JPH0637096Y2 - Faucet control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a faucet control device, and more particularly to a control device including a generator that generates electricity by water discharge energy.

[Prior Art] For a faucet such as a fixed water stopcock that needs to detect the amount of water discharged, an impeller is provided in the flow path of this faucet, and a generator is connected to this impeller to output power from the generator. It is known to count the number of waves. In addition, in a faucet having an electric circuit such as an automatic faucet, it is also known to charge a battery with the output of the generator in order to cover the power consumption of the circuit.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When a faucet controller is operated by a storage battery charged by a generator, there is a risk that the faucet controller may malfunction due to insufficient charging.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention relates to an impeller provided in a water passage of a faucet, a generator driven by the impeller, a storage battery chargeable by the generator, and a storage battery including the storage battery. In a faucet control device having a faucet controller operated by power supply, a dry battery is provided in parallel with the storage battery, and switching means for connecting the storage battery or the dry battery to the faucet controller is provided.

[Operation] In the faucet control device of the present invention, since the power is supplied from the dry battery to the faucet controller when the storage battery is insufficiently charged, the faucet controller is always operated reliably. Be done.

Embodiments Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a faucet controller, and FIG.
Fig. Is a circuit diagram, Fig. 3 is a flow chart, Fig. 4 is a side view of the faucet, Fig. 5 is a plan view of the faucet body, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of Fig. 5.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI.

As shown in FIG. 4, the faucet 1 is provided with a water outlet 1A and a human body detector 1B for detecting a human hand at the tip thereof. Inside the faucet 1, a power generation and valve device 1C, a faucet controller 1D, a storage battery 52, and a dry battery 54 are provided. The generator and the valve device 1C include a generator, an impeller that drives the generator, and a valve device.

As shown in FIG. 1, the generator is driven by the impeller, and the generated output is charged in the storage battery. The storage battery and the dry battery are connected to the faucet controller via the switching means. The detection signal from the human body detector is input to the faucet controller, and the control signal is output to the motor-operated valve.

Next, the configuration of the power generation and valve device 1C will be described with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 2 is a shell, and is provided with an inflow port 3, an outflow port 4, and a flow path 5 connecting these. A main valve 6 is provided in the middle of the flow path 5.
And a generator 7 are provided.

The main valve 6 is composed of a diaphragm, can be seated on a cylindrical valve seat 8 provided on the shell 2, and is biased in the seating direction by a spring 9. A peripheral portion of the main valve 6 is sandwiched between a shell 10 and a cap 10 screwed to the shell 2. In the shell body 2 and the cap 10, a passage 1 that connects a main chamber 11 between the main valve 6 and the cap 10 to a flow path 5a upstream of the main valve 6.
2,13 are drilled. The main chamber 11 is communicated with the sub chamber 16 via the cap 10 and the other passages 14 and 15 formed in the shell 2, and the sub chamber 16 is further passed from the main valve 6 via another passage 17. Is also connected to the flow path 5b on the downstream side.

A movable core 18 is provided in the sub chamber 16 so that the movable core 18 can be seated on the opening surface of the passage 17 to close the passage 17. Movable core 18
Has a cylindrical shape, the front end surface of which can be brought into close contact with the open end surface of the passage 17, and the rear end surface thereof faces the fixed core 19 with a slight gap.

The fixed core 19 is fixedly installed in a coil 20, and the coil 20 is fixed to the shell body 2 via a yoke 21, a first ring 22, an annular magnet 23, and a second ring 24. The annular magnet 23 is magnetized in the plate thickness direction. Coil 20, rings 22, 24,
A cylindrical cylinder 25 is provided so as to pass through the inner hole of the annular magnet 23, and the fixed core 19 is inserted therein and the movable core 18 is inserted movably in the axial direction thereof. . A compression coil spring 27 is interposed between the movable core 18 and the fixed core 19 to urge the movable core 18 in the seating direction.

When the coil 20 is not energized when the movable core 18 is in the valve closed state as shown in the figure, the magnetic flux from the annular magnet 23 causes the second ring 24, the movable core 18, the fixed core 19, the yoke 21,
It flows in the order of the first ring 22, and returns to the annular magnet 23. As a result, a suction force acts between the movable core 18 and the fixed core 19.
However, since the distance between the fixed core 19 and the movable core 18 is large, the attraction force between the cores 18 and 19 is weak, and the biasing force of the spring 27 exceeds the magnetic attraction force.
Keeps the valve closed.

When a current is applied to the coil 20 in a direction in which a magnetic flux in the same direction as the magnetic flux is generated in the valve closed state shown in the figure (hereinafter, this current direction is referred to as a positive direction), the magnetic attraction force by the annular magnet 23 increases. The movable core 18 overcomes the biasing force of the spring 27 and approaches the fixed core 19. And once movable core 18
When the magnetic core 18 starts to approach the fixed core 19, the gap between the cores 18 and 19 becomes smaller, the magnetic flux and the magnetic attraction force increase more and more, and the movable core 18 approaches the fixed core 19 and is firmly attracted and held. The valve is opened.

Even if the coil 20 is de-energized when the valve is opened, the gap between the cores 18 and 19 is small, so the annular magnet 2
Even if only the magnetic attraction by the magnetic flux of 3, core 19 is core 1.
The force to attract 8 exceeds the urging force of the spring 27, and the movable core 18
Keeps the valve open.

When the coil 20 is energized with a current in the direction opposite to the forward direction in this valve open state, a magnetic flux in the direction opposite to the magnetic flux from the annular magnet 23 is generated in the fixed core 19, and as a result, the urging force of the spring 27 is exerted. Becomes greater than the magnetic attraction force, the movable core 18 is separated from the fixed core 19, and the valve is closed as shown.

When the movable core 18 is closed and the main valve 6 is seated on the valve seat 8, the flow passage 5a upstream of the main valve 6 communicates with the main chamber 11, and the main chamber 11 and the passage 17 are connected to each other. It is in the cutoff state. For this reason,
The water pressure in the upstream flow passage 5a and the water pressure in the main chamber 11 become equal,
The force due to the water pressure, which is the difference between the urging force of 11 and the pressure receiving area, acts and the state in which the main valve 6 is seated on the valve seat 8 continues.

In this state, when the movable core 18 moves by applying a forward current to the coil 20, the passages 14 and 15 and the sub chamber 1
6, the passage 17 communicates, and the inside of the main chamber 11 communicates with the flow path 5b on the downstream side of the main valve 6. Then, the water in the main chamber 11 will pass through the passage 1
4,15, sub-chamber 16, through the passage 17 to the downstream flow path 5b,
The main valve 6 is separated from the valve seat 8 by the water pressure in the upstream flow path 5a,
Water will pass. This water flow state is as described above for the coil 20.
It continues even if the power supply to is stopped.

In this water-flowing state, when a current in the opposite direction is applied to the coil 20, the movable core 18 closes. Then, passage 12,1
The water gradually flows into the main chamber 11 through the valve 3, the valve body 6 gradually approaches the valve seat 8, and finally sits down to the water stop state.

Next, the configuration of the generator 7 will be described.

Reference numeral 30 is a Francis type impeller, and includes a shell 2 and the shell 2.
A shaft 32 rotatably held between the cap 31 and a cap 31 screwed to the blade 32; a blade installation plate 33 on a circular plate fixed to the shaft 32; and a blade 34 provided on the blade installation plate 33. There is. Reference numerals 35 and 36 indicate bearings. A magnet 37 is provided on the impeller 30, and the magnet 37 is magnetized with N and S alternately in the circumferential direction of the impeller 30. A coil 38 is provided so as to surround the outer circumference of the magnet 37. Reference numeral 39 is a coil bobbin, and reference numeral 40 is a yoke. Magnet 37 when the impeller 30 rotates
The flow of magnetic flux transmitted from the yoke 40 to the yoke 40 changes, and a current flows in the coil 38 in a direction to prevent this change.

A vortex chamber 41 is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the blade 33, and water from the main valve 6 side flows from the vortex chamber 41 toward the blade 40 and reaches the outlet 4.

Next, the control circuit configuration including the faucet controller 1D will be described with reference to FIG.

The output of the generator 7 is full-wave rectified by a full-wave rectifier 50, and then a storage battery (a nickel-cadmium battery in this embodiment.
Abbreviated as cd. ) 52 has been entered. The positive terminal of the dry cell 54 is connected to the positive terminal of the Nicd 52 through the diode 53.

The positive terminal outputs of the Nicd 52 and the dry cell 54 are connected to a microcomputer (hereinafter, abbreviated as "microcomputer") 56, and the PNP
Connected to the emitters of transistors 59 and 60. The collectors of these transistors 59 and 60 are NPN type transistors.
It is connected to the collectors of 61 and 62 and the terminals of the coil 20. Bases of transistors 59 and 61 and transistor 60,
Driver circuits 63 and 64 are connected to the base of 62, respectively, and these driver circuits 63 and 64 are connected to the O circuit of the microcomputer 56.
Control signals are output from ports 65 and 66.

Reference numeral 67 is a switch for manually discharging and stopping water, which is connected to the battery positive terminal via a resistor 68. Switch 67
The resistor 68 and the resistor 68 are connected to the I port 69 of the microcomputer 56.

Reference numeral 70 is an ultrasonic transmitter, and 71 is an ultrasonic receiver, which are connected to the O port 72 and the I port 73 of the microcomputer 56 via the ultrasonic oscillator circuit 70a and the hand detecting circuit 71a, respectively. O
The port 72 also outputs a control signal to the hand detection circuit 71a. These ultrasonic transmitter 70, ultrasonic receiver 71 and circuit 70
The human body detector 1B is configured by a and 71a.

Next, the operation of the above circuit will be described with reference to FIG. When the ultrasonic transmitter 70 and the ultrasonic receiver 71 detect the hand of the human body, the transistors 59 and 62 are first turned on by the signals from the O ports 65 and 66. As a result, a current is applied to the coil 20 in the positive direction for a predetermined time, the movable core 18 is opened, and water discharge is started. Simultaneously with the start of water discharge, the generator 7 starts outputting and the Nicd 52 is charged.

When the human hand is no longer detected, the driver circuits 63 and 64 turn on the transistors 60 and 61 for a predetermined time in response to signals from the O ports 65 and 66. As a result, a reverse current is applied to the coil 20 to close the movable coil 18 and shut off the water.

It is to be noted that the program is configured such that when the water discharge / water stop switch 67 is turned ON, water discharge is started regardless of whether or not a human hand is detected, and when the switch 67 is turned OFF, water discharge is stopped.

Reference numeral 80 in FIG. 2 denotes a dry cell check and HALT control circuit, which is connected to the power supply voltage via a check switch 81 controlled by the microcomputer 56. From this circuit, a dry cell check signal and a HALT signal are output to the microcomputer 56. In this circuit, the set voltage set slightly higher than the rated voltage of the microcomputer 56 is compared with the power supply voltage, and when the power supply voltage becomes lower than the set voltage, the HALT signal is output to the microcomputer 56. When the HALT signal is input, the operation of the microcomputer 56 is stopped.

In the above embodiment, when the discharge voltage of the Nicd 52 is lower than the predetermined value, power is supplied from the dry battery 53 via the diode 53.

In this embodiment, the rated output voltage of the Nicd 52 is set higher than the rated voltage of the dry battery 54, and when the Nicd 52 is sufficiently charged, power is supplied only from the Nicd 52. On this occasion,
Since the diode 53 is provided, the current from the Nicd 52 does not flow toward the dry cell 54.

In the present invention, a changeover switch may be used instead of the diode 53, and the changeover switch may be controlled so that power is supplied from the dry battery when the discharge voltage of the storage battery such as Nicd falls below a predetermined value. .

[Effects] As described above, according to the faucet control device of the present invention, the device can be reliably operated even when the storage battery is insufficiently charged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment apparatus, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram, FIG. 3 is a flow chart, FIG. 4 is a side view of a faucet, FIG. 5 is a plan view of a valve device, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in the figure. 1 ... faucet, 2 ... shell, 5,5a, 5b ... flow path, 6 ... main valve, 7 ... generator, 18 ... movable core, 19 ... fixed core, 20 ... coil , 23 …… ring magnet, 30 …… impeller, 32 …… shaft, 33 …… wing, 37 …… magnet, 38 …… coil.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Kimiaki Yamaguchi 1-1 Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi Nihon Denso Co., Ltd. (72) Takashi Otake 1-1 1-1 Showa-cho, Kariya city, Aichi prefecture Nidec Within the corporation

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An impeller provided in a faucet flow path, a generator driven by the impeller, a storage battery chargeable by the generator, and a faucet operated by power supply from the storage battery. A faucet control device having a controller, wherein a dry battery is provided in parallel with the storage battery, and switching means for connecting the storage battery or the dry battery to the faucet controller is provided.