JP2001227015A - Water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a user-friendly water supply device provided with a plurality of operation switches corresponding to different operation modes of water supply / water stoppage. SOLUTION: A water supply device of the present invention is a water supply fitting connected to a cold water pipe 24a and a hot water pipe 24b, and a water supply connected to the cold water pipe 24a and the hot water pipe 24b to supply or stop water supply. The valves 23a and 23b and the water supply valve 2
It comprises a valve control section 26 for providing an on / off valve signal to 3a, 23b, and human body detection switches 22A, 22B for providing a signal for controlling the operation of the valve control section 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a water supply device having a plurality of operation switches.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a water supply device for controlling the operation of a valve control unit by operating an operation switch, giving an open / close valve signal to the water supply valve from the valve control unit, and opening and closing the water supply valve to supply or stop water supply. It has been known. As the operation switch of this water supply device,
BACKGROUND ART A foot-operated switch provided at the lower end of equipment such as a sink provided with a water supply device, a human body detection switch provided on a faucet fitting, and the like are known. As one of the operation methods of these operation switches, when the user turns on the operation switch, an ON signal is given to the valve control unit, an open signal is given from the valve control unit to the water supply valve, and water supply starts, It is known that when a user turns on an operation switch again, an ON signal is given to a valve control unit, and a valve closing signal is given to a water supply valve from the valve control unit to stop water. According to this operation method, it is convenient when water is supplied for a long time, but there is a disadvantage that operation of the operation switch is complicated when water is supplied for a short time. As another operation method, when the user turns on the operation switch, an ON signal is given to the valve control unit, an open signal is given to the water supply valve from the valve control unit, and water supply is started, and a predetermined time elapses. Then, a valve closing signal is given to the water supply valve from the valve control unit to stop the water supply. According to this operation method, when water is supplied for a short time, it can be conveniently used by shortening the set time. However, when water is supplied for a long time, there is a drawback that the duration of water supply varies depending on the use conditions of the water supply device, and it is difficult to determine the set time. Further, in these water supply devices, only one water supply / water stop mode can be operated by the operation switch.

[0003] As a technique for remedying this drawback, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-132121, a foot switch is provided as an operation switch, and a water supply valve is supplied from a valve control unit in accordance with the ON duration of the foot switch. It is described that the operation mode of the on-off valve signal to be switched can be switched. That is, when the foot switch is turned on for a predetermined time or longer, the water supply valve is opened and water supply is continued until the foot switch is turned off. On the other hand, if the on time of the foot switch is shorter than the predetermined time, the water supply valve is opened until the foot switch is turned on again, so that the water supply can be continued. This water supply,
By changing the ON duration of the foot switch, the operation mode of water supply / water stoppage can be switched.

[0004]

However, in the case of the water supply device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-132121, there are the following problems. Since the operation switch is a foot-operated switch, it is difficult to operate when it is necessary to step on both feet. In addition, the foot switch is disposed at a position that is inconspicuous, and it is inconvenient for a user who is unfamiliar with the operation of the water supply device. Further, since the water supply time is set according to the operation method of the operation switch, an unfamiliar user may be confused in the usage method. Further, in the case of a user with weak feet, such as an elderly person, it is difficult to support the body with one foot and operate the foot switch with one foot. In particular, operation was impossible for wheelchair users.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a user-friendly water supply device having a plurality of operation switches corresponding to different operation modes of water supply and water stoppage. It is intended to be.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a faucet, a water supply valve for supplying or stopping water, and a valve control unit for supplying an on / off valve signal to the water supply valve. And an operation switch for providing a control signal for the operation of the valve control section, wherein a plurality of the operation switches are provided, and the control signals from the operation switches cause the valve control section to operate in different operation modes. Is provided to the water supply valve.

As the water supply valve in the present invention, a water supply valve provided with a solenoid valve or a motor-operated valve is suitable because opening and closing can be reliably controlled. As the operation switch, a mechanical switch such as a foot switch or a push button switch may be used.However, if a human body detection switch using infrared rays or the like is used, the human body does not need to directly touch the operation switch. Sanitary and convenient. In addition, as a method in which the valve control unit provides an on-off valve signal in a different operation mode to the water supply valve by a control signal from each operation switch, a different control signal is provided from each operation switch to the valve control unit, and the control signal The valve control unit may provide an on-off valve signal of a different operation mode to the water supply valve in accordance with the operation mode, or may provide the same control signal to an input unit of the valve control unit corresponding to a different operation mode for each operation switch. May be provided to the water supply valve from the valve control unit in different operation modes depending on the condition.

The invention according to claim 2 is the water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the operation switch is a human body detection switch.

The invention according to claim 3 is the water supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of operation switches are provided on the faucet.

[0010] The invention according to claim 4 is based on claim 1,
In the invention of 2 or 3, the water supply device has a water discharge tube, one of the operation switches is provided on a lower surface portion of the water discharge tube, and another operation switch is provided on a side surface portion of the water discharge tube. It is a water supply device characterized by being carried out.

[0011]

In the water supply apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of operation switches are provided, and the valve control section supplies an on-off valve signal in a different operation mode to the water supply valve according to a control signal from each operation switch. Has been made. Therefore,
Water supply / water stop operations in different modes can be performed for each of the plurality of operation switches of the water supply device.

In the water supply apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, the operation switch is a human body detection switch. Therefore,
A control signal can be given from the operation switch to the valve control unit only by bringing a part of a human body such as a hand close to the operation switch. That is, there is no need to directly touch the operation switch.

In the water supply apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of operation switches are provided on the faucet. Therefore, the operation switch can be operated while checking the water supply / water stop state.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the water faucet has a water discharge tube, one of the operation switches is provided on the lower surface of the water discharge tube, and the other operation switch is provided with another operation switch. It is provided on the side surface of the water discharge tube. Therefore,
By bringing the hand closer to the bottom of the water discharge tube or closer to the side, the water supply / water stop operation set in a different mode can be performed.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on embodiments with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sink provided with the water supply device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the equipment configuration of the water supply device of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the faucet fitting of FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the operation of the human body detection switch provided in the faucet fitting No. 3, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the function of the valve control unit in FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a kitchen sink,
A top plate 12 having a sink 13 is placed on a cabinet 11. Further, a faucet fitting (faucet fitting) 21 is attached to the back of the sink 13 of the top plate 12. This faucet fitting 21 has a handle 211 with a temperature adjusting function.
And a water discharge pipe 212. By operating the handle 211, the water supply temperature can be appropriately adjusted, and water supply and water can be stopped from the water discharge pipe 212. As shown in FIG. 3, the faucet fitting 21 has a human body detection switch (operation switch) 22A on the lower surface of the water discharge tube 212 and a human body detection switch (operation switch) 22B on the side surface.

Next, the configuration of the water supply device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The water supply device of the present invention includes a water faucet 21 connected to a cold water pipe 24a and a hot water pipe 24b, and water supply valves 23a and 23b connected to the cold water pipe 24a and the hot water pipe 24b to supply or stop water. And this water valve 2
A valve control unit 26 that supplies an on-off valve signal to the valves 3a and 23b;
12 are provided with human body detection switches 22A and 22B. As schematically shown by broken lines, the human body sensing switches 22A and 22B and the valve control unit 26 are electrically connected by a cable 27a, and the valve control unit 26 and the water supply valves 23a and 23b are electrically connected by a cable 27b. Further, the valve control section 26 is connected to a power supply 28.

The faucet fitting 21 has a cold water pipe 24a.
Another cold water pipe and a hot water pipe (not shown) are connected in parallel with the hot water pipe 24b and the water supply valve 23 due to a power failure or failure.
a and 23b are closed, the handle 2 of the faucet fitting 21 is closed.
By operating 11, the temperature can be adjusted appropriately, and water can be supplied or stopped.

Next, the operation of the human body detection switches 22A and 22B will be described with reference to FIG. The human body detection switch 22A is provided on the lower surface of the water discharge pipe 212 of the faucet fitting 21, and can detect a human body in a range indicated by a broken line indicated by A. The human body detection switch 22B is provided on the side surface of the water discharge pipe 212 of the faucet fitting 21 so as to be able to detect a human body in a range indicated by a broken line indicated by B.

Next, the function of the valve control section 26 will be described with reference to FIG. The valve control section 26 controls the operation of the water supply valves 23a and 23b, and has a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as a microcomputer) 262 and an electromagnetic valve drive section 263. The microcomputer 262 is connected to the human body detection switch 22.
A, 22B based on the operating state of the water supply valve 23a, 23
b is provided with an on-off valve signal. Each of the water supply valves 23a and 23b is provided with an electromagnetic valve 264. Further, the solenoid valve driving unit 263 includes the microcomputer 26
Solenoid valve 26 of the water supply valve 22a in response to the on-off valve signal from
4 and the water supply valve 264 of the water supply valve 22b are simultaneously driven by the same operation.

The solenoid valves 264 provided in the water supply valves 23a and 23b are opened by supplying current to a coil provided in the solenoid valves 264 to supply water. When the power supply is stopped, the valves are closed. The water is shut off. As described above, the water supply valves 23a and 23b are opened and closed by applying or stopping the voltage to the coil of the solenoid valve 264 (opening / closing signal), and causing the current to flow or stop the solenoid valve 264. The supply / stop is switched.

Next, an operation method of the water supply device of the present embodiment will be described. Here, the operation of the water supply valve 23b is the same as that of the water supply valve 23a, and the description is omitted. One operation method is that the user operates the human body detection range A of the human body detection switch 22A.
This is a method in which an open / close valve signal to the water supply valve 23a can be given by putting out a hand in the range of FIG. That is, when the hand is put into the human body detection range A and put out, the ON signal is given to the valve control unit 26 from the human body detection switch 22A. Then, a voltage is applied as a valve opening signal from the valve control unit 26 to the water supply valve 23 a for a certain period of time, and a current flows through the solenoid valve 264 to open the valve and continue water supply from the faucet fitting 21. After a certain period of time, the voltage is stopped as a valve closing signal from the valve control unit 26 to the water supply valve 23a, and the current of the solenoid valve 264 is stopped to close the valve and stop the water supply from the faucet fitting 21.

Another operation method is a method of giving an open / close valve signal to the water supply valve 23a by the user putting his / her hand in and out of the human body sensing range B of the human body sensing switch 22B. That is, once the hand is put into and out of the human body detection range B, an ON signal is given to the valve control unit 26 from the human body detection switch 22B. Then, a voltage is applied from the valve control unit 26 to the water supply valve 23a as a valve opening signal, and the electromagnetic valve 264
, The valve opens and the water supply from the faucet fitting 21 is continued. When a valve opening signal is given to the water supply valve 23a from the valve control unit 26 and the water supply is continued,
Once the hand is put into the human body detection range B and put out, an ON signal is given from the human body detection switch 22B to the valve control unit 26.
Then, the water supply valve 2 is supplied from the valve control unit 26 by the ON signal.
At 3b, the voltage is stopped as a valve closing signal, and the current of the solenoid valve 264 is stopped, whereby the valve is closed and the water supply from the faucet fitting 21 is stopped.

Since the water supply device of the present embodiment is configured as described above, the user of the water supply device can supply or stop water without directly touching the faucet fitting 21, so that the sanitary condition is improved. A water supply device can be used. Also,
By shortening the set time, the human body detection switch 22A can be conveniently used when it is desired to supply water for a short time. There, you can save water. Further, the human body detection switch 22B can be conveniently used when water is to be supplied for an arbitrary time.

Further, since the human body detection switch 22A and the human body detection switch 22B are provided on the faucet fitting 21, the human body detection switch 2 is checked while checking the water supply / water stop state.
2A and 22B can be operated, and the usability is good.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and there are design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention. Are also included in the present invention.

For example, the cold water pipe and the hot water pipe may have only one of them. The operation switch does not necessarily need to be provided only on the faucet, and may be provided on the front surface of the sink in consideration of a wheelchair user or the like. Further, the water supply device of the present invention may be used for a sink, a toilet, a shower, or the like, in addition to the sink.

The operation mode of the water supply valve is such that when the user turns on the operation switch, water supply from the water faucet is continued, and when the operation switch is turned off, water supply from the water faucet stops. You may.

[0029]

In the water supply apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the valve control section provides the open / close valve signal of a different operation mode to the water supply valve according to the control signal from each operation switch, the operation of the water supply apparatus is controlled. Water supply / water stop operation in different modes can be performed for each switch. Therefore, a necessary operation mode can be set for each switch, such as an operation switch used for long-time water supply and an operation switch used for short-time water supply, and a highly convenient water supply device can be configured. .

In the water supply apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the operation switch is a human body detection switch,
The operation switch can be operated without touching a human body such as a hand with the operation switch. Therefore, a sanitary and highly convenient water supply device can be configured.

In the water supply apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of operation switches are provided on the faucet, the operation switches can be operated while checking the water supply / water stop state. Therefore, an easy-to-use water supply device can be configured.

In the water supply apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention, one of the operation switches is provided on the lower surface of the water discharge tube, and the other operation switch is provided on the side surface of the water discharge tube. Therefore, it is possible to perform water supply / water stoppage in an operation mode suitable for an action of approaching a hand under a water discharge cylinder and an operation mode suitable for an action of approaching a side. In other words, if you want to supply water for a short time, place your hand under the water discharge cylinder, and if you want to perform fall water for an arbitrary time, configure a water supply device that can supply and stop water by a natural act such as bringing the water close to the side of the water discharge cylinder. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sink provided with a water supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a device configuration of the water supply device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the faucet fitting of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating an operation of a human body detection switch provided in the faucet fitting of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a function of a valve control unit in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 faucet fittings (faucet fittings) 212 spouting tubes 22A, 22B human body detection switches (operation switches) 23a, 23b water supply valve 26 valve control unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] A water supply valve for supplying or stopping water; a valve control unit for supplying an on / off valve signal to the water supply valve; and an operation switch for supplying a control signal for operation of the valve control unit. In the water supply device, a plurality of the operation switches are provided, and according to a control signal from each operation switch, the valve control unit is configured to supply an open / close valve signal of a different operation mode to the water supply valve. Water supply. 2. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the operation switch is a human body detection switch. 3. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of operation switches are provided on the faucet. 4. The water supply device has a water discharge tube, one of the operation switches is provided on a lower surface of the water discharge tube, and another operation switch is provided on a side surface of the water discharge tube. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply device is provided.