JPH0768713B2 - Automatic faucet - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic water faucet and an automatic water faucet in which components for stopping water are integrated in a water discharge pipe.

(Prior Art) Conventional automatic faucets include, for example, one disclosed in JP-A-64-79481.

This is one in which a solenoid valve, a control circuit, and a battery are installed in a faucet body fixed to the top of a washbasin.

Then, this automatic faucet detects whether or not a hand has entered under the spout by an optical sensor attached adjacent to the spout, and the control circuit opens or closes the solenoid valve based on the detection signal. By doing this, water discharge and water stop are automatically performed.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the control circuit, the solenoid valve, etc. are internally provided in the main body portion of the automatic faucet, the main body portion becomes large and the space on the upper surface of the washing stand is increased. Was the cause of narrowing. The top surface of the washbasin has only a narrow space along the edge of the sink, and soap and scrubbing brushes are often placed on top of it, so this small space is a factor that deteriorates the usability of the washbasin. Become.

Further, in the conventional example, since the automatic water discharge and the automatic water stop are performed only by opening and closing the solenoid valve, there is a problem that the battery cannot be used when the battery is dead.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a surface of a water discharge pipe,
An object sensor that detects the entry of an object such as a hand under the water spout is attached, and a solenoid valve, a control circuit unit that opens and closes the solenoid valve based on the output signal of the object sensor, the solenoid valve and the object sensor. And a battery that serves as a power source for operating the control circuit unit, an automatic mode that allows the control circuit to open and close the solenoid valve, and a manual mode that stops the solenoid valve opening and closing operation by the control circuit unit and keeps the solenoid valve open. The water discharge pipe is internally provided with a switch for switching between and.

(Operation) In the present invention, the main body can be miniaturized by incorporating the components for automatic water discharge and water stoppage in the water discharge pipe as described above. Further, according to the present invention, by providing the main body with a manual on-off valve and providing the switch, switching between an automatic mode for automatically discharging and stopping water and a manual mode for manually discharging and stopping water You can

(Example) Hereinafter, one example of an automatic faucet of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the automatic water faucet of this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the automatic faucet of this embodiment includes a main body 1 mounted and fixed so as to stand upright on a washing stand (not shown), and a side surface of the lower portion of the main body above the sink center of the washing stand (not shown). It is composed of a water discharge pipe 2 that extends obliquely upward toward the front end portion 2b, bends downward, and has a water discharge port 3 opened on the lower surface thereof.

Inside the main body 1, a valve 7 composed of a movable disc 4 and a fixed disc 5 is provided. A lever 6 is attached to the upper end of the main body 1 so as to be horizontally rotatable and vertically swingable. By operating this lever 6, the movable disk 4 is rotated to open the valve 7, water (or hot water) passes through the water passage 8 penetrating from the inside of the body 1 into the water discharge pipe 2, and the water is discharged from the water discharge port 3. Discharge.
The amount of water discharged increases or decreases in proportion to the amount of rotation of the lever 6.

The water discharge pipe 2 is a tubular body made of synthetic resin, and a water channel 8 made of metal penetrates the shaft portion thereof. The control circuit unit 10 and the battery 11 are provided on the lower surface side of the root portion 2a of the water discharge pipe 2. The battery 11 is housed in a battery box 11a having a lid so that it can be replaced. A solenoid valve 9 is provided on the upper surface side of the root portion 2a of the water discharge pipe 2, and the solenoid valve 9 intervenes in the water passage 8 to open and close the water passage 8. A mode selector switch 13 is embedded in the upper surface of the tip 2b of the water discharge pipe 2. A pair of transmission / reception object sensors 12 are embedded around the water discharge port 3. The object sensor 12 is a reflection type optical sensor in which an electric signal is generated when light emitted from one is reflected by an object and is incident on the other. Needless to say, various sensors such as an ultrasonic reflection type sensor and a capacitor capacitance change type sensor can be used in place of the optical type sensor as the object sensor. The control circuit unit 10, the battery box 11a, the object sensor 12, and the switch 13 have a waterproof structure such as resin sealing or packing.

The object sensor 12 receives light reflected by an object such as a hand when it enters under the spout 3, generates an electric signal, and sends the electric signal to the control circuit unit 10. The control circuit unit 10 is composed of a simple IC circuit and a small relay circuit,
When the signal from the object sensor 12 that the object is detected is input, the solenoid valve 9 is opened, and when the signal from the object sensor 12 disappears, the solenoid valve 9 is closed.

The switch 13 is a solenoid valve 9 provided by the control circuit unit 10.
Control circuit unit and automatic mode that allows opening and closing of
This is a switch for stopping the opening / closing operation of the solenoid valve 9 by 10 and switching to the manual mode for holding the solenoid valve 9 in the open state. That is, when the switch 13 is set to ON, the control circuit unit 10 opens and closes the solenoid valve 9 according to the output of the object sensor 12, and when the switch 13 is set to OFF, the control circuit unit 10 is opened. Holds the solenoid valve 9 open.

The battery 11 serves as a power source for operating the solenoid valve 9, the object sensor 12, and the control circuit unit 10.

The automatic faucet of the present embodiment configured as described above is a switch
Turn on 13 to activate automatic mode. In this automatic mode, the lever 6 is operated in advance to open the valve 7. Even if the valve 7 is opened, the electromagnetic valve 9 is controlled by the control circuit unit 10 in the automatic mode, so the electromagnetic valve 9 is closed until the hand is brought under the water discharge port 3. Therefore,
When the user brings his / her hand under the spout 3, the object sensor
12 detects this, and the control circuit unit 10 responds to open the solenoid valve 9, so that water or hot water is automatically discharged from the water discharge port 3. When the control circuit unit 10 closes the solenoid valve 9 in response to the withdrawal of the hand from under the spout 3, the water is automatically stopped. The amount of water can be adjusted by rotating the lever 6. Further, even in the automatic mode, the water can be stopped because the valve 7 is closed by lowering the lever 6.

When the switch 13 is turned off, the manual mode is set. In this manual mode, since the solenoid valve 9 is held open,
The valve 7 can be opened and closed and the amount of water can be adjusted only by manually operating the lever 6.

In this way, the automatic faucet of this embodiment has a mode changeover switch.
You can switch between two modes, automatic mode and manual mode, by turning on and off 13. Thereby, even if the battery 11 is dead, the water discharge and the water stop operation can be performed by manually operating the lever 6, which is convenient.

Although the single-lever type faucet has been described in this embodiment, such a structure is not limited to the single-lever type, and two-handle type and thermostat type can be applied.

A commercial power source may be used as the power source instead of the battery 11.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the present invention, since all the parts for automatic operation are incorporated in the water discharge pipe, the main body can be downsized, and the occupying area of the upper surface space of the washstand is small. Therefore, the usability of the upper surface of the washbasin is improved and the appearance of the automatic faucet is also improved.

Further, according to the present invention, since the mode can be switched between the automatic mode and the manual mode by turning on / off the mode changeover switch, even if the battery runs out, the water discharge and the water stop operation can be performed by the manual operation, which makes it unusable. Never.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cross-sectional partially transparent view showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automatic water faucet according to the present invention. 1 ... Main body, 2 ... Water discharge pipe 3 ... Water discharge port, 6 ... Lever 7 ... Valve, 8 ... Water channel 9 ... Solenoid valve, 10 ... Control circuit unit 11 ... Battery, 12 ... Object Sensor 12 …… Mode selector switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A water spout body having a water faucet body provided with a manual lever for opening and closing an internal valve, and a water discharge pipe extending from the water faucet body, and a water discharge pipe passing through a water passage penetrating into the water discharge pipe. An automatic faucet configured to open and close a water discharge pipe by an electromagnetic valve provided separately from the valve while discharging water from a water discharge port at a tip, wherein the water discharge pipe surface is provided with a hand below the water discharge port. An object sensor that detects the entry of an object such as the above, and a control circuit unit that opens and closes the electromagnetic valve based on the output signal of the object sensor; and an operation of the electromagnetic valve, the object sensor, and the control circuit unit. A battery serving as a power source, an automatic mode that allows the control circuit unit to open / close the solenoid valve, and a stop of the solenoid valve open / close operation by the control circuit unit to hold the solenoid valve in an open state. An automatic faucet characterized in that a switch for switching to a manual mode is incorporated in the water discharge pipe.