KR20220140217A - Faucet system having water-saving function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a faucet system having a water saving function, capable of reducing energy costs and improving convenience of handling and installation. The faucet system having the water saving function includes: a faucet unit formed to discharge a mixture of cold water and hot water by controlling the mixed water of the cold water and the hot water by handling a handle which is installed to be fixed to a sink frame; a valve installed in the faucet unit and formed to block or open the discharge of the mixed water; a touch sensing unit formed to sense user control for opening or blocking the valve by touch to the faucet unit; a power control box installed on the inner side of the sink frame and formed to be electrically connected to the valve; and a touch substrate unit independently installed in the faucet unit from the valve, and transmitting a converted sensing signal to the power control box by converting the sensing signal of the touch sensing unit.

Description

Faucet system with water saving function {FAUCET SYSTEM HAVING WATER-SAVING FUNCTION}

The present invention relates to a power receiving system having a water saving function.

A faucet is a device that opens and closes water at the end of the water supply pipe, and can be divided into various types depending on the installation location, purpose, or function. A faucet from a boiler, such as a bathroom or shower, is located at the end of a water supply pipe and opens and closes water. The faucet can be divided into various types according to the purpose, installation location, purpose, or function. In general, the kitchen faucet has a form in which the water outlet head is extended from the valve part so that the mixing amount can be adjusted according to selection of hot and cold water, or the shape, direction, or height of the water outlet can be adjusted, in addition to the valve function to simply control the water outlet. also have In response to the demand for diversification and luxury in design along with the satisfaction of convenience, the kitchen faucet is considered as an important part of the interior of the building.

Water consumption and demand are increasing, but fresh water supply is not enough, so water conservation and water conservation are becoming increasingly important. At home and abroad, there is a consensus on the seriousness of water-related problems such as shortage of water resources and water pollution. Nevertheless, the situation is that policy effects cannot be achieved only with the enlightening slogan of 'saving' when cooking, washing dishes, washing dishes, or bathing at home.

For the realization of water conservation, a device that can be applied to facilities or spaces that use water directly has been devised. One such example is a water-saving device in which a mechanically or electrically operated valve is installed in the faucet, and the valve is operated by an external foot switch or a switch capable of sensing a user's motion or touch.

In the case of a water saver having a double electrically operated valve, it has been suggested to use a household power source or a battery as a supply method of power for driving the valve. In the former case, the use of the water saver may be restricted in situations such as a power outage, and the cost for configuring it may be increased, and in the latter case, there is inconvenience due to frequent battery replacement.

* Prior art

Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0326226 (Registered on August 29, 2003)

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0695734 (2007.03.19. Announcement)

Korean Public Utility Model No. 20-2018-0001794 (published on June 18, 2018)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to combine a power supply device capable of generating and charging power in a power receiving system having a water saving function including a valve capable of shutting off or opening mixed water for water jetting, and a switch unit for operating the valve.

Another object related to the present invention is to minimize the interference of analog signals generated by the touch of the faucet by signals for controlling the valves in the faucet when the power supply device is installed outside.

A power faucet system having a water saving function related to the present invention comprises: a power faucet which is formed to control and discharge mixed water of cold water and hot water by manipulation of a handle, and is fixedly installed on a sink frame; a valve installed inside the power receiving unit and configured to block or open the discharge of the mixed water; a touch sensing unit formed to sense a user's manipulation to open or block the valve by a touch on the power receiving unit; a power control box installed inside the sink frame and configured to be electrically connected to the valve; and a touch board unit installed in the power receiving unit independently of the valve, and configured to convert the sensing signal of the touch sensing unit and transmit it to the power control box.

As an example related to the present invention, the power control box may include: a housing formed to allow the mixed water to pass therethrough; a generator formed to generate electricity by the flow of the mixed water in the housing; a battery unit formed to store electricity generated by the generator; and a control board unit that rectifies electricity generated by the generator and supplies it to the battery unit, and controls on/off of the valve according to a signal received from the touch control board unit.

As an example related to the present invention, the touch substrate unit may be formed to convert an analog signal sensed by the touch sensing unit into a digital signal and send it to the control substrate unit.

As an example related to the present invention, the valve may be directly electrically connected to the control board so that noise can be blocked while the touch board receives the analog signal of the touch sensor.

As an example related to the present invention, the touch sensing unit may be formed to detect a change in capacitance generated according to a touch in contact with the power receiving unit.

As an example related to the present invention, the power receiving system having the water saving function is installed in the housing, and controlled by the control board unit to inform whether the electricity generated by the generator is stored in the battery unit. It may further include a formed first lamp.

As an example related to the present invention, the power receiving system having the water saving function includes a second lamp installed in the power receiving unit and configured to display the open/closed state of the valve and the state of the battery under the control of the control board unit. may include more.

As an example related to the present invention, the generator is installed to be directly connected to a hose through which the mixed water flows, and the hose may be formed to be introduced into the housing.

According to the power receiving system having a water saving function related to the present invention, by installing a generator, a battery, and a substrate part in a housing through which the mixed water for water discharge passes, electricity generated by the flow of the mixed water is used for the operation of the water saving valve. Since it can be used, energy costs can be reduced, and convenience of handling and installation can be improved by arranging these elements in the form of an enclosure.

According to an example related to the present invention, a power control box having a charging power supply and a control board for controlling the opening and closing of the valve is installed inside the sink frame, which is external to the power receiving unit, and a touch for operation of the touch sensing unit is installed inside the power receiving unit. By installing each of the substrate units, the power receiving unit can be used as it is even when the power supply method is changed, and the possibility that the touch sensing unit is affected by a signal for driving the valve and malfunctions can be minimized.

1 is a view conceptually showing a power receiving system 100 having a water saving function related to the present invention. 2 is a conceptual block diagram of a power receiving system 100 having a water saving function related to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a power receiving system having a water saving function related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view showing that the power receiving system 100 having a water saving function related to the present invention is applied to a sink, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual block diagram of the power receiving system 100 having a water saving function related to the present invention.

The power receiving system 100 includes a power receiving unit 110 fixed to an upper portion of the sink frame 10 , and a power control box 130 installed inside the sink frame 10 .

The sink frame 10 is a support means for fixing the power receiving unit 110, and an installation hole for the power receiving unit 110 to be erected is formed therein. The lower end of the erected power receiving unit 110 is fixed by being fastened by a nut or ring from the inside of the sink frame 10 .

The power receiving unit 110 may include a body 121 in which parts are installed, and a spout 122 and a discharge head 123 connected to the upper end of the body 121 . The body 121 and the spout 122 may be integrally formed in some cases. A handle 125 for selecting and opening and closing the discharge water may be provided on one side of the body 121 . A cartridge (not shown) for mixing hot and cold water and opening/closing of the mixed water is installed inside the handle 125 according to the operation of the handle 125 . A valve 140 to be described later is installed inside the body 121, and this side arrangement of the handle 125 and the cartridge can reduce spatial restrictions when installing parts for installation and control of the valve 140. . The valve 140 is configured to block or open the discharge of the mixed water mixed by the cartridge. The valve 140 may be an electrical or electromagnetic type valve, and may be a solenoid valve as one such type.

Inside the power receiving unit 110, a touch board unit 141 formed to detect a user's manipulation to open or block the valve 140 by a touch on the body unit 121 or the spout 122, and the like; A touch sensing unit 142 is installed. The touch sensing unit 142 may be formed to detect a change in capacitance that occurs according to a touch in contact with the power receiving unit 110 . The analog signal sensed by the touch sensing unit 142 is transmitted to the touch substrate unit 141 , and the touch substrate unit 141 converts the analog signal into a digital signal. The internal arrangement of the body part 121 of the touch substrate part 141 will be further described later.

The valve 140 is opened and closed according to the sensing result of the touch sensing unit 142 . In order to open and close the valve 140 , in addition to the touch substrate unit 141 and the touch sensing unit 142 , a foot switch that can be operated by a foot may be provided on the lower side of the sink frame 10 . These foot switches are operated by pressing force by the foot (mechanical), have a certain area and operate when touched by the foot (touch type), or operate by sensing the movement of the foot in a non-contact form (sensible). format) can be implemented.

The power receiving unit 110 discharges the cold water connection hose 101 for connecting to the cold water pipe, the hot water connection hose 102 for connecting to the hot water pipe from the boiler, the handle 125 and the mixed water adjusted by the cartridge. It has a mixed water discharge hose 103 to be supplied to the head 123 . These hot water connection hose 102, cold water connection hose 101 and mixed water discharge hose 103 may be provided with a union nut for connection with a counterpart to be connected.

The mixed water discharge hose 103 is provided with a power control box 130 related to the present invention. The power control box 130 is installed inside the sink frame 10 , and is electrically connected to the valve 140 and the switch unit 142 . The power control box 130 includes a housing 131 formed to allow the mixed water discharge hose 103 to pass through, and a generator 132 formed to generate electricity by the flow of the mixed water in the housing 131 . , the battery unit 133 formed to store the electricity generated by the generator 132 , and rectifying the electricity generated by the generator 132 and supplying it to the battery unit 133 , and received from the touch board unit 141 . It may be of a type including a control board unit 135 that controls opening and closing of the valve 140 according to a signal.

The generator 132 may have a rotor that can be rotated by the flow of the mixed water, and AC power is generated by the rotation of the rotor. Electricity generated by the generator 132 may be converted into direct current by a rectification and constant voltage control circuit provided in the control board unit 135 and supplied to the battery unit 133 . The generator 132 continues to generate electricity while the mixed water is used, and the generated electricity is stored in the battery unit 133 under power control of the control board unit 135 . Electricity generated by the generator 132 is relatively small, but as will be described later, the generator 132 is generated by reducing power consumption of the valve 140 , the control board 135 , and the touch board 141 . It can be configured to operate a power receiving system with a power source.

The battery unit 133 is basically a storage battery type (eg, a lithium battery) for storing electricity generated by the generator 132 , but a separate general battery may be additionally included. In addition, the control board unit 135 may include a separate external power supply unit 134 (refer to FIG. 2 ) to receive a form of converting household AC power into DC.

A first lamp 138 may be installed on one side of the housing 131 . The first lamp 138 may be controlled by the control board unit 135 to be able to externally identify whether electricity generated by the generator 132 is stored in the battery unit 133 .

In addition, a second lamp 143 formed to indicate the state of the power receiving unit 110 may be provided at the lower end of the power receiving unit 110 . As an example, the lamp 143 may be formed to display blue when the mixed water is discharged, and red when the current of the battery unit 133 is a low current that is less than or equal to a reference value. The color of the second lamp 143 may be selected in a different combination. When there is no discharge of the mixed water, the second lamp 143 is turned off.

As described above, the touch substrate unit 141 electrically connected to the control substrate unit 135 may be installed inside the power receiving unit 110 . A compartment may be formed in the body portion 121 to isolate the touch substrate unit 141 from the cartridge to ensure watertightness, and the touch substrate unit 141 may be installed in the compartment. The touch substrate unit 141 may be installed to be sealed by a waterproofing material while accommodated in the compartment. The treatment of the waterproofing material may be implemented by applying a liquid resin to the second substrate unit 141 and curing it. Through this process, the touch substrate 141 may be blocked from penetration of moisture or moisture due to water leakage or the like inside the body 121 .

The touch substrate 141 is installed electrically independent from the valve 140 . Specifically, the sensing signal received from the touch board unit 141 is sent to the control board unit 135 , and the control board unit 135 is configured to control the valve 140 based on this. The valve 140 is directly electrically connected to the control board unit 135 so that noise can be blocked while the touch substrate unit 141 receives the analog signal from the touch sensing unit 142 .

The power receiving unit 110 may be connected to the power control box 130 described above, or directly connected by an external power connection terminal instead of the power control box 130 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the control board unit 135 and the touch board unit 141 are electrically connected, so that power generated by the generator 132 and stored in the battery unit 133 is supplied to the control board unit 141 . The control board unit 141 controls to open and close the valve 140 according to the received signal of the touch board unit 141 or to display the state by the first lamp 138 and the second lamp 143 .

The control board unit 135 may be configured to use a current in a low current state. For example, the basic current value is 1 mA or less when not in operation, and can be set to 4 mA or less in operation. The rechargeable battery unit 133 may have a capacity of 4.2 V and 3500 mAh. The valve 140 is a solenoid valve, and 6 V instead of 12 V may be used to save power consumption.

The configuration and method of the described embodiments are not limitedly applied to the power receiving system having the water saving 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: sink frame 100: power faucet system with water saving function 101: cold water connection hose 102: hot water connection hose 103: mixed water discharge hose 110: power receiver 121: body part 122: spout 123: discharge head 130: power control box 131: hull 132: generator 133: battery unit 134: external power supply 135: control board unit 138: first lamp 140: valve 141: touch board unit 142: touch sensing unit 143: second lamp 152: cable

Claims (8)

A power faucet that is formed so as to be able to control and discharge the mixed water of cold and hot water by manipulation of a handle, and is fixedly installed on the sink frame; Installed inside the power faucet, to block or open the discharge of the mixed water A valve formed to be able to do so; A touch sensing unit formed to sense a user's manipulation to open or block the valve by a touch on the power receiving unit; Installed inside the sink frame, the valve is electrically connected to the a power control box formed to be connected; and a touch board unit installed in the power receiving unit independently of the valve, and configured to convert the sensing signal of the touch sensing unit and transmit it to the power control box. According to claim 1, The power control box, A housing formed so that the mixed water can pass; A generator formed to generate electricity by the flow of the mixed water in the housing; Electricity generated by the generator a battery unit formed to be stored; and a control board unit that rectifies electricity generated by the generator and supplies it to the battery unit, and controls on/off of the valve according to a signal received from the touch control board unit. The power reception system of claim 2, wherein the touch substrate unit converts the analog signal sensed by the touch sensing unit into a digital signal and transmits the converted analog signal to the control substrate unit. The power receiving system having a water saving function according to claim 3, wherein the valve is directly electrically connected to the control board so that noise can be blocked while the touch board receives the analog signal of the touch sensor. The power receiving system having a water saving function according to claim 4, wherein the touch sensing unit is formed to sense a change in capacitance generated according to a touch in contact with the power receiving unit. The water saving function of claim 2, further comprising a first lamp installed in the housing and controlled by the control board unit to inform whether the electricity generated by the generator is stored in the battery unit. faucet system with The power receiving system having a water saving function according to claim 2, further comprising a second lamp installed in the power receiving unit and configured to display an open/closed state of a valve under the control of the control board unit. According to claim 2, The generator is installed to be directly connected to a hose through which the mixed water flows, and the hose is formed to be introduced into the housing, the power receiving system having a water saving function.

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