JPH11303175A - Automatic manually-operable faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic faucet which can be forcibly closed and forced to deliver water continuously through manual operations. SOLUTION: A manual switch 7 is provided on the back of a faucet main body 1a which is hard to see from the front. The manual switch 7 can be used to either stop a hand detecting function or deliver water continuously. Alternatively, the manual switch can be made to selectively perform both of these functions. Therefore, the hand detecting function can be forcibly stopped by operating the manual switch 7, so that even if a hand is detected, no water is delivered while a washbowl or the like is being washed. Continuous delivery of water can be performed forcibly by operating the manual switch 7 and this is convenient for washing a bowl surface, etc. Further, since the manual switch 7 is located on the back of the faucet main body 1a which is hard to see from the front, tampering is prevented even if it is used in a public place.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for enabling an automatic faucet installed in a facility such as a public toilet which is used by a large number of people to be manually operated as required.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in facilities such as public toilets, which are used by a large number of people, the user does not open and close a faucet to start water supply and stop water supply. Automatic taps have been widely used to start water supply upon detection of water and stop water when hands are no longer detected. This is sanitary because it is possible to use the faucet without touching the equipment, and it does not cause discomfort to the user. This is because discharge can be prevented and water is excellent. Such an automatic faucet is constituted by a non-contact type hand detector such as an infrared ray or an ultrasonic wave, and a circuit for controlling opening and closing of a faucet such as an electromagnetic valve or an electric valve based on a signal from the hand detector. Have been. In addition, in such an automatic faucet, when a hand is detected, a fixed amount of water is discharged, and thereafter the water is automatically stopped.

[0003]

However, in the conventional automatic faucet, if there is a hand or an object in the detection range of the hand detector, whether the hand or the object actually needs water supply or not. The water will be discharged without making the judgment. Therefore, if a part of the hand or arm enters the detection range of the hand detector while cleaning the wash counter or hand basin, etc., water is suddenly discharged, and the clothes of the cleaning person There was a problem such as wetting.

[0004] In addition, after dirt has been removed from a washing counter, a hand-washing device, or the like, it is necessary to wash it off, and it is required to continuously discharge water to a certain degree or more. However, even in such a case with the conventional automatic faucet, after discharging a certain amount of water, it stops automatically, and the person who is cleaning out hands out repeatedly to detect the hand He had been receiving the necessary water supply.

[0005] In other words, the conventional automatic faucet cannot satisfy both the case where it is desired to forcibly stop water and the case where it is desired to forcibly supply water continuously.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems and has been improved and eliminated, and an automatic faucet capable of forcibly stopping water and forcibly continuously discharging water is provided. Is to be provided.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention is directed to an automatic faucet having a control unit for supplying or stopping water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector. This is a manually operable automatic faucet, characterized in that a manual switch for stopping the hand detection function is provided on the back side of the faucet main body that is difficult to see from the outside. The user of the automatic faucet can forcibly stop the hand detection function by operating the manual switch on the back side of the faucet body, and the hand is detected while cleaning the hand washer etc. Even in this case, the water can be prevented from being discharged, so that the clothes are not wetted by the unexpected water discharge.

[0008] The means of claim 2 adopted by the present invention is:
In an automatic faucet equipped with a control unit for supplying or stopping water based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector, a manual switch for performing continuous water discharge is provided on the back side of the faucet main body that is difficult to see from the front It is an automatic faucet which can be operated manually. Conversely, when it is desired to wash away the dirt after washing the pot surface of the hand-washing machine with a detergent or the like, a manual switch may be operated to force the continuous spouting. Thereby, a continuous sufficient amount of washing water can be secured.

A third aspect of the present invention is an automatic faucet provided with a control unit for supplying or stopping water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector. The automatic faucet which can be operated manually is characterized in that a function for operating the water detecting device is provided, and the stop of the hand detection function or the continuous water discharge is performed by a remote control operation. By simply operating the remote controller, the forced water stoppage and continuous water supply can be realized, which is extremely convenient in a public toilet equipped with a large number of handwashers.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The configuration of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an automatic faucet 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
(A) shows the counter 2 and the wall 3
Is a side view showing an attached state in which is cut, and FIG. 2B is a plan view of the automatic faucet 1. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, an automatic faucet 1 is attached to a counter 2. The automatic faucet 1 has a front part 4 inclined obliquely downward on the front side of the faucet main body 1a, and a water outlet 5 and a hand detection sensor 6 are attached to the front part 4. Faucet body 1a
A manual switch 7 is attached to the rear side, which is difficult to see from the front.

A controller 8 is mounted below the counter 2. The controller 8 receives a signal from the hand detection sensor 6 and a signal from the manual switch 7, and controls an electric valve, a solenoid valve, or the like for starting water supply from the water discharge port 5 or stopping (stopping) water supply. There is a function to control the ON / OFF of the valve section 9, a function to stop the hand detection function, and a function to perform continuous water discharge.

In a normal use state, when the user puts his hand in front of the water outlet 5, the hand detection sensor 6 detects this by using infrared rays or the like, and outputs a hand detection signal to the controller 8. . As a result, the controller 8 turns on the valve section 9. That is, the valve portion 9 is opened, and tap water is discharged from the water outlet 5. This discharge is automatically stopped after a predetermined time or a predetermined flow rate is discharged.

If it is desired to stop the hand detection function when cleaning the basin or the like, the manual switch 7 may be pressed. Thus, even if the hand detection signal from the hand detection sensor 6 is input, the controller 8 turns on the valve 9 and turns on the O.
There is no FF control. Therefore, when the cleaning worker is performing the work of removing dirt from the pot surface of the basin or the like using a detergent or the like, a part of the hand or the arm of the cleaning worker is in the detection area of the hand detection sensor 6. Even if it enters, no water is supplied and the clothes of the cleaning worker do not get wet. The hand detection function is stopped after a predetermined time of about 3 minutes has elapsed.
If the operation is automatically restored, each operation is unnecessary, which is convenient.

After removing dirt, it is necessary to clean the pot surface, and in this case, a continuous flow rate of a certain amount is required. In this embodiment, the control circuit of the controller 8 is configured so that when the manual switch 7 is pressed again, water is continuously discharged. For this reason, the cleaning operator can wash the pot surface within a range of continuous spouting water of, for example, about one minute, and can perform a smooth cleaning operation. After the end of continuous water discharge for about one minute, the mode is shifted to a mode of water supply start or water supply stop by normal hand detection.

FIG. 2 shows an automatic faucet 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 (A) is a side view showing a mounted state in which the counter 2 and the wall 3 are cross-sectionally shown. (B) is a plan view of the automatic faucet 10. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, a manual switch 11 for stopping the hand detection function and a manual switch 12 for performing continuous water discharge are provided on the rear side, which is difficult to see from the front of the faucet main body 10a. Are installed separately and in parallel. Except that they are separately arranged in parallel, the configuration is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and has the same operation and effect.

FIG. 3 shows an automatic faucet 13 according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a perspective view showing the entirety of FIG. 3, and FIG.
FIG. In this embodiment, a remote control light-receiving sensor 15 is provided on the upper surface side of the faucet main body 13a as shown in FIG. The remote control operation unit 14 is provided with a hand detection function stop switch 16, a continuous water discharge switch 17, and a reset switch 18, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 9A, reference numeral 19 denotes a pop-up drain cock, and reference numeral 20 denotes a sensor cord for connecting the hand detection sensor 6 and the remote control light-receiving sensor 15 on the faucet body 13a side to the electric circuit of the controller 8. , 21 are LEDs for indicating that the battery has run out, and 22 is a flow control plug, in which a strainer 23 and a water stop plug 24 are integrated. Except that the stop of the hand detection function, the start of continuous water discharge, and the release of these functions are performed by the respective dedicated switches 16 to 18 by a remote control operation method, the same as in the above-described embodiments. There is a similar effect.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an automatic faucet 25 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This automatic faucet 25
Is the third type except that it is a hot-water mixing faucet type.
This is the same as the embodiment. In the hot and cold water mixing faucet type, a flow control plug 27 is attached to each mounting leg 26 into which hot water and water flow, and hot water of a desired temperature is obtained by mixing the hot water and water with a mixing plug main body 28, In this configuration, the water is discharged from the spout 5. In the figure, 29 is an adjusting handle for adjusting the temperature of hot water and water, and 30 is a strainer with a check valve.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed. For example, the manual switch 7 shown in FIG. 1 may have a single function of merely stopping the hand detection function or performing only continuous water discharge. In addition, a hand-washing display explaining how to use the automatic faucet, etc., is provided at a place that is easy to see by the user of the faucet body, so that the user's attention does not go to the manual switch, and mischief on the manual switch in facilities used by the public Should be avoided as much as possible. Further, in a public place, many such automatic faucets are often provided continuously. In this case, a command signal for stopping the hand detection function for one automatic faucet or a command signal for continuous water spouting can be simultaneously given to all automatic faucets. Such a mechanism in which a large number of automatic faucets operate simultaneously upon receiving a command signal at the same time may be adopted in a remote control system.

Further, in the case of the remote control system, in addition to the above-mentioned automatic faucet such as a wash basin, the present invention is applied to an automatic faucet which is mounted on a urinal and operates based on detection of a human body. It is also possible to control the faucet and the automatic faucet of the urinal by using a single remote control operation unit 14. In this case, in the automatic faucet of the basin, the hand detection function is stopped or continuous water discharge is performed, and in the automatic faucet of the urinal,
The human body detection function is stopped or continuous water discharge is performed. In this case, the cleaning operator can control the automatic faucet of the wash basin and the automatic faucet of the urinal only by having one remote control operation unit 14, and the cleaning work becomes convenient and extremely efficient. I can do it.

[0020]

As described above, in the present invention,
In an automatic faucet equipped with a control unit that supplies or stops water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector, on the back side of the faucet body that is difficult to see from the front, to stop the hand detection function or to continuously discharge water Is performed, or a manual switch is provided to selectively perform both of these functions. Therefore, it is possible to forcibly stop the hand detection function by operating the manual switch on the back side of the faucet main body, even if the hand is detected while cleaning the hand washer or the like. , So that water can not be spouted,
There is no such thing as clothes getting wet due to unexpected water discharge. Further, by operating the manual switch, it is possible to forcibly and continuously discharge water, which is convenient when washing the pot surface or the like. Since the manual switch is located on the back side of the faucet main body, which is difficult to see from the front, it is possible to prevent accidental mischief even with an automatic faucet installed in a public place.

According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic faucet having a control section for supplying or stopping water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector, the remote control being provided with a function of operating the hand detector. In addition, the stop of the hand detection function or the continuous water discharge is performed by a remote control operation. For this reason, the forced water stoppage and continuous water supply can be realized only by operating the remote control, which is extremely convenient in a public toilet or the like provided with a large number of hand washers.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 relates to a first embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1A is a side view showing the entire automatic faucet, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the faucet main body.

FIG. 2 relates to a second embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1A is a side view showing the entire automatic faucet, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the faucet main body.

FIG. 3 relates to a third embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the entire automatic faucet, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of a remote control operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an entire automatic faucet according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic faucet 1a ... Faucet main body 4 ... Front part of faucet main body 5 ... Water spout 6 ... Hand detection sensor 7 ... Manual switch 8 ... Controller 9 ... Valve unit 10 ... Automatic faucet 10a ... Faucet faucet body 11 , 12 ... Manual switch 13 ... Automatic faucet 13a ... Faucet body 14 ... Remote control operation unit 15 ... Remote control light receiving sensor 16 ... Hand detection function stop switch 17 ... Continuous water discharge switch 18 ... Reset switch 25 ... Automatic faucet

Claims (3)

[Claims] In an automatic faucet provided with a control unit for supplying or stopping water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector, the hand detection function is stopped on the back side of the faucet body which is difficult to see from the front. Automatic faucet, provided with a manual switch for operation. 2. An automatic faucet provided with a control unit for supplying or stopping water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector to continuously discharge water on the back side of the faucet main body which is difficult to see from the front. An automatic faucet which can be operated manually, provided with a manual switch. 3. An automatic faucet having a control unit for supplying or stopping water supply based on a hand detection signal from a hand detector, wherein a function of operating the hand detector by a remote controller is provided, and the hand detection function is stopped. Alternatively, an automatic faucet that can be manually operated, wherein continuous water discharge is performed by a remote control operation.