JPS61262284A - Water-supply controlling system for water service - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automate the water supply and stop by controlling an electromagnetic water supply part on the basis of the detection information of a sensor for detecting the presence of a human being in a certain area. CONSTITUTION:A sensor part 6 which detects the presence of a human being in a certain area and consists of an infrared-ray transmission part 4 and a receiving part 5 is installed. A control part 7 is installed which generates the control information on the basis of the detection information supplied from the sensor part 6, and controls an electromagnetic water supply cock according to said control information. With such constitution, water supply and stop can be automated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention particularly relates to a water supply control system for tap water that can automatically supply water by detecting the presence of a person.

(Prior art) Conventionally, in water faucets, water supply and water shutoff have been performed using mechanical means that are exclusively operated by humans, such as those that open and close the faucet by turning a faucet by hand, or pressing a button by hand. Most of them open the stopper for a short time and then close it by releasing the hand, or open and close the stopper by moving the cock or discharge nozzle at a certain angle.

In addition, these means simply open and close waterways to supply and stop water, and the reality is that they do not have any other functions.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, the above conventional means has the following problems.

First, mechanical components are manually operated to open and close the stopper, making the operation extremely cumbersome. Particularly in the relatively popular type of cock that is turned by hand, it takes a long time to open and close the cock, and if your hands are dirty, the cock gets dirty and becomes unclean when you perform the next operation. arise.

Second, due to its structure, it is not possible to add a pond function. For example, it is difficult to put it to practical use when automatically opening and closing a cock, etc., and for this reason, it is virtually impossible to add various other functions, and the usability is limited to an extremely narrow range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned problems, and particularly to provide a water supply control system for water supply that can automatically supply and stop water without any manual operation.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention particularly relates to a water supply control system for water supply that utilizes the processing power of a microcomputer, etc., and is characterized by an internal structure as shown in FIGS. A faucet body part 2 which has a waterway W and is detachable from a water faucet nozzle N.
and 1. An electromagnetic water supply valve unit 3 that opens and closes the waterway W, a sensor unit 6 that detects the presence of a person within a certain area and includes, for example, an infrared light emitting unit 4 and a light receiving unit 5, and detection information from this sensor unit 6. A control unit 7 that generates control information based on the information and controls the electromagnetic water supply valve unit 3 using this control information.
The point is that it was constructed from.

(effect) Next, the operation of the present invention will be explained.

First, when there is no person within a certain area, no infrared rays from the infrared light emitter 4 are received by the light receiver 5 because there is no reflecting object. Therefore, the control information from the control unit 7 is information that the electromagnetic water supply valve unit 3 does not operate, and the waterway W
is in a closed (water-tight) state.

On the other hand, when a person approaches the faucet body part 2 and is present within a certain area, the infrared rays from the infrared light emitting part 4 are reflected from the person (body, hand, etc.), and this reflected light is received by the light receiving part 5. As a result, if the control information becomes, for example, information that causes the electromagnetic water supply valve section 3 to operate, the water channel W is brought into an open (water supply) state and water is discharged from the faucet body 2. On the other hand, if the person leaves and no longer exists within a certain area, automatic water supply/water shutoff control is performed, such as returning to the closed (water supply) state again.

(Example) Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

First, the overall configuration will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is an external front view of a water supply control system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external side view of a faucet body unit, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the unit.

First, the configuration of the faucet body unit will be explained with reference to FIG.

The faucet body unit 10 includes a faucet body 11 , a pilot type electromagnetic water supply valve (hereinafter abbreviated as water supply valve) 12 , and a sensor unit 13 .

The faucet body 11 is a body main body 11a integrally formed of resin.
The main body 11a has a water supply port 8 at the top. This water supply port 8 communicates with a water supply chamber T facing the valve body portion 12a of the water supply valve 12, and the tip of a cylindrical valve seat portion 14 is provided inside the water supply chamber T so as to face the valve body portion 12a. An intermediate waterway 15 extending substantially horizontally is formed inside the valve seat portion 14 .

The downstream side of the intermediate waterway 15 communicates with the water outlet 9 via a switching means 16 that switches between shower water and straight water. In addition, 9a is a shower water outlet, 9b is a straight water outlet, and 17 is a switching lever for switching the switching means 1 and 6. For example, it is a known switching lever that moves to the right for shower water discharge and moves to the left for straight water discharge. The means 16 is constituted.

On the other hand, a threaded portion 18 is formed on the upper outer periphery of the main body 11a, and a flange 20 is attached to the threaded portion 18 by a nut 19. Furthermore, fixing screws 21 are screwed inward from a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the flange 20, thereby tightening and fixing an existing water faucet nozzle or the like inserted into the flange 20.

At this time, the tip of the existing faucet nozzle N is press-fitted into the rubber packing 23, and the nut 19 is rotated and tightened, and the packing 23 is pressed against the upper end of the main body 11a to seal the waterway. In addition, 24 is a filter for removing dust attached to the water supply port 8, and 25 is an outer cover.

Note that by using such a faucet poddy 10, it is possible to control the water supply and water stop at an existing faucet, but the flow rate must be adjusted to a desired flow rate in advance by turning the cock of the existing faucet. Bye. Further, a means for adjusting the flow rate may be separately provided within the main body 11a if necessary.

On the other hand, the water supply valve 12 includes the aforementioned valve body portion 12a and a solenoid portion 30 that drives the valve body portion 12a.

The valve body portion 12a is made up of a rubber diaphragm 31 that partitions the water supply chamber T, and a synthetic resin diaphragm plate 32 stacked on the rear surface of the diaphragm 31. diaphragm 3
1 is clamped to the main body 13 by the back pressure chamber forming portion 38 of the armature guide 55 at its peripheral edge 3La.

The diaphragm plate 32 has a valve seat shaft portion 33 provided in the center and other surfaces, and a communication shaft portion 34 provided in the other surface.
1 to be integrated by penetrating and locking.

A discharge hole 35 is formed in the valve seat shaft portion 33, and a communication hole 36 is formed in the communication shaft portion 34.

On the other hand, the armature guide 55 includes a cylindrical guide portion 37 and the back pressure chamber forming portion 38 provided in a radial direction from the front edge of the guide portion 37. This forms a back pressure chamber S surrounded by the armature guide 55, particularly the back pressure chamber forming portion 38 and the valve body portion 12a. Armachia Guide 55
is held by a front yoke portion 39 in the form of a steel plate ring, and this front yoke portion 39 is fixed to the main body 11a with screws or the like.

Further, a solenoid coil 56 is provided on the outer circumference of the guide portion 37.
A bobbin 40 wound with is inserted thereinto, and further surrounded by a cylindrical rear yoke portion 41 having a rear end surface portion.

The front end of the rear yoke part 41 is integrally and continuously formed with the front yoke part 39. Note that a rear auxiliary pole 43 formed by integrating a cylindrical portion and a ring portion is provided from the rear end surface of the bobbin 40 to the rear inner circumferential surface of the bobbin 40, and from the front end surface of the front yoke portion 39 to the front inner circumferential surface of the bobbin 40. A front auxiliary pole 44, which is also formed by integrating a cylindrical portion and a ring portion, is interposed at the portion leading to the front auxiliary pole 44, which also serves to reinforce a part of the magnetic circuit and the end portion of the armature guide 55.

On the other hand, this guide 55 is inside the armature guide 55.
A rod-shaped fixed core 57 made of stainless steel (magnetic material) and having an outer diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter is inserted. Fixed core 57
The rear end portion is integrally formed as a small-diameter cylindrical shaft portion 57a, and a concave groove 45 along the circumferential direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface, and a circle ring 46 is fitted into the concave groove 45 for sealing. Thereby, the watertightness between the fixed core 57 and the armature guide 55 becomes sufficient. On the other hand, the rear end surface portion 55a of the guide 55 has a hole 58 having approximately the same diameter as the cylinder shaft portion 57a, and the rear yoke portion 41 also has a hole 47 formed therein. Therefore, the cylinder shaft portion 57
a indicates each hole 58.47 from the inside of the armature guide 55.
If the yoke 59, armature guide 55,
The fixed core 57 is integrated.

Furthermore, an armature 60 is inserted in front of the fixed core 57 in the armature guide 55. This Armatia 60
is formed into a stainless steel (magnetic material) rod with a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the armature guide 55.
It can be slid freely within 5. A resin sheet 48 is embedded in the front end of the armature 60 by caulking, and this sheet 4
By exposing the front surface of 8, it functions as a valve that opens and closes the discharge hole 35 of the diaphragm plate 32.

On the other hand, the rear end surface of the armachia 60 and the front end surface of the fixed core 57 each become a contact surface 60a57a during suction, but the contact surface 57a of the fixed core 57 is concave, and the contact surface 60a of the armature 60 is a convex taper. The surfaces are formed respectively and fit together when adsorbed. This makes it possible to substantially expand the adsorption area. Furthermore, a recess 49.50 is formed in the center of each contact surface 57a, 60a, and a coil spring 51 serving as a biasing means is compressed between each recess 49.50.

The solenoid section 30 having the above configuration is covered by a cover 52.

Next, the operation of the water supply valve 12 will be explained.

First, when the solenoid coil 56 is not energized, the armature 60 and the valve body 12 are
a is displaced forward, and the diaphragm 31 is connected to the cylindrical valve seat portion 14.
is in pressure contact with. Further, the water supplied to the water supply port 8 fills the water supply chamber T and also fills the back pressure chamber S through the insertion hole 36, so that the pressures in the back pressure chamber S and the water supply chamber T become equal. As a result, back pressure is applied to the diaphragm plate 32, and the diaphragm 31 is brought into pressure contact with the cylindrical valve seat 14, resulting in a water-stop state.

On the other hand, for example, a 4V battery is connected to the solenoid coil 56.
(or a battery) and excite it, the front yoke part 39-
A magnetic circuit is formed by the path of front auxiliary pole 44 - armachia 60 → fixed core 57 - rear yoke part 41 (rear auxiliary pole 43 ) - front yoke part 39 , and in particular the fixed core 57 and rear yoke part 4
1 is completely magnetically connected in advance. Furthermore, inside the solenoid coil 56, a fixed core 57 and an armature 60
The opposing surfaces of the two become magnetic poles and face each other with a gap G interposed therebetween.

Therefore, during excitation, a strong attractive force is applied to the side contact surface 57a.

60a, and the armature 60 is attracted to the fixed core 57. The position of the armature 60 opens the discharge hole 35 of the diaphragm plate 32, and the water in the back pressure chamber T is discharged from the discharge hole 35 to the intermediate waterway 15. As a result, the water pressure in the back pressure chamber T becomes lower than the water pressure in the water supply chamber T, and the water pressure in the water supply chamber T displaces the valve body portion 12a rearward, and from the water supply chamber T to the intermediate waterway 1.
Water flows out to 5. In other words, water is being supplied.

In the present invention, the fixed core 57 and the rear yoke portion 41 pass through the armature guide 55 and are integrally coupled. Therefore, in order to require watertightness, the armature guide 5
Although it was not possible to form any holes etc. in No. 5, high watertightness can be maintained sufficiently with this configuration.

Further, a water supply switch 70 and a water stop switch 71 are arranged on the front surface of the faucet body 11. Each switch is a touch switch that turns on with a slight pressing force.

Next, the sensor unit 13 will be explained.

The sensor unit 13 is attached to the side of the main body 11a via a rotation shaft. As a result, as shown by the imaginary line in Figure 2, the required angle range (for example, 90 degrees up and down in front of the horizontal)
) and can be fixed at a predetermined angle by having a click type structure. In addition, as shown in the figure, the sensor unit 13 is inclined so that the bottom side is inward (approximately 9 degrees with respect to the vertical line) when the contact surface to the main body 11a side is in the front, and the rear side is inward in the plane. It is formed on an inclined flat surface that is inclined (approximately 9 degrees with respect to the horizontal line in the longitudinal direction). As a result, when the unit 13 is directed horizontally forward as shown by the solid line, it emits light straight forward, and the body of the person standing in front can be detected, while the other unit 1
3 is directed downward vertically as shown by the two-dot chain line, the light is tilted inward at a predetermined angle (approximately 18°) with respect to the vertical line, and the light is emitted in the direction of arrow H in the figure. Make it possible to detect this when you hold it out. The sensor unit 13 has a case 13a, and on the upper side of the front surface of the case 13a is an infrared light emitting section 4 such as an infrared light emitting diode that emits infrared light forward, and on the lower side, the infrared light emitting part 4 receives the reflected light of the infrared light reflected from an object. A light receiving section 5 such as a phototransistor is provided. Note that lenses may be provided on the front surfaces of the light emitting section 4 and the light receiving section 5 if necessary, so that the sensitive distance can be adjusted.

Next, the control section 7 will be explained. Specifically, the control unit 7 is configured as a controller 80 having a microcomputer function. The controller 8o is connected to the faucet body unit 1° via a cord 81, and the water supply and water stop switches 7o and 71 are connected to the light emitting section 4 and the light receiving section 5, respectively, thereby inputting this information. Based on this, a control signal processed and generated is given to the water supply valve 12a to control water supply or water stop.

The controller 80 has a built-in power source using a 4-inch battery or a battery. Note that if necessary, an AC/DC adapter can also be used to use a commercial power source. The controller 80 has a keyboard 83 and an LCD display 8 on a front panel 82.
It is equipped with a microcomputer (hardware) that executes various processes and stores data using a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and also includes various control programs and a clock. Software such as functions is stored in memory.

This controller 80 is based on the present invention, which will be described later, in addition to automatic water supply control based on the approach of a person, automatic water supply control of a desired water supply amount using a flow rate sensor attached to the main body 11a,
It has functions such as remote control operation by combining a transmitter and receiver, and automatic water supply control by time reservation using a timer.

Next, a specific example of water supply control based on the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG. The same figure is a flowchart diagram showing an example of water supply control.

[Water supply control using touch switch]

It is a manual operation, and water can be supplied by turning on the water supply switch 70, and water can be stopped by turning on the water cutoff switch 71.

The specific procedure based on FIG. 4 will be described below.

(Step 100)...Turn on the water supply switch 70.

(Step 110)...The water supply valve 12 is excited, thereby opening the valve body portion 12a and entering the water supply state.

(Step 111)...Turn on the water stop switch 71.

(Step 112)...The water supply valve 12 is de-energized,
As a result, the valve body portion 12a closes and enters a water-stop state.

(Stella 7'113) ... Initialize via a 0.3 sec interval timer (to prevent malfunction).

[Automatic water supply control based on the approach of a person]

It is an automatic water supply system, and when a person approaches the snake robot body unit 10 and is within a certain area, it will automatically enter the water supply state, and when the person leaves and is no longer within the area, the water will automatically stop. There are two types: one for toilets, and one for toilets that detects when a person is present in a certain area and has left the area, and then supplies water for a certain period of time.

The specific procedure based on FIG. 4 will be described below.

(Step 100) ...Water supply switch 70 is OFF
It is F.

(Step 120)...The light emitting unit 4 emits photo pulses for 30 m5 ec at intervals of 3 m5 ec (responsible for about 10 pulses).

"Interruption" (Step 121)...When a person approaches and exists within a certain area, the light receiving section 5 receives a photo pulse and moves to interrupt processing. Note that even if infrared light such as sunlight is received, it is not a pulse, so it is ignored in this case. In other words, even if pulses are not normally output, if infrared rays are input, the process will shift to interrupt processing, so a decision is made to ignore everything except when pulses are being output.

(Step 122)...The light reception flag is reset by receiving the photopulse.

(Step 123)...The number of photo pulses received is counted up.

(Step 124)...If the number of counted up photopulses is 6 or more, a light reception flag is set.

(Step 125)...The process jumps by setting the light reception flag and moves to the next step 126.

(Steps 126 and 127)...Photo pulses are emitted at intervals of 1 sec by setting the light reception flag. This is to prevent malfunctions due to passage of insects, etc.

(Step 128)... Photo pulses are emitted for 30 m5 ec at intervals of 3 m5 ec.

(Steps 129 and 130)... Check again and if there is a light reception flag, move on to the next step, otherwise 0
．． It is initialized via a 3 sec interval timer.

"General use" (Step 130) J...The water supply valve 12 is activated by setting the light reception flag and confirming it again, and enters the water supply state.

(Step 131)...The photopulse emission continues for 30 m5 ec at an interval of 3 m5 ec.

(Step 132, Step 33) Check whether the light reception flag is present or not. If there is, repeat the step of checking the light reception flag again after an interval of 1 sec. As a result, the water supply state is maintained while the light reception flag is present.

(Step 132)...If there is no light reception flag, that is, if the person has moved away, jump to step 112,
The water supply valve 12 is de-energized and the valve body portion 12a is closed. This causes the water to stop.

“For toilet” (steps 140 and 141)...When the light reception flag is confirmed in step 128, there is an interval of 1 sec,
Furthermore, 30 photopulses are sent at intervals of 3m5ec.
Receives light during m5ec.

(Step 142) Check to see if there is a light reception flag, and if there is, maintain the same state, that is, the water stop state. On the other hand, if there is none, move to the next step.

(Step 143)...If the light reception flag is no longer present, the water supply valve 12a is operated to enter the water supply state.

(Step 144)...The water supply state is maintained for 5 seconds. Note that this 5 seconds can be arbitrarily set variably.

Then, after 5 seconds have elapsed, jump to step 112,
The water supply valve 12 is de-energized and the valve body portion 12a is closed.

This causes the water to stop.

In addition, the general mode and toilet mode are set in advance by the controller 8.
0 using the attached switch.

Although the control example has been described above, various other arbitrary controls can be performed, such as supplying water for a certain period of time and then shutting off the water after sensing a person.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and any electromagnetic water valve that uses a commercial power source as a power source can be applied, for example. Furthermore, the sensor section is not limited to optical means, but can use other means capable of detecting the presence of a person in a certain area. Furthermore, the control section may be a combination of a microcomputer and other electrical circuits having the same function.

Other changes may be made in the detailed structure, shape, arrangement, and control procedure without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Note that the present invention can perform liquid supply control not only for water supply but also for any other fluid, and can be applied not only to a type in which the faucet body is attached to and removed from an existing faucet nozzle, but also to a type in which it is integrated into piping, etc. Also available.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the water supply control system for water supply according to the present invention has a water channel inside, and includes a faucet body part that can be attached to and detached from a water faucet nozzle, an electromagnetic water supply valve part that opens and closes this water channel, and a sensor unit that detects the presence of within a certain area, and generates control information based on the detection information from this sensor unit,
Since it includes a control section that controls the electromagnetic water supply valve section based on this control information, the following significant effects are obtained.

0 people can automatically supply and shut off water without touching the faucet at all, eliminating the hassle of conventional operations, and quickly supplying and shutting off water. It can maintain the cleanliness required of the water supply.

■Since the waterway can be opened and closed using electrical signals, various automatic controls are possible. Therefore, it is possible to achieve multifunctionality and diversification, and to achieve remarkable improvements in convenience such as excellent versatility and expandability. In particular, since the function of opening and closing the waterway using electric signals can be easily added to an existing faucet, it can be installed extremely easily without relying on a specialist in piping or the like. In addition, even people who have difficulty operating a faucet due to physical disabilities (disabilities, etc.) can easily open and close the waterway, and water can also be easily supplied by remote control.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external front view of the water supply control system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an external side view of the faucet body unit, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the unit, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of water supply control. In the drawings, 2... Faucet body part, 3... Electromagnetic water supply valve part, 4... Infrared light emitting part, 5... Light receiving part, 6...
...Sensor part, 7...Control part, N...Faucet nozzle, W...Waterway.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A water supply control system for water supply comprising the following parts. (a) A faucet body that has a water channel inside and is detachable from a water faucet nozzle, (b) An electromagnetic water supply valve that opens and closes the water channel, (c) Detects the presence of a person within a certain area. (d) a control section that generates control information based on the detection information from the sensor section and controls the electromagnetic water supply valve section based on this control information; 2. The electromagnetic water supply valve section is a pilot type electromagnetic water supply system; The water supply control system for water supply according to claim 1, characterized in that the system is a valve. 3. The tap water supply control system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor section includes an infrared light emitting section and a light receiving section that receives infrared light from the light emitting section. 4. The water supply control system for tap water according to claim 1, wherein the control section has a built-in timer function and supplies water for a predetermined period of time set in advance based on the detected information.