JP5085054B2 - Battery level monitor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, battery level monitoring device, in particular, an automatic chemical feeder (so-called chemical dispenser) about remaining battery capacity monitor unit for monitoring the remaining amount of the power supplied batteries to electric pumps of.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automatic chemical liquid supply apparatus (so-called chemical liquid dispenser) in which a chemical liquid container storing a chemical liquid such as soap liquid is built in and the chemical liquid in the chemical liquid container is automatically discharged and supplied from a discharge nozzle by a built-in pump mechanism. Is generally well known.
Such a chemical dispenser is also known in which the built-in pump mechanism is constituted by an electric pump driven by an electric motor, and the electric motor is driven based on a detection signal of a finger sensor or an input signal of a manual switch. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this case, a battery is incorporated in the dispenser as a power source for the electric motor for driving the pump.

For such a battery for supplying power to the electric pump , a battery remaining amount monitoring mechanism for monitoring the remaining amount of the battery is usually incorporated in the apparatus in order to notify the replacement timing in advance, and the remaining battery amount Is displayed.
In the conventional battery remaining amount monitoring mechanism, the voltage of the battery is measured at the initial stage of driving, including when the electric pump is started, and if the measured voltage value falls below a preset threshold value, the remaining amount of the battery is low and needs to be replaced. Is indicated by a lamp display or the like.

In this case, the battery voltage is measured at the initial stage of driving of the electric pump , for example, when the load of the electric pump is generally the largest at the start-up time (peak P1) as shown by a solid curve C1 in FIG. Because there are many. If the load at start-up is always maximum, the voltage at the initial stage of drive including at start-up is measured, and if the measured voltage value is below a predetermined value (threshold) corresponding to the load at start-up, the battery It would be a good idea to encourage exchange.

However, if the drug solution dispenser, such as by liquid properties such as viscosity according to the type of chemical solution, not necessarily load during start up, as indicated by the dashed line curve C2 in FIG. 4 for example, operation after start The maximum load may be applied at any point in time (peak P2).
Therefore, there is a problem that if the battery voltage is measured and the remaining battery level is detected only at the initial driving stage of the electric pump , it is not possible to monitor the remaining battery level appropriately according to the actual maximum load.

  For such a problem, for example, the maximum load occurrence timing is measured in advance for each type of product (and for each type of chemical to be used in the case of a chemical dispenser), and based on this measurement result, the type of product It is conceivable to measure the battery voltage at the optimal timing every time, but in this case, it is necessary to change the specifications of the battery remaining amount monitor every time the product or chemical used is changed. Development, design and production problems such as extremely troublesome and difficult management and high costs arise.

  Furthermore, taking the case of a chemical dispenser as an example, the discharge area may be reduced due to partial clogging of the discharge nozzle and the pump load may increase. Since the timing cannot be predicted, the battery voltage cannot be measured at the optimum timing.

  Also, taking the case of a chemical dispenser as an example, when a failure occurs in the system, such as when the discharge nozzle is clogged and the load is excessive, conventionally, to detect and respond to such failure occurrence, Usually, a plurality of detection circuits and control circuits are used, but it would be advantageous if a simpler configuration could be used.

Therefore, the present invention provides a battery remaining amount monitoring device for monitoring the remaining amount of a battery for supplying power to an electric pump of an automatic chemical solution supplying device, without being affected by a change in the type of the electric pump , etc. It is an object of the present invention to be able to perform appropriate battery level monitoring corresponding to the above and to cope with an increase in load due to the occurrence of a failure of the electric pump with a simpler configuration.

For this reason, the battery remaining amount monitoring device according to the invention of claim 1 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the first invention) is configured to automatically supply and supply the chemical solution in the built-in chemical solution container from the discharge nozzle by the built-in pump mechanism. A battery remaining amount monitoring device for monitoring the remaining amount of a battery that supplies power to the electric pump of the automatic chemical liquid supply device, and continuously measuring the voltage of the battery from the start to the end of the operation of the electric pump Voltage measuring means for comparing the measured voltage value measured by the voltage measuring means with a preset first threshold value and the second threshold value (second threshold value <first threshold value), A first display means for indicating that the amount is a low level equal to or lower than a first predetermined value corresponding to the first threshold; and a second predetermined value (second predetermined) corresponding to the remaining amount of the battery corresponding to the second threshold. Value <first predetermined value) or less When the measured voltage value is less than or equal to the first threshold value and greater than the second threshold value based on the comparison result of the remaining amount display means having a second display means for indicating that the level is low and the comparison means to display the remaining battery capacity by the first display means, in the case the measured voltage value is less than the second threshold value to display the remaining battery capacity by the second display means, display control means, said battery After mounting, when the measured voltage value is equal to or less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold, storage means for storing the history as a battery exhaustion notice, and the elapsed time from the start of operation of the electric pump a timer for measuring the said and informing means for informing the operation end of the electric pump, the even after operation scheduled end time from start of operation of the electric pump without notification signal from the notification means, and said memory Before the means It is characterized by comprising determination means for determining that the battery has run out when the history of battery life warning is not stored .

Further , the invention according to claim 2 of the present application (hereinafter referred to as the second invention) is the notification from the notification means in the first invention even if the scheduled operation end time has elapsed from the start of the operation of the electric pump. When there is no signal, it further includes drive control means for forcibly stopping the operation of the electric pump .

According to the first invention of this application, the remaining amount of the battery for power supply is monitored for the electric pump of the automatic chemical liquid supply apparatus in which the maximum load generation timing can be changed if the type of product or the type of chemical liquid is different. At this time, the battery voltage is measured not only at the initial stage of operation including when the electric pump is started, but also from the start to the end of the operation, so that the maximum load is not affected by the change in the type of the electric pump. It is possible to monitor the appropriate remaining battery level.
Further, when the remaining battery level is low, the remaining battery level is set to 2 between a low level equal to or lower than the first predetermined value and an extremely low level equal to or lower than the second predetermined value (second predetermined value <first predetermined value). It is possible to display in stages and to improve the convenience when preparing for battery replacement.
Moreover, even after operation scheduled end time from start of operation of the electric pump, in the case the broadcast signal from the informing means for informing the operation end of the electric pump is not, the battery power warning of history storing means stores is If not (i.e., if there is no history of the battery residual amount is lowered at a low level luma), the no electric pump is unable to finish the operation within the operating scheduled end time by insufficient battery power However, since it is considered that some kind of failure has occurred, it is possible to detect the failure with a relatively simple configuration by determining the failure by this.
In this case, a failure determination is made based on whether or not the history of battery exhaustion is stored in the storage means (that is, whether or not there is a history in which the remaining battery level has decreased to a low level corresponding to the first threshold). Therefore, it is possible to perform failure detection on the safer side as compared with the case where the second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value is used.

In addition , according to the second invention of the present application, basically, the same operational effects as the first invention can be achieved. In particular, even after operation scheduled end time of the electric pump, when the notification signal from the notification means for notifying the operating end of the electric pump is not, therefore forcibly stops the operation of the electric pump, The protection function can be enhanced by preventing excessive operation of the electric pump .

Hereinafter, with the remaining monitor power supply battery to the electric pump of the automatic chemical liquid supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The automatic chemical solution supply apparatus according to the present embodiment is, for example, an apparatus for automatically supplying a chemical solution in a chemical solution container stored in an apparatus case by a built-in pump mechanism from a discharge nozzle, and driving the pump mechanism. A motor, a battery for supplying power, a control unit of the device, and the like are also housed in the device case.

For example, when the user turns on the operation switch, the operation of the apparatus is started, the electric motor is driven, the pump is activated, the chemical liquid (for example, soap liquid) is sucked up from the chemical liquid container and supplied to the discharge nozzle. The chemical solution is discharged and supplied toward the finger of the user that is inserted below the discharge nozzle. Usually, the pump operation period by one operation is set to be constant, and the discharge amount of the chemical solution by one operation is thereby determined.
In addition, instead of the user turning on the operation switch as described above, a finger sensor is provided to detect when a user's finger is inserted below the discharge nozzle. The operation of the apparatus can be started by a signal.
The main structure and basic operation of the automatic chemical liquid supply apparatus as described above are the same as those well known in the art.

In the apparatus according to the present embodiment, the battery remaining amount monitoring device (hereinafter, referred to as “remaining battery level monitoring device”) is used to monitor the remaining amount of the battery that supplies power to the electric motor that drives the pump mechanism and to predict the battery replacement time in advance. (Abbreviated as “monitor device” as appropriate). Hereinafter, this monitor apparatus will be described.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the battery remaining amount monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the monitor device A includes a monitor unit M that monitors the remaining amount of the battery 1 and a display unit D that displays a monitor result of the monitor unit M. In addition, a switch mechanism 3 that is turned on by a user's manual switch operation or a detection signal from a finger sensor (not shown), an electric motor 2 that is driven by turning on the switch mechanism 3, and power to the electric motor 2 The battery 1 to be supplied constitutes a part of the drive unit K that drives the automatic chemical liquid supply device.

  The monitor unit M is mainly composed of a control circuit board in which various electric parts or electronic parts are arranged on a circuit board, a voltage measuring circuit 11 for measuring the voltage of the battery, and this voltage measurement. A comparison circuit 12 that compares the measured voltage value measured by the circuit 11 with a preset threshold value, and the remaining battery level is determined based on the comparison result of the comparison circuit 12, and the battery is displayed on the display unit D as necessary. And a determination circuit 13 capable of displaying the remaining amount. The determination circuit 13 corresponds to display control means, determination means, and drive control means described in the claims of the present application.

  The measurement of the battery voltage by the voltage measuring circuit 11 is set not only at the initial stage of operation including when the motor is started as in the prior art, but also continuously from the start of operation of the motor 2 to the end of operation. ing. Therefore, it is possible to perform an appropriate battery remaining amount monitor corresponding to the maximum load without being affected by a change in the type of the automatic chemical solution supply device, the type of the pump mechanism, or the type of the electric motor.

The comparison circuit 12 is connected to a memory device 14 storing necessary data and the like so as to be able to exchange signals. The memory device 14 stores threshold data regarding the measured voltage value of the battery 1. Alternatively, the threshold value can be set by an integrated circuit (IC) or a partial pressure of a resistor.
In the present embodiment, first and second threshold values (second threshold value <first threshold value) are set. The first threshold value is a voltage value corresponding to a first predetermined value that is an upper limit of “low level” in which the remaining battery level is set in advance. The second threshold value is a voltage value corresponding to a second predetermined value (second predetermined value <first predetermined value) that is an upper limit of the “ultra-low level” that is set in advance.

The comparison circuit 12 compares the measured voltage value measured by the voltage measurement circuit 11 with the first and second threshold values read from the memory device 14.
The “low level” is a remaining level at which the apparatus can be operated for a limited period of time, but the remaining battery level is low, so that it is necessary to prepare to replace the battery with a new one. Further, the “extremely low level” is a remaining level that requires immediate battery replacement because the remaining battery level is extremely small.

  In the display unit D, the battery level is “low level” and a warning lamp 21 indicating that the battery needs to be replaced soon, and the battery level is “extremely low” and the battery needs to be replaced immediately. A battery exhaustion lamp 22 is provided. In addition, the display unit D is also provided with a failure lamp 23 for displaying that some failure has occurred in the automatic chemical liquid supply device, as will be described later.

  The comparison result in the comparison circuit 12 is input to the determination circuit 13, and when the measured voltage value measured by the voltage measurement circuit 11 is equal to or less than the first threshold value and greater than the second threshold value, the remaining battery level is low. It is determined that the level is reached, and the notice lamp 21 of the display unit D is turned on. Further, when the measured voltage value is equal to or less than the second threshold value, it is determined that the remaining battery level is extremely low, and the battery run-off lamp 22 of the display unit D is turned on. When the measured voltage value measured by the voltage measuring circuit 11 is larger than the first threshold value, the battery unit is not required to be notified of the battery replacement, and therefore the lamp display on the display unit D is not performed.

Note that the warning lamp 21 does not light up while the motor 2 is in operation, and the dead battery lamp 22 and the failure lamp 23 light up even when the motor 2 is in operation, and these lamps 22 or 23 are lit. Later, the motor 2 stops operating.
Further, when the battery 1, which is the target of the remaining amount monitoring, has a measured voltage value equal to or lower than the first threshold value and larger than the second threshold value, the remaining battery level is determined to be low, and the warning lamp 21 is turned on. Is stored in the memory device 14 as “Battery out notice”, and the presence / absence of such “notice history” can be read out. That is, after the battery 1 is attached, when the measured voltage is once below the first threshold value, the notice history of the battery exhaustion is stored.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the remaining battery level is low, the remaining battery level is set to “low level” equal to or lower than the first predetermined value and the second predetermined value (second predetermined value <first predetermined value). ) It can be displayed sequentially in two stages of “very low level” below. Thereby, the convenience at the time of performing battery replacement preparation can be improved, and battery replacement can be performed with better timing.

  The determination circuit 13 is connected to a timer 15 for measuring the elapsed time from when the switch 3 is turned on and the motor 2 is started to operate. Further, the drive unit K is provided with, for example, an end detection circuit 4 that detects when the operation of the motor 2 is completed and notifies the determination circuit 13 of the end of the operation. Further, the memory device 14 stores data of a required operation period of the motor 2 (that is, a scheduled operation end time from the start of operation of the motor 2 to the end of operation) due to one ON operation of the switch 3.

In the present embodiment, the determination circuit 13 forcibly stops the operation of the automatic chemical supply device based on the output signals of the timer 15 and the end detection circuit 4 and the scheduled operation end time read from the memory device 14. And failure judgments are made.
That is, if the end detection signal is not output from the end detection circuit 4 even after the operation end scheduled time has elapsed from the start of operation of the motor 2, the operation of the motor 2 is forcibly stopped. As a result, it is possible to prevent excessive operation of the motor 2 and enhance the protection function.

In addition, when the end detection signal is not output from the end detection circuit 4 even after the scheduled operation end time has elapsed from the start of the operation of the motor 2, the measured voltage value measured by the voltage measurement circuit 11 is any predetermined threshold value. (In the present embodiment, when the first threshold value is exceeded) (that is, when the remaining battery level is not lowered to a low level), the motor 2 is within the scheduled operation end time due to insufficient battery level. In this case, it is considered that some failure has occurred, so that a failure determination is made and the failure lamp 23 of the display unit D is turned on. In this case, it is possible to detect a failure of the automatic chemical solution supply apparatus with a relatively simple configuration.

In the case of forcibly stopping the operation of the automatic chemical liquid supply apparatus as described above or determining a failure, the “scheduled operation end time” is the longest required operation of the motor 2 by one ON operation of the switch 3. It is calculated by multiplying (or adding) a predetermined coefficient by a period or a standard required operation period.
In addition, the second threshold value can be adopted as the “predetermined threshold value” that is a determination criterion for failure detection. However, in the present embodiment, the first threshold value is adopted, so that the second threshold value is used. Thus, failure detection on the safer side can be performed.

A specific example of the operation of the battery remaining amount monitoring apparatus A will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
For example, when the switch mechanism 3 is turned on by a user's switch operation, the system operation is started and the electric motor 2 is driven (step # 1). In step # 2, it is determined whether or not the measured voltage value E measured by the voltage measuring circuit 11 is equal to or less than the second threshold value S2 (E ≦ S2). When the determination result is YES, since the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than the second predetermined value (the upper limit value of the extremely low level), the battery exhaust lamp 22 is turned on (step # 11).

  If the decision result in the step # 2 is NO, whether or not “There is a battery warning” is stored in the memory device 14 in the step # 3 (that is, whether there is a “notice history”). If this is NO, that is, if the measured voltage has never fallen below the first threshold value S1 after the battery 1 is mounted, the measured voltage value E is the first in step # 4. It is determined whether or not the threshold value is less than or equal to S1 (E ≦ S1). If the determination result is YES, since the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than the first predetermined value (the upper limit value of the low level), “There is battery warning” is stored in the memory device 14 (step # 5). .

  After step # 5 is finished, in both cases where the determination result in step # 4 is NO and the determination result in step # 3 is YES, then in step # 6, the motor 2 is operated. It is determined whether or not the timer value T (elapsed time) from the start exceeds the scheduled operation end time Ts (T> Ts). If this determination result is NO, it is determined in step # 7 whether or not an end detection signal has been output from the end detection circuit 4. If this determination result is YES, that is, the motor 2 starts operating. If the timer value T (elapsed time) from the time does not exceed the scheduled operation end time Ts and the end detection signal is not output from the end detection circuit 4, the process returns to step # 2 and thereafter The steps are repeated.

  On the other hand, also in the case where the determination result in Step # 6 is YES, it is determined whether or not the end detection signal is output from the end detection circuit 4 (Step # 8). If this determination result is YES, That is, when the timer value T (elapsed time) from the start of the operation of the motor 2 exceeds the expected operation end time Ts (T> Ts), the end detection signal is not output from the end detection circuit 4. In step # 9, it is determined whether or not “preliminary history” exists in the memory device 14.

If the determination result in step # 9 is NO, it is considered that the motor 2 cannot finish its operation within the scheduled operation end time Ts due to a shortage of the remaining battery power, and some failure has occurred. Therefore, the failure lamp 23 of the display unit D is turned on (step # 10), and then the operation of the motor 2 is stopped at step # 12.
If the determination result in step # 9 is YES, the battery run-off lamp 22 is turned on (step # 11), and then the operation of the motor 2 is stopped in step # 12. That is, when the timer value T (elapsed time) from the start of the operation of the motor 2 exceeds the expected operation end time Ts (T> Ts), the end detection signal is not output from the end detection circuit 4. In any case, the operation of the motor 2 is forcibly stopped.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step # 8 is NO, that is, the timer value T (elapsed time) from the start of operation of the motor 2 exceeds the expected operation end time Ts (T> Ts), and the process ends. Even when an end detection signal is output from the detection circuit 4, the operation of the motor 2 is stopped in step # 12.
If the determination result in step # 7 is NO, that is, the timer value T (elapsed time) from the start of operation of the motor 2 does not exceed the expected operation end time Ts, but the end from the end detection circuit 4 Even when the detection signal is output, the operation of the motor 2 is stopped in step # 12.

When the operation of the motor 2 is stopped in step # 12, it is determined whether the battery dead lamp 22 is lit (step # 13), and further, it is determined whether the failure lamp 23 is lit (step # 14). If both are NO, in step # 15, it is determined whether or not there is a “notice history” in the memory device. If the determination result is YES, the warning lamp 21 is turned on (step # 16), and the system operation ends.
When the determination result of step # 15 is NO, when the determination result of step # 13 is YES, and when the determination result of step # 14 is YES, the operation of the system is terminated as it is.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the voltage measurement of the battery 1 is performed not only in the initial stage of operation including when the motor 2 is started, but also from the start of operation of the motor 2 to the end of operation. Appropriate battery level monitoring corresponding to the maximum load can be performed without being affected by the change in the type of the supply device, the type of the pump mechanism, or the type of the electric motor.
In addition, when the remaining amount of the battery 1 is low, the remaining amount of the battery can be displayed in two steps of a low level and an extremely low level, thereby improving convenience when preparing for battery replacement. be able to.
Further, when the measured end value of the battery 2 exceeds the first threshold value S1 when no operation end detection signal is output after the scheduled operation end time has elapsed since the start of the operation of the motor 2. By determining that a failure occurs (that is, when the remaining battery level has not decreased to a low level), failure detection can be performed with a relatively simple configuration.

Needless to say , the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements or design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is an automatic chemical feeder (so-called chemical dispenser) a battery level monitoring device for monitoring the remaining amount of the power supplied battery to the electric pump of, being influenced by the type change of electric pump In addition, the battery remaining amount monitor device can perform appropriate battery remaining amount monitoring corresponding to the maximum load and can cope with the load increase due to the failure of the electric pump with a simpler configuration. As such, it can be used effectively .

It is a block block diagram which shows schematically the structure of the battery residual amount monitor apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a part of flowchart for demonstrating the action | operation of the said battery remaining charge monitor apparatus. It is a part of flowchart for demonstrating the action | operation of the said battery remaining charge monitor apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically an example of the fluctuation characteristic with respect to the time of the load of an electrically-driven apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Battery 2 ... Electric motor 3 ... Switch mechanism 4 ... Completion detection circuit 11 ... Voltage measurement circuit 12 ... Comparison circuit 13 ... Judgment circuit 14 ... Memory device 15 ... Timer 21 ... Notice lamp 22 ... Battery dead lamp 23 ... Fault lamp A ... Battery level monitor device D ... Display unit K ... Drive unit M ... Monitor unit

Claims (2)

This is a battery level monitoring device that monitors the remaining amount of battery that supplies power to the electric pump of the automatic chemical solution supply device that automatically supplies and supplies the chemical solution in the internal chemical solution container from the discharge nozzle by the built-in pump mechanism. And
Voltage measuring means for continuously measuring the voltage of the battery from the start of operation of the electric pump to the end of operation;
A comparing means for comparing the measured voltage value measured by the voltage measuring means with a preset first threshold value and the second threshold value (second threshold value <first threshold value);
First display means for displaying that the remaining amount of the battery is at a low level equal to or lower than a first predetermined value corresponding to the first threshold; and a second predetermined value corresponding to the second threshold corresponding to the second threshold. A remaining amount display means having a second display means for indicating that the level is very low (second predetermined value <first predetermined value);
Based on the comparison result of the comparison means, when the measured voltage value is less than the first threshold value and greater than the second threshold value, the remaining battery level is displayed by the first display means, and the measured voltage value is Display control means for displaying the remaining battery level by the second display means when the second threshold value or less;
Storage means for storing the history as a battery exhaustion notice when the measured voltage value is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold after the battery is mounted;
A timer for measuring the elapsed time from the start of operation of the electric pump ;
Informing means for informing the end of operation of the electric pump ;
If there is no notification signal from the notification means even if the scheduled operation end time has elapsed from the start of the operation of the electric pump , and the history of battery exhaustion notice is not stored in the storage means, it is determined as a failure. Determination means to perform,
A battery level monitor device comprising: Said if even after operation scheduled end time from start of operation of the electric pump without notification signal from the notification means is further provided with a drive control means for forcibly stopping the operation of the electric pump The remaining battery level monitoring device according to claim 1 .

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