JP3144589B2 - Water supply control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water supply control device using an intermittent light reflection type sensor, and more particularly to an improvement of a water supply control device for improving sensing accuracy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 62 discloses an apparatus for detecting a user of a flusher such as a urinal using a reflection type sensor of an intermittent light projection type, and automatically supplying flush water based on the sensed output. -156
446, JP-A-2-157332, JP-A-2-157333 and the like.

[0003] A water supply control device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-156446 performs pulse light emission at predetermined intervals,
This is a configuration in which it is determined that a user is present when reflected light is continuously obtained, for example, three times. However, since the configuration merely detects the reflected light, there is a possibility that disturbance light is erroneously sensed.

Accordingly, the present applicant has disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-15733.
No. 2, JP-A-2-157333, when a reflected light detection output is obtained, a plurality of auxiliary light projections are further performed, and when a predetermined number of light receptions is obtained for the number of auxiliary light projections. Has proposed a configuration that determines that a user exists.

[0005]

However, erroneous sensing due to unity disturbance light can be prevented by increasing the number of times of pulse projection. However, a fluorescent lamp which is dimmed and driven using an inverter emits light. The effect is small for periodic noise light that is generated.

The light projecting means and the light receiving means are arranged so that their directing directions are downward from the horizontal direction so as not to detect opposing walls or the like. As shown in FIG. , 102 may be placed opposite to each other, so that light emitted from one of the reflective sensors 101 may be reflected on the floor surface and received by the other reflective sensor 102 and erroneously sensed.

Similarly, in a toilet in which a plurality of reflection-type sensors are juxtaposed, light irregularly reflected by a user may be received by an adjacent sensor and erroneously sensed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a water supply control device which prevents erroneous sensing due to disturbance light and light projection signals from other sensors, and improves sensing accuracy. Is to do.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a water supply control device according to the present invention, when a reflection signal detection output accompanying the previous transmission is obtained, is based on identification information unique to the reflection sensor. There are provided transmission signal switching means for performing modulated transmission, and determination means for determining that a reflected signal detection output corresponding to the transmitted signal has been obtained and outputting a sensing signal.

[0010]

In the water supply control device according to the present invention, when the reflected light by the pulsed light is detected, in the next light, the light is modulated based on the identification information unique to the reflective sensor. When there is no user, pulse light emission with a short light emission time is performed.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a water supply control device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of each part of the reflection type sensor.

The water supply control device 1 comprises a reflection type sensor 2 for detecting a user such as a urinal or the like to be sensed, and a water supply control unit 3 for controlling water supply based on a signal from the reflection type sensor 2.

The reflection type sensor 2 comprises a light projecting means 4, a light receiving means 5, an identification information setting means 6, a judging means 7, a set
It comprises a reset type flip-flop (hereinafter referred to as SR flip-flop) 8 and an AND circuit 9. In addition, 10 shows a user.

The light emitting means 4 includes an intermittent light emitting timer 41 for determining an intermittent light emitting cycle, and a light emitting means for generating a pulse light emitting command signal 42a based on the intermittent light emitting timing signal 41a output from the intermittent light emitting timer 41. An identification code signal for generating an identification code command signal 43a based on a pulse signal generation circuit 42, an intermittent light timing signal 41a output from an intermittent light timer 41, and an identification information signal 6a from identification information setting means 6 to be described later. A light emitting signal switching means 44 for switching between a pulse light emitting command signal 42a and an identification code command signal 43a based on the Q output of the generating circuit 43 and the SR flip-flop 8;
And 38 kHz using a crystal oscillator or a ceramic oscillator
It comprises a carrier clock generation circuit 45 for generating a carrier clock signal 45a near z, an AND circuit 46, and a light emitting circuit 47 for generating a light emitting signal.

The identification code signal generation circuit 43 uses pulse position modulation (PPM) to change the pulse interval based on the identification information signal 6a from the identification information setting means 6 while keeping the pulse width constant. Is sent out as the identification code command signal 43a at the cycle determined by.

Based on the Q output of the SR flip-flop 8, the light emitting signal switching means 44 outputs a pulse light emitting command signal 42a when not sensing (L level) and an identification code command signal when sensing (H level). 43a is selected. The selected signal 44a is supplied to one input terminal of the AND circuit 46 and the comparison reference signal input terminal 7a of the judgment means 7.

A carrier clock signal 45 a is supplied to the other input terminal of the AND circuit 46, and a clock signal 46 a modulated by the carrier clock is supplied to the light projecting circuit 47.

The light projecting circuit 47 includes a light projecting element 471 such as an infrared light emitting diode and an npn transistor 472.
And an emitter resistor 473, and the light emitting element 471 is driven at a constant current based on the clock signal 46a to generate a light emitting signal as described above. VB indicates a power supply.

The light receiving means 5 includes a light receiving element 51 such as a PIN photodiode or a phototransistor for receiving the reflected light from the user 6, a first-stage amplifier 52, and a limiter circuit 53.
, A band-pass filter (BPF) 54 and a detection circuit 55
And the waveform shaping circuit 56 in combination.

After the output converted and amplified by the first-stage amplifier 52 is limited by a limiter circuit 53 so that the signal level becomes equal, the signal of the carrier frequency component is filtered by a band-pass filter (B
PF), and after demodulation by detection circuit 55,
The light receiving signal 5a having a predetermined logic level is output via the waveform shaping circuit 56.

The identification information setting means 6 is, for example, a digital
A switch is used to output an arbitrary identification information signal 6a to the identification code signal generation circuit 43 from 16 types of code information composed of 4-bit data.

The judgment means 7 has a comparison reference signal input terminal 7a
, A light emission signal switching signal 8a output from the output terminal Q of the SR flip-flop 8 applied to the mode signal input terminal 7b, and a light reception signal applied to the light reception signal input terminal 7c. Compare with 5a.

The judging means 7 determines that the input light receiving signal 5a is synchronized with the signal 44a corresponding to the light projecting signal, and that the light receiving signal switching signal 8a is at L level although the pulse width of the light receiving signal is substantially equal.
In the case of the level (single-shot pulse mode), the H level coincidence signal 7d is output to the set input S of the SR flip-flop 8. The judging means 7 determines that the input light receiving signal 5a is synchronized with the signal 44a corresponding to the light emitting signal, the pulse width of the light receiving signal is substantially equal, and the light emitting signal switching signal 8a is H
At the time of the level (identification code mode), an H level coincidence signal 7e is output. At other times, the non-coincidence output (non-sensing output) 7f (FIG. 2f) is synchronized with the fall of the light emission signal.
Output).

The set input S of the SR flip-flop 8
Is supplied with a coincidence output 7e and a reset input terminal R with a non-coincidence output (non-sense output) 7d, so that
From the time when the reflected light from 0 is detected to the time when the user 10 is no longer sensed, the H-level light emission signal switching signal 8a is output from the output terminal Q to the AND circuit 9 and the light emission signal switching means 44. are doing.

A light emission signal switching signal 8a is supplied to one input terminal of the AND circuit 9, and a coincidence output 7e is supplied to the other input terminal. When both input terminals are at the H level, a sensing output 7g (see FIG. 2e) is supplied to the water supply control unit 3.

The water supply control unit 3 includes a water supply control means 31 for controlling water supply to a urinal or the like based on the sensed output 7g and the non-sensed output 7f from the sensing unit 2, and an on-off valve 32.
The on-off valve 32 has one end connected to a water supply pipe 33 and the other end connected to a urinal or the like (not shown) via a flush water supply pipe 34.

The opening / closing valve 31 is a solenoid valve using a so-called latching solenoid as an actuator, and a pulsed current is applied when the valve is opened and closed, and otherwise the valve is opened or closed by a spring force or a magnetic force of a permanent magnet. It consists of. In addition, an actuator using a piezoelectric element is provided instead of an electromagnetic valve using a latching solenoid, and the valve opening is changed every time an open or close pulse is applied. A valve having a holding structure may be used.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the operation of the water supply control section. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the water supply control means 31 determines that the user is present when the sensing output 7g output from the sensing unit 2 continues for a certain period of time, and turns the non-sensing output 7f on for a certain period of time. It is configured to judge that there is no user when continued.

When the water supply control means 31 determines that there is a user, as shown in FIGS. 3D to 3F, it first generates a valve opening pulse 31a to open the on-off valve 32 and elapses a predetermined minute time. Thereafter, a valve closing pulse 31b is generated to perform pre-wash water supply before use of the urinal during this period.

Thereafter, when the judgment changes from the presence of the user to the absence of the user, the water supply control means 31 starts the valve opening pulse 31.
a is generated to open the on-off valve 32 for a predetermined time, and then a valve closing pulse 31b is generated to perform post-wash water supply.

With the above configuration, the water supply control device operates as follows. When there is no user 7, the light emission signal switching signal 8a is at the L level, and based on this signal, the light emission signal switching means 44 selects the pulse light emission command signal 42a at the time of non-sensing, and the selected intermittent light emission. Light emission modulated by a carrier clock is performed for each optical cycle T.

When the user 7 enters the sensing range of the reflection type sensor 2, the reflected light is sensed by the light receiving means 5 and the coincidence signal 7e is output, the set input S of the SR flip-flop 8 is set, and The light output signal switching signal 8a, which is the Q output, goes high. Thereby, the light emitting signal switching means 44 selects the identification code command signal 43a in the sensing state, so that the identification code signal 43a is output.

When the reflected light based on the identification code signal 43a is sensed by the light receiving means 5 and an H level coincidence signal 7e is output, the AND circuit 9 outputs a sense output 7g. Thereafter, when the user leaves, the light emission signal switching signal 8a becomes L level and outputs the non-sensing output 7f.

[0034]

As described above, the water supply control device according to the present invention has the following effects. When the reflective sensor detects the reflected light due to the pulsed light, the next light is modulated based on the identification information unique to the reflective sensor. Erroneous sensing due to an optical signal can be prevented.

When no user is present, pulse emission with a short light emission time is performed, so that power consumption required for light emission can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which identification information is always emitted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a water supply control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart showing the operation of each part of the reflection type sensor;

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing an operation of a water supply control unit.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a toilet in which a plurality of reflective sensors are installed facing each other.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Water supply control apparatus, 2 ... Reflection type sensor, 3 ... Water supply control part, 4 ... Light emitting means, 5 ... Light receiving means, 6 ... Identification information setting means, 7 ... Judgment means, 8 ... Set / reset type flip-flop ( RS flip-flop), 9 ... AND circuit,
10 ... user, 31 ... water supply control means, 32 ... open / close valve, 3
3 ... water supply pipe, 34 ... washing water supply pipe, 41 ... intermittent light emission timer, 42 ... light emission pulse signal generation circuit, 43 ... identification code signal generation circuit, 44 ... light emission signal switching means, 45 ... carrier clock generation circuit, 46 AND circuit, 47 light emitting circuit, 51 light receiving element, 52 initial stage amplifier, 53 limiter circuit, 54 bandpass filter (BPF), 55 detection circuit, 56 waveform shaping circuit, 471 light emitting Element, 47
2 ... transistor, 473 ... emitter resistance.

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tomohiro Nishi 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-2-278988 (JP, A) 2-29282 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) E03D 5/10 E03D 13/00 G01V 9/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A water supply control device using a reflection type sensor for transmitting a pulse from a transmission unit at predetermined time intervals and detecting a reflected signal of the transmission unit by a reception unit to sense a user or the like. When a signal detection output is obtained, it is determined that transmission signal switching means for performing transmission modulated based on the identification information unique to the reflection sensor and that a reflection signal detection output corresponding to the transmitted signal has been obtained. A water supply control device comprising a determination means for outputting a sensing signal.