JPH05215266A - Valve switching unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a small sized valve switching unit consuming little electricity. CONSTITUTION:A valve switching unit is provided with a main valve 20 which communicates and cuts off a passage 10 for fluid and a pilot valve mechanism 30 which selectively locates the main valve 20 in a discharge point for opening the passage 10 or to a cut-off point for cutting off the passage 10. The unit is provided with a movable means 40 energized in a direction to open the pilot valve mechanism 30 and a stopper 53 having a driving means 54 freely moved in and out of engagement with a movable means 40, stopping the drive of the movable means 40 by engagement and making it in drivable condition by disengagement. And an impeller 60 which is rotated by fluid arranged to flow in the passage 10 and gives a driving force in the direction for closing the pilot valve mechanism 30 to the movable means 40 is also provided in the unit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve opening / closing unit for opening / closing a fluid passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A valve opening / closing unit for discharging water by merely placing a hand under a faucet provided on a sink or a washbasin and stopping the outflow of water by simply retracting the hand has already been put into practical use. An example is shown in FIG. 12, and for example, a water passage 7 is provided in a body 72 having a water supply port 70 connected to a water pipe (not shown) and a water discharge port 71 connected to a faucet.
A main valve 74 for opening and closing 3 is provided. The main valve 74 is composed of a diaphragm that can be attached to and detached from a valve seat 75, and a back pressure chamber 76 is formed in the back of the diaphragm. Passage 73 and back pressure chamber 7
6 are connected by a bleed 74a formed of a small hole formed in the main valve 74.

A pilot chamber 77 for adjusting the pressure of the back pressure chamber 76 is formed in the body 72, and a pilot valve 78 is used to cut off the communication. The pilot valve 78 is driven by the solenoid plunger 79 to close the pilot hole 76a as shown by the solid line or open the hole 76a as shown by the broken line. The solenoid plunger 79 is adapted to be actuated by, for example, a signal from a sensor provided below the faucet of the sink so that when the hand is placed under the faucet, the pilot valve 78 is placed in the broken line position and the hand is retracted. When operated, the valve operates to put it in the solid line position.

When the pilot valve 78 is closed,
The pressures of the passage 73 and the back pressure chamber 76 are equalized to each other via the bleed 74a, and the main valve 74 is brought into contact with the valve seat 75 by a spring (not shown) to shut off the passage 73. In such a state,
If you place your hand under the faucet, the solenoid plunger 79
Is activated to open the pilot valve 78 through the pilot hole 76a.
Move to open. When the pilot hole 76a is opened, the pressure in the back pressure chamber 76 becomes lower than the pressure in the passage 73, and the main valve 74 is opened as shown by the broken line,
The passage 73 is opened to connect the water supply port 70 and the water discharge port 71 to discharge water. Water flowing into the pilot chamber 77 from the pilot hole 76a is discharged from the pilot water discharge port 77a.

When a hand is retracted from the lower side of the faucet, a sensor (not shown) detects this and the solenoid plunger 7
9 is operated to move the pilot valve 78 to the solid line position. When the pilot hole 76a is closed, the back pressure chamber 7
The pressure of 6 is gradually increased by the water flowing in from the bleed 74a, and finally the main valve 74 is closed as shown by the solid line to block the passage 73. This stops the discharge of water from the faucet.

Next, FIG. 13 shows another example.
A main valve 84 is provided in a passage 83 between the water supply port 80 and the water discharge port 81. This main valve 84
Is a solenoid plunger 8 provided on the body 82.
It is directly connected to the valve seat 9 and can be attached to and detached from the valve seat 85. The solenoid plunger 89 is actuated by a signal from a sensor provided below the faucet of the sink, for example. Then, when a hand is placed under a faucet (not shown), the solenoid plunger 89 is activated to raise the main valve 84 from the position shown in the figure, thereby communicating the passage 83 and discharging water. When the hand is retracted from under the faucet, the main valve 84 is moved to the shut-off position shown in the figure to shut off the passage 83 and stop the discharge of water.

[0007]

In the conventional example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, solenoid plungers 79 and 89 for moving the pilot valve 78 and the main valve 84.
Is required to be driven by an AC power supply,
There is a problem that the entire device becomes large. If you try to drive the solenoid plunger directly from the battery,
In terms of power consumption, there is a problem that the battery life is short and it is not practical.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a valve opening / closing unit that is small and consumes less power.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A valve opening / closing unit of the present invention includes a main valve for connecting and disconnecting a fluid passage, and a main valve for connecting a fluid passage to a discharge position or a fluid passage position. It has a pilot valve mechanism to be selectively positioned, a moving means urged in the direction to open the pilot valve mechanism, and a driving means for moving the moving means so as to be engageable with and disengageable from the moving means. And a stopper that makes it actuable by disengagement and a rotating fluid that is placed in the fluid passage and is rotated by the circulating fluid, and applies a driving force to the moving means in the direction that closes the pilot valve mechanism. And an impeller that does.

[0010]

[Operation] When the hand is placed below the faucet and the sensor is activated,
When the stopper is disengaged from the moving means, the moving means drives the pilot valve mechanism in an opening direction to open the pilot valve, and the main valve is positioned at the passage communicating position to allow the fluid to be discharged. The impeller in the passage rotates when the fluid is discharged. When your hand is retracted from the bottom of the faucet,
The rotation of the impeller is transmitted to the moving means to move the pilot valve mechanism in the closing direction. When the pilot valve is closed, the main valve closes shutting off the passage and stopping fluid delivery.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on the illustrated first embodiment.

First, an example of an embodiment of the valve opening / closing unit of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1 indicates a sink, and a faucet 2 is provided above it. This faucet 2 is connected to a water pipe 3. A valve opening / closing unit 4 is provided in the water pipe 3 located inside the sink 1. At the bottom of the faucet 2, a sensor 2a that outputs a signal for operating the drive means of the unit 4 is provided. Although details will be described later, when the hand is placed below the sensor 2a, the valve opening / closing unit 4 is operated to discharge water from the faucet 2, and when the hand is retracted, the water discharge is stopped. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 5 indicates a drain pipe of the sink 1.

The detailed construction of the valve opening / closing unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. Valve opening / closing unit 4
Is a fluid, for example, a water passage 10 that communicates with the passage 10.
A main valve 20 for shutting off, a pilot valve mechanism 30 for selectively positioning the main valve 20 at a shutoff position (see FIG. 1) and a discharge position (see FIG. 4), and a moving means 40 for moving the pilot valve mechanism 30. A stopper 50 that controls the operation of the moving means 40 and an impeller 60 that is disposed in the passage 10 and that is rotated by the flow of discharged water.

The passage 10 has a water supply port 10a connected to the water pipe 3, a discharge port 10b communicating with the faucet 2 side, a valve body 10d forming a valve seat 10c of the main valve 20, and a valve retainer 10e. It consists of The valve seat 10c is formed on the inner tubular portion of the double tubular portion that divides the passage 10 into a water supply side and a water discharge side.

The main valve 20 has a valve seat 10c.
A valve body 20a which comes into contact with and separates from the
And a spring 20c acting in a direction to press the valve body 20a against the valve seat 10c, and the flange portion 20d includes a valve body 10d and a valve retainer 10e.
Being held in. A back pressure chamber 21 composed of a valve retainer 10e is formed at the back of the valve body 20a. The back pressure chamber 21 and the water supply port 10a are provided in the valve body 2
They are communicated with each other through a bleed 20aa formed on the surface 0a.
The valve retainer 10e is fixed to the valve body 10d by fixing screws 10f and 10f.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pilot valve mechanism 30 includes a pilot chamber body 30b which constitutes a pilot chamber 30a, and a hollow pilot shaft 30c which selectively connects and disconnects the pilot chamber 30a and the back pressure chamber 21. , A pilot valve 30d for selectively closing the pilot shaft 30c. The pilot shaft 30c is slidably supported by the packing 30e and the packing presser 30f in a watertight manner on the valve presser 10e.

The pilot valve 30d is made of an elastic material such as rubber, is held by the valve holder 30h, and protrudes into the pilot chamber 30a.
It is slidably guided to 0i. Valve guide 30i
Is integrally formed with a gear train case 40a, which will be described later, and its end portion constitutes the contact of the pilot shaft 30c. In addition, a cutout 3 that connects the pilot shaft 30c and the pilot chamber 30a is formed at the end of the valve guide 30i.
0j is formed (see FIG. 4).

The pilot chamber body 30b is provided with a pilot discharge port 30k, which communicates with the drain pipe 5 (see FIG. 11) through the tube 30m.
The pilot chamber 30a is open to atmospheric pressure.

The moving means 40 is the pilot valve mechanism 3
0 is biased in the opening direction, the compression spring 40b fitted into the pilot shaft 30c, the pilot valve shaft 40d integrally holding the pilot valve 30d and the rack 40c, and the rack 40c. It is composed of a speed increasing gear train 40e which meshes with each other.

The compression spring 40b is elastically mounted between the spring seat 30n fixed to the pilot shaft 30c and the packing retainer 30f, and the direction in which the pilot shaft 30c pushes the pilot valve 30d into the valve guide 30i, in other words, the pilot valve 30b. Is urged to open.

The pilot valve shaft 40d is slidably inserted in a guide hole 40f formed in the gear train case 40a. The speed increasing gear train 40e is a gear train case 40a.
A two-stage gear 441 that is rotatably supported by the rack 40c and has a pinion 41a that meshes with the rack 40c; a two-stage gear 42 that has a small-diameter tooth portion 42a that meshes with a large-diameter tooth portion 41b of the gear 41; It is composed of a small-diameter tooth portion 43a that meshes with the tooth portion 42b and a two-stage gear 43 having a large-diameter tooth portion 43b.

The speed increasing gear train 40e rotates as a speed increasing gear train when driven by the rack 40c, but generates a high torque as a reduction gear train when the rotation is transmitted from the two-stage gear 43 toward the pinion 41a. Rotate to let.

The stopper 50 includes a first planetary gear 51 having the two-stage gear 43 as a sun gear, an opening gear 52 having a small diameter tooth portion 52a selectively meshing with the planetary gear 52, and a large opening gear 52. It is composed of a stopper lever 53 that is engaged with and disengaged from the diameter portion 52b, and a first piezoelectric actuator 54 that is a drive unit that drives the stopper lever 53.

The first piezoelectric actuator 54 is a bimorph type actuator, and when materials 54a and 54b having different characteristics are polymerized and a voltage is applied thereto, a specific direction (in the case of the illustrated example, the stopper lever 53 of the stopper lever 53) is formed. This utilizes the property of bending in the direction in which the end portion is separated from the opening gear 52). This actuator is characterized in that a large displacement can be obtained at a low voltage such as a dry battery and that its responsiveness is fast. The base ends 53a of the stopper levers 53 are connected to the displacement ends of the materials 54a and 54b, and when the actuators 54 are displaced, the stopper levers 53 amplify the tip ends 53b of the stopper levers 53 and swing them. The first piezoelectric actuator 54 includes a control circuit including a battery (not shown) and a sensor 2a (see FIG. 1) via a wiring 54c.
1)).

The stopper lever 53 is biased by a torsion coil spring 54d in such a direction that the tip end portion 53b is engaged with the opening gear 52. When the sensor 2a detects the presence of the hand, the first piezoelectric actuator 54 operates to displace the stopper lever 53 in the direction in which it is separated from the opening gear 52.

The first planetary gear 51 is meshed with the opening gear 52 by a speed increasing gear train 40e which is rotated by the movement habit of the pilot valve urged by the compression spring 40b. At this time, if the opening gear 52 is engaged with the stopper lever 53, the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e, that is, the movement of the pilot shaft 30c is prevented.

The shaft 60a of the impeller 60 is rotatably supported by the bearings 40aa and 40ab of the gear train case 40a, and some of the plurality of blades 60b are located in the passage 10. The impeller 60 is rotated by the force of the water as it flows through the passage 10.

A magnet 60c and a yoke 60d are fixed to the end of the shaft 60a located inside the case 40a. The magnet 60c generates an eddy current when the impeller rotates, and by disposing the yoke 60d, the magnet 60c shields the magnet and constitutes an efficient magnetic circuit for obtaining the eddy current.

The case 40 coaxial with the shaft 60a of the impeller
a includes a worm shaft 62 by the bearing portions 40ac and 61.
Is rotatably supported with its axial movement restricted. A metal plate, for example, a copper plate 63 is fixed to one end of the worm shaft 62 so as to face the magnet 60c. Copper plate 63
The end portion 62a of the worm shaft 62 protruding from is formed in a spherical shape.

At the other end of the worm shaft 62, an engagement ring 64 having a locking tooth portion 64a formed on one end surface is fixed. A second piezoelectric actuator 65 having the same structure as the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is attached to the engagement ring 64.
The distal end portion of the stopper lever 65a is detachably engaged. The second piezoelectric actuator 65 is connected to the sensor 2a (see FIG. 11) and a control circuit including a battery (not shown) via the wiring 65b, and engages the stopper lever 65a when the hand is retracted from the lower side of the faucet 2. It operates so as to be separated from the compound wheel 64.

A large diameter tooth portion 66a of a worm wheel 66, which is rotatably supported by the gear train case 40a, meshes with a tooth portion 62b of the worm shaft 62 at all times. A second planet gear 67 having the wheel as a sun gear meshes with the small-diameter tooth portion 66b of the worm wheel 66. The second planetary gear 67 is provided so as to selectively mesh with the large-diameter tooth portion 43b of the two-stage gear 43, and the details will be described later.
When the main valve 20 is closed, it operates to transmit the rotation of the impeller 60 to the gear train 40e.

The operation of the first embodiment constructed as above will be described. FIG. 1 shows a state in which water discharge from the faucet is stopped, and the main valve 20 is located at a shutoff position where the passage 10 is shut off. At this time, the water supply port 10a
And the pressure in the back pressure chamber 70 are equal. The stopper lever 53 of the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is engaged with the opening gear 52, and the stopper lever 65a of the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is engaged with the engagement wheel 64. The pilot valve 30d blocks the communication between the pilot chamber 30a and the back pressure chamber 70 by closing the pilot shaft 30c, and holds the pressure of the back pressure chamber 70. First planetary gear 5
1 meshes with the opening gear 52 and the two-stage gear 43,
The second planetary gear 67 includes the worm wheel 66 and the two-stage gear 4.
3 is engaged. A rack 40c urged by a compression spring 40b and a speed increasing gear train 40e connected to the rack 40c.
The rotation of is blocked by the first planetary gear 51 meshing with the opening gear 52.

When the hand is placed below the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11), the sensor 2a detects it and turns on the first piezoelectric actuator 54. When the actuator 54 is turned on, the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 52 to release the constraint on the speed increasing gear train 40e.

When the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 52, the speed increasing gear train 40e is pushed by the rack 40c biased by the compression spring 40b to move the two-stage gear 41, as shown in FIG. It can be rotated in the direction of the arrow. The rotation of the gear 41 causes the two-stage gear 43 to rotate through the two-stage gear 42 in the arrow direction. The rotation of the two-step gear 43 rotates the first planetary gear 51 in the direction of the chain line, and rotates the opening gear 52 in the direction of the arrow. Two-stage gear 4
The second planetary gear 67 meshed with the third gear is released from the meshing with the gear, so that it does not become a load for the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e.

The pilot shaft 30c, which moves when the compression spring 40b extends, pushes the pilot valve 30d, which is in contact with the pilot shaft 30c, with the rack 40c. At this time,
The water pressure of the back pressure chamber 70 acts on the hollow pilot shaft 30c. Therefore, even after the spring seat 30n comes into contact with 30i per degree, the rack 40c moves by the inertia of the speed increasing gear train 40e and the water pressure that presses the pilot valve 30d, and the pilot valve 30d held at one end of the rack 40c holds the pilot valve 30c. To open the valve. The movement of the pilot valve 30d, that is, the rack 40c is prevented by the valve holder 30h colliding with the bottom of the valve 30i.

When the pilot valve 30d is opened, the water in the back pressure chamber 70 flows into the pilot chamber 30a through the pilot shaft 30c and the notch 30j. When the water in the back pressure chamber 70 flows out, the pressure in the chamber falls below the pressure in the water supply port 10a.
4, moves against the spring 20c and separates from the valve seat 10c to communicate the passage 10. The main valve 20 placed in the communication position is the water supply port 1
0a is allowed to flow, and water is discharged from the discharge port 10b,
Water is discharged from the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11). The water that has flowed into the pilot chamber 30a flows out to the drain pipe 5 through the tube 30m (see FIG. 11).

The time from placing the hand under the faucet 2 until the water flows out is about 2 seconds. Therefore, the energization time for the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is set to about 2 seconds, and when this time elapses, the torsion coil spring 54
At d, the stopper lever 53 is returned and engaged with the opening gear 52 to restrain the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e.

When water is discharged, the impeller 60
It is rotated by a stream of water. The magnet 60c and the yoke 60d that rotate integrally with this impeller generate an eddy current to form a magnetic circuit. According to this magnetic circuit, the copper plate 63
Tries to rotate, but cannot rotate because the worm shaft 62 is locked by the stopper lever 65a.

When the hand is retracted from the lower part of the faucet 2, the sensor 2a detects this and activates the second piezoelectric actuator 65, and as shown by the chain line in FIG.
The a is disengaged from the engagement wheel 64 to release the constraint on the worm shaft 62. The worm shaft 62 rotates as the copper plate 63 rotates in accordance with the magnetic circuit formed by the rotation of the impeller 60. The rotation of the worm shaft 62 causes the worm wheel 66 meshing with the worm shaft 62 to rotate in the direction of the arrow.

In FIG. 5, when the worm wheel 66 rotates, the second planetary gear 67 is planetarily moved to the position of the broken line, meshes with the two-stage gear 43, and the rotation of the wheel 66 is transmitted to the two-stage gear 43. The rotation of the two-stage gear 43 is decelerated via the gear train 40e and transmitted to the pinion 41a, which moves the rack 40c in the direction of the arrow. Two-stage gear 4
When 3 rotates, the first planetary gear 51 is placed in the broken line position and released from meshing with the opening gear 52.

As shown in FIG. 6, the moving rack 40c
Moves the pilot valve 30d held by the pilot valve shaft 40d and brings it into contact with the end of the pilot shaft 30c to cut off the communication between the back pressure chamber 70 and the pilot chamber 30a. Rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e is performed by the rack 4
The lower end of 0c hits the case 40a to prevent it. Since the speed increasing gear train 40e rotates as a reduction gear train when driven from the worm wheel 66 side,
A large amount of torque is generated to securely close the pilot valve.

When the hole of the pilot shaft 30c is closed by the pilot valve 30d, the pressure of the back pressure chamber 70 communicating with the water supply port 10a by the bleed 20aa is gradually increased. Due to this change in pressure and the elasticity of the spring 20c, the main valve 20 moves toward the valve seat 10c, and finally contacts the valve seat 10c to block the passage 10. Even after the main valve 20 is placed in the shut-off position as shown in FIG. 6, the outflow of water from the faucet 2 continues for a short time.

Since the time from when the stopper lever 65a releases the worm shaft 62 to when the main valve 20 blocks the passage 10 is about 1 second, the energization time to the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is about 2 seconds. The degree is enough. Therefore,
After about 2 seconds have elapsed, the stopper lever 65a is engaged with the engaging wheel 6
4 is locked, so that the worm shaft 62 is stopped at this point. At this time, when water is flowing through the passage 10, the impeller 60 is still rotating, but the impeller and the worm shaft 62 are opposed to each other by the non-contact rotation transmission method, so only the impeller rotates. That is, the impeller 60 and the worm shaft 6
A kind of clutch mechanism is provided between the two.

When the pilot valve is closed, the pilot shaft 30c is pushed against the elastic force of the compression spring 40b. Therefore, when the rotation of the gear train 40e is stopped or weakened, the rack 40c is pushed back. The rack 40c pushed back by the compression spring 40b rotates the speed increasing gear train 40e in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 6, but the first planetary gear 51 having the two-step gear 43 as the sun gear is planet-moved to the chain line position. And meshes with the opening gear 52. At this time, the opening gear 52 cannot be rotated because it is locked by the stopper lever 53, the planetary gear 51 cannot rotate, and the speed increasing gear train 40e has the first gear train 40e.
The planetary gear 51 is stopped just by moving the planetary gear 51. Therefore, the pilot valve 30d is held in a state in which the pilot shaft 30c is closed. Pilot shaft 30
Even if c is moved by the elastic force of the spring, it is not separated from the pilot valve 30d, so that the pressure in the back pressure chamber 70 does not decrease and the main valve 20 is held at the shutoff position. As shown in FIG. 6, the state where the main valve 20 is placed in the shutoff position is the same as the original position shown in FIG.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is different from the above-mentioned embodiments in the structure of the pilot valve mechanism and the moving means, and therefore the constituent elements already described are given the same reference numerals. 7 and 8, the valve retainer 10
A pilot hole 130c that connects the pilot chamber 130a and the back pressure chamber 70 is formed in e. The pilot hole 130c is selectively communicated with a pilot valve 130d held by a valve holder 130h.

The valve holder 130h is formed at one end of the pilot valve shaft 140d. A rack 140c is provided at the other end of the shaft to increase the speed of the gear train 1.
It meshes with the pinion 141a of 40e. The pinion 141a is connected to a large diameter gear 141b via a torsion coil spring 141c. The torsion coil spring 141c stores energy when the gear train rotates in the direction of closing the pilot valve, and details thereof will be described later.

The moving means 140 includes a rack 140c, a speed increasing gear train 140e, and a compression spring 140b. The spring 140b is elastically mounted between the spring seat 140h and the spring receiver 130n fixed to the pilot valve shaft 140d, and biases the pilot valve 130d in the direction to open the pilot hole 130c.

The first planetary gear 1 having the gear 143 as a sun gear is provided between the two-stage gear 143 and the opening gear 152 with which the stopper lever 53 of the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is engaged / disengaged.
51 is provided. Two-stage gear 143 and worm shaft 6
A worm wheel 166 and a second planetary gear 167 having this as a sun gear are provided between the two. An iron plate 163 as a metal plate is fixed to the worm shaft 62, and a magnet 60c and a yoke 16 are attached to the shaft 60a of the impeller 60.
0d is fixed.

The operation of the second embodiment constructed as above will be described. FIG. 7 shows a state where the water discharge is stopped, the pilot valve 130d closes the pilot hole 130c, and the pressure of the back pressure chamber 70 is adjusted to the water supply port 10a.
Keeps equal to that of. Therefore, the main valve 20 is located at the shutoff position where the passage 10 is shut off.

The stopper lever 53 of the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is engaged with the opening gear 152, and the stopper lever 65a of the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is the engaging wheel 64.
Is engaged with. The first planetary gear 151 is the opening gear 152.
And the two-stage gear 143, and the second planetary gear 1
67 is meshed with the worm wheel 166 and the two-stage gear 143. The movement of the rack 140c urged by the compression spring 140b and the speed increasing gear train 14 continuous with the movement of the rack 140c.
The rotation of 0e and the backlash of the gear are prevented by the fact that the first planetary gear 151 meshes with the opening gear 152 and the stored force (described later) of the torsion coil spring 141c.

Now, when a hand is placed under the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11), the sensor 2a detects it and turns on the first piezoelectric actuator 54. When the actuator 54 is turned on, as shown in FIG. 9, the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 152 to release the constraint on the speed increasing gear train 140e.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 152, rotation of the speed increasing gear train 140e is permitted, and the rack 40c urged by the compression spring 140b is shown. It can be moved in the arrow direction.
When the rack 140c moves, the pilot valve shaft 1
The pilot valve 130d held by 40d opens the pilot hole 130c.

By opening the pilot hole 130c, the water in the back pressure chamber 70 flows into the pilot chamber 130a through the pilot hole 130c. When the water in the back pressure chamber 70 flows out, the pressure in the chamber falls below the pressure in the water supply port 10a, so that the valve body 20a of the main valve moves against the spring 20c as shown in FIG. The passage 10 communicates with the sheet 10c while being separated from the sheet 10c. The main valve 20 placed in the communication position allows the water to flow from the water supply port 10a, discharges the water from the discharge port 10b, and the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11).
Water). The water that has flowed into the pilot chamber 130a flows out to the drain pipe 5 through the tube 30m (see FIG. 11).

About 2 seconds after the hand is placed below the faucet 2, the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is turned off and the torsion coil spring 54d returns the stopper lever 53 to engage the opening gear 152. And increase gear train 140
Constrain the rotation of e.

When water is discharged, the impeller 60
It is rotated by a stream of water. The magnet 60c and the yoke 160d that rotate integrally with this impeller generate an eddy current to form a magnetic circuit. According to this magnetic circuit, iron plate 1
63 tries to rotate, but the worm shaft 62 has a second
Since the stopper lever 65a of the piezoelectric actuator 65 acts as a stopper, it cannot rotate.

When the hand is retracted from the lower side of the faucet 2, the sensor 2a detects this and turns on the second piezoelectric actuator 65, and the stopper lever 65a is disengaged from the engagement ring 64 to release the constraint on the worm shaft 62. .. The worm shaft 62 rotates in accordance with a magnetic circuit formed by the iron plate 163 formed by the rotation of the impeller 60. Worm shaft 62
10, the worm wheel 166 meshed with this is rotated in the direction of the arrow, as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 10, the worm wheel 166.
When the second gear 1 rotates, the second planetary gear 167 meshes with the second gear 143 to rotate the worm wheel 166.
43. The rotation of the two-step gear 143 is performed by the gear train 14
0e is decelerated and transmitted to the pinion 141a,
The rack 140c is moved in the direction of the arrow. Two-stage gear 14
When the third gear 3 rotates, the first planetary gear 151 rotates the gear 1 for opening.
It is released from the mesh with 52.

The rack 140c, which moves with the rotation of the gear train 140e, moves the pilot valve 130d held by the pilot valve shaft 140d, closes the pilot hole 130c as shown in FIG. The communication with the pilot chamber 130a is cut off. Speed increasing gear train 1
For rotation of 40e, the pilot valve 130d rotates through the hole 130.
It is blocked by closing c. Speed increasing gear train 140e
Is rotated as a reduction gear train when driven from the worm wheel 166 side, the compression spring 140b
Generate enough torque to compress the.

When the pilot hole 130c is closed by the pilot valve 130d, the pressure of the back pressure chamber 70 communicating with the water supply port 10a by the bleed 20aa gradually increases. Due to this change in pressure and the elasticity of the spring 20c, the main valve 20 moves toward the valve seat 10c, and finally contacts the valve seat 10c to block the passage 10. Even after the main valve 20 is placed in the shut-off position as shown in FIG. 7, the outflow of water from the faucet 2 continues for a short time, and the impeller 60 continues to rotate during this time.

After the pilot valve 130d closes the pilot hole, the gear train 140e continues its rotation except for the pinion 141a, and the torsion coil spring 14
Store 1c (see FIG. 8). This torsion coil spring 1
The accumulating force of 41c is larger than the energizing force of the compression spring 140b in the valve opening direction. After the movement of the rack 140c in the valve closing direction is stopped,
The rack tends to be pushed back in the valve opening direction by the compression spring 140b. The rack 140c pushed by the compression spring 140b tries to rotate the speed increasing gear train 140e in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 10, but the first planetary gear 151 having the two-step gear 143 as the sun gear is the stopper lever 53. The speed increasing gear train 140e cannot rotate and cannot move because it meshes with the locked opening gear 152. At this time,
The torsion coil spring 141c acts in such a direction as to absorb the backlash between the gears of the speed increasing gear train 140e by the stored force.

Further, the torsion coil spring 1 in which energy is stored
41c overcomes the elastic force of the compression spring 140b to allow the rack 140c or pilot valve 130 to operate.
It prevents the d from moving in the valve opening direction and holds the pilot valve in the closed position.

In the embodiments described above, the piezoelectric actuator is used as the driving means for driving the stopper lever, but the stopper levers 54, 65a may be driven by using a small solenoid operable by a battery such as a dry battery. .. In this case, the solenoid needs only to operate the stopper lever for a short time of about 2 seconds, so that the power consumption thereof can be small. In addition, although an example of controlling the discharge / stop of water in the sink has been described as an embodiment, it is of course possible to use a washbasin and further to discharge / stop hot water.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, the main valve is driven by the pilot valve system and the gear train is provided between the impeller rotating by the fluid and the pilot valve to close the valve with low torque. As a result, a valve opening / closing unit with low power consumption can be obtained. This means that the battery can be used as a power source, the wiring of the AC power source can be eliminated, and the structure can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a valve opening / closing unit showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view showing a structure of a pilot valve mechanism, a moving unit, an impeller, and a relative positional relationship among them.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a pilot valve is opened and a main valve is placed in a communication position.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which fluid passages are communicated with each other and the impeller is rotating.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the pilot valve is closed and the main valve is closed.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a valve opening / closing unit showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of the above.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a pilot valve is open.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the main valve is opened and the passages are communicated with each other.

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a sink showing an example of a usage mode of the valve opening / closing unit.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing an example of a conventional valve opening / closing unit.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing another example of a conventional valve opening / closing unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Passage 10a ... Water supply port 10b ... Discharge port 20 ... Main valve 20 ... Valve body 20aa ... Bleed 20c ... Spring 30 ... Pilot valve mechanism 30a ... Pilot chamber 30c ... Pilot shaft 30d ... Pilot valve 40 ... Moving means 40b ... Compression spring 40c ... Rack 40d ... Pilot valve shaft 40e ... Accelerating gear train 41, 42, 43 ... Two-stage gear 51 ... Planetary gear 52 ... Opening gear 53 ... Stopper lever 54 ... First piezoelectric actuator 60 ... Impeller 60c ... Magnet 62 ... Worm Shaft 63 ... Metal plate 64 ... Engagement wheel 65 ... Second piezoelectric actuator 65a ... Stopper lever 66 ... Worm wheel 67 ... · The second planetary gear

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 27, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Document name] Statement

[Title of Invention] Valve opening / closing unit

[Claims]

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a valve opening / closing unit for opening / closing a fluid passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A valve opening / closing unit for discharging water by merely placing a hand under a faucet provided on a sink or a washbasin and stopping the outflow of water by simply retracting the hand has already been put into practical use. An example is shown in FIG. 12, and for example, a water passage 7 is provided in a body 72 having a water supply port 70 connected to a water pipe (not shown) and a water discharge port 71 connected to a faucet.
A main valve 74 for opening and closing 3 is provided. The main valve 74 is composed of a diaphragm that can be attached to and detached from a valve seat 75, and a back pressure chamber 76 is formed in the back of the diaphragm. Passage 73 and back pressure chamber 7
6 are connected by a bleed 74a formed of a small hole formed in the main valve 74. A pilot chamber 77 for adjusting the pressure of the back pressure chamber 76 is formed in the body 72, and communication is cut off by a pilot valve 78. The pilot valve 78 is driven by the solenoid plunger 79 to close the pilot hole 76a as shown by the solid line or open the hole 76a as shown by the broken line. Solenoid plunger 79
Is operated by a signal from a sensor provided under the faucet of the sink, for example. When a hand is placed under the faucet, the pilot valve 78 is placed in a broken line position, and when the hand is retracted, the same valve is operated. Operate to place in the solid line position.

When the pilot valve 78 is closed,
The pressures of the passage 73 and the back pressure chamber 76 are equalized to each other via the bleed 74a, and the main valve 74 is brought into contact with the valve seat 75 by a spring (not shown) to shut off the passage 73. In such a state,
If you place your hand under the faucet, the solenoid plunger 79
Is activated to open the pilot valve 78 through the pilot hole 76a.
Move to open. When the pilot hole 76a is opened, the pressure in the back pressure chamber 76 becomes lower than the pressure in the passage 73, and the main valve 74 is opened as shown by the broken line,
The passage 73 is opened to connect the water supply port 70 and the water discharge port 71 to discharge water. Water flowing into the pilot chamber 77 from the pilot hole 76a is discharged from the pilot water discharge port 77a.

When a hand is retracted from the lower side of the faucet, a sensor (not shown) detects this and the solenoid plunger 7
9 is operated to move the pilot valve 78 to the solid line position. When the pilot hole 76a is closed, the back pressure chamber 7
The pressure of 6 is gradually increased by the water flowing in from the bleed 74a, and finally the main valve 74 is closed as shown by the solid line to block the passage 73. This stops the discharge of water from the faucet. Next, another example is shown in FIG. 13, and a main valve 84 is provided in a passage 83 between the water supply port 80 and the water discharge port 81. The main valve 84 is directly connected to a solenoid plunger 89 provided on the body 82 and can be brought into and out of contact with the valve seat 85. The solenoid plunger 89 is actuated by a signal from a sensor provided below the faucet of the sink, for example. When the hand is placed under the faucet (not shown), the solenoid plunger 8
9 operates to raise the main valve 84 from the position shown in the figure to connect the passage 83 to discharge water. When the hand is retracted from under the faucet, the main valve 84 is moved to the shut-off position shown in the figure to shut off the passage 83 and stop the discharge of water.

[0005]

In the conventional example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, solenoid plungers 79 and 89 for moving the pilot valve 78 and the main valve 84.
Is required to be driven by an AC power supply,
There is a problem that the entire device becomes large. If you try to drive the solenoid plunger directly from the battery,
In terms of power consumption, there is a problem that the battery life is short and it is not practical.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a valve opening / closing unit that is small in size and consumes less power.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A valve opening / closing unit of the present invention includes a main valve for connecting and disconnecting a fluid passage, and a main valve for connecting a fluid passage to a discharge position or a fluid passage position. It has a pilot valve mechanism to be selectively positioned, a moving means urged in the direction to open the pilot valve mechanism, and a driving means for moving the moving means so as to be engageable with and disengageable from the moving means. And a stopper that makes it actuable by disengagement and a rotating fluid that is placed in the fluid passage and is rotated by the circulating fluid, and applies a driving force to the moving means in the direction that closes the pilot valve mechanism. And an impeller that does.

[0008]

[Operation] When the hand is placed below the faucet and the sensor is activated,
When the stopper is disengaged from the moving means, the moving means drives the pilot valve mechanism in an opening direction to open the pilot valve, and the main valve is positioned at the passage communicating position to allow the fluid to be discharged. The impeller in the passage rotates when the fluid is discharged.

When the hand is retracted from below the faucet, the rotation of the impeller is transmitted to the moving means and moves the pilot valve mechanism in the closing direction. When the pilot valve is closed, the main valve closes shutting off the passage and stopping fluid delivery.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail based on the illustrated first embodiment.

First, an example of an embodiment of the valve opening / closing unit of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1 indicates a sink, and a faucet 2 is provided above it. This faucet 2 is connected to a water pipe 3. A valve opening / closing unit 4 is provided in the water pipe 3 located inside the sink 1. At the bottom of the faucet 2, a sensor 2a that outputs a signal for operating the drive means of the unit 4 is provided. Although details will be described later, when the hand is placed below the sensor 2a, the valve opening / closing unit 4 is operated to discharge water from the faucet 2, and when the hand is retracted, the water discharge is stopped. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 5 indicates a drain pipe of the sink 1.

The detailed construction of the valve opening / closing unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Valve opening / closing unit 4
Is a fluid, for example, a water passage 10 that communicates with the passage 10.
A main valve 20 for shutting off, a pilot valve mechanism 30 for selectively positioning the main valve 20 at a shutoff position (see FIG. 1) and a discharge position (see FIG. 4), and a moving means 40 for moving the pilot valve mechanism 30. A stopper 50 that controls the operation of the moving means 40 and an impeller 60 that is disposed in the passage 10 and that is rotated by the flow of discharged water.

The passage 10 includes a water supply port 10a connected to the water pipe 3, a discharge port 10b communicating with the faucet 2 side, a valve body 10d forming a valve seat 10c of the main valve 20, and a valve retainer 10e. It is made from a.
The valve seat 10c is formed on the inner tubular portion of the double tubular portion that divides the passage 10 into a water supply side and a water discharge side.

The main valve 20 has a valve seat 10c.
A valve body 20a that comes into contact with and separates from the valve body, and an annular flexible portion 20b.
If, consist a spring 20c that acts in a direction for pressing the valve body 20a to the valve seat 10c, valve body 10d of the flange portion 20d and the valve presser 10
It has been pinched by the e. On the back of the valve body 20a,
A back pressure chamber 21 composed of the valve retainer 10e is formed. The back pressure chamber 21 and the water supply port 10a are connected by a bleed 20aa formed on the valve body 20a. The valve retainer 10e is fixed to the valve body 10d by fixing screws 10f and 10f.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pilot valve mechanism 30 includes a pilot chamber body 30b forming a pilot chamber 30a, and a hollow pilot shaft 30c for selectively connecting / disconnecting the pilot chamber 30a and the back pressure chamber 21. , A pilot valve 30d for selectively closing the pilot shaft 30c. The pilot shaft 30c is slidably supported by the packing 30e and the packing presser 30f in a watertight manner on the valve presser 10e.

The pilot valve 30d is made of an elastic material such as rubber, is held by the valve holder 30h, and projects into the pilot chamber 30a.
It is slidably guided to 0i. Valve guide 30i
Is integrally formed with a gear train case 40a, which will be described later, and its end portion constitutes the contact of the pilot shaft 30c. In addition, a cutout 3 that connects the pilot shaft 30c and the pilot chamber 30a is formed at the end of the valve guide 30i.
0j is formed (see FIG. 4).

The pilot chamber body 30b is provided with a pilot discharge port 30k, which communicates with the water passage 10 to open the pilot chamber 30a to atmospheric pressure.

The moving means 40 is the pilot valve mechanism 3
0 is biased in the opening direction, the compression spring 40b fitted into the pilot shaft 30c, the pilot valve shaft 40d integrally holding the pilot valve 30d and the rack 40c, and the rack 40c. It is composed of a speed increasing gear train 40e which meshes with each other.

The compression spring 40b is being elastically interposed between the anchored spring seat 30n with gland 30f pilot shaft 30c, the direction to push the pilot shaft 30c and the pilot valve 30d in the valve guide 30i, in other words The pilot valve 30d is biased in the opening direction.

The pilot valve shaft 40d is slidably inserted in a guide hole 40f formed in the gear train case 40a. The speed increasing gear train 40e is a gear train case 40a.
Have been rotatably supported, a two-stage gear 41 having a pinion 41a which meshes with the rack 40c, the two-stage gear 41
Two-stage gear 42 having a small-diameter tooth portion 42a meshing with the large-diameter tooth portion 41b, and a two-stage gear 4 having a small-diameter tooth portion 43a and a large-diameter tooth portion 43b meshing with the large-diameter tooth portion 42b of the two-stage gear 42.
It consists of 3.

The speed increasing gear train 40e rotates as a speed increasing gear train when driven by the rack 40c, but when the rotation is transmitted from the two-stage gear 43 toward the pinion 41a, it generates a high torque as a reduction gear train. Rotate to let.

The stopper 50 has a first planetary gear 51 having the two-stage gear 43 as a sun gear, and an opening gear 52 having a small-diameter tooth portion 52a selectively meshing with the first planetary gear 51.
And a stopper lever 53 that engages with and disengages from the large-diameter portion 52b of the opening gear 52, and a first piezoelectric actuator 54 as a drive unit that drives the stopper lever 53.

The first piezoelectric actuator 54 is a bimorph type actuator, and when materials 54a and 54b having different characteristics are polymerized and a voltage is applied thereto, a specific direction (in the case of the illustrated example, the stopper lever 53 This utilizes the property of bending in the direction in which the end portion is separated from the opening gear 52). This actuator is characterized in that a large displacement can be obtained at a low voltage such as a dry battery and that its responsiveness is fast. The base ends 53a of the stopper levers 53 are connected to the displacement ends of the materials 54a and 54b, and when the actuators 54 are displaced, the stopper levers 53 amplify the tip ends 53b of the stopper levers 53 and swing them. The first piezoelectric actuator 54 includes a control circuit including a battery (not shown) and a sensor 2a (see FIG. 1) via a wiring 54c.
1)).

The stopper lever 53 is biased by a torsion coil spring 54d in such a direction that the tip 53b thereof is engaged with the opening gear 52. When the sensor 2a detects the presence of the hand, the first piezoelectric actuator 54 operates to displace the stopper lever 53 in the direction in which it is separated from the opening gear 52.

The first planetary gear 51 is rotated by the speed increasing gear train 40e which tries to rotate by the movement habit of the pilot valve 30d biased by the compression spring 40b.
It meshes with the opening gear 52. At this time, the opening gear 52
Is engaged with the stopper lever 53, the speed increasing gear train 4
The rotation of 0e, that is, the movement of the pilot shaft 30c is prevented.

The impeller 60 has its shaft 60a rotatably supported by the bearings 40aa, 40ab of the gear train case 40a, and a part of the plurality of impellers 60b is located in the passage 10. The impeller 60 is rotated by the force of the water as it flows through the passage 10.

Shaft 60a located in gear train case 40a
A magnet 60c and a yoke 60d are fixed to the end portion of the. The magnet 60c generates an eddy current when the impeller 60 rotates, and by disposing the yoke 60d, the magnet 60c shields the magnet 60c and constitutes an efficient magnetic circuit for obtaining the eddy current. ..

A worm shaft 62 is rotatably supported on the gear train case 40a coaxial with the shaft 60a of the impeller 60 by bearings 40ac and 61, the axial movement of which is restricted. A magnet 60c is provided at one end of the worm shaft 62.
A metal plate, for example, a copper plate 63 is fixed to face the.
End 62a of the worm shaft 62 protruding from the copper plate 63
Is formed in a spherical shape.

At the other end of the worm shaft 62, an engagement ring 64 having a locking tooth portion 64a formed on one end surface is fixed. A second piezoelectric actuator 65 having the same structure as the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is attached to the engagement ring 64.
The distal end portion of the stopper lever 65a is detachably engaged. The second piezoelectric actuator 65 is connected to the sensor 2a (see FIG. 11) and a control circuit including a battery (not shown) via the wiring 65b, and engages the stopper lever 65a when the hand is retracted from the lower side of the faucet 2. It operates so as to be separated from the compound wheel 64.

A large-diameter tooth portion 66a of a worm wheel 66, which is rotatably supported by the gear train case 40a, is always meshed with a tooth portion 62b of the worm shaft 62. A second planet gear 67 having the wheel as a sun gear meshes with the small-diameter tooth portion 66b of the worm wheel 66. The second planetary gear 67 is provided so as to selectively mesh with the large-diameter tooth portion 43b of the two-stage gear 43, and the details will be described later.
When the main valve 20 is closed, it operates to transmit the rotation of the impeller 60 to the gear train 40e.

The operation of the first embodiment constructed as above will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which water discharge from the faucet is stopped, and the main valve 20 is located at the shutoff position where the passage 10 is shut off. At this time, the water supply port 10a and the back pressure chamber 21 have the same pressure. The stopper lever 53 of the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is engaged with the opening gear 52, and the stopper lever 65a of the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is engaged with the engagement wheel 64. The pilot valve 30d shuts off the communication between the pilot chamber 30a and the back pressure chamber 21 by closing the pilot shaft 30c, and holds the pressure of the back pressure chamber 21 . First planetary gear 5
1 meshes with the opening gear 52 and the two-stage gear 43,
The second planetary gear 67 includes the worm wheel 66 and the two-stage gear 4.
It is engaged with a 3 and. A rack 40c urged by a compression spring 40b and a speed increasing gear train 40 connected to the rack 40c.
The rotation of e is blocked by the first planetary gear 51 meshing with the opening gear 52.

When the hand is placed below the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11), the sensor 2a detects it and turns on the first piezoelectric actuator 54. When the actuator 54 is turned on, the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 52 to release the constraint on the speed increasing gear train 40e.

When the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 52, the speed increasing gear train 40e is pushed by the rack 40c biased by the compression spring 40b to move the two-stage gear 41, as shown in FIG. It can be rotated in the direction of the arrow. The rotation of the gear 41 causes the two-stage gear 43 to rotate through the two-stage gear 42 in the arrow direction. The rotation of the two-step gear 43 rotates the first planetary gear 51 in the direction of the chain line, and rotates the opening gear 52 in the direction of the arrow. Two-stage gear 4
The second planetary gear 67 meshed with the third gear is released from the meshing with the gear, so that it does not become a load for the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e.

The pilot shaft 30c, which moves when the compression spring 40b extends, pushes the pilot valve 30d, which is in contact with the pilot shaft 30c, with the rack 40c. At this time,
The water pressure of the back pressure chamber 21 acts on the hollow pilot shaft 30c. Therefore, the spring seat 30n is connected to the valve guide 30.
Even after abutting against i, the rack 40c is moved by the inertia of the speed increasing gear train 40e and the water pressure that presses the pilot valve 30d, and the rack 40c is held at one end thereof.
0d is separated from the pilot shaft 30c to open the valve. The movement of the pilot valve 30d, that is, the rack 40c is blocked by the valve holder 30h colliding with the bottom of the valve guide 30i.

When the pilot valve 30d is opened, the water in the back pressure chamber 21 passes through the pilot shaft 30c and the valve gas is discharged.
The cutout 30j of the id 30i flows into the pilot chamber 30a. When the water in the back pressure chamber 21 flows out, the pressure of the chamber drops below the pressure of the water inlet 10a, the valve body 20a of the main valve 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the spring 2
It moves against 0c and separates from the valve seat 10c to communicate the passage 10. The main valve 20 placed at the communication position allows water to flow from the water supply port 10a,
Water is discharged from 0b, and water is discharged from the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11). Water that has flowed to the pilot chamber 30a, the pilot
It flows out to the passage 10 from the discharge port 30k.

The time from placing the hand under the faucet 2 until the water flows out is about 2 seconds. Therefore, the energization time for the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is set to about 2 seconds, and when this time elapses, the torsion coil spring 54
At d, the stopper lever 53 is returned and engaged with the opening gear 52 to restrain the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e.

When water is discharged, the impeller 60
It is rotated by a stream of water. The magnet 60c and the yoke 60d that rotate integrally with this impeller generate an eddy current to form a magnetic circuit. According to this magnetic circuit, the copper plate 63
Tries to rotate, but cannot rotate because the worm shaft 62 is locked by the stopper lever 65a.

When the hand is retracted from the lower part of the faucet 2, the sensor 2a detects this and activates the second piezoelectric actuator 65, and as shown by the chain line in FIG.
The a is disengaged from the engagement wheel 64 to release the constraint on the worm shaft 62. The worm shaft 62 rotates as the copper plate 63 rotates in accordance with the magnetic circuit formed by the rotation of the impeller 60. The rotation of the worm shaft 62 causes the worm wheel 66 meshing with the worm shaft 62 to rotate in the direction of the arrow.

In FIG. 5, when the worm wheel 66 rotates, the second planetary gear 67 is planetarily moved to the position of the broken line, meshes with the two-stage gear 43, and the rotation of the wheel 66 is transmitted to the two-stage gear 43. Rotation of the two-stage gear 43 is decelerated through a speed increasing <br/> gear train 40e is transmitted to the pinion 41a, to move the rack 40c to示矢direction. When the two-stage gear 43 rotates, the first planetary gear 51 is placed at the position indicated by the broken line and is released from the mesh with the opening gear 52.

As shown in FIG. 6, the moving rack 40c
Moves the pilot valve 30d held by the pilot valve shaft 40d and abuts it on the end of the pilot shaft 30c to cut off the communication between the back pressure chamber 21 and the pilot chamber 30a. Rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e is performed by the rack 4
The lower end of 0c hits the gear train case 40a to prevent it. The speed increasing gear train 40e includes the worm wheel 66.
When driven from the side, since it rotates as a reduction gear train, a large torque is generated and the pilot valve 30d
Surely block.

When the hole of the pilot shaft 30c is closed by the pilot valve 30d, the pressure of the back pressure chamber 21 communicating with the water supply port 10a by the bleed 20aa gradually increases. Due to this change in pressure and the elasticity of the spring 20c, the main valve 20 moves toward the valve seat 10c, and finally contacts the valve seat 10c to block the passage 10. Even after the main valve 20 is placed in the shut-off position as shown in FIG. 6, the outflow of water from the faucet 2 continues for a short time.

Since the time from when the stopper lever 65a releases the worm shaft 62 to when the main valve 20 blocks the passage 10 is about 1 second, the energization time to the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is about 2 seconds. The degree is enough. Therefore,
After about 2 seconds have elapsed, the stopper lever 65a is engaged with the engaging wheel 6
4 is locked, so that the worm shaft 62 is stopped at this point. At this time, when water is flowing through the passage 10, the impeller 60 is still rotating, but the impeller and the worm shaft 62 are opposed to each other by the non-contact rotation transmission method, so only the impeller rotates. That is, the impeller 60 and the worm shaft 6
A kind of clutch mechanism is provided between the two.

When the pilot valve 30d is closed, the pilot shaft 30c is pushed against the elastic force of the compression spring 40b, so when the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 40e is stopped or weakened, the rack 40c will be pushed back. And Compression spring 4
The rack 40c pushed back by 0b is the speed increasing gear train 40e.
6 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 6, the first planetary gear 51 having the two-step gear 43 as the sun gear is planetarily moved to the chain line position and meshes with the opening gear 52. At this time, the opening gear 52 cannot be rotated because it is locked by the stopper lever 53, and the planetary gear 51 cannot be rotated.
0e stops only when the first planetary gear 51 is moved by the planet. Therefore, the pilot valve 30d is connected to the pilot shaft 3
0c will be held in a closed state. Even if the pilot shaft 30c moves by the elastic force of the spring, it does not separate from the pilot valve 30d, so that the pressure in the back pressure chamber 21 does not decrease and the main valve 20 is held in the shut-off position. As shown in FIG. 6, the state where the main valve 20 is placed in the shutoff position is the same as the original position shown in FIG.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is different from the above-mentioned embodiments in the structure of the pilot valve mechanism and the moving means, and therefore the constituent elements already described are given the same reference numerals.

7 and 8, the valve retainer 10e
A pilot hole 130c that connects the pilot chamber 130a and the back pressure chamber 21 is formed in the. Pilot hole 1
30c is selectively communicated with a pilot valve 130d held by a valve holder 130h.

The valve holder 130h is formed at one end of the pilot valve shaft 140d. A rack 140c is provided at the other end of the shaft to increase the speed of the gear train 1.
It meshes with the pinion 141a of 40e. The pinion 141a is connected to a large diameter gear 141b via a torsion coil spring 141c. In this torsion coil spring 141c, the speed-increasing gear train 140e has the pilot valve 1
The energy is stored when the 30d is rotated in the direction to close it, the details of which will be described later.

The moving means 140 includes a rack 140c, a speed increasing gear train 140e, and a compression spring 140b. The spring 140b is elastically mounted between the spring seat 140h and the spring receiver 130n fixed to the pilot valve shaft 140d, and biases the pilot valve 130d in the direction to open the pilot hole 130c.

The first planetary gear 1 using the gear 143 as the sun gear is provided between the two-stage gear 143 and the opening gear 152 with which the stopper lever 53 of the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is engaged / disengaged.
51 is provided. Two-stage gear 143 and worm shaft 6
A worm wheel 166 and a second planetary gear 167 having this as a sun gear are provided between the two. An iron plate 163 as a metal plate is fixed to the worm shaft 62, and a magnet 60c and a yoke 16 are attached to the shaft 60a of the impeller 60.
0d is fixed.

The operation of the second embodiment constructed as above will be described.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the discharge of water is stopped, in which the pilot valve 130d closes the pilot hole 130c to keep the pressure of the back pressure chamber 21 equal to that of the water supply port 10a. Therefore, the main valve 2
0 is located at a blocking position where the passage 10 is blocked.

The stopper lever 53 of the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is engaged with the opening gear 152, and the stopper lever 65a of the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is the engaging wheel 64.
Is engaged with. The first planetary gear 151 is the opening gear 152.
And the two-stage gear 143, and the second planetary gear 1
67 is meshed with the worm wheel 166 and the two-stage gear 143. The movement of the rack 140c urged by the compression spring 140b and the speed increasing gear train 14 continuous with the movement of the rack 140c.
The rotation of 0e and the backlash of the gear are prevented by the fact that the first planetary gear 151 meshes with the opening gear 152 and the stored force (described later) of the torsion coil spring 141c.

When the hand is placed below the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11), the sensor 2a detects it and turns on the first piezoelectric actuator 54. When the actuator 54 is turned on, as shown in FIG. 9, the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 152 to release the constraint on the speed increasing gear train 140e.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 9, when the stopper lever 53 is disengaged from the opening gear 152, due to be allowed rotation of the speed increasing gear train 140e, rack 1 40c that is urged by the compression spring 140b It can be moved in the direction of the arrow. When the rack 140c moves, the pilot valve 130d held by the pilot valve shaft 140d
Opens the pilot hole 130c.

By opening the pilot hole 130c, the water in the back pressure chamber 21 flows into the pilot chamber 130a through the pilot hole 130c. When the water in the back pressure chamber 21 flows out, the pressure in the chamber falls below the pressure in the water supply port 10a, so the valve body 20a of the main valve 20 moves against the spring 20c, as shown in FIG. It separates from the valve seat 10c and communicates with the passage 10. The main valve 20 placed at the communication position allows water to flow from the water supply port 10a, discharges water from the discharge port 10b, and causes water to flow out from the faucet 2 (see FIG. 11). Pilot room 130a
Water flowing into the water passage from the pilot discharge port 30k
Runs out to 10.

About two seconds after the hand is placed below the faucet 2, the first piezoelectric actuator 54 is turned off, and the torsion coil spring 54d returns the stopper lever 53 to engage the opening gear 152. And increase gear train 140
Constrain the rotation of e.

When water is discharged, the impeller 60
It is rotated by a stream of water. The magnet 60c and the yoke 160d that rotate integrally with the impeller 60 generate an eddy current to form a magnetic circuit. According to this magnetic circuit, the iron plate 163 tries to rotate, but the worm shaft 62 has
Since the second piezoelectric actuator 65 is locked by the stopper lever 65a, it cannot rotate.

When the hand is retracted from the lower part of the faucet 2, the sensor 2a detects this and turns on the second piezoelectric actuator 65 to disengage the stopper lever 65a from the engagement wheel 64 and release the constraint on the worm shaft 62. .. The worm shaft 62 rotates in accordance with a magnetic circuit formed by the iron plate 163 formed by the rotation of the impeller 60. Worm shaft 62
10, the worm wheel 166 meshed with this is rotated in the direction of the arrow, as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 10, the worm wheel 166.
When the second gear 1 rotates, the second planetary gear 167 meshes with the second gear 143 to rotate the worm wheel 166.
43. The rotation of the two-step gear 143 is performed by the gear train 14
0e is decelerated and transmitted to the pinion 141a,
The rack 140c is moved in the direction of the arrow. Two-stage gear 14
When the third gear 3 rotates, the first planetary gear 151 rotates the gear 1 for opening.
It is released from the mesh with 52.

The rack 140c, which moves with the rotation of the speed increasing gear train 140e, moves the pilot valve 130d held by the pilot valve shaft 140d, closes the pilot hole 130c as shown in FIG. 7, and closes the back pressure chamber. 21
Communication with the pilot chamber 130a is cut off. Rotation of the speed increasing gear train 140e, the pilot valve 130d pie
It is prevented by closing the lot hole 130c. When the speed increasing gear train 140e is driven from the worm wheel 166 side, the speed increasing gear train 140e rotates as a reduction gear train, so that sufficient torque is generated to compress the compression spring 140b.

When the pilot hole 130c is closed by the pilot valve 130d, the pressure of the back pressure chamber 21 communicating with the water supply port 10a by the bleed 20aa gradually increases. Due to this change in pressure and the elasticity of the spring 20c, the main valve 20 moves toward the valve seat 10c, and finally contacts the valve seat 10c to block the passage 10. Even after the main valve 20 is placed in the shut-off position as shown in FIG. 7, the outflow of water from the faucet 2 continues for a short time, and the impeller 60 continues to rotate during this time.

The pilot valve 130d has a pilot hole.
After closing 130c , the speed increasing gear train 140e continues its rotation except for the pinion 141a, and stores the torsion coil spring 141c (see FIG. 8). The stored force of the torsion coil spring 141c is larger than the biasing force of the compression spring 140b in the valve opening direction. After the movement of the rack 140c in the valve closing direction is stopped, the rack tends to be pushed back in the valve opening direction by the compression spring 140b. The rack 140c pushed by the compression spring 140b has the speed increasing gear train 140e shown in FIG.
I tried to rotate it in the direction opposite to the arrow
Since the first planetary gear 151 having the sun gear 3 as the sun gear meshes with the opening gear 152 locked by the stopper lever 53, the speed increasing gear train 140e cannot rotate and cannot move. At this time, the torsion coil spring 141c acts in such a direction as to absorb the backlash between the gears of the speed increasing gear train 140e by the stored force.

Further, the torsion coil spring 1 in which energy is stored
41c overcomes the elastic force of the compression spring 140b to allow the rack 140c or pilot valve 130 to operate.
It prevents the d from moving in the valve opening direction and holds the pilot valve 130d in the closed position.

In the embodiment described above, the piezoelectric actuator is used as the driving means for driving the stopper lever, but the stopper levers 54, 65a may be driven by using a small solenoid operable by a battery such as a dry battery. .. In this case, the solenoid needs only to operate the stopper lever for a short time of about 2 seconds, so that the power consumption thereof can be small. In addition, although an example of controlling the discharge / stop of water in the sink has been described as an embodiment, it is of course possible to use a washbasin and further to discharge / stop hot water.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, the main valve is driven by the pilot valve system and the gear train is provided between the impeller rotating by the fluid and the pilot valve to close the valve with low torque. As a result, a valve opening / closing unit with low power consumption can be obtained. This means that the battery can be used as a power source, the wiring of the AC power source can be eliminated, and the structure can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a valve opening / closing unit showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the above.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view showing a structure of a pilot valve mechanism, a moving unit, an impeller, and a relative positional relationship among them.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a pilot valve is opened and a main valve is placed in a communication position.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which fluid passages are communicated with each other and the impeller is rotating.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the pilot valve is closed and the main valve is closed.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a valve opening / closing unit showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of the above.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state in which a pilot valve is open.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the main valve is opened and the passages are communicated with each other.

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a sink showing an example of a usage mode of the valve opening / closing unit.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing an example of a conventional valve opening / closing unit.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing another example of a conventional valve opening / closing unit.

[Explanation of Codes] 10 Passage 10a Water inlet 10b Discharge port 20 Main valve 20 Valve body 20aa Bleed 20c Spring 30 Pilot valve mechanism 30a Pilot chamber 30c Pilot shaft 30d Pilot valve 40 Moving means 40b Compression spring 40c Rack 40d Pilot valve shaft 40e Increase speed gear train 41, 42 and 43 the two-stage gear 51 the first planetary gear 52 to open gear 53 the stopper lever 54 first piezoelectric actuator 60 impeller 60c magnet 62 worm shaft 63 copper plate 64 Kakarigowa 65 second piezoelectric actuator 65a stopper Lever 66 Worm wheel 67 Second planetary gear

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Fig. 2]

[Fig. 12]

[Fig. 13]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 4]

[Figure 6]

[Figure 9]

[Figure 10]

[Figure 5]

[Figure 7]

[Figure 8]

FIG. 11

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A valve opening / closing unit for opening / closing a fluid passage, wherein a main valve for connecting / disconnecting the fluid passage and a shut-off position for connecting the main valve to the discharge passage or the fluid passage. A pilot valve mechanism that is selectively positioned at a position, a moving unit that biases the pilot valve mechanism in an opening direction, and a driving unit that disengageably moves with respect to the moving unit. A stopper that stops the operation and makes it operable by separation, and a driving force that is rotated by the circulating fluid that is placed in the fluid passage and that closes the pilot valve mechanism with respect to the moving means. A valve opening / closing unit with an impeller for giving. 2. The moving means comprises a spring for biasing the pilot valve in the opening direction, a rack integrally provided on the shaft of the pilot valve, and a speed increasing gear train meshing with the rack. The valve opening / closing unit according to claim 1, which is characterized in that. 3. The valve opening / closing unit according to claim 1, wherein the driving means that is disengageably movable with respect to the moving means is a piezoelectric actuator. 4. A magnet is fixed to the shaft of the impeller, a metal plate is provided on the moving means so as to face the magnet, and the metal plate is rotated by rotation of the impeller. The valve opening / closing unit according to claim 1.