JPH0451738B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automatic water supply and drainage system, and in particular,
In order to prevent exposed pipes and faucets from freezing during winter in cold regions, etc., the water temperature is detected, the water in the pipes is automatically drained, and the water supply is easily restarted. Regarding the automatic water supply and drainage system.

(Prior art) In conventional water supply and distribution equipment, pipes for water supply or boilers are either buried underground or their exposed parts are covered with heat insulating material, etc. Even in such a case, the water inside the pipeline will not freeze.

However, the faucet is installed at the end of the pipe through an exposed pipe, and no antifreeze measures can be applied to that part. During times when water is not being used, there is a risk of water drop and freezing.
We are trying to drain water from the pipes.

To drain the water, either switch the switching valve installed between the water pipe and the underground pipe and open the faucet to drain the water in the pipe, or use the valve installed at the base of each exposed pipe. They are often configured to open antifreeze faucets and drain water from individual exposed pipes.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, draining the water in the pipes using the above method requires complicated labor, and especially in cold regions, draining the water every night is difficult. This has the drawback that the user has to perform the same operation to restart the water supply again the next morning, which greatly reduces the convenience of the water supply.

Furthermore, in case you forget to drain the water,
The water in the pipes freezes, requiring a lot of effort, expense, and time to recover, and in the worst case, the water pipes may burst, requiring replacement of the pipes. This has the disadvantage that the loss caused by this is very large.

If a situation arises in which water is needed after water has been drained in this area, it is necessary to close the antifreeze faucet, restart the water supply, and then drain the water again. Currently, these operations are a heavy burden on residents in cold regions.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention solves the drawbacks of conventionally used devices as described above. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device that can automatically perform the following operations.

(Means and effects for solving the problem) The automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention provides a drainage pipe via a switching valve at the connection part with the underground pipe connected to the water pipe, and the underground pipe is connected to the water pipe. In a water supply and distribution system having a faucet provided at the end via an exposed pipe, there is provided a water temperature detection means for detecting the water temperature at the exposed pipe portion exposed above the ground, and a water temperature detection means for inputting the detected temperature of the water temperature detection means. A control device is provided, and a motor for driving a switching valve controlled by the output of the control device is provided, and an input device for manual water supply and drainage is provided in the control device, and the control device automatically switches the switching valve according to the water temperature near the faucet. This device is configured to operate a valve.

Further, in the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention, when controlling the switching valve, the torque of the motor is detected and the opening/closing of the switching valve is controlled.

In addition, multiple faucets and a boiler are installed connected to the water supply pipe, and a switching valve is also installed in the water supply pipe from the boiler, and the control device automatically supplies water and drains through the switching valve. It is configured to obtain.

Furthermore, in the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention, the motor selector provided in the control device has a circuit that sequentially operates the motors for driving the switching valves one by one, and the opening/closing operation thereof is detected by a torque detector. In addition, the display unit is configured to display the input operation and operating status.

Therefore, in the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention, when the water temperature in the exposed pipe falls below the set temperature, the switching valve is automatically operated to drain the water in the pipe, and the water is removed. Freezing can be prevented, and no special effort is required for this purpose.

In addition, if you need water again after the water draining operation has finished, simply press the manual water supply switch on the control device and the water supply will be restarted, after which the water temperature in the pipe will drop again. Then, the switching valve is operated by the output of the control device to drain the inside of the pipe, eliminating the need for any subsequent treatment.

(Example) The configuration of the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention will be explained according to the illustrated example.

FIG. 1 explains a system diagram of piping, in which a water pipe 1 has a switching valve 4 operated by a motor 4a.
The underground pipe 3 and the drain pipe 2 are connected through the underground pipe 3 and the drain pipe 2. Further, an exposed pipe 11, a water supply pipe 6 and a drain pipe 7 for the boiler 5 are connected to the underground pipe 3, respectively, and the exposed pipe 11 has a faucet 1 at its end.
0 is set.

The boiler 5 may be a hot water boiler that uses normal late-night electricity, or may be a hot water device such as another type of water heater, but a faucet 10a is provided in the hot water discharge pipe via a switching valve 8. Further, the switching valve 8 is provided with a water pipe 7 connected to the underground pipe 3.

The switching valves 4 and 8 are both configured to be opened and closed by a motor, and the opening and closing operations are performed by a control device as will be described later.

In the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention, a temperature sensor 1 is attached to the exposed pipe 11 connected to the faucet.
5 to detect the water temperature inside the exposed tube,
The detected value is input to the controller 20 to perform its control. During the control, the motors 4a and 8a are operated by the output of the controller 20,
The switching valves 4 and 8 provided corresponding to these motors are sequentially opened and closed.

In addition, in the faucet 10 of the present invention, each valve is provided with a pressure valve 12, and when performing the water draining operation, air is sucked from the pressure valve 12,
It is designed to encourage drainage of water within the pipe.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the controller 20 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature sensor 15 that is installed in the exposed tube and detects the water temperature uses a heat-sensitive resistor constituted by a thermistor, and constitutes a temperature sensor circuit 21 constituted by an IC. There is.

The thermistor of the temperature sensor is enclosed in a stainless steel pipe, and as shown in Fig. 1, it is embedded in an exposed tube 11, and the resistance value of the thermistor changes as the water temperature inside the exposed tube changes. Then, a DC signal is obtained in proportion to the temperature.

The signal obtained as described above is
A logarithmic analog-to-digital converter converts the signal into a digital signal, which is directly displayed on the digital temperature display section 22 and also input into the motor control circuit 25. This motor control circuit 25 is mainly composed of a comparator made of an analog IC, and detects freezing temperature and melting temperature.

Further, the controller of the present invention is provided with a manual water supply switch 26 and a manual drain switch 26a, and the signals set by these switches are as follows.
The signal is input to the motor control circuit 25 in the same manner.

From the motor control circuit 25, the motor selector 27
Then, an output is performed to the display circuit 30. In the motor selector 27, the motor drivers 28, 28
A drive signal is sequentially issued to the motors of the switching valves that are to be controlled. In addition, the motor control circuit 25 and the motor selector 2
The output of 7 is input to a display circuit 30, which lights up an indicator light to display the operating status thereof.

Next, the configuration and operation of each device constituting the control device of the present invention will be explained.

As described above, in the motor control circuit 25, based on the input from the temperature sensor 15,
The freezing temperature and melting temperature are detected, and the relationship between these temperatures is as shown in Figure 3, where the freezing temperature is 0°C and the melting temperature is 2°C.
Set the comparison voltage of the comparator.

In FIG. 3, the output of the comparator changes from high level to low level at the freezing point, and changes from low level to high level at the melting point. And high level (below)
from high level (hereinafter referred to as “Lo”) to low level (hereinafter referred to as “Lo”)
The flip-flop circuit is activated only when the drain signal changes to .

Furthermore, when the output of the comparator changes from Lo to Hi, the flip-flop circuit is activated as a water supply signal, which is then guided to the display circuit and motor control circuit, respectively. The display circuit 30 uses an LED (light emitting diode) lamp to indicate whether the device is in a draining state, a water supply state, or whether it is automatic or manual.

Further, when the motor drivers 28, 28a, . . . are operating, the signal from the motor selector 27 indicates which motor is operating. Further, the motor selector 27 in the device of the present invention uses the pulse signal from the torque detector 29 as a clock, counts the number of clocks with a counter, and stops power supply to the motor when a predetermined pulse signal is transmitted. This circuit is used to operate the next motor.

In a system using multiple motors as described above, operating the motors at the same time is
In terms of power consumption and circuit configuration, there are many undesirable points such as increased cost.

In addition, the opening and closing operations of water pipe switching valves do not require the simultaneous operation of multiple switching valves, as the temperature inside the pipes does not change rapidly, and even if a sequential control method is adopted, there is a particular problem. will never occur.

Therefore, adopting a method of sequentially driving multiple valves one by one, as in the control method of the present invention, means that the current flowing through the circuit is the same as that of one motor, which is extremely This makes it possible to configure it as an economical device.

The motor drivers 28, 28a are circuits made of reversibly rotatable transistors, and control the motor current. The motor current flows through a resistor of the motor driver, and the voltage across this resistor is amplified and compared with a comparison voltage in a comparator to generate pulses. The pulse is used as a reset signal for the flip-flop circuit of the motor control circuit and as a clock for the counter of the motor selector.

In a device equipped with the above-mentioned controller of the present invention, when the temperature sensor detects that the water in the pipe is on the verge of freezing as the temperature decreases, the signal is sent to the input motor. The control circuit 25 outputs a drain signal, drives the motor via the motor selector 27 and the motor driver 28, opens the corresponding switching valve, and automatically drains the water in the exposed pipe from the drain pipe 2. .

In addition, when draining the water inside this pipe, the water inside the pipe is drained by shutting off the water pipe 1 and communicating the drain pipe 2 with the underground pipe 3, so the pressure inside the pipe is As a result, the pressure valves 12,1
Air is sucked from 2a...

Contrary to the case of draining water, when the temperature inside the pipe rises and goes from freezing to melting temperature, the detected value of the temperature sensor is input to the motor control circuit 25, and based on that information, the switching valve 4 and the switching valve 8 to connect the water pipe 1 and the underground pipe 3, so when the faucet 10 is opened, water is immediately supplied.

In the device of the present invention described above, a manual water supply switch 26 provided in the motor control circuit 25;
Two types of switches, including the manual drainage switch 26a, are provided to interrupt the water supply and drainage state when it is automatically set by the motor control circuit 25.

In other words, after the temperature sensor detects the freezing temperature and the controller into which this information is input drains the water, when a situation that requires water occurs, the manual water supply switch 26 is pressed and the switching valve 4 By switching between the two, water is supplied from the faucet 10.

In this case, even if the temperature inside the exposed tube 11 is below the freezing temperature, the newly supplied water has a high temperature, so the water temperature detected by the temperature sensor is relatively high. The passage of water loosens the pipes, so water can be supplied until the water temperature drops and falls below the freezing point, even if the water is not drained immediately after use. This situation will continue.

After that, when the water temperature gradually decreases and the water temperature in the exposed pipe reaches freezing temperature, the motor control circuit is activated by the detection signal from the temperature sensor, switches the switching valve, and drains the water. An action will be taken.

In addition, in the case of water supply, if it is necessary to manually cut corners without activating the automatic drainage device, press the manual drainage switch 26a, open the switching valve with that input, and drain the water. Do it like this.

Furthermore, in the device of the present invention, the motor selector sequentially selects the motors to be operated and causes them to operate, and only one motor is always operated. It is not necessary to set a large electric capacity; for example, it is possible to use a rechargeable battery such as a nickel cadmium battery so that water can be used even during a power outage.

In other words, if a power outage occurs when the water is set to drain, the water supply will not be available, and conversely, if the water supply is enabled, the temperature of the exposed pipes will drop. However, if the circuit is not protected against a power outage when the temperature drops below freezing, the advantages of this device will be completely lost.

As described above, in the apparatus of the present invention, it is an essential condition to take measures against power outages. Therefore, a power supply device using a battery is provided in the middle of the circuit of the present invention, so that the operation can be easily performed by pressing the manual water supply/drainage button. As the power supply used for this device, it is sufficient if it has a capacity that can withstand use about once or twice, so a relatively small power supply is sufficient.

In addition, in the apparatus of the present invention, a DC motor is used as the motor, and the rotational torque of the motor is detected and controlled by a torque detector.
For example, when trying to open a switching valve,
When voltage is applied to the motor and it rotates, the switching valve opens, but if the motor continues to rotate,
As the load on the motor increases, the current consumption of the motor gradually increases, and as the degree to which the switching valve is opened increases, the current consumption of the motor increases. When the current consumption is detected and the comparator circuit outputs a motor stop signal to stop the motor, the switching valve is opened and stopped. Further, closing the switching valve is performed in the same manner as opening the valve as described above.

As mentioned above, detecting the motor current and controlling it is the same as detecting the motor torque, and it is possible to use a relatively inexpensive circuit for this purpose. .

(Effects of the Invention) Since the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention has the above-described configuration, unlike the conventional antifreeze faucet, there is no need to open and close the switching valve every morning and evening. It becomes possible to safely protect water pipes and faucets, and the device can be provided at a relatively low cost.

In addition, the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention has measures against power outages, so even if an accident such as a power outage occurs, the water supply and drainage can be used and drained, and the water supply will not freeze. This can be reliably prevented from occurring.

In addition, in the device of the present invention, even after the water has been drained, water can be supplied or drained using a manual switch, so when water is needed, Water supply can be easily restarted.

Furthermore, if the water temperature drops after the water supply is stopped, the drain mode is set again, so the user does not need to pay special attention and can use the water supply with peace of mind.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the piping state of the automatic water supply and drainage system, Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the control device of the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control device for the automatic water supply and drainage system of the present invention. It is a graph showing a relationship. Codes in the diagram: 1...Water pipe, 2...Drain pipe, 3
...Underground pipe, 4...Switching valve, 5...Boiler, 6
... Water supply pipe, 7 ... Drain pipe, 8 ... Switching valve, 10
... Faucet, 11 ... Exposure pipe, 12 ... Pressure valve, 1
5... Temperature sensor, 20... Controller, 2
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Temperature sensor circuit, 22...Digital temperature display unit, 25...Motor control circuit, 26...Manual water supply switch, 26a...Manual drain switch, 2
7...Motor selector, 28...Motor driver, 29...Torque detector, 30...Display circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A water distribution pipe is provided via a switching valve at the connection part with an underground pipe connected to the water pipe, and a plurality of faucets and a boiler are connected to the end of the underground pipe via exposed pipes. A water supply and distribution system connected to a water supply system, etc., is provided with a water temperature detection means for detecting the water temperature at a portion exposed above the ground, a control device, and a plurality of switching valves controlled by the control device, and each faucet The switching valve is provided at a branch point to a boiler, etc., a driving motor is disposed in each switching valve, and the control device includes means for inputting the temperature detected by the water temperature detection means, and a switching valve. An output means for controlling the water supply and drainage, a display unit indicating the state of water supply and drainage, the opening/closing state of valves, etc., and an input means for manual water supply and drainage are provided, and switching is performed using the input means for manual water supply and drainage in the event of a power outage, etc. An automatic water supply and drainage system characterized by being configured to be able to operate a valve, and configured to be able to automatically operate a switching valve depending on the water temperature near a faucet. 2. The automatic water supply and drainage system according to claim 1, wherein the switching valve is controlled by detecting the torque of a motor. 3. The output means for controlling the switching valves of the control device is provided with a motor selector, and the motor selector has a circuit configured to sequentially operate the motors for driving the switching valves one by one. A patent claim characterized in that the operation of the switching valve is performed via a torque detector, and the input operation and operating state can be displayed on a display section provided in the control device. The automatic water supply and drainage system according to Items 1 and 2 of the above scope.