JPH10132131A - Water supply device control method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To improve the operability of an operation switch in a water supply device for switching between water supply / water stoppage based on an operation of an operation switch by a user. , The water supply valves 200 and 300 are opened, and water supply is started. At this time, if the time during which the foot switch 600 is depressed is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T1, the first operation mode is set in which water is supplied until the user releases the foot switch 600. on the other hand,
If the time during which the foot switch 600 is depressed is shorter than the predetermined time T1, the second operation mode is set in which water is supplied until the user depresses the foot switch 600 again.

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 for switching water supply / water stoppage based on the operation of an operation switch by a user, which is used in, for example, a household water washer. The present invention relates to a control method of a water supply device capable of switching a switch operation method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, there is known a water supply device which opens or closes a water supply valve by operating a user's operation switch such as a foot-operated switch to supply or stop water. Conventionally, the following two methods are known as an operation method of an operation switch for switching between water supply and water stop in such a water supply device. That is, 1) When the user turns on the operation switch, a valve opening signal is given to the water supply valve, and water supply starts. When the user turns on the operation switch again, a close signal is given to the water supply valve, and the water stops.
2) When the user turns on the operation switch, a valve opening signal is given to the water supply valve to start water supply, and water supply continues until the user turns off the operation switch.

[0003]

However, when switching between water supply / water stoppage of the water supply device by the operation method of the operation switch described in 1) above, when the user intends to supply a small amount of water, the water supply is stopped. There is a problem that the operation switch must be operated again within a short time after the start, and a complicated operation is required.

On the other hand, when switching between water supply / water stoppage of the water supply device by the operation method of the operation switch described in 2), when the user intends to supply a large amount of water, the operation switch is turned on for a long time. And it was inconvenient. Then, this invention is made | formed in view of the said point, and it aims at improving the operability of an operation switch in the control method of the water supply apparatus which switches water supply / water stoppage by switch operation by a user. .

[0005]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, an operation switch (60) is provided.
0), the water supply valve (200, 30)
It is possible to switch the operation method of the operation switch when giving the close signal to 0). Therefore, the water supply device can be stopped by the operation method of the operation switch that is easy for the user to operate according to the water supply amount desired by the user.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, when the operation switch (600) is turned on for a predetermined time or more, the water supply valves (200, 30) are turned on until the operation switch is turned on.
0) is open and water is supplied. That is, the water can be stopped by ending the turning on of the operation switch. Therefore, when the water supply amount desired by the user is small, there is no need to turn on the operation switch in a short time in order to stop the water supply, and the water supply device can be stopped by a simple operation of the operation switch. it can. On the other hand, if the turning-on time of the operation switch is shorter than the predetermined time, the water supply valve can be kept open until the operation switch is turned on again, and water can be supplied. Therefore, when the amount of water supply desired by the user is large, it is not necessary to keep the operation switch on while the water supply is being performed. As described above, the user can select an operation method of the operation switch suitable for a desired water supply amount, and can improve the operability of the water supply device.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 100 denotes a faucet attached to the sink 101, and a cold water distribution pipe 110 for supplying cold water to the faucet 100 and a hot water distribution pipe 120 for supplying hot water to the faucet 100 are connected. Water supply valves 200 and 300 are provided for the cold water distribution pipe 110 and the hot water distribution pipe 120, respectively.
And water shutoff valves 400 and 450 are connected. At the foot of the sink 101, a foot switch 600 (operable switch according to the claims) that can be turned on / off (on / off of the operation switches according to the claims) by the user performing an operation such as stepping on / releasing the tread portion. ) Is provided. Although not shown, a contact switch is provided inside the foot switch 600, and is turned on when the user steps on the tread portion, and is turned off when the user releases the tread portion. The controller 500 includes the water supply valves 200 and 300
And it is electrically connected to the foot switch 600 and serves as a valve control unit for controlling the operation of the water supply valves 200 and 300.

A water supply valve 200 for supplying or stopping water to the faucet 100 by opening and closing the valve is mainly provided in the middle of a water passage formed inside the body 201 connected to the cold water distribution pipe 110 by a nut 204. A main valve 207, a solenoid valve 203, and a manual valve 225 are provided. The body 201 has an inlet 205 and an outlet 228
And a water channel is formed therein. The main valve 207 sandwiched between the bodies 201 and 202 includes:
The diaphragm frame 208 is used for the diaphragm holder 20.
9 fixed. The main valve 207 is a valve seat 2
10, and can be urged by a spring 211 in the seating direction. The main chamber 212 and the sub-chamber 215 are defined by the main valve 207, and communicate with the water channel on the inflow port 205 side by a communication path 213 formed in the diamond frame plate 208. The sub-chamber 215 communicates via a passage 214 formed in the body 202 with a second chamber 206 in which the solenoid valve 203 is arranged.

The solenoid valve 203 is a valve that opens and closes when a coil described later is energized, and has the following structure. The second chamber 206 has a cylindrical plunger 2
17 is provided so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the opening of the bypass passage 216 communicating with the downstream water passage of the main valve 207 by the tip end surface of the plunger 217 can be closed. Further, a fixed core 218 fixed in the coil 219 is disposed to face the rear end side of the plunger 217. A spring 224 is provided between the plunger 217 and the fixed core 218.
Is urged in a direction in which it can be seated on the opening of the bypass passage 216. The coil 219 is fixed to the body 202 via a yoke 220, a first ring 222, an annular magnet 221 magnetized in the thickness direction, and a second ring 223.

Reference numeral 225 denotes a manual valve, which is located in the middle of the water channel so that the tip 225a is located at a position facing the main valve 207.
It is screwed to the body 226 attached to the body 201 by the ring 227, and when the solenoid valve 203 does not operate for some reason or when the on-off valve by the faucet 100 is required, the water supply to the faucet 100 / This is a valve to switch the water stop.

The water supply valve 300 has the same structure as that of the water supply valve 200, and a description thereof will be omitted. Water supply valve 20
A controller 500 that controls the operations of the microcomputers 0 and 300 is connected to a power supply 501, and provides a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as “microcomputer”) 502 that provides an open / close signal to the solenoid valve based on the operation state of the foot switch 600. And a solenoid valve driving unit 504 that drives the solenoid valve 203 and the solenoid valve 303 of the water supply valve 300 in response to an open / close signal from the microcomputer 502. Further, the water supply device A is provided with a timer (not shown) that measures the time during which the user steps on the foot switch 600.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, the operation of the water supply valves 200 and 300 will be described. When the plunger 217 is closed and the main valve 207 is seated on the valve seat, the main chamber 212 and the sub chamber 215 communicate with each other through the communication path and the main chamber 212 through the communication path 213, The water pressure on the chamber 212 side is equal to the water pressure on the sub chamber 215 side. Therefore, the main valve 20 is moved by the urging force of the spring 211 and the surface pressure difference between the main chamber 212 and the sub chamber 215.
The closed state of 7 is maintained and the water is stopped.

When a positive current is applied to the coil 219 in this state, a magnetic force is generated, and the plunger 217
Is attracted to the fixed coil 219 side and the bypass passage 21
The opening 6 is open. Sub chamber 215, passage 214, second chamber 2
06, the bypass passage 216 communicates, and the sub-chamber 215 and the downstream water passage of the main valve 207 communicate with each other, so that the water pressure on the sub-chamber 215 side becomes lower than the water pressure on the main chamber 212 side.
As a result, the main valve 207 is separated from the valve seat 210, and the water supply is performed.

Note that even if the energization of the coil 219 is stopped when the plunger 217 is sucked and the opening of the bypass passage 216 is open, the gap between the plunger 217 and the fixed core 218 is small, The attraction force of the plunger 217 by the magnetic force of the magnet 221 is larger than the urging force of the spring 224. Therefore, the plunger 217 remains sucked, and the state where the opening of the bypass passage 216 is open is maintained.

When a current in the opposite direction is applied to the coil 219 in a state where water is supplied, a magnetic force is generated in the opposite direction, and the plunger 217 is moved in the direction to close the opening of the bypass passage 216 by the urging force of the spring 224. And move.
The state of communication between the sub-chamber 215 and the downstream water passage of the main valve 207 is released, and the water pressure of the main chamber 212 and the water pressure of the sub-chamber 215 again become equal. As a result, the main valve 207 is again seated on the valve seat 210, the main valve 207 is closed, and the water is stopped.

As described above, the water supply valves 200 and 300 are opened / closed by applying a current in the forward / reverse direction to the coil 219, that is, an opening / closing signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, thereby switching between water supply / water stoppage. . By the way, solenoid valve 2
The opening / closing signal for 03 is a foot switch 6 by the user.
00 is given by the operation. Hereinafter, the operation of the water supply valves 200 and 300 that are switched by operating the foot switch 600, which is a main part of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG.

The water supply device A has a foot switch 6
When the user steps on the foot switch 600 and turns on, the open signal is given to the solenoid valve 203 to start water supply, and the time when the user steps on the foot switch 600, that is, the foot switch 6
The operation method of the foot switch 600 when stopping water supply of the water supply device A is switched according to the time during which the state in which 00 is on is continued.

First, a first operation mode performed when the user wants to supply a large amount of water will be described with reference to FIG. When the user steps on the foot switch 600 to turn on the foot switch 600, an open signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, and the main valve 207 is opened to supply water. At this time, the user operates the foot switch 600
Is kept within the predetermined time T1, the state in which the solenoid valve 203 is opened is maintained. When the user finishes supplying a desired amount of water and then depresses the foot switch 600 again, a close signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, the main valve 207 is closed, and the water is stopped. That is, once the user steps on the foot switch 600, the foot switch 6
Until step 00, the faucet 100 is supplying water.

Next, a second operation mode performed when the user wants to supply only a small amount of water will be described with reference to FIG. The user steps on the foot switch 600,
When the foot switch 600 is turned on, an open signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, and the main valve 207 is opened, thereby supplying water. At this time, the user operates the foot switch 60
If the time for which the user continues to step on 0 is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T1, the user releases the foot switch 600 and the foot switch 60
Until 0 is turned off, the state in which the solenoid valve 203 is open is maintained. When the user releases the foot switch 600,
A closing signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, the main valve 207 is closed, and the water is stopped. That is, when the user operates the foot switch 6
While stepping on 00, the faucet 100 is supplying water.

Next, the control of the water supply device A in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In step 1, the foot switch 600 is depressed by the user,
When it is turned on, an open signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, and the process proceeds to step 2. In step 2, the water supply valve 200 is opened, and water supply is started. Next step 3
, A timer is started, and a time T during which the user continues to step on the foot switch 600 is measured. In step 4 that follows, when the foot switch 600 is turned off, the process proceeds to step 5, the timer is stopped, and the measurement of the time T is completed.

In the next step 6, when the time T in which the user continues to step on the foot switch 600 is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time T1, the user determines that the water is to be stopped in the first operation mode, and proceeds to step 7. . In step 7,
The foot switch 600 is depressed again by the user,
When turned on, the process proceeds to step 8. In step 8, a close signal is given to the solenoid valve 203, and the water supply valve 200
Is closed, and the water supply device A stops the water supply. In step 7, if the user does not step on the foot switch 600 again, step 7 is repeated. During this time, the water supply valve 200 is in an open state, and water supply is being continued. When the water stops in step 8, the process proceeds to step 9, the foot switch 600 is released, and the process returns to step 1.

On the other hand, if the time T in which the user continues to step on the foot switch 600 is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T1 in step 6, the user determines that water is to be supplied in the second operation mode, and proceeds to step 10. Next step 10
In, a closing signal is given to the electromagnetic valve 203, the water supply valve 200 is closed, and the water supply device A stops water supply.

As described above, the user operates the foot switch 60
The operation method of the foot switch 600 when giving a close signal to the water supply valve 200 according to the time T for which the user continues to step on 0
By switching to the operation mode or the second operation mode, the water supply device A can be stopped by the operation method of the foot switch 600 which is easy to operate according to the water supply amount desired by the user.

Specifically, when the water supply amount desired by the user is small, if the foot switch 600 is depressed for a predetermined time when the water supply valve 200 is opened, the foot switch 60
When 0 is released, the first operation mode in which the water supply device A is stopped can be set. Therefore, there is no need to step on the foot switch 600 again in a short time to stop water,
The water supply device A can be stopped by the simple operation of the foot switch 600.

On the other hand, when the water supply amount desired by the user is large, the foot switch 6 is opened when the water supply valve 200 is opened.
By setting the time for stepping on 00 to be shorter than the predetermined time T1, the second operation mode in which the water supply device A stops water by stepping on the foot switch 600 again can be set. Therefore, water can be supplied until the foot switch 600 is depressed again. Therefore, it is not necessary to step on the foot switch 600 while water is being supplied.

The desired predetermined time T1 is derived from the following equation. Predetermined time T1 (second) = water supply amount (ml) desired by user ×
60 / (Flow rate of water supply device A (l / min) × 1000) Therefore, as one setting example of the predetermined time T1, when the user supplies one glass of glass (200 ml), the desired predetermined time T1 is Substituting the numerical values into the above equation and calculating: The amount of water per cup (ml) × 60 / (flow rate of water supply device A (l / min) × 1000) = 200 × 60 / (8 × 100
0) = 1.5 (seconds), and about 1 second is a desirable set time.

The water supply valve 300 has the same structure as the water supply valve 200 and performs the same operation, so that the description will be omitted. By the way, in the embodiment described above, an embodiment using a foot-operated switch that turns on a contact-type switch by performing an operation such as stepping / releasing by a user as an operation switch has been described. A push-button switch or the like pressed by the user with a hand or the like may be used. Further, the switch may be switched on / off depending on the magnitude of the pressing force of the operation switch, and the type of the operation switch is not particularly limited.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the contact switch for switching the operation by the user directly touching the operation switch is used as the operation switch has been described. A light-emitting element may be provided, and a non-contact operation switch that operates by detecting a user's operation may be used. Further, in the embodiment described above, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the water supply device attached to the sink is described. However, the invention may be applied to a water supply device such as a flush toilet.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an entire water supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a water supply valve used in the water supply device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of xx of the present invention.

4A and 4B are time charts of various signals in the present invention, FIG. 4A is a time chart of various signals in a first operation mode, and FIG. 4B is a time chart of various signals in a second operation mode; It is a time chart of a signal.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing control of the water supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 200 water supply valve 300 water supply valve 500 controller which is a valve control unit 600 foot switch which is an operation switch

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hideyuki Miyajima 5-1-1 Koiehonmachi, Tokoname-shi, Aichi Inside Inax Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] A water supply valve for supplying and stopping water, a valve control unit for supplying an open / close signal to the water supply valve, and an operation switch for controlling operation of the valve control unit, wherein the water supply valve is in a closed state. When the operation switch is turned on at one time, the valve control unit gives an open signal to the water supply valve, and in the control method of the water supply device in which the water supply valve supplies water, in the control method of the water supply valve, the operation switch is turned on in accordance with the operation switch on continuation time. Gives the closing signal to the water supply valve by the valve control unit.
A method for controlling a water supply device, comprising: switching between an operation mode and a second operation mode in which a valve control unit supplies a close signal to a water supply valve by turning on an operation switch again. 2. A timer for measuring the duration of the operation switch being turned on, wherein the first operation mode and the second operation mode are switched according to the duration of the operation switch being turned on measured by the timer. The method for controlling a water supply device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A closing signal is supplied to the water supply valve in the first operation mode when the on-time of the operation switch is longer than a predetermined time. 3. The water supply valve is provided with a close signal in two operation modes.
The control method of the water supply apparatus described.