JPH0513208B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] 【Technical field】

The present invention allows the detection sensor to detect the user's hand or the object to be washed without turning the handle, and also allows the foot sensor to be turned on and off with the foot to automatically control water supply or water stop. Regarding automatic faucet equipment.

[Background technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Automatic water supply devices have been known that use a detection sensor to detect a user's hand or the like and supply hot water from a spout of a faucet body. but,
This conventional automatic water supply device only discharges hot water from the spout while the detection sensor detects a hand, etc., and when the sensor no longer detects a hand or other object from the spout, water is discharged from the spout. This is a single-function device, and it is inconvenient that you cannot turn on or off the water when your hands are occupied.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention was made in view of the above technical background, and its purpose is to automatically supply water (water stop) by detecting a hand, etc., and to automatically supply water (water stop) by detecting a foot, etc. Also, it is possible to supply water (water stoppage) by manual operation, and to enable various uses by adding other functions to the automatic faucet device.

[Disclosure of the invention]

The automatic faucet device of the present invention includes a valve body 7 that opens and closes a flow path in a faucet body 1 by constant movement, a manual lever 6 that opens and closes the valve body 7, and a valve that is connected to the valve body 7. a drive control unit 2 that drives the body 7 to open and close; a detection sensor 9 that operates the drive control unit 2 to open the valve body 7 and discharge water from the spout 4 only while detecting an object; , a foot sensor 12 for operating the drive control unit 2 to switch between water supply and water stop of the water spout 4 when a foot is detected;
When washing hands, a detection sensor 9 detects the hand and automatically supplies water, and when the hands are full, a foot sensor 12 is activated at the tip of the foot. It can be turned on and off to supply water, and in the event of a power outage, water can be supplied manually, and a combination of these can be used to perform various water supply operations. Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the illustrated embodiment, an automatic faucet device A of the present invention is installed in a sink B. The automatic faucet device A of the present invention can be used not only in this but also in washrooms and other places.
The following description will be made according to the illustrated embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the automatic faucet device A is roughly divided into a faucet body 1 and a drive control unit 2. The faucet body 1 is attached to the rear of the sink tank 3 of the sink B, and The control unit 2 is installed inside the sink B. A spout pipe 5 for discharging hot water or water from a spout 4 at the tip is attached to the faucet body 1 so as to be rotatable left and right.
At the top end is a manual lever that can be rotated up and down to manually operate the valve body 7 to switch between hot water supply and water stop, and also rotated left and right to change the hot water and water mixing ratio and adjust the hot water temperature. 6 is provided so as to be rotatable vertically and horizontally. The faucet body 1 and the drive control unit 2 are connected via a connecting rod 8, and by moving the connecting rod 8 a certain distance on the drive control unit 2 side, the valve body 7 of the faucet body 1 is moved. , it is possible to control the water supply and water stop from the water spout 4,
The detection sensor 9 provided near the spout 4 of the spout pipe 5 and the foot sensor 12 provided in the foot recess 11 formed in the riser 10 of the sink B are electrically connected to the drive control unit 2. It's connected.
Therefore, the temperature of hot water can be adjusted only by the manual lever 6, and switching between water supply from the water spout 4 and water stop is performed by the manual lever 6, the detection operation by the detection sensor 9, and the foot sensor 12. This is made possible by three aspects of the detection operation. The detailed structure and operation of each part of the automatic faucet device A having the above-mentioned configuration and operation will be explained below for each part. The structure of the faucet body 1 is shown in detail in FIG. The main body metal fitting 13, which serves as an introduction path for hot water or water, has a hot water introduction part 18 and a water introduction part 19 extending from the lower end of the central vertical pipe 14 to both left and right sides, and a gasket is provided in the vertical pipe 14. 24
A middle cylinder 17 is fitted through the middle cylinder 17, and a hot water inlet 20 is opened in the lower part of the middle cylinder 17, facing the hot water introduction passage 15 in the hot water introduction part 18, and A water inlet 21 is opened opposite to the inner cylinder 16, and a hot water outlet 22 and a hot water auxiliary outlet 23 are opened in the upper peripheral surface of the middle cylinder 17. The spout pipe 5 that discharges hot water has a rectangular cylindrical shape with a wide cross section, and a spout 4 having a rectifier 25 and a rectifying network 26 is provided at the tip, and a fixed tube is provided at the base end of the spout pipe 5. A fixed cylinder part 27 is provided.
is rotatably attached to the outer periphery of the vertical pipe portion 14 via an O-ring 28, so that the spout pipe 5 can be rotated. The outer periphery of the fixed cylinder portion 27 is covered with a cover 46. Furthermore, a remote type detection sensor 9 such as a photoelectric sensor or an ultrasonic sensor is attached to the tip of the spout pipe 5, and the lead wire 29 of the detection sensor 9 is connected to a circular tube-shaped pipe piped inside the spout pipe 5. It passes through the guide pipe 30 and is pulled out from the base end of the spout pipe 5, and after gently making several rounds around the outer periphery of the fixed cylindrical part 27, it is guided downward, and a connector 31 is attached to the tip.
Of course, the space between the end of the spout pipe 5 and the guide pipe 30 is treated to prevent water leakage. Inside the middle cylinder 17 is a rod 3 connecting the upper valve 32 and the lower valve 33.
An integrally formed valve body 7 is inserted through the valve body 4 so as to be movable up and down, the upper valve 32 can be moved up and down to open and close the hot water auxiliary outlet 23, and the lower valve 33 is a hollow pipe-shaped valve body 7. 35 windows on the periphery
The window 35 descends to close the hot water inlets 20 and 21, and rises to close the hot water inlets 20 and 21.
0 and water inlet 21, both inlets 20,
21 and also turn the lower valve 33, the position of the window 35 shifts, thereby changing the opening area of the hot water inlet 20 and the water inlet 21, changing the ratio of hot water to water introduced, and changing the hot water temperature. It's becoming like that. The hot water and water are introduced into the vertical pipe section 14 from the hot water inlet 20 and the water inlet 21, respectively, and are mixed, and the mixed hot water passes through the lower valve 33 into the fourth pipe.
As shown in the figure, it flows upward, flows out from the hot water outlet 22 and the hot water auxiliary outlet 23, further passes through the outlet pipe 5 through the outlet 36 of the vertical pipe section 14 and the outlet 37 of the fixed cylinder section 27, and then flows through the outlet pipe 5. 4, and the amount of hot water discharged increases as the upper valve 32 is raised and the degree of opening of the auxiliary hot water outlet 23 is increased. A lever holder 39 having an annular locking groove 38 bored on the outer periphery is fixed to the upper end of the middle cylinder 17, and the lever holder 39 is inserted into a through hole 40 bored at the base end of the manual lever 6. The upper end is inserted loosely so that the inner periphery of the through hole 40 is engaged with the locking groove 38, and the manual lever 6 can be rotated up and down using the tip as a fulcrum. A handle body 41 having a space opened at the bottom is placed over the lever holder 39 so as to cover its upper surface and outer peripheral surface, and a guide rib 42 hanging down from the top surface of the lever holder 39 is inserted into the through hole of the lever holder 39. 43 so that the handle body 41 moves up and down straight, and the base of the manual lever 6 is inserted into the interlocking hole 44 on the circumferential surface of the handle body 41.
When the manual lever 6 is moved up and down, the handle body 41 can be raised and lowered through the interlocking hole 44. Further, the upper end of the valve body 7 is fixed to the guide rib 42 of the handle body 41 by a screw 45, and when the manual lever 6 is rotated up and down or left and right, the valve body 7 is fixed to the guide rib 42 of the handle body 41.
It can also be moved up and down or rotated left and right. The hot water introduction part 1 of the faucet body 1 installed above the sink B in this way
8 is connected to a hot water supply pipe 49 connected to a water heater (not shown) via a check valve 47 and a water stop valve 48, and a check valve 47 and a water stop valve 48 are connected to the end of the water introduction path 16. A city water pipe 50 is connected via.
The faucet main body 1 is based on the above-described structure, and when the manual lever 6 is raised by hand, the valve body 7 is moved upward to discharge hot water from the spout 4, and the manual lever 6 is lowered by hand. This makes it possible to move the valve body 7 downward and stop the hot water from the water spout 4. Furthermore, since the spout pipe 5 is designed to swing freely to the left and right, hot water can be supplied from the required position, and it can be fully retracted to the rear when not in use. Moreover, the lead wire 29 of the detection sensor 9 is wound several times around the outer periphery of the fixed cylinder portion 27 immediately after coming out from the guide pipe 30 inside the spout pipe 5.
Even if the spout pipe 5 is rotated, the lead wire 29 absorbs this movement by changing its winding diameter, so that no excessive tension is applied to the lead wire 29, and there is no risk of wire breakage. It's summery. The drive control unit 2 drives the valve body 7 using mechanical power in accordance with detection signals from the detection sensor 9 and the foot sensor 12 to automatically control water supply from the water spout 4 and water stoppage. , has an internal structure as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11. A drive shaft 52 is held in the casing 51 so as to be able to slide up and down, and the upper end of the drive shaft 52 protrudes from the upper surface of the casing 51 and is integrated with a waterproof cover 80 that covers the outer surface of the casing 51. A waterproof bushing 72 made of rubber or the like is attached to the drive shaft 52 to prevent water from entering the casing 51 from around the drive shaft 52 through the connecting rod 8. The upper end of the drive shaft 52 is connected to the lower end of the valve body 7 of the faucet body 1 by a connecting rod 8, and the drive shaft 52
This allows the valve body 7 to move up and down. Further, near the drive shaft 52, a substantially knife-shaped drive plate 55 is pivotably supported vertically by a shaft 54, and a roller 56 protruding from the side surface of the tip end of the drive plate 55 is connected to the drive shaft It is fitted into a vertically long elongated hole 57 so as to be vertically movable. Moreover,
A motor 53 is connected to this drive plate 55 via a speed reducer 58 in between, and by rotating the motor 53 in the forward or reverse direction, the drive plate 55 can be rotated up and down, and the drive shaft 52 can be moved up and down. It's getting old. That is, when the motor 53 is rotated in the forward direction, the drive plate 55 rotates in the direction A, causing the drive shaft 52 to protrude upward, and the drive plate 55 stops when the brake piece 59 at the rear end hits the stop pin 60 at the bottom, thereby stopping the drive. The shaft 52 is made to protrude by a certain distance. Conversely, when the motor 53 is reversed, the drive plate 55 rotates in the direction C, lowering the drive shaft 52, and stops when the brake piece 59 hits the upper stop pin 60, thereby lowering the drive shaft 52 a certain distance. be withdrawn to its original state. Further, the drive plate 55 is configured to return to its initial horizontal state after being moved up and down by two return plates 61 and a spring 65. That is, two approximately L-shaped return plates 61 are pivotally attached to the shaft 54 so as to overlap with the drive plate 55, and the two return plates 61 are arranged symmetrically to each other, and the spring hanging pieces A spring 65 is connected to the pin 6 which is connected to the pin 6 and extends from a fixed part such as the casing 51 in a direction horizontal to the shaft 54 so that the operating piece 62 at the tip is connected to the spring 65 .
3, and both operating pieces 62 are regulated so as to stay horizontally. And the driving plate 55
A rib 66 protruding from the side surface of the drive plate 55 is held between the action pieces 62 of both return plates 61, and the drive plate 55 is held in a horizontal initial state. When a water supply signal is received from the detection sensor 9 or the foot sensor 12, the motor 53 is rotated in the normal direction, and the drive plate 55 rotates in the direction B while lifting the upper working piece 62 with the rib 66, and the drive shaft 52 is projected upward, the valve body 7 is raised to perform automatic water supply, and when the brake piece 59 hits the stop pin 60, an overcurrent flows to the motor 53. Upon detecting this, the control circuit section 67 controls the motor 5.
Stop 3. When the motor 53 is stopped, the drive plate 55 is immediately returned to its initial horizontal state by the force of the spring 65 via the action piece 62. Conversely, when receiving a water stop signal from the detection sensor 9 or the foot sensor 12, the motor 53 is reversed, and the drive plate 55 rotates in the direction C while pushing down the lower operating piece 62 with the rib 66. When the brake piece 59 hits the stop pin 60, an overcurrent flows through the motor 53. Upon detecting this, the control circuit section 67 stops the motor 53. make it stop. motor 53
When the drive plate 55 is stopped, the drive plate 55 is immediately returned to its initial horizontal state by the force of the spring 65 via the action piece 62. Therefore, the drive plate 55 is in a horizontal initial state except when switching between water supply and water stop. The elongated hole 57 of the drive shaft 52 described above is
It has a length that allows the drive shaft 52 to be raised and lowered while maintaining the horizontal initial state of the drive plate 55, and therefore, when the drive shaft 52 is moved to perform automatic water supply or when the water is stopped. Even when the water is turned off, it is possible to manually switch to water stop or water supply by operating the manual lever 6 with a light force. That is, automatic operation and manual operation can be performed freely. As mentioned above, the return plate 61 is not integrally formed but is separated into two pieces, so even if the spring 65 has a large spring constant, one return plate 61 can be used. It is possible to rotate and tension only one spring 65, and a relatively small horsepower motor 53 can be used. Further, the stop pin 60 is attached to a slit-like long hole 73 of the casing 51 with a nut 76, and by moving the position of the stop pin 60 along the slit-like long hole 73, the control angle of the drive plate 55 can be controlled.
The movement range of 2 can be adjusted. The drive control section 2 described above receives signals from the detection sensor 9 and foot sensor 12, and the control circuit section 67 rotates the motor 53 forward and reverse to perform automatic water supply control.As shown in FIG. The detection sensor 9, foot sensor 12, and power switch 68 are connected to the motor 67, and output is output from the control circuit 67 to the motor 53, but the functions of the two sensors 9 and 12 are different. The detection sensor 9 is attached to the tip of the water outlet pipe 5 as described above, and in the illustrated example, it is a triangular distance measuring type area reflection type photoelectric sensor that uses the same principle as the distance measuring module built into an autofocus camera. The detection range is limited to a certain range to prevent the think tank 3 having a high reflectance from being erroneously detected. As shown in FIG. 13a, the detection sensor 9 outputs a detection signal only while detecting the worker's hand or the object to be washed, and the control circuit section 67 outputs a detection signal when the detection signal from the detection sensor 9 rises and falls. Sometimes motor 5
As a result, hot water is discharged from the spout 4 only while the detection sensor 9 is detecting the result, and the detection sensor 9 has an on-switch function. On the other hand, the foot sensor 12 consists of a light emitter 69 and a light receiver 70, as shown in FIG. When the toe of the foot is inserted into the recess 11 and the light from the emitter 69 is no longer detected by the receiver 70, at that moment a pulse-like detection signal is output as shown in FIG. When receiving a detection pulse from the foot sensor 12, the drive shaft 52 is moved to switch between water supply and water stop, and the foot sensor 12 has the function of a changeover switch. However, when the user takes his/her foot out of the recess 11, the state of water supply or water cutoff does not change. Further, the power switch 68 is attached to the curtain plate of the think tank 3, and when the power switch 68 is turned off, only manual operation using the manual lever 6 is possible. However, priority is given to the manual lever 6, foot sensor 12, and detection sensor 9 in this order. Furthermore, by combining the functions of the detection sensor 9, foot sensor 12, and manual lever 6, various functions become possible. For example, operations such as those shown in FIG. 13c, d, e, and f are possible.
That is, FIG. 13c shows the case where the manual lever 6 is not operated. To explain the characteristic operation, put your hand out in front of the detection sensor 9 to supply water from the water spout 4, and during this time, press the foot recess 11. When you put your foot inside and turn on the foot sensor 12, the detection sensor 9
Even if you withdraw your hand, the hot water does not stop and water continues to be supplied. Once you take your foot out of the foot recess 11 and put it back into the foot recess 11, the foot sensor 1
2 is turned off, and if the detection sensor 9 is detecting, the water supply state will not change no matter how many times you put your foot in and out of the foot recess 11. In this case, the operation of the manual lever 6 has the highest priority. Also, since the foot sensor 12 has priority over the detection sensor 9, the foot sensor 1
2 is turned on and water is being supplied, put your hand out in front of the detection sensor 9, and then pull your hand back, but the hot water does not stop; put your foot into the foot recess 11 again and turn off the foot sensor 12. If you do so, the water supply will stop. The connecting rod 8 that connects the lower end of the valve body 7 and the upper end of the drive shaft 52 has a female threaded pipe 75 at both ends of a male threaded rod 74.
By screwing them together and rotating the female threaded pipe 75, the length can be adjusted to extend or contract.
After adjustment, rotation of the female threaded pipe 75 is prevented by tightening a nut 76 screwed onto the male threaded rod 74 onto the female threaded pipe 75, and the ends of the upper and lower female threaded pipes 75 are attached to the upper fixing part attached to the valve body 7. 77 and the lower fixed part 7 attached to the drive shaft 52
8 through universal joints 79 such as link ball joints. Therefore,
By expanding and contracting between the male threaded rod 74 and the female threaded pipe 75, the distance between the faucet body 1 and the drive control unit 2 can be adjusted, and also when the axis of the valve body 7 and the axis of the drive rod 8 do not coincide can be freely adjusted by bending the connecting rod 8 in a dogleg shape at the position of the universal joint 79.

【Effect of the invention】

As described above, the present invention consists of a valve body that opens and closes a flow path in a faucet body by constant movement, a manual lever that drives the valve body to open and close, and a drive control unit that is connected to the valve body and drives the valve body to open and close. , a detection sensor that operates the drive control unit to open the valve body and discharge water from the spout only while detecting an object, and a detection sensor that controls the water supply and water stop of the spout when a foot is detected. It consists of a foot sensor that operates the drive control unit to switch, so when you wash your hands, the detection sensor detects your hands and automatically supplies water, and when your hands are dirty. You can operate the manual lever without touching it, and when your hands are full, you can turn the foot sensor on and off with your foot to operate the water supply, making it easier to do housework etc. In addition, since water supply can be operated manually during a power outage, it has the advantage that it will not become inoperable during a power outage. Moreover, there is an advantage that various water supply operations can be performed by combining these.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a foot sensor and a sensor frame for fixing the foot sensor, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the same faucet body, and Fig. 4 The figure is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the same valve body, Figure 5 is a front view showing the connecting rod connecting the faucet main body and the drive control section, Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the detection state of the detection sensor, and Figure 7 is A front view showing the detection state of the foot sensor, FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway plan view of the drive control section of the same as above, FIG. 9 is a partially broken side view of the same as above, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are the same as above. An explanatory diagram showing the internal mechanism and its operation, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the electrical connection system between the drive control section and the detection means, and FIGS. 13 a, b, c, d, e, f.
is a graph showing an example of a water supply or water stop control operation using a detection sensor, a foot sensor, and a manual lever, where 1 is the faucet body, 2 is a drive control section, 4 is a spout, 6 is a manual lever, and 7 is the valve body,
9 is a detection sensor, and 12 is a foot sensor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A valve body that opens and closes a flow path in the faucet body by constant movement, a manual lever that opens and closes the valve body, a drive control unit that is connected to the valve body and drives the valve body to open and close, and a drive control unit that opens and closes the valve body. A detection sensor that operates the drive control unit to open the valve body and discharge water from the spout only when a foot is detected, and a drive control that switches between water supply and water stop at the spout when a foot is detected. An automatic faucet device characterized by comprising a foot sensor for operating the part.