JP4039009B2 - Automatic faucet with generator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic faucet equipped with a generator.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, there has been a device that uses a capacitor as a power storage means in a faucet control device having a power generation function. A capacitor is used as a storage means, and an auxiliary power supply (primary battery) is provided to replenish the battery if it is not fully charged. By controlling the amount of charge from the primary battery to the capacitor, the product life of the faucet device is reached. It is possible to provide a faucet control device that does not require replacement of any parts such as power storage means and batteries.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The automatic water faucet is configured to rotate the water wheel by the water flow flowing in the flow path and store the electricity generated by the rotation in the power storage means. For this reason, if the amount of electricity stored in the power storage means decreases for some reason, the amount of electricity consumed by the electromagnetic valve or the like cannot be sufficiently supplied on the power storage means side and relies on the supply of an auxiliary power source (primary battery). There was a problem that the ratio increased and the life of the auxiliary power source (primary battery) was shortened.
[0004]
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-26243, the water faucet is not used at all for a long period of time and water is automatically discharged when the amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage means is reduced, and the electricity storage means is charged with the discharged water. However, this conventional example has the following problems.
[0005]
In the case of the above conventional example, if the amount of electricity stored in the automatic faucet is set to a small amount or if the amount of electricity stored decreases even when the automatic faucet is used due to continuous short water discharge, This problem cannot be solved. In addition, there is a problem in that water is automatically discharged only for power storage, which is against water saving.
[0006]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide an automatic faucet having a long life of an auxiliary power source (primary battery).
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Claim 1 for achieving the above object, a generator for power generation by water flowing through the flow path, and storage means for storing electric power generated by the generator, when the power of the electric storage means is insufficient the an auxiliary power source to replenish power to the power storage unit, a water supply control means for operating in the power of the electric storage means performs water control of the flow path, the automatic faucet equipped with a control unit for controlling opening and closing the water supply control means ,
The control unit to the power generation amount of the generator which is calculated based on the time the water supply control means is a flow path in an open state, computed by the water supply control means power consumption calculating means, the water supply control means The power consumption of the power storage means is estimated by adding the power consumption to be consumed and further subtracting the standby power consumption of the control unit calculated by the standby power consumption calculation means. If the value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the opening operation of the water supply control means is continued for a predetermined time . Thus, in the invention according to claim 1, the control unit estimates the power generation amount of the generator based on the time during which the water supply control means is in the open state, thereby adding up the power generation amount so far. Thus, it is possible to grasp the current amount of power storage available.
[0008]
A control unit is that having a water supply control means power consumption calculating means for calculating a power consumption consumed by the water supply control means, thereby making it possible to grasp the power consumption of the current.
[0009]
A control unit is that having a standby power consumption calculation means for calculating in accordance with the standby time of power consumption during standby of the controller itself, thereby making it possible to grasp the standby power consumption of current.
[0010]
The power generation control section is that the generator generates power, by adding the power consumption water supply control means consumes further by subtracting the power consumption during standby of the control unit itself, the storage amount of the storage means As a result, it is possible to grasp the current power storage amount of the power storage means.
[0011]
A control unit is that the estimated quantity of the power storage amount of the storage means to continue the opening operation of the water supply control means is equal to or less than a predetermined value, thereby increasing the storage amount continued power generation in order to cover the storage amount of the shortfall be able to.
[0012]
Claim 2 is the automatic faucet according to claim 1, wherein the control unit that includes a notification means for notifying that the charge reservoir quantity of the power storage means to the user is reduced, that thereby the operation in the power storage It is possible to accurately tell the user that the product is not malfunctioning.
[0013]
A third aspect of the present invention is the automatic faucet according to the first or second aspect , further comprising human body detection means for detecting a part of the human body, and the control unit performs opening / closing operation of the water supply control means according to the output of the human body detection means. Since it is characterized by being performed, the user automatically opens and closes the water supply control means in accordance with the output of the human body detection means without worrying about it, so that each cleaning action is automatically performed and is hygienic.
[0015]
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides the automatic faucet according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the control unit has a non-volatile storage means for storing the set value, and the power generation amount generated by the generator or the power consumption amount consumed by the water supply control means. Is stored in the non-volatile storage means, so that the current power generation amount and power consumption amount of the automatic water faucet can be saved, and can be used for periodic inspections and failure status grasps.
[0016]
Claim 5 is the automatic faucet according to claim 4, wherein the control unit has an external write terminal for writing to the nonvolatile storage means from the outside, and the amount of power generated by the generator from the external write terminal or By writing the power consumption amount consumed by the water supply control means in the non-volatile storage means, it is possible to set a value according to the environment in which the automatic water faucet is installed.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In order to make the content of the present invention easier to understand, the present invention will be described below using examples.
[0018]
【Example】
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an automatic faucet 2 is installed at the tip of the flow path 1, and the faucet 2 is provided with a display unit 3 such as an LED. The automatic faucet 2 is provided with a sensor 4. The sensor 4 determines the presence or absence of the detection body 5, and discharges water when the sensor 4 senses the detection body 5, and stops water when the detection body 5 is not sensed. Water discharge and water stop are performed by opening and closing a water supply control means comprising an electromagnetic valve 6 installed upstream of the flow path 1. In addition, a generator 7 is provided in the flow path 1, and the amount of power stored in the power storage means 8 is reduced by rotating the water wheel by the water flow flowing in the flow path to generate power and storing the power in the power storage means 8 including a capacitor. Then, electric power is supplied from the primary battery 9. The faucet 2, solenoid valve 6, generator 7, and primary battery 9 are connected to a controller 10. The controller 10 includes a power storage unit 8, a CPU 11, a sound generator 12, an external SW 13, a nonvolatile memory 14, A power generation amount calculation means 18, a power consumption amount calculation means 19, and a standby power consumption amount calculation means 20 are provided inside the CPU.
[0019]
In the automatic faucet having such a configuration, the calculation unit programmed in the CPU 11 calculates the power generation amount α, the power consumption amount β, and the standby power consumption amount γ. Then, the opening operation of the solenoid valve can be continued based on the calculation results α, β, γ. A detailed flow will be described with reference to FIG.
[0020]
The power generation amount α is calculated based on the electromagnetic valve opening operation time. If the performance of the generator 7 is 100 mJ / s and the opening time of the solenoid valve is 3 seconds, the power generation amount is calculated as 100 mJ × 3 s = 300 mJ.
[0021]
The power consumption β is calculated according to the consumption of the solenoid valve. When a 5V, 2A solenoid valve is energized for 50 ms by a single solenoid valve opening / closing operation, the power consumption is calculated as 5V × 2A × 50 ms = 500 mJ.
[0022]
The standby power consumption γ is calculated based on the standby power consumption due to sensor projection or the like. Suppose that the automatic faucet changes the projection cycle by sensing and non-sensing by the sensor, the standby consumption when the sensor is sensed is 2 mJ / s, the standby consumption when the sensor is not sensed is 1 mJ / s, the sensing time is 7 seconds, If the non-sensing time is 3 seconds, the standby power consumption for 10 seconds is calculated as (2 mJ / s × 7 s) + (1 mJ / s × 3 s) = 17 mJ.
[0023]
By using the above three items for the calculation means, the current power storage amount ω of the power storage means can be estimated . First, it is determined whether or not the water is currently discharged (S101). If the water is stopped, it is determined whether or not there is a solenoid valve opening request (water discharge request) (S102). If there is no request, the process ends without doing anything. However, if there is a request, the solenoid valve is opened to discharge water, and at the same time, measurement at the time measuring unit is started (S103). Then, when it comes to the process of determining whether or not the water is discharged (S101), it is determined that the water is discharged, and it is determined whether or not there is a solenoid valve closing request (water stop request) (S104). If there is no request, the process ends without doing anything, but if there is a request, the solenoid valve is closed to stop the water, and at the same time, the measurement in the timing unit is ended (S105). Multiply the measurement time measured by the timer and the power generation performance of the generator to obtain the power generation amount α and add it (S106). Further, the power consumption β of the automatic faucet is added every time the solenoid valve is closed (S107). When the predetermined number of times of water discharge has been performed (S108), α and β are subtracted, and the result is compared with the threshold ψ (S109). At this time, if the subtraction result is larger than the threshold ψ, a normal opening time is set, and if the threshold ψ is larger, a longer opening time is set (S110). Then, the calculation result is set as the current power storage amount ω and added (S111). At this time, the comparison between the power generation amount α and the consumption amount β may be performed for each water discharge or may be performed every predetermined number of times, such as every five times.
[0024]
Also, standby power consumption γ is taken into consideration. If the value of the standby power consumption γ is subtracted from the current power storage amount ω periodically (S112) (S112 in this embodiment) (S113), a more accurate power storage amount can be estimated .
[0025]
The overall flow will be described with reference to FIG. When the automatic faucet detects the detection body at T41, the solenoid valve opens and starts calculating the power consumption. When the automatic faucet does not detect the detection body at T42, the automatic faucet is closed and the power consumption calculation means is terminated. Here, if the estimated value of the charged amount is lower than the threshold value , an opening time longer than usual is set. When the automatic faucet detects the detection body again at T43, the solenoid valve is opened and the power consumption calculation is started. If the automatic faucet does not detect the detection body at T44, it is normally closed. However, since the opening time is longer than normal at T42, the electromagnetic valve is kept open, and during this time, the amount of power storage is insufficient. Can be covered. Thereafter, when the set open time is up, the drive is closed and the power consumption calculation is stopped. Here, if the charged amount is higher than the threshold value, the original open time is set.
[0026]
Here, the long open time indicates the minimum water discharge time from opening to closing. For example, if the minimum water discharge time is set to 1 second, once water is discharged, water is discharged for 1 second even if no human body is sensed. If the minimum water discharge time is extended when the amount of electricity stored decreases, water will be discharged even if the human body is not sensed. . In addition, if the human body continues to be sensed when the minimum water discharge time is extended (dotted line portion in FIG. 4), it is possible to cover the insufficient amount of electricity stored without any excessive water discharge when viewed from the user. There are also advantages. By calculating the power generation amount and the consumption amount in this way, it is possible to control the amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage means and prevent the primary battery from being shortened.
[0027]
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, in any automatic faucet that determines the spout water using the sensor 22, the manual SW 36, and the combined use of the sensor and the manual SW, as shown in FIG. Since it is common in terms of consumption, means for changing the minimum water discharge time according to the current power storage amount is effective.
[0028]
In addition, when the open time is lengthened, the user is informed by the light from the display unit 37 such as an LED or the sound from the sound generation unit 38 that the current insufficient amount of electricity is being charged or is not malfunctioning. I can tell you.
[0029]
In addition, if the write wiring from the CPU is provided in the nonvolatile memory 39 and the current power generation amount, power consumption amount, power storage amount, etc. are periodically written, the value of each control constant when a failure occurs can be grasped. The cause of the failure can be clarified.
[0030]
In addition, since the constants such as the amount of power generation and consumption vary depending on the installation location and component performance, if a terminal for external writing is provided in the nonvolatile memory 39 and a value corresponding to the installation environment of the automatic faucet is written, When the CPU 11 reads the value through the read wiring, the CPU 11 can operate with an optimum value corresponding to each environment.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, when the amount of electricity stored decreases even when the automatic faucet is in use because the water amount adjustment valve of the automatic faucet is set to a small amount or short water discharge is performed continuously However, it is possible to store electricity in the electricity storage means without violating the intention of saving water.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic faucet in the present invention. FIG. 2 is a circuit example of an automatic faucet in the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of extending the water discharge time of the automatic faucet in the present invention. Timing chart for extending the water discharge time of automatic faucets in Japan [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Flow path, 2 ... Water tap, 3 ... LED, 4 ... Sensor, 5 ... Detection body, 6 ... Solenoid valve,
7 ... Generator, 8 ... Power storage means, 9 ... Auxiliary power source (primary battery), 10 ... Controller,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Control part, 12 ... Sound generation part, 13 ... External SW, 14 ... Nonvolatile memory 15 ... Write wiring from CPU, 16 ... External write terminal 17 ... Read wiring from CPU, 18 ... Electric power generation amount calculation means,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... Power consumption calculating means 20 ... Standby power consumption calculating means 21 ... Microcomputer, 22 ... Human body detection circuit, 23 ... Solenoid,
24 ... solenoid energization circuit, 25 ... capacitor, 26 ... voltage conversion circuit,
27 ... Generator, 28 ... Full wave rectifier, 29 ... Zener diode,
30 ... Primary battery, 31 ... Resistance, 32 ... Diode, 33 ... Resistance,
34 ... transistor 35 ... inverter 36 ... manual SW 37 ... display 38 ... sound generator 39 ... nonvolatile memory

Claims (5)

A generator for power generation by water flowing through the flow path, and storage means for storing electric power generated by the generator, an auxiliary power source to supplement the power to the storage means when the power of the electric storage means is insufficient, the a water supply control means for operating in the power of the power storage means performs water control of the flow path, the automatic faucet equipped with a control unit for controlling opening and closing the water supply control means,
The control unit to the power generation amount of the generator which is calculated based on the time the water supply control means is a flow path in an open state, computed by the water supply control means power consumption calculating means, the water supply control means The power consumption of the power storage means is estimated by adding the power consumption to be consumed and further subtracting the standby power consumption of the control unit calculated by the standby power consumption calculation means. An automatic water faucet characterized by continuing the opening operation of the water supply control means for a predetermined time if the value is equal to or less than a predetermined value . The automatic faucet of claim 1, wherein, automatic faucet and the control unit which is characterized by comprising an informing means for informing that a charge reservoir volume of said storage means to the user is decreased. 3. The automatic faucet according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a human body detecting means for detecting a part of a human body, wherein the control unit opens and closes the water supply control means in accordance with an output of the human body detecting means. Automatic faucet characterized by. In claims 1 to 3 automatic faucet according, said non-power consumption and the control unit and having a nonvolatile storage means for storing a set value, the power generation amount or the water supply control means and the generator to generate electric power consumed An automatic faucet that is stored in a sex memory means. The automatic faucet of claim 4, wherein the control unit which has an external write terminal for writing from outside said nonvolatile memory means, the power generation amount or the water supply control means and said external write the generator from the terminal to the generator An automatic water faucet, wherein power consumption is written in the nonvolatile memory means.

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