and water discharge And a control unit that controls the operation of the stepping motor, and a valve body side member that receives the driving force from the stepping motor via the transmission mechanism. A reference position detection sensor for detecting that the valve body side member is located at a specific reference position by detecting arrival of the detected part of the valve body side member during movement is provided, and the reference position is determined by the valve body. It is set to the position which moved to the close direction side of the valve body rather than the water discharge start position which is the position where water discharge starts.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the reference position is the water discharge start position and a position moved from the water discharge start position to the closing direction side of the valve body. It is set to the position between the water stop standby position of the position used as a state, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the stepping motor is rotated in either one of a normal direction in which the valve body is opened or a reverse direction in the closing direction, and the sensor is When it is detected that the valve body side member is positioned at the reference position, the rotation position of the corresponding stepping motor is stored as a reference rotation position in the control unit, and the stepping motor is moved from the reference rotation position to the one direction. Is rotated in the opposite direction, and the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor until the sensor detects the separation of the detected part of the valve body side member is obtained as a correction pulse number corresponding to the backlash of the transmission mechanism, and the stepping motor Rotational motion control is performed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the stepping motor is rotated in a positive direction in a direction in which the valve body is opened based on a user's water discharge operation, and the valve body side member is passed through the reference position. The valve body is opened and moved to a water discharge position where water is discharged from the water discharge section, and the stepping motor is rotated in the reverse direction based on a water stop operation by a user to move the valve body side member to the reference position. The number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor when the valve body side member is moved from the reference position to the water discharge position, and supply to the stepping motor when the valve body side member is moved from the water discharge position to the reference position. The difference in the number of pulses is obtained as the number of correction pulses corresponding to the backlash of the transmission mechanism, and the rotation operation of the stepping motor is controlled. It is characterized in.

Effects and effects of the invention

  As described above, the present invention provides a reference position detection sensor that detects that the valve body side member is located at a specific reference position by detecting the arrival of the detected part during movement of the valve body side member, and the reference position Is set to a position where the valve body has moved to the closing direction side of the valve body from the water discharge start position, which is the position where water discharge starts.

In the present invention, the stepping motor is rotated in either the forward direction of the valve opening direction or the reverse direction of the closing direction, and the valve body side member is moved closer to the closing direction than the water discharge start position. The valve body side member can be brought to the reference position.
Thus, when the valve body side member reaches the reference position, the sensor detects this, and here, the current position of the valve body side member (reference position), that is, the position of the valve body can be confirmed.

Then, the position of the valve body can be correctly controlled by rotating the stepping motor and driving the valve body with the rotational position of the stepping motor at this time as the reference rotational position.
At the same time, the step-out of the stepping motor in the past can be corrected and the influence of the step-out can be eliminated.
For example, by supplying pulses to the stepping motor by the number of pulses corresponding to the desired water discharge flow rate thereafter, the valve body can be reliably moved to the planned valve opening position, and water discharge can be performed accurately at the desired flow rate.

  In the present invention, since the reference position of the valve body side member is set in the closing direction side with respect to the water discharge start position, the position of the valve body can be confirmed without causing water discharge by opening the valve body. It is possible to prevent unnecessary water discharge for checking the position of the valve body, and the user's unexpected water discharge is caused by the operation of checking the position of the valve body. The problem of being surprised can be avoided.

In this case, the reference position is set between the water discharge start position and the water stop standby position where the valve body is moved to the valve closing direction side of the water discharge start position and the valve body is in the water stop standby state. (Claim 2).
Here, the water stop standby position is set in advance as a position where the valve body can reliably stop water even when there is a secular change, and as a position when the valve body is closed during normal use. be able to.

  In this second aspect, when the stepping motor is energized, the valve body side member that is normally in the water stop standby position is moved toward the water discharge start position, so that the valve body side member is moved to the water discharge start position and the water stop standby position. It is possible to reach the reference position that is set in between, and the valve body side member can be reached to the reference position with a small movement.

  Next, according to a third aspect of the present invention, when the sensor detects that the valve body side member is located at the reference position by rotating the stepping motor in either the forward direction of the valve body opening direction or the reverse direction of the closing direction. In addition, the rotation position of the corresponding stepping motor is stored in the control unit as a reference rotation position, this time the stepping motor is rotated from the reference rotation position in the direction opposite to the one direction, and the sensor detects the valve body side member. The number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor until the separation of the part is detected is obtained as the number of correction pulses corresponding to the backlash of the transmission mechanism, and the rotation operation of the stepping motor is controlled.

If there is backlash in the transmission mechanism, even if the stepping motor is rotated in the opposite direction from the reference rotation position, a part of the reverse rotation is absorbed by the backlash, regardless of the reverse rotation of the stepping motor. The valve body, specifically, the valve body side member does not move.
When the stepping motor rotates in the opposite direction by the amount of backlash, the driving force from the stepping motor is transmitted to the valve body side member via the transmission mechanism for the first time, and the valve body side member is moved. Here, the sensor detects the separation of the detected portion of the valve body side member.
Therefore, here, the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor until the sensor detects the separation of the detected part of the valve body side member is obtained as the number of correction pulses corresponding to backlash, and the rotational operation control of the stepping motor is performed based on this correction value. I do.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the backlash can be corrected without opening the valve body, the wasteful water discharge is not performed during the correction operation, and the backlash is corrected without being noticed by the user. It can be performed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the stepping motor is started, it is first moved in the reverse rotation direction to the full position, that is, the valve body side member is moved to the full limit (closed limit position) in the closing direction, and then the stepping motor is rotated in the forward direction. As a result, the valve body side member can be reliably brought to the reference position.
Even when the valve body side member is located between the reference position and the water discharge start position at the time of starting the stepping motor, the valve body side member is surely secured by the reverse rotation of the stepping motor and the subsequent forward rotation. The valve body side member can be moved to the reference position by moving from the fully closed position in the closing direction to the reference position side. As a result, the backlash correction operation can be performed reliably.

  Next, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the stepping motor is rotated in the positive direction of the direction of opening the valve body based on the user's water discharge operation, the valve body side member is passed through the reference position, the valve body is opened, and the water discharge section. From the reference position, the valve body side member is moved from the reference position by rotating the stepping motor in the reverse direction based on the water stop operation by the user and moving the valve body side member to the reference position. The difference between the number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor when moving to the water discharge position and the number of supply pulses when moving from the water discharge position to the reference position is obtained as the number of correction pulses corresponding to the backlash of the transmission mechanism, and the rotation of the stepping motor Since the operation control is performed, the backlash correction can be performed without wasteful water discharge.

It is the figure which showed the water tap provided with the flow control valve apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the flow control apparatus of the embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of FIG. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows each valve body side member in the embodiment. It is the figure which showed the state of the valve body corresponding to each position of the cam member in the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the reference position detection sensor and light shielding part in each state of FIG. It is the figure which showed the example of the backlash correction in the same embodiment.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, 10 is a faucet, and 12 is a water discharge pipe in the faucet 10.
The water discharge pipe 12 is provided in a form that stands up from a mounting surface (not shown) such as a counter upper surface.
Here, the water discharge pipe 12 has an inverted U-shaped gooseneck shape as a whole, and a water discharge port 14 is provided at the tip thereof.
Further, the water discharge pipe 12 includes a rotary-shaped dial operation unit (flow adjustment operation unit) 16 that adjusts the flow rate of water discharge on the lower shape part that descends downward from the top to the front end, and the upper surface of the front end part. An infrared human body detection sensor (water discharge operation unit) 18 for water is provided.

Here, the dial operation unit 16 is configured as an electrical operation unit, and when the dial operation unit 16 is rotated, the rotation position detection sensor detects this and generates a signal corresponding to the rotation position. Then, the signal is sent to the control unit 20 described later.
The human body detection sensor 18 emits infrared rays from the light emitting unit, and receives light reflected by the human body at the light receiving unit to perform human body detection. The faucet 10 performs automatic water discharge and water stop based on the human body detection by the human body detection sensor 18.
Here, the human body detection sensor 18 is configured as an alternate sensor that alternately discharges water and stops water every time a human body is detected.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 22 denotes a water supply channel, and the flow regulating valve 24 of this embodiment is provided on the water supply channel 22.
The flow regulating device 24 includes a flow regulating valve 28 and a stepping motor 26 serving as a driving unit thereof.
The stepping motor 26 is electrically connected to the control unit 20 and controlled in operation by the control unit 20.
The control unit 20 is also electrically connected to the human body detection sensor 18 and the dial operation unit 16 (specifically, a rotational position detection sensor for detecting the rotational position).

2 to 4 show a specific configuration of the flow regulating valve 24. FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes a body of the flow control valve 28. The body 30 is provided with a primary inflow water channel 32 and a secondary outflow water channel 34, which are formed by the inflow water channel 32 and the outflow water channel 34. A valve portion is provided on the main water channel.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a main valve body in the valve portion. As shown in FIG. 3, the main valve body 36 is a hard main valve main body 38 and a rubber diaphragm membrane which is held thereby and also serves as a seal member. It consists of 40.
The main valve body 36 moves forward and backward toward the main valve seat 42 to open and close the main water channel and to change the opening degree.

Specifically, the main valve body 36 blocks the main water passage by being seated on the main valve seat 42, and opens the main water passage by being separated upward from the main valve seat 42 in the drawing.
Further, the opening degree of the main water channel is changed depending on the distance from the main valve seat 42 to adjust the flow rate of the water flowing through the main water channel.

A back pressure chamber 44 is provided on the upper side of the main valve body 36 in the figure, that is, on the side opposite to the outflow water passage 34 with respect to the main valve body 36.
The back pressure chamber 44 causes the internal pressure to act on the main valve body 36 as a pressing force in the valve closing direction downward in the figure.
The main valve body 36 is provided with an introduction small hole 46 that passes through the main valve body 36 and allows the primary inflow water passage 32 and the back pressure chamber 44 to communicate with each other.
The introduction small hole 46 leads the water from the inflow water channel 32 to the back pressure chamber 44 and increases the pressure of the back pressure chamber 44.

The main valve body 36 is also provided with a pilot water channel 48 as a water drainage channel that passes through the main valve body 36 and communicates the back pressure chamber 44 and the secondary outlet water channel 34.
The pilot water channel 48 reduces the pressure in the back pressure chamber 44 by drawing the water in the back pressure chamber 44 to the outflow water channel 34.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a pilot valve body in the valve portion, and a seal member 47 made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided below the pilot valve body.
The pilot valve body 45 moves back and forth in the vertical direction in the drawing, that is, in the vertical direction (axial direction) in the drawing with respect to the pilot valve seat 50 provided in the main valve body 36, thereby changing the opening degree of the pilot water channel 48.

Specifically, the pilot water passage 48 is closed when the pilot valve body 45 is seated on the pilot valve seat 50, and the pilot water passage 48 is opened when the pilot valve body 45 is separated upward from the pilot valve seat 50 in the figure. The
Furthermore, the opening degree of the pilot water channel 48 is changed in accordance with the distance from the pilot valve seat 45 to the pilot valve seat 50.

However, in this embodiment, when the pilot valve body 45 actually moves forward and backward in the figure, the main valve body 36 follows the pilot valve body 45 and moves forward and backward in the figure.
At that time, the main valve body 36 moves forward and backward in the same direction following the forward / backward movement of the pilot valve body 45 in a state where a constant minute follow-up gap is maintained between the pilot valve seat 50 and the pilot valve body 45. .

Specifically, when the pilot valve body 45 moves backward in the figure, the pilot water channel 48 opens and the water in the back pressure chamber 44 passes through the pilot water channel 48 to the outflow water channel 34, and the pressure in the back pressure chamber 44 decreases. .
Then, the main valve body 36 is moved upward in accordance with the backward movement of the pilot valve body 45 so as to balance the pressure of the back pressure chamber 44 and the pressure of the inflow water passage 32, and the main water passage is opened to open the inflow water passage. Water is circulated from 32 to the outflow channel 34.

  The main valve body 36 moves in the same direction following the further backward movement of the pilot valve body 45 while maintaining the gap between the pilot valve seat 50 and the pilot valve body 45 constant, and the opening of the main water channel is increased. Further expanding, the flow rate of water in the main channel is increased.

Conversely, when the pilot valve body 45 moves forward downward in the figure, the main valve body 36 follows the forward movement of the pilot valve body 45 by balancing the pressure of the back pressure chamber 44 and the pressure of the inflow water passage 32. Then, it moves downward in the figure, and decreases the flow rate of the water in the main water channel by decreasing the opening of the main water channel.
Finally, the main valve body 36 and the pilot valve body 45 are seated on the main valve seat 42 and the pilot valve seat 50, and each of them is closed.

A small-diameter pin 54 protrudes downward from the pilot valve body 45 in the figure, and this pin 54 passes through the through hole in the central portion of the main valve body 36 downward.
The pilot water channel 48 is formed in an annular shape with a narrow width between the pin 54 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole of the main valve body 36.
On the other hand, on the side opposite to the pin 54, a metal coil spring 52 is disposed above the pilot valve body 45, and the pilot valve body 45 is urged downward in the figure by the coil spring 52.

In FIG. 2, 56 is a pilot valve body 45, specifically, a shaft body as a valve body side member provided coaxially facing the above-mentioned pin 54 in the vertical direction, and the upper part in the figure is an outflow water channel from the body 30 34 sticks out.
The shaft body 56 moves the pilot valve body 45 backward in the figure by upward movement in the figure, and moves the main valve body 36 backward in the same direction via the pilot valve body 45.
The shaft body 56 and the body 30 are sealed watertight by an O-ring 58 as a seal member.

  The shaft body 56 is inserted downwardly into a recess 60 formed in the body 30 at a lower portion in the figure, and is arranged below the recess 60 so as to be slidable up and down. The lower part of the driven member 62 is coupled to the driven member 62.

The driven member 62 is provided with a protrusion 64 as a driven portion on the lower surface side, and an insertion hole 66 is formed in the central portion on the upper surface side, and the lower end portion of the shaft body 56 is inserted into the driven member 62 by press fitting. Rarely, the shaft body 56 and the driven member 62 are coupled together in a vertically moving state.
The driven member 62 also forms a valve body side member.

A grease cap 68 is fitted into the upper portion of the recess 60.
A grease reservoir is formed inside the grease cap 68, and grease is held therein.
A metal coil spring (spring member) 70 is interposed between the grease cap 68 and the driven member 62, and the driven member 62 is urged downward in the figure by the coil spring 70. That is, the shaft body 56 is urged downward in the figure by the coil spring 70.

As shown in FIG. 2, the output shaft of the stepping motor 26 is connected to the rotating shaft 74 via a speed reduction mechanism 72 having a plurality of gears. The rotating shaft 74 is coupled to the cam member 76 in an integrally rotated state.
The cam member 76 has a cylindrical shape, and has an insertion hole 78 in the center as shown in FIG. 4, and the rotating shaft 74 is inserted upwardly there.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the rotary shaft 74 and the insertion hole 78 at the center of the cam member 76 are formed with cut-off flat engagement surfaces 80 and 82, respectively. And the insertion hole 78 are engaged with each other at the engaging surfaces 80 and 82.
The cam member 76 rotates integrally with the rotary shaft 74 by their engaging action.

The upper surface of the cam member 76 forms a cam surface 86 having a partial spiral shape that is shifted upward as it moves counterclockwise in the drawing along the circumferential direction.
Then, the projection 64 of the driven member 62 is brought into contact with the cam surface 86 downward based on the biasing force of the coil spring 70.
Accordingly, when the stepping motor 26 is rotated, specifically, when the output shaft thereof is rotated, the cam member 76 rotates to move the shaft body 56 in the vertical direction in the drawing, and the pilot is moved by the vertical movement of the shaft body 56. The main valve body 36 is operated via the valve body 45.

  Specifically, when the stepping motor 26 is rotated in the forward direction, the cam member 76 is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 2 and 4, and the shaft body 56 is pushed upward by the pushing-up action of the cam surface 86 against the protrusion 64, thereby The pilot valve body 45 is moved backward in the figure. The main valve body 36 is moved in the upward valve opening direction in the figure following the upward retreat movement of the pilot valve body 45 in the figure.

  On the contrary, when the stepping motor 26 is rotated in the opposite direction to the above, the cam member 76 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure, and accordingly, the protrusion 64 of the driven member 62 is cam surface by the urging force of the coil spring 70. The shaft body 56 moves downward along the line 86 and moves the main valve body 36 downward via the pilot valve body 45. That is, the main valve body 36 is operated in the valve closing direction.

  In the present embodiment, the speed reduction mechanism 72 is a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the stepping motor 26 to the main valve body 36 side, and receives the driving force from the stepping motor 26 via the speed reduction mechanism 72. The rotary shaft 74 and the cam member 76 together with the shaft body 56 and the driven member 62 form a valve body side member.

The body 30 has a recess 88 that rotatably accommodates the cam member 76. On the inner surface of the recess 88, the cam member 76 as a valve body side member is positioned at a specific reference position. A reference position detection sensor 90 for detection is provided.
The reference position detection sensor 90 is a photoelectric sensor, and includes a light projecting unit 92 and a light receiving unit 94 that face each other in the vertical direction.
An insertion space 96 is formed between the light projecting unit 92 and the light receiving unit 94.

On the other hand, on the outer peripheral surface of the cam member 76, the light shielding portion 98 is provided so as to rotate integrally with the cam member 76 at a position in the vertical direction between the light projecting portion 92 and the light receiving portion 94 along the circumferential direction. .
In this embodiment, when the circumferential end (detected portion) 100 of the light shielding portion 98 is inserted into the insertion space 96 of the reference position detection sensor 90 and reaches with the rotation of the cam member 76, the light projecting portion 92. The reference position detection sensor 90 detects the arrival of the end 100 of the light shielding unit 98 by shielding the light from the light receiving unit 94 to the light receiving unit 94, and detects that the cam member 76 has reached a specific reference position in the rotation direction. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the reference position is set to a position between the water discharge start position and the water stop standby position shown in FIG.

Here, the water discharge start position is the position (rotation position) of the cam member 76 when the main valve body 36 starts water discharge from now on as the shaft body 56 of FIG. 2 moves upward, and the water stop standby position is This is the position of the cam member 76 when the main valve body 36 enters the water stop standby state due to the rotation of the cam member 76 and the downward movement of the shaft body 56 in the drawing. Here, the water stop standby position is a position where the cam member 76 has moved closer to the closing direction than the water discharge start position.
Thus the reference position, the distance d ₃ between the pin 54 of the shaft 56 and the pilot valve body 45 is a position where the smaller than the distance d ₂ when the water stop standby position.

At the water discharge start position, the interval between the shaft body 56 and the pin 54 becomes zero, and as soon as the shaft body 56 moves further upward, the main valve body 36 moves upward to open the valve and perform water discharge. Make it.
Meanwhile閉限degree position of FIG. 5, at a position where the cam member 76 is rotated up to the limit full in the closing direction of the main valve body 36, spacing d ₁ between the shaft 56 and the pin 54 at this time when water cutoff standby position The distance d _{2 is} larger than the distance d ₂ .
The closed limit position is defined by a stopper action by a stopper (not shown).

FIG. 6 shows the relative positional relationship between the end 100 of the light shielding unit 98 at each of the closing limit position, the water stop standby position, the reference position, and the water discharge start position, that is, the detected portion and the reference position detection sensor 90. .
As shown in FIG. 6, in the closed limit position, the end 100 of the light shielding portion 98 is located farthest in the counterclockwise direction in the figure from the reference position detection sensor 90, and from this state, the cam member 76 is moved to the position shown in FIGS. In FIG. 4, when the water stop standby position is reached by rotating clockwise, the distance between the end 100 and the reference position detection sensor 90 approaches, and the cam member 76 rotates clockwise from this water stop standby position. When the reference position is reached, the end 100 reaches a detection position by the reference position detection sensor 90, and when the cam member 76 rotates clockwise from this reference position to the water discharge start position, the end 100 is moved to the reference position. The position passes through the detection sensor 90 and moves away from it.

That is, in this embodiment, when the position (rotational position) of the cam member 76 reaches a reference position between the water stop standby position and the water discharge start position, the reference position detection sensor 90 reaches the end 100 of the light shielding unit 98. Detecting that the cam member 76 has reached the reference position.
As can be seen from the above description, the closing limit position, the water stop standby position, the reference position, and the water discharge start position are all in a closed state in which the diaphragm membrane 40 of the main valve body 36 is in contact with the main valve seat 42. (See FIG. 5).

In the present embodiment as described above, when the stepping motor 26 is energized, the cam member 76 that is normally in the water stop standby position is moved toward the water discharge start position, so that the cam member 76 is stopped from the water discharge start position. The reference position set between the water standby position and the water standby position can be reached.
Thus, when the cam member 76 reaches the reference position, the reference position detection sensor 90 detects this, and confirms the current position of the cam member 76 (reference position), that is, the position or state of the main valve body 36. be able to.

The rotational position of the stepping motor 26 at this time is stored as a reference rotational position, and the main valve body 36 can be correctly driven and position-controlled by supplying a pulse to the stepping motor 26 and rotating it.
For example, by supplying pulses to the stepping motor 26 by the number of pulses corresponding to the desired water discharge flow rate thereafter, the main valve body 36 can be reliably moved to the planned valve opening position, and water discharge can be performed accurately at the desired flow rate. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, since the reference position of the cam member 76 is set closer to the closing direction than the water discharge start position, wasteful water discharge is performed to confirm the position of the cam member 76, that is, the position of the main valve body 36. In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from being surprised by unexpected water discharge due to the operation of confirming the position of the main valve body 36.

In addition, as shown with the broken line of FIG. 7, it is also possible to set the reference position further in the closing direction side than the water stop standby position.
Even in this case, the stepping motor 26 is rotated in either one of the forward direction in which the main valve body 36 is opened or the reverse direction in the closing direction, and the cam member 76 is moved closer to the closing direction than the water discharge start position. Thus, this can be surely reached the reference position.
However, since the cam member 76 is normally in the water stop standby position, it can reach the reference position by moving it once in the closing direction.

  On the other hand, if the reference position is set between the water stop standby position and the water discharge start position, the cam member 76 can normally reach the reference position only by rotating the stepping motor 26 in the forward direction.

  Therefore, by setting the reference position to a position between the water stop standby position and the water discharge start position, the main valve body 36 changes from the normal water stop to the water discharge operation or from the water discharge operation to the water stop operation. When this is done, the cam member 76 surely passes the reference position, and the reference position of the cam member 76 can be easily detected.

By the way, the speed reduction mechanism 72 as a transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force from the stepping motor 26 has a backlash (play) between the gears. This backlash deteriorates the accuracy of position control when the main valve body 36 is driven by the stepping motor 26.
In this embodiment, the backlash is corrected as follows, and the main valve body 36 is driven with high accuracy by the stepping motor 26 to control the position.

FIG. 7I shows an example of correction of the backlash.
In this embodiment, when the stepping motor 26 is energized, the stepping motor 26 is first rotated to the full extent in the direction of closing the main valve body 36 (rotated in the reverse direction).
The closed limit position in FIG. 7 represents a position where the cam member 76 has rotated to the full limit in the closing direction side of the main valve body 36. In this embodiment, when the cam member 76 reaches this closed limit position, Next, the stepping motor 26 is now rotated in the positive direction in which the main valve body 36 is opened, and the reference position detection sensor 90 detects that the cam member 76 has reached the reference position beyond the water stop standby position. Then, the rotation position of the corresponding stepping motor 26 is stored in the control unit 20 as the reference rotation position.

  Then, the stepping motor 26 is rotated again in the reverse direction from the reference rotation position, and the stepping motor 26 is moved until the reference position detection sensor 90 detects the separation of the end 100 of the light shielding portion 98 that rotates together with the cam member 76. The supplied pulse number is obtained as a correction pulse number corresponding to the gear backlash of the speed reduction mechanism 72.

The number of pulses required to rotate the cam member 76 from the reference position to the water stop standby position (the positional relationship between the reference position and the water stop standby position is known in advance, so the cam from the reference position to the water stop standby position is The cam member 76 can be positioned at the water stop standby position by supplying the stepping motor 26 with the number of pulses obtained by adding the number of correction pulses to the stepping motor 26). .
And it waits there to wait for the water discharge operation from a user after that.

  In this example, the backlash can be corrected without opening the main valve body 36, and no wasteful water discharge is performed during the correction operation, and the backlash is corrected without the user's awareness. It can be performed.

FIG. 7 (II) shows another example of backlash correction.
Here, by the water discharge operation by the user, the cam member 76 at the normal water stop standby position is rotated in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 2 and 4 by the forward rotation of the stepping motor 26.

Then, the reference position detection sensor 90 detects that the cam member 76 has reached the reference position, and the corresponding reference rotation position of the stepping motor 26 at that time is stored in the control unit 20.
Further, the stepping motor 26 is further rotated in the forward direction, and the cam member 76 is moved to a water discharge position where the main valve body 36 is opened and water is discharged from the water discharge port 14.

Thereafter, when the user performs the water stop operation, the stepping motor 26 is rotated in the reverse direction to reach the cam member 76 to the reference position. The number of supply pulses (N) to the stepping motor 26 when rotating the cam member 76 from the reference position to the water discharge position and the number of supply pulses (N + α) to the stepping motor 26 when rotating from the water discharge position to the reference position. The difference α is obtained as the number of correction pulses corresponding to the backlash of the speed reduction mechanism 72, and then the rotational operation control of the stepping motor 26 is performed.
Also in this embodiment, backlash correction can be performed without performing useless water discharge.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example.
For example, in the above embodiment, when the light shielding portion 98 provided on the cam member 76 is inserted into the insertion space of the reference position detection sensor 90, the arrival of the end 100 of the light shielding portion 98 is detected. When the light shielding portion 98 located in the space 94 and shielding light reaches a position where light transmission from the light projecting portion 92 to the light receiving portion 94 is allowed by rotation of the cam member 76, the light shielding portion 98 It is also possible to detect the arrival of the end 100 of the portion 98 by the reference position detection sensor 90 to detect the reference position of the cam member 76, and to determine the arrangement position of the light shielding portion 98 as such. .

  In the above embodiment, the cam member 76 is a valve body side member, and the state or opening of the main valve body 36 is confirmed by detecting the position of the cam member 76, but other than the driven member 62 and the shaft body 56, etc. The state or the opening degree of the main valve body 36 may be confirmed by detecting the position of the valve body side member, or the stepping may be performed by detecting the reference position of the main valve body 36 itself. It is also possible to obtain the relationship between the rotational position of the motor and the state of the main valve body 36.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the speed reduction mechanism 72 is used as a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force from the stepping motor 26 to the valve body side. However, such a transmission mechanism is configured in various other structures, and a plurality of the transmission mechanisms are configured. It is also possible to obtain the number of correction pulses with the entire play between the members as a backlash, and to control the driving of the valve body by the stepping motor 26. The present invention makes various changes within a range not departing from the gist thereof. Can be configured.

16 Dial operation part (flow control operation part)
18 Human body detection sensor (water discharge control unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Control part 24 Flow control apparatus 26 Stepping motor 28 Flow control valve 36 Main valve body 72 Deceleration mechanism 76 Cam member 90 Reference | standard position detection sensor 98 Light shielding part 100 End

Claims (4)

A flow control valve, a stepping motor that drives the valve body of the flow control valve, a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force from the stepping motor to the valve body, and an operation unit for adjusting water discharge and flow rate, A flow control valve device that controls the operation of the stepping motor, and when the valve body side member that receives the driving force from the stepping motor through the transmission mechanism moves, Providing a reference position detection sensor for detecting that the valve body side member is located at a specific reference position by detecting arrival;
In addition, the flow control device is characterized in that the reference position is set to a position where the valve body is moved closer to the closing direction of the valve body than a water discharge start position where the valve body starts water discharge.   2. The water stop position according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is the water discharge start position and a position that is moved closer to the valve body closing direction than the water discharge start position and the valve body is in a water stop standby state. A flow control device, wherein the flow control device is set at a position between the standby position and the standby position.   3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stepping motor is rotated in either one of a forward direction of the valve body opening direction or a reverse direction of the closing direction, and the sensor is configured such that the valve body side member is in the reference position. When the position of the stepping motor is detected, the corresponding rotation position of the stepping motor is stored in the control unit as a reference rotation position, and the stepping motor is rotated from the reference rotation position in a direction opposite to the one direction, The number of pulses supplied to the stepping motor until the sensor detects the separation of the detected part of the valve body side member is obtained as the number of correction pulses corresponding to the backlash of the transmission mechanism, and the rotation operation of the stepping motor is controlled. A flow control device characterized by the above.   3. The valve body according to claim 2, wherein the valve body is opened by rotating the stepping motor in a positive direction in which the valve body is opened based on a user's water discharge operation, and passing the valve body side member through the reference position. The valve body side member is moved to the reference position by rotating the stepping motor in the reverse direction based on a water stop operation by a user, and moving the water valve from the water discharge section to a water discharge position that is a position to discharge water. The transmission is performed with a difference between the number of supply pulses to the stepping motor when the body side member is moved from the reference position to the water discharge position and the number of supply pulses to the stepping motor when the body side member is moved from the water discharge position to the reference position. The number of correction pulses corresponding to the backlash of the mechanism is obtained, and the rotation operation of the stepping motor is controlled. Control valve device.

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