KR102076187B1 - Faucet device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a faucet device, which includes: a faucet installed with a water supply pipe and a water discharge pipe therein; an electronic valve opening and closing a water discharge flow rate supplied to the water discharge pipe; a detection part detecting movement of a user for an operation of the electronic valve; and a control part controlling opening and closing of the electronic valve based on a detected result of the detection part, wherein the detection part is provided as a capacitance sensor detecting that a conductor having a body of the user approaches within a predetermined distance or comes in contact. Therefore, since the faucet device only reacts to the body of the user unlike the conventional non-contact sensor, the malfunction is minimized and the user′s operation intention is exactly applied so that the water saving effect can be maximized.

Description

Faucet device {FAUCET DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a power receiving device, in particular, by minimizing malfunction by reacting only to a conductor including a human body, it is possible to accurately reflect the intention of operation and to maximize the water-saving effect due to this, the capacitance sensor on one circuit board By implementing the control part and the unit integrally, it relates to a power receiving device which is very easy to produce, manage parts, workability and maintenance.

A faucet is a device that opens and closes water at the end of a water supply pipe. Faucets are divided into various types according to their use, installation location or function.

For example, in addition to simply adjusting the amount of water output, the kitchen faucet may be provided with a water extraction head extending from the water extraction body so as to be able to adjust the amount of hot water and cold water, or to adjust the shape, direction, and height of the water output.

In addition to the above-mentioned convenience, the kitchen faucet performs the function of the interior interior through the advanced design, and in particular, the importance of water conservation and water saving is gradually increasing.

The water-saving device applied to the conventional faucet device can be largely classified into a touch sensing type in which a user's body directly contacts and a non-contact sensing type for detecting a user's body movement. For example, a push switch, a membrane switch, or a touch sensor that a user touches with a foot is a touch sensing type, and an optical sensor, an infrared sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor sensing a movement of a foot are non-contact sensing type.

Among these, the touch sensing water cutting machine, as in Utility Model Registration No. 0203137, requires the user to directly touch or press the sensor with force, so the user must perform excessive operation. Since damage occurs, the service life is short and has to be replaced frequently.

In addition, the non-contact sensor has a malfunction in response to the user's operation intention and other movements, such as a cleaner, because the sensor detects the movement of all objects (whether conductors or non-conductors) within the sensing distance. In addition, since the optical sensor or the infrared sensor is affected by the basic indoor light source, malfunctions are frequently caused by this, and the ultrasonic sensor is affected by the detection of the indoor wind. Furthermore, all the non-contact sensing sensors described above have a problem that normal sensing itself is impossible due to absorption, scattering, or diffuse reflection of light or ultrasonic waves depending on the material of the sensing object (for example, hair slippers). There is a problem that the basic purpose of water saving effect itself cannot be achieved.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to detect the proximity or contact to the conductor including the human body of the user to minimize the malfunction of the conventional non-contact sensor to accurately reflect the user's operation intention and thereby maximize the water-saving effect, It is to provide a power receiving device that can extend the service life because no mechanical wear occurs.

In addition, another object of the present invention, by implementing the capacitive sensor and the control parts integrally on one circuit board, it is possible to maximize the production efficiency and parts management efficiency, only install the water-saving unit equipped with the circuit board in the corresponding position What is necessary is to provide a power receiving device which is excellent in workability and very easy to repair and replace.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a power receiving device that can effectively detect only the proximity of the body in a specific direction by configuring the shielding member, it is possible to prevent the faucet is operated by other operations irrelevant to the valve operation. There is.

The object is, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the faucet and the water supply pipe and the discharge pipe is installed therein; An solenoid valve for opening and closing a discharge flow rate supplied to the discharge pipe; A detection unit for detecting a movement of a user for operating the solenoid valve; And a control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the solenoid valve based on a detection result of the sensing unit, wherein the sensing unit is provided with a capacitive sensor for detecting that a conductor including a user's body is approaching or touching within a set distance. Is achieved by.

The capacitive sensor may be integrally provided on a circuit board on which the control unit is mounted.

The solenoid valve is installed inside the faucet body through which the water supply pipe and the outlet pipe pass, and the control unit is integrated in the circuit board so that operation control of the sensing unit, control of opening and closing of the solenoid valve, and power supply to them are performed at one place. It can be formed as.

The circuit board may include a substrate and a circuit unit provided on one side of the first surface of the substrate and provided with an electronic component including the controller, and the sensing unit may be provided as a conductive plate provided on the other side of the first surface.

The conductive plate may be provided on a second surface opposite to the first surface.

The conductive plate may be divided into a plurality and provided.

The conductive plate may be integrally formed when the circuit board is manufactured, or may be manufactured and attached separately.

The substrate may be provided with a grounding rod for grounding of the conductive plate.

A shielding member for limiting the sensing direction of the capacitive sensor may be further provided on one side of the circuit board.

The shielding member may be provided with a conductive material or may be provided by coating a conductive material.

The water-saving unit including the circuit board and the unit case for accommodating the shielding member may be installed at any one or two or more positions of the faucet mount so as to sense the proximity or contact of the foot, abdomen, or knee of the faucet user. .

When the water-saving unit is installed in the direction of the user's foot, the capacitive sensor is provided to detect proximity within 8 cm, and when the water-saving unit is installed in the user's abdomen or knee direction, it detects the proximity within 1 ~ 2 cm It may be arranged to.

The faucet has a faucet body through which the water supply pipe and the discharge pipe pass, and the capacitive sensor is provided with the faucet body made of a conductive material, and the controller detects a change in capacitance due to contact with the faucet body. The solenoid valve can be opened and closed.

Therefore, the power receiving device according to the present invention detects proximity or contact to a conductor including a human body of the user, thereby minimizing malfunctions, which are disadvantages of the conventional non-contact sensor, accurately reflecting the user's operation intention and maximizing water saving effect. As a result, mechanical wear does not occur, thus extending the service life.

In addition, the power receiving device according to the present invention can maximize the production efficiency and parts management efficiency by implementing the capacitive sensor and the control parts integrally on one circuit board, and install the water-saving unit equipped with the circuit board only at the corresponding position. Since it is excellent in workability, it is very easy to repair and replace.

In addition, the power receiving device according to the present invention can effectively detect only the proximity of the body in a specific direction by configuring the shielding member, it is possible to prevent the power reception is operated by other operations irrelevant to the valve operation.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a power receiving device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an exploded perspective view of a water saving unit according to another embodiment of the present invention;
3 and 4, a perspective view of a circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a front view of a circuit board according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a power receiving device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power receiving unit 100, a solenoid valve 161, a sensing unit 218, and a control unit. 218 is characterized in that the sensing unit is provided with a capacitive sensor for detecting that the conductor including the user's body is approaching or contacting within a set distance.

Hereinafter, each structure is demonstrated.

The faucet 100 has a water supply pipe 143 and a discharge pipe 141 therein.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a power receiver 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the faucet 100 includes a faucet body 110.

The water outlet hole 111 through which the water outlet pipe 141 passes is provided at an upper portion of the faucet body 110, and a water supply hole 112 through which the water supply pipe 143 passes is provided.

The outlet pipe 141 extends through the outlet hole 111 and is connected to the sink head 133 through the head body 131. Thus, the user can separate the sink head 133 from the faucet body 110, if necessary, can be withdrawn to the desired place.

The water supply pipe 143 may be provided with two water supply pipes of hot water and cold water, as shown in FIG. 1, and the mixing of the hot water and cold water may be operated through the cartridge 124 and the handle 121 to be described later.

The faucet body 110, the installation hole 113 for the installation of the cartridge 124 is further formed on one side, the cartridge 124 and the cartridge for the formation and opening and closing of the mixed water through the installation hole 113, A handle 121 for manually manipulating 124 is assembled. For example, the washer 126 is assembled to the body of the solenoid valve 161 located inside the faucet body 110 through the screw 125, the cartridge 124 is assembled to the washer 126, and the cartridge 124. In front of the press nut 123, the cover 122 and the handle 121 are assembled in this order.

The solenoid valve 161 opens and closes the discharged water flow rate supplied to the discharge pipe 141.

As shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid valve 161 may be provided inside the faucet body 110, but may be provided outside the faucet body 110, for example, on a side of the sink or the mounting table on which the faucet 100 is installed. Can be.

Referring to Figure 1, the solenoid valve 161 is located inside the faucet body 110, the water supply pipe 143 and the water outlet pipe 141 is connected to open and close the water flow rate supplied to the water outlet pipe 141 do.

The solenoid valve 161 may be used without limitation a variety of well-known valves including a solaid valve.

In addition, the valve cover 163 may be further provided to cover the upper portion of the solenoid valve 161, the lower portion of the solenoid valve 161 to support the solenoid valve 161 is fixed to the mounting base of the faucet and Pedestal fasteners 175 may be provided.

The controller controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 161 based on the detection result of the sensing unit 218.

The detector 218 detects a user's movement for operating the solenoid valve 161.

The power receiving device 1 according to the present invention is provided with a capacitive sensor in which the sensing unit 218 detects proximity or contact of a conductor including a user's body within a set distance.

The capacitive sensor 218 detects a change in capacitance when a conductor including a user's body approaches within the set distance, and when a change of more than a set value is detected, the controller determines that it is a valid operation signal and the solenoid valve 161. To control the opening and closing.

Therefore, the power receiving device according to the present invention, unlike the conventional non-contact sensor, reacts only to a conductor including a human body, thereby minimizing malfunctions, thereby accurately reflecting the user's operation intention and maximizing water saving effects.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 1, the power receiver 1 according to the present invention includes a power receiver 100, a water saving unit 200, and a cable module 300 connecting and supplying power thereto.

The faucet 100 has a faucet body 110 through which the water outlet pipe 141 and the water supply pipe 143 pass, and the solenoid valve 161 is installed inside the faucet body 110. However, as described above, the installation position of the solenoid valve 161 can be variously changed and does not affect the scope of the present invention.

However, the solenoid valve 161 is provided inside the faucet body 110 to unitize the faucet portion, and the capacitive sensor 218 to be described later is integrated into the unit cases 201 and 202 together with the shielding member 220. When the water-saving unit 200 is formed, there is an advantage that the installation and maintenance of the power receiver 1 is very easy.

The cable module 300 connects each of the power supply 100, the water saving unit 200, and an external power source to be electrically and physically detachably connected to each other to enable transmission of one or more of power or control signals.

Here, electrically and physically detachable means that cables connected to each component are physically coupled and detached easily by connectors at ends, so that transmission and reception of power and control signals are possible electrically.

Meanwhile, the connector illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and it is obvious that the connector includes all examples that perform the same function regardless of its name or shape.

Referring to FIG. 2, the water saving unit 200 includes unit cases 201 and 202 which accommodate the circuit board 210 and the shielding member 220.

The capacitive sensor 218 is integrally provided on the circuit board 210 on which the control unit is mounted.

On the other hand, the control unit is preferably formed integrally on the circuit board 210 so that the operation control of the sensing unit 218, the opening and closing control of the solenoid valve 161 and the power supply to them are performed in one place. However, since another auxiliary circuit board including a control unit may be provided inside the faucet body 110 adjacent to the solenoid valve 161, the auxiliary circuit board may be configured as a separate circuit board 210 instead of an integrated circuit. It is also possible to freely change what is provided in other positions.

Referring to FIG. 3, the circuit board 210 includes a substrate 219 and a circuit unit 212 provided at one side of the first surface of the substrate 219 and provided with an electronic component including a control unit. ) May be provided as the conductive plate 218 provided on the other side of the first surface.

The size and shape of the conductive plate 218 may be variously modified in consideration of the sensing position or the installation position.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, one end of the circuit unit 212 may be disposed, and the conductive plate 218 may be disposed on the other side thereof, and as shown in FIG. ) May be disposed in the center and divided into both sides of the conductive plate 218. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the conductive plate 218 may be divided into a plurality of pieces, and the divided conductive plate 218 may be provided in various shapes such as a circle or a polygon.

In this case, various algorithms for correcting the capacitance input value detected by the conductive plate 218 or removing noise may be applied. When the conductive plate 218 is divided into a plurality of pieces, interference between the conductive plates 218 may be applied. Algorithms for solving can be applied.

Since the conductive plate 218 illustrates an example of the capacitive sensor, the conductive plate 218 may be modified in other types, shapes, and sizes as necessary.

Meanwhile, the conductive plate 218 may also be provided on the second surface opposite to the first surface. That is, the conductive plate 218 may be provided on only one surface (first surface) of the circuit board as needed, and as shown in FIG. 4, provided on both side surfaces (first surface and second surface). May be In the latter case, of course, the size, shape and number of the conductive plates respectively provided on the first and second surfaces may be different according to their needs.

The conductive plate 218 may be integrally formed when the circuit board 210 is manufactured or may be manufactured and attached separately. For example, the copper plate (copper) formed on the surface of epoxy, which is the base material of the substrate 219, may be simultaneously formed as the conductive plate 218 in the circuit forming step of the circuit part in the manufacture of the circuit board 210, or A separate conductive material may be attached to the completed circuit board 210.

As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 219 may be provided with a grounding rod 2123 for grounding the conductive plate 218. The ground rod 2123 may be grounded through the unit cases 201 and 202 or the shielding member 220 to be described later.

The shielding member 220 is provided to limit the sensing direction of the capacitive sensor 218 on one side of the circuit board 210. Thus, the shielding member 220 allows the sensing to be performed only when the proximity of the conductor including the body is performed in the desired direction.

That is, when the water saving unit 200 is installed in the upper portion of the space between the sink and the bottom surface, as shown in Figure 2, the upper unit case 201 is directed to the kitchen appliance storage position in the sink, the shielding member 220 As shown in the figure when the 'c' shape to block the direction of the upper unit case 210, the user can prevent the detection due to unintended operation, such as the operation to accommodate the kitchen utensils.

Here, even when the capacitive sensor 218 is provided separately from the circuit board 210, that is, even when the capacitive sensor 218 is provided outside the water saving unit 200, the shielding member 220 is provided together with the capacitive sensor 218. Of course.

Alternatively, even when the water saving unit 200 is installed at a portion corresponding to the user's belly or knee, the shielding member 220 is provided in a single shape so that the movement of the side facing the sink is not detected. It may be provided in a 'shape.

The shielding member 220 may be made of a conductive material or may be provided by coating a conductive material.

The water saving unit 200 may be installed at any one or two or more positions of the faucet mount so as to sense the proximity or contact of the foot, abdomen or knee of the faucet user.

In each case, the set distance, that is, the sensing distance of the capacitive sensor 218 can be set in various ways.

For example, when the water saving unit 200 is installed in the direction of the user's foot, the capacitive sensor 218 may be provided to detect proximity within 8 cm. This is generally provided with a space of about 15cm (aka mop) between the bottom of the kitchen sink and the kitchen floor, the water saving unit 200 is generally installed on the top of the separation space, that is, the bottom of the sink, the user When the foot is inserted into the separation space to operate the solenoid valve 161, the predetermined distance is determined through repeated experiments such as the thickness and movement of the user's foot. However, the setting distance should be relatively longer than the case of detecting the motion of the foot than the case of detecting the motion of the other body, and should not be particularly limited to the specific setting distance.

Or, when the water saving unit 200 is installed in the abdomen or knee direction of the user may be provided to detect the proximity within 1 ~ 2 cm.

On the other hand, the faucet 100 may have a faucet body 110 through which the water supply pipe 143 and the water outlet pipe 141 pass. In this case, the capacitive sensor 218 is provided with the faucet body 110 made of a conductive material, and the controller detects a change in capacitance caused by contact with the faucet body 110 to control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve 161. Can be.

1: Power receiver with integrated circuit board
100: faucet 110: faucet body
111: water outlet 112: water supply
113: Installation 121: Handle
124: cartridge 133: synchead
161: solenoid valve 165: valve cable
166: Valve Connector
200: water saving unit 201, 202: unit case
210: circuit board 211: board cable
213: first connector 214: second connector
217 control unit 218 sensor
220: shielding member
300: cable module 301: power adapter
311: external power connector 313: external power cable

Claims (13)

A faucet provided with a water supply pipe and a discharge pipe therein;
An solenoid valve for opening and closing a discharge flow rate supplied to the discharge pipe;
A detection unit for detecting a movement of a user for operating the solenoid valve;
And a controller configured to control opening and closing of the solenoid valve based on a detection result of the sensing unit.
The sensing unit includes a substrate and a conductive plate provided on any one of a first surface of the substrate or a second surface of the other side of the first surface, such that a conductor including a user's body is close to the conductive plate within a predetermined distance. It is provided with a capacitive sensor that detects that
One side of the substrate is provided with a shielding member for limiting the sensing direction of the conductive plate,
The substrate is provided with a grounding rod is provided with a grounding rod for contacting any one or both of the shielding member or a unit case surrounding the substrate and the shielding member to ground the conductive plate. The method of claim 1,
The capacitive sensor is integrally provided on a circuit board on which the control unit is mounted,
The circuit board has a circuit portion provided on the side of the substrate and the first surface of the substrate, the electronic component including the control unit is installed, the conductive plate is provided on the second surface. The method of claim 2,
The solenoid valve is installed inside the faucet body through which the water supply pipe and the outlet pipe pass, and the control unit is integrated in the circuit board so that the operation control of the sensing unit, the opening and closing control of the solenoid valve, and the power supply to the solenoid valve are performed in one place. Power receiving device formed with. delete The method of claim 2,
The conductive plate is provided on both the first surface and the second surface. The method according to claim 1 or 5,
The conductive plate is divided into a plurality of power receiving apparatus is provided. delete delete The method of claim 2,
The shield member is provided on one side of the circuit board. The method of claim 9,
The shield member is provided with a conductive material or is provided by coating a conductive material. The method of claim 9,
The water-saving unit including the circuit board and the unit case for accommodating the shielding member may be installed at any one or two or more positions of the faucet mount to detect the proximity or contact of the foot, abdomen, or knee of the faucet user. . The method of claim 11,
When the water-saving unit is installed in the direction of the user's foot, the capacitive sensor is provided to detect proximity within 8 cm, and when the water-saving unit is installed in the user's abdomen or knee direction, it detects the proximity within 1 ~ 2 cm Faucet device provided. The method of claim 1,
The faucet has a faucet body through which the water supply pipe and the discharge pipe pass, and the capacitive sensor is provided with the faucet body made of a conductive material, and the controller detects a change in capacitance due to contact with the faucet body. Power receiving device for opening and closing the solenoid valve.

Images