JPH0665814B2 - Water supply control device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water supply control device for automatically controlling water supply to a water rinsing device such as a toilet bowl or a hand basin based on the use of the water rinsing device by a sensing unit, and more specifically, a water rinsing device and a light projecting element. Also, the present invention relates to a device having a light receiving element for detecting the use of a water washing device, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the water supply unit based on a detection signal input from the detection unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a water supply control device of this type, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-126831, infrared rays are projected from a light projecting element by a battery and reflected by a user of a toilet bowl. There is a device that outputs a sensing signal to open the water supply part by receiving the received light by the light receiving element. Further, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-28449, the light is intermittently projected continuously. Compared to light, there are some that consume much less power.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional water supply control device, since the light projecting element is simply operated intermittently, there is a risk of malfunction due to the influence of ambient light or the like. There was a problem.

In view of the above conventional circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to prevent malfunctions due to ambient light and the like while performing intermittent light projection.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The technical means provided by the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems are as follows:
It is characterized in that a burst pulse having a frequency higher than the frequency of disturbance light or the like is intermittently projected at a cycle of several seconds.

[0006]

According to the above-mentioned technical means, the present invention intermittently projects burst pulses having a frequency higher than the disturbance light frequency from the light projecting element, so that one of the reflected light having a higher frequency is reflected. The ambient light is distinguished from the ambient light, and the user senses it based on the distinction.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows a case where the flushing device 1 is a urinal 1a as shown in FIG. 1, and the user's chest is placed above the urinal 1a, to be precise, in a state in which the user stands in front of the urinal 1a. At the opening A1 opened on the wall A with a height equivalent to the hit, the sensing unit 2
Is an embedded deployment.

The sensing unit 2 is a diffuse reflection type infrared sensor having a light projecting element 2a composed of a light emitting diode and a light receiving element 2b composed of a phototransistor, and is a projecting element for ambient light such as sunlight or fluorescent light. , Burst pulses with a frequency higher than the frequency of noise existing in the same medium as the light receiving element are intermittently projected at a cycle of several seconds.

In the case of this embodiment, four pulses of infrared light are projected from the light projecting element 2a in a period of about 0.14 msec at a cycle of 1 second.

As for the output of the light receiving element 2b, the AC amplifier circuit 2g amplifies only the reflected light having a high frequency, and the high-pass filter circuit 2h cancels the level fluctuation due to the ambient light, and the canceled signal has a constant level. Whether the user is present or not is determined depending on whether it is above or below or there is, and this sensing signal is sent to the control unit 3 via the level restoration circuit 2f.

In the case of the present embodiment, the control unit 3 has a 5-second prohibit timer circuit 3a, a 1-second output timer circuit 3b, a 20-msec timer circuit 3c, and a load direction selector circuit as shown in the block diagram of FIG.
3d, a load driver circuit 3e, and when the sensing signal is sent from the level restoration circuit 2f, at the same time, it activates the 5 second prohibition timer circuit 3a.

In order to prevent malfunction, the 5-second prohibition timer circuit 3a does not output an output unless the sensing signal from the level restoration circuit 2f continues for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the output of the level restoration circuit 2f is output. When it disappears, the 1 second output timer circuit 3b is activated and the 1 second output timer circuit 3b outputs.

This output corresponds to the operating time of the water supply unit 1
Although it appears for a second, the 20 msec timer circuit 3c is activated and the load direction selector circuit is activated by the rise and fall of this output.
3d determines the direction of current flow in the load driver circuit 3e,
The water supply unit 4 is operated along the current flow of the load driver circuit 3e.

That is, when the 1-second output timer circuit 3b operates, at the same time, a current from a battery 5 such as lithium, which is separately connected to the control unit 3, is supplied to drive solenoids 4a and 4b of a water supply unit 4 described later for 20 msec. Then, one second after the start of energization, the drive solenoid 4a is again energized in the opposite direction to the above current.

As shown in FIG. 4, the water supply unit 4 is a diaphragm.
Pilot hole 4d opened in the center of 4c drives solenoid 4
By opening and closing with the plunger 4e operated by a and 4b, and bringing the lower surface of the diaphragm 4c into and out of contact with the valve seat 4f,
The valve 4g is opened and closed to supply water to the urinal 1a. The drive solenoids 4a and 4b are the upper and lower flux plates 4h and 4h.
It is pinched and fixed so as to cover the upper and lower surfaces of the 4i.

Inside one of the drive solenoids 4a containing the plunger 4e, a head 4j fixed to an upper flux plate 4h is arranged, and a spring 4k is mounted between the head 4j and the plunger 4e. Outside the drive solenoid 4a, a permanent magnet 4l is attached to the upper and lower flux plates.
Hold it between 4h and 4i.

Inside the other drive solenoid 4b, iron cores 4m and 4n fixed to the upper and lower flux plates 4h and 4i, respectively, are arranged, and a permanent magnet 4o is sandwiched and fixed between the iron cores 4m and 4n.

Next, the operation of the water supply unit 4 will be described. In the normal state, since the magnetic fluxes generated by the permanent magnets 4l and 4o have the same phase, the magnetic flux is higher than the permanent magnet 4l. Pass through the flux plate 4h, then both iron cores 4
Head 4 through the lower flux plate 4i through m, 4n
There is no magnetic flux passing through j and the plunger 4e.

Therefore, the pilot hole 4d is closed by the lower surface of the plunger 4e, and the valve portion 4g is kept closed.

Now, when the drive solenoids 4a and 4b are energized for a moment, the polarity of the permanent magnet 4o changes and the phase is opposite to that of the permanent magnet 4l.
4e is sucked by head 4j and closed pilot hole 4d
Opens, the water in the pressure chamber 4p formed behind the diaphragm 4c is discharged to the secondary side through the pilot hole 4d, and the lower surface of the diaphragm 4c moves away from the valve seat 4f and the valve portion 4g
Opens.

In this state, the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 4l reaches the lower flux plate 4i via the upper flux plate 4h, the head 4j and the plunger 4e, and the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet 4o is the iron core.
A circuit is formed from 4m through the upper flux plate 4h, the head 4j, the plunger 4e, the lower flux plate 4i, and the iron core 4n. The plunger 4e remains attracted by the head 4j, that is, the valve open state shown in FIG. 5 is maintained.

In order to return the valve-opened state to the valve-opened state again, when a current is momentarily reversed in the drive solenoid 4a, a magnetic flux of a different phase is generated between the head 4j and the plunger 4e, and the head 4j and The plunger 4e repels each other, the force of the spring 4k also works, and the plunger 4e moves away from the head 4j.
The polarities of 4l and 4o are in phase with each other, resulting in the state shown in FIG.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the flushing device 1 is the urinal 1a is shown, but the invention is not limited to this, and the flushing device 1 may be the hand washing device 1b.

Although the sensing unit 2 is embedded in the wall surface A in the above-described embodiment, the mounting structure of the sensing unit 2 is not limited to that shown in the drawing, and the mounting structure of the water supply unit 4 is arbitrary. The valve structure is not limited to that shown in the figure, and may be arbitrary.

[0025]

The present invention has the following advantages because of the above configuration. 1. By intermittently projecting a burst pulse of a frequency higher than the disturbance light frequency from the light projecting element,
Since the high frequency of the reflected light with respect to the projected light and the ambient light are distinguished and the user senses based on that,
It is possible to prevent erroneous operation due to ambient light or the like, while performing intermittent light emission.

Therefore, compared with the conventional one in which light is intermittently emitted from the light emitting element, the light emitting power can be reduced and the amount of electricity to the sensing portion can be reduced, resulting in low power consumption and low reliability. There is nothing to do.

2. It is easy to replace the existing one and wiring is easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical side view of a water supply control device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a sensing unit and a control unit.

FIG. 3 is a time chart.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a water supply section showing a valve closed state.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the water supply section showing a valve open state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Washer 2 Sensing part 2a Light emitting element 2b Light receiving element 3 Control part 4 Water supply part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-57-143026 (JP, A) JP-A-58-47227 (JP, A) JP-B-53-16616 (JP, B2) Separate volume transistor technology Sensor interface Facing No. Four

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A flusher, a sensing unit having a light projecting element and a light receiving element for sensing the use of the flushing apparatus, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the water supply unit based on a sensing signal input from the sensing unit. In the water supply control device including the water supply control device, the light projecting element of the sensing unit intermittently projects a burst pulse having a frequency higher than a frequency of ambient light or the like at a cycle of several seconds.