JP3993415B2 - Automatic faucet - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic faucet that discharges water by detecting a detection target such as a human body such as a hand or tableware with a sensor.
[0002]
[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention]
Conventionally, a faucet user's hand detection object is detected by a sensor and water is automatically discharged from the spout, and an automatic faucet that automatically shuts off when the detection object is not detected by the sensor is used for washing toilets in public toilets. Widely used as a faucet.
[0003]
By the way, when this type of conventional automatic faucet is applied to, for example, a kitchen faucet, the following inconvenience occurs.
For example, when washing dishes such as hands and dishes using a kitchen faucet, these detection objects are frequently put in and out toward the water outlet.
However, in the case of a conventional automatic faucet, there is a slight delay between the detection target being presented and the sensor detecting it and automatically discharging water. When performing, there is a problem that the faucet user feels complicated because the water is not discharged with good response, and the automatic faucet cannot be used comfortably.
[0004]
In particular, an automatic water faucet of the type that opens the solenoid valve on the pilot water channel based on the detection by the sensor, drains the water from the back pressure chamber that closes the main valve, opens the main valve, and discharges water from the spout. If this is the case (usually this is the case), this tendency is noticeable.
[0005]
In addition, in the case of conventional automatic faucets, if the detection target deviates from the detection by the sensor, the water discharge stops (water stoppage), so when washing dishes etc. using hot water, stop the water and stop again. Since the water heater is stopped during the water stoppage, the inconvenience that cold water comes out at the next water discharge occurs.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The automatic faucet of the present invention has been devised to solve such problems.
Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic faucet that detects a detection target such as a human body such as a hand or tableware with a sensor and discharges water, a sensor that detects the detection target, and a water discharge provided on a water supply channel. And a control valve for controlling the operation of the flow rate adjustment valve based on a signal from the sensor, and the manual operation by the faucet user. When the on-off valve is opened and the sensor detects the detection target under the open state of the on-off valve, the flow rate adjustment valve opens the opening of the water supply passage and continues water discharge at a set large flow rate, When the detection target deviates from detection by the sensor, the opening of the water supply channel is narrowed and the opening is maintained without closing the flow rate adjustment valve with the on-off valve maintained open. The flow rate is set to a small flow rate that is lower than the set large flow rate. Switching to continue spouting, the on-off valve by manual input of the faucet user, characterized in that are no to stop water by being closed operation.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic faucet that detects a detection target such as a human body such as a hand or tableware with a sensor and discharges water, a sensor that detects the detection target, and a water discharge and water stop provided on a water supply channel. And a control unit that controls the operation of the on-off valve and the flow rate adjusting valve based on a signal from the sensor, and the sensor detects the detection target. When detected, the on-off valve is opened and the flow rate adjusting valve opens the opening of the water supply channel, continues water discharge at a set large flow rate, and when the detection target is out of detection by the sensor, A set small flow rate that is smaller than the set large flow rate while narrowing the opening of the water supply channel and holding the narrowed opening without closing the flow rate adjusting valve with the on-off valve kept open The flow rate is switched to continue water discharge and the detection target And the sensor deviates from the detection by the sensor is continuously set time and the on-off valve is closed when not detecting the detection target, characterized in that are without such that water-shutoff.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the set small flow rate is set to a flow rate that does not stop the hot water supply of the water heater .
[0009]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
As described above, the present invention causes the automatic faucet to execute the water discharge continuation mode and discharges water at a set large flow rate when the detection target is detected by the sensor when the water discharge continuation mode is executed. When deviating from detection, water discharge continues at a set small flow rate.
[0010]
In the automatic water faucet of the present invention, even if the detection target such as tableware is out of the detection by the sensor, the water discharge is not completely stopped unlike the conventional automatic water faucet, and the setting is continued from the water outlet. Since the water continues to flow at the flow rate, the next dishwashing can be started using the water that continues to flow when washing the next tableware, etc. .
Subsequently, since water is discharged from the water outlet at a large flow rate, dishwashing and the like can be performed in earnest there.
[0011]
As described above, in the automatic faucet of the present invention, since water continues to flow from the spout regardless of whether or not the detection target is deviated from detection by the sensor, dishwashing or the like like a conventional automatic faucet. In carrying out the above operation, the faucet user can comfortably use the automatic faucet without feeling complicated.
[0012]
In this case, the set small flow rate is set to such a flow rate that does not stop the water heater, that is, a flow rate that does not stop the hot water supply of the water heater (Claim 3 ). When performing the dishwashing work, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience that cold water comes out during the dishwashing work and the user feels uncomfortable.
[0013]
In the present invention, a sensor for detecting a detection target, an on-off valve for discharging and stopping water, a flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting discharged water flow rate, and a control unit for operating and controlling the flow rate adjusting valve based on a signal from the sensor. Configure the automatic faucet to have .
Here, the flow rate control valve changes the flow rate from the set large flow rate to the set small flow rate, and further from the set small flow rate to the set large flow rate, and the flow rate change by this flow rate control valve can be performed relatively quickly.
[0014]
Therefore, once the object to be detected is pulled out from the front of the sensor and then another tableware is taken out again in front of the sensor to wash it, water discharge is performed quickly with a set large flow rate with good responsiveness. Usability of the plug is improved.
[0015]
In claim 1, perform the water discharge continuous mode by manual input by the faucet user, thereby opening operation of the opening and closing valve by the manual input.
[0016]
On the other hand, in claim 2 , when the sensor detects the detection target, the execution of the water discharge continuation mode is started, and when the sensor does not detect the detection target for a set time, the execution of the water discharge continuation mode is released, Switch to state .
In such a case, the faucet user automatically executes the water discharge continuation mode when the faucet is frequently used, and automatically switches to the water stop state when the faucet is not used. In particular, no operation is required, and the automatic faucet can be used more comfortably and comfortably.
[0017]
【Example】
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes an automatic faucet (hereinafter simply referred to as a faucet) applied to a kitchen faucet, and has a faucet body 14. Water and hot water are supplied to the faucet body 14 through a supply pipe 12. Each is supplied.
[0018]
A single lever type lever operating section 16 is provided on the faucet body 14.
In the case of the faucet 10 of this example, the lever operation unit 16 is turned up and down to perform water discharge, water stoppage, and water volume adjustment, and the right and left turn operation to adjust water discharge temperature.
A water discharge pipe extends from the faucet body 14, and a water discharge port 18 is provided downward at the tip.
Further, a sensor 20 for detecting a detection target such as a human body such as a hand or tableware is provided in the vicinity of the water outlet 18.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 2, the faucet 10 includes a main valve (open / close valve) 24 that also serves as a hot water mixing valve on the water supply path 22, and a flow rate adjustment valve 26 that adjusts the flow rate of water flowing through the water supply path 22. The flow rate adjustment valve 26 is controlled by the control circuit 28 based on a signal from the sensor 20.
[0020]
In the case of the faucet 10 of this example, when the lever operation part 16 is manually opened as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main valve 24 opens and the sensor 20 starts sensing (steps in the figure). S10, S12).
At this time, the flow rate adjusting valve 26 restricts the opening of the water supply path 22 so that water flows through the water supply path 22 at a set small flow rate.
Here, the set small flow rate is set to an amount that allows water to flow through the water supply channel 22 at such a flow rate that the hot water heater does not stop.
Further, the flow rate adjusting valve 26 adjusts the opening degree of the water supply passage 22 by moving the position of the valve body.
[0021]
The sensing start of the sensor 20 based on the opening operation of the operation lever 16 is such that, for example, a flow switch is provided in the water supply path 22 and the sensing is started under the control of the control circuit 28 by turning on the flow switch. Alternatively, the switch is directly turned on by opening the operation lever 16, and sensing is started under the control of the control circuit 28 based on the signal from the switch, or the like Sensing can be started using various means.
[0022]
FIG. 3 (II) shows a state in which the sensor 20 starts sensing by the above operation.
As shown in the figure, at this time, water is discharged from the water outlet 18 at a set small flow rate.
In this state, as shown in FIG. 3 (III), when a detection target such as a hand or tableware is put out in front of the water outlet 18, the sensor 20 detects this, and based on this, the flow rate adjustment valve 26 supplies the water supply channel 22. In this case, water flows through the water supply channel 22 at a set large flow rate. That is, water is discharged from the water outlet 18 at a set large flow rate (steps S14 and S16 in FIG. 4). FIG. 3 (IV) shows the state at this time.
[0023]
Thereafter, when the detection target is drawn from below the water outlet 18, water is discharged from the water outlet 18 at a large flow rate for a while, and then the flow rate adjustment valve 26 operates to narrow the opening of the water supply passage 22 again. The water flows again at a small flow rate set at 22. That is, the water discharged from the water outlet 18 is switched to the set small flow rate (steps S18 and S20 in FIG. 4).
[0024]
Thereafter, when the detection target is again presented below the water outlet 18, the water discharged from the water outlet 18 is switched again from the set small flow rate to the set large flow rate, and thereafter steps S14, S16, and S18 in FIG. 4 are executed. That is, the faucet 10 repeats the operations (III), (IV), and (V) in FIG.
On the other hand, when the operation lever 16 is closed as shown in FIG. 3 (VI), the main valve 24 is closed here, and water discharge from the water outlet 18 is stopped (water stoppage) (step in FIG. 4). S22, S24).
[0025]
FIG. 5 shows the operation of the faucet 10 of this example as a time chart.
As shown in the drawing, in the case of the faucet 10 of this example, the water supply path 22 is opened and closed by opening and closing the main valve 24 by opening and closing the operation lever 16. That is, water discharge and water stop from the water discharge port 18 are performed.
Thus, whenever the sensor 20 detects a detection target when the main valve 24 is in the open state, the flow rate adjusting valve 26 causes water to flow through the water supply path 22 at a set large flow rate, and the detection target is detected from the detection by the sensor 20. Each time the flow rate deviates, the flow rate adjustment valve 26 changes to a state in which water flows through the water supply path 22 at a set small flow rate.
[0026]
In the automatic faucet 10 of this example, even if the detection target such as tableware is not detected by the sensor 20, the water discharge is not stopped completely like the conventional automatic faucet, and the water spout 18 continues. Since the water continues to flow at a set small flow rate, the next dishwashing is performed using the water that continues to flow when washing the next tableware, etc. Since the switching from the set small flow rate to the set large flow rate is quickly performed by the flow rate adjusting valve 26, that is, the water discharge is quickly performed from the spout 18 at a large flow rate. In this way, the faucet user can comfortably use the faucet 10 without feeling a sense of complexity when performing operations such as washing dishes.
[0027]
In addition, since the small flow rate set above is a flow rate that does not stop the water heater, when performing dishwashing work with hot water, cold water comes out in the middle of the dishwashing work and you feel uncomfortable. Can be resolved.
[0028]
6 to 10 show another embodiment of the present invention.
In this example, the detection target is constantly sensed by the sensor 20, and when the sensor 20 does not detect the detection target for a set time, the on-off valve 30 shown in FIG. As long as the water discharge is stopped at the set small flow rate and the sensor 20 detects the detection target within the set duration time, the open / close valve 30 is maintained in the open state, and the detection target is detected by the sensor 20 in that state. In this example, the flow rate adjustment valve 26 is switched to water flow at a set large flow rate and a set small flow rate in response to non-detection.
[0029]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the on-off valve 30 that is electrically controlled by the control circuit 28, the water supply path 22 is opened or closed based on the operation by the operation lever 16 or the operation lever 16 is operated. A main valve 24 also serving as a mixing valve for adjusting the amount of water according to the amount is provided on the water supply path 22.
[0030]
In this example, the flow rate of water flowing through the water supply channel 22 is controlled by both the electrically controlled flow rate adjustment valve 26 and the manually operated main valve 24 (ie, in this example, the flow rate adjustment valve 26). And the main valve 24 can be considered to constitute the entire flow rate adjusting valve).
Therefore, if the opening degree of the flow rate adjusting valve 26 when fully opened is set large, the flow rate at the set large flow rate can be manually adjusted freely according to the operation amount of the operation lever 16.
[0031]
7, 8 and 9 show the operation of the faucet shown in FIG.
As described above, in the faucet 10 of this example, the sensor 20 is always sensing (step S26 in FIG. 7 (I) and FIG. 9).
In this state, as shown in FIG. 7 (II), when the detection target is presented below the water outlet 18, the sensor 20 detects this (step S28 in FIG. 9), and the on-off valve 30 is opened here. The flow control valve 26 is switched so as to flow water at a large flow rate.
At this time, if the main valve 24 is fully opened, water is discharged from the water outlet 18 at the maximum flow rate. If the main valve 24 is not fully opened, water is discharged from the water outlet 18 according to the opening of the main valve 24. Is called.
[0032]
When the detection target is pulled from below the water outlet 18 and deviated from detection by the sensor 20 from this state, water is discharged from the water outlet 18 at the set large flow rate for a while (FIG. 7 (IV), step S32 in FIG. 9). Then, the flow rate adjusting valve 26 is automatically switched to flow water at a set small flow rate, and therefore water is discharged from the water discharge port 18 from the water discharge port 18 at a set small flow rate as shown in FIG. Middle step S34).
That is, also in this example, even when the detection target is not detected by the sensor 20, the water discharge from the water discharge port 18 is continued at the set small flow rate.
[0033]
Thereafter, when the detection target is again presented below the spout 18 within the set duration, water is spouted again from the spout 18 at a set large flow rate (FIGS. 7 (VI) and 8 (VII)), and thereafter When the detection target deviates from detection by the sensor 20 and the set duration sensor 20 becomes non-detection, it is determined that there is no faucet user and the on-off valve 30 is closed, and the spout 18 Water discharge from the water is stopped (water is stopped) (steps S36, S38, and S40 in FIGS. 8 (IX) and 8 (X) and FIG. 9).
[0034]
FIG. 10 is a time chart showing the operation of the faucet 10 of this example as described above.
As shown in the figure, in this example, when the sensor 20 no longer detects the detection target for the set duration t, the on-off valve 30 is closed and water is stopped.
That is, the faucet 10 itself automatically determines that there is no faucet user, releases the water discharge continuation mode, and switches to the water stop state.
[0035]
Thus, in the case of the faucet 10 of this example, the water discharge continuation mode is automatically executed when the faucet is frequently used, and when the faucet 10 is not used, the water faucet 10 is automatically switched to the water stop state. The faucet user does not need to perform any operation, and the automatic faucet 10 can be used more comfortably and comfortably.
[0036]
In this example, it has been described that the set large flow rate is determined according to the opening degree of the main valve 24 based on the operation amount of the operation lever 16, but the main valve 24 is maintained in a fully open state based on the operation of the operation lever 16. Of course, the set large flow rate can be determined by the opening degree of the flow rate adjustment valve 26.
[0037]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example.
For example, the present invention can be applied to a conventional ordinary automatic faucet as shown in FIG.
In this case, it is possible to automatically switch to the water discharge continuation mode based on the detection by the sensor 20, or to automatically cancel the water discharge continuation mode, or by providing a switch, It is also possible to execute the water discharge continuation mode based on the operation or to release the water discharge continuation mode based on the next switch operation.
[0038]
Further, in the present invention, it is possible not to provide the on-off valve and the flow rate adjusting valve separately, but also to provide the flow rate adjusting valve with a function of opening and closing the flow path so that the flow rate adjusting valve also serves as the on-off valve. .
In addition, the present invention can be applied to wash faucets and other faucets in addition to kitchen faucets, and the present invention can be configured in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an automatic faucet according to an embodiment of the present invention installed in a kitchen.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of the automatic faucet of the same embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the automatic water faucet of the same embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining each step of the operation of the automatic faucet of the same embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the automatic faucet of the same embodiment as a time chart.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main part of an automatic faucet according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of the automatic faucet of the same embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram following FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating each step of the operation of the automatic water faucet of the same embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation of the automatic faucet of the same embodiment as a time chart.
FIG. 11 is a view showing an automatic faucet according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Automatic faucet 20 Sensor 24 Main valve (open / close valve)
26 Flow control valve 28 Control circuit 30 Open / close valve

Claims (3)

In an automatic faucet that discharges water by detecting the detection target of human bodies such as hands and tableware with a sensor,
A sensor for detecting the detection target, an on-off valve provided on the water supply channel for discharging and stopping water, a flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting discharged water flow rate, and an operation control of the flow rate adjusting valve based on a signal from the sensor. A control unit,
When the opening / closing valve is opened by manual input by a faucet user and the sensor detects the detection target under the open state of the opening / closing valve, the flow rate adjusting valve opens the opening of the water supply channel. When water discharge is continued at a set large flow rate, and the detection target deviates from detection by the sensor, the opening of the water supply channel is increased without closing the flow rate adjustment valve while the open / close valve is kept open. Narrow and maintain the narrowed opening, switch the flow rate to a set small flow rate that is less than the set large flow rate, continue water discharge,
An automatic water faucet configured to stop water when the on-off valve is closed by a manual input of the water faucet user . In an automatic faucet that discharges water by detecting the detection target of human bodies such as hands and tableware with a sensor,
A sensor for detecting the detection target, an on-off valve for discharging and stopping water provided on a water supply channel, a flow rate adjusting valve for adjusting discharged water flow rate, the on-off valve and the flow rate adjusting valve based on a signal from the sensor And a control unit for controlling the operation of
When the sensor detects the detection target, the opening / closing valve is opened, and the flow rate adjusting valve opens the opening of the water supply channel, and continues to discharge water at a set large flow rate. When deviating from detection, the opening / closing valve is kept open and the flow rate adjustment valve is not closed, so that the opening of the water supply channel is narrowed, and the narrowed opening is maintained and the set large flow rate is maintained. Continue to discharge water by switching the flow rate to a small flow rate setting,
The automatic faucet characterized in that the on- off valve closes and stops when the detection object is not detected by the sensor and the sensor does not detect the detection object for a set time. . The automatic water faucet according to any one of claims 1 and 2 , wherein the set small flow rate is set at a flow rate that does not stop the hot water supply of the water heater.

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