JP2019019630A - Water discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide the water discharge device that has an excellent design and can improve usability for a user by providing an operation portion that switches to a water discharge mode which matches a use scene of the user.SOLUTION: The water discharge device 1 for automatically discharging water when an object to be detected is detected comprises: a body part 5 that has a sensor 4, a water discharge port 2 and an operation section 3 for switching the water discharge modes of water discharged from the water discharge port 2, and a control part 10 for controlling water discharge from the water discharge port 2 in response to signals from the sensor 4 and the operation section 3, wherein the body part 5 has one end fixed to a member to be attached and the other end extending toward a front side which is a user side, at least a part of the body part 5 has a horizontally extending part 6 extending in a substantially horizontal direction, the sensor 4 has the horizontally extending portion 6 provided so that a detection area of the sensor 4 is on the front side of the water discharge port, and the operation section 3 is provided on the other end face 12 facing the user which is the other end of the body part 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a water discharge device having a function of automatically discharging water when a hand is brought close to a water discharge port.

  Conventionally, as one form of a water discharge device that automatically discharges water, an operation switch is provided in a wash basin or a counter separately from the main body of the water discharge device to switch hot water discharged from the water discharge port or to manually stop water discharge One is known (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-61918

  The water discharge device described in Patent Document 1 can automatically discharge water, change the temperature of the discharged water according to the use scene of the user, and draw water into a bucket or the like. Since water can be continuously discharged from time to time, it is possible to perform water discharge suitable for the use scene, and a user-friendly water discharge device has been proposed. However, since the water discharging apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is provided with an operation switch for changing the water discharging form in the wash basin or the counter separately from the main body, there is room for improving the design.

  This invention is made in view of such a subject, The objective is providing the operation part which switches to the water discharge form which the user's use scene provided, and improves a user's usability and has a high design water discharge device Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a water discharge device according to the present invention is a water discharge device that automatically discharges water when a detected object is detected, and a sensor that detects the detected object and a water discharge device that discharges water from a water supply source. A main body having a water outlet and an operation part for switching the water discharge form of water discharged from the water outlet, a control part that receives signals from the sensor and the operation part and controls water discharge from the water outlet, The main body portion has a horizontal extending portion in which one end is fixed to the attached member and the other end extends to the front side which is the user side, and at least a part of the main body portion extends in a substantially horizontal direction. The sensor is provided in the horizontal extending portion so that the detection region of the sensor is on the front side of the water outlet, and the operation portion is the other end of the main body, and is provided on the other end surface facing the user. It is characterized by.

  The water discharge device of the first invention is provided with a sensor for detecting an object to be detected, can automatically discharge water, and has an operation unit for switching the water discharge form of water discharged from the water discharge port. Thus, it is possible to perform water discharge suitable for the use scene of the user, and it is easy to use. Furthermore, by providing the operation part on the other end of the main body part and facing the user, it is not necessary to separately provide an operation part on the member to be attached, and the design can be prevented from being lowered. In addition, by disposing the operation unit at the other end of the main body, that is, a position closest to the user, the user can shorten the distance to the operation unit and improve operability.

  In the water discharge device of the second invention, the sensor transmits the reception signal value to the control unit, and the control unit is configured to start water discharge from the water discharge port when the reception signal value is larger than the first threshold value. The start of water discharge from the water outlet is suspended during a period in which the received signal value is larger than the second threshold value, which is larger than the first threshold value.

Although the design can be improved by providing the operation unit on the other end surface of the main unit, a sensor for detecting the object to be detected when the user brings his hand close to operate the operation unit The hand which operates a part may be detected, there exists a possibility that water may be sprinkled from a spout, the water discharge which a user does not intend is started, and there exists a possibility of giving a user discomfort.
Therefore, by adopting the configuration of the second invention, the control unit determines that there is an object to be detected when the received signal value received from the sensor is larger than the first threshold, starts water discharge from the water outlet, When it is larger than the second threshold value, which is larger than the first threshold value, it is determined that the operation is performed on the operation unit, and during the period larger than the second threshold value, water discharge from the water discharge port can be suspended, which is not intended by the user. Water discharge can be prevented. Therefore, it can suppress giving a user discomfort.

  The water discharge device according to the third aspect is characterized in that the control unit cancels the suspension of the water discharge start from the water discharge port when a period in which the received signal value is larger than the second threshold value continues for a predetermined time.

As in the second invention, when the received signal value is larger than the second threshold value, it is possible to suppress water discharge unintended by the user by holding the water discharge from the water discharge port. Is different depending on the user, and in the case of a user who pushes out to a position close to the main body, the water discharge continues to be suspended, and even though the user wants to start the water discharge, the water discharge is not started and the user feels uncomfortable. There is a fear.
Then, by setting it as the structure of 3rd invention, when the period when a received signal value is larger than a 2nd threshold value continues more than predetermined time, the start of water discharge is canceled by canceling the suspension of the water discharge start from a water outlet. It is possible to prevent the user from being put on hold and causing discomfort.

  In the water discharge device of the fourth invention, the sensor transmits the reception signal value to the control unit, the operation unit transmits the operation status to the control unit, and the control unit has a reception signal value larger than the first threshold value. The control unit is configured to start water discharge from the water discharge port, and when the received signal value is larger than the first threshold and the operation unit is not operated, the water discharge port is based on the received signal value. When the received signal value is larger than the first threshold and the operation unit is being operated, water discharge from the water discharge port is suspended.

  By adopting the configuration of the fourth invention, when the user is operating the operation unit, water discharge from the water discharge port is suspended, so that water discharge is started while operating the operation unit, and the user feels uncomfortable. Can be suppressed.

  The water discharge device of the fifth invention is characterized in that the control unit stops driving of the sensor during a period in which the operation unit is operated.

  By adopting the configuration of the fifth invention, the sensor is stopped during the period in which the operation unit is being operated, so that it is possible to prevent the sensor from detecting the user's hand operating the operation unit. . Therefore, water discharge unintended by the user can be prevented, and discomfort to the user can be suppressed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the operation part switched to the water discharge form according to the user's use scene is provided, and while improving the user's usability, the water discharge apparatus with high design property can be provided.

It is a schematic diagram of the water discharging apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the water discharging apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the water discharging apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a control flowchart of the water discharging apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

  This water discharging apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a water discharge device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig.1 (a) is a perspective view of the hand-washing machine L in which the water discharging apparatus 1 is provided. FIG. 1B is a side view of the water discharge device 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the water discharge device 1 is attached to the hand-washer L. The hand-washing device L includes a bowl LB that receives water discharged from the water discharge device 1, a cabinet LC that supports the bowl LB and is provided below the bowl LB, and a mounting wall LW to which the water discharge device 1 is attached.

  The water discharge device 1 detects a water supply pipe 100, a water discharge port 2 that discharges water supplied from the water supply pipe 100, an operation unit 3 that switches a water discharge form of water discharged from the water discharge port 2, and a detection object that will be described later. It is comprised from the main-body part 5 which has the sensor 4 for doing.

When the user uses the hand-washer L, the position side used by the user is defined as the front side, and the direction away from the user is defined as the rear side.
The main body 5 is configured such that one end on the rear side is fixed to the mounting wall LW and extends from the rear side to the other end on the front side. Furthermore, the main body 5 includes a horizontal extending portion 6 such that at least a part of the main body 5 extending from the rear side to the front side is substantially horizontal.

  Next, a schematic configuration of the water discharge device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the water discharge device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the water discharge device 1 includes a water discharge port 2, an operation unit 3, a sensor 4, a water supply pipe 100, an on-off valve 7, a water discharge form switching unit 8, a function unit 9, and a control unit 10.

  The water outlet 2 is an opening for discharging water supplied from the water supply pipe 100. The operation unit 3 switches the water discharge form of water discharged from the water discharge port 2 when the user performs a contact operation on the operation unit 3. The sensor 4 is a sensor 4 for detecting an object to be detected. The water discharge mode switching unit 8 includes an on-off valve 7 and a function unit 9. The on-off valve 7 is provided in the water supply pipe 100 and opens and closes the flow path of the water supply pipe 100. The function part 9 changes the temperature of the water supplied from a water supply source, or switches water quality. The water quality here means that the water supplied from the water supply source is filtered and used as water for water purification or reformed into water having sterilizing power.

  The control unit 10 receives and receives the received signal value from the sensor 4 and drives the on-off valve 7 to start and end the water discharge from the water discharge port 2. The control unit 10 is configured to operate the function unit 9 and the sensor 4 depending on the operation status of the operation unit 3.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the positional relationship of the water outlet 2, the operation part 3, and the sensor 4 is demonstrated. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the water discharge device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the main body 5 of the water discharging device 1 is fixed to the mounting wall LW by a fixing member 11. The main body 5 has a horizontal extending portion 6 extending in the horizontal direction from one end to the other end, and the water discharge port 2 and the sensor 4 are disposed in the horizontal extending portion 6. The water discharged from the water outlet 2 provided in the horizontal extending portion 6 is configured to be discharged diagonally forward. Moreover, the sensor 4 provided in the horizontal extending | stretching part 6 is located in the front side rather than the water outlet 2, and it is comprised so that the detection area of the sensor 4 may become a diagonally front side.

  The other end surface 12 facing the user is formed at the front end that is the other end of the main body 5, and the operation unit 3 is disposed on the other end surface 12.

  Next, the operation of the water discharge device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a control flowchart according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When the operation is started, the control unit 10 sets a counter provided in the control unit 10 to zero (step S100). Thereafter, the control unit 10 operates the sensor 4 (step S101). Thereafter, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the received signal value (sensor value) from the sensor 4 is larger than the first threshold value (step S102).

  When it is determined in step S102 that the received signal value from the sensor 4 is equal to or less than the first threshold value (NO in S102), the control unit 10 determines whether water discharge is in progress (step S109). If the controller 10 determines in step S109 that the water is being discharged (YES in S109), the controller 10 ends the water discharge, that is, closes the on-off valve 7 (step S110), and returns to the start. If the control unit 10 determines in step S109 that the water is not discharged (NO in S109), the control unit 10 is controlled to return to the start.

  If the control unit 10 determines in step S102 that the received signal value from the sensor 4 is greater than the first threshold value (YES in S102), then the received signal value from the sensor 4 is greater than the first threshold value. It is determined whether it is larger than the two thresholds (step S103).

  When determining that the received signal value from the sensor 4 is equal to or smaller than the second threshold value in step S103 (NO in S103), the control unit 10 determines whether the water is still stopped (step S107). If the controller 10 determines that the water is stopped in step S107 (YES in S107), the controller 10 starts water discharge, that is, opens the on-off valve 7 (step S108), and returns to the start. If it is determined in step S107 that the water is not stopped (NO in S107), the water discharge state is maintained and control is returned to the start.

  Returning to step S103, if the control unit 10 determines in step 103 that the received signal value from the sensor 4 is greater than the second threshold value (YES in S103), whether or not the operation unit 3 is being operated is determined. Judgment is made (step S104). When it is determined that the operation unit 3 is being operated (YES in S104), the control unit 10 is controlled to return to the start. During the period in which the operation unit 3 is being operated, the start of water discharge is suspended. Note that the period of operation here includes not only the period in which the user is in contact with the operation unit 3 but also the predetermined period after the state transition from the contact state to the non-contact state. It is out. Specifically, even after the user releases his / her hand from the operation unit 3, his / her hand is located in the vicinity of the operation unit 3, so that the time required until the released hand is sufficiently far from the operation unit 3 ( For example, about 1 second) is considered to be during the operation period.

  Next, when determining that the operation unit 3 is not operated in step S104 (NO in S104), the control unit 10 increments the counter in the control unit 10 by 1 (step S105). Thereafter, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the counter has reached 10 (step S106).

  If the counter has not reached 10 in step S106 (NO in S106), the control unit 10 returns to step S101 and continues until the counter reaches 10 based on the determinations in steps S102 to S105. When determining that the counter has reached 10 in step S106 (YES in S106), the control unit 10 performs the control from step S107 described above. It should be noted that by continuing steps S101 to S106 until the counter reaches 10, it is determined that the received signal value from the sensor 4 has continued for a predetermined time or more, and the suspension of water discharge start is released.

  As described above, by providing the sensor 4 for detecting an object to be detected and automatically discharging water, and having the operation unit 3 for switching the water discharge form of water discharged from the water discharge port 2. , It is possible to perform water discharge suitable for the use scene of the user, and it is easy to use. Furthermore, by providing the operation part 3 on the other end surface 12 which is the other end of the main body part 5 and facing the user, it is not necessary to separately provide the operation part 3 on the mounted wall LW, and the design is reduced. Can be prevented. Further, by disposing the operation unit 3 at the other end of the main body unit 5, that is, a position closest to the user, the user can shorten the distance to the operation unit 3 and can improve operability.

  Although the design can be improved by providing the operation unit 3 on the other end surface 12 of the main body unit 5, it is possible to detect an object to be detected when the user brings his / her hand close to operate the operation unit 3. The sensor 4 may detect a hand operating the operation unit 3, and water may be discharged from the water outlet 2, and water discharge unintended by the user is started, giving the user uncomfortable feeling. There is a risk that. Therefore, when the received signal value received from the sensor 4 is larger than the first threshold value, the control unit 10 determines that there is an object to be detected, starts water discharge from the water outlet 2, and is larger than the first threshold value. When larger than a threshold value, it judges that it is operation to the operation part 3, and during the period larger than a 2nd threshold value, the water discharge from the water discharge port 2 can be suspended, and the water discharge which a user does not intend is prevented. Can do. Therefore, it can suppress giving a user discomfort. Moreover, even if the predetermined period after completion of operation of the operation part 3 is regarded as being in an operation period, even if the sensor 4 detects the user's hand remaining in the vicinity of the operation part 3 after completion of operation, water discharge is suspended. be able to.

  When the control unit 10 continues the period in which the received signal value from the sensor 4 is larger than the second threshold for a predetermined time or more, the start of water discharge continues to be held by releasing the water discharge start hold from the water outlet 2. This can prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable. Moreover, when the user is operating the operation part 3, since the water discharge from the water discharge port 2 is suspended, water discharge is started during operation of the operation part 3, and it can suppress giving a user discomfort. .

  Further, the control unit 10 may stop the driving of the sensor 4 during the period in which the operation unit 3 is operated. In this case, in the control flowchart of FIG. 4, the control may be performed so as to remain at step S104 during the operation period (not return to step S100). By doing in this way, it can suppress that the sensor 4 detects the hand in which a user operates the operation part 3. FIG. Therefore, water discharge unintended by the user can be prevented, and discomfort to the user can be suppressed.

  Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water discharge apparatus 2 Water discharge port 3 Operation part 4 Sensor 5 Main body part 6 Horizontal direction extension part 7 On-off valve 8 Water discharge form switching part 9 Function part 10 Control part 11 Fixed member 12 Other end surface
L Handwasher
LB bowl
LC cabinet
LW mounting wall (member to be mounted)

Claims (5)

A water discharge device that automatically discharges water when a detected object is detected,
A sensor for detecting the detected object;
A spout for discharging water from a water supply source;
A main body having an operation section for switching a water discharge form of water discharged from the water outlet;
A controller that receives signals from the sensor and the operation unit and controls water discharge from the water outlet;
The main body portion has a horizontal extending portion in which one end is fixed to the attached member and the other end extends to the front side which is the user side, and at least a part of the main body portion extends in a substantially horizontal direction. ,
The sensor is provided in the horizontal extending portion so that a detection region of the sensor is on the front side of the water outlet,
The said operation part is the other end of the said main-body part, and is provided in the other end surface facing a user, The water discharging apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The sensor transmits a received signal value to the control unit,
The control unit is configured to start water discharge from the water outlet when the received signal value is larger than a first threshold value, and the received signal value is larger than a second threshold value that is larger than the first threshold value. The water discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the start of water discharge from the water discharge port is suspended during the period. 3. The water discharge according to claim 2, wherein the controller cancels the suspension of water discharge from the water outlet when a period in which the received signal value is greater than the second threshold continues for a predetermined time. apparatus. The sensor transmits a received signal value to the control unit,
The operation unit transmits an operation status to the control unit,
The control unit is configured to start water discharge from the water discharge port when the received signal value is larger than a first threshold value,
Further, the control unit
When the received signal value is larger than the first threshold and the operation unit is not operated, water discharge from the water outlet is started based on the received signal value,
The water discharge device according to claim 1, wherein water discharge from the water discharge port is suspended during a period when the received signal value is larger than the first threshold and the operation unit is operated. The water discharge device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit stops driving the sensor during a period in which the operation unit is operated.

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