JPS63111383A - Automatic faucet device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce electrical power consumption, by providing such an arrangement that an automatic faucet device is started by use of a push button switch or a pyroelectric type sensor so that electrical energization is made only during feed of water. CONSTITUTION:A semiconductor switch 3a adapted to be energized by a pyroelectric type sensor 3b is connected between a control section 4 for controlling the drive part 7a of a main valve 7b and a battery 5, and a timer for feeding a water in a predetermined time is provided in the control section. With this arrangement, when the user approaches a faucet, the pyroelectric sensor 3c senses his body temperature so as to energize the semiconductor switch 3c, and therefore, the control section also energized so that the control section opens the main valve 7b for the time set by the timer to feed water. With this arrangement, no energization is required other than the time for feeding water, thereby it is possible to decrease the consumption power of the battery.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to an automatic faucet device that automatically controls the start and stop of water supply to a washbasin based on the operation of a starter.

<Prior art> Conventionally, as this type of automatic faucet device, for example,
There is one published in No. 8578.

To explain the dispute in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 60-8578, the activation unit constantly emits infrared rays several thousand times per second from a light emitting element, and this infrared rays hit the user of the washbasin and are reflected. , is composed of a diffuse reflection type photoelectric sensor that generates a sensing signal when a light receiving element receives the reflected light, outputs the sensing signal to the control unit, and then closes the water supply unit for a predetermined period of time after the output ends. The valve is opened.

Therefore, the conventional method described above is equivalent to continuously emitting infrared rays to the activation part, so it consumes a lot of power.
When a battery is used as a driving power source for an automatic faucet device, the life of the battery is short and it is necessary to replace the battery frequently, which is not only troublesome but also uneconomical.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> A problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the power consumption of the starting unit.

Means for Solving the Problems> Technical means taken by the present invention to solve the above problems include a water discharging device that supplies water to the washbasin, and an opening/closing signal to the water supply section based on the operation of the starting section. In an automatic faucet device comprising a control unit that outputs an output, and a water supply unit that opens and closes a valve in response to a jfl close signal from the control unit and supplies washing water to a water discharging device, the automatic faucet device uses a battery as a driving power source and The control section consists of a pushbutton switch installed in the circuit that connects the control section and the battery, or a pyroelectric sensor that detects infrared rays emitted from the human body and outputs a DC voltage. The invention is characterized in that it is provided with a timer that outputs a valve signal for a predetermined period of time when the section is activated.

Function> The function of the present invention is that only when the pushbutton switch constituting the starting section is manually operated or when the pyroelectric sensor detects the user and outputs a DC voltage, the water supply section is set to the specified position via the llll1 section. The valve is opened for a certain period of time, and after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the water supply section is automatically closed regardless of the activation section.

<Example> Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a water spouting device (2) is disposed on the counter surface (1a) of a washbasin (1), and an activation part (3) is provided on the top surface of the water spouting device (2). button switch (3
This shows the case configured in a).

The pushbutton switch (3a) is arranged in a circuit (6) that communicates between the control unit (4) and a battery (5) that is a driving power source,
When the user presses the operating surface (3a+) provided so that it can appear and retract freely, it turns on and the control section (3a+) is turned on from the battery (5).
4), and turn on the operation surface (3a+) again.
), the control unit (
4) is stopped, and a timer (4a), which will be described later, is returned to its initial state.

The control unit (4) has a timer (4a) therein, and the timer (4a) starts its operation at the same time as the power supply to the control unit (4) starts, and after a predetermined period of time, for example, 30 seconds has passed, the timer (4a) starts its operation. After a time has elapsed, the system returns to the initial state, and at the same time turns the push button switch (3a) into the OFF state to stop the power supply to the control section (4).

Further, the control section (4) electrically controls the operation of the water supply section (7) by outputting a valve opening signal or a valve closing signal to the water supply section (7) in accordance with the operation of the timer (4a). In this embodiment, a valve opening signal is output at the same time as the timer (4a) starts operating, and the valve opening signal is sent to the operating coil of the latching solenoid (7a) constituting the water supply section (7) for a predetermined period of time, for example, 20 m.
The timer (4a) times up or the timer (4a) is turned on by the push button switch (3a).
) is returned to its initial state, at that point an m-valve signal is output to energize the return coil of the latching solenoid (1a) for a predetermined period of time, for example, 20 m++ seconds.

The water supply section (7) consists of a latching solenoid (7a) and a main valve (7b) constituted by a diaphragm, and in the case of this embodiment, the water supply unit (2) and the water supply source are connected to an N-rated water supply flow path. (8) A valve seat on which a diaphragm approaches and separates is disposed in the valve seat, and a latching solenoid (7a) is disposed behind the diaphragm to define a pressure amount.

The latching solenoid (1a) moves the plunger upward by energizing the operating coil, and lowers the plunger by energizing the return coil. This is a conventionally known l13& which maintains the state, and when the plunger is moving downward, its end face closes the pilot hole drilled in the diaphragm, and when the plunger moves upward, the pilot hole is opened. It has become.

The diaphragm has a conventionally well-known structure, with a pilot hole in the center and a small hole in the outer periphery.When the pilot hole is closed, its lower surface abuts the valve seat and closes the main valve (7b). ) is closed, stopping the water supply from the water supply source to the water discharging device (2), but when the pilot hole opens, the water in the pressure chamber is discharged from the hole to the secondary side and moves upward, causing the bottom surface to move away from the valve seat. When the main valve (7b) leaves the valve, it opens and starts supplying water to the water discharging device (2).If the pilot hole is closed in this state, the water on the primary side flows into the pressure chamber from the small hole, and the water supply pressure increases. The main valve (7b) gradually moves downward until its lower surface seats on the valve seat, and the main valve (7b) closes.

Therefore, in such an automatic faucet device, the control unit (4) is not normally energized, and when the user approaches the washbasin (1) and presses the push button switch (3a), the battery (5) is turned off. Control unit (
4), the main valve (7b) of the water supply section (7) is opened, and cleaning water is supplied to the water discharging device (2). Also, the main valve (
If 30 seconds have passed since the valve 1b) opened, or if the pushbutton switch (3a) is pressed again before 30 seconds have passed, the power supply to the control part (4) is stopped and the water supply part (7) is turned off. The main valve (7b) closes to stop water supply to the water discharging device (2).

In addition, the installation position of the push button switch (3a) is the water spouting device (2).
) is not limited to the top surface but is arbitrary.

Next, what is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is another embodiment, in which the starting part (35) is composed of a pyroelectric senna (3b) embedded in the front surface of the base of the water discharging device (2). It shows the case.

In this embodiment, the electroless sensor (3b) has a hot junction and a cold junction configured by connecting thermal lightning pairs in series, and the temperature rise at the hot junction due to absorption of infrared rays and the temperature difference between the cold junction This is a thermomobile type infrared sensor that generates a DC voltage as thermal activation power, and is provided together with a switch unit (3C) in a circuit (6) that connects a control unit (4) and a battery (5). is output to the switch section (3C) as a sensing signal.

The switch section (3C) is a semiconductor switch such as a transistor or a thyristor, and when no sensing signal is input from the pyroelectric sensor (3b), it is in the OFF state and stops power supply from the battery (5) to the control section (4). When the sensor inputs a sensing signal, it switches to the ON state and the control unit (4) switches from the battery (5) to the control unit (4).
Start energizing.

Furthermore, a stop pushbutton switch (
3d), and the stop pushbutton switch (3d) is normally in the ON state, and the circuit (6) is closed to control tlltgS.
(4) can be energized, but the timer (4) of the control section (4)
If the operation surface (3d+) is pushed during the operation of a), the circuit (6) is opened and power cannot be supplied to the 1tilltl1 part (4).

Therefore, what is shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is usually υIt[1
When the part (4) is not energized and the user approaches the washbasin (1), the pyroelectric sensor (3b) detects this and starts energizing the control part (4), turning on the water supply part ( 7) Main valve (7b)
Open the valve to supply cleaning water to the water spouting device (2). Also, the main valve (
If 30 seconds have elapsed since the valve 7b) opened, or if the stop pushbutton switch (3d) is pressed again before 30 seconds have elapsed, the power supply to the control part (4) is stopped and the water supply part (7b) is opened. )
The main valve (7b) closes to stop water supply to the water discharging device (2).

In addition, in the above-mentioned device, the pyroelectric sensor (3b) is connected to the water discharging tool (2).
), but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the pyroelectric sensor (3b) may be disposed at the front end of the water discharging tool (2), for example, as shown in FIG.

<Effect of the invention> Since the present invention has the above configuration, it has the following advantages.

■ Only when the pushbutton switch that constitutes the starting section is manually operated or when the pyroelectric sensor detects the user and outputs DC voltage, the water supply section is operated for a predetermined amount of time via the υ control section,
After the predetermined time has elapsed, the water supply valve is automatically closed regardless of the starting part, so there is no need to energize the starting part, which reduces power consumption compared to conventional models with a starting part that needs to be constantly energized. can be made smaller.

Therefore, even if batteries are used as the driving power source for automatic faucet devices, the battery life will be longer and there will be no need to replace batteries frequently, which not only has the economical advantage of significantly reducing maintenance costs, but also greatly reduces the hassle of replacing batteries. Reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of an automatic faucet device showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing electrical wiring, Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a water tap; FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of an automatic faucet device showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing electrical wiring, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the water discharging device. FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a water discharging tool showing a modification of the arrangement of the electroless sensor. 1... Hand wash basin 2... Water spouting device 3... Starting part 3a... Push button switch 3b... Pyroelectric sensor 4... Control part 4a... Timer 5.
...Battery 6...Circuit 7...Water supply section Patent applicant TOTO I13 Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 4 @ Figure 5! . O Fig. 6 Cali

Claims (1)

[Claims] A water spouting device that supplies water to the wash basin, a control section that outputs an opening/closing signal to the water supply section based on the operation of the starting section, and a water supply that opens and closes a valve based on the opening/closing signal from the control section to supply washing water to the water discharging device. In an automatic faucet device equipped with a battery, the driving power source is a battery, and the activation part is a push button switch provided in a circuit connecting the control part and the battery, or a button that senses infrared rays generated from the human body. An automatic water faucet device comprising a pyroelectric sensor that outputs a DC voltage, and a control section provided with a timer that outputs a valve signal for a predetermined period of time when the activation section is activated.