JP2011250919A - Shower system and shower control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve convenience of using a shower by simply controlling tapping temperature of hot water of the shower without operating a remote control switch while the shower head is held in hand.SOLUTION: When a user 8 uses the shower, when the user makes a prescribed gesture movement such as shaking of the shower head 5 in a specific direction, the acceleration is detected by an acceleration detection means 203, and the acceleration pattern of the gesture operation is decided by a controller 201. When there is such the prescribed gesture movement, the tapping temperature of the shower can be controlled by transmitting a prescribed temperature control signal from a radio communication means 207 to a remote controller 2. Thus, faucet operation or switch operation are eliminated, convenience of the use of the shower is improved.

Description

  The present invention relates to a shower system and a shower control method related to temperature control and hot water control in shower use of a hot water supply apparatus.

  In a device using a conventional shower head, the shower head includes a temperature detection unit that detects the water discharge temperature, stores an appropriate temperature range of the water discharge temperature in the storage unit in advance, and notifies that the water discharge temperature is in the appropriate temperature range, Patents that prevent cold feelings and discomfort due to hot water without having to display the water discharge temperature or checking the temperature beforehand by hand before taking a shower It is shown in Document 1.

  In addition, the main controller can roughly adjust the shower temperature and flow rate, and a sub-controller equipped with an operation key on the shower head is provided to allow fine adjustment of the shower temperature and flow rate when using the shower so that it can be set quickly. It is shown in Patent Document 2.

JP 2000-275110 A JP-A-1-277523

  However, in the conventional configuration, it is possible to check whether the water discharge temperature is appropriate for the shower head, and to finely adjust the temperature and flow rate of the hot water discharged from the hand holding the shower head. In order to do so, it is necessary to operate the karan first and take out the water. When stopping hot water, it is necessary to stop the hot water by operating the karan. If the karan is not in the vicinity of the shower head, it is necessary to bend to operate the karan, etc. There is annoying.

  In addition, in the hot water temperature control, the temperature can be finely adjusted with the switch provided at the hand of the shower head, but it is troublesome because it is necessary to confirm and press the switch. In addition, providing the switch on the surface of the shower head has a problem that a waterproof structure of the switch portion is required.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the convenience of shower use by simply controlling the hot water temperature of the shower without operating the switch of the remote controller while holding the shower head when using the shower.

  Acceleration detecting means for detecting the operation of the shower head; control means for determining an acceleration pattern detected by the acceleration detecting means; wireless communication means for transmitting a temperature control signal according to the acceleration pattern; and the wireless communication means; A shower that has a remote controller that communicates and controls the hot-water supply device, and that the user holds the shower head and performs a preset predetermined operation to transmit a temperature control signal to the remote controller and control the temperature at which the hot water is discharged from the shower The head is configured.

By doing so, the user can control the shower hot water temperature by holding the shower head in his hand and performing a predetermined pattern gesture operation such as shaking the shower head in a specific direction while taking a shower. As a result, the convenience of using the shower is improved. Also, since there is no switch operation on the remote controller, a shower can be used and convenience is improved without checking the switch and pressing the temperature increase / decrease switch.

  By using the shower system and the shower control method of the present invention, the temperature can be controlled simply by performing the gesture operation of the shower head while holding the shower head, so that the convenience of shower use is improved. .

System configuration diagram of hot water supply apparatus, remote controller and shower head in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram which shows the shower head in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement of gesture operation of the shower head in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the gesture operation of the temperature control of the shower head in Embodiment 1 of this invention.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided acceleration detecting means for detecting an operation of a shower head, control means for determining an acceleration pattern detected by the acceleration detecting means, and wireless communication means for transmitting a temperature control signal according to the acceleration pattern. A remote controller that communicates with the wireless communication means to control the hot water supply device, and when the user holds the shower head and performs a predetermined gesture operation that is set in advance, the control means performs temperature control with an acceleration pattern by the acceleration detection means. The shower system is configured to perform the temperature control for determining and sending the temperature control signal to the remote controller via the wireless communication means and discharging the hot water from the shower.

  Then, the user holds the shower head in his hand, performs a predetermined pattern gesture operation such as shaking the shower head in a specific direction while taking a shower, detects the acceleration by the acceleration detection means, and controls the acceleration pattern. Thus, by sending a temperature control signal from the wireless communication means to the remote controller, it becomes possible to control the hot water temperature of the shower, and the convenience of shower use is improved. Also, since there is no switch operation on the remote controller, a shower can be used and convenience is improved without checking the switch and pressing the temperature increase / decrease switch.

  2nd invention is equipped with the valve means which controls the amount of hot water of a shower, and when a user hold | maintains a shower head and performs the predetermined | prescribed predetermined gesture operation | movement, the said valve means is controlled by the said control means, The shower system according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the hot water discharged is controlled.

  Then, the user holds the shower head in his hand, performs a predetermined pattern gesture operation such as shaking the shower head in a specific direction while taking a shower, detects the acceleration by the acceleration detection means, and controls the acceleration pattern. Thus, the amount of hot water discharged from the shower can be controlled by controlling the valve means, and the convenience of shower use is improved. Further, since the switch operation of the remote control and the curan operation are eliminated, the convenience of using the shower is improved.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the shower head includes human body detection means for detecting a human body, and the human body detection means performs temperature control or hot water control when detecting a human body within a certain distance facing the shower head. Alternatively, the shower system described in 2 is configured.

  Since the control is performed only when the human body is detected within a certain distance by the human body detection means, the safety and convenience of shower use can be improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a user holds a shower head and detects a predetermined acceleration pattern of a predetermined gesture operation, and generates a temperature control signal and transmits it to a remote control when the acceleration pattern of the predetermined gesture operation is detected. And a step of controlling the temperature of the hot water discharged from the shower with the remote controller that has received the temperature control signal.

  Then, when the user performs a predetermined gesture operation such as holding the shower head in his / her hand and shaking the shower head in a specific direction while taking a shower, the acceleration / acceleration pattern of the shower head is determined and a temperature control signal is transmitted by wireless communication. Is transmitted to the remote controller, so that the temperature of the shower water can be controlled, and the convenience of using the shower is improved. Also, since there is no switch operation on the remote controller, a shower can be used and convenience is improved without checking the switch and pressing the temperature increase / decrease switch.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a hot water supply apparatus, a remote controller, and a shower head according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the shower head.

  The configuration of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 1, a hot water supply apparatus 1 is a heat pump type hot water heater. It is comprised from the heat pump unit 1a and the hot water storage tank unit 1b. The heat pump unit 1a is a system that makes hot water by absorbing air heat into a refrigerant (CO2 refrigerant), compressing it with a compressor, and increasing the temperature to exchange heat with water flowing in the pipe. The produced hot water is stored in the hot water storage tank unit 1b, and when the user needs hot water, the hot water stored in the hot water storage tank unit 1b is used.

  The remote controller 2 is a remote controller that controls the hot water supply device 1. The remote controller 2 includes switches 2a and 2b for setting the hot water supply temperature. 2a is an upper switch and 2b is a lower switch. The upper switch 2a and the lower switch 2b are constituted by a button switch, a membrane switch, a touch switch (electrostatic type, piezoelectric type), and the like, and are used for raising and lowering the hot water supply temperature and raising and lowering the cursor on the menu screen.

  The remote controller 2 includes a hot water supply temperature setting, a bath hot water bath temperature setting, a hot water amount setting for setting the hot water amount, and the like. In addition, it has a setting function related to hot water storage, such as setting the amount of hot water that is boiled at midnight and stored in the hot water storage tank unit 1b. In FIG. 1, the remote controller 2 on the bath side is shown, but there is also a kitchen remote controller. In this embodiment, it is not shown.

  Moreover, the hot water supply temperature which can be set with the remote control 2 can be set in the range of 32 degreeC, 35 degreeC, 37-48 degreeC, 50 degreeC, 55 degreeC, 60 degreeC. The hot water temperature of the bath is 33 to 48 ° C. In addition, the temperature range which can be set changes with kinds of hot water supply apparatus, and is not limited to the said range.

The hot water supply pipe 3 is connected to the hot water storage tank unit 1 b and supplies hot water to the shower head 5 of the bathroom 4. Human body detecting means 204 is provided inside the shower head, and when the user 8 picks up the shower head 5 and points it toward the human body, the human body is detected and the hot water is discharged. Details will be described later.

  The bathroom 4 includes a remote controller 2, a shower head 5, and a hook 7 for hanging the shower head 5 on a wall surface. Although not described, a bathtub is also provided. Also, the hot water supply device 1 and the remote controller 2 are connected by a communication line. When the remote controller 2 is operated, a control signal is transmitted to the hot water supply device 1 to control the hot water supply device 1 to change the hot water temperature, hot water filling, hot water storage amount setting, etc. Do. In FIG. 1, the hot water supply device 1 and the remote controller 2 are illustrated as being connected by wire for the sake of explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be communicated wirelessly.

  The shower head 5 includes an electronic circuit including the human body detection device 6 and a wireless communication function for communicating with the remote controller 2.

  Although not shown, hot water is supplied to the hot water storage tank unit 1b by piping to other places used in a house, such as a washroom and a currant such as a kitchen.

  Next, in FIG. 2, the shower head 5 includes control means 201, storage means 202, acceleration detection means 203, human body detection means 204, valve means 205, power supply means 206, and wireless communication means 207. These function in cooperation form the function of the shower head 5 that controls the hot water.

  The control means 201 is a control means for adjusting the temperature and amount of hot water discharged from the shower head 5. Specifically, necessary setting information is stored in storage means 202 (described later) which is a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) formed by a microcomputer or the like, and is electrically operated as a valve means. 205 (described later) is driven to control the amount of hot water to be discharged according to the detection information, so that hot water is discharged or hot water is stopped. In addition, a temperature control signal is generated based on detection information from an acceleration detection unit 203 described later, and wirelessly transmitted to the remote controller 2 to perform temperature control.

  The storage unit 202 holds a set threshold value such as a distance range in which the human body detection unit 204 performs human body detection. The setting threshold can be changed with the remote controller 2. The acceleration pattern is stored. The control unit 201 compares the acceleration pattern stored in the storage unit 202 with the current acceleration detection information, and generates a control signal.

  The acceleration detecting means 203 is composed of a three-dimensional acceleration sensor. The shower head 5 is grasped by the user 8 and removed from the hook 7 for hooking the shower head, and the action taken on the hand is detected by the acceleration information. Similarly, the fact that the shower head is returned to the hook 7 is detected from the detected acceleration information.

  In addition, a gesture operation using the shower head 5 during use of the shower is detected. For example, a gesture operation such as shaking the shower head 5 twice in a certain time in the direction opposite to the shower discharge direction (upward) or shaking twice in the certain time in the shower discharge direction (downward) is detected by acceleration. Then, the detection information is sent to the control means 201 for determination. The gesture operation is an example, and can be arbitrarily set depending on the model.

  The human body detection means 204 is an infrared sensor. Detects whether a human body is within a certain distance. When the user 8 points the shower head toward the body, the human body detects that the human body has entered within a certain distance by the human body detection means 204 provided inside the shower head 5. By enabling gesture operation only when a person is within a certain distance, shower use is detected, unintended control is prevented from being input, and shower use safety is ensured.

  The valve means 205 is a valve device that is driven and controlled by a motor or the like provided in the shower head 5. Hot water supplied from the hot water supply pipe 3 is discharged or stopped by the control means 201 according to the detection information.

  The power supply means 206 is formed of a secondary battery or the like and supplies electricity to the shower head 5. Although not shown in the present embodiment, the power supply means 206 is charged with electricity by turning the power generation motor according to the flow of hot water.

  The wireless communication unit 207 wirelessly communicates the control message (control signal) generated by the control unit 201 with the remote controller 2. The setting value of the human body detection range set by the operation of the remote controller 2 is wirelessly transmitted to the shower head 5, and the setting value is stored in the storage unit 202 via the control unit 201. In addition, the temperature control signal input by the gesture operation of the shower head 5 is transmitted to the remote controller 2. Similarly, the response is received from the remote controller 2.

  Also, the detection information detected by the acceleration detection unit 203 and the human body detection unit 204 is transmitted to the remote controller 2 by the wireless communication unit 207. In addition, during use of the shower head, the control state of the shower head 5 is periodically communicated to the remote controller 2. Then, the control state of the shower head 5 and the control state of the remote controller 2 are synchronized.

  Next, an operation and action when the user 8 holds the shower head 5 by hand and raises or lowers the temperature of hot water using the shower will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the gesture operation of the shower head 5 when using the shower.

  When the user 8 enters the bathroom 4 and wants to take a shower, the user 8 picks up the shower head 5 and removes the shower head 5 from the hook 7 on the wall surface. At that time, the acceleration detecting means 203 of the shower head 5 detects the acceleration (S301).

  The acceleration information of the acceleration detecting means 203 is judged by the control means 201, and the shower head 5 detects that the user 8 lifts the hand. Then, the human body detecting unit 204 detects whether or not there is a human body within a certain distance facing the inner side of the shower head 5 (S302). At this time, the fixed distance is about ˜50 cm, and the setting can be changed by the remote controller 2.

  When the control means 201 determines that the human body has been detected within a certain distance, the valve means 205 is driven to discharge hot water from the shower head 5 (S303).

  Next, the operation in which the user raises and lowers the temperature of hot water while using the shower will be described.

  When using a shower, when the user wants to raise the temperature of hot water by 1 ° C., the user is taking a shower while holding the shower head 5 while holding the shower head 5 as shown in FIG. A gesture operation is performed by shaking twice in the upward direction.

  In the shower head 5, the acceleration detecting means 203 detects the acceleration twice in the upward direction, and the control means 201 compares the acceleration pattern with the acceleration pattern held in the storage means 202 (S304).

  The control means 201 generates a control message (control signal) for the corresponding control operation by comparing with a plurality of acceleration patterns held in the storage means 202, and transmits the control signal to the remote controller 2 via the wireless communication means 207. Then, the hot water supply apparatus 1 is controlled.

In this case, since it is a gesture operation that shakes twice in the upward direction, when the control unit 201 determines that the acceleration pattern is a control for raising the temperature by 1 ° C. (S305),
A temperature control message (temperature control signal) is generated and transmitted to the remote control 2 by a wireless signal via the wireless communication means 207. The received remote control 2 performs a control to increase the temperature by 1 ° C. so as to increase the tapping temperature by 1 ° C. Control is performed (S306).

  At the same time, the remote controller 2 returns a response message having received the control signal to the wireless communication means 207 as a wireless signal. Further, as feedback for temperature control, if guidance is given on the remote controller 2 by “accepting heat” by reception sound or voice guidance, safety is improved and convenience is improved.

  Similarly, when the user wants to lower the temperature of hot water by 1 ° C., while taking a shower for the user, hold the shower head 5 and hold the shower head 5 downward twice as shown in FIG. Perform a gesture gesture.

  Since it is a gesture operation in which the acceleration detecting means 203 detects acceleration twice downward and shakes twice downward, when the control means 201 determines that the acceleration pattern is controlled to lower the temperature by 1 ° C. (S307), A control message (temperature control signal) is generated and transmitted to the remote control 2 by a wireless signal via the wireless communication hand 207. The received remote control 2 performs control to lower the temperature by 1 ° C., and control to lower the tapping temperature by 1 ° C. (S308).

  At the same time, the remote controller 2 returns a response message having received the control signal to the wireless communication means 207 as a wireless signal. Similarly, as feedback for temperature control, when the remote controller 2 provides guidance that “slimps” by reception sound or voice guidance, safety is improved and convenience is improved.

In this way, when using the shower, the gesture operation of the shower head 5 is always detected by the acceleration detecting means 203. In addition, since the gesture operation can be performed only when the human body detection unit 204 detects a human body, both the safety and convenience of the gesture operation are achieved.
Although the explanation has been made with the temperature control as the acceleration pattern of the gesture operation, it is also possible to increase or decrease the amount of hot water discharged and other control functions in the same manner.

  Specifically, the amount of hot water in the shower is increased by an acceleration pattern in which the shower head 5 is vibrated rapidly for a certain period of time, and the amount of hot water in the shower is weakened by an acceleration pattern in which the shower head 5 is vibrated slowly for a certain period of time. It is also possible to do so. By assigning the function that the user wants to control to the gesture operation of the shower head 5 when using the shower, the convenience of using the shower is enhanced.

  Further, when the shower use is finished, the acceleration detecting means 203 can detect no acceleration by returning the shower head 5 to the hook 7 and applying the operation to the wall surface. The control unit 201 obtains information without acceleration detection (shower head use end), and determines that the acceleration is not detected. And the control means 201 measures the preset predetermined time T, and when there is no acceleration information of the acceleration detection means 203 continuously for the predetermined time T, it drives the valve means 205 and stops the hot water discharge. Like to do. The predetermined time T can be set from the remote controller 2. Usually, the predetermined time T is set to several seconds, and the time for wasted hot water is shortened so that energy-saving hot water is used.

In this embodiment, it is explained that the human body is detected after the acceleration is detected, and the hot water is discharged.
It is possible to have a configuration in which the hot water is discharged only by detecting the acceleration, and the same effect is obtained.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the acceleration detecting unit 203 can perform a predetermined gesture operation such as shaking the shower head 5 in a specific direction while the user holds the shower head 5 in the hand and takes a shower. The acceleration is detected, the acceleration pattern is determined by the control means 201, a temperature control message (temperature control signal) is generated, the temperature control message (temperature control signal) is transmitted from the wireless communication means 207 to the remote controller 2, and the shower hot water The temperature can be controlled, and the convenience of using the shower is improved. Also, since there is no switch operation on the remote controller, a shower can be used and convenience is improved without checking the switch and pressing the temperature increase / decrease switch. In addition, gestures can be used to intuitively control what you want to control using the shower head (the temperature rise can be swung upward, and the temperature can be swung downward). Will increase.

  Further, the user holds a shower head in his / her hand, performs a predetermined gesture operation such as shaking the shower head 5 in a specific direction while taking a shower, detects acceleration by the acceleration detection means 203, and controls the acceleration pattern. Since the judgment is made at 201 and the amount of hot water discharged can be changed by controlling the valve means 205, the convenience of using the shower is improved. Further, since the switch operation of the remote control and the curan operation are eliminated, the convenience of using the shower is improved.

  Further, since the gesture operation by the acceleration detecting means 203 is controlled only when the human body detecting means 204 detects the human body within a certain distance, the safety and convenience of shower use can be improved.

  Note that the user may perform the hot water control by a gesture of giving a specific acceleration to the shower head instead of performing the hot water control by detecting the acceleration when the user removes or returns the shower head from the hook.

  Further, the hot water control means may not be built in the shower head but may be arranged in a hot water supply device, a currant or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the heat pump water heater has been described as the hot water supply apparatus 1, but the apparatus has a hot water supply function such as an electric water heater, a gas water heater, a cogeneration system using a fuel cell or a gas engine. Any system that has a shower using a shower head may be used.

  Moreover, although it demonstrated that it communicates between the hot water supply apparatus 1 and the remote control 2, it does not depend on a communication system. It may be wired or wireless. In the case of wireless, it is used in specific low power wireless, wireless LAN, 2.4 GHz band, etc. generally used in the home. Similarly, the communication means between the shower head 5 and the remote controller 2 may not be wireless communication but may be wired communication.

  Moreover, although the human body detection means 204 was demonstrated using the infrared sensor, as long as a human body can be detected, you may detect the human body temperature of an infrared detection sensor.

  It is also possible to perform a gesture operation by combining acceleration detection by the acceleration detection means 203 and a switch operation. For example, by providing a switch in the shower head 5 and enabling the gesture operation only when the switch is pressed down, and disabling the gesture operation only when the switch is pressed down, the width of the operation is widened. Convenience and safety can be improved. The switch in this case may be anything such as a push switch or an electrostatic switch.

  Moreover, it does not depend on the place used, and may be a general household, a commercial facility, or a business use.

  The means described in this embodiment is a program for cooperating hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), a RAM, a ROM, a storage / recording device, an electrical / information device including an I / O, a computer, a server, and the like. You may implement with the form. In the form of a program, new functions can be easily distributed / updated and installed by recording them on a recording medium such as magnetic media or optical media or distributing them via a communication line such as the Internet.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The shower system and shower control method according to the present invention can be used for gesture operation using a shower head in an apparatus or system that provides a hot water supply function for home use or business use.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot water supply apparatus 2 Remote control 5 Shower head 201 Control means 203 Acceleration detection means 204 Human body detection means 205 Valve means 207 Wireless communication means

Claims (4)

Acceleration detecting means for detecting the operation of the shower head; control means for determining an acceleration pattern detected by the acceleration detecting means; wireless communication means for transmitting a temperature control signal according to the acceleration pattern; and the wireless communication means; Equipped with a remote control to communicate and control the hot water supply device,
When the user holds the shower head and performs a predetermined gesture operation set in advance, the control means determines the temperature control based on the acceleration pattern by the acceleration detection means, and transmits the temperature control signal to the remote control via the wireless communication means, Shower system that controls the temperature of hot water discharged from the shower. Equipped with valve means to control the amount of hot water in the shower
The shower system according to claim 1, wherein when the user holds the shower head and performs a predetermined gesture operation set in advance, the control means controls the valve means to control the amount of hot water discharged from the shower. The shower head has human body detection means for detecting the human body,
The shower system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the human body detection means performs temperature control or hot water control when detecting a human body within a certain distance facing the shower head. A step in which a user holds a shower head and detects a predetermined acceleration pattern of a predetermined gesture operation; a step of generating a temperature control signal and detecting the acceleration pattern of a predetermined gesture operation; And a step of controlling the temperature of the hot water discharged from the shower with the remote controller that has received the signal.