JP7387526B2 - Faucet control device and automatic faucet using it - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a faucet control device and an automatic faucet using the same. Specifically, a faucet control device having a motion sensor that detects the movement of a detection target, and a water discharge control unit that outputs an instruction to change the water discharge state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor, and an automatic faucet control device using the same. Regarding faucets.

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a human body detection sensor that detects the movement of a human body in a non-contact manner is provided on the top plate of a faucet body. The human body detection sensor is composed of a reflective infrared sensor consisting of a combination of three light emitters and a light receiver arranged on the same plane. The human body detection sensor detects the movement of a human body by reading the order in which a user's hand passes through each detection area formed by each combination of a light emitter and a light receiver.

Patent No. 5909761

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, if the wavelength range of the infrared light emitted from each light projector is approximate, there is a possibility that a light receiver other than the corresponding light receiver may mistakenly receive the reflected light. Therefore, the present invention provides a faucet control device that can more appropriately detect the movement of an object to be detected, and an automatic faucet using the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the faucet control device of the present invention takes the following measures. That is, the faucet control device includes a motion sensor that detects the movement of a detection target, and a water spouting control section that outputs an instruction to change the water spouting state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor. The motion sensor includes two light projectors and one light receiver that receives reflected light from the two light projectors.

The water discharging control unit includes a distribution output means for sequentially outputting pulsed light from the two light emitters at mutually different timings, and a receiving intensity of the reflected light from the two light emitters that is received by one light receiver for each order of light emission. It has a motion specifying means for specifying the movement and speed of the detection target based on the temporal change in the received light intensity of each object arranged in time series. The water spouting control unit outputs a water spouting change operation instruction when the movement of the detection target identified by the movement specifying means is a movement in one direction of the arrangement of the two floodlights, and shuts off the water when the movement is in the other direction. A change operation instruction is outputted, and a change operation instruction is outputted so that different amounts of water are spouted depending on whether the speed of movement of one of the water spouts is less than a predetermined value or more than a predetermined value.

According to the above configuration, even if there is only one light receiver, it is possible to appropriately detect a change over time in the received light intensity of the reflected light of the light projected from the two light projectors for each light projector. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately detect the direction and speed of movement of the user's fingers or the like on the motion sensor based on the change over time in the received intensity of the reflected light from each light projector. Specifically, since there are two projectors, even if an operation is performed diagonally with respect to the direction in which these projectors are arranged, the operation direction can be appropriately detected as one of the two movements. In addition, the motion sensor can have a rational configuration in which there is one light receiver for two light projectors.

Moreover, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the faucet control device of the present invention may take the following measures. That is, the faucet control device includes a motion sensor that detects the movement of a detection target, and a water spouting control section that outputs an instruction to change the water spouting state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor. The motion sensor includes one light projector and two light receivers that receive reflected light of the light projected from the one light projector.

The water spouting control section includes a movement specifying means for specifying the movement and speed of the object to be detected based on a change over time in the intensity of the reflected light from one projector that is received by the two light receivers. The water spouting control unit outputs a water spouting change operation instruction when the movement of the detection target specified by the movement specifying means is a movement in one of the directions in which the two light receivers are lined up, and outputs a water spouting change operation instruction when the movement is in the other direction. A change operation instruction for water is output, and in the change operation instruction for water spouting, a change operation instruction is outputted so that different amounts of water are spouted depending on whether one side of the movement speed is less than a predetermined speed or more than a predetermined speed.

According to the above configuration, even if there is only one light projector, it is possible to appropriately detect a change over time in the received light intensity of the reflected light received by the two light receivers. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately detect the direction and speed of movement of the user's finger or the like on the motion sensor based on the change over time in the intensity of the reflected light received by the two light receivers. Specifically, since there are two light receivers, even if an operation is performed diagonally with respect to the direction in which these light receivers are arranged, the operation direction can be appropriately detected as one of the two movements. In addition, the motion sensor can have a rational configuration in which there is one light projector for two light receivers.

Moreover, the faucet control device of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The direction in which the two light projectors or the two light receivers are lined up is the direction in which the faucet spout and the user face each other in a state where the faucet spout faces the front of the user.

According to the above configuration, the user can easily change the water spouting state by an intuitive operation in which the user moves his/her finger from the front to the back or from the back to the front on the motion sensor.

Moreover, the faucet control device of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The water spouting control unit outputs a change operation instruction such that the amount of water spouted is larger when the speed of movement of one of the detection objects is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than when the speed of movement of one of the objects to be detected is less than a predetermined value.

According to the above configuration, the amount of water to be spouted can be easily changed by an intuitive operation in which the user changes the speed at which the user moves his/her finger on the motion sensor.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the automatic faucet of the present invention takes the following measures. That is, the automatic faucet includes the faucet control device described above, and a water spouting mechanism including a water spouting/water stop switching means and a water spouting amount changing means. The water spouting mechanism is configured to be operated to change the water spouting state based on a water spouting state changing operation instruction output from the faucet control device.

According to the above configuration, based on the detection of the movement of the object to be detected by the faucet control device, the user performs operations such as switching between water spouting/stopping water and changing the amount of water spouted by a gesture of moving a finger or the like in front of the motion sensor. can be done easily.

Moreover, the automatic faucet of the present invention may be further configured as follows. Two light emitters or two light receivers are arranged on the top surface of the faucet body.

According to the above configuration, the user can easily change the water discharge state by an intuitive operation of placing his or her hand over the upper surface of the faucet body to be used.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a faucet control device and an automatic faucet according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a faucet control device. It is a schematic diagram showing how to use an automatic faucet. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing how reflected light of light projected from each light projector is received by a light receiver. It is a time chart showing the relationship between processing of each light projector and light receiver. It is a graph showing the change over time in the received light intensity of reflected light for each projector. It is a graph showing the change over time in the received light intensity of reflected light for each projector. It is a graph showing the change over time in the received light intensity of reflected light for each projector. It is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of a faucet control device. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the initialization process shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of input signal processing of the change operation shown in FIG. 9. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between user's hand movements and changing operations. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between user's hand movements and changing operations. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the correspondence between user's hand movements and changing operations. It is a table showing related information between the user's hand movements and the water spouting state changing operation, which are stored in advance. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a faucet control device and an automatic faucet according to a second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing how reflected light of light projected from a light projector is received by each light receiver. It is a time chart showing the relationship between processing of a light emitter and each light receiver. It is a graph showing the change over time in the received light intensity of reflected light for each light receiver. It is a graph showing the change over time in the received light intensity of reflected light for each light receiver. It is a graph showing the change over time in the received light intensity of reflected light for each light receiver.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing.

《First embodiment》
(About the schematic configuration of the faucet control device 10 and the automatic faucet 1 using the same)
First, the configuration of a faucet control device 10 and an automatic faucet 1 using the same according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 1 to 15. In the following description, when directions such as front, back, top, bottom, left, and right are indicated, the respective directions shown in each figure are referred to. That is, it refers to the front, back, right and left, and up and down directions of the automatic faucet 1, based on the direction in which the user looks at the automatic faucet 1 from the position where the user stands in front of the automatic faucet 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic water faucet 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a top plate of a kitchen counter K on the back side of a sink S. In the automatic faucet 1, the faucet spout 2S of the faucet body 2 extending from the top plate is bent into a gooseneck shape toward the inside (front side) of the sink S, and the faucet spout 2A beyond the faucet spout 2S is bent toward the inside (front side) of the sink S. The structure is such that water is discharged (discharged) from the base.

The automatic faucet 1 can be operated by a user who performs a predetermined gesture by holding an object (detection target) such as a hand or tableware over the top surface 2B of the faucet main body 2 from a position standing in front of the faucet spout 2S. The motion sensor 12 provided on the upper surface 2B detects various movements of objects, and has a function of switching between water spouting/stopping water and changing the amount of water spouted without contact. The above functions include a faucet control device 10 provided in the automatic faucet 1 and a water discharging mechanism 20 that changes the water discharging state, that is, switching between water discharging and water stoppage and changing the amount of water spouted, according to instructions from the faucet control device 10. It is carried out through the cooperation of .

In FIG. 1, the solid lines connecting each component schematically show the piping through which water flows, and the dashed-dotted lines schematically show the electrical connections. Hereinafter, the specific configuration of each part of the faucet control device 10 and the water discharging mechanism 20 will be described in detail.

(About the configuration of the faucet control device 10)
As shown in FIG. 2, the faucet control device 10 includes a motion sensor 12 and a water discharge control section 13. Motion sensor 12 consists of an infrared sensor. The motion sensor 12 is configured to have two light projectors 12A, 12B and one light receiver 12D that receives reflected light of the light projected from each of the light projectors 12A, 12B. As shown in FIG. 3, the motion sensor 12 is provided on the top surface 2B of the faucet main body 2, and when an object (detection target) such as a user's hand or tableware is held over the top surface 2B, some movement is performed. The device is configured to be able to detect the movement in a non-contact manner when the device is moved.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water spouting control section 13 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and includes functional sections such as a CPU 13A, a distributor 13B, a storage device 13C such as a Flash ROM, a timer 13D, and a motion specifying section 13E. Here, the distributor 13B corresponds to the "distribution output means" of the present invention. Further, the motion specifying unit 13E corresponds to the "motion specifying means" of the present invention.

The water discharge control section 13 is electrically connected to the motion sensor 12. When the water discharging control unit 13 is powered on and starts functioning, it issues detection instructions to the motion sensor 12 in order with a predetermined detection time length and time interval (for example, 0.015 seconds), and sequentially performs these detection instructions. Activate.

Specifically, the water spouting control unit 13 causes the distributor 13B to sequentially output pulsed light from each of the light projectors 12A and 12B of the motion sensor 12 at mutually different timings. Then, the water spouting control unit 13 receives a signal regarding the intensity of the reflected light from each of the light projectors 12A and 12B received by the light receiver 12D. Then, the water spouting control unit 13 uses the movement identifying unit 13E to arrange the received light intensities of the reflected light from each of the light projectors 12A and 12B obtained by repeating the above process in chronological order for each light projecting order, and The movement (movement direction) and speed of an object (detection target) such as a hand or tableware is determined based on changes in intensity over time.

Then, the water spouting control unit 13 determines the movement and speed of an object (detection target object) such as a hand or tableware specified by the movement identification unit 13E, and the movement and speed of the object related to the change operation stored in advance in the storage device 13C. The pattern of the speed (see FIG. 15) is compared to determine whether the movement of the specified object and its speed match the movement and speed of the change operation. When the water spouting control unit 13 determines that the movement of the object and its speed match the movement and speed of the changing operation, the water spouting control unit 13 sends an instruction signal regarding the changing operation assigned to the movement and speed. (Instruction signal regarding switching between water spouting/stopping water and changing the amount of water spouted) is output to the water spouting mechanism 20, and the water spouting mechanism 20 is operated based on the instruction signal.

(Regarding the arrangement of motion sensor 12)
Next, the flow from detecting the movement of an object to identifying the movement and its speed using the motion sensor 12 will be described in detail using a specific example. As shown in FIG. 3, two light emitters 12A, 12B and one light receiver 12D constituting the motion sensor 12 are arranged on the upper surface 2B of the faucet main body 2 as follows. That is, the two floodlights 12A and 12B are arranged on the upper surface 2B of the faucet main body 2 in a line in the front-rear direction (direction facing the user). The light receiver 12D is placed between the two light projectors 12A and 12B.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the light projector 12A is arranged at a position on the front side close to the user, and the light projector 12B is arranged at a position on the back side from the projector 12A. The light receiver 12D is arranged at the midpoint of a virtual line segment connecting the projectors 12A and 12B. The two light projectors 12A and 12B are configured to diffuse and project light upwardly of the faucet main body 2, respectively. The light receiver 12D is configured to receive a portion of the reflected light that is diffusely reflected when a portion of the light projected from each of the projectors 12A and 12B hits an object (detection target) such as a hand or tableware.

Therefore, in the motion sensor 12, when an object approaches either of the two light projectors 12A, 12B, the intensity of the reflected light received by the light receiver 12D gradually increases as the object moves. For example, if the user makes a gesture of waving his hand from the front side of the front side projector 12A toward the back side projector 12B, as time passes, the light will first be projected from the front side projector 12A. The reflected light of the reflected light is received by the light receiver 12D, and the intensity of the received light increases as time passes.

Then, as time further elapses, the reflected light of the light projected from the light projector 12B located on the back side of the light projector 12A also comes to be received by the light receiver 12D, and the received light intensity increases as time passes. Here, FIG. 5 shows a time chart showing the change over time in the intensity of the reflected light received by each of the projectors 12A and 12B when the user's hand swings from the front side to the back side. . As shown in this time chart, when the user's hand swings over the motion sensor 12 from the front side to the back side, first, the reflected light from the light projector 12A is received by the light receiver 12D with low received light intensity. Light is received.

Then, as time passes and the user's hand gradually moves toward the back, the intensity of the received light reflected from the light projector 12A gradually increases. Furthermore, in addition to the light projector 12A, the reflected light of the light projected from the rear light projector 12B is also received by the light receiver 12D at a low reception intensity. Then, as the user's hand moves further toward the back, the intensity of the received light reflected from the light projector 12B gradually increases.

The received light intensity of the reflected light from each of the light projectors 12A and 12B obtained by repeating the above process is arranged in time series in the order of light projection as shown in FIG. Then, in the motion identifying section 13E, the motion (movement direction) and speed of the object are identified based on the temporal change in each received light intensity. That is, when the user's hand swings from the front side to the back side as described above, the peak of the received light intensity appears in the order of the light projector 12A and the light projector 12B as time passes from the start of detection.

As a result, the movement identifying unit 13E determines that the user's hand has passed from the front side of the projector 12A to the projector 12A and then the projector 12B in this order, that is, that the user's hand has moved over the motion sensor 12 from the near side to the back side. be identified. Furthermore, the movement identifying unit 13E determines whether the speed of the user's hand movement is less than a predetermined value (for example, less than 1 second) or more than a predetermined value (for example, according to the interval between the peaks of the received light intensity of the reflected light from the projectors 12A and 12B). 1 second or more) (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Similarly, the movement of the user waving his or her hand from the back side to the front side on the motion sensor 12 is also identified by the order in which the detected peaks of the received light intensity appear (in the order of the light emitter 12B and the light emitter 12A) (Fig. 8).

In this manner, the motion identifying unit 13E determines how objects (detection targets) such as the user's hand or tableware are on the motion sensor 12 based on the change over time in the received intensity of reflected light from each of the projectors 12A and 12B. It is possible to determine the direction and speed at which the object was moved. After the movement specifying unit 13E specifies the movement and speed of the object, the water spouting control unit 13 determines that the movement and speed match the movement and speed of the change operation. , outputs an instruction signal regarding a change operation to the water discharging mechanism 20 (an instruction signal regarding switching between water discharging/stopping water and changing the amount of water discharged), and operates the water discharging mechanism 20 based on the instruction signal. The specific change operation will be described later.

(About the configuration of the water discharging mechanism 20)
Next, a specific configuration of the water discharging mechanism 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The water discharging mechanism 20 includes a water supply pipe 21 that supplies water to the automatic faucet 1, an on-off valve 24 that switches between discharging and stopping water from the water spout 2A, and a flow rate adjustment valve 25 that adjusts the amount of water discharged when discharging water. have Here, the on-off valve 24 corresponds to the "water discharge/water cutoff switching means" of the present invention. Further, the flow rate adjustment valve 25 corresponds to the "discharging amount changing means" of the present invention.

The on-off valve 24 is composed of a solenoid valve electrically connected to the water discharge control section 13. The on-off valve 24 is configured to be changed and operated by the water discharge control unit 13 to switch between opening and closing. By switching the on-off valve 24 to the closed state, water spouting from the water spout 2A is completely stopped. Further, by switching the on-off valve 24 to the open state, water is spouted from the water spout 2A.

The flow rate adjustment valve 25 is a control valve that can change the amount of water discharged from the on-off valve 24 . The flow rate adjustment valve 25 is configured such that an electric motor 25A electrically connected to the water spout control unit 13 adjusts the opening degree of the connection port with the piping connected to the water spout 2A of the faucet main body 2. The configuration is such that the amount of water discharged from the tank is adjusted. The flow rate regulating valve 25 is configured to change the water spouting amount to a set flow rate by operating the electric motor 25A based on an instruction signal regarding the water spouting amount sent from the water spouting control unit 13. In this embodiment, the flow rate regulating valve 25 is configured to be switched between only two stages: a state where the amount of water discharged is small and a state where the amount of water is large.

(About the processing procedure of the faucet control device 10)
Next, the processing procedure of the faucet control device 10 will be explained with reference to FIG. In the following description, other figures such as FIG. 1 will be referred to as appropriate for symbols not shown in the reference figures.

That is, when the faucet control device 10 is powered on and starts functioning, the water spouting control unit 13 advances the process to step S100 and executes an "initialization process." Next, the water spouting control unit 13 advances the process to step S200 and determines whether it is the processing timing. The processing timing is, for example, the timing of the processing of issuing a detection instruction to the motion sensor 12 described above in FIG. 2, and is set as appropriate.

Returning to FIG. 9, if the water spouting control unit 13 determines in step S200 that it is not the processing timing (No), the process returns to step S200. On the other hand, when the water spouting control unit 13 determines that it is the processing timing in step S200 (Yes), the process proceeds to step S300, and executes "input signal processing of changing operation". After processing step S300, the water spouting control unit 13 returns the process to step S200.

(About "Initialization processing")
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, the "initialization process" in step S100 shown in FIG. 9 will be explained in detail. When the water spouting control unit 13 enters the "initialization process" in step S100, the process proceeds to step S101. In step S101, the water spouting control unit 13 sets the electric motor 25A of the water spouting mechanism 20 described above in FIG. 1 to a preset reference position. Furthermore, the water discharge control unit 13 sets the on-off valve 24 to a closed state. Then, the water spouting control unit 13 returns the process to step S200 (determination of process timing) shown in FIG.

(About "input signal processing for change operations")
Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the "input signal processing of change operation" in step S300 shown in FIG. 9 will be described in detail. When the water spouting control unit 13 enters "input signal processing for changing operation" in step S300, the process proceeds to step S301. In step S301, the water spouting control unit 13 issues a detection instruction to the motion sensor 12 with a predetermined detection time length and a predetermined time interval (for example, 0.015 seconds), and receives a detection signal of reflected light.

Next, the water spouting control unit 13 advances the process to step S302, and performs synthesis of the received light intensity of the reflected light of each of the light projectors 12A and 12B (a process of arranging them in chronological order for each light projecting order). Next, the water spouting control unit 13 advances the process to step S303, and identifies the movement and speed of the detection target based on the temporal change in the combined received light intensity.

Then, when the water spouting control unit 13 determines that the movement of the detection object matches a specific movement (movement that changes the setting content) (Yes), the process proceeds to step S304. Further, if the water spouting control unit 13 determines in step S303 that the movement of the detection target is not a specific movement (No), the water spouting control unit 13 skips step S304 and continues the process to step S200 (processing) shown in FIG. (timing judgment).

In step S304, the water spouting control unit 13 outputs an instruction to change the water spouting state assigned to the movement. Then, the water spouting control unit 13 returns the process to step S200 (determination of process timing) shown in FIG. The above is the procedure related to the overall processing of the faucet control device 10.

(Regarding the correspondence between the movement of the detected object and the change operation)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14, a description will be given of the correspondence between the movement of a detection target (an object such as a user's hand or tableware) and a changing operation. FIGS. 12 to 14 show the correspondence between the movement of the object to be detected and the operation for changing the water discharge state. FIG. 15 shows the movement and speed patterns of the detection object related to the operation of changing the water discharge state, which is stored in advance in the storage device 13C described above with reference to FIG.

FIG. 12 shows a movement in which the user slowly moves his hand (detection target) on the motion sensor 12 from the front to the back. When such a movement is performed, the water spouting control unit 13 determines, based on the information in the table of FIG. 15, that the movement of the identified detection target is a movement for spouting a small amount of water.

FIG. 13 shows a movement in which the user quickly moves his hand (detection target) on the motion sensor 12 from the front to the back. When such a movement is performed, the water spouting control unit 13 determines, based on the information in the table of FIG. 15, that the movement of the identified object to be detected is a movement for spouting a large amount of water.

FIG. 14 shows a movement in which the user moves his hand (detection target) on the motion sensor 12 from the back to the front. When such a movement is performed, the water spouting control unit 13 determines that the movement of the identified object to be detected is a movement to stop water, based on the information in the table of FIG. 15 . Regarding the movement to stop water, the speed of movement does not matter; whether it is a movement to move slowly or a movement to move quickly, the water discharging control unit 13 determines that it is a movement to stop water. to decide.

Note that when the water spouting control unit 13 identifies a movement other than the above, it determines, based on the information in the table of FIG. do.

(summary)
To summarize the above, the faucet control device 10 and the automatic faucet 1 using the same according to the first embodiment have the following configuration. Note that the reference numerals given in parentheses below are the reference numerals corresponding to the respective configurations shown in the above embodiments.

That is, the faucet control device (10) includes a motion sensor (12) that detects the movement of a detection target, and a water spout control unit that outputs an operation instruction to change the water spout state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor (12). (13). The motion sensor (12) includes two light projectors (12A, 12B) and one light receiver (12D) that receives reflected light from the two light projectors (12A, 12B).

The water discharging control unit (13) includes a distribution output means (13B) that sequentially outputs pulsed light from two light projectors (12A, 12B) at mutually different timings, and two light projectors that are received by one light receiver (12D). a movement identifying means (13E) for arranging the received light intensities of the reflected lights from (12A, 12B) in time series according to the order of light projection and identifying the movement and speed of the detection target based on the temporal change in each received light intensity; , has.

The water spouting control unit (13) outputs a water spouting change operation instruction when the movement of the detection target specified by the movement specifying means (13E) is one of the movement directions in which the two projectors (12A, 12B) are lined up. Then, when the other movement is the same, a water stop change operation instruction is output, and in the water spouting change operation instruction, different amounts of water are spouted depending on whether the speed of one movement is less than a predetermined value or more than a predetermined value. Outputs change operation instructions to do so.

According to the above configuration, even if there is only one light receiver (12D), the change over time of the received light intensity of the reflected light of the light projected from the two projectors (12A, 12B) is measured for each projector (12A, 12B). can be detected properly. Therefore, based on the change over time in the intensity of the reflected light from each of the projectors (12A, 12B), the direction and speed of the movement of the user's finger or the like on the motion sensor (12) can be appropriately determined. Can be detected.

Specifically, since there are two floodlights (12A, 12B), even if an operation is performed diagonally with respect to the direction in which they are lined up, the operation direction will be appropriately detected as movement in one of the two. be able to. In addition, the motion sensor (12) can have a rational configuration in which there is one light receiver (12D) for two light projectors (12A, 12B).

Further, the direction in which the two floodlights (12A, 12B) are arranged is the direction in which the faucet spout (2S) and the user face each other in a state where the faucet spout (2S) faces the front of the user. According to the above configuration, the user can easily change the water spouting state by an intuitive operation in which the user moves his/her finger from the front to the back or from the back to the front on the motion sensor (12).

Further, the water spouting control unit (13) outputs a change operation instruction such that the amount of water spouted is larger when the speed of movement of one of the objects to be detected is greater than or equal to a predetermined value than when the speed of movement of one of the objects to be detected is less than a predetermined value. According to the above configuration, the amount of water to be spouted can be easily changed by an intuitive operation in which the user changes the speed at which the user moves his or her fingers on the motion sensor (12).

Further, the automatic faucet (1) includes the faucet control device (10), and a water discharging mechanism (20) including a water discharging/water stop switching means (24) and a water spouting amount changing means (25). . The water spouting mechanism (20) is configured to be operated to change the water spouting state based on a water spouting state changing operation instruction output from the faucet control device (10). According to the above configuration, based on the detection of the movement of the object to be detected by the faucet control device (10), the user can switch between water discharging and water stopping by a gesture of moving a finger or the like in front of the motion sensor (12). You can easily change the amount of water discharged.

Furthermore, two floodlights (12A, 12B) are arranged on the top surface (2B) of the faucet body (2). According to the above configuration, the user can easily change the water discharge state by an intuitive operation of placing his/her hand over the top surface (2B) of the faucet main body (2) to be used.

《Second embodiment》
(About the schematic configuration of the faucet control device 10 and the automatic faucet 1 using the same)
Next, the configuration of a faucet control device 10 and an automatic faucet 1 using the same according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIGS. 16 to 21. As shown in FIG. 16, in this embodiment, the motion sensor 14 has a configuration including one light projector 14X and two light receivers 14Y and 14Z that receive reflected light of the light projected from the light projector 14X. be done.

One light projector 14X and two light receivers 14Y, 14Z constituting the motion sensor 14 are arranged on the upper surface 2B of the faucet main body 2 as follows. That is, the two light receivers 14Y and 14Z are arranged on the upper surface 2B of the faucet main body 2 in a line in the front-rear direction (direction facing the user). The light projector 14X is placed between the two light receivers 14Y and 14Z.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the light receiver 14Y is arranged at a position on the front side close to the user, and the light receiver 14Z is arranged at a position on the back side than the light receiver 14Y. The light projector 14X is arranged at the midpoint of a virtual line segment connecting the two light receivers 14Y and 14Z. The one light projector 14X is configured to diffusely project light above the faucet main body 2. The two light receivers 14Y and 14Z are configured to receive a portion of the reflected light that is diffusely reflected when a portion of the light projected from the projector 14X hits an object (detection target) such as a hand or tableware. .

Therefore, in the motion sensor 14, when an object approaches one of the two light receivers 14Y, 14Z, the intensity of the reflected light received by each light receiver 14Y, 14Z gradually increases as the object moves. It's becoming. For example, when a user performs a gesture of waving his or her hand from the front side of the front light receiver 14Y toward the back side light receiver 14Z, as time passes, first the light projected from the light emitter 14X The reflected light is received by the light receiver 14Y on the near side, and the intensity of the received light increases as time passes.

Then, as time further elapses, the reflected light from the projector 14X also comes to be received by the light receiver 14Z located on the back side of the light receiver 14Y, and the intensity of the received light increases as time passes. Here, FIG. 18 shows a time chart showing the change over time in the intensity of the reflected light received by each of the light receivers 14Y and 14Z when the user's hand swings from the front side to the back side. There is. As shown in this time chart, when the user's hand swings over the motion sensor 14 from the front side to the back side, first, the reflected light of the light projected from the light emitter 14X is low on the front side light receiver 14Y. The light is received at the received light intensity.

Then, as the user's hand gradually moves toward the back side as time passes, the intensity of the reflected light received by the light receiver 14Y on the front side gradually increases. Furthermore, in addition to the light receiver 14Y on the front side, the reflected light is also received by the light receiver 14Z on the back side with a low reception intensity. Then, as the user's hand moves further toward the back, the intensity of the reflected light received by the light receiver 14Z on the back side gradually increases.

The received light intensity of the reflected light in each of the light receivers 14Y and 14Z obtained by repeating the above process is shown in FIG. They are arranged in chronological order according to the order of light projection. Then, in the motion identifying section 13E, the motion (movement direction) and speed of the object are identified based on the temporal change in each received light intensity. That is, when the user's hand swings from the front side to the back side as described above, the peak of the received light intensity will be in the order of the light receiver 14Y and the light receiver 14Z as time passes from the start of detection. appear.

Accordingly, the movement identification unit 13E determines that the user's hand has passed from the front side of the light receiver 14Y to the light receiver 14Y and then the light receiver 14Z in this order, that is, the user's hand has moved over the motion sensor 14 from the front side to the back side. is identified. Furthermore, the movement identifying unit 13E determines whether the speed of the user's hand movement is less than a predetermined value (for example, less than 1 second) or more than a predetermined value (for example, less than 1 second) based on the interval between the peaks of the received light intensity of the reflected light in the light receivers 14Y and 14Z. For example, whether it is longer than 1 second) is specified (see FIGS. 19 and 20). Similarly, the movement of the user waving his or her hand from the back side to the front side on the motion sensor 14 is also identified by the order in which the detected peaks of the received light intensity appear (in the order of the light receiver 14Y and the light receiver 14Z). (See Figure 21).

In this manner, the motion identification unit 13E detects objects (detection targets) such as the user's hand or tableware on the motion sensor 14 based on the change over time in the intensity of the reflected light received by each of the light receivers 14Y and 14Z. It is possible to determine in which direction and at what speed the object was moved. After the movement specifying unit 13E specifies the movement and speed of the object, the water spouting control unit 13 determines that the movement and speed match the movement and speed of the change operation. , outputs an instruction signal regarding a change operation to the water discharging mechanism 20 (an instruction signal regarding switching between water discharging/stopping water and changing the amount of water discharged), and operates the water discharging mechanism 20 based on the instruction signal.

Since the specific change operation is the same as the configuration shown in the first embodiment, detailed explanation will be omitted. Note that the configuration other than the above is the same as the configuration shown in the first embodiment, so the same reference numerals are given and the explanation will be omitted.

(summary)
To summarize the above, the faucet control device 10 according to the second embodiment and the automatic faucet 1 using the same have the following configuration. Note that the reference numerals given in parentheses below are the reference numerals corresponding to the respective configurations shown in the above embodiments.

That is, the faucet control device (10) includes a motion sensor (14) that detects the movement of a detection target, and a water spout control section that outputs an instruction to change the water spout state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor (14). (13). The motion sensor (14) includes one light projector (14X) and two light receivers (14Y, 14Z) that receive reflected light of the light projected from the one light projector (14X).

A water discharge control unit (13) identifies the movement and speed of the object to be detected based on changes over time in the intensity of reflected light from one projector (14X) received by two light receivers (14Y, 14Z). It has motion identification means (13E). The water spouting control unit (13) issues a water spouting change operation instruction when the movement of the detection target identified by the movement specifying means (13E) is one of the movements in the direction in which the two light receivers (14Y, 14Z) are lined up. If the other movement is the same, a water stop change operation instruction is output, and in the water discharge change operation instruction, different amounts are output when the speed of one movement is less than a predetermined value and when the speed of one movement is greater than a predetermined value. Outputs a change operation instruction to spout water.

According to the above configuration, even if there is only one light projector (14X), it is possible to appropriately detect a change over time in the received light intensity of the reflected light received by the two light receivers (14Y, 14Z). Therefore, the direction and speed of movement of the user's finger or the like on the motion sensor (14) can be determined based on the change over time in the intensity of the reflected light received by the two light receivers (14Y, 14Z). It can be detected appropriately.

Specifically, since there are two light receivers (14Y, 14Z), even if an operation is performed diagonally with respect to the direction in which they are lined up, the operation direction can be appropriately detected as movement in one of the two directions. can do. In addition, the motion sensor (14) can have a rational configuration in which there is one light projector (14X) for two light receivers (14Y, 14Z).

Further, the direction in which the two light receivers (14Y, 14Z) are arranged is the direction in which the faucet spout (2S) and the user face each other in a state where the faucet spout (2S) faces the front of the user. According to the above configuration, the user can easily change the water spouting state by an intuitive operation in which the user moves his or her finger on the motion sensor (14) from the front to the back or from the back to the front.

Moreover, two light receivers (14Y, 14Z) are arranged on the upper surface (2B) of the faucet body (2). According to the above configuration, the user can easily change the water discharge state by an intuitive operation of placing his/her hand over the top surface (2B) of the faucet main body (2) to be used.

《Other embodiments》
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above using one embodiment, the present invention can be implemented in various forms shown below in addition to the above embodiment.

1. The correspondence relationship between the movement of the object to be detected with respect to the motion sensor and the operation for changing the water discharge state is not limited to the correspondence relationship shown in the above embodiment, but may be a correspondence relationship different from the above. For example, the movement of a user moving his or her hand (detected object) from the front side to the back side on the motion sensor is assigned as the water stop movement, and the movement of the user moving the hand (detection target) from the back side to the front side is assigned as the movement of discharging water. It's okay.

2. The motion sensor may be installed at a location other than the top surface, such as the front side surface of the faucet body. Furthermore, the motion sensor may be installed not on the faucet body but at a location away from the faucet body, such as a top plate of a kitchen counter. The faucet body of the automatic faucet may be configured such that the faucet spout can swing from side to side.

3. The direction in which the two light emitters (first embodiment) or the two light receivers (second embodiment) of the motion sensor are arranged can be in the width direction as well as the height direction of the faucet body. It's okay. Furthermore, in the case of two projectors (first embodiment) or two light receivers (second embodiment), one of the two and the other are located on different surfaces of the faucet body (front side, top surface, etc.). ) may be provided separately.

4. One light receiver (first embodiment) or one light emitter (second embodiment) of the motion sensor can be replaced by two light emitters (first embodiment) or two light receivers (second embodiment). It may be placed at a position on the virtual line segment that is away from the midpoint position of the connecting virtual line segments, or at a position that is away from the virtual line segment.

5. The distribution output means may output pulsed light from the plurality of projectors in any order.

6. In addition to using a flow rate adjustment valve, means for changing the amount of water discharged to switch the amount of water discharged between a low state and a high state include branching the water discharge flow path into two branch flow paths with different flow rates, and installing a water flow path in each branch flow path. Alternatively, the configuration may be such that switching between a small amount of water spouting and a large amount of water spouting is performed by switching the opening and closing of an on-off valve.

1 automatic faucet 2 faucet body 2A spout 2B top surface 2S faucet spout 10 faucet control device 12 motion sensor 12A floodlight 12B floodlight 12D light receiver 13 water spout control section 13A CPU
13B Distributor (distribution output means)
13C Storage device 13D Timer 13E Movement specifying unit (movement specifying means)
14 Motion sensor 14X Emitter 14Y Light receiver 14Z Light receiver 20 Water discharge mechanism 21 Water supply pipe 24 Open/close valve (water discharge/water stop switching means)
25 Flow rate adjustment valve (means for changing the amount of water discharged)
25A electric motor K kitchen counter S sink

Claims (6)

A faucet control device comprising a motion sensor that detects movement of a detection target, and a water discharge control unit that outputs an operation instruction to change the water discharge state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor,
The motion sensor includes two light projectors and one light receiver that receives reflected light of the light projected from the two light projectors,
The water spouting control unit includes a distribution output means for sequentially outputting pulsed light from the two light projectors at mutually different timings, and a light receiving intensity of the reflected light from the two light projectors that is received by the one light receiver. a movement identifying means for arranging the detected objects in chronological order and identifying the movement and speed of the detected object based on the temporal change in each received light intensity; is a movement in one direction in the arrangement direction of the two floodlights, outputs a water spouting change operation instruction, and when the water is in the other direction, a water stop change operation instruction is output, and in the water spouting change operation instruction, the water discharge change operation instruction is outputted. A faucet control device that outputs a change operation instruction to spout different amounts of water depending on whether the speed of one movement is less than a predetermined value or greater than a predetermined value. A faucet control device comprising a motion sensor that detects movement of a detection target, and a water discharge control unit that outputs an operation instruction to change the water discharge state based on a detection signal from the motion sensor,
The motion sensor includes one light projector and two light receivers that receive reflected light of the light projected from the one light projector,
The water spouting control unit has a movement specifying means for specifying the movement and speed of the detection target based on a change over time in the intensity of the reflected light from the one projector that is received by the two light receivers, If the movement of the detection target identified by the movement specifying means is a movement in one of the directions in which the two light receivers are lined up, a water spouting change operation instruction is output, and if the movement is in the other direction, a water stop change operation is output. A faucet control device that outputs an instruction, and outputs a changing operation instruction to spout different amounts of water depending on whether the speed of one of the movements is less than a predetermined value or more than a predetermined value in the water spouting instruction. . The faucet control device according to claim 1 or 2,
A faucet control device in which the direction in which the two light projectors or the two light receivers are lined up is a direction in which the faucet spout and the user directly face each other when the faucet spout is directed in front of the user. A faucet control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A faucet control device, wherein the water spouting control unit outputs a change operation instruction such that the amount of water spouted is larger when the speed of movement of the one detection object is equal to or higher than the predetermined value than when the speed of movement of the one detection object is less than the predetermined value. A faucet control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A water spouting mechanism including a water spouting/water stop switching means and a water spouting amount changing means,
The automatic faucet is configured such that the water spouting mechanism is operated to change the water spouting state based on an operation instruction for changing the water spouting state output from the faucet control device. The automatic faucet according to claim 5,
An automatic faucet in which the two light projectors or the two light receivers are arranged on the upper surface of the faucet body.

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