JP2001329584A - Feed water device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately determine the timing for component replacement and maintenance by displaying the number of total water feeding times from installation up to present in an automatic washing device of a urinal. SOLUTION: This automatic washing device 14 of the urinal is provided with a solenoid valve performing a water feed and a water feed stop, a sensor 32 detecting a user, a controller controlling the operation of the solenoid valve by receiving the detection signal from the sensor 32, and automatically washes the urinal based on the detection of the user. LED indicator lamps 42a and 42b are provided for displaying the total number of water feeding times from the installation of the device up to present, thereby the timing for component replacement and maintenance can be accurately determined.

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 suitable as an automatic urinal flushing device or an automatic faucet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for cleaning a urinal, an electromagnetic valve for controlling water supply and stop of water supply by opening and closing a valve, a sensor for sensing a user, and an electromagnetic valve receiving a sensing signal from the sensor. A device that includes a control unit that controls the operation of a valve and automatically performs urinal cleaning based on a user's detection is widely used. Alternatively, an automatic faucet that opens and closes an electromagnetic valve by a control unit based on detection of a user by a sensor and automatically discharges water from a water outlet and stops water discharge is widely installed in a public toilet hand washing place or the like.

[0003]

The following problems have conventionally occurred in water supply devices such as automatic urinals and automatic faucets. In other words, in these water supply devices, parts are replaced or maintenance work is performed as necessary to secure and maintain stable operation, or the water supply device itself is replaced with a new one. These parts, product replacement and maintenance work were performed based on the number of years of use since the installation of the equipment.

[0004] However, in a water supply device, the timing of parts replacement, maintenance work, and the like must differ depending on the number of times the device is used. Nevertheless, parts replacement and maintenance work are performed based on the number of years of use because it is not possible to clearly know how many times each water supply device has been used.

[0005] For this reason, even though parts replacement and maintenance work are not necessary yet, they are performed. Conversely, although parts replacement and maintenance work are originally required, they are not performed. As a result, there was a risk that parts and the water supply device itself would break down and cause serious damage.

For example, even if the packing of the solenoid valve is worn, it continues to be used, and as a result, the solenoid valve cannot be closed, water is released and the surrounding area is flooded. . This problem is a serious problem in the automatic water supply device as described above, but can also occur in such a non-automatic water supply device.

[0007]

The water supply device of the present invention has been devised to solve such a problem. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water supply apparatus for supplying and stopping water supply by opening and closing a valve, and having a first display means for displaying the number of continuous water supply from the installation of the apparatus to the present. It is characterized by.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the water supply device has an electromagnetic valve as the valve, a sensor for sensing a user, and a sensor for receiving a sensor signal from the sensor. A control unit for controlling operation of the electromagnetic valve, wherein the electromagnetic valve is automatically opened / closed based on a user's detection to supply water and stop supplying water.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the first display means is an LED indicator light.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the LED indicator lamp is provided so as to be visible from outside through a display window.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the third and fourth aspects, the water supply device has an operation switch for displaying the LED indicator when necessary by turning on the water. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the first display means is a display unit provided in a reading device for reading the number of times of continuous water supply stored in the control unit. .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the water supply device has a second display means for displaying a set number of times of durable water supply.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the second to seventh aspects, the water supply device is an automatic urinal cleaning device.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to seventh aspects, the water supply device is an automatic faucet.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, the water supply device is provided with the first display means for displaying the number of times of continuous water supply from the time of installation of the device to the present. Based on the display by the first display means, it is possible to accurately know the necessary parts replacement time or maintenance time. As a result, conventional problems such as performing component replacement or the like without the necessity of replacement, or neglecting the need for component replacement or maintenance work, etc., resulting in serious damage Can be solved.

The present invention has an electromagnetic valve for controlling water supply and water supply stop by opening and closing a valve, a sensor for detecting a user, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the electromagnetic valve based on the detection by the sensor. The present invention is particularly suitably applicable to an automatic flushing device for urinals or an automatic water supply device such as an automatic faucet for automatically supplying and stopping water supply based on a user's detection. 8, Claim 9).

Further, in the present invention, the first display means may be an LED indicator light.
By doing so, the number of times of water supply (the number of times of water use) of the water supply device can be easily and clearly displayed by turning on, off, or blinking the LED indicator lamp.

In this case, it is desirable to provide the LED indicator lamp so that it can be seen from the outside through the display window. In this way, a maintenance worker or the like can easily know the current water supply frequency from the outside without performing a troublesome operation such as opening the lid of the apparatus and exposing the inside.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the LE is provided only when necessary.
An operation switch for displaying the D indicator light is provided. For example, in a public toilet or the like, a user of a urinal does not perform maintenance work on a water supply device, and it is customary that another administrator or a maintenance worker performs the maintenance work.

In this case, if the number of times of water supply of the water supply device exceeds a certain number of times, for example, if the LED indicator lamp is constantly blinking, the user may rather feel complicated. In this case, according to claim 5,
Turn on the operation switch only when necessary
If the indicator light is displayed, the number of times of water supply of the water supply device can be known only when the manager or the maintenance worker wants to know, which is convenient.

In the present invention, a display unit may be provided in the reader for reading the number of continuous water supply stored in the control unit, and the display unit may be used as the first display means. In this case, the reader can be of a wired type or a wireless type.

In this way, even when the number of times of water supply is read by the reading device and displayed on the display unit, an administrator or a maintenance worker can easily know the number of times of water supply. In particular, in the case of the wireless type, for example, even when the main body of the water supply device is in a position that is difficult to see from the outside such as under a counter, the number of water supply times can be easily known, which is convenient.

In the present invention, it is possible to provide a second display means for displaying the set number of times of life, that is, the number of times of endurance water supply, in addition to the first display means.
In this way, by comparing the current water supply frequency with the set durable water supply frequency, it is possible to easily and accurately determine whether parts replacement, product replacement, maintenance work, or the like is necessary. .

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic urinal cleaning apparatus will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a toilet wall (a tile wall in this example) 12
Is an automatic flushing device (water supply device) for the urinal 10 which is also embedded in the wall 12 thereof. Here, the automatic cleaning device 14 has a plate-shaped lid 16. The lid 16 is provided with a display window 18, through which an LED indicator lamp as first display means described later can be seen from the outside.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the internal structure of the automatic cleaning device 14 in detail. As shown in these figures, the automatic cleaning device 14 includes a water stopcock 22 inside the box 20 at the embedding position of the wall 12, a main valve 26 for opening and closing the water channel 24, and a pilot valve of the main valve 26. Solenoid valve 28
And a sensor unit 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor unit 30 has a sensor 32 for optically detecting a human body, that is, a user, at a lower portion of the front surface thereof, and operates a solenoid valve 28 therein. It has a control unit 34 (see FIG. 5) for controlling. Here, the sensor 32 is arranged at a position facing the display window 18 of the plate-shaped lid 16. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid 16 is attached with the opening 36 closed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the automatic cleaning device 14 has a connection pipe 38 for connection to a water supply source and a connection for connection to a water supply port of the urinal 10 outside the box 20. Each has a tube 40.

In the automatic water supply device 14, water from the water supply source reaches the main valve 26 via the water stopcock 22, and the main valve 26 opens to flow through the water channel 24 and through the connection pipe 40. The water reaches the water supply port of the urinal 10 and is sprayed on the inner surface of the bowl of the urinal 10. Thereby, the inner surface of the bowl of the urinal 10 is washed.

As shown in FIG. 3, a back pressure chamber 29 is formed behind the main valve 26, and the main valve 26 is normally closed by the pressure of the water in the back pressure chamber 29. It is in a state of having done. Thus, when the sensor 32 senses the user of the urinal 10, in detail, when the sensor 32 senses that the user has left the urinal 10, a signal is sent to the control unit 34.
Here, the control unit 34 opens the solenoid valve 28 to drain the water inside the back pressure chamber 29. Then, the water pressure in the back pressure chamber 29 decreases, whereby the main valve 26 is opened by the pressure of the water in the water passage 24, and the water passage 24 is opened. Here, after the water from the water supply source flows through the water channel 24, the water is supplied to the water supply port of the urinal 10.

On the other hand, after a certain time, the solenoid valve 28
4, the water in the water channel 24 flows into the back pressure chamber 29 through a small hole (not shown),
The water pressure in the back pressure chamber 29 is increased to the initial pressure. At this time, the main valve 26 again performs the valve closing operation by the pressure of the water in the back pressure chamber 29, and stops supplying water.

The sensor unit 30 also has an LED indicator (first indicator) 4 at its lower front part in FIG.
2a and 42b are provided. These LED indicators 4
2a and 42b are also located at positions facing the display window 18 of the lid 16. Here, an LED that emits red light is used as the LED indicator light 42a.
2b emits green light.

In this example, for example, the number of times the urinal 10 is used,
That is, the red LED indicator light 42a blinks when the number of times of water supply of the automatic cleaning device 14 exceeds 300,000 times, and the red LED indicator light 4 when the number of times of water supply exceeds 600,000 times.
2a is turned off, the green LED indicator light 42b flashes, and when the number of times exceeds 900,000 times, the red LED indicator light 42a
, And both the green LED indicator light 42b blinks.

The number of times of water supply is 300,000, 60
The ten thousand and nine hundred thousand times are merely examples, and they may be made to blink at other times. Furthermore, here, the LED indicator light 42
Although a and 42b are made to blink, they may simply be turned on in some cases.

In this embodiment, the control section 34 stores the number of times of water supply of the automatic cleaning device 14, specifically, the number of times of operation of the solenoid valve 28, and based on the storage, stores the LED indicator lights 42a, 4a.
2b is operated under the control of the control unit 34.

The LED indicators 42a and 42b are
The display operation is performed by turning on a dip switch (operation switch) 44 (see FIG. 4) provided on the back surface of the sensor unit 30 or the like.
They can be kept from blinking when they are turned off.

According to the present embodiment, the LED indicator lamps 42a, 42
The necessary parts replacement time or maintenance time, etc. can be accurately known based on the display by b. Therefore, this can be performed even though parts replacement etc. are not originally necessary, or parts replacement, maintenance work, etc. are necessary. Despite this, neglecting this can solve the problem of resulting in great damage.

Further, since the LED indicator lamps 42a and 42b are visible from the outside through the display window 18, the LED lamps 42a and 42b can be easily read from the outside without any troublesome work such as opening the cover 16 of the apparatus to expose the inside. The maintenance worker can know the number of times of water supply.

Further, if the LED display lamps 42a and 42b are operated only when necessary by turning on the dip switch 44 in accordance with the above, the urinal 1 is constantly blinked by the LED display lamps 42a and 42b.
The number of times of water supply of the automatic cleaning device 14 can be known only when the administrator or the maintenance worker wants to know without giving a feeling of complexity to the user of No. 0.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this example, in addition to the LED display lamps 42a and 42b as the first display means in the first embodiment, the liquid crystal display section 48 as the second display means for displaying the set number of times of durable water supply is provided by the sensor unit 30. This is an example provided on the front surface. Note that the liquid crystal display section 48 may be provided on a side surface (position indicated by a dotted line in the figure) of the sensor unit 30. Alternatively, it may be provided on the back surface of the sensor unit 30. The display may be performed by other means instead of the liquid crystal.

In this way, it is possible to easily and accurately determine whether parts replacement, product replacement or maintenance work is necessary by comparing the current number of times of water supply with the set number of times of durable water supply. Can be.

Here, the number of durable water supplies is displayed on the liquid crystal display section 48 as the second display means.
8 may be used to display the information. In this case, the liquid crystal display section 48 constitutes the first display means. Furthermore, the number of times of continuous water supply may be displayed by means other than the liquid crystal.

FIG. 7 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the number of times of water supply is read by a reader. In the figure, reference numeral 50 denotes a reading device, and this reading device 50 connects a connector 52 to a connector 54 of the sensor unit 30 and
This is an example in which the number of continuous water supply times stored in the control unit 34 is read and displayed on the display unit (first display means) 56.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the reader 50 is a wired reader, but it may be a wireless reader 58 as shown in FIG. The reading device 58 of this example is of a remote control type. When a specific operation button is pressed, a light emission signal from the transmitting unit 60 of the sensor unit 30 is received by the light receiving unit of the reading device 58, and the sensor unit 30
Is displayed on the display unit 56.

In the case where the number of times of water supply is read by the reading devices 50 and 58 and displayed on the display unit 56 as in these examples, a manager or a maintenance worker can easily use the automatic cleaning device 14. You can know the current water supply frequency. In particular, in the case of the wireless type shown in FIG. 8, for example, even when the sensor unit 30 is at a position that is difficult to see from the outside such as under a counter, the number of times of water supply can be easily known, which is convenient.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, this is only an example. For example, the present invention can of course be applied to an urinal-integrated automatic washing apparatus incorporated in the upper lid of the urinal 10, or the faucet body is disposed below a counter or the like. On the other hand, a water faucet section is installed on the counter at a distance, and an automatic faucet in which the faucet is controlled by the faucet body, that is, the user senses the user with a sensor and controls the solenoid valve by the control unit. The present invention can also be applied to an automatic faucet which automatically opens and automatically discharges water.

In particular, in the case of this automatic faucet, since the sensor unit 30 is located at a hidden position below the counter, if the number of continuous water supply is read by the remote control type reader 58 shown in FIG. Has the advantage that it can be read. In addition, the present invention can be configured in variously modified forms without departing from the gist thereof.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an automatic urinal cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in an installed state together with a urinal.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific configuration of the automatic cleaning device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the automatic cleaning device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the automatic cleaning device of the same embodiment in a partially disassembled state.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the automatic cleaning device of the same embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an automatic cleaning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention in a partially disassembled state.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an automatic cleaning apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention in a partially disassembled state.

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded perspective view showing an automatic cleaning apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 Automatic Cleaning Device (Water Supply Device) 18 Display Window 28 Solenoid Valve 32 Sensor 34 Control Unit 42a, 42b LED Indicator Light (First Display Means) 44 Dip Switch (Operation Switch) 48 Liquid Crystal Display Unit (Second Display Means) 56 Display Unit (First Display Means) 50, 58 Reader

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Keisuke Hiraide 5-1-1 Koiehonmachi, Tokoname-shi, Aichi F-term in Inax Co., Ltd. (Reference) 2D039 AA04 FA04 2D060 CA04 CA07

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A water supply device for supplying and stopping water supply by opening and closing a valve, comprising: a first display means for displaying the number of continuous water supply from the installation of the device to the present. apparatus. 2. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply device has an electromagnetic valve as the valve, and a sensor for sensing a user and an operation control of the electromagnetic valve in response to a detection signal from the sensor. A water supply device comprising: a control unit that automatically opens and closes the electromagnetic valve based on a user's detection to supply and stop water supply. 3. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein said first display means is an LED indicator light. 4. The water supply device according to claim 3, wherein the LED indicator lamp is provided so as to be visible from outside through a display window. 5. The water supply device according to claim 3, wherein the water supply device has an operation switch for displaying the LED indicator light when necessary by an on operation. 6. The water supply device according to claim 2, wherein the first display means is a display unit provided in a reading device that reads the number of times of continuous water supply stored in the control unit. 7. The water supply device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply device has a second display means for displaying a set number of times of durable water supply. 8. The water supply device according to claim 2, wherein the water supply device is an automatic urinal flushing device. 9. The water supply device according to claim 2, wherein the water supply device is an automatic faucet.