JP5737926B2 - Automatic faucet device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic water faucet device that is used by being attached to, for example, a kitchen or a washroom deck, etc., and has a mechanism that detects water when the sensor is touched by a sensor and discharges or stops water.

  This type of automatic water faucet device is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. The automatic faucet device includes a faucet body, an operation handle provided in the faucet body for adjusting the flow rate and temperature of hot water, a spout rotatably attached to the faucet body, and a tip portion of the spout And a sensor provided at the tip of the spout. And the detection direction of the sensor is orient | assigned to the back side of the water outlet which avoided the operation handle. For this reason, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection by the sensor when operating the operation handle.

  Further, Patent Document 2 shows a water faucet device in which the mounting position and detection direction of the sensor are different from the automatic water faucet device of Patent Document 1. That is, the sensor of the water faucet device is disposed in a casing located at the lower rear portion of the water spouting device (spout), and the detection direction is directed to one side of the spout or obliquely upward thereof.

Japanese Patent No. 4310801 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-220175

  By the way, since the spout of the automatic faucet device is configured to be rotatable in the faucet body, the tip of the spout may be separated from the hand of a person standing in front of the kitchen sink. In the conventional configuration described in Patent Document 1, since the detection direction of the sensor extends to the rear side of the spout, a human hand reaches the detection region of the sensor (for example, the detection region 31 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 5). There are cases where there is no. In this case, it is necessary to extend the hand further or move by stepping on the sensor side, which is troublesome and inconvenient.

  On the other hand, in the conventional configuration described in Patent Document 2, since the detection direction of the sensor extends to one side of the spout, depending on the rotation position of the spout, the hand may easily enter the detection area of the sensor. When rotated in the reverse direction, the hand may move away from the sensor area. In addition, the type of kitchen sink has a case where the faucet device is on the right side and a case on the left side. For this reason, in either type, the hand can easily reach the detection area of the sensor, but in the other type, the hand cannot easily reach the detection area of the sensor. In that case, there is a problem that it is not easy to put a hand in the detection area of the sensor and the usability is poor.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use automatic water faucet device that can be easily put in the detection area of a sensor.

In order to achieve the above object, in the automatic faucet device according to the first aspect of the present invention, a spout having a spout at its tip is rotatably supported by the faucet body, and the spout is supported by the spout. an automatic faucet apparatus in which the first sensor pair is provided to perform the water discharge or water stopping from the water discharge port when holding up a hand, one of the first sensor is provided on one side of the spout The detection area is configured to extend to one side of the spout, and the other first sensor is provided on the other side of the spout, and the detection area is configured to extend to the other side of the spout. The hot water on / off valve unit and the water supply on / off valve unit are opened and closed when the detection area of any of the first sensors is touched .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the automatic faucet device according to the first aspect, wherein the first sensor discharges water from the spout when a hand is put in the detection area, and the hand is again in the detection area. It is characterized by being configured to stop water when drowning.

  The automatic faucet device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the invention according to the first or second aspect, wherein a second sensor is further provided at a lower portion of the spout, and a detection area thereof extends below the spout. It is comprised as follows.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the automatic faucet device according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the second sensor provided at the lower part of the spout discharges water from the spout when a hand is put in the detection area. The water is configured to stop when the hand is moved away from the water outlet.

  The automatic faucet device according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the first sensor provided on both sides of the spout and the second sensor provided on the lower part. Are arranged on the same circumference and unitized.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be exhibited.
In the automatic water faucet device of the present invention, the first sensor is provided on both sides of the spout, and its detection area is configured to extend on both sides of the spout. For this reason, in the state which rotated the spout to one side or the other with respect to the faucet main body, the detection area | region of the 1st sensor provided in the one side part of the spout, or the 1st provided in the other side part of the spout A hand can be easily put in one of the detection areas of the sensor. Moreover, there are cases where the faucet device is on the right side and on the left side in the kitchen sink type, but in either case, the first of either one provided on both sides of the spout The hand can be easily put in the detection area of the sensor.

  Therefore, according to the automatic water faucet device of the present invention, it is possible to easily place a hand in the detection area of the first sensor, and there is an effect that the usability is good.

The top view which shows the automatic water faucet apparatus in embodiment. The front view which shows an automatic faucet device. The partial bottom view which shows the 2nd sensor provided in the lower part of the spout of the automatic water faucet apparatus. Sectional drawing in the 4-4 line | wire of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the use condition of the automatic water faucet device provided in the kitchen sink. Explanatory drawing explaining the use condition of the automatic water faucet apparatus provided in the sink of another type.

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the automatic faucet device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a faucet body 12 constituting an automatic faucet device 10 is fixed to a deck 11 of a kitchen sink, and an upper portion of the faucet body 12 is bent in an inverted U shape. The formed cylindrical spout 13 is rotatably supported. A water discharge passage 15 communicating with the flow passage 14 in the faucet body 12 is formed in the spout 13, and a water discharge port 16 is opened at the tip thereof. Then, hot water or water having a predetermined temperature is discharged from the water outlet 16 from the flow passage 14 in the faucet body 12 through the water discharge passage 15 in the spout 13. A pair of first sensors 17a and 17b are attached to both sides of the horizontal portion in the middle of the spout 13 so as to face each other. An operation lever 18 is rotatably supported on the faucet body 12, and is configured so that water can be discharged or stopped from the water outlet 16 manually by rotating the operation lever 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the two first sensors 17a and 17b are formed with detection areas 19a and 19b extending radially on both sides (horizontal direction). The first sensors 17a and 17b are, for example, photoelectric reflection type sensors having a light emitter and a light receiver and using infrared rays or the like. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the person 25 puts the hand 26 on the detection areas 19a and 19b of the first sensors 17a and 17b, the water is discharged from the water outlet 16, and the hands are again put on the detection areas 19a and 19b. It is configured to stop water. One end of each signal line 20 is connected to each of the first sensors 17 a and 17 b, and the other end thereof is connected to a control device 21 disposed in the faucet body 12. The control device 21 is powered and driven from a household power supply (AC 100 V).

  When the hand 26 is put on the detection area 19a, 19b of any of the first sensors 17a, 17b, a detection signal is sent from any of the first sensors 17a, 17b to the control device 21 via the signal line 20. Then, the control device 21 operates to open a hot water on / off valve unit and a water supply on / off valve unit (not shown) to discharge water. Thereafter, when the hand 26 is again picked up by the detection areas 19a, 19b of any of the first sensors 17a, 17b, a detection signal is transmitted from any of the first sensors 17a, 17b via the signal line 20. 21, the control device 21 is operated to close the hot water on / off valve unit and the water supply on / off valve unit to stop the water supply.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a second sensor 22, which is different from the first sensors 17 a and 17 b, is attached to the lower part of the spout 13, and its detection area 23 is below the spout 13 (diagonally ahead). ) To extend radially. One end of the signal line 20 is also connected to the second sensor 22, and the other end is connected to the control device 21. When a hand is put in the detection area 23 of the second sensor 22, a detection signal is sent from the second sensor 22 to the control device 21 via the signal line 20, and the control device 21 operates to supply hot water. The on-off valve unit and the water supply on-off valve unit are opened to discharge water. The second sensor 22 is configured to stop water when the hand 26 is moved away from the water outlet 16.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the first sensors 17 a and 17 b provided on both sides of the spout 13 and the second sensor 22 provided on the lower portion of the spout 13 are orthogonal to the extending direction of the spout 13. They are arranged on the same circumference and are integrally configured as a unitized body 29. 1 and 2, after the unitized body 29 is attached to the proximal end side of the spout 13 with the distal end side separated by the connecting portion 30 of the spout 13, the distal end side of the spout 13 is attached to the spout 13. The first sensor 17a, 17b and the second sensor 22 are assembled to the spout 13 by being connected to the base end side by the connecting portion 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the spout 16 of the spout 13 is designed so as to be positioned in the sink 27 of the sink 24 in the rotation range of the spout 13. A gas stove 28 is installed on the left side of the sink 24. As shown in FIG. 6, in the sink 24 of a type different from the sink 24, the sink 27 and the automatic faucet device 10 are disposed on the left side, and the gas stove 28 is disposed on the right side.

Next, the operation of the automatic water faucet device 10 configured as described above will be described.
Now, as shown in FIG. 5, when a person 25 stands in front of the sink 24 and operates the automatic faucet device 10 to discharge hot water or water to wash dishes, etc., the operation lever 18 is rotated. In the state where the water discharge position is set and the spout 13 is set at a predetermined angular position, hot water or water can be discharged by extending the arm and stroking the right hand 26a over the detection area 19a of the first sensor 17a. At this time, the first sensors 17 a and 17 b are provided on both sides of the spout 13, and the detection areas 19 a and 19 b are configured to extend on both sides of the spout 13.

  For this reason, the right hand 26a can be easily put on the detection area 19a of the first sensor 17a provided on one side of the spout 13 close to the right hand 26a. On the other hand, as shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 5, in the sensor of the conventional configuration, the detection area 31 is far away, and the right hand 26 a has to be further extended or the foot must be stepped forward, which is inconvenient. there were.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, there is a case where the type of the kitchen sink 24 is opposite to that of the sink 24 of FIG. 5, that is, the automatic faucet device 10 is on the left side. In this case, the left hand 26b can be easily put on the detection area 19b of the first sensor 17b provided on the other side of the spout 13 close to the left hand 26b.

The effects exerted by the above embodiment will be collectively described below.
(1) In the automatic faucet device 10 of the embodiment, the first sensors 17 a and 17 b are provided on both sides of the spout 13, and their detection areas 19 a and 19 b are configured to extend on both sides of the spout 13. Yes. For this reason, the hand 26 can be easily put on the detection area 19a of the first sensor 17a close to the standing position of the person 25 with the spout 13 rotated to one side with respect to the faucet body 12. Even when the automatic faucet device 10 is on the left side as the type of the kitchen sink 24, the hand 26b can be easily put in the detection region 19b of the first sensor 17b close to the standing position of the person 25.

Therefore, according to the automatic faucet device 10 of the present embodiment, the hand 26 can be easily put in the detection areas 19a, 19b of the first sensors 17a, 17b, and the convenience is good. It can be suitably used as a water faucet.
(2) The first sensors 17a and 17b provided on both sides of the spout 13 discharge water from the spout 16 when the right hand 26a or the left hand 26b is put in the detection areas 19a and 19b, and the detection areas 19a and 19b again. When the right hand 26a or the left hand 26b is rubbed, water is stopped. Therefore, a necessary amount of hot water or water can be easily obtained when it is desired to store water or when a large amount of water is desired to be discharged.
(3) A second sensor 22 is further provided below the spout 13, and the detection region 23 is configured to extend radially below the spout 13. Therefore, hot water or water can be easily discharged by placing the hand 26 in the detection area 23 extending below the spout 13.
(4) The second sensor 22 provided in the lower part of the spout 13 is configured to discharge water from the spout 16 when the hand 26 is put in the detection area 23 and stop water when the hand is moved away from the spout. ing. Therefore, when washing the hand 26, it is convenient when removing the stains of the dishes with a small amount of water, and it is possible to save water by eliminating useless water discharge.
(5) The first sensors 17a, 17b provided on both sides of the spout 13 and the second sensor 22 provided on the lower part are arranged on the same circumference and integrated with the unitized body 29. Yes. For this reason, by assembling the spout 13 with the unitized body 29 in which the two first sensors 17a and 17b and the one second sensor 22 are incorporated in advance, the three sensors 17a, 17b and 22 are assembled at once. It is possible to simplify the assembly.

It should be noted that the above embodiment can be modified as follows.
-The detection areas 19a and 19b of the first sensors 17a and 17b are changed depending on conditions such as the angle of radiation being directed obliquely upward, the length thereof being increased, or the wall adjacent to the sink. It is also possible to do.

-The attachment position of the 1st sensors 17a and 17b in the length direction of the spout 13 can also be set to the desired position of the front end side or the base end side from the attachment position of embodiment.
The types of the first sensors 17a and 17b on both sides of the spout 13 and the second sensor 22 on the lower side of the spout 13 are not particularly limited. It is also possible to use.

  An ultrasonic sensor, a microwave sensor, or the like can be used as the first sensor 17a, 17b or the second sensor 22.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Automatic faucet device, 12 ... Faucet body, 13 ... Spout, 16 ... Spout, 17a, 17b ... 1st sensor, 19a, 19b ... Detection area, 22 ... 2nd sensor, 23 ... Detection area, 26 ... hand, 26a ... right hand, 26b ... left hand.

Claims (5)

A spout having a spout at its tip is rotatably supported on the faucet body, and a pair of first sensors for discharging or stopping water from the spout is provided on the spout. Automatic faucet device,
One of the first sensors is provided on one side of the spout and its detection area extends to one side of the spout, and the other first sensor is provided on the other side of the spout. And the detection area is configured to extend to the other side of the spout,
An automatic water faucet device , wherein when a hand is put in the detection area of any of the first sensors, the hot water on / off valve unit and the water supply on / off valve unit are opened and closed . 2. The first sensor according to claim 1, wherein the first sensor is configured to discharge water from a spout when a hand is put in the detection area, and to stop water if the hand is put again in the detection area. Automatic faucet device. The automatic faucet device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a second sensor is further provided at a lower portion of the spout, and a detection region thereof extends below the spout. The second sensor provided in the lower part of the spout is configured to discharge water from the water outlet when the hand is put in the detection area, and to stop water when the hand is moved away from the water outlet. The automatic faucet device according to claim 3. The first sensor provided on both sides of the spout and the second sensor provided on the lower portion are arranged on the same circumference and unitized. Automatic faucet device as described.

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