JP2023107009A - Water-related equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide water-related equipment capable of operating multiple types of equipment bodies by user's actions.SOLUTION: Water-related equipment comprises: multiple types of equipment bodies 1; a motion detection means 3 for detecting a plurality of predetermined motions; and a control part 2 for controlling motion of the equipment bodies 1 of a type corresponding to a specific motion when one specific motion among the plurality of predetermined motions is detected by the motion detection means 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a remotely controlled electric faucet device, a remotely controlled electric drain cock device, or a plumbing device that controls the operation of a hand dryer, a lighting device, or the like, which is installed in equipment such as a kitchen sink or washbasin. Regarding equipment.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an automatic faucet that automatically spouts and stops water by sensing a hand. This automatic faucet is provided with a faucet main body on the faucet mounting surface of the tank body, and the faucet main body is provided with a hand detection sensor. Further, an operation lever of a pop-up drain plug is provided on the surface of the tank body on which the drain plug is placed so that the user remotely manually operates and opens and closes the drain plug provided at the drain port of the tank body.

Patent Document 2 discloses an automatic drain plug that automatically opens and closes the drain plug of the drain port of the tank body by sensing the water level in the tank body. This automatic drain plug is provided with a drain plug main body at the drain port of the tank body, and a water level sensor is provided near the overflow drain port on the peripheral surface of the tank body.

JP-A-7-229183 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-324061

After an infected person with a new coronavirus infectious disease suppresses a sneeze or cough with their hands, if they touch the operating handles of various plumbing devices such as faucets and drain plugs with their hands, the virus will stick to them, and others will be exposed to them. If you touch the operating handle, the virus will stick to your hands, and if you touch your mouth or nose with those hands, you may be infected through the mucous membranes. In particular, the operation handles of the water faucet device and the drain faucet device are likely to be infected because they are touched by many and unspecified users.

In the automatic faucet shown in Patent Document 1, the hand detection sensor detects the user's hand to spout and stop water from the automatic faucet, so the user can operate the faucet without directly touching the faucet. However, the user had to manually operate the operation rod to open and close the drain plug of the drain port, so the user had to directly touch the operation rod of the drain plug device.

In addition, in the automatic drain plug disclosed in Patent Document 2, the water level sensor detects the water level in the tank body to open and close the drain plug of the drain port. Although it is possible to operate the drain plug, these prevent the water stored in the tank from overflowing when the drain is closed, so the water level in the tank is detected and the drain plug is opened when the water level reaches a certain level. If the user wishes to open and close the drain plug at the user's will, such as when the user wants to store water in the tank body, the user must manually operate the operation rod to open and close the drain plug. The operating lever of the device ultimately had to be directly touched by the user.

Therefore, it is conceivable to install a hand sensor in the drain plug device shown in Patent Document 1 to detect the user's hand so that the drain plug can be opened and closed without touching the operation rod of the drain plug device. If the hand sensor of the faucet and the hand sensor of the drain plug device are shared, the hand sensor cannot distinguish whether the automatic faucet discharges/stops water or the drain plug device opens/closes. It is also possible to provide a hand detection sensor for each device such as an automatic faucet and a drain plug device, but in this case not only the number of parts increases, but also the number of assembly steps increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plumbing apparatus that allows a user to operate a plurality of apparatus main bodies.

A water faucet device of the present invention comprises a plurality of types of device main bodies, motion detection means for detecting a plurality of predetermined motions, and when one specific motion among the plurality of predetermined motions is detected by the motion detection means, the specified motion is detected. and a control unit for controlling the operation of the device main body of the type corresponding to the above.

According to the present invention, when one specific action among a plurality of predetermined actions is detected by the action detection means, the control unit controls the action of the device main body of the type corresponding to the specific action. The device main body can be operated, and by presetting a plurality of predetermined actions and specific actions, it is possible to control a plurality of device main bodies with a single action detection means.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a washbasin equipped with a plumbing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a top view of the washbasin in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific operation when a user intends to open/close a faucet among a plurality of predetermined operations in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific operation when a user intends to open/close a drain plug, among a plurality of predetermined operations in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific operation when the user intends to turn on/off the lighting device among a plurality of predetermined operations according to the embodiment of the present invention; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a block diagram which represents typically the plumbing equipment which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a washbasin equipped with plumbing equipment, showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a top view of a washbasin in another embodiment of the present invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The plumbing equipment of this embodiment is used as the faucet 11, the drain plug 12, and the lighting device 13 of the washbasin shown in FIGS. A washbasin is composed of a cabinet and a tub shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the washbasin includes a cabinet 5, a tank body 4 (washbowl), and a faucet and a drain faucet, which are plumbing devices. A lighting device 13 is provided near the washbasin.
The cabinet 5 has a box shape and is installed on the floor. Inside the cabinet 5, a storage section for storing articles is formed.
The tank body 4 is provided on the cabinet 5 . The tank body 4 is box-shaped, and has a drain port 41 at its bottom for draining the internal waste water downstream. As shown in FIG. 2, the side where the user is positioned with respect to the tank body 4 is the front side, the portion facing the front side is the back side, and the left and right directions for the user are left and right. Further, in this embodiment, the top surface of the cabinet 5 is provided with a faucet mounting surface 51 . In addition, in this embodiment, the faucet mounting surface 51 on which the faucet 11 is installed is configured on the upper surface of the cabinet 5, but may be configured on the upper surface of the tank body 4, for example. Moreover, the object on which the faucet 11 is installed is not limited to the washbasin, and may be, for example, a kitchen table. When the water discharge valve is installed on the kitchen table, the water discharge valve 11 is installed, for example, on a counter forming the upper surface of the kitchen table or in the vicinity of the sink.

The drain pipe 6 is a tubular body for draining the waste water generated in the tank body 4 to sewage, and is arranged inside the cabinet 5 . One end of the drain pipe 6 is connected to the drain port 41 of the tank body 4, and the other end is connected to a sewage pipe (not shown). In addition, in this embodiment, a conventionally well-known drain trap 61 is configured in the middle of the drain pipe 6 . The drainage trap 61 is composed of a U-shaped tubular body, and has a water seal configured by storing part of the drainage inside. Since the drainage trap 61 has water sealing inside, it has a function of preventing odors and pests from the sewage from flowing back into the room.

The device main body 1 is a device provided in plumbing equipment such as a washstand and a kitchen. A plurality of types of drain plugs 12 for opening/closing the water and a lighting device 13 configured near the washbasin are provided. In this embodiment, the device main body 1 is the water discharge plug 11, the drain plug 12, and the lighting device 13, but the present invention is not limited to these. For example, it may be a hand dryer that dries wet hands after the user has washed their hands, or an automatic dispenser for hand soap.

The water discharge valve 11 is an automatic water discharge valve 11 that switches between the presence and absence of water discharge based on the detection result of the motion detection means 3 . The water discharge/stop of the water discharge valve 11 is controlled by the controller 2 provided inside the cabinet 5 . As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the water discharge valve 11 includes a water discharge portion 112 for discharging water, a water supply pipe 7 for supplying water to the water discharge portion 112, and a flow rate of the water discharged from the water discharge portion 112. It is equipped with a handle 111 for changing the temperature and motion detection means 3 with a non-contact sensor. The handle 111 can be operated by the user to change the flow rate and temperature of the spouted water. For example, when the user moves the handle 111 up and down, it is possible to operate the spouting/stopping of water and the flow rate of the spouting water, and when the user rotates the handle 111 left and right, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the spouting water. As shown in FIG. 2, the end of the water discharger 112 protrudes into the tank body 4 , so the water discharged from the water discharger 112 is discharged into the tank body 4 . The motion detection means 3 is provided at the end of the water discharger 112 and detects a predetermined motion of the user.

The drain plug 12 is an automatic drain plug 12 that switches the opening/closing of the drain port 41 of the tank body 4 based on the detection result of the operation detection means 3 . Opening/closing of the drain plug 12 is controlled by a control section 2 provided inside the cabinet 5 . As shown in FIG. 1, the drain plug 12 is provided inside a drain port 41 configured at the bottom of the tank body, and includes a valve body 121 for opening and closing the drain port 41, a drain pipe 6 connected to the drain port 41, a valve A drive unit 122 for moving the body 121 up and down is provided. The drive unit 122 operates in response to an instruction from the control unit 2, and moves the valve body 121 up and down by electric drive means such as a motor. When the valve body 121 rises, the drain port 41 and the valve body 121 are separated to open the drain port 41, and when the valve body 121 descends, the valve body 121 is seated on the drain port 41 and the drain port 41 is closed. do. In this embodiment, the drain plug 12 does not have a manual operating portion, but a manual operating portion may be provided as appropriate. By constructing the operation unit for manual operation, the drain plug 12 can be opened by the user operating the operation unit for manual operation in the event that electric parts such as the driving unit 122, the motion detection means 3, and the control unit 2 are broken. Plugging/capping can be performed.

The lighting device 13 is provided near the tub body 4 based on the detection result of the motion detection means 3 and serves as a lighting device near the washstand. Lighting/lighting of the lighting device 13 is controlled by the control unit 2 provided inside the cabinet 5 .

The control unit 2 is provided inside the cabinet 5 of the washbasin as shown in FIG. The control unit 2 has a power plug (not shown) connected to a power source, and can communicate with the operation detection means 3 and the device main body 1, namely, the water discharge valve 11, the drain valve 12, and the lighting device 13, by wire. The control unit 2 outputs a control signal based on the detection result of the operation detection unit 3 to control the water discharge/stop of the water discharge valve 11, the opening/closing of the water discharge valve 12, and the lighting/extinguishing of the lighting device 13. In this embodiment, the control unit 2 and the device body 1 are wired and communicate in compliance with a communication standard such as ECHONET Lite (registered trademark). For example, communication may be performed by short-range wireless communication conforming to communication standards such as WiFi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The control of the water discharge valve 11 will be specifically described. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 6, when the water discharge valve 11 is in the water stop state and the action detection means 3 detects a specific action intended to spout water among a plurality of predetermined actions, the control unit 2 releases water. spit water. When the water is spouted in this manner, the controller 2 maintains the water spouting state until the action detecting means 3 again detects a specific action intended to stop the water among the plurality of predetermined actions.
Intended to stop water, that is, in the present embodiment, the control unit 2 controls switching between the presence or absence of water spouting (water spouting/stopping) based on the detection result of the operation detection means 3 .

The control of the drain plug 12 will be specifically described. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 6, when the operation detection means 3 detects a specific operation intended to open the drain plug 12 out of a plurality of predetermined operations with the drain plug 12 closed, the valve body 121 is raised to open the drain port 41 . When the plug is opened in this manner, the control unit 2 maintains the unplugged state until the action detection means 3 again detects a specific action intended to close the plug from among the plurality of predetermined actions.
Further, in the unplugged state, the control unit 2 lowers the valve body 121 to close the drain port 41 when the motion detection means 3 detects a specific motion intended to close the drain port 41 among a plurality of predetermined motions. That is, in this embodiment, based on the detection result of the operation detection means 3, the control unit 2 controls switching between the upward movement and downward movement (opening/closing) of the valve body 121. FIG.

The control of the illumination device 13 will be specifically described. As shown in the block diagram shown in FIG. lights up. When the light is turned on in this manner, the control unit 2 maintains the lighted state until the action detecting means 3 again detects a specific action intended to turn off the light among the plurality of predetermined actions.
Further, in the lighting state, the control unit 2 turns off the illumination device 13 when the operation detection unit 3 detects a specific operation intended to turn off the light among the plurality of predetermined operations. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 2 controls switching between lighting and extinguishing of the lighting device 13 based on the detection result of the motion detection means 3 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 , the motion detection means 3 is provided at the end of the water discharge portion 112 of the water discharge valve 11 . That is, since the motion detection means 3 is configured to protrude inside the tank body 4 in a top view of the tank body 4, it is provided at a portion where the user's hand can be easily detected.
In addition, since the operation detection means 3 of the present embodiment has a non-contact sensor, the user can operate the device body in a non-contact manner without directly touching the device body.

Further, when detecting a specific action among a plurality of predetermined actions, the action detection means 3 controls the device main body corresponding to the specific action. In this embodiment, the user holds his or her hand over the motion detection means 3, and 1. 2. Move the hand from the front to the back or from the back to the front as shown in FIG. 3. Movement of the hand left and right as shown in FIG. A plurality of three motions, such as the motion of rotating the hand as shown in FIG. 5, are set in advance as predetermined motions. Further, among the predetermined operations, 1. As shown in FIG. 3, a predetermined motion from the front to the back or from the back to the front is set as a specific motion for controlling water discharge/stop of the water discharge valve 11 . In addition, among the predetermined operations, 2. A predetermined action of moving the hand left and right as shown in FIG. 4 is set as a specific action for controlling opening/closing of the drain plug 12 . In addition, among the predetermined operations, 3. The motion of rotating the hand as shown in FIG. Predetermined actions including these plurality of specific actions are notified to the user in advance through an instruction manual, a poster, or the like.

This embodiment is used, for example, as follows. In order to spout water from the spout 11 , the user holds his or her hand over the motion detection means 3 . At this time, the user performs a specific action from the front to the back or from the back to the front, as shown in FIG. 3, among predetermined actions set in advance. As a result, the specific action intended to spout water is detected by the action detecting means 3 , control corresponding to the specific action intended to spout water is output by the control section 2 , and water is spouted from the water discharge valve 11 . In order to stop water discharge from the water discharge valve 11, the user places his/her hand over the motion detection means 3 in the same manner as when water discharge is started, and moves the hand from the near side to the far side, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, a specific action intended to stop water from the back to the front is performed. As a result, the specific action intended to stop the water is detected by the action detection means 3, and a control signal corresponding to the specific action intended to stop the water is output by the control section 2, thereby stopping the water from the faucet 11. FIG.

To open the drain plug 12 , the user places his or her hand over the motion detection means 3 . At this time, the user performs a specific action of moving the hand left and right as shown in FIG. 4, among predetermined actions set in advance. As a result, the specific motion intended to open is detected by the motion detecting means 3, and the control unit 2 outputs control corresponding to the specific motion intended to open, and the drain plug 12 is opened. In order to close the drain plug 12, the user places his or her hand over the motion detecting means 3 and moves the hand left or right as shown in FIG. A specific action intended to close the plug is performed. As a result, the specific action intended to close the plug is detected by the action detection means 3, and a control signal corresponding to the specific action intended to close the plug is output by the control section 2 to close the drain plug 12. FIG.

To turn on the lighting device 13 , the user holds his or her hand over the motion detection means 3 . At this time, the user performs a specific operation intended to turn on the light by rotating the hand as shown in FIG. 5, among predetermined operations set in advance. As a result, the specific action intended to turn on is detected by the action detecting means 3, and control corresponding to the specific action intended to turn on is output by the control section 2, so that the lighting device 13 is turned on. In order to turn off the lighting device 13, the user puts his/her hand over the motion detecting means 3 in the same manner as when turning on the lighting device 13, and turns off the lighting device 13 by rotating the hand as shown in FIG. Perform the intended specific action. As a result, the specific action intended to turn off the light is detected by the action detecting means 3, and a control signal corresponding to the specific action intended to turn off is output by the controller 2 to turn off the lighting device 13. FIG.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, various modifications other than the above embodiments are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, although the motion detection means 3 has a non-contact sensor in the above embodiment, the motion detection means 3 may have a touch panel, for example. When a touch-type panel is employed, the predetermined action is an action of the user touching the touch panel and moving the finger back and forth, left and right, a rotating action, and the like.
In the above embodiment, the predetermined motion is the user's forward, backward, left, right, or rotational motion. This makes it possible to adjust the water volume and temperature of the water discharged from the water discharge plug 11, adjust the opening height width of the water discharge plug 12, and adjust the illuminance of the lighting device 13.
In addition, although the motion detection means 3 in the above embodiment is provided in the faucet 11, it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. good. In this case, the motion detection means 3 can be easily retrofitted without the need to drill holes in the existing washbasin, faucet 11, or the like. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation detection means 3 may be configured on the upper surface of the valve body 121 of the drain plug 12. FIG. In this case, the operation detection means 3 can be attached simply by replacing the valve body 121 having the operation detection means 3 in advance with the existing valve body 121. It is possible to install without opening.

1 Device main body 11 Discharge valve (device main body)
111 handle 112 water discharge part 12 drain plug (equipment main body)
121 valve body 122 drive unit 13 lighting device (equipment main body)
2 control unit 3 motion detection means 4 tank body 41 drain port 5 cabinet 51 faucet mounting surface 6 drain pipe 61 drain trap 7 water supply pipe

Claims (5)

a plurality of types of device bodies 1;
a motion detection means 3 for detecting a plurality of predetermined motions;
and a control unit 2 for controlling an operation of the device main body 1 of a type corresponding to the specific operation when the operation detection means 3 detects one specific operation among the plurality of predetermined operations. rotating equipment. 2. The plumbing equipment according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of types of equipment bodies 1 is a water discharge valve 11 for discharging water. 3. The plumbing equipment according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of types of equipment bodies 1 is a drain plug 12 for opening and closing a drain port 41. 4. The plumbing equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said motion detection means 3 has a touch panel. 4. The plumbing equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the motion detection means 3 has a non-contact sensor.

Images