JPH04244548A - Equipment control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stop an operation of equipment after a specified period of time elapses even if an operation of the equipment is started erroneously during its non-use period. CONSTITUTION:A control device 5 has a water check valve control circuit 7 having a photo-electric switch 71 for sensing a presence or a non-presence of light and for opening a solenoid type water check valve 24 when light is detected with the photo-electric switch 71. The water check valve 24 is closed by the water check valve control circuit 7 when the light is detected continuously for a specified period of time by the photo-electric switch 71.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for controlling appliances in accordance with the output of a photoelectric switch.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in appliances such as instantaneous water heaters installed in the kitchen, for example, an infrared sensor, which is a photoelectric switch, is attached to any part of the water heater body or hot water outlet pipe, and the infrared sensor receives light from the infrared sensor. When the unit detects the infrared rays emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the user's hand, the electromagnetic water stop valve installed in the hot water supply pipe is opened, and a water flow switch etc. A known technique (prior art) is to ignite a burner to heat the water flowing in the hot water supply pipe and discharge the hot water from the hot water outlet pipe after detecting the hot water.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the prior art, the light receiving part of the infrared sensor of the instantaneous water heater detects the sunlight that enters the room through the kitchen window, etc., and turns on the water shutoff valve. There was a possibility that the valve would open. For this reason,
There was a possibility that hot water or water would continue to be discharged from the hot water pipe.

Furthermore, when an instantaneous water heater is not in use, it can be moved toward a wall using the water heater body as a fulcrum so that the hot water outlet pipe does not get in the way. There was also the possibility that the reflected infrared rays could be detected and cause the water stop valve to open.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a control device for an appliance that is capable of stopping operation after a certain period of time even if the appliance is accidentally started when not in use.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes a photoelectric switch that detects the presence or absence of light, and a control means that operates an appliance when the photoelectric switch detects light, and the control means includes a photoelectric switch that detects the presence or absence of light. A technical means was adopted that stops the operation of the device when a photoelectric switch detects light continuously for a certain period of time.

[0007] The equipment includes a solenoid valve that opens and closes the passage when activated, a motor that drives the driven body,
Possible examples include an actuator such as a pump that pumps fluid, a light emitting body such as a light bulb that emits light when energized, and a heat source such as a burner or heater that heats an object when activated.

Further, as the photoelectric switch, a transmission type photoelectric switch, a coaxial reflection type photoelectric switch, a direct reflection type photoelectric switch, an optical fiber type photoelectric switch combining a photoelectric switch and an optical fiber, etc. can be considered.

[0009]

[Operation] According to the present invention, when light is detected by the photoelectric switch, the device is activated by the control means. Note that when the photoelectric switch detects light continuously for a certain period of time, the control means forcibly stops the operation of the appliance.

0010

According to the present invention, even if the device is accidentally started when not in use, the device can be stopped after a certain period of time.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A control device for an instrument according to the present invention will be explained based on an embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a control device for an instantaneous water heater, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of the instantaneous water heater.

The instant water heater 1 includes a hot water supply pipe 2 for discharging hot water or water, a gas pipe 4 for supplying fuel gas to the gas burner 3, and a control device 5 for the instant water heater 1.

The hot water supply pipe 2 is composed of a water supply pipe 21, a heat absorption pipe 22, and a hot water outlet pipe 23. In the water supply pipe 21,
An electromagnetic water stop valve 24, a water governor valve 25, and a water amount adjustment valve 26 are provided. The water stop valve 24 is a device of the present invention that opens when energized (turned on) and closes when the energization is stopped (off) to open and close the water supply pipe 21 . The water governor valve 25 keeps the amount of water constant. The water amount adjustment valve 26 changes the amount of water by controlling the degree of opening of the water supply pipe 21 by rotating a temperature control knob (not shown).

The heat absorption pipe 22 is disposed above the gas burner 3, and heats the water by exchanging heat between the water flowing inside and the combustion heat generated by the gas burner 3. The hot water outlet pipe 23 is formed of a flexible pipe and discharges hot water or water from a discharge port. A shower head 27 is fitted around the outer periphery of the outlet of the hot water outlet pipe 23. This shower head 27 switches the discharge flow discharged from the discharge port of the hot water outlet pipe 23 between a shower-like discharge flow and a straight-like discharge flow by switching a changeover switch (not visible in FIG. 2).

The gas pipe 4 includes an electromagnetic safety valve 41, a hydraulic pressure responsive valve 42, a gas governor valve 43, and a gas amount adjustment valve 4.
4 is provided. The safety valve 41 opens when turned on and closes when turned off. The water pressure responsive valve 42 is formed integrally with the water governor valve 25 and opens in conjunction with the detection of water flow. The gas governor valve 43 keeps the gas pressure on the secondary side constant. The gas amount adjustment valve 44 is connected to a temperature control knob, and the gas pipe 4 is connected to the temperature control knob by rotating the temperature control knob.
The amount of gas is changed by controlling the degree of opening.

The control device 5 is a control device for the appliance according to the present invention, and includes a combustion control circuit 6, a water stop valve control circuit 7, a power supply circuit 51, a hot water selector switch 52, and a water flow switch 53. The power supply circuit 51 is composed of a dry battery or the like, and supplies power to the combustion control circuit 6 and the water stop valve control circuit 7.

The hot water selector switch 52 is a switch for switching between hot water mode and cold water mode, and is connected in series between the combustion control circuit 6 and the water stop valve control circuit 7. This hot water selector switch 52 is closed when the hot water mode is selected by the user, and opened when the water mode is selected.

The water flow switch 53 is connected in series between the combustion control circuit 6 and the hot water selector switch 52. The water flow switch 53 is a switch that is closed when the water pressure responsive valve 42 detects a water flow and opens, and is opened when the water pressure responsive valve 42 is closed.

The combustion control circuit 6 includes a temperature control knob, a sparker 61, a flame rod 62, and a thermocouple 63. The temperature control knob has a variable resistor 64 whose electrical resistance value is varied according to the rotation angle of the temperature control knob, and the water flow rate adjustment valve 26 and the gas volume adjustment valve 44 are adjusted according to the output of this variable resistor 64. Control the degree of opening.

The sparker 61 ignites the mixture of fuel gas and combustion air flowing out from the gas burner 3. The flame rod 62 detects the presence or absence of combustion flame in the gas burner 3. The thermocouple 63 detects whether abnormal combustion, such as a burnout or oxygen deficiency, is occurring in the gas burner 3.

The water stop valve control circuit 7 is a control means of the present invention, and has an infrared sensor 71 and a malfunction prevention circuit 72.
, an output holding circuit 73 and a water stop valve drive circuit 74 are built in.

The infrared sensor 71, as shown in FIG.
This is a reflective photoelectric switch attached to the outer peripheral surface of the shower head 27. This infrared sensor 71 is composed of a light emitting element 75 and a light receiving element 76. The light emitting element 75 is made of, for example, an infrared light emitting diode, and emits infrared light forward.

The light receiving element 76 is composed of, for example, a phototransistor, and detects the presence or absence of infrared rays reflected by an object to be detected, such as a user's hand. This light receiving element 76 outputs a high level (H level) when it detects infrared rays, and outputs a low level (L level) when it does not detect infrared rays.
becomes.

The malfunction prevention circuit 72 has a timer circuit 77 that starts when an H level is input from the light receiving element 76, and the timer circuit 77 starts when the light receiving element 76 is continuously activated for a certain period of time (for example, one minute).
When the output of 6 is at H level, the output of output holding circuit 73 is set to L level.
Give a stop signal to turn level.

The output holding circuit 73 outputs an H level when the light receiving element 76 detects infrared light, and either the light receiving element 76 detects the infrared light again or the malfunction prevention circuit 72
When a stop signal is input from the input terminal, the output becomes L level. The water stop valve drive circuit 74 operates the water stop valve 24 when the input is at H level.
is turned on to open the valve, and when the input is at L level, the water stop valve 24 is opened.
Turn off and close the valve.

FIGS. 3 to 5 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the control device 5. This flowchart starts its operation when a power switch (not shown) is turned on. First, as shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71 is detecting infrared light (step S1). When infrared rays are not detected (N), control in step S1 is performed.

In step S1, when infrared rays are detected (Y), the timer circuit 77 of the malfunction prevention circuit 73 starts operating (step S2), and the water stop valve 24 is turned on (step S3). Then, it is determined whether the water flow switch 53 is on, that is, whether the water pressure responsive valve 42 is open (step S4). When the water pressure responsive valve 42 is not opened (N), control in step S4 is performed.

In step S4, when the water pressure responsive valve 42 is open (Y), it is determined whether the hot water selector switch 52 is on, that is, whether the hot water mode is selected with the hot water selector switch 52 (step S4). S5). When hot water mode is not selected (N), control in step S5 is performed.

In step S5, when the hot water mode is selected (Y), the sparker 61 is turned on (step S5).
6) Turn on the safety valve 41 (step S7). Then, it is determined whether ignition is detected by the flame rod 62 (step S8). Ignition not detected (N)
, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed (step S9). When the predetermined time has not elapsed (N), the control in step S8 is performed, and when the predetermined time has elapsed (Y), the safety valve 41 is turned off (step S10).

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the sparker 61
is turned off (step S11), and it is determined whether infrared rays are detected by the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71 (step S12). When infrared rays are being detected (Y), the water stop valve 24 is turned off (step S13) and the process returns. When infrared rays are not being detected (N), the control in step S12 is performed.

In step S8 shown in FIG. 3, when ignition is detected (Y), the sparker 61 is turned off (step S14) as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not the detection has been continued for a certain period of time (step S15). When infrared rays are detected continuously for a certain period of time (Y), the water stop valve 24 is turned off (step S16), and it is determined whether the water flow switch 53 is turned off, that is, whether the water pressure responsive valve 42 is closed. (Step S17). The hydraulic response valve 42 is not closed (N
), the control in step S17 is performed, and when the hydraulic response valve 42 is closed (Y), the safety valve 41 is turned off (step S1
8), Return.

In step S15, when infrared rays are not detected continuously for a certain period of time (N), the infrared sensor 71
It is determined whether infrared rays are detected by the light receiving element 76 (step S19). When infrared rays are being detected (Y), control in step S16 is performed.

In step S19, when infrared rays are not detected (N), it is determined whether abnormal combustion is detected by the thermocouple 63 (step S20). When abnormal combustion is detected (Y), the safety valve 41 is turned off (step S).
21), performs control in step S12.

In step S20, when abnormal combustion is not detected (N), whether the hot water selector switch 52 is on or not.
That is, it is determined whether the hot water mode is selected with the hot water changeover switch 52 (step S22). When the hot water mode is selected (Y), the control in step S15 is performed, and when the hot water mode is not selected (N), the control in step S15 is performed.
21 control is performed.

The operation of the instantaneous water heater 1 used in this embodiment will be explained based on FIGS. 1, 2, and 6. When the infrared rays are received by the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71, the output of the light receiving element 76 becomes H level as shown in a) of FIG. When the timer circuit 77 of the circuit 72 starts, the output holding circuit 73
The output becomes H level. For this reason, the water stop valve drive circuit 7
4, as shown in c) of FIG. 6, the water stop valve 24 is turned on to open the water stop valve 24. When this water stop valve 24 opens, a water flow is generated in the hot water supply pipe 2, so the water pressure responsive valve 42
When the valve opens, the water flow switch 53 is turned on. At this time, if the hot water mode is selected by the hot water selector switch 52, the gas burner 3 is ignited by the combustion control circuit 6, and hot water is discharged from the shower head 27 of the hot water outlet pipe 23.

It should be noted that the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71 may detect sunlight entering the room through the kitchen window or the like, or the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71 can
may detect infrared rays reflected by walls. In such a case, the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71
Since infrared rays are continuously received for more than a certain period of time, Figure 6
As shown in (a), the output of the light receiving element 76 remains constant for a certain period of time (
t) becomes H level continuously.

Therefore, when the output of the light receiving element 76 is continuously at H level for a certain period of time or more, the operation of the timer circuit 77 is stopped and the operation prevention circuit 72 issues a stop signal, as shown in FIG. Output. For this reason, the output of the output holding circuit 73 changes to L level, so
As shown in FIG. 3, the water stop valve 24 is forcibly turned off by the water stop valve drive circuit 74. Therefore, since the water stop valve 24 is closed, the water flow in the hot water supply pipe 2 disappears, and the hot water outlet pipe 23
This prevents hot water from continuing to be discharged. Further, when the water flow in the hot water supply pipe 2 disappears, the water pressure responsive valve 42 closes, so the gas pipe 4 is also cut off. For this reason, gas burner 3
is extinguished in conjunction with the water stop valve 24.

As described above, this instantaneous water heater 1 forcibly closes the water stop valve 24 when the output of the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71 is at H level continuously for a certain period of time or more. If the gas burner 3 is in combustion, the combustion of the gas burner 3 is also stopped. Therefore, even if the light receiving element 76 of the infrared sensor 71 detects sunlight or infrared rays reflected by an object other than the user, such as a wall, the discharge of hot water or water can be stopped after a certain period of time. Furthermore, when the hot water mode is selected by the hot water selector switch 52, that is, when the gas burner 3 is burning, the combustion of the gas burner 3 can also be stopped in conjunction with the water stop valve 24. , the safety and economic efficiency of the instantaneous water heater 1 can be significantly improved.

(Modification) In this embodiment, the gas burner 3 is used as the heat source, but a burner that burns liquid fuel such as gasoline or kerosene may be used as the heat source, or a PTC heater or an electric heater made of a metal resistor may be used as the heat source. A heater may also be used.

In this embodiment, the safety valve 41 may be opened directly when a plurality of detection means both detect the object to be detected. In this case, the fuel gas is transferred to the gas burner 3.
This is a gas supply device that supplies gas to the

In this embodiment, the photoelectric switch is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the shower head 27, but the photoelectric switch can be attached to any part of the hot water outlet pipe 23 including the shower head 27 or the water heater body housing the gas burner 3 and the heat absorption tube 22. It may be installed at any position.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control device for an instantaneous water heater.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the overall structure of an instantaneous water heater.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the instantaneous water heater control device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the instantaneous water heater control device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the instantaneous water heater control device.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the main parts of the instantaneous water heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Control device (appliance control device) 7 Water stop valve control circuit (control means) 24 Water stop valve (equipment)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A photoelectric switch that detects the presence or absence of light, and a control means for activating an appliance when light is detected by the photoelectric switch, and the control means continuously operates the photoelectric switch for a predetermined period of time. A control device for an appliance, characterized by stopping the operation of the appliance when light is detected.