JP2014205983A - Faucet device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a faucet device that easily positions an object to be detected in a range of detection performed by a detection part.SOLUTION: A faucet device includes a valve 2 that is provided in a pipeline 1 leading to a discharge opening 10 for discharging water, a detection part 3 that detects that an object to be detected 9 such as a hand, a body to be washed or a vessel for receiving the supplied water is positioned near the discharge opening, and a control part 4 that makes the water discharged from the discharge opening by opening the valve 2 by detection of the object to be detected by the detection part 3. The faucet device also includes a laser output part 5 that outputs scanning laser light with a visible light wavelength indicating a range A of the detection of the object to be detected by the detection part 3.

Description

  The present invention relates to a faucet device that discharges water when it is detected that there is a hand, an object to be cleaned, or a container for receiving water supply in the vicinity of a discharge port.

  There is a faucet device that automatically discharges water without operating a faucet when it is detected that an object to be detected such as a hand, an object to be cleaned, or a container for receiving water supply is in the vicinity of the discharge port. In this type of faucet device, the detection object is usually detected by a detection unit using infrared rays, radio waves, ultrasonic waves, or the like.

  By the way, since infrared rays, radio waves, ultrasonic waves, and the like are invisible, the user does not know the detection range of the detected object by the detection unit, and the detected object is positioned near the discharge port for discharging water. In many cases, however, water is not discharged because it is out of the detection range.

  For this reason, Patent Documents 1 to 3 show that a light emitting unit is disposed in the vicinity of the detecting unit, and an object to be detected is guided to a detection range by light emission from the light emitting unit.

JP 2002-356889 A JP 2009-235731 A JP 2010-209573 A

  However, the light emitting units in these conventional examples only show vaguely where the detection unit is arranged or where the detection range is around the faucet device, and show the detection range itself by the detection unit. I don't mean. For this reason, in order to locate the detected object within the detection range, it may be frustrated.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said problem, and makes it a subject to provide the faucet device which is easy to position a to-be-detected object in the detection range by a detection part.

  The water faucet device according to the present invention includes a valve provided in a pipe line leading to a discharge port for discharging water, a detection unit for detecting that the detected object is in the vicinity of the discharge port, and a detection object by the detection unit. A control unit that opens the valve by detection and discharges water from the discharge port, and a laser output unit, and the laser output unit is a scan laser beam having a visible light wavelength that indicates a detection range of an object to be detected by the detection unit. Is output.

  It is preferable that the laser output unit outputs an annular scan laser beam surrounding the detection range.

  The laser output unit may output an annular first scan laser beam surrounding the detection range and an annular second scan laser beam surrounding the outside of the first scan laser beam.

  In addition, it is preferable that a mist discharge section for discharging mist is provided in an area including the detection range.

  According to the present invention, when a laser having a visible light wavelength hits an object to be detected, the user can easily recognize the detection range by the detection unit by visually checking the laser light. Further, it becomes easy to position the detected object in the detection range.

It is a block diagram of an example of an embodiment of the invention. (a) (b) (c) is a perspective view which shows operation | movement same as the above. (a) (b) (c) is a perspective view which shows operation | movement of the other example same as the above. It is a block diagram of an example of other embodiments.

  In the present invention, the valve 2 provided in the pipe line 1 leading to the discharge port 10 for discharging water and the detected object 9 such as a hand, a body to be cleaned, or a container for receiving water supply are located near the discharge port 10. A detection unit 3 for detection, a control unit 4 for opening the valve 2 and discharging water from the discharge port 10 when the detection target 9 is detected by the detection unit 3, and a laser output unit 5 are provided.

  The laser output unit 5 outputs a scan laser beam L having a visible light wavelength indicating the detection range A of the object 9 to be detected by the detection unit 3.

  The laser output unit 5 outputs an annular scan laser light L surrounding the detection range A, an annular first scan laser light L1 surrounding the detection range, and an annular surrounding the first scan laser light L1. Those that output the second scan laser light L2 can be suitably used.

  Moreover, it is good also as what was provided with the mist discharge | release part 6 which discharge | releases mist M in the area containing the said detection range A. FIG.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiment. The faucet device shown in FIG. 1 includes a valve 2 including an electromagnetic valve provided in a pipe line 1 leading to a discharge port 10 through which water is discharged, A detection unit 3 for detecting that a detected object 9 such as a body or a container for receiving water supply is located immediately below the discharge port 10, and detecting the detected object 9 by the detection unit 3 opens the valve 2. A control circuit (control unit) 4 for discharging water from the discharge port 10 and a laser output unit 5 are provided.

  The detection unit 3 may detect the detected object 9 using any one of infrared rays, radio waves, ultrasonic waves, and the like. Although the detection unit 3 is disposed on the post 8 surrounding the pipe line 1 here, the detection range A for detecting the detected object 9 is set in the vicinity of the discharge port 10, particularly immediately below the discharge port 10. The arrangement position is not limited as long as it can be positioned at the position.

  Although the detection range A has a conical shape with the detection unit 3 as a vertex, this shape is not limited.

  The laser output unit 5 includes a scanning mechanism (not shown) that changes the projection direction of the laser light by a mirror that is driven to rotate or vibrate. By this scanning mechanism, the laser output unit 5 projects an annular (conical shape) scanning laser beam L that surrounds the detection range A.

  Here, the laser output unit 5 that outputs the scanning laser light L having a visible light wavelength is disposed adjacent to the detection unit 3. The detection unit 3 and the laser output unit 5 may be configured as an integrated unit.

  In this water faucet device, the valve 2 is normally closed. When the detection unit 3 detects that the detected object 9 is in the detection range A, the control circuit 4 receiving this detection output opens the valve 2 to discharge water from the discharge port 10, and the detected object 9 is detected. If it does not exist within the range A, the control circuit 4 closes the valve 2 and stops water.

  Here, the laser output unit 5 operates together with the detection unit 3 when the faucet is in a water stop state, and projects an annular scan laser light L surrounding the detection range A.

  In this state, for example, if the user puts out his / her hand as the detected object 9 into the detection range A of the detection unit 4, as shown in FIG. Since the user can visually recognize this light, the user can recognize where the detection range A is. When the user's hand (detected object) 9 enters the detection range A, water is discharged as shown in FIG.

  In addition, since the scanning laser beam L has an annular shape surrounding the detection range A, the light that hits the hand has an arc shape. Therefore, the user can easily recognize in which direction the hand should be moved to move the hand toward the detection range A inside the scan laser beam L.

  Further, it is difficult to see the scan laser light L itself even at a visible light wavelength. However, if the scan laser beam L hits the object 9 to be detected, the hit spot will be illuminated with light of the color having the visible light wavelength. Therefore, the user can clearly recognize where the detection range A is.

  The scan laser light L may pass through the boundary between the detection range A and the non-detection range, but it is preferable to show a range slightly wider than the detection range A.

  FIG. 3 shows another embodiment. In the drawing, L1 is a first scan laser beam projected so as to follow the outer edge of the detection range A, and L2 is a second scan laser beam surrounding the outside of the scan laser beam L1.

  That is, this embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that the laser output unit 5 projects two types of scan laser beams L1 and L2.

  Here, the scan laser light L2 located outside clearly indicates to the user that the detection range A is inside. The scan laser beam L1 located inside clearly indicates the outer edge of the detection range A to the user.

  Therefore, when moving the detected object 9 toward the detection range A, the user can recognize that it will soon enter the detection range A if the scan laser light L2 hits.

  When both the scan laser beam L2 and the scan laser beam L1 strike the detected object 9, the detected object 9 enters the detection range A, and water discharge is started.

  In this case, the scan laser beam L2 indicates the detection advance notice range, and the scan laser beam L1 enters the detection range A and indicates that the discharge of water is started.

  The laser output unit 5 in each of the above embodiments may stop the laser output while detecting the detected object 9 and discharging water.

  Note that the projection of the annular (conical) scanning laser light L by the laser output unit 5 can be obtained by a scanning mechanism using two mirrors that rotate or vibrate around two orthogonal axes.

  Further, by changing the rotational speed or the vibration frequency per unit time of the two mirrors, it is possible to scan in an elliptical shape. Therefore, it is possible to output the scan laser light L that matches the shape of the detection range A.

  Since scanning can be performed so as to scan a two-dimensional plane, the laser output unit 5 may project scan laser light that includes the detection range A and scans a range slightly wider than the detection range A. That is, the scanning laser beam may pass through the detection range A.

  Further, by changing the rotational speed or the frequency per unit time of the two mirrors, the scanning laser beam L2 indicating the detection warning range and the scanning laser beam L1 indicating the detection range A are scanned in a single scan. Can be obtained by mechanism.

  As the scanning mechanism, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) scanner mirror may be used, and the type of the scanning mechanism is not questioned.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of another embodiment. In this example, a mist generator 6 is provided in which water is supplied through a branch pipe from the upstream side of the valve 2 of the pipe line 1 leading to the discharge port 10.

  The mist generating device 6 is under the control of the control unit 4, and when the person detection sensor 7 disposed in the vicinity of the faucet device senses that there is a person in front of the faucet device, the control unit 4 6 is operated and the mist M is intermittently discharged to an area including the detection range A by the detection unit 3.

  As the human detection sensor 7, a sensor that detects a person by heat, a sensor that is installed on the floor near the faucet device and detects a person by weight, etc. can be suitably used. There may be.

  In addition, when the human sensor 7 does not detect a person, the generation of the mist M from the mist generator 6 is stopped.

  The mist M discharged from the mist generator 6 scatters the scan laser light L (L1, L2). For this reason, the optical path of the scan laser light L (L1, L2) can be visually grasped. The user can recognize the detection range A from the scan laser light L (L1, L2) without bringing the detected object 9 close to the detection range A.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pipe line 2 Valve 3 Detection part 4 Control part 5 Laser output part 6 Mist generating part 9 Detected object 10 Discharge port A Detection range M Mist

Claims (4)

  A valve provided in a pipeline leading to a discharge port for discharging water, a detection unit for detecting that the detected object is in the vicinity of the discharge port, and opening the valve by detecting the detected object by the detection unit to open the discharge port And a laser output unit, wherein the laser output unit outputs a scan laser beam having a visible light wavelength indicating a detection range of an object to be detected by the detection unit. A faucet device. The faucet device according to claim 1, wherein the laser output unit outputs an annular scan laser beam surrounding the detection range. 2. The laser output unit outputs an annular first scan laser beam surrounding a detection range and an annular second scan laser beam surrounding an outer side of the first scan laser beam. Or the faucet device according to 2. The faucet device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a mist discharge section that discharges mist in an area including the detection range.

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