JP2020051074A - Automatic faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide the automatic faucet that can suppress power consumption of a battery.SOLUTION: The automatic faucet 1 comprises the battery 81, a boosting circuit 82 that boosts and outputs an output voltage from the battery 81, and a capacitor 83 that is charged based on the output voltage from the boosting circuit 82. Further, the automatic faucet 1 comprises a raw water sensor 60A driven based on electric power supplied from the capacitor 83, a water purification sensor 60B, a raw water on-off valve 40, and a water purification on-off valve 42, and a control circuit 71 that operates based on the electric power supplied from the battery 81 and controls driving of these loads. The control circuit 71 switches between on control in which a boosting circuit 82 performs boost operation and off control in which the boosting circuit 82 does not perform the boost operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic faucet.

  In the water discharge device of Patent Document 1, a water supply passage communicating with a water supply source is formed. The water supply passage is configured to reach the water outlet through a water stopcock and a latching solenoid valve. Further, the water discharging device includes a dry battery, a booster circuit unit, a sensor unit, a valve driving unit, and a signal processing unit as a circuit configuration. Then, the booster circuit is configured to boost the output voltage of the dry battery and supply power to the sensor unit, the valve driving unit, and the signal processing unit.

JP-A-10-306884

  In a circuit configuration as in Patent Document 1, a dry battery is directly connected to a booster circuit unit, and power is always supplied from the dry battery to the booster circuit unit. Therefore, the power stored in the dry battery is always consumed by the operation of the booster circuit section, and the life of the dry battery is shortened. To cope with such a problem, there is a demand for a configuration capable of reducing power consumption even in a configuration in which power stored in a dry battery is supplied to an electric load unit via a boosting operation of a boosting circuit unit. .

  The present invention has been completed on the basis of the above circumstances, and has as an object to solve the problem of providing an automatic faucet capable of suppressing the power consumption of a battery.

The automatic faucet of the present invention,
An automatic faucet that discharges water from a water discharging unit by changing a solenoid valve from a closed state to an open state by detecting an object to be detected by a sensor,
Battery and
A booster circuit that boosts and outputs an output voltage from the battery;
A power storage unit that is charged based on an output voltage from the booster circuit,
An electric load unit driven based on electric power supplied from the power storage unit,
A control circuit that operates based on electric power supplied from the battery and performs control for driving the electric load unit,
With
The control circuit switches between on control in which the boost circuit performs a boost operation and off control in which the boost circuit does not perform a boost operation.

  This automatic faucet has a configuration in which the control circuit switches between on control in which a boost circuit performs a boost operation and off control in which the boost circuit does not perform a boost operation. Thus, when the boosting circuit does not need to perform the boosting operation, the control circuit switches the control from the on control to the off control, and stops the boosting operation. Therefore, the booster circuit does not perform the boosting operation at a desired timing, and can reduce the power consumption of the battery as compared with a configuration in which the boosting operation is continued.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a configuration of the automatic faucet of the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which illustrates the electric constitution of an automatic faucet. It is a timing chart of water discharge control performed by an automatic faucet. 9 is a timing chart of water discharge control performed by the automatic faucet according to the second embodiment.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The automatic faucet of the present invention can perform control for driving the electric load unit when the control circuit switches from off control to on control.
In this case, the automatic faucet can drive the electric load unit in accordance with the operation timing of the booster circuit (switching from off control to on control by the control circuit). Therefore, the automatic faucet can drive the electric load unit based on the electric power stored in the power storage unit while supplying power from the booster circuit to the power storage unit.

The automatic faucet of the present invention is configured such that the control circuit switches from off control to off control when the charging voltage of the power storage unit reaches a predetermined target voltage value by boosting operation of the boosting circuit by switching from off control to on control. Can switch.
In this case, regardless of how much power stored in the power storage unit is consumed by the electric load unit, the automatic faucet is always charged so that the charging voltage becomes a predetermined target voltage value. Operation will stop. Therefore, when driving the electric load unit again, the electric storage unit maintains the charging voltage at the predetermined target voltage value, so that the electric load unit can be operated stably.

  Next, a first embodiment of the automatic faucet of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Example 1>
The automatic faucet 1 according to the first embodiment is set up on a counter 90 as shown in FIG. The automatic faucet 1 includes a faucet main body 10, a raw water on-off valve 40, a water purification on-off valve 42, a constant flow valve 44, a control device 70, a battery box 80, and the like.

  The faucet main body 10 has a base 12 and a water discharge pipe 14. The base 12 is installed on a counter 90. The base 12 contains a mixing valve 20. A water supply channel 30 is connected to the mixing valve 20, and water from a water supply source pipe is supplied through the water supply channel 30 through a water stopcock 50. A hot water supply path 32 is connected to the mixing valve 20, and hot water from a hot water supply pipe is supplied through the hot water supply path 32 through the water stopcock 52. The mixing valve 20 mixes the water supplied from the water supply passage 30 and the hot water supplied from the hot water supply passage 32 at an arbitrary ratio in accordance with the operation of a lever handle 22, which will be described later, to obtain appropriate-temperature hot water. The fluid is discharged from a flow passage 34 formed inside the inside 10.

  The base 12 includes a lever handle 22 for operating the mixing valve 20. The lever handle 22 is rotatable left and right, and is rotated left and right to adjust a mixing ratio of water and hot water (temperature of mixed water). The lever handle 22 is rotatable up and down, and is rotated up and down to adjust the discharge flow rate of hot water.

  The water discharge pipe portion 14 extends upward from the upper portion of the base portion 12, and curves downward and hangs down toward the front. The water discharge pipe part 14 has a water discharge part 16 formed with a water discharge port at its tip. The water discharging section 16 is connected to the outflow channel 34 and discharges water supplied through the outflow channel 34.

  The raw water on-off valve 40 is provided on the outflow passage 34, and is driven using electric power stored in a capacitor 83 (see FIG. 2) of the battery box 80 described later as a driving source. The raw water on-off valve 40 is electrically connected to a control device 70 to be described later, and in accordance with an instruction from the control device 70, the open / close position for opening the outflow passage 34 and the closed position for closing the outflow passage 34. Move between.

  A check valve 54 is provided on the water supply passage 30 to allow the flow of water to the mixing valve 20 while preventing the flow in the reverse direction. A check valve 56 is provided on the hot water supply passage 32 to allow the flow of hot water to the mixing valve 20 while preventing the flow in the reverse direction.

  In the water supply channel 30, the water purification channel 36 is branched from a position downstream of the check valve 54. The downstream end of the water purification passage 36 is connected to the outflow passage 34 at a position downstream of the raw water on-off valve 40. A water purification cartridge 91 functioning as a water purifier is provided on the water purification channel 36, and the water flowing into the water purification channel 36 is purified by the water purification cartridge 91 and then flows out to the outflow channel 34. In the following, the water purified by the water purification cartridge 91 is also referred to as “purified water”, and the unpurified water is also referred to as “raw water”.

  The water purification on-off valve 42 and the constant flow valve 44 are provided on the water purification passage 36. The water purification on-off valve 42 is driven using electric power stored in a capacitor 83 (see FIG. 2) of a battery box 80 described later as a driving source. The on-off valve 42 for water purification is electrically connected to the control device 70, and between an open position for opening the water purification passage 36 and a closed position for closing the water purification passage 36 in accordance with an instruction from the control device 70. Moving.

  The raw water sensor 60A is a sensor that detects an operation for discharging raw water. The water purification sensor 60B is a sensor that detects an operation for discharging purified water. Each of the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B is configured by, for example, a known infrared sensor, and includes a light emitting element (for example, an LED or the like) and a light receiving element (for example, a photodiode or the like). Each of the raw water sensor 60 </ b> A and the water purification sensor 60 </ b> B is provided above a portion of the water discharge pipe 14 that is curved downward and hangs down, and the upper part of the water discharge pipe 14 is a detection area. The raw water sensor 60A is disposed in front of the water purification sensor 60B, and the detection area of the raw water sensor 60A is provided in front of the detection area of the water purification sensor 60B. Each of the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B is irradiated with infrared rays from the light emitting element, and receives the infrared rays reflected by a finger or the like located above the water discharge pipe section 14 by the light receiving element, thereby forming the water discharge pipe section 14. It detects that a hand or the like is located above the. The raw water sensor 60A is electrically connected to the control device 70, and outputs a detection signal to the control device 70 based on detection of a hand or the like.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the automatic faucet 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic faucet 1 has a control device 70, a battery box 80, a raw water sensor 60 </ b> A, a water purification sensor 60 </ b> B, a raw water open / close valve 40, and a water purification open / close And a valve 42. The raw water sensor 60A, the water purification sensor 60B, the raw water on-off valve 40, and the water purification on-off valve 42 correspond to an example of the “electric load unit” of the present invention. The raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B correspond to an example of the “sensor” of the present invention. The raw water on-off valve 40 and the water purification on-off valve 42 correspond to an example of the “electromagnetic valve” of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the battery box 80 has a battery 81, a booster circuit 82, and a capacitor 83. The battery 81 is a battery that can be replaced by a user, for example, a dry battery or a storage battery. The battery 81 supplies power to the booster circuit 82 and the control circuit 71. The booster circuit 82 is a known booster circuit that boosts and outputs an output voltage from the battery 81, such as a DCDC converter that boosts and outputs an input voltage by switching control, a charge pump circuit that uses a capacitor and a diode, and the like. It is constituted by. The capacitor 83 corresponds to an example of the “power storage unit” of the present invention, and is a power charging capacitor that is charged based on an output voltage from the booster circuit 82.

  The control device 70 includes, as shown in FIG. 2, a control circuit 71, a sensor drive circuit 72, and an electromagnetic valve drive circuit 73. The control circuit 71 is configured as a microcomputer, for example, and has an arithmetic device such as a CPU, a memory such as a ROM or a RAM, and the like. The control circuit 71 operates based on electric power supplied from the battery 81 (for example, electric power supplied at an output voltage of 3 V), and includes a booster circuit 82, a raw water sensor 60A, a purified water sensor 60B, a raw water opening / closing valve 40, And functions to control the operation of the water purification on-off valve 42 and the like.

  The sensor drive circuit 72 functions to drive the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B when a drive command (signal) is given from the control circuit 71. Specifically, when a drive command (signal) is given from the control circuit 71, the sensor drive circuit 72 drives the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B, irradiates light with a light emitting element, and discharges water. Light reflected by a hand or the like located above the unit 14 is received by a light receiving element.

  The electromagnetic valve drive circuit 73 functions to drive the raw water on-off valve 40 or the water purification on-off valve 42 when a drive command (signal) is given from the control circuit 71. Specifically, the electromagnetic valve drive circuit 73 is configured to supply the raw water on-off valve 40 when the raw water on-off valve 40 is in the closed position, and the control circuit 71 issues a drive command (signal) for the raw water on-off valve 40. The on-off valve 40 is moved from the closed position to the open position. On the other hand, the solenoid valve drive circuit 73 opens the raw water on-off valve 40 when the control circuit 71 issues a drive command for the raw water on-off valve 40 in a situation where the raw water on-off valve 40 is in the open position. Move from position to closed position.

  Also, the electromagnetic valve drive circuit 73 sets the water purification on-off valve 42 to the closed position when the control circuit 71 issues a drive command for the water purification on-off valve 42 in a situation where the water purification on-off valve 42 is in the closed position. To the open position. On the other hand, the electromagnetic valve drive circuit 73 opens the water purification on-off valve 42 when the control circuit 71 issues a drive command for the water purification on-off valve 42 in a situation where the water purification on-off valve 42 is in the open position. Move from position to closed position.

Next, water discharge control performed by the automatic faucet 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the control circuit 71 periodically (intermittently) operates in a normal mode (a mode capable of high-speed operation) at a constant driving cycle. Specifically, the control circuit 71 controls the normal mode in which the power consumption is large and the power consumption in which the power consumption is small so that the time interval (drive cycle) of the start timing at which the normal mode is set is always constant (time P1 in FIG. 3). It operates to repeat the stop mode. The control circuit 71 stops the operation of the booster circuit 82 in a state where the capacitor 83 is charged at a target charging voltage (for example, 6 V) at which the sensors 60A and 60B and the on-off valves 40 and 42 operate stably. It has a configuration.

  The control circuit 71 is activated at time T1, for example, and performs on-control (output of a drive signal) for causing the booster circuit 82 to perform a boost operation. Here, since the control circuit 71 is periodically activated in the driving cycle of the time P1, the booster circuit 82 operates periodically in the driving cycle of the time P2. When the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71, the booster circuit 82 boosts the output voltage from the battery 81 and supplies power to the capacitor 83 with the boosted voltage.

  The control circuit 71 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 at the activated timing (time T1) to drive the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B. The sensor drive circuit 72 is driven for a fixed drive time (time from T1 to T2) based on the power supplied from the capacitor 83. Note that the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B operate stably because the condenser 83 is charged in advance with the target charging voltage (6 V).

  As described above, the control circuit 71 drives the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B in accordance with the operation timing of the booster circuit 82 (switching from off control to on control by the control circuit 71). Therefore, the raw water sensor 60 </ b> A and the water purification sensor 60 </ b> B can be driven based on the electric power stored in the condenser 83 while supplying electric power from the booster circuit 82 to the condenser 83. Thus, power can be efficiently supplied by the booster circuit 82.

  The booster circuit 82 starts operating from time T1, operates until the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 reaches the target charging voltage (6V), and supplies power to the capacitor 83. The control circuit 71 detects the charge voltage of the capacitor 83 by, for example, a voltage detection circuit (not shown), and outputs the drive signal of the booster circuit 82 at the timing (time T3) when the charge voltage of the capacitor 83 becomes the target charge voltage (6 V). To stop. Specifically, the control circuit 71 performs off control (stops the output of the drive signal) so that the boosting circuit 82 does not perform the boosting operation. Then, the control circuit 71 shifts to the stop mode.

  As described above, the control circuit 71 switches between the ON control for causing the boosting circuit 82 to perform the boosting operation and the OFF control for not performing the boosting operation. Thus, when the boosting circuit 82 does not need to perform the boosting operation, the control circuit 71 switches from the ON control to the OFF control, so that the boosting operation is not performed. Therefore, the booster circuit 82 has a period in which the boosting operation is not performed in the cycle of the time P1, and the power consumption of the battery 81 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the boosting operation is constantly performed.

  Subsequently, the control circuit 71 starts again at time T4 (time P1 which is a drive cycle from time T1) and performs on-control (output of a drive signal) to cause the booster circuit 82 to perform a boost operation. . When the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71, the booster circuit boosts the output voltage from the battery 81 and supplies power to the capacitor 83 with the boosted voltage. The control circuit 71 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 at the start timing (time T4) to drive the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B. The sensor drive circuit 72 is driven at fixed time intervals (P3 in FIG. 3). The sensor drive circuit 72 is driven for a fixed drive time (time from T4 to T5).

  When the raw water sensor 60 </ b> A detects a detection target (such as a hand) while the sensor drive circuit 72 is being driven (from time T <b> 4 to time T <b> 5), a detection signal is output to the control device 70. When acquiring the detection signal from the raw water sensor 60A, the control device 70 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 to drive the sensor drive circuit 72. The sensor drive circuit 72 moves the raw water on-off valve 40 in the closed position from the closed position to the open position at the timing (time T5) when the drive signal is obtained from the control device 70. Thereby, the automatic faucet 1 discharges the raw water supplied through the outflow passage 34 from the water discharger 16.

  When the water purification sensor 60B detects a detection target (such as a hand) while the sensor drive circuit 72 is being driven (from time T4 to time T5), a detection signal is output to the control device 70. . When acquiring the detection signal from the water purification sensor 60B, the control device 70 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 to drive the sensor drive circuit 72. The sensor drive circuit 72 moves the water purification sensor 60B disposed at the closed position from the closed position to the open position by the operation from time T5 to time T6. Thereby, the automatic faucet 1 discharges the purified water supplied through the outflow passage 34 from the water discharge unit 16.

  The booster circuit 82 starts operating at time T4, operates until the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 reaches the target charging voltage (6 V), and supplies power to the capacitor 83. The control circuit 71 stops outputting the drive signal of the booster circuit 82 at the timing (time T7) when the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 becomes the target charging voltage (6V). The control circuit 71 stops the driving of the booster circuit 82 by the off control and shifts to the stop mode.

  Subsequently, the control circuit 71 starts again at time T8 (time P1 that is a drive cycle from time T4 has elapsed) and performs on-control (output of a drive signal) to cause the booster circuit 82 to perform a boost operation. When the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71, the booster circuit boosts the output voltage from the battery 81 and supplies power to the capacitor 83 with the boosted voltage. Further, at the start timing (time T8), the control circuit 71 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 to drive the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B.

  Here, the boosting circuit 82 stops the driving of the boosting circuit 82 after charging the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 until the charging voltage reaches the target charging voltage (6 V). Therefore, when the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B are driven again, the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B are driven with power (power supplied at an output voltage of 6 V) that can operate these sensors stably. Can be done. Thus, the sensor drive circuit 72 is driven at the same drive interval (P3 in FIG. 3) as the previous drive interval.

  Thereafter, similarly to the control from the time T1 to the time T9, the control circuit 71 is periodically activated in the driving cycle of the time P1, and the booster circuit 82 is periodically activated in the driving cycle of the time P2. Circuit 72 will operate periodically at time P3.

  In addition, when the automatic faucet 1 is in the raw water discharge state, the raw water on-off valve 40 is moved from the closed position to the open position by the raw water sensor 60A again detecting the detection target, and the water is stopped. Similarly, when the automatic faucet 1 is in the discharge state of purified water, the water purification on-off valve 42 is moved from the closed position to the open position by the detection of the detection target again by the water purification sensor 60B, and the water is stopped. .

Hereinafter, effects of the present configuration will be exemplified.
The automatic faucet 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the control circuit 71 switches between on control in which the boost circuit 82 performs a boost operation and off control in which the boost circuit 82 does not perform a boost operation. Thus, when there is no need to perform the boosting operation, the boosting circuit 82 causes the control circuit 71 to switch from the ON control to the OFF control, so that the boosting operation is not performed. Therefore, the boosting circuit 82 does not perform the boosting operation at a desired timing, and can reduce the power consumption of the battery 81 as compared with a configuration in which the boosting operation is continued.

The control circuit 71 is configured to perform control for driving the electric load unit when switching from off control to on control.
Thereby, the automatic faucet 1 drives the sensors 60A and 60B and the on-off valves 40 and 42 in accordance with the operation timing of the booster circuit 82 (switching from off control to on control by the control circuit 71). it can. Therefore, the automatic faucet 1 can drive the sensors 60 </ b> A, 60 </ b> B and the on-off valves 40, 42 based on the power stored in the capacitor 83 while supplying power from the booster circuit 82 to the capacitor 83.

In addition, the automatic faucet 1 switches off from on control when the control circuit 71 switches from off control to on control, and the boosting operation of the booster circuit 82 causes the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 to reach a predetermined target voltage value. Switch to control.
As a result, the automatic faucet 1 always has a charging voltage of a predetermined target voltage value, no matter how much power stored in the capacitor 83 is consumed by the sensors 60A, 60B and the on-off valves 40, 42. The operation of the booster circuit 82 stops in such a charged state. Therefore, when the sensors 60A and 60B and the on-off valves 40 and 42 are driven again, the capacitor 83 maintains the charging voltage at the predetermined target voltage value. 42 can be operated stably.

<Example 2>
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
The automatic faucet 1 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the water discharge control. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description will be omitted.

The water discharge control performed by the automatic faucet 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the control circuit 71 is started periodically at a drive period of time P21, similarly to the operation of the control circuit 71 of the first embodiment. The booster circuit 82 is periodically activated in the drive cycle of the time P22, similarly to the operation of the booster circuit 82 of the first embodiment. The control circuit 71 of the second embodiment is different from the control of the control circuit 71 of the first embodiment in that when the driving of the electric loads (each of the sensors 60A and 60B and each of the on-off valves 40 and 42) is completed, the booster circuit 82 is stopped. Specifically, when each of the sensors 60A and 60B detects a detection target, the operation of the booster circuit 82 is stopped when the operation of each of the on-off valves 40 and 42 is completed, and each of the sensors 60A and 60B When the detection target is not detected, the operation of the booster circuit 82 is stopped when the operation of each of the sensors 60A and 60B is completed.

  The control circuit 71 according to the second embodiment is configured to stop the operation of the booster circuit 82 when the driving of the electric loads (each of the sensors 60A and 60B and each of the on-off valves 40 and 42) is completed. At the time when 71 is activated, the capacitor 83 is not charged until reaching the target charging voltage (6 V). Therefore, when the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71 at time T21, the booster circuit 82 performs charging until the capacitor 83 reaches the target charging voltage (6 V).

  Then, the control circuit 71 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 at a time (time T22) after the timing when the charge voltage of the capacitor 83 becomes the target charge voltage (6 V), and the raw water sensor 60A and The water purification sensor 60B is driven. The raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B are driven for a certain drive time (time from T22 to T23) based on the electric power supplied from the condenser 83. Then, the control circuit 71 stops the operation of the booster circuit 82 at the time when the driving of each of the sensors 60A and 60B is completed (time T23), and shifts to the stop mode.

  As described above, similarly to the first embodiment, the control circuit 71 switches between the ON control for causing the boosting circuit 82 to perform the boosting operation and the OFF control for not performing the boosting operation. Thereby, the booster circuit 82 can reduce the power consumption of the battery 81 as compared with the configuration in which the boosting operation is always performed.

  Subsequently, the control circuit 71 starts again at time T24 (time when the driving period P21 has elapsed from time T21), and performs on-control (output of a driving signal) to cause the boosting circuit 82 to perform a boosting operation. . When the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71, the booster circuit boosts the output voltage from the battery 81 and supplies power to the capacitor 83 with the boosted voltage. Then, when the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71 at time T24, the booster circuit 82 performs charging until the capacitor 83 reaches the target charging voltage (6 V).

  Then, the control circuit 71 outputs a driving signal to the sensor driving circuit 72 at a time (time T25) after the timing when the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 becomes the target charging voltage (6 V), and the raw water sensor 60A and The water purification sensor 60B is driven. The raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B are driven for a certain drive time (time from T25 to T26) based on the electric power supplied from the condenser 83.

  When the raw water sensor 60A detects a detection target (such as a hand) while the sensor driving circuit 72 is being driven (between time T25 and time T26), a detection signal is output to the control device 70. When acquiring the detection signal from the raw water sensor 60A, the control device 70 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 to drive the sensor drive circuit 72. The sensor drive circuit 72 moves the raw water on-off valve 40 in the closed position from the closed position to the open position at the timing (time T26) when the drive signal is obtained from the control device 70. Thereby, the automatic faucet 1 discharges the raw water supplied through the outflow passage 34 from the water discharger 16.

  If the water purification sensor 60B detects a detection target (such as a hand) while the sensor drive circuit 72 is being driven (from time T25 to time T26), a detection signal is output to the control device 70. When acquiring the detection signal from the water purification sensor 60B, the control device 70 outputs a drive signal to the sensor drive circuit 72 to drive the sensor drive circuit 72. The sensor drive circuit 72 moves the water purification on-off valve 42 in the closed position from the closed position to the open position at the timing (time T26) when the drive signal is obtained from the control device 70. Thereby, the automatic faucet 1 discharges the purified water supplied through the outflow passage 34 from the water discharge unit 16.

  The raw water on-off valve 40 or the water purification on-off valve 42 is driven and controlled by the sensor drive circuit 72 from time T26 to time T27 based on the electric power supplied from the condenser 83. Then, the control circuit 71 stops the operation of the booster circuit 82 when the driving of the raw water on-off valve 40 or the water purification on-off valve 42 is completed (time T27), and shifts to the stop mode.

  Subsequently, the control circuit 71 starts up again at time T28 (time P21 which is a drive cycle from time T24 has elapsed) and performs on-control (output of a drive signal) to cause the booster circuit 82 to perform boosting operation. . When the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71, the booster circuit boosts the output voltage from the battery 81 and supplies power to the capacitor 83 with the boosted voltage. Then, when the drive signal is input from the control circuit 71 at time T28, the booster circuit 82 performs charging until the capacitor 83 reaches the target charging voltage (6 V).

  Then, the control circuit 71 outputs a driving signal to the sensor driving circuit 72 at a time (time T29) after the timing when the charging voltage of the capacitor 83 becomes the target charging voltage (6 V), and the raw water sensor 60A and The water purification sensor 60B is driven.

  Thereafter, similarly to the control from time T21 to time T30, the control circuit 71, the boosting circuit 82, and the sensor driving circuit 72 are driven intermittently.

  In addition, when the automatic faucet 1 is in the raw water discharge state, the raw water on-off valve 40 is moved from the closed position to the open position by the raw water sensor 60A again detecting the detection target, and the water is stopped. Similarly, when the automatic faucet 1 is in the discharge state of purified water, the water purification on-off valve 42 is moved from the closed position to the open position by the detection of the detection target again by the water purification sensor 60B, and the water is stopped. .

  With the configuration as described above, also in the automatic faucet 1 of the second embodiment, the control circuit 71 controls the boosting circuit 82 to perform the boosting operation and the off control that does not allow the boosting circuit 82 to perform the boosting operation. This is a configuration for switching. Thus, as in the first embodiment, the power consumption of the battery 81 can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the boost operation is continued.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the automatic faucet 1 of the first embodiment, each of the raw water sensor 60A and the water purification sensor 60B is configured by an infrared sensor. However, the other configuration is applicable as long as the sensor detects a human body or the like. And may be configured as a proximity sensor, for example.
(2) The automatic faucet 1 according to the first embodiment exemplifies the sensors 60A and 60B and the on-off valves 40 and 42 as the electric loads driven by the electric power stored in the condenser 83, but is not limited thereto. An electric load such as an LED may be employed.
(3) In the automatic faucet 1 according to the first embodiment, the condenser 83 is exemplified as the power storage unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and another configuration such as a storage battery may be used as long as the power storage unit is configured.
(4) Although the automatic faucet 1 of the first embodiment is configured to be able to discharge purified water, it may be configured to be unable to discharge purified water. In this case, the water purification sensor 60B, the water purification on-off valve 42, and the like are unnecessary.

1: Automatic faucet 16: Water spouting section 40: Open / close valve for raw water (electric load section, solenoid valve)
42 ... On-off valve for water purification (electric load unit, solenoid valve)
60A: Raw water sensor (electric load, sensor)
60B: Water purification sensor (electric load unit, sensor)
71 ... Control circuit 81 ... Battery 82 ... Boost circuit 83 ... Capacitor (power storage unit)

Claims (3)

An automatic faucet that discharges water from a water discharging unit by changing a solenoid valve from a closed state to an open state by detecting an object to be detected by a sensor,
Battery and
A booster circuit that boosts and outputs an output voltage from the battery;
A power storage unit that is charged based on an output voltage from the booster circuit,
An electric load unit driven based on electric power supplied from the power storage unit,
A control circuit that operates based on electric power supplied from the battery and performs control for driving the electric load unit,
With
The automatic water faucet, wherein the control circuit switches between on control for causing the boosting circuit to perform a boosting operation and off control for not allowing the boosting circuit to perform a boosting operation.   The automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit performs control for driving the electric load unit when switching from the off control to the on control.   The control circuit switches from the on control to the off control when the charge voltage of the power storage unit reaches a predetermined target voltage value by the boost operation of the boost circuit by switching from the off control to the on control. The automatic faucet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

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