KR20210082894A - Faucet control system having drain function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a faucet control system having a drain function comprises: a faucet control unit having a cartridge and a control lever for mixing hot water and cold water, wherein the cartridge is formed to transfer the hot water to a first drain pipe according to a rotation angle of the control lever; a cold water inlet pipe and a hot water inlet pipe connected to the cartridge; a second drain pipe branched from the hot water inlet pipe and formed to be merged with the first drain pipe; a drain valve disposed in the second drain pipe and formed to open and close the second drain pipe by an electric control signal; a substrate unit controlling the drain valve; and a housing unit formed to support the cartridge, the control lever, the drain valve, and the substrate unit. Therefore, the faucet control system improves control convenience.

Description

Faucet operation system with drain function {FAUCET CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING DRAIN FUNCTION}

The present invention relates to an operation system for a faucet having a drain function capable of discharging cooled hot water in a hot water pipe.

A faucet is a device that opens and closes water by being located at the end of the water supply pipe, and can be divided into various types depending on the installation location, use, or function. A cold water pipe and a hot water pipe are installed in a room using hot water from a boiler, such as a bathroom and a shower room. The faucet installed in such a bathroom is provided with a valve device capable of mixing hot and cold water so that the user can adjust the desired water temperature.

The hot water pipe in the bathroom is connected to the boiler, and the hot water in the pipe from the boiler to the faucet cools according to the surrounding temperature while the faucet is not in use. Accordingly, even if the mixed water valve is opened to use the hot water immediately, the cold water inside the pipe flows for a while in many cases. In particular, when the ambient temperature is low, such as in winter, the time to flow the cold water becomes longer, and the user waits until the hot water starts to come out and reaches the desired temperature, and then checks the water by contacting the body. It is a small inconvenience in daily life to receive cold cold water when the shower water is turned on for a shower or bath, but it can act as a fatal threat to users with heart disease or poor health due to the temperature difference caused by the sudden cold water. have.

Although the faucet is the final source of water for households and buildings that use water, the amount of water consumed may vary depending on the degree of its utilization. Water shortage is a serious situation in the world including Korea, and water conservation is requested as a practical solution. As in the above situation, the cold water in the hot water pipe that flows directly into the sewage can be seen as a waste of valuable water resources. To this end, a technology for allowing cooling water to be drained through a separate pipe instead of sewage through operation of the faucet is also being developed. In addition, there has also been a technical attempt to store the cooled hot water in the hot water pipe and recycle it to the toilet.

* Related prior art:

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0067504 (published on June 17, 2019)

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1513898 (2015.04.23. Announcement)

Republic of Korea Public Utility Model No. 20-2009-0011182 (published on Nov. 2, 2009)

An object of the present invention is a faucet operation system having a drain function configured to improve operation convenience and to be supplemented by another function when there is a problem in any one operation function in a power faucet system capable of draining cold water in a hot water pipe is presenting

The faucet operation system having a drain function related to the present invention has a cartridge and an operation lever for mixing hot water and cold water, and the cartridge is formed to send the hot water to the first drain pipe according to the rotation angle of the operation lever , faucet control unit; a cold water inlet pipe and a hot water inlet pipe connected to the cartridge; a second drain pipe branched from the hot water inlet pipe and formed to be able to merge with the first drain pipe; a drain valve disposed on the second drain pipe and configured to open and close the second drain pipe in response to an electrical control signal; a substrate for controlling the drain valve; and a housing portion formed to support the cartridge, the operation lever, the drain valve, and the substrate portion.

As an example related to the present invention, the housing unit may further include a selection button configured to selectively supply a mixture of cold water and hot water discharged from the cartridge among the head shower unit and the hand shower unit.

As an example related to the present invention, the selection button may include: a hand shower button formed to select the hand shower unit; and a head shower button formed to select the head shower unit.

As an example related to the present invention, the power receiving operation system having the drain function may further include a drain button provided on one side of the selection button and configured to generate an electrical signal for opening the drain valve.

As an example related to the present invention, the power faucet operation system having the drain function is disposed around the drain button, and as the drain button is pressed, it emits light in a different color according to the temperature of the water discharged through the drain valve It may further include a lamp, which is formed to be so.

As an example related to the present invention, the power receiving operation system having the drain function may further include a drain switch installed to be spaced apart from the housing portion and configured to generate an electrical signal for opening the drain valve.

As an example related to the present invention, the power faucet operation system having the drain function may further include an anchor panel, which is formed to be fixed to the wall and has a pair of protruding arms to be supported by sliding the housing unit. can

As an example related to the present invention, the drain valve is formed in the form of an electrically operated valve such as a solenoid valve, the substrate part opens the drain valve for a predetermined time according to an operation signal, and when the predetermined time elapses, the drain valve It can be formed to be controllable to block the.

As an example related to the present invention, the power faucet operation system having the drain function is disposed downstream of a point where the first drain pipe and the second drain pipe are joined, and the water temperature of the drained hot water exceeds a reference value. It may further include a temperature shutoff valve formed to block the drain.

According to the faucet operation system having a drain function related to the present invention, a drain function can be directly realized according to the user's needs by operating the faucet operation unit by installing both an electrically controlled drain valve and a power receiving operation unit having a cartridge having a drain function. Not only that, since the same function is performed by operating the faucet control unit in case of an abnormality or failure of the drain valve, the convenience of use for draining is improved, and an alternative function by the cartridge can be utilized even when the drain valve is abnormal. have.

1 is a view conceptually showing a power receiving operation system 10 having a drain function related to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the integrated faucet control box 100 related to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the integrated faucet control box 100 of FIG. 2 .
4 is a conceptual plan cross-sectional view of the integrated faucet control box 100 related to the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view for showing the structure of the cartridge 142 applied to the power receiving operation unit 140 related to the present invention.
6 is a plan view for showing the structure of the moving slide 150 related to the present invention.
7 is a plan view showing the structure of the fixed slide 155 related to the present invention.
8(a) to 8(d) are operation state diagrams for explaining the state of water drawn out according to the relative movement of the moving slide 150 of FIG. 6 and the fixed slide 155 of FIG. 7 .
9 to 13 are operating states showing the flow of water in the control state using the integrated faucet control box 100 in relation to the present invention,
9 shows draining by manipulating the drain switch 180,
10 shows a cut-off state according to the operation of the temperature shut-off valve 170,
11 shows that the drain is performed by manipulating the power receiving operation unit 140,
12 shows that the mixed water is supplied to the hand shower unit,
13 shows that the mixed water is supplied to the head shower.

Hereinafter, a power faucet operation system having a drain function related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view conceptually showing a power receiving operation system 10 having a drain function related to the present invention. Each facility and the main pipe connecting them were expressed as a center, and the illustration of a valve that can be installed in the middle of the pipe was omitted.

In the building, the power faucet system 10 has a part of water branched to the first cold water pipe 12 through the water pipe 11 and sent to the toilet 30, or branched to the boiler 20 to be heated and then heated to the hot water pipe 16 ) is sent to the integrated faucet control box 100 together with the second cold water pipe 15 and is used as water for showers and the like. The integrated faucet control box 100 supplies water to the hand shower unit 41 and the head shower unit 42 by the selection buttons 121 and 122 .

The toilet 30 may be configured to store the cooled cold water in the hot water pipe 16 supplied through the drain line 17 as well as the first cold water pipe 12 branched from the water pipe 11 to be utilized as water. . Here, the integrated faucet control box 100 and the drain switch 180 may also function as an operation device for sending water directly to the toilet 30 or the like through the drain line 17 .

The integrated faucet control box 100 includes a hand shower button 121 for opening and closing water with the hand shower unit 41, a second selection button 122 for opening and closing water with the head shower unit 42, and a drain line (17) has a drain button 123 for opening and closing the water. A power faucet operation unit 140 is disposed on one side of the integrated power faucet control box 100, and the user can adjust the hot and cold water by using the power faucet control unit 140 to adjust the mixed water, and the mixed water is a hand shower button (121) or the second selection switch 143, the direction of the supply is changed depending on which one is selected and pressed. The drain button 123 is configured to be directly operated and used in the bathroom to drain the cooled hot water in the hot water pipe 16 directly to the drain line 17 . The internal structure of the integrated power reception control box 100 for using the drain button 123 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 or less.

The power faucet system 10 having a drain function of FIG. 1 is shown to be applied to a bathroom, and a drain switch 180 related to the present invention is installed on an outer wall or an inner wall W of the bathroom. Like the drain button 123 , the drain switch 180 is provided on the outside of the bathroom or the inner wall of the bathroom and can be utilized to perform a drain function even when not in the integrated faucet control box 100 . The drain switch 180 may be configured to be connected to the power supply unit 181 to provide power and control signals to the integrated power reception control box 100 . The drain switch 180 may be integrally configured with a switch for turning on/off a fan or a light in a bathroom. The internal structure of the integrated power reception control box 100 for using the drain switch 180 will also be described below with reference to FIG. 2 .

In addition to the drain button 123 and the drain switch 180 , in relation to the present invention, the power receiving operation unit 140 is configured to perform a drain function by a user's direct manipulation. A configuration for this will also be described below with reference to FIG. 2 .

2 is a perspective view of the integrated power faucet control box 100 related to the present invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the integrated power faucet control box 100 of FIG. 2 , and FIG. 4 is an integrated power reception control box 100 related to the present invention. is a conceptual plan view of

As shown in these drawings, the integrated faucet control box 100 related to the present invention is in an integrated form in which related parts for performing the drain function or use of the hand shower unit 41 and the head shower unit 42 described above are integrated. have. Specifically, the integrated faucet control box 100 includes a housing unit 110 for supporting internal components, and a portion (not shown) for connecting to the hand shower unit 41 on the outside of the housing unit 110 . A portion 116 for connecting to the shower head 42, a towel rack 115, selection buttons 121 and 122, a drain button 123, a faucet operation unit 140, and the like are disposed. The enclosure 110 is connected to the drain switch 180 for performing a drain control operation from the outside.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the housing unit 110 is composed of a housing 111 and a support plate 112 , and these assemblies are fixed by an anchor panel 117 fixed to the wall in advance. The anchor panel 117 may include a pair of protruding arms 118 and 119 so that the housing unit 110 can be slidably supported.

A pair of insertion holes 113 and 114 are formed in the support plate 112 so that the protruding arms 118 and 119 can be inserted. A cold water inlet pipe 101 , a hot water inlet pipe 102 , and an integrated drain pipe 105 are disposed on the support plate 112 , and these are connected to respective pipe connection parts pre-installed on the wall. Both the cold water inlet pipe 101 and the hot water inlet pipe 102 are connected to the cartridge 142 of the power receiving operation unit 140 , and the temperature and opening and closing of the mixed water are determined according to the operation of the operation lever 141 . Water discharged from the cartridge 142 is supplied through the mixing water pipe 131 , and the direction of supply to the hand shower unit 41 or the head shower unit 42 is determined by the flow path switching unit 130 . To this end, the selection button may have a hand shower button 121 formed to select the hand shower unit 41 and a head shower button 122 formed to select the head shower unit 42 . In this case, the hand shower button 121 and the head shower button 122 may be configured to be selectively pressed. That is, when the hand shower button 121 is pressed, the head shower button 122 is released, and on the contrary, when the head shower button 122 is pressed, the hand shower button 121 is released. In addition, a drain button 123 is provided, and the drain button 123 performs a drain function immediately when pressed regardless of the state of the hand shower button 121 and the head shower button 122 .

The hand shower button 121 , the head shower button 122 , and the drain button 123 are arranged side by side in the same shape on the front side of the housing unit 110 to improve the aesthetics.

At least one lamp may be mounted around the hand shower button 121 , the head shower button 122 , and the drain button 123 . According to FIG. 3 , these lamps are a first lamp 124 disposed around the hand shower button 121 , a second lamp 125 disposed around the head shower button 122 , and a drain button 123 . It may include a third lamp 126 disposed in the. The detailed configuration and operation of the lamp will be described in detail later.

The faucet operation unit 140 has an operation lever 141 and a cartridge 142 for mixing hot and cold water, and the cartridge 142 supplies hot water according to the rotation angle of the operation lever 141 to the first drain pipe 103 . can be sent to

The hot water inlet pipe 102 has a branch point before being supplied to the cartridge 142 , and is connected to the second drain pipe 104 formed to be able to merge with the first drain pipe 103 after branching. The first drain pipe 103 and the second drain pipe 104 are joined to be connected to the integrated drain pipe 105 .

A drain valve 160 for opening and closing the second drain pipe 104 according to an electrical control signal is installed in the second drain pipe 104 . The drain valve 160 is in the form of an electrically driven valve such as a solenoid valve that operates according to an electrical signal, is connected to the substrate unit I61 , and is opened and closed by a control signal of the substrate unit I61 . At this time, when applying a signal for opening the drain valve 160 , the substrate unit I61 may control to open the drain valve 160 for a predetermined time and to block the drain valve 160 when a predetermined time elapses. composed to be That is, the drain valve 160 can prevent water from continuously being drained by automatically shutting off when a predetermined time has elapsed.

On the integrated drain pipe 105 downstream of the merging point of the first drain pipe 103 and the second drain pipe 104, a temperature shutoff valve that blocks the drain when the water temperature of the drained hot water exceeds the reference value 170 may be provided. This temperature shutoff valve 170 has a drain function even if the drain valve 160 electrically connected by the drain button 123 or the drain switch 180 is continuously opened or the operation lever 141 is continuously positioned on the drain function side. It is possible to prevent unnecessary waste of hot water and energy by blocking the

The substrate unit 161 provides a control signal for emitting light of the lamps 124 , 125 , and 126 disposed on at least one of the hand shower button 121 to the drain button 123 . The lamp 126 may emit light according to the state of water discharged through the integrated drain pipe 105 as the drain button 123 is pressed. To this end, the integrated drain pipe 105 may include a temperature sensor (not shown) that senses the temperature of the drain water when the drain water is discharged through the integrated drain pipe 105 . At this time, the lamp 126 may be formed to emit light in different colors by distinguishing when the temperature of the mixed water measured by the temperature sensor is above and below the reference temperature. The lamps 124 , 125 , and 126 disposed on the hand shower button 121 to the drain button 123 have different emission colors, so that the user can easily understand the state of the integrated faucet control box 100 . The substrate unit 161 applies a control signal to the drain valve 160 to block the drain valve 160 when the drain water reaches the reference temperature or more by the temperature sensor.

For example, referring to FIG. 1 , when the user presses the drain button 123 in the bathroom or the drain switch 180 outside the bathroom, the substrate unit 161 applies a control signal to the drain valve 146 . to open the drain valve 160 . Accordingly, the cooled water in the hot water pipe is directly discharged through the drain line (17). The water discharged through the drain line 17 is sent to the toilet 30 to be utilized as water. At this time, the lamp 126 around the drain button 123 is lit in blue. The blue lamp 126 is configured so that the temperature of the hot water rises and changes to green due to the operation of the boiler 30 over time, so that the user can visually confirm that the temperature becomes a condition for showering. (Example of temperature: blue - when it is below 30℃ as cold water, green - when the appropriate shower temperature is 30℃ to 35℃, red - when it is above 35℃ as hot water). The user checks the green lighted state and presses the hand shower button 121 to use the hand shower unit 41 or press the second selection button 122 to take a shower using the head shower unit 42 .

5 is a cross-sectional view for showing the structure of the cartridge 142 applied to the power receiving operation unit 140 related to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , one side of the cartridge 142 includes a cold water inlet pipe 101 and a hot water inlet pipe 102 , and a first drain pipe formed to discharge the cooled hot water introduced into the hot water inlet pipe 102 ( 103) are connected to each other.

The cartridge 142 may include a housing 143 , a lever member 145 , a movable slide 150 , a fixed slide 155 , and the like.

The housing 143 may be formed in a cylindrical shape that can be installed in the faucet body. The lever member 145 is coupled to the operation lever 141 and is pivoted with respect to the housing 143 . The housing 143 includes a cylindrical guide 144 in the first axial direction. An operating member 146 is inserted into the guide 144 , and the operating member 146 may be rotated in the first axis direction by the guide 144 . The lever member 145 is pivoted with respect to the operation member 146 , and an end of the lever member 145 is coupled to the operation lever 141 . When the operation lever 141 is pushed or pulled, the opposite end of the pivoted lever member 145 moves up and down as seen in FIG. 8 . The lower end of the lever member 145 is constrained to the yoke 147 , and as the lever member 145 moves, the yoke 147 is also moved. In addition, the yoke 147 is rotated together with the rotation of the operation member 146 . The yoke 147 is coupled to the moving slide 150 , and the applied force or rotational force of the yoke 147 is transmitted to the moving slide 150 . Accordingly, the movable slide 150 is rotated or moved while facing the fixed slide 155 .

6 is a plan view showing the structure of the movable slide 150 related to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the structure of the fixed slide 155 related to the present invention.

The fixed slide 155 includes a cold water hole 156 connected to the cold water inlet pipe 101, a hot water hole 157 connected to the hot water inlet pipe 102, and a drain hole connected to the first drain pipe 103 ( 158) and a mixing hole 159 communicating with the showers 41 and 42 is formed. The moving slide 150 is disposed on the fixed slide 155, and in surface contact with the fixed slide 155, the cold water hole 156, the hot water hole 157, the drain hole 158, and the mixed water hole 159 are formed. They communicate with each other to open and close. The moving slide 150 is constrained and moved by the lever member 145 and the yoke 147 . The moving slide 150 has a connection groove 151 for selectively communicating between the cold water hole 156 or the hot water hole 157 and the mixing water hole 159 or the drain hole 158 according to the rotation angle of the yoke 147 . is formed

The connection groove 151 may include a first groove portion 152 and a second groove portion 153 . The first groove portion 152 is formed extending from the hot water hole 157, the cold water hole 156, and the drain hole 158 in the direction of the mixing water hole 159, and the second groove portion 153 is the first groove portion 152. The hot water hole 157 , the cold water hole 156 , and the drain hole 158 are formed on the side and have a wider width than the first groove portion 152 . The hot water hole 157 is disposed between the drain hole 158 and the cold water hole 156 . At this time, in the second groove portion 153 , the cold water hole 156 and the hot water hole 157 communicate with the moving slide 150 at the first rotational position (general hot water and cold water mixed use mode), but the drain hole 158 has It is not communicated, and the moving slide 150 communicates with the hot water hole 157 and the drain hole 158 in the second rotation position (the drain mode of the cooled hot water), but the width ( W1) (see FIG. 8(d)). The mixing hole 159 of the fixed slide 155 may have a width W2 such that the movable slide 150 does not communicate with the first groove 152 at the second rotational position. Accordingly, according to FIG. 8 , the second groove portion 153 may be formed to be larger than the first groove portion 152 .

8(a) to 8(d) are operation state diagrams for explaining the state of water drawn out according to the relative movement of the moving slide 150 of FIG. 6 and the fixed slide 155 of FIG. 7 .

Figure 8 (a) is a state when the operation lever 141 is raised, the connection groove 151 is in a neutral position. 8 (b) is a state in which only the cold water is discharged because the second groove part 153 is located only in the cold water hole 156, and FIG. 8 (c) shows that the second groove part 153 is located only in the hot water hole 157. Only hot water is discharged. 8( d ) is a state in which the operation lever 141 is further rotated in the hot water mode, the second groove 153 is in common contact with the hot water hole 157 and the drain hole 158 , but the first groove portion 152 ) is a state that is not in contact with the mixing hole 159. Accordingly, the cooled hot water discharged through the hot water hole 157 is discharged through the drain hole 158 .

According to the configuration of the cartridge 142 , the user can discharge the cooled hot water through the first drain pipe 103 by rotating the operation lever 141 more than the hot water use position.

Hereinafter, the operation of the faucet operation system having a drain function related to the present invention will be described through the flow of water shown in FIGS. 9 to 13 .

FIG. 9 shows draining by manipulating the drain switch 180 or the drain button 123 . That is, when the user operates the drain switch 180 from the outside or the entrance of the bathroom or presses the drain button 123 in the bathroom, the drain valve 160 is operated (opened) according to the control signal of the substrate unit I61. State) The water introduced through the hot water inlet pipe 102 is directly drained through the second drain pipe 104 and the integrated drain pipe 105 .

If, as shown in FIG. 10 , when the temperature sensed by the temperature shutoff valve 170 reaches a reference value (eg, 40 degrees) or more, the drain is stopped by closing the temperature shutoff valve 170 .

11 shows that the drain is performed by manipulating the power receiving operation unit 140 . That is, when there is an abnormality in the drain valve 160 or the like in the operation of the drain switch 180 or the drain button 123, which is an electrical switch, the user rotates the operation lever 141 to the drain position, and the cartridge 142 The water introduced through the can be discharged through the first drain pipe 103 and the integrated drain pipe 105 .

12 shows that the mixed water is supplied to the hand shower unit, and FIG. 13 shows that the mixed water is supplied to the head shower. When the reference temperature is reached, the temperature shutoff valve 170 or the drain valve 160 over time The drain is terminated by this, and the user may operate the hand shower button 121 or the head shower button 122 to use the desired water.

The configuration and method of the described embodiments are not limitedly applied to the power receiving operation system having the drain function described above. The above embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or part of each of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made.

10: faucet system 11: water pipe
12: first cold water pipe 15: second cold water pipe
16: hot water pipe 17: drain line
20: boiler 30: toilet
41: hand shower 42: head shower
100: integrated faucet control box 110: housing unit
111: housing 112: support plate
113, 114: insertion hole 117: anchor panel
118, 119: protruding arm 121: hand shower button
122: head shower button 123: drain button
124, 125, 126: ramp 130: flow path switching section
140: faucet control unit 141: operation lever
142: cartridge 160: drain valve
161: substrate unit 170: temperature shutoff valve
180: drain switch 181: power unit

Claims (9)

a power faucet operation unit having a cartridge and an operation lever for mixing hot water and cold water, wherein the cartridge is formed to send the hot water to a first drain pipe according to a rotation angle of the operation lever;
a cold water inlet pipe and a hot water inlet pipe connected to the cartridge;
a second drain pipe branched from the hot water inlet pipe and formed to be able to merge with the first drain pipe;
a drain valve disposed on the second drain pipe and configured to open and close the second drain pipe in response to an electrical control signal;
a substrate for controlling the drain valve; and
A power faucet operation system having a drain function, comprising a housing portion formed to support the cartridge, the operation lever, the drain valve, and the substrate portion.
According to claim 1,
The enclosure part,
The faucet operation system having a drain function, further comprising a selection button configured to selectively supply a mixture of cold water and hot water discharged from the cartridge to a head shower unit and a hand shower unit.
3. The method of claim 2,
The selection button is
a hand shower button formed to select the hand shower unit; and
A faucet operation system having a drain function, including a head shower button formed to select the head shower unit.
4. The method of claim 3,
The power receiving operation system having a drain function, which is provided on one side of the selection button and further includes a drain button formed to generate an electrical signal for opening the drain valve.
5. The method of claim 4,
The faucet operation system having a drain function, further comprising a lamp disposed around the drain button and configured to emit light in a different color according to the temperature of water discharged through the drain valve as the drain button is pressed.
4. The method of claim 3,
The power faucet operation system having a drain function, further comprising a drain switch installed to be spaced apart from the housing and configured to generate an electrical signal for opening the drain valve.
According to claim 1,
The faucet operation system having a drain function, further comprising an anchor panel, which is formed to be fixed to the wall and has a pair of protruding arms so that the housing can be slid and supported.
According to claim 1,
The drain valve is formed in the form of an electric drive valve,
The power receiving operation system having a drain function, wherein the substrate part can be controlled to open the drain valve for a predetermined time according to an operation signal and to close the drain valve when the predetermined time has elapsed.
According to claim 1,
It is disposed downstream of the point where the first drain pipe and the second drain pipe are joined, and further comprising a temperature shutoff valve formed to block the drain when the temperature of the hot water being drained exceeds the reference value, faucet operation system with.

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