JPH03183832A - Method for automatically washing urinal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save washing water by providing a control circuit, having a provision whereby preliminary washing is not effected for a predetermined period of time even when a human body is detected after main washing, in a urinal in which preliminary and main washing is performed when a human body is detected. CONSTITUTION:A washing control device 36 with a human body detecting sensor 38 is provided in a urinal 32, whereby, when a human body has been detected, at first, preliminary washing is effected with a small quantity of water and after the human body has left, main washing is carried out. Further, a program having a provision whereby preliminary washing is not effected, even when a human body is detected, for a predetermined period of time, set by a timer, after completion of main washing, is stored in a control circuit 40 provided with a microcomputer. When the urinal is successively used at short intervals, washing is effected using a cycle in which preliminary washing is not carried out. As a result, washing water can be saved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for automatically flushing a urinal in response to use. Specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement in an automatic urinal cleaning method that performs preliminary cleaning and main cleaning.

[Prior Art] Devices that automatically supply flushing water to clean the urinal when the urinal is used are widely used. As this type of automatic cleaning method, a method of performing preliminary cleaning and main cleaning is known. In this method, when a person stands in front of the urinal, a small amount of washing water is first supplied to the urinal to wet the bowl, and after the person leaves the urinal, a sufficient amount of washing water is supplied. This method supplies water to the urinal to thoroughly clean it. If you do this preliminary washing and keep the pot wet,
This prevents urine components from coming into direct contact with the pot, resulting in the effect that dirt is less likely to adhere to the pot.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Immediately after the previous user leaves, the main washing is being performed or the pot is still sufficiently wet with the main washing water. Therefore, if the preliminary cleaning is performed just because the next user stands in front of the urinal even after the previous user has left, this preliminary cleaning will be wasteful.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention is an automatic urinal cleaning method that performs preliminary cleaning and main cleaning, in which the preliminary cleaning is performed only when a predetermined time has elapsed after the main cleaning.

[Function] According to the present invention, when the bowl portion is still wet during the main washing or immediately after the main washing, the preliminary washing is not performed even if the user stands in front of the urinal next time. Therefore, washing water is prevented from flowing wastefully.

[Example] Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a urinal to which an automatic cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart explaining the control method. In FIG. 1, a urinal 32 is attached to a wall surface 30, and a water supply pipe 34,
Cleaning water can be supplied via a water supply control device 36 and a water supply connection pipe 37. The water supply control device 36 is connected to the urinal 3
2, a human body detection sensor 38 for detecting a urinal user standing in front of 2, a control circuit 40 into which the signal of the human body detection sensor 38 is input, the water supply pipe 34 and the water supply connection pipe 37.
are equipped with electromagnetic valves 42 connected to each other. This control circuit 40 is equipped with a microcomputer, and a control program shown in FIG. 2 is stored in this microcomputer.

This control method will be explained with reference to FIG.

When the control starts, first, main cleaning is performed in step 1. That is, the solenoid valve 42 is opened for the required time,
A sufficient amount of wash water is supplied to the urinal 32, and main washing is performed. After this main cleaning is completed, move on to step 2.
Start the timer. Then, the process moves to step 3 and the human body flag is set to OFF. Next, the process moves to step 4, in which it is determined whether the human body detection sensor 38 is detecting a human body. If there is no human body in front of the urinal 32, the process moves from step 4 to step 5, and it is determined whether the human body flag is ON or OFF. In this case, since the human body flag is set to OFF in step 3, the process returns from step 5 to step 4. Steps 4 and 5 are cycled through until the human body stands in front of the urinal 32.

Eventually, when the human body stands in front of the urinal 32, step 4
Then move on to step 6 and check whether the human body flag is ON or OF.
It is determined whether it is F or not. In this case, step 3
Since the human body flag is set to OFF, move from step 6 to step 7 and first turn on the human body flag.
Set to . Next, the process moves to step 8, and it is determined whether the timer has counted a predetermined time (that is, whether the timer is up).
, or before a predetermined period of time has elapsed. If the predetermined time has already passed since the timer started, the process moves from step 8 to step 9, and preliminary cleaning is performed. That is, the solenoid valve 42 is opened for a required period of time, and a constant small amount of flushing water is supplied to the urinal 32. After the preliminary cleaning is completed, the process moves from step 9 to step 4, and it is determined whether or not a human body has been detected. If the human body is still standing in front of the urinal 32, the process moves from step 4 to step 6, and it is determined whether the human body flag is ON or OFF. In this case, since the human body flag is set to ON in step 7, the process moves from step 6 to step 4. Steps 4 and 6 are then repeated until the human body leaves the front of the urinal 32.

Eventually, when the human body leaves in front of the urinal 32, the determination result in step 4 is that there is no human body, so the process moves from step 4 to step 5. In this case, since the human body flag is set to ON in step 7, the process moves from step 5 to step 10, and the timer is reset.

Next, the process returns from step 10 to step 1 to perform main cleaning. That is, the solenoid valve 42 is opened for a specified long period of time to allow a sufficient amount of flushing water to flow into the urinal 32.

After the main cleaning is completed, the process moves from step 1 to step 2, and the timer is started again. Then, in step 3, the human body flag is set to OFF, and then the process moves to step 4, where it is determined whether or not a human body has been detected.

If the next user stands in front of the urinal 32 before a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the previous use of the urinal, the process moves from step 4 to step 6, and then to step 7 (step 3).
(The human body flag is set to OFF). and,
After setting the human body flag to ON again, the process immediately returns to step 4 from step 8 (as described above, the next user appears before the predetermined time has elapsed since the previous user left). Step 4.6 is then repeated until the human body leaves the front of the urinal 32. Eventually, when the human body leaves, the process moves from step 4 to step 5, and then step 10.
(The human body flag is ON in step 7). After resetting the timer, the process returns to step 1 and the main cleaning is performed.

In this way, if the next user stands in front of the urinal 32 immediately after the previous user leaves, the preliminary flushing will be omitted.

Note that when a user appears next time after a predetermined time has passed since the previous user left (that is, after time has elapsed), the following operation is performed. That is, step 1.
The control program is executed in the order of 2.3.4 and moves from step 4 to step 6. Since the human body flag is set to OFF in step 3, step 7
After turning on the human body flag, the process moves from step 8 to step 9. That is, since it is determined that time is up in step 8, the process moves from step 8 to step 9. After performing preliminary cleaning in step 9, the process returns to step 4. The subsequent control is the same as above, and main cleaning is performed when the human body leaves. If a subsequent user appears before the predetermined time has elapsed, the preliminary cleaning is omitted, and if the user appears after the predetermined time has elapsed, the preliminary cleaning is performed.

In the present invention, the pre-washing is performed for 0.5 to 5 seconds, especially for 1 to 5 seconds.
Approximately 4 seconds is suitable, and main washing is preferably approximately 6 to 20 seconds. It is preferable that the predetermined time, which serves as a criterion for determining whether or not to perform preliminary cleaning, is selected from approximately 30 seconds to 5 minutes.

[Effects] As is clear from the above embodiments, according to the automatic cleaning method of the present invention, the preliminary cleaning function is stopped when the urinal is frequently used, so water can be saved. Of course, the next time the user stands in front of the urinal after a predetermined period of time has passed since the previous user finished using it, the pre-cleaning function will operate as usual, which will prevent urine components from adhering to the urinal. A cleaning effect can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a urinal cleaning device to which the method of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control program. 32... Urinal, 34... Water supply pipe, 36.
...Cleaning control device, 38...Human body detection sensor, 40.
...Control circuit, 42...Solenoid valve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] After the human body detection device detects the departure of a human body, main cleaning is performed, and after the main cleaning is completed, if a human body is detected after a predetermined time has elapsed, preliminary cleaning is performed, and if a human body is detected within a predetermined time, preliminary cleaning is performed. An automatic urinal cleaning method characterized by: