JPH08326129A - Wash water storage tank for seat with hot water washer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To detect whether a water storage volume is at a suitable level or not by internally fixing an electrode to a tank body made of an insulation raw material, detecting an alternating current flow across the electrode, and outputting the prescribed control signal, depending on the existence or non-existence of the current flow. CONSTITUTION: Water is supplied to a tank 1 and, then, alternating current is made to flow across electrodes 2 and 3 laid therein. In this case, the constants of resistors R1 and R2 are decided, so that suitable bias is applied to a detector circuit, due to a current amount and suitable base current flows. When the resistor R1 is kept in a half-fixed state with a constant resistor and a variable resistor connected in series, a water level is properly detected by adjusting sensitivity to a level suitable for water quality. Also, an air pocket is formed to prevent the adhesion of water scale around the fixed sections of the electrodes 2 and 3. In addition, the occurrence of improper electric conduction via water scale adhering to the inner side of the tank 1 is prevented. According to this construction, a water level can be easily and properly detected without any trouble due to water scale or the like in the tank 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer equipped with means for detecting the water level in the tank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A toilet seat with a hot water washer is equipped with a heater 7 for warming the wash water in a hot water tank 10. However, in order to prevent damage to the tank 10 due to empty heating and a fire, the inside of the tank is washed. It is necessary to constantly detect the presence or absence of water. Therefore, the float 8 floating on the water as shown in FIG.
The so-called float switch 6, which is a combination of a reed switch and a reed switch, detects the water level, and notifies the user of the empty fire.

[0003]

However, in this method, if the hot water tank 10 is tilted during the work of installing the toilet seat with the hot water washer, the float 8 of the float switch 6 may be installed as it is while being caught in the upper part. However, if left unattended, the amount of water stored in the tank 10 is always recognized as a constant amount, and it will not be detected even in the empty state. Also, when used for a long time,
There is also a problem that scales and the like adhere to the inside of the warm water tank 10 and further scales to the float 8 and its guide 9 to make it difficult to move the float 8 up and down.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is not necessary to pay attention to the state of the float inside the tank, which is difficult to visually observe during installation work, and the water level detecting means capable of maintaining high reliability for a long period of time. An object of the present invention is to provide a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat equipped with a hot water washer.

[0005]

A flush water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer according to the present invention made to solve the above problems is provided with a toilet seat with a hot water washer equipped with means for detecting the water level in the tank. In a cleaning water storage tank for tanks, a tank body made of an insulating material, an electrode fixed to an appropriate water level inside the electrode, and an electrode arranged at the same level as or lower than the electrode, and an AC power supply for applying an AC voltage between both electrodes. And a stored water detecting means for detecting an alternating current flowing between both electrodes and outputting a predetermined control signal depending on the presence or absence of the alternating current. An air reservoir may be provided for enclosing the electrode inside the tank body so as to prevent water from entering the electrode support location.

[0006]

[Function] When water is supplied to the hot water tank and the stored water intervenes between the electrodes arranged in the tank, an alternating current flows between the electrodes due to the conductivity of the water, and the stored water detection means operates to make the proper water storage. Detects whether there is a quantity. Further, by providing the air reservoir, it is possible to prevent the adhesion of scales around the fixed portion of the electrode and to prevent improper conduction through the scales adhered to the inner surface of the hot water tank.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An example of a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, a pair of electrodes 2 and 3 are arranged inside a tank body 1 made of an insulating material, and an alternating current source 4 for flowing an alternating current between the electrodes 2 and 3 and a flow between the electrodes 2 and 3. A stored water detecting means 5 for detecting an alternating current and outputting a predetermined control signal according to the amount thereof is provided.

The water storage tank to which the present invention is applied is a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer, and is used to detect the temperature of the heater 15 for heating the water in the tank 1 and the temperature of the heated water. A thermistor and a TRS as a safety device in case of the thermistor failure are attached. Therefore, we usually focus on the fact that most of the thermistors and TRSs have a metal housing to improve the response to temperature changes, and use the metal housing of the thermistor as the electrode 3 and the metal housing of the TRS as the electrode 2 for water level detection. did. However, thermistor and TR
In order to use the casing of S as the electrodes 3 and 2, it is indispensable to satisfy the requirement that "insulation is guaranteed between the signal line of each element and the metallic casing".

The tank body 1 of this embodiment has a box-like shape, and has a discharge port 11 in the upper part and a water supply port 12 in the lower part. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an air reservoir 14 that opens downward as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is integrally formed on the inner surface of the top plate 13 of the tank body 1. A through hole (not shown) is provided therethrough. From the through hole to the inside of the tank body 1, one of the electrodes 2 becomes T
RS is vertically installed, but at that time, it is fixed via an airtight material such as a rubber ring so that no gap is created between the TRS and the through hole, and water does not enter above the lower end of the air reservoir 14. To T from the back of the top plate 13 of the air reservoir 14
With respect to the protruding length of RS, the top plate 1 of the tank main body 1 protrudes from the end of the annular rib 16 forming the air reservoir 14.
3 Set the length to reach the appropriate water level from the inner surface. The thermistor, which is the other electrode 3, was fixed slightly below it.

In the present invention, the quality of the water level detection state depends on the conductivity of the water stored inside the tank body 1. In principle, if the conductivity of the water is lower than a certain level, the water level cannot be detected. However, in the toilet seat with washer, the water supplied to the hot water tank for cleaning is tap water or ground water, and it is conceivable to use "pure water (distilled water)" or "purified water" with extremely low conductivity. I can't. The electrical conductivity of what is generally called water is as follows. Industrial pure water: 3 μS / cm or less Purified water: about 3 to 8 μS / cm Tap water and ground water: 20 μS / cm or more From these values Generally, it can be judged that tap water or ground water supplied to the hot water tank of the toilet seat with a hot water washer can withstand practical use.

As the capability of the AC power source used in the present invention, it is desirable that the current flowing between the pair of electrodes 2 and 3 be several tens of μA or less from the viewpoint of preventing electric shock and water quality change in the tank. Therefore, the applied voltage is designed to be 15 V AC or less in consideration of the electric conductivity of “about 10 to 15 μS / cm” which is slightly lower than the electric conductivity of general tap water or ground water.

In carrying out the method of detecting the water level from the amount of current flowing between the electrodes 2 and 3, the two electrodes 2
Although a DC power supply may be used as the power supply applied to 3,
Then, the impurities contained in the supplied water may cause ion exchange around the electrodes, which may cause “electrolytic corrosion” and corrode the electrodes during long-term use, which is not preferable. The adoption of the AC power supply in the present invention is intended to prevent such an adverse effect. The AC power supply of this embodiment supplies a sine wave signal having a commercial power supply frequency. Here, what is called an AC power supply is one in which the directions of the currents flowing between the electrodes 2 and 3 alternate. It is intended to have an extremely long cycle), and may be, for example, a square wave.

The stored water detecting means 5 is several tens of μA as described above.
It is designed to be sensitive enough to detect the surrounding current. FIG. 3 shows an outline of an example of a detection circuit in the stored water detecting means 5 of the present invention. In this circuit as well, R1 is set so that an appropriate bias is applied with the current amount and an appropriate base current flows. And R2 constants have been determined. Further, if R1 is set in a semi-fixed state in which a constant resistance and a variable resistance are connected in series so that the sensitivity of the stored water detecting means 5 can be varied within its practical range, the sensitivity can be adjusted to be suitable for the water quality. The water level can be detected better.

Therefore, the power source for water level detection is "terminal A =
(+), Terminal B = (−) ”, when there is no water between the electrodes 2 and 3, a current does not flow from the electrode 3 to the terminal B and the transistor Q1 is turned off. Three
When there is water between the electrodes, a current flows between the electrodes 2 and 3 and the transistor Q1 is turned on. On the other hand, when the power source for detecting the water level is applied at “terminal A = (−), terminal B = (+)”, if there is no water between the electrodes 2 and 3, the electrode 3 is connected to the terminal B.
If the current does not flow to the electrodes and there is water between the electrodes 2 and 3, 2
Since a current flows between the two electrodes 2 and 3 via the diode D1, an appropriate bias is not applied and the transistor Q1 is turned off. The diode D1 is provided so as not to apply a reverse voltage between the base and the emitter of the transistor Q1. This causes the transistor Q1
The damage of can be avoided.

When the circuit performs the above operation, the transistor Q
1 turns on at commercial power cycle as long as water is present between the electrodes
By repeating OFF, the signal waveform of the collector of the transistor Q1 also becomes a signal that repeats ON / OFF. If it is left as it is, it will be very difficult for the circuit 17 in the subsequent stage such as the microcomputer and the logic circuit to handle. Therefore, the resistor R3, the capacitor C, and the diode D2 are connected as shown in FIG. 1, and the constants of the resistor R3 and the capacitor C are appropriately selected and the commercial power source is selected. By making the next constant equal to or longer than the period, the fluctuation of the potential V is almost smoothed, and the electrodes 2, 3
"0V (L level)" when there is water between them, electrodes 2, 3
When there is no water in between, it can be handled as "VCC (H level)". It goes without saying that the circuit configuration of the stored water detecting means can be designed in various modes.

At times, a large amount of water stains may adhere to the inner wall of the tank and the electrodes themselves, and it may be detected as if there is water between the electrodes 2 and 3. However, the electrodes (as described above, the thermistor or TRS) may be detected. This problem can be solved by mounting a tube made of a material that does not easily adhere to the scales at the roots of the second and third parts (including the metal housing). In this embodiment, since the air reservoir 14 is provided as described above, in the installed state, there is no concern that water stains will adhere to around the fixed portions of the electrodes 2 and 3, and even if the tube is not attached, an error due to conduction through water stains will occur. Detection can be prevented.

If the housing of the thermistor or TRS is used as an electrode as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to newly install an electrode for water level detection, and the structure of the tank body 1 can be simplified, but the thermistor or TRS is required. If the insulation between the housing and the signal line is incomplete, or the structure is convenient, the electrodes 2 and 3 may be separately provided.

[0018]

As described above, when the flush water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water flushing device according to the present invention is used, hot water can be easily and reliably heated without causing problems due to the inclination of the tank body or water stains in the hot water tank. This is useful for providing a safe toilet seat with a hot water washer that can detect the water level in the tank. Further, since a relatively expensive float switch is not used, it is possible to provide an inexpensive toilet seat despite its high functionality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of stored water detecting means in a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an essential part showing an example of a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of an air reservoir of the wash water storage tank.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an air reservoir portion of the wash water storage tank.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of stored water detection means in a conventional wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a warm water washer according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Tank Main Body 2 Electrode 3 Electrode 4 AC Power Supply 5 Stored Water Detection Means 14 Air Reservoir

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A flush water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer equipped with means for detecting the water level in the tank, wherein a tank body (1) made of an insulating material and an electrode (2) fixed to an appropriate water level inside the tank body (1). ) And its electrode (2), or an electrode (3) disposed at the lower level of the electrode (2), an AC power supply (4) for applying an AC voltage between the electrodes (2, 3), and between the electrodes (2, 3) A wash water storage tank for a toilet seat with a hot water washer, comprising: a stored water detecting means (5) for detecting an alternating current flowing through and outputting a predetermined control signal according to the presence or absence thereof. 2. The air reservoir (14) for enclosing water so as not to infiltrate into the support location of the electrodes (2, 3) inside the tank body (1). Wash water storage tank for toilet seat with hot water washer.