JPH0510055Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention can be attached to an existing faucet to check whether the temperature of the hot water supplied to the faucet has reached a predetermined operating temperature. Regarding faucet accessories that can be judged without touching them.

[Conventional technology]

For example, in a domestic hot water supply system, water heated by a hot water supply source such as a water heater is passed through a hot water supply pipe of a required length inside the wall or under the floor to the kitchen,
Hot water is supplied to various places such as washrooms and bathrooms.

Therefore, it takes a considerable amount of time for the hot water heated to the specified operating temperature by the water heater to pass through the hot water pipe and reach the faucet attached to the terminal, in some cases even several minutes. There are times when this happens, and during that time, the cooled hot water in the hot water supply pipe is flowing out from the faucet.

For this reason, those who use hot water do not know when the hot water flowing out from the outlet has reached the operating temperature. For a while until the water came out, I touched the water coming out of the faucet to check its temperature.

[Problem to be solved]

However, checking the temperature of hot water by touching it in this way requires exposing it to cold water for a while, or it is a hassle to touch the water many times and wipe your hands each time until it reaches the appropriate temperature. It was hot.

Especially in the winter, it is not pleasant to expose cold hands to cold water, even for a short time.

Also, for example, when hot water heated to a high temperature is supplied from a hot water supply source, if someone turns on the faucet immediately after using it, the hot water will flow out immediately, but the person using the hot water will not see cold water coming out from the outflow part. You don't know if the hot water will come out, so if you reach out to check the water temperature without knowing this, you may accidentally burn yourself.

For this reason, conventionally, faucets with a temperature indicating material embedded in the outer circumferential surface (see Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-110176) and washstands with a temperature indicating material embedded in the surface that receives hot water (see Utility Model Application Publication No. 110-176),
(Refer to Publication No. 57-90686), or by detecting the temperature of the mixed water using a temperature sensor installed in the piping where the hot water and water are mixed, the hot water supply valve and water supply valve can be adjusted based on the detected temperature. A hot water mixing device (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 153423/1983) that automatically adjusts the temperature of hot water and maintains it at a constant temperature is used.

However, none of these methods can be applied to the existing hot water system, and the faucet or sink must be replaced, or the entire hot water system including the hot water pipes, water supply pipes, hot water supply valves, water supply valves, etc. must be replaced. Therefore, there was a problem in that it was extremely costly when installing the equipment.

Furthermore, hot water mixing devices that adjust the temperature of hot water to a constant temperature cannot tell whether the temperature of hot water coming out of the faucet has reached the target temperature, so you end up checking the hot water temperature by touching the hot water. I had to.

Therefore, the present invention can be easily attached to an existing faucet, and at the same time can check whether the hot water flowing out of the faucet has reached the specified operating temperature.
The technical challenge is to be able to easily check the hot water without touching it.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, the main body of the accessory that serves as a decoration for the faucet is attached to a band that is fastened to the faucet, and a temperature sensor is installed inside the band to detect the hot water temperature based on the temperature of the faucet. The accessory body is provided with an alarm that visually or audibly indicates that the hot water temperature has reached a predetermined operating temperature based on the detection signal of the temperature sensor, which is attached to the faucet closely. It is characterized by

[Effect]

According to the present invention, when the main body of the accessory is attached to the faucet, the temperature sensor that detects the hot water temperature based on the temperature of the faucet is placed in close contact with the faucet, and the heat of the hot water transmitted to the faucet is detected, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined operating temperature. Then, an alarm built into the main body of the accessory is activated, which emits a melody sound and displays a specific display.

Furthermore, the accessory main body can be directly attached to an existing faucet by tightening the band, so there is no need for special installation work.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a faucet accessory according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram thereof.

Reference numeral 1 in the figure is an accessory main body that serves as a decoration for the faucet 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, it is formed in the shape of a sunflower. It is attached via a wire 4.

A temperature sensor S such as a thermistor that detects the hot water temperature based on the temperature of the faucet 2 is attached to the inside of the hose band 3, and is attached so that it comes into close contact with the surface of the faucet 2 when the hose band 3 is tightened. .

The accessory body 1 also includes a temperature sensor S.
An annunciator 5 is provided which emits a melody sound and displays a specific display to notify the user when the hot water temperature reaches a predetermined operating temperature based on the detection signal.

This alarm 5 includes a liquid crystal display 6 disposed at the center of the front of the sunflower, and displays a specific display (for example, "cold", "warm", "heat") on the display 6 based on a detection signal from a temperature sensor S. an IC control circuit 9 equipped with a display circuit 7 to generate a sound and an audio circuit 8 to generate a predetermined melody sound; an ultra-small built-in speaker 10 connected to the IC control circuit;
It consists of a battery 11 such as a mercury battery that drives an IC control circuit 9.

Note that the wire 3 that directs the accessory body 1
also serves as the signal line for the temperature sensor S, and is covered with vinyl for waterproofing.

The above is an example of the configuration of the present invention, and its operation will be explained next.

First, when tightening the hose band 3 to the faucet 2,
Since the temperature sensor S is closely attached to the surface of the faucet 2,
In this state, when you turn the handle (not shown) of the faucet 2, cold water will initially come out, so the temperature of the faucet 1 will be low and based on the detection signal from the temperature sensor S, the LCD display 6 of the alarm 5 will display " The words "Cold" are displayed and the warning sound is not emitted yet.

Next, the temperature of the supplied water gradually increases until it reaches a predetermined temperature, and the heat of the hot water causes the faucet 2 to cool down.
When the faucet 2 is heated, the temperature sensor S, which is in close contact with the surface of the faucet 2, reliably detects this temperature.

When the hot water reaches a predetermined operating temperature, a control signal output from the IC control circuit 9 based on the detection signal causes the character "Warm" to be displayed on the liquid crystal display 6, and a predetermined melody sound is emitted. This will notify you that hot water is being supplied.

Therefore, according to this example, not only can you visually confirm that hot water is being supplied by the display on the liquid crystal display 6, but also a predetermined melody sound is emitted, so you can easily use water even when you are busy. Even if you leave the sink unattended, you can hear the melodious sound when hot water at the predetermined operating temperature is supplied.

Furthermore, if the temperature of the supplied hot water becomes too high, the word "heat" will be displayed on the liquid crystal display, and an alarm sound will be emitted in place of the melody sound to warn of burn injuries.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example, in which an accessory main body 13 having a metal heat transfer plate 12 whose back surface is in close contact with the faucet 2 and whose front surface is visible from the outside is attached to the faucet 2. 2 is formed into a hose band 14 that is tightened.

The heat exchanger plate 12 is attached to the faucet 2 so as to be in close contact with the faucet 2.
The character (diagram) 15 for "warm", for example, is drawn on its surface with paint that does not fade at the temperature of hot water, and when the hot water reaches a predetermined operating temperature. A layer of heat-sensitive material 16 made of a thermochromic dye that becomes transparent upon decolorization is formed so as to hide the letters 15.

Further, the accessory main body 13 includes the heat exchanger plate 1
A decorative stone 17 made of transparent plastic is attached on top of the heat-sensitive material 16 so as to cover the heat-sensitive material 16.

When the supplied hot water is at a low temperature, the color of the heat-sensitive material 16 hides the word "warm" 15, but when the hot water reaches the operating temperature, the heat is transferred to the faucet 2.
When the heat is transferred from the heat to the heat transfer plate 12, the color of the heat-sensitive material 16 disappears, and the character 15 for "warm" drawn below stands out.

Therefore, the decorative stone 1 of the accessory body 13
If you tighten the hose band 14 to the faucet 2 so that the part 7 is on top, the part of the decorative stone 17 will be visible when you use the faucet 2, so the temperature of the hot water will become high and the part of the decorative stone 17 will appear. The temperature of the supplied hot water can be easily known by the character 15 of "warm".

[Effect of idea]

As described above, according to the present invention, by attaching an accessory to a faucet, not only can the bathroom become bright and peaceful, but also when the supplied hot water reaches a predetermined operating temperature, The alarm activates and emits a predetermined melody sound or displays a specific display, making it easy to visually or audibly determine whether the predetermined operating temperature has been reached without touching the hot water at all. It has this excellent effect.

Furthermore, since it can be easily attached to an existing faucet by tightening the band, there is no need for any troublesome installation work, which also has the effect of reducing costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a faucet accessory according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a block diagram thereof, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another example. Explanation of symbols, 1...Accessory body, 2...
Faucet, 3...Hose band, S...Temperature sensor,
5... Alarm device, 6... Liquid crystal display, 7...
Display circuit, 8...Audio circuit, 9...IC control circuit,
10...Speaker, 11...Puttery, 12...
...heat exchanger plate, 13...accessory body, 14...
Horse band, 16...heat-sensitive material, 17...decorative stone.

Claims (1)

[Scope of claims for utility model registration] [1] Accessory body 1 serving as a decoration for faucet 2
is attached to a band 3 that is tightened to the faucet 2, and inside the band 3, there is a temperature sensor S that detects the hot water temperature based on the temperature of the faucet 2.
The accessory main body 1 is provided with an alarm 5 that visually or audibly indicates that the hot water temperature has reached a predetermined operating temperature based on the detection signal of the temperature sensor S. A faucet accessory that is characterized by: [2] Heat transfer plate 12 whose back surface is in close contact with the faucet 2 and whose front surface is visible from the outside.
An accessory main body 13 having a
A predetermined line diagram 15 is drawn on the surface of 2 with a paint that does not fade at the temperature of hot water, and a heat-sensitive coloring material that becomes transparent when the hot water reaches a predetermined usage temperature. A faucet accessory, characterized in that the layer of material 16 is formed to hide the diagram 15.