JP7474902B2 - Drainage pipe management system and drainage pipe management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drainage pipe management system that manages the condition of drainage pipes, and a drainage pipe management method.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, siphon drainage systems that use siphon force to drain water through small-diameter drain pipes have come to be used in drainage facilities in apartment buildings and other collective dwelling units.
In a siphon drainage system, wastewater discharged from a plumbing fixture flows into a siphon drainage pipe and fills the horizontal pipe, which forms the horizontal part of the siphon drainage pipe, and the vertical pipe, which forms the hanging part of the siphon drainage pipe. When the vertical pipe of the siphon drainage pipe is filled with wastewater, the wastewater in the vertical pipe falls due to gravity, and a suction force corresponding to the head difference in the vertical pipe, i.e., a siphon force, is generated inside the horizontal pipe. The wastewater in the horizontal pipe is sucked toward the vertical pipe by the siphon force, and the siphon drainage pipe is filled with wastewater, so-called a full flow, and flows down the siphon drainage pipe.

Siphon drainage systems have the advantage that the drainage flow rate is faster than that of normal drainage systems, and because the pipes are full of water, dirt is less likely to adhere to the inside of the pipes.

JP 2018-025078 A

However, even with a siphon drainage system, depending on how it is used, it is possible that dirt may accumulate inside the drain pipe over time. To prevent this, one possible method for such a system is to use a solid cleaning agent to peel off and wash away the dirt inside the drain pipe.

However, with this method, it is difficult to check for dirt in practice, and cleaning agents must be periodically applied to all units in an apartment building, regardless of how dirty they are, which is unnecessary work for drainpipes that are not dirty. In addition, the only way to check whether the cleaning agent is effective is to directly observe the inside of the drainpipe using a fiberscope or similar, which is time-consuming.

As such, with conventional siphon drainage systems, drain pipe management was time-consuming and users were unable to determine the level of dirt in the drain pipes, leaving room for improvement.

In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide a drainage pipe management system and method that facilitates drainage pipe management and allows users to know the degree of contamination in the drainage pipe.

The drain pipe management system described in claim 1 has a detection unit that detects the amount of dirt in the drain pipe and obtains dirt amount detection data, a transmission unit that transmits the dirt amount detection data obtained by the detection unit, a reception unit that receives the dirt amount detection data transmitted from the transmission unit, a selection unit that processes the dirt amount detection data received by the reception unit, determines the amount of dirt in the drain pipe based on the processing results, and selects a drain pipe cleaning method corresponding to the amount of dirt in the drain pipe from among a plurality of preset drain pipe cleaning methods, and a notification unit that notifies the drain pipe cleaning method selected by the selection unit.

In the drain pipe management system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the detection section detects the amount of dirt in the drain pipe, and obtains dirt amount detection data corresponding to the amount of dirt in the drain pipe.
The transmitting section transmits the dirt amount detection data obtained by the detecting section.
The receiving unit receives the dirt amount detection data transmitted from the transmitting unit.
The selection unit processes the dirt amount detection data received by the receiving unit, judges the amount of dirt in the drain pipe based on the processed results, and selects a drain pipe cleaning method corresponding to the amount of dirt in the drain pipe from a plurality of pre-set drain pipe cleaning methods.
The notification unit notifies the user of the drain pipe cleaning method selected by the selection unit.
The notified party can clean the drain pipe according to the notified drain pipe cleaning method, and can save the trouble of selecting the drain pipe cleaning method by themselves.

The invention described in claim 2 is the drain pipe management system described in claim 1, in which the notification unit issues the notification to a manager who manages the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed.

In the drain pipe management system described in claim 2, the notification unit notifies the manager who manages the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed. This allows the manager to inform the user of the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed of the amount of dirt in the drain pipe.

The drain pipe management method described in claim 3 includes a detection step of detecting the amount of dirt in the drain pipe and obtaining dirt amount detection data, a transmission step of transmitting the dirt amount detection data obtained in the detection step, a reception step of receiving the dirt amount detection data transmitted from the transmission step, a selection step of processing the dirt amount detection data received in the reception step, determining the amount of dirt in the drain pipe based on the processing result, and selecting a drain pipe cleaning method corresponding to the amount of dirt in the drain pipe from among a plurality of preset drain pipe cleaning methods, and a notification step of notifying the drain pipe cleaning method selected in the selection step.

In the drain pipe management method according to the third aspect of the present invention, the detection step detects the amount of dirt in the drain pipe, and obtains dirt amount detection data corresponding to the amount of dirt in the drain pipe.
In the transmitting step, the dirt amount detection data obtained in the detecting step is transmitted.
In the receiving step, the dirt amount detection data transmitted from the transmitting step is received.
In the selection process, the dirt amount detection data received in the receiving process is processed, the amount of dirt in the drain pipe is determined based on the processed results, and a drain pipe cleaning method corresponding to the amount of dirt in the drain pipe is selected from a plurality of pre-set drain pipe cleaning methods.
In the notifying step, the drain pipe cleaning method selected in the selecting step is notified.
The notified party can clean the drain pipe according to the notified drain pipe cleaning method, and can save the trouble of selecting the drain pipe cleaning method by themselves.

The invention described in claim 4 is the drain pipe management method described in claim 3, in which the notification step is performed to a manager who manages the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed.

In the drain pipe management method described in claim 4, the notification step notifies the manager who manages the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed. This allows the manager to inform the user of the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed of the amount of dirt in the drain pipe.

The invention described in claim 5 is the drainage pipe management system described in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the drainage pipe is a siphon drainage pipe.

Siphon drain pipes have a smaller diameter than typical sloped drain pipes used for drainage, making it difficult to directly observe inside the pipe, but by using the drain pipe management system of the present invention, it becomes easier to grasp the amount of dirt inside the pipe.

The invention described in claim 6 is the drainage pipe management method described in claim 3 or claim 4, in which the drainage pipe is a siphon drainage pipe.

Siphon drain pipes have a smaller diameter than typical sloped drain pipes used for drainage, making it difficult to directly observe inside the pipe, but by using the drain pipe management method of the present invention, it becomes easier to grasp the amount of dirt inside the pipe.

As described above, the drain pipe management system and drain pipe management method of the present invention have the excellent effect of facilitating drain pipe management and enabling users to clean the drain pipe according to the level of dirt.

1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of a siphon drainage system to which a drainage pipe management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a joint with a cleaning port. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view, partially in section, showing the cleaning port joint. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the core dirt detection device. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a horizontal pulling tube member to which an electrode is attached. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the drainage pipe management system. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the drainage pipe management system.

An embodiment of a drainage pipe management system 8 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The drainage pipe management system 8 of this embodiment is applied to a siphon drainage system 10 installed in a collective dwelling unit such as an apartment building or housing complex.
The drainage pipe management system 8 includes an in-house drainage pipe management device 110 provided in each dwelling unit, and an outside drainage pipe centralized management device 112. The configurations of the in-house drainage pipe management device 110 and the drainage pipe centralized management device 112 will be described later.

The centralized drainage pipe management device 112 can be installed outside the home, for example in the management office of an apartment complex or housing complex, but it can also be installed in the management company for the apartment complex, the management association for the apartment complex, the sales company for the apartment complex, the maintenance company that maintains the apartment complex, the cleaning company that cleans the drainage equipment, etc.

(Outline of the drainage pipe management system)
1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a siphon drainage system 10 to which a drainage pipe management system 8 is applied. The siphon drainage system 10 according to this embodiment is a drainage system that efficiently discharges wastewater from a plumbing fixture by utilizing siphon force.

The siphon drainage system 10 of this embodiment is used, as an example, in an apartment complex consisting of multiple floors, and is equipped with a drainage standpipe 12 that drains wastewater downward, as shown in FIG. 1. This drainage standpipe 12 extends in the up-down direction (vertical direction) of the apartment complex, and penetrates the floor slab 14 of each floor of the apartment complex. The drainage standpipe 12 is located outside the exterior wall 16 that separates the inside and outside of the dwelling unit, for example, inside a meter box 18. The siphon drainage system of this embodiment is suitable for use in apartment complexes, but can also be used in detached dwellings, factories, buildings, etc. other than apartment complexes.

Each unit on each floor of the apartment complex is provided with a plumbing fixture 20. One example of this plumbing fixture 20 is a kitchen sink, with a disposer 22 and a drain trap 24 connected to it downstream in the drainage direction. A first L-shaped drain pipe member 26 bent into an L shape is disposed downstream in the drainage direction of the drain trap 24. The first L-shaped drain pipe member 26 is configured to include a vertical section 26A that is connected to the drain trap 24 and extends vertically, a horizontal section 26B that is disposed horizontally on the floor slab 14 and extends horizontally, and a curved section 26C that connects the vertical section 26A and the horizontal section 26B.

Downstream in the drainage direction of the first L-shaped drain pipe member 26, a horizontal pull pipe member 28 is disposed on the floor slab 14 and extends horizontally, in other words, perpendicular to the vertical direction. The first L-shaped drain pipe member 26 and the horizontal pull pipe member 28 are connected via a joint 30.

The first connection part 60 of the cleaning section 50 (described later) is connected to the downstream side of the horizontal pull pipe member 28 in the drainage direction via a joint 32. A second L-shaped drainage pipe member 34 bent into an L shape is disposed downstream of the cleaning section 50.

The second L-shaped drain pipe member 34 is disposed on the floor slab 14 and includes a horizontal section 34A extending horizontally, a vertical section 34B extending vertically, and a curved section 34C connecting the horizontal section 34A and the vertical section 34B. The horizontal section 34A of the second L-shaped drain pipe member 34 is connected to the second connection section 62 of the cleaning section 50.

A vertical pipe member 36 extending in the vertical direction is disposed downstream in the drainage direction of the second L-shaped drainage pipe member 34. The downstream end of the vertical pipe member 36 in the drainage direction is connected to the vertical section 34B of the second L-shaped drainage pipe member 34 via a joint 38. The downstream end of the vertical pipe member 36 in the drainage direction is connected via a joint 42 to a junction joint 40 attached to the middle part of the drainage standpipe 12.

In this embodiment, the drain pipe portion arranged horizontally on the floor slab 14, specifically the horizontal section 26B of the first L-shaped drain pipe member 26, the horizontal pull pipe member 28, the cleaning section 50, and the horizontal section 34A of the second L-shaped drain pipe member 34, are configured as the horizontal pull pipe 46 of the siphon drain pipe 44, and the vertical section 34B of the second L-shaped drain pipe member 34 and the vertical pipe member 36 are configured as the vertical pipe 48 of the siphon drain pipe 44.

In this way, the horizontal pipe 46 and the vertical pipe 48 form a siphon drain pipe. The diameter of the horizontal pipe 46 and the vertical pipe 48 that form the siphon drain pipe is, for example, in the range of 15A to 30A, but in this embodiment it is 20A. Incidentally, the diameter of a typical sloped drain pipe in a dwelling is, for example, 40A to 75A.

(Joint configuration)
2 and 3, the cleaning unit 50 includes a main body 52, a core 54 as a blocking member, and a lid 56. In this embodiment, the main body 52, the core 54, and the lid 56 are molded from synthetic resin.

The main body 52 has a cylindrical main body pipe 58 formed with a constant diameter in the axial direction. The main body pipe 58 has a first connection part 60 formed integrally at one axial end and a second connection part 62 formed integrally at the other axial end.

The first connection part 60 is formed with a larger diameter than the main pipe part 58, allowing the fitting 32 (see FIG. 1) to be inserted. The second connection part 62 is formed with a larger diameter than the main pipe part 58, allowing the horizontal part 34A (see FIG. 1) of the second L-shaped drain pipe member 34 to be inserted. In the cleaning part 50 of this embodiment, the first connection part 60 and the second connection part 62 have the same shape, and the inner diameter of the first connection part 60 and the inner diameter of the second connection part 62 are the same.

A side pipe section 64 is integrally provided at the axial center of the main pipe section 58, extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the main pipe section 58. In the siphon drainage system 10 of this embodiment, the side pipe section 64 is positioned above the main pipe section 58, and the axial direction of the side pipe section 64 is vertical. The diameter of the side pipe section 64 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the main pipe section 58.

A partition wall 66 is provided between the side pipe section 64 and the main pipe section 58. A cleaning port 68 that connects the inside of the side pipe section 64 to the inside of the main pipe section 58 is opened in the partition wall 66.

The cleaning port 68 is elongated along the axial direction of the main body tube portion 58 and is formed above the central axis of the main body tube portion 58.

As shown in FIG. 3, an annular step 70 that protrudes inward is formed on the inner periphery of the side tube section 64 on the partition wall 66 side. On the other hand, a male screw 72 is formed on the outer periphery of the side tube section 64 on the end side of the side tube section 64, and an annular groove 74 is formed on the main body tube section 58 side of the male screw 72. An O-ring 76 is fitted into this annular groove 74.

As shown in FIG. 2, the core 54 is inserted into the side tube 64. The core 54 has a cylindrical portion 78 that is inserted into the side tube 64, and a cleaning port blocking portion 80 that fits into the cleaning port 68 is formed integrally with the cylindrical portion 78 at one axial end of the cylindrical portion 78.

As shown in FIG. 3, an annular groove 82 is formed on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 78 on the cleaning port blocking portion 80 side, and an O-ring 84 is fitted in this annular groove 82. As shown in FIG. 2, when the core 54 is inserted inside the side tube portion 64, the O-ring 84 contacts the inner periphery of the side tube portion 64 and seals the gap between the core 54 and the side tube portion 64.

The cleaning port blocking portion 80 is formed with a curved surface 86 that is continuous with the inner peripheral surface 58A of the main body pipe portion 58. The radius of curvature d of the curved surface 86 is the same as the radius 1/2D of the inner peripheral surface 58A of the main body pipe portion 58.

The inner circumference of the lid 56 is formed with a female thread 88 that screws into the male thread 72 of the side tube portion 64, and a contact portion 90 with which the O-ring 76 of the side tube portion 64 comes into contact. When the lid 56 is attached to the side tube portion 64, the O-ring 76 of the side tube portion 64 comes into contact with the contact portion 90 of the lid 56, sealing the gap between the side tube portion 64 and the lid 56.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the core 54 is inserted into the side tube 64 so that the cleaning port blocking portion 80 fits into the cleaning port 68 and the lid 56 is attached to the side tube 64, the core 54 is sandwiched between the partition wall 66 and the lid 56, and the inner circumferential surface 58A of the main body tube 58 and the curved surface 86 of the core 54 are connected without any steps.

(soiling detector)
2 and 3, in the cleaning unit 50 of this embodiment, a dirt detection device 100 is provided in the core 54. A through hole 102 that communicates between the curved surface 86 and the outer surface opposite the curved surface 86 is formed in the cleaning port closing portion 80 of the core 54, and a window glass 104 made of a transparent material is attached to this through hole 102. Note that the cleaning unit 50 of this embodiment is formed of an opaque synthetic resin (rigid PVC, etc.) except for the window glass 104.
The inner surface of the window glass 104 and the curved surface (the inner wall surface of the pipe) 86 are connected without any steps, preventing foreign matter from getting caught on the through hole 102 or the edges of the window glass 104 during drainage.

A reflective optical sensor 106 constituting the dirt detection device 100 is provided on the outer surface of the window glass 104. The reflective optical sensor 106 is an example of a detection unit of the present invention, and includes a light source and a light receiving element, which are not shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the reflective optical sensor 106 irradiates light from the light source toward the window glass 104, and receives light reflected by dirt 108 attached to the inner surface of the window glass 104 (the inner surface of the pipe), i.e., the reflected light, with the light receiving element. The light receiving element can output light amount data of the incident reflected light, in other words, data indicating the degree of dirt.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of electrodes 114 are attached to the lower side of the inner circumferential surface of the horizontal pipe member 28 with a gap therebetween. The pair of electrodes 114 are connected to a control unit 116 of the home drainage pipe management device 110 described below, and a predetermined voltage can be applied to the pair of electrodes 114 by the control unit 116. The control unit 116 applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes 114, and if a current flows between the electrodes, it can determine that wastewater is accumulating inside the horizontal pipe member 28, and if no current flows between the electrodes, it can determine that wastewater is not accumulating inside the horizontal pipe member 28.

(Outline of the in-house drainage pipe management device)
6, the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 includes, in addition to the dirt detection device 100, the electrodes 114, and the control unit 116, a transmission unit 118 as an example of the transmission unit of the present invention, a reception unit 120, a display device 122, a cleaning end button 124, etc. The dirt detection device 100, the electrodes 114, the transmission unit 118, the reception unit 120, the display device 122, the cleaning end button 124, etc. are connected to the control unit 116.

The light intensity data of the reflected light incident on the light receiving element of the reflective optical sensor 106 is transmitted to the drainage pipe centralized management device 112 outside the home via the control unit 116 and the transmission unit 118.

(Outline of the centralized control device)
The drainage pipe centralized management device 112 includes a receiving unit 130 as an example of a receiving unit of the present invention, a transmitting unit 132, and a control unit 134 including a computer. The control unit 134 of the present embodiment is an example of a selecting unit of the present invention.

A display device 136, a keyboard 138, and the like are connected to the computer of the control unit 134. The computer includes, as an example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a storage device (HDD, SSD, etc.). The display device 136 is an example of a notification unit of the present invention.

The computer's storage device stores a program (software) for managing the drainage pipe management system 8 of each dwelling unit. The computer functions as a server. The program (software) for managing the drainage pipe management system 8 may be recorded on a recording medium 140. Examples of the recording medium 140 include solid-state memory such as a USB memory or an SD card (registered trademark), but other recording media may also be used.

The receiving unit 130 of the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 can receive light intensity data transmitted from the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 of each dwelling unit. The light intensity data received by the receiving unit 130 is sent to the computer of the control unit 134, and the computer can process the light intensity data, etc. transmitted from the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 according to a pre-stored program.

The transmission unit 132 of the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 can transmit various data processed by a computer to the indoor drainage pipe management device 110.
The display device 136 can display various data transmitted from the domestic drainage pipe management device 110, various data to be transmitted to the domestic drainage pipe management device 110, and the like.

Data transmission between the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 and the domestic drainage pipe management device 110 can be performed by wire (electric wire, optical cable, etc.) or wirelessly. There are no particular limitations on the wireless communication method for transmitting and receiving data. Examples of wireless communication include the Internet line, mobile phone line, wireless LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc., but other methods are also possible.

Because the amount of data transmitted from the residence is very small, it is possible to use other communication methods such as LPWA (Low Power Wide Area: a communication method that realizes long-distance communication while reducing power consumption) as a means of communication for remote monitoring without using high-speed communication lines such as LET lines.

(Action, Effect)
Next, the operation of the drainage pipe management system 8 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.
In the drainage pipe management system 8 of this embodiment, as an example, the state of dirt in the drainage pipes of the siphon drainage system 10 of each residence is checked once a week, in other words, at a predetermined time on a predetermined day of the week.

First, in step 100, the control unit 134 of the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 judges whether or not it is the predetermined inspection time on the predetermined day of the week that has been set in advance. If it is judged in step 100 that it is not the predetermined inspection time on the predetermined day of the week that has been set in advance, the process returns to step 100.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step 100 that the specified inspection time on the set specified day of the week has arrived, the process proceeds to the next step 102. The control unit 134 of the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 transmits instruction data to the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 to inspect the state of dirt in the drainage pipe of the siphon drainage system 10.

The control unit 116 of the domestic drainage pipe management device 110 that has received the instruction data first applies a voltage to the pair of electrodes 114 and determines whether or not wastewater w is accumulating inside the horizontal pipe member 28 .
If it is determined that wastewater w is retained in the horizontal pipe member 28, the application of voltage is stopped and voltage is applied again after a preset time has elapsed, or voltage is applied continuously and the device waits until it is determined that no current flows between the pair of electrodes 114, that is, until it is determined that wastewater w is not retained inside the horizontal pipe member 28. In this embodiment, since the drain pipe inspection must be performed when there is no wastewater w in the drain pipe, here it is determined whether or not it is possible to inspect for dirt.

When it is determined that no wastewater w is accumulating inside the horizontal pipe member 28, light is emitted from the light source of the reflective optical sensor 106, and the light reflected by the dirt 108 adhering to the inner surface of the window glass 104 (the inner peripheral surface of the pipe), i.e., the reflected light, is received by the light receiving element. The light receiving element outputs light amount data of the incident reflected light, in other words, data indicating the amount of dirt.
The data indicating the degree of dirt is transmitted to the drain pipe centralized management device 112 via the control unit 116 and the transmission unit 118. When the data indicating the amount of dirt is received by the drain pipe centralized management device 112, the process proceeds to the next step 104.

When there is no dirt 108 on the window glass 104 or when the amount of dirt 108 attached is small, the amount of reflected light is small, and when there is a large amount of dirt 108 attached to the window glass 104, the amount of reflected light is large.
In step 104, it is determined whether the amount of dirt 108 has reached a preset dirt amount A, based on data indicating the amount of reflected light received. Here, "dirt amount A" indicates, as an example, that the amount of dirt 108 is relatively small and light, and does not need to be cleaned. The value of this "dirt amount A" can be obtained in advance by experiment, etc.
If it is determined in step 104 that the amount of dirt 108 has not reached the preset dirt amount A, the process returns to step 100, whereas if it is determined that the amount of dirt 108 has reached the preset dirt amount A, the process proceeds to the next step 106.

In step 106, it is determined from the received data whether the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than a preset dirt amount A and less than a preset dirt amount B. Here, dirt amount B indicates, as an example, that the amount of dirt 108 is a medium level of dirt, which requires simple cleaning (as an example, storing, rinsing, and draining). The value of this "dirt amount B" can be obtained in advance by experiment, etc.

If it is determined in step 106 that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount A and less than the preset dirt amount B, the process proceeds to step 108; if it is determined that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount A and not less than the preset dirt amount B (in other words, equal to or greater than the dirt amount B), the process proceeds to step 132.

In step 132, if it is determined that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount B and less than the preset dirt amount C, the process proceeds to step 120, and if it is determined that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount B and not less than the preset dirt amount C (in other words, equal to or greater than the dirt amount C), the process proceeds to step 134. The control in step 120 and step 134 will be described later.

In step 108, data instructing the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 to perform storage and rinse drainage is sent to the domestic drainage pipe management device 110.

When the data instructing the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 to perform the storage and rinse drainage is received, the display device 122 of the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 displays messages such as, for example, "The drain pipe is moderately dirty" and "Please perform storage and rinse drainage." The display device 122 is an example of the notification unit of the present invention.

By displaying the message on the display device 122, the user is informed of the degree of dirt in the drain pipe and the need to clean the drain pipe. When the message "Please fill, rinse and drain" is displayed, the user performs fill, rinse and drain to clean the drain pipe. When the fill, rinse and drain are completed, the user presses the cleaning end button 124 to report the completion of the fill, rinse and drain. When the cleaning end button 124 is pressed, data indicating that cleaning has been completed is sent to the drain pipe centralized management device 112.

In step 110, it is determined whether data indicating that the storage rinse drainage has been completed has been received. If it is determined that the data has been received, the process proceeds to the next step 114, and if it is determined that the data has not been received, the process waits.

In step 114, similar to step 102 described above, the amount of dirt 108 adhering to the inner surface of the window glass 104 (the inner surface of the pipe) is detected, and data indicating the amount of dirt is transmitted to the drain pipe centralized management device 112.

In the next step 116, it is determined from the received data whether the amount of dirt 108 is less than a preset dirt amount A.

If it is determined in step 116 that the amount of dirt 108 is less than the preset dirt amount A, the process proceeds to step 118, data indicating that the pool rinse cleaning was successful is sent to the domestic drainage pipe management device 110, a message indicating that the pool rinse cleaning was successful is displayed on the display device 122, and the process returns to step 100.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 116 that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount A, the process proceeds to step 120. Here, the fact that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount A means that the cleaning capacity of the storage rinse drainage is insufficient.

In step 120, the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 transmits data to the in-house drainage pipe management device 110 instructing the device to clean the drainage pipe with a cleaning agent.

When the domestic drainage pipe management device 110 receives data instructing the cleaning of the drain pipe with a cleaning agent, messages such as, for example, "Insufficient cleaning" and "Please clean the drain pipe with a cleaning agent" are displayed on the display device 122 of the domestic drainage pipe management device 110.
When "insufficient cleaning" is displayed on the display device 122, the user knows that the accumulated rinse water was not enough to remove the dirt from the drain pipe. When "Please clean the drain pipe with detergent" is displayed, the user cleans the drain pipe with a detergent.

For example, when the display device 122 displays messages such as "Insufficient cleaning" and "Please clean the drain pipe with cleaning agent," the management side can send a cleaning agent to the user's home, and the user can use the sent cleaning agent to clean the drain pipe. The cleaning agent may also be prepared in advance at the user's home.

(Method of cleaning drain pipes with cleaning agents)
An example of a method for cleaning a drain pipe using a cleaning agent will be briefly described below.
The method for cleaning the inside of a pipe according to this embodiment includes a first step S1, a second step S2, and a third step S3.

In the first step S1, a solid chemical is poured into the disposer 22. One example of the chemical is a neutral cleaning agent formed into a solid form, and preferably contains a surfactant. This allows the foam to be maintained for a long period of time.

In the second step S2, the disposer 22 is started and the chemicals are crushed to produce a flowable foam. When the disposer 22 is started, water is supplied into the disposer 22 from the water supply port. The chemicals are crushed and stirred while water is being supplied into the disposer 22, producing a flowable foam. This foam flows into the downstream drain pipe and fills the pipe. The drain pipe is filled with foam from the drain trap 24 to at least the downstream end of the horizontal pipe 46. The foam may also fill up to the vertical pipe 48.

The drain pipe is then kept filled with foam for a specified period of time. The specified period of time may be, for example, one night or a full day and night, but may be shorter or longer depending on the circumstances.

Then, in the third step S3, water is run through the drain pipe to remove dirt from the drain pipe and wash away the foam. Specifically, the disposer 22 is run idle while water is running from the faucet.

Note that the cleaning method using the cleaning agent described above is just one example, and other cleaning methods using other cleaning agents may also be used.

When the cleaning of the drain pipes using the cleaning agent is completed, the user presses the cleaning completion button 124 to report the completion of the sump rinse drainage. When the cleaning completion button 124 is pressed, data indicating that the drain pipe cleaning has been completed is sent to the drain pipe centralized management device 112.

In step 122, it is determined whether data indicating that the drain cleaning has been completed has been received. If it is determined that the data has been received, the process proceeds to the next step 126, and if it is determined that the data has not been received, the process waits.

In step 126, similar to step 102 described above, the amount of dirt 108 adhering to the inner surface of the window glass 104 (the inner surface of the pipe) is detected, and data indicating the amount of dirt is transmitted to the drain pipe centralized management device 112, after which the process proceeds to the next step 128.

In step 128, it is determined from the received data whether the amount of dirt 108 is less than a preset dirt amount A.
If it is determined in step 128 that the amount of soiling 108 is less than the preset soiling amount A, then in step 130 a message indicating that cleaning with the detergent was successful is displayed on the display device 122 and the process returns to step 100.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step 128 that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount A, the process proceeds to step 134 .

In step 134, data instructing high-pressure washing is transmitted from the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 to the indoor drainage pipe management device 110. When the data instructing high-pressure washing is received by the indoor drainage pipe management device 110, messages such as "Insufficient cleaning" and "Request high-pressure washing" are displayed on the display device 122 of the indoor drainage pipe management device 110, for example.
The user knows that the dirt in the drain pipe was not removed by the message displayed on the display device 122. When the message "Request high-pressure cleaning" is displayed, the user requests the management side to perform high-pressure cleaning of the drain pipe, and a contractor or the like performs high-pressure cleaning of the drain pipe.

In the siphon drainage system 10 of this embodiment, the siphon drainage pipe 44 can be high-pressure washed as follows.
First, drainage from the plumbing fixture 20 is stopped, and as shown in Fig. 3, the cover 56 is removed from the cleaning part 50, and the inner core 54 is taken out to expose the cleaning port 68. By exposing the cleaning port 68, the dirt 108 inside the pipe can be visually observed through the cleaning port 68.

Then, a cleaning nozzle (not shown) of a high-pressure cleaner is inserted into the inside of siphon drain pipe 44 from cleaning port 68, and water is sprayed from the cleaning nozzle while moving inside siphon drain pipe 44. This cleans the inside of siphon drain pipe 44 and removes dirt 108.
When the high-pressure washing of the drain pipe is completed, the user reports the completion of the high-pressure washing by pressing the cleaning completion button 124. When the cleaning completion button 124 is pressed, data indicating that the cleaning has been completed is transmitted to the drain pipe centralized management device 112.

In step 136, the centralized drainage pipe management device 112 determines whether data indicating that high-pressure cleaning has been completed has been received. If it is determined that the data has been received, the process proceeds to the next step 140, and if it is determined that the data has not been received, the process waits.

In step 140, similar to step 102 described above, the amount of dirt 108 adhering to the inner surface of the window glass 104 (the inner surface of the pipe) is detected, and data indicating the amount of dirt is transmitted to the drain pipe centralized management device 112.

In the next step 142, it is determined from the received data whether the amount of dirt 108 is less than a preset dirt amount A.
If it is determined in step 142 that the amount of dirt 108 is less than the preset dirt amount A, a message indicating that the high pressure cleaning was successful is displayed on the display device 122 in step 144, and the process returns to step 100.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 144 that the amount of dirt 108 is equal to or greater than the preset dirt amount A, the process proceeds to step 146, and a message is displayed on the display device 122 indicating that the high-pressure cleaning was unsuccessful, in other words, that cleaning was not possible.
If the dirt 108 does not come off by high-pressure washing, other known cleaning methods such as cleaning with a brush or disassembly and cleaning can be used.

In the siphon drainage system 10 of this embodiment, cleaning can be performed only after the message is displayed, so there is no need to perform regular visual inspections and no unnecessary cleaning, significantly reducing the burden on residents, contractors, etc.
Furthermore, in the drain pipe management system 8 of this embodiment, the cleaning method according to the degree of dirt is displayed on the display device 122 (or the display device 136), so there is no confusion about what kind of cleaning to do.

[Other embodiments]
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modified forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the state of dirt in the drain pipes of the siphon drainage system 10 of each dwelling unit was inspected once a week at a predetermined time on a predetermined day of the week, but the interval for inspecting the dirt is not limited to once a week and can be any interval.

In the above embodiment, messages encouraging cleaning were displayed on the display device 122 of the indoor drainage pipe management device 110 installed in each dwelling unit, but messages may also be sent to the resident's mobile device (smartphone, mobile phone, etc.), personal computer, etc., for example.
In addition, application software that works in conjunction with the drainage pipe management system 8 and enables data to be sent and received between the drainage pipe centralized management device 112 may be installed on a mobile terminal, personal computer, etc., and messages encouraging cleaning may be displayed on the execution screen of the application software.

In the above embodiment, messages encouraging cleaning are displayed on the display device 122 of the home drainage pipe management device 110 installed in each dwelling unit, but messages encouraging cleaning can also be displayed on the display device 136 installed in the centralized drainage pipe management device 112.

When a message encouraging cleaning is displayed on the display device 136 provided in the centralized drainage pipe management device 112, the manager may see the message on the display device 136 and encourage the resident of the relevant dwelling unit to clean by using a letter, flyer, telephone call, or visit to inform the resident of the necessity of cleaning and cleaning methods. In this way, when the management side encourages the cleaning of the drain pipe, the display device 122, receiving unit 120, cleaning end button 124, etc. are not required in the domestic drainage pipe management device 110, and the domestic drainage pipe management device 110 can be simplified.

In addition, if the message is displayed on the display device 136 installed in the centralized drainage pipe management device 112, even if the resident does not notice the message, the state of dirt in the drainage pipes can be known by managers such as the management office of the apartment building, the management company for the dwelling unit or apartment, the maintenance company that maintains the dwelling unit, and the drainage equipment cleaning company. This means that residents will no longer miss the time for cleaning.

If the dirt does not come off with the drainage from the storage and rinsing process, cleaning with a detergent is carried out, and if the dirt does not come off with the detergent, high-pressure cleaning is recommended. However, before the detergent is sent to the resident, the resident's wishes may be heard, and if the resident wishes to not use cleaning with detergent but to use high-pressure cleaning, the high-pressure cleaning may be carried out in accordance with the resident's wishes.

In addition, in an apartment building, if the percentage of units requiring high-pressure cleaning exceeds a preset number, a notification may be issued to perform high-pressure cleaning on the drainage pipes of all units in the apartment building.

In the above embodiment, an example of applying the drain pipe management system to a siphon drainage system has been described, but the drain pipe management system is not limited to siphon drainage systems and can also be applied to normal drainage systems equipped with sloped drainage pipes, and the type of drainage pipe to be applied does not matter. A dirt detection device 100 similar to that of the siphon drainage system 10 described above can also be provided in a normal drainage system.

8...Drainage pipe management system, 44...Siphon drainage pipe, 106...Reflective optical sensor (detection unit), 118...Transmission unit, 122...Display device (alarm unit), 130...Reception unit, 134...Control unit (selection unit), 136...Display device (alarm unit)

Claims (6)

A detection unit that detects the amount of dirt in the drain pipe and obtains dirt amount detection data;
a transmission unit that transmits the dirt amount detection data obtained by the detection unit;
a receiving unit that receives the dirt amount detection data transmitted from the transmitting unit;
a selection unit that processes the dirt amount detection data received by the receiving unit, determines the dirt amount of the drain pipe based on the processed data, and selects a drain pipe cleaning method corresponding to the dirt amount of the drain pipe from a plurality of preset drain pipe cleaning methods;
A notification unit that notifies the drain pipe cleaning method selected by the selection unit;
A drainage pipe management system having the following features. The drain pipe management system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit issues the notification to a manager who manages the dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed. A detection step of detecting the amount of dirt in the drain pipe and obtaining dirt amount detection data;
a transmission step of transmitting the dirt amount detection data obtained in the detection step;
a receiving step of receiving the dirt amount detection data transmitted from the transmitting step;
a selection process for processing the dirt amount detection data received in the receiving process, determining the dirt amount of the drain pipe based on the processed data, and selecting a drain pipe cleaning method corresponding to the dirt amount of the drain pipe from among a plurality of preset drain pipe cleaning methods;
A notification step of notifying the drain pipe cleaning method selected in the selection step;
A drainage pipe management method comprising the steps of: In the notification step, the notification is given to a manager who manages a dwelling unit in which the drain pipe is installed.
The drainage pipe management method according to claim 3. The drain pipe is a siphon drain pipe.
The drainage pipe management system according to claim 1 or 2. The drain pipe is a siphon drain pipe.
The drainage pipe management method according to claim 3 or 4.