JP5268033B2 - System kitchen - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically control water stop even when a still article exists in a sink during discharging water in a modular kitchen for performing an operation to open/close a valve to supply water to a water discharge port, based on the reception signal of a sensor installed on a sink wall surface so as to emit radio waves. <P>SOLUTION: A sensor unit 50 having a detection area 51 inside the sink 20 is arranged on the outer side of a sink side wall. When a signal processing unit for identifying the still state of an article or the scattering water in the sink 20 detects the scattering water 13 in the sink 20 for a fixed time or more, a valve to supply water to the water discharge port 11 is closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system kitchen that opens and closes a valve that supplies water to a water discharge port based on a received signal of a sensor that emits radio waves, and performs a valve closing operation by detecting a stationary state of a body to be detected and a water scattering state. Regarding the system kitchen to perform.

  When the transmission wave from the sensor hits the detected object, a reflected wave is generated. Since a detected object such as a human body can be detected by receiving this reflected wave, a technique is known that uses this as a detection means for automatic control of water discharge of the faucet device.

  For example, a system kitchen is described in which a photoelectric switch is provided on the side wall surface of the sink and a hand or tableware is brought close to the faucet to operate the switch to discharge water. (Patent Document 1)

In addition, an optical switch is provided in the housing, and the water supply mechanism is activated or not by switching the hand in and out of the housing opening part to switch between hot water supply and hot air supply, and the intermittent mixing of soap liquid during hot water supply A hot water / hot air supply device has been released. (Patent Document 2)

As in Patent Document 1, the photoelectric sensor arranged on the sink side wall detects a hand or tableware approaching the faucet and discharges water. Further, as in Patent Document 2, let's automatically control water stoppage by taking in and out the object to be detected. In this case, for example, an object such as a pan enters the detection range of the photoelectric sensor during water discharge, and the pan is detected in the same way as a hand or tableware. There is a possibility that waste water will be generated due to continued water discharge in the open state.

In order to solve such problems, the radio wave sensor is used to distinguish between water discharged when the washed product does not hit the discharged water flow and water scattered when the discharged water hits the washed product during the cleaning operation. Technology is known. (Patent Document 3)

However, in kitchen work, the act of placing cooking utensils that are not intended to be washed in the sink frequently occurs. For example, if a cooking utensil or the like is installed near the landing position on the sink of the water discharge flow in the state of water discharge, splashed water is generated when the water discharge hits the cooking utensil, and the radio wave sensor detects the water splash As a result, there was a possibility that water would continue to be dispensed even though it was not in use. On the other hand, in the state where the scattered water is not generated, it is an action of drawing water, so it is necessary to continue to draw water.

Japanese Utility Model Sho 61-075570 Reality 2-33940 Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-250831

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to open and close a valve for supplying water to a water outlet based on a reception signal of a sensor that radiates radio waves installed on a sink wall surface. In the system kitchen that operates, when water splashed by hitting a stationary object in the sink is generated in the water discharge, it is distinguished from the state where water is stored by placing a cooking utensil etc. in the sink, and it is surely automatic The water stop control can be performed.

According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a faucet having a spout, a sink that receives water discharged from the spout, a radio wave is transmitted and received, and the object to be detected is stationary. A sensor unit that detects a moving state or a moving state, and a valve that opens and closes based on detection information of the detected object obtained from the sensor unit and switches whether or not to supply water to the water outlet, The sensor unit is provided on the sink side wall surface and is installed in a direction in which radio waves can be emitted toward the inside of the sink. When the valve is open and the sensor detects water splashing in the sink for a certain time or more when the valve is in an open state, the valve Possible to provide a system kitchen, characterized in that it is operated.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the signal processing unit includes a first filter that passes a DC signal for detecting a stationary state of an object and a DC signal for detecting water scattered in the sink. The system kitchen according to claim 1, further comprising: a second filter that shuts off the water.

According to the present invention, by detecting the stationary state of the detection object placed in the sink and the water splashed upon the object to be washed, Since automatic water stop control can be performed more accurately for non-cooking utensils and tableware, there is less wasted water and a water saving effect. In addition, the water is not stopped when there is no scattered water to draw water, so that the user can perform kitchen work without stress.

Schematic configuration diagram of the system kitchen of the present invention Sensor block diagram Schematic of Doppler frequency signal Explanatory drawing of the object to be detected in the sink Explanatory drawing where the object to be detected is placed in the sink and splashed water is generated Explanatory drawing of water stop method by detecting stationary object and scattered water Illustration of stationary object detection method Schematic diagram of detection signal when sensing object is stationary Illustration of stationary object detection method Spattered water Doppler frequency signal schematic Explanatory drawing of scattered water detection method when water drops are attached Detailed explanation of sensor

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the system kitchen of the present invention. The system kitchen 1 includes a faucet 10 having a spout 11, a sink 20 that receives a spout 12 discharged from the spout 11, a water supply pipe 30 for supplying water to the faucet 10, and transmission and reception of radio waves. And a valve 40 that opens and closes based on detection information of the detected object obtained from the sensor unit 50 and switches whether or not to supply water to the water outlet 11. The sensor unit 50 is provided outside the sink side wall 21 and is configured to have a detection area 51 inside the sink 20.

First, the direction relationship of the sink 20 in this embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, a place where the user uses the sink 20, for example, in this embodiment, the surface facing the faucet 10 is the front edge side, the surface facing the front edge side is the rear edge side, and the sink opening surface direction is The upper direction, the direction in which the sink bottom surface exists, is the lower side, the left side of the drawing is the left side, and the right side of the drawing is the right side. A sink is comprised by the side wall and bottom face which exist in the front edge side, the rear edge side, the left side, and the right side.

Note that the boundary between the sink side wall 21 and the bottom surface 22 provided in each direction is not necessarily clear. For example, the connection surface between the side wall surfaces 21 may be formed as a curved surface. Further, the sink bottom surface 22 and the sink side wall 21 may be formed at an identifiable angle or shape. Furthermore, the sink bottom surface 22 is not limited to the one formed in a horizontal plane, and may be formed with an inclination. Further, the sink side walls 21 may all change in the same depth direction according to the shapes of the sink bottom surface 22 and the entire sink without having the same length. Here, the sink 20 becomes a recess with respect to the counter upper surface 60 as shown in FIG. 1 and receives water discharged from the water outlet 11.

Moreover, the discharged water flow 12 does not need to be a shower shape like FIG. 1, and shapes, such as a rectification | straightening, a spray, and a waterfall shape, may be sufficient.

In FIG. 1, the faucet 10 is installed on the counter upper surface 60, but the faucet 10 may be installed on the sink side wall surface 21. The shape of the faucet 10 is not limited to that shown in FIG.

In the present invention, the water discharged from the water outlet 11 may be the above liquid because hot water, hot water, soapy water or the like exhibits the same effect.

Details of the sensor unit 50 are shown in FIG. The sensor unit 50 receives a reception wave 59 in which a transmission wave 58 radiated to the outside is reflected back to the detection object, and generates a determination signal 56 based on the reception signal 55; And a control unit 53 that transmits an open / close signal 57 to the valve 40 based on the determination signal 56 output from the signal processing unit 52. The signal processing unit 52 may be omitted. In that case, the control unit 53 may transmit an open / close signal 57 to the valve 40 based on the received wave 59. By omitting the signal processing unit 52, it is possible to reduce time loss and the number of parts related to signal processing.

As shown in FIG. 4, when a detected object 150 such as a pan is placed in the sink 20 from the water outlet 11 into the discharged water, for example, when an infrared sensor is used for the sensor unit 50, water is discharged in response to the detected object 150. There is a possibility of continuing. Thereby, useless water discharge continuation which the user does not intend may occur.

As a means for solving the problem, for example, by detecting the scattered water generated when the discharged water hits the object to be cleaned, by performing the water stop control when the scattered water is not detected, waste that is not intended by the user. Can prevent continuous water discharge.

However, for example, when a cooking utensil 150 such as a pan is placed near the landing position of the water discharge flow 12 in the sink 20 during water discharge from the water discharge port 11 as shown in FIG. 5, the water discharge flow 12 that collides with the object to be cleaned 150. Water 13 may be generated. In such a scene, it is difficult to think that the user intends to continue water discharge, so it is necessary to stop the water. For example, when a method of detecting scattered water is applied, the user reacts to the scattered water 13. Water stoppage control may not be possible.

As a means for solving the problem, the object to be cleaned 150 is regarded as a detection object, the water 13 which collides with the detection object 150 and is scattered, and the water detection is stopped by detecting that the detection object 150 is stationary. If the control can be performed, it is possible to prevent unnecessary continuation of water discharge unintended by the user. (FIG. 6) When it is detected that the detection target 150 is still and the scattered water 13 is not detected, the water is continuously discharged to the cooking utensil placed in the sink. This makes it possible for the user to work in the kitchen without stress.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, the valve 40 is closed when the sensor unit 50 detects water splashing in the sink 20 for a predetermined time or longer when the valve 40 is open and the detection target 150 is stationary. This makes it possible to prevent useless water discharge.

  A means for detecting the stationary state of the detection object by the sensor unit 50 will be described. In order to distinguish and detect a stationary detection object from a moving detection object, it is necessary to acquire speed information of the detection object. For this purpose, it is desired to use the Doppler frequency signal of the radio wave sensor. For example, the signal reflected from the water being sprinkled, the signal reflected from the hand being washed, or the washing object other than the hand, etc. has a velocity component, so the Doppler is as shown in FIG. A voltage change 202 with respect to the reference value 200 of the frequency signal is obtained as a relatively large value with respect to a state in which no object is detected. On the other hand, when a detected object 150 such as a pan is placed in the detection area 51 of the sensor as shown in FIG. 4, the detected object does not have a velocity component, so the voltage generated by the Doppler frequency signal as shown in FIG. The change amount 201 of the detection signal with respect to the reference value 200 is almost zero. The stationary object to be detected is detected using the characteristics of the Doppler frequency signal.

In addition, the stationary state in this invention represents the state which does not have a speed component, for example, the pan etc. which were put in the sink correspond. The state in which the hand or an object held by the hand is held over is not included in the stationary state because it includes a very low speed component due to shaking of the hand.

For an algorithm for detecting a stationary object, for example, the maximum value or integrated value of the absolute value of the difference with respect to the reference value 200 per unit time of the detection signal is measured and compared with an arbitrarily set threshold value. Thus, it may be determined whether or not the detected object 150 is stationary.
Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when predetermined threshold values 203 and 204 are set and the voltage 202 continues for a time 230 or more arbitrarily set to be a voltage smaller than 203 and larger than 204. It is determined that the detection target 150 is in a stationary state.

In order to more accurately determine whether or not the detected object is stationary, for example, a digital filter or a filter circuit may be used to limit the frequency used as the detection signal.
However, in order to detect a stationary state, it is necessary to distinguish between a substantially stationary state (about several Hz) that is close to a stationary state such as when a hand is held up, and a stationary state. It is recommended to use a signal including

As for the detection signal by the sensor unit 50, when it is attempted to detect the stationary state of the detection object using a signal including a direct current component (0 Hz), for example, when a water droplet adheres before the sensor, as shown in FIG. There is a possibility that the DC component of the detection signal shows a substantially constant value while fluctuating with respect to the reference value 200. In such a case, when the algorithm is used, if it is determined that the constant value is larger than the threshold value 203 or smaller than the threshold value 204, it may not be possible to determine that the detected object is stationary. There is sex.

In order to solve the above problem, for example, there is a method of determining based on a change amount per predetermined time of the detection signal. When the maximum value of the amplitude of the detection signal is obtained for a predetermined time and it is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the detected object is not in a stationary state. By determining the stationary state, the stationary state of the detected object is detected. In order to obtain the maximum value of the amplitude, for example, it may be calculated from the difference between the maximum value 233 and the minimum value 234 of the voltage value within a predetermined time 232 as shown in FIG.

A method for detecting the scattered water 13 by the sensor unit 50 will be described. Since the scattered water 13 has a velocity component, a frequency component higher than 0 Hz is included in the detection signal as indicated by 600 in FIG. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, predetermined threshold values 601 and 602 are set, and whether or not the signal 600 of the splashed water 13 exceeds the threshold value 601 or falls below the threshold value 602 during the predetermined time 603. Sprinkling water can be detected by setting the number of times, the accumulated time exceeding the number, and the like as determination conditions.

However, when an attempt is made to detect the scattered water 13 using a signal including a DC component (0 Hz) obtained from the sensor unit 50, water droplets on the sink side wall surface 21 due to water splashing during use of the discharged water flow 12. There is a possibility that an object that reflects radio waves adheres and a reflected object may appear in the detection range 51. At that time, the entire detection signal 600 varies with respect to 604 set as a reference value as shown in FIG. Therefore, even when the scattered water 13 does not exist, there is a possibility that the water is erroneously detected as having scattered water, and the detection accuracy is lowered. Therefore, it is desirable to use a signal obtained by blocking the 0 Hz signal as a signal for detecting the scattered water 13 to prevent the influence of water droplets or the like.

As a configuration for realizing such detection means, according to one aspect of the present invention, the signal processing unit 52 is scattered in the sink 40 and the first filter that allows the DC signal to detect the stationary state of the object to pass. By providing at least two filter functions of the second filter that cuts off the DC signal for detecting the water to be performed, water stop control with higher accuracy is possible.

As a configuration for realizing such detection means, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the sensor unit 50 includes a filter function that divides a signal from the sensor 58 into a plurality of frequency bands between the sensor 58 and the valve 40. A control unit 53 that outputs an opening / closing signal to the valve 40 based on a signal from the signal processing unit 52 may be provided.

Claims (2)

A faucet having a spout,
A sink for receiving water discharged from the water outlet;
A sensor unit that transmits and receives radio waves to detect whether the detected object is stationary or moving; and
A valve that opens and closes based on detection information of the detected object obtained from the sensor unit and switches whether or not to supply water to the water outlet;
A system kitchen having
The sensor unit is provided on the sink side wall surface, and is installed in a direction capable of radiating radio waves toward the inside of the sink.
A signal processing unit for determining the stationary state of the object and water scattered in the sink,
When the valve is open,
The sensor unit is
When the object is stationary and detecting water splashing in the sink for a certain period of time,
The system kitchen, wherein the valve is closed.
The signal processing unit
A first filter for passing a DC signal for detecting a stationary state of an object and a second filter for blocking a DC signal for detecting water scattered in the sink are provided. ,
The system kitchen according to claim 1.

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