JPH06193112A - Ball valve for water tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To open and shut a drain port of a water tank with a lesser electric power. CONSTITUTION:A rod member 42 of a float device 40 is connected, through a chain 33, to a ball valve 32 which opens and shuts a drain port 31 of a water tank 10. The float device 40 is composed of a buoyancy body 41, the rod member 42 and a holding member 43 which is hinged to a bracket 45. A notched part 43a of the holding member 43 is constituted so that an operating shaft 47 of a solenoid 46 serving as a pressing member for pushing and sinking the float device 40 into water can be fitted therein.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball valve device for a water tank installed in a toilet, and more particularly to a ball valve device for automatically opening and closing a drain port of a water tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as a means for pulling up a ball valve of a water tank, there has been devised a means for pulling up the ball valve by using a motor or an electromagnet instead of manually operating a lever.

For example, in a water tank disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 57-52226, as shown in FIG. 8, a ball valve 3 for opening and closing a drain port 2 of a water tank 1 and a chain 4 are provided.
The L metal fitting 6 which is rotated by the rotary solenoid 5 is attached via the, and when the L metal fitting 6 is rotated by the operation of the rotary solenoid 5, the ball valve 3 is pulled up so that the water flows from the drain port 2 to the toilet bowl. There is.

[0004]

However, since a large amount of force is required to directly lift the ball valve 3, there is a limit to downsizing the rotary solenoid. Also, since the dry batteries cannot meet the required power,
Electricity had to be drawn from the power supply in the toilet room and supplied to the rotary solenoid, and the electrical wiring connecting the power supply and the rotary solenoid had a bad appearance on the water tank.

Therefore, it is a technical object of the present invention to provide a ball valve device capable of opening and closing the drainage port of a water tank with less electric power.

[0006]

[Constitution of the invention]

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above-mentioned problems, a technical solution provided by the present invention is a water tank, a water supply means for supplying tap water to the water tank, and a bottom surface of the water tank. A drain port that opens and communicates with the toilet bowl, a ball valve that opens and closes the drain port, a float means that is connected to the ball valve through a chain member and that pulls the ball valve upward by buoyancy, and is disposed in the water tank. A pressing member that presses the float means to sink the float means, and a drive that moves the pressing member to release the press on the float means and, after a predetermined time, again moves the pressing member to the original position. A ball valve device for a water tank, which is provided with means.

[0008]

With the buoyancy of the float means when the water is filled in the water tank, the float means tries to float up to the surface of the water, but the float means is pressed by the pressing member and sunk below the surface of the water. When a drainage instruction is input, the pressing means moves by the driving means, and the pressing on the float means is released. As a result, the float means is lifted by the buoyancy of the float means itself, and at the same time, the ball valve is pulled up by the chain member to open the drain port. Thus, the water in the water tank is flushed through the drain to the toilet bowl.

As the water level in the water tank drops, the float means descends with the water level and the ball valve closes the drain again. After a predetermined time, the driving means moves the pressing member to the original position and presses the float means which is descending due to the decrease of the water level so as not to rise, so that water is supplied from the water supply means into the water tank. Then, it returns to the original state.

As described above, in the present invention, since the buoyancy of the float means is used to lift the ball valve, it is possible to reduce the force and electric power required for the drive means.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The water tank 10 of this embodiment includes the water tank 1
It is mainly composed of a water supply unit 20 for supplying water to the inside of the water tank 0 and a drainage unit 30 for discharging the water in the water tank 10 to the toilet 11 (FIG. 2).

First, the water supply section 20 will be described. A water supply pipe 21 that guides tap water from a tap water pressure source is fixed to a side surface of the water tank 10. The water supply pipe 21 extends into the water tank 10 and a discharge port 22 of the water supply pipe 21 depending on a water level.
A float valve 23 for opening and closing is provided. Since the float valve 23 can be the same as the conventional one, its detailed description is omitted here.

Next, the drainage section 30 will be described. A drain port 31 communicating with the toilet 11 is opened on the bottom surface of the water tank 10, and an overflow pipe 34 communicating with the drain port 31 is provided adjacent to the drain port 31. Further, a ball valve 32 is mounted on the drainage port 31, and normally the drainage port 31 is closed by water pressure to shut off the communication between the water tank and the toilet 11. One end of the chain 33 is connected to the ball valve 32, and the chain 33
The other end of the branch is branched into two, one branch part 33a is connected to a float part 40 described later, and the other branch part 33b is connected to an L metal fitting 37 arranged in the water tank 10. L
The metal fitting 37 is adapted to rotate together with the lever 36 arranged on the outer surface of the water tank 10, and even when the user manually rotates the lever 37, the chain 33 is pulled up, The ball valve 32 opens the drain port 31.

Next, the float section 40 and the float section 40
The pressing means for immersing the underwater will be described. The float portion 40 acts to lift the ball valve 32 upward through the chain 33 by buoyancy.
1 and a bar member 42 having one end fixed to the buoyant body 41 and the branch portion 33a of the chain 33 connected to the substantially central portion thereof.
And a locking member 43 to which the other end of the rod member 42 is fixed.

The locking member 43 is rotatably supported by an L-shaped bracket 45 fixed to the water tank 10. The locking member 43 has a fan shape around the shaft 44,
A cutout portion 43a is formed on the peripheral surface.

A solenoid 46 is fixed to the surface of the bracket 45 opposite to the surface on which the float portion 40 is arranged, and an operating shaft 47 of the solenoid 46 is projected from a hole 48 formed in the bracket 45. Has become. still,
While tap water is being supplied to the water tank 10, the buoyancy body 41 tries to float due to its own buoyancy.
Actuating shaft 4 of solenoid 43 fixed to bracket 45
7 engages with the notch portion 43a, the locking member 43
The rotation in the clockwise direction (arrow A direction) is restricted. Therefore, normally, the buoyant body 41 is in a state of being submerged in water as shown in FIG. In this way, the actuating shaft 47 acts as a pressing member that presses the float 40 so that it does not float.

A part of the bracket 45 is bent to form an abutting portion 49. Therefore, the solenoid 4
In the state where 3 operates and the operating shaft 47 is sucked from the hole 48, the engagement between the notch 43a and the operating shaft 47 is released,
The float portion 40 rotates about a shaft 44, but this clockwise rotation is restricted by the contact between the locking member 43 and the contact portion 49.

Next, the means for energizing the solenoid 46 will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment,
Electric power for driving the solenoid 46 is supplied by the dry battery 53, which is the water tank 1.
It is removably disposed in a control box 52 fixed to the outer wall of No. 0. Further, in the control box 52, a switch 54 for turning on / off the supply of electric power from the dry battery 53 to the solenoid 46, and a control unit 55 for controlling the operation of the switch 54 are arranged. The control box 52 is provided with a light receiving portion 58. When the drain switch 57 of the operation box 50 fixed to the wall surface of the toilet is turned on, a signal is sent from the light emitting portion 59 of the operation box 50 to the light receiving portion 58. Is transmitted, the control unit 55 receives this and turns on the switch 54, whereby the drainage of the water tank 10 and the flushing and cleaning of the toilet 11 are performed.

Although not departing from the gist of the present invention, the toilet 11
A hot water washing toilet seat device 60 having a local cleaning function, a hot air drying function, a heating toilet seat function, etc. is disposed on the upper rear surface of the.

Each of these functions is operated by the switch 56 of the operation box 50 fixed to the wall of the toilet. When the switch 56 is turned on by the user, it is installed in the operation box 50. A signal is transmitted from the light emitting portion 59, and the light receiving portion 61 of the warm water washing toilet seat device 60 receives the signal and operates each function.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Water tank 10 before draining
As shown in FIG. 4, the buoyancy body 41 of the float portion 40 is in a state of being submerged in water, so that the buoyancy body 41 does not float.
An operating shaft 47 of a solenoid 46 is engaged with the cutout portion 43 a of the locking member 43.

When the user presses the drain switch 57 of the operation box 50, the light emitting section 5 of the operation box 50 is pressed.
9. A signal is output to the light receiving unit 58 of the control box 52 and the control unit 55, and the control unit 55 controls the dry battery 53 and the solenoid 4
The switch 54 connecting 6 and 6 is turned on. by this,
The solenoid 46 attracts the operating shaft 47 toward the solenoid 46, and releases the engagement between the operating shaft 47 and the cutout portion 43 a of the locking member 43. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the buoyant body 41 is levitated by its own buoyancy, and the float section 40 moves to the shaft
Rotate clockwise around 4. Along with this, the chain 33 is pulled up, and the ball valve 32 opens the drain port 31. In this way, the wash water is discharged from the drainage port 31 toward the toilet 11, and the toilet 11 is washed.

When the water level drops due to drainage, the float valve 23 opens the water supply pipe 21 to start the supply of tap water to the water tank 10, but the water level discharged from the drainage port 31 is larger, so the water level drops. Then, when the water level approaches the vicinity of the drainage port 31, the ball valve 32 moves along with the water flow to the drainage port 3.
1, the drainage port 31 is closed and the state shown in FIG. 6 is obtained. Note that the control unit 55 turns off the switch 54 of the solenoid 46 after a predetermined time (several seconds) set to be substantially equal to the time required to complete the drainage of the water tank 10, so that the water level is changed. When is lowered to the vicinity of the drainage port 31, the solenoid 46 again causes the actuating shaft 47 to project toward the notch 43a of the locking member 43.

When the water level is lowered, the float 40
Since the locking member 43 is rotating counterclockwise, the operating shaft 47 is inserted into the notch 43a. During this time, tap water is continuously supplied from the water supply unit 20, and the buoyancy body 41 floats as the water surface rises. Therefore, although the float portion 40 rotates clockwise about the shaft 44, the notch portion 43a of the locking member 43 and the actuating shaft 4 are rotated.
When the buoyancy body 41 rotates, the rotation of the buoyancy body 41 is stopped by the actuation shaft 47.

In this way, when the inside of the water tank 10 reaches the predetermined water level, the float valve 23 is closed and the initial state shown in FIG. 4 is restored.

In this embodiment, the buoyancy of the buoyancy body 41 is used to lift the ball valve 32, and the buoyancy body 4
1, that is, the ball valve 32 can be pulled up and the drain port 31 can be opened only by releasing the pressure on the float portion 40. The force required for the solenoid 46 to attract the actuation shaft 47 is only the frictional force between the actuation shaft 47 and the notch 43a, and this frictional force is absorbed by the ball valve 32 into the drainage port 31. It is determined by the difference between the existing force and the force that the buoyant body 41 tries to levitate. Therefore, the force can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the ball valve 32 is directly pulled up. Further, since the required torque is reduced, the solenoid 46 can be downsized, and the solenoid 4
The power supplied to 6 can be reduced, and even if the dry battery 53 is used as the power source as in this embodiment, the required power can be sufficiently supplied. Further, since the electric power can be supplied by the dry battery 53, the wiring of the electric power supply line required between the water tank 10 and the electric power source (outlet) of the toilet room is not required, and the installation of the present device is facilitated. ,
It can improve the appearance.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the second embodiment is also basically the same as the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the operating shaft 4 that engages with the notch 43a of the engaging member 43.
7 driving means. FIG. 7 shows an operating shaft 47 of the second embodiment.
And a partially enlarged view of the driving means thereof. In the first embodiment, the actuating shaft 47 is directly moved by the solenoid 46, but in the second embodiment, the actuating shaft 47 is slidably arranged in the tubular member 69 fixed to the bracket 45. .
Further, an end portion of the bracket 45 is partially bent, and the solenoid 66 is fixed to the bent bent surface 45a,
The actuating shaft 67 of the solenoid 66 is adapted to project from a hole 68 formed in the bent surface 45a. A fan-shaped locking member 63 is pivotally supported by the shaft 64 on the curved surface 45a, and a notch portion 63a formed on the peripheral surface of the locking member 63.
The operating shaft 67 is adapted to be engaged with. Locking member 6
One end of an L member 62 bent in an L-shape is fixed to 4, and a buoyant body 71 is fixed to the other end of the L member 62.

Further, the locking member 63 is formed with a forked portion 65. It should be noted that the other end of the operating shaft 47 also has a forked portion 47.
A is formed, and a shaft 70 is disposed on the forked portion 47 a. The forked portion 65 of the locking member 63 slidably holds the shaft 70, and the shaft 70 is rotated with the rotation of the locking member 63. The actuating shaft 47 is slid in the directions of arrows B1 and B2 via the.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.
Normally, the buoyant body 71 tries to float by its own buoyancy, and the locking member 63 is biased in the clockwise direction, but the engagement between the operating shaft 67 and the notch 63 a of the locking member 63. Since the rotation is restricted by, the buoyancy body 71 is located in the water. When the user turns on the drainage switch, the solenoid 66 is energized, and the solenoid 66 pulls the operating shaft 67 toward the solenoid 66. Thereby, the locking member 63
And the operating shaft 67 are disengaged, and the buoyancy body 71 floats. The locking member 63 rotates clockwise, and the forked portion 65 of the locking member 63 pulls the operating shaft 47 in the arrow B2 direction. In this way, the operating shaft 47 moves, and the ball valve 32 opens the drain port 31 as in the first embodiment, and drainage is performed.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the force required for the solenoid 66 to attract the operating shaft 67 is equal to the operating shaft 6
7 is a frictional force between the notch portion 63a of the locking member 63 and this frictional force is proportional to only the buoyancy of the buoyancy body 71.
Unlike the buoyancy body 41, the buoyancy body 71 does not need to have sufficient buoyancy to pull up the ball valve 31, and even if the buoyancy is small, the locking member 63 can be rotated sufficiently. Therefore, the operating shaft 67 and the notch 63 of the locking member 63
It becomes possible to reduce the frictional force between a and
The solenoid 66 can be made smaller and driven with less electric power than in the embodiment.

[0032]

According to the present invention, since the buoyancy of the float means is used to pull up the ball valve, the force for pulling up the ball valve can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where the ball valve is pulled up directly.

Further, since the required torque is reduced, not only the solenoid can be downsized, but also the electric power supplied to the solenoid can be reduced, and the required electric power can be supplied even by a dry battery, for example.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the inside of a water tank in which a ball valve device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is arranged.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a toilet provided with the water tank of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of electric components of the ball valve device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a state before the water in the water tank is drained in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 shows a state immediately after the ball valve opens the drain port in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a state immediately after the water in the water tank is drained in the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows the inside of a water tank in which a ball valve device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is arranged.

FIG. 8 shows the inside of a water tank provided with a conventional ball valve device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Water Tank 20 Water Supply Unit 21 Water Supply Pipe 23 Float Valve 30 Drainage Part 31 Drainage Port 32 Ball Valve 33 Chain 40 Float Part (Float Means) 41 Buoyant Body 42 Bar Member 43 Locking Member 43a Notch Part 46, 66 Solenoid 47 Operation Shaft (pressing member)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A water tank, a water supply means for supplying tap water to the water tank, a drain port which is opened at a bottom surface of the water tank and communicates with a toilet bowl, and a ball valve which opens and closes the drain port.
Float means connected to the ball valve via a chain member for lifting the ball valve upward by buoyancy, a pressing member disposed in the water tank for pressing the float means and sinking the float means, and the pressing member A ball valve device for a water tank, further comprising drive means for moving the pressure means to release the pressure on the float means, and after a predetermined time, moving the pressure member to the original position again.