JPH09203098A - Anti-icing heater driving and controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent wasteful consumption of electric power due to a constant energized state of an anti-icing heater and make the anti-icing heater operate efficiently in a case where a toilet bowl's automatic washing unit or an automatic faucet is installed in a cold area and anti-icing heaters are arranged in those parts where water remains. SOLUTION: Usually this anti-icing heater 34 is placed in a constantly energized state, when water is passed by the opening of a valve on the basis of the detection of a human body by a sensor 18, the application of electricity to the anti-icing heater 34 is suspended continuously for a prescribed period after that, and the application of electricity to the anti-icing heater 34 is resumed after a prescribed period of time. When water is passed again during the prescribed period, after the lapse of the prescribed period, the application of electricity to the anti-icing heater 34 is initiated after the last flow of water.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic toilet cleaning device and an automatic water faucet that automatically open a valve provided on a water passage based on human body detection by a human body detection sensor to perform water passage. The present invention relates to a drive control method for a provided antifreezing heater.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a human body sensor detects when a user stands in front of a toilet bowl (urinal), and when the user leaves the toilet bowl, flushing water is sprayed to flush the toilet bowl. There is a wide range of cleaning devices and automatic faucets that automatically detect when the human body detection sensor detects it when you extend your hand under the spout and automatically starts spouting when the hand is retracted. It is used.

In these toilet bowl automatic cleaning devices and automatic faucets, a water passage automatic opening / closing valve device is incorporated which senses a human body to open the valve to automatically open the water passage.

[0004]

By the way, when these automatic toilet bowl cleaning devices and automatic faucets are installed in cold regions, there is a risk of freezing at the remaining water. As a countermeasure, it is possible to intermittently flow the water in the channel.

However, in this case, there is a problem that water constantly makes a noise, and there is a problem that water is constantly flowing and it is mistaken as a poor water discharge or a poor water stoppage, and the water is wasted, resulting in a high running cost. There is.

On the other hand, it may be possible to provide a heater at a place where the residual water is generated to heat it. By the way, in the case of heating the remaining portion of the water with the heater in this way, if the heater is always energized to heat even when there is no fear of freezing, power will be wasted and running cost will be reduced. It becomes a factor to raise.

[0007]

The invention of the present application has been made in view of such circumstances. Therefore, the invention of the present application relates to a drive control method for a freeze prevention heater, and provides an automatic water passage opening / closing valve device for opening a valve provided on a water passage based on human body detection by a human body detection sensor. A method for controlling the drive of an antifreezing heater provided at a water remaining portion of an automatic toilet cleaning device or an automatic faucet provided, wherein the heater is normally energized, and the human body is detected by the human body detection sensor. When water is flown by the valve opening operation of the valve based on the above, the energization to the heater is stopped for a predetermined time after that, the energization to the heater is started after the predetermined time, and within the predetermined time. Further, when water is supplied by the valve opening operation of the valve, energization to the heater is started after the lapse of the predetermined time after the last water supply.

[0008]

As described above, according to the present invention, the energization of the heater is stopped when the valve is opened and water is passed, and the energization of the heater is started after a lapse of a predetermined time. is there.

If the environmental temperature of the toilet bowl automatic flushing device or automatic faucet is, for example, -10 ° C., and the temperature of the water supplied to the automatic flushing device or the automatic faucet is 5 ° C., those automatic washing devices If the residual water in the automatic faucet or the automatic water faucet is left at the ambient temperature for a long time, the temperature may drop and freezing may occur. However, once the water is passed and the residual water is renewed, heating by the antifreezing heater is substantially unnecessary until the renewed water is cooled to the temperature just before freezing.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the water is once passed in this way, the anti-freezing heater is de-energized, and after a predetermined time has passed, that is, when the residual water is likely to freeze The heating by the heater is restarted. That is, the present invention is designed such that heating by the antifreezing heater is performed only when necessary, and heating by the antifreezing heater is not performed even when not necessary. It is possible to suppress wasteful power consumption by the heater for use as much as possible, and it is possible to effectively operate the freeze prevention heater.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 2, 10 is a urinal, and 12 is an automatic toilet cleaning device for a urinal having a cleaning pipe 13 connected to the flush water outlet of the urinal 10 and is provided with a casing box 14, and the casing box 14 has a window 16 Is provided. The window 16 is provided with a human body detection sensor 18 (FIG. 4) and a display lamp 20 (FIG. 4).

FIG. 1 shows a water passage automatic opening / closing valve device incorporated in a casing box 14 of the automatic cleaning device 12. As shown in the figure, the automatic cleaning device 12 has a main body 26 between a pipe 22 connected to a water supply source and a pipe 24 on the urinal 10 side. , 24.

The body body 26 includes a solenoid valve portion 28.
, A main valve portion 30 having a diaphragm valve, and a generator portion 32 that rotates the impeller by the force of water flow to generate electricity. A belt-shaped antifreezing heater 34 is attached to the outer surfaces of the electromagnetic valve portion 28, the main valve portion 30, and the generator portion 32 so as to surround them entirely or partially. In addition, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 31 is a water stopcock provided on the upstream side of the main valve portion 30.

FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of the water passage automatic opening / closing valve device. In the figure, reference numeral 36 denotes a diaphragm valve as a main valve, and the upstream water passage 38a and the downstream water passage 38b are blocked or communicated with each other by seating or separating the diaphragm valve 36 from the valve seat 39. The water flowing out to the downstream side water passage 38b reaches the water passage 38c while rotating the impeller 40 provided on the water passage 38b, further flows out from the outlet 42, and is discharged from the washing water jet through the pipe 24 to a small amount. It is ejected into the toilet bowl 10.

The generator unit 32 has a permanent magnet (which is magnetized so that N poles and S poles alternate in the circumferential direction) fixedly provided on the outer peripheral side of a rotating unit that rotates integrally with the impeller 40. ing.
Further, a coil and a yoke (not shown) are provided on the outer side of the coil so as to surround them, and when the impeller 40 is rotated by the force of the water flow, the coil is oriented so as to prevent the magnetic flux from changing due to the rotation of the permanent magnet. An electric current is induced in. Then, the electric power generated in the generator unit 32 is taken out to the outside through the terminal and then stored in the storage battery 68 (FIG. 4).

A back pressure chamber 44 is formed on the back side of the diaphragm valve 36. The back pressure chamber 44 communicates with the upstream side water passage 38a through a through passage 46 that penetrates the diaphragm valve 36 in the axial direction, and a spring 48 is disposed inside the back pressure chamber 44, and its resilience is increased. Is a diaphragm valve 3
6 is directed downward in the figure, that is, in the valve closing direction.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a pilot water passage circuit for pilot-operating the diaphragm valve 36, which is the electromagnetic valve portion 28.
Is for opening and closing the pilot water passage circuit 50.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a plunger valve element of the solenoid valve portion 28 which is slidably fitted to the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 54. The upstream side circuit is formed by seating or separating the plunger valve element 52 from the valve seat 55. 50a and the downstream circuit 50b are cut off or communicated with each other.

The upstream side circuit 50a communicates with the back pressure chamber 44, and the downstream side circuit 50b communicates with the downstream side water passage 38b or the water passage 38c in the main water passage 38.

Accordingly, when the plunger valve body 52 opens, the water pressure in the back pressure chamber 44 weakens and the diaphragm valve 36
Is displaced upward in the figure to open the valve, and the upstream water passage 38
The water of a flows into the downstream side water passage 38b, and further the water passage 3
It flows out of the outflow port 42 via 8c.

On the other hand, when the plunger valve body 52 closes and the upstream circuit 50a and the downstream circuit 50b are shut off, the back pressure chamber is in communication with the upstream water passage 38a through the through passage 46. The water pressure in 44 increases, and due to the increase in water pressure and the elastic force of the spring 48, the diaphragm valve 36
Closes the main water passage 38 to stop the water discharge.

Inside the sleeve 54, a fixed core 56 is fixedly provided at a predetermined distance from the plunger valve body 52. These plunger valve body 52 and fixed core 5
A spring 58 is interposed between the spring and the valve 6, and the plunger valve body 52 is always urged rightward in the figure by the spring 58.

A ring-shaped permanent magnet 60 and a ring-shaped plate 62 made of a magnetic material are sandwiched between the ring-shaped permanent magnets 60 in the axial direction on the outer side of the sleeve 54. The coil 64 is the fixed core 5
It is provided so as to surround 6. These are the yoke 6
It is fixed to the body body 26 via 6.

The permanent magnet 60 is magnetized in the plate thickness direction, and its magnetic flux is the plate 62, the plunger valve body 52,
It returns to the permanent magnet 60 through the fixed core 56, the yoke 66, and the plate 62.

In the solenoid valve section 28, the coil 64
When electricity is applied to the fixed core 56, the suction force of the fixed core 56 overcomes the elastic force of the spring 58, and the plunger valve body 52 is attracted to the fixed core 56 side. As a result, the upstream circuit 50a and the downstream circuit 50b are brought into communication with each other, the water pressure in the back pressure chamber 44 is weakened, and the diaphragm valve 36 is opened.

On the other hand, when the coil 64 is energized in the opposite direction to the above, the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 60 is canceled and the plunger valve 52 is separated from the fixed core 56 by the elastic force of the spring 58. The valve seat 55, and the pilot water circuit 50 is closed.

In this state, the upstream water passage 3 of the main water passage 38 is passed through the through passage 46 of the diaphragm valve 36.
The pressure of water flowing into the upstream side circuit 50a from 8a, that is, the pressure of the back pressure chamber 44 is overcome, the diaphragm valve 36 is seated on the valve seat 39, and the main water passage 38 is closed.

FIG. 4 shows the electrical connection relation of each element in this water passage automatic opening / closing valve device. 68 in the figure
Is a storage battery that stores the electric power generated by the generator unit 32,
Power is supplied to each unit via the power switch 70. Then, the microcomputer control unit 72, the solenoid valve drive circuit 74, and the sensor drive circuit 76 operate using the storage battery 68 as a power source.

The sensor drive circuit 76 includes the human body detection sensor 1
Infrared light is emitted from the light emitting element 78 in 8, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element 80. The signal from the light receiving element 80 is input to the microcomputer controller 72 via the sensor receiving circuit 82. The microcomputer control unit 72 determines the presence or absence of a human body based on the amount of reflected light, and activates the solenoid valve drive circuit 74 to open or close the solenoid valve unit 28. Reference numeral 84 is a backup dry battery. Further, the microcomputer control unit 72 has a display lamp 20
Is connected.

As described above, the electromagnetic valve portion 28, the main valve portion 30, and the generator portion 32 are provided with the belt-shaped antifreezing heater 34 so as to surround them entirely or partially. The electromagnetic valve portion 28, the main valve portion 30, and the generator portion 32 are prevented from freezing by the antifreezing heater 34. These freeze prevention heaters 34 are
As shown in FIG. 4, the antifreeze heater drive circuit 75
It is connected to the microcomputer control unit 72 via the, and is driven and controlled by the microcomputer control unit 72.

Here, the heater driving circuit 75 uses the storage battery 68.
The backup dry battery 84 is used as a power source. The microcomputer controller 72 is also connected to a temperature sensor 77 that senses a use environment temperature, that is, an environment temperature in which the automatic cleaning device for the urinal 10 is placed.

Next, FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic faucet. In the figure, 88 is a casing box of the automatic faucet 86, which has a hot and cold water mixing section 9 inside.
No. 0 and its downstream side are equipped with a water passage automatic opening / closing valve device. The hot and cold water mixing unit 90 mixes the water and the hot water supplied from the water supply pipe 92 and the hot water supply pipe 94 at a predetermined ratio and causes the hot water to flow out through the outflow pipe 96. The mixed water that has flowed out is sent to the water discharge pipe 100 through the guide pipe 98, and is further discharged downward from the water discharge port 102 at the tip thereof.

A human body detection sensor (not shown) including an infrared sensor is provided on the lower surface of the tip of the water discharge pipe 100. On the other hand, a microcomputer control unit (not shown) is provided inside the casing box 88, and when a hand is put out below the spout 102, a human body detection sensor detects this and sends a signal to the microcomputer control unit. Upon receipt of this, the microcomputer control unit outputs the water spout 1 based on the detection signal.
02, the solenoid valve portion 28 in the water passage automatic opening / closing valve device is operated and controlled to discharge water.

The water passage automatic opening / closing valve device is the above-mentioned urinal 10.
The automatic cleaning device 12 has a configuration basically similar to that of the automatic cleaning device 12, and has a main valve portion 30 having a diaphragm valve on a water passage extending from the hot water mixing portion 90 to the guide pipe 98, and a generator portion 32 on the downstream side thereof. And a solenoid valve portion 28 for controlling opening / closing of the main valve portion 30.

Thus, in this example, the solenoid valve portion 28 is
A belt-shaped antifreezing heater 34 is fixed to the outer surface of the generator portion 32 so as to surround the generator portion 32. In addition, in the present example, the antifreezing heater 34 is fixed to the outer surface of the hot water mixing section 90 so as to surround the outer surface.

Here, a mixing chamber and a water or hot water inlet to the mixing chamber are provided inside the hot / water mixing unit 90.
The opening degree of the inflow passage from the water inlet or the hot water inlet to the mixing chamber is controlled by a movable valve body. That is, a movable valve element is slidably fitted inside the hot and cold water mixing section 90, and in this example, the antifreezing heater 34 is fixed to the outer surface of the hot and cold water mixing section 90 and freezes the same. The heating by the prevention heater 34 prevents the movable valve element from becoming inoperable due to freezing in cold regions. In addition, the freezing of the water accumulated inside the hot and cold water mixing section 90 is also prevented. The antifreezing effect of the antifreezing heater 34 in the solenoid valve section 28 and the generator section 32 is the same as described above.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 104 denotes a temperature control handle, the rotational operation force of which is the operation force transmission cable 10.
6 is transmitted to the temperature control unit inside the hot and cold water mixing unit 90. Here, the operating force transmission cable 106 includes an outer tube 108 that is flexible and has rigidity in the axial direction, and an inner cable 110 that is slidably inserted into the outer tube 108.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the contents of drive control of the freeze prevention heater 34 by the microcomputer controller 72. As shown, in this example, the antifreezing heater 34 is normally energized, but when the automatic cleaning device 12 of the urinal 10 or the automatic faucet 86 is used, the microcomputer controller 72 prevents the freezing. The heater 34 for driving is stopped and the energization is cut off.

More specifically, when the human body sensor 18 senses a human body, the microcomputer control section 72 opens the main valve section 30 and shuts off the power supply to the antifreezing heater 34 after use. When the automatic cleaning device 12 or the automatic faucet 86 is not used for a predetermined time (T time) as shown in the pattern (A), the energization of the antifreezing heater 34 is started again after the time T. To do.

On the other hand, when the urinal 10, that is, the automatic cleaning device 12 or the automatic faucet 86 is further used during the time T as in the pattern (B), the urinal 10 or the automatic faucet 86 later is used. After the lapse of T time from the use of, the energization of the antifreezing heater 34 is restarted.

Note that this T time is such that after the residual water therein is renewed by the use of the urinal 10, specifically, the automatic cleaning device 12 or the automatic faucet 86, the temperature of the residual water after the renewal is lowered. Then, it is a time required until immediately before the fear of freezing occurs again, and this time is a long time of about 2 hours, for example.

Therefore, when the urinal 10 or the automatic faucet 86 is repeatedly used within the time period T, the antifreezing heater 34 is kept in the non-energized state, that is, in the off state during that time, and the power consumption is consumed during that time. Will not be done.

Therefore, for example, in this way, it is possible to make the urinal 10 and the automatic faucet 86 consume little power during the day when the urinal 10 and the automatic faucet 86 are frequently used even in cold regions, and to prevent freezing only at night. It is possible that the heater 34 is energized.

As described above, in this embodiment, when water is once passed, the anti-freezing heater 34 is de-energized, and after a lapse of a predetermined time, that is, when the residual water may freeze. The heating by the antifreezing heater 34 is restarted. According to this example, the heating by the antifreezing heater 34 is performed only when necessary, and the heating by the antifreezing heater 34 is performed even when not necessary. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wasteful power consumption by the antifreezing heater 34 as much as possible, and it is possible to efficiently operate the antifreezing heater 34.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, but this is merely an example. For example, in the above example, the storage battery 68 or the backup dry battery 84 is used as the power source of the antifreezing heater driving circuit 75, but this is only an example, and a normal external power source is used as the power source of the antifreezing heater driving circuit 75. The anti-freezing heater 34 may be used in another form, or may be arranged in a place where water other than the above example remains to heat the same. It is of course possible to control the drive according to the above.

Further, the above automatic toilet cleaning device and automatic faucet are merely examples, and the present invention can be applied to other various types of automatic cleaning devices and automatic faucets. is there. Others The present invention can be implemented in various modified modes without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of a water passage automatic opening / closing valve device of an automatic toilet cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the automatic toilet bowl cleaning device together with a urinal.

3 is a diagram showing an internal structure of the water passage automatic opening / closing valve device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an electrical connection relationship of each element of the water passage automatic opening / closing valve device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to an automatic faucet.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a drive control method of a freeze prevention heater.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Automatic Washing Device 18 Human Body Detection Sensor 28 Electromagnetic Valve Section 30 Main Valve Section 32 Generator Section 34 Freeze Prevention Heater 38 Main Water Channel 72 Microcomputer Control Section 74 Electromagnetic Valve Drive Circuit 75 Heater Drive Circuit 77 Temperature Sensor 86 Automatic Water Faucet 90 Hot water mixing section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic cleaning device for a toilet provided with a water passage automatic opening / closing valve device for opening a valve provided on a water passage based on human body detection by a human body detection sensor, or a residual water portion in an automatic faucet. A method for controlling the drive of the antifreezing heater provided, wherein the heater is normally energized, and when water is passed through the valve opening operation based on human body detection by the human body detection sensor, a predetermined value is then set. When the energization of the heater is stopped continuously for a period of time, the energization of the heater is started after the predetermined time, and when water is further supplied by the opening operation of the valve within the predetermined time,
A drive control method of an antifreezing heater, characterized in that energization to the heater is started after the lapse of the predetermined time after the last water flow.