JP7515872B2 - Water drain valve opening and closing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drain valve opening and closing device that prevents water pipes from freezing.

Drain valves are known that prevent water pipes from freezing by draining the water in the riser pipe into the ground below the freezing depth (Patent Document 1: JP-B-7-37733). Also, a sprinkler valve has been proposed that controls the opening and closing of water supply pipes in response to communication from outside (Patent Document 2: JP-A-2007-270585).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-37733 JP 2007-270585 A

Conventional drain valve opening and closing devices were generally configured to switch between a drained state and a water-passing state by operating a control panel located indoors. However, when connecting the drain valve located outdoors to the control panel located indoors, it was necessary to drill holes in the building to carry out wiring work, and the owner of the building had to be present, making the work procedures and construction cumbersome.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a drain valve opening and closing device with a new structure that simplifies the work procedures and construction and can easily accommodate a large number of types of drain valves.

In one embodiment, the above problem is solved by the solution disclosed below.

The drain valve opening and closing device of the present invention comprises a drain valve that connects a riser pipe for drawing water to a building and a water supply pipe buried underground, a drive unit that electrically opens and closes the drain valve, and a control unit capable of wireless communication with external communication equipment, wherein the control unit is configured to receive commands from the communication equipment and transmit control signals to the drive unit located in a different location, thereby controlling the opening and closing operation of the drain valve , and is characterized in that the control unit is located on or near the exterior wall surface of the building, and has a protective cover attached to prevent it from being operated by external forces .

With this configuration, a control unit located outside the building receives commands sent by communication devices from building users and others and controls the opening and closing of the drain valve, eliminating the need for drilling holes in the building to install a control panel or wiring inside the building, as was previously required. Furthermore, because the drain valve can be identified by software processing, such as starting an application program on the communication device and accessing the control data, it can easily accommodate a large number of different types of drain valves.

By arranging the control unit near a building or on an exterior wall surface of a building or near the exterior wall surface, it is also possible to easily communicate with the communication device via a Wi-Fi device installed in the building. The control unit is protected so that it cannot be operated by external forces. This can further increase security. As an example, the control unit may be a black box. As an example, the control unit may be configured without an operation button. As an example, the control unit may have a housing covered with a lock.

As an example, the control unit has a current sensor that detects the current value of the motor disposed in the drive unit , and when it is determined that the opening/closing operation is normal based on the detection signal of the current sensor , it transmits a completion signal of the opening/closing operation to the communication device, and when it is determined that the opening/closing operation is not normal based on the detection signal, it transmits an error signal to the communication device . This results in a configuration that places a very small burden on the communication device, making it easy to apply communication devices with simple configurations such as remote controllers. It also makes it easy to display the switching status between the water-draining state and the water-passing state and the completion of switching on the screen of the communication device, so that users of the building can see at a glance whether the water is drained or water is passing.

As an example, the control unit has an environmental sensor that detects the physical quantity of the environment surrounding the drain plug , and when it is determined that a disaster has occurred based on the measurement value of the environmental sensor, it controls the draining operation with priority over the command , and the environmental sensor is a combination of two or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a vibration sensor, a magnetic field sensor, and a pressure sensor . The control unit determines whether a disaster including freezing, frost, snowfall, earthquakes, low pressure, and other known natural disasters has occurred based on the measurement value of the environmental sensor, and controls the draining operation with priority over the command from the communication device. This allows water to be drained quickly in response to disasters including natural disasters.

As an example, an application program compatible with the type of drain plug is installed on the communications device, and the application program is started on the communications device to identify the drain plugs with which to communicate wirelessly. This allows the drain plugs to be identified through software processing, making it easy to handle even a large number of types of drain plugs. Also, one-to-one communication between the communications device and the drain plugs can be easily performed, and security can be further enhanced through SSL or TLS encrypted communication.

As an example, the configuration includes an application program that is installed on the communications device to wirelessly communicate with the control unit and is capable of accessing control data corresponding to the type of drain plug, and the application program installed on the communications device is started to access the control data, thereby identifying which of the drain plugs to wirelessly communicate with and controlling the opening and closing operation. This makes it easy to import control data corresponding to various types of drain plugs into the communications device by simply accessing a network as needed and downloading and installing the application program into the communications device. Furthermore, it is easy to update the required control data to the latest version. In some cases, the control data is pre-installed in the application program.

As an example, an application program corresponding to the type of the drain plug is installed in the communication device, and the application program is started on the communication device to identify the drain plug that is to communicate wirelessly and send the command to the control unit, the control unit having a current sensor that detects the current value of the motor arranged in the drive unit , the application program started on the communication device sends a completion signal of the opening and closing operation to the control unit when it is determined that the opening and closing operation of the drain plug is normal based on the detection signal of the current sensor, and displays an error on the screen of the communication device when it is determined that the opening and closing operation of the drain plug is not normal based on the detection signal . This results in a configuration with very little burden on the control unit, making it easy to apply a control unit with a simple configuration such as a 4-bit microcomputer. It also makes it easy to display the switching status between the drain state and the water flow state and the completion of the switching on the screen of the communication device, so that the building user can see at a glance whether the building is in the water drain state or the water flow state.

As an example, the control unit has an environmental sensor that detects the physical quantity of the environment surrounding the drain plug , and the application program started by the communication device is configured to control the draining operation with priority over the command when it is determined that a disaster has occurred based on the measurement value of the environmental sensor in the control unit , and the environmental sensor is a combination of two or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a vibration sensor, a magnetic field sensor, and a pressure sensor . The application program started by the communication device determines whether a disaster including freezing, frost, snowfall, earthquakes, low pressure, and other known natural disasters has occurred based on the measurement value of the environmental sensor, and controls the draining operation with priority over the command in the communication device. This allows water to be drained quickly in response to disasters including natural disasters.

The communication device is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a PHS, a PDA, or a remote controller. The communication method or frequency band applicable to the communication device is, for example, GSM, PDC, W-CDMA, cellular, 4G, LTE, 5G, LPWA, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, or Bluetooth. As an example, the communication device is a smartphone. This eliminates the need for a dedicated communication device and increases versatility, making the configuration more familiar and easy to use for the user.

According to the present invention, a control unit located outside the building receives commands sent by communication devices from building users and the like and controls the opening and closing of the drain valve, eliminating the need for drilling holes in the building to install a control panel or wiring inside the building as was previously required. Furthermore, because the drain valve can be identified by software processing, such as starting an application program on the communication device and accessing the control data, it is easy to handle even if there are many types of drain valves. This realizes a drain valve opening and closing device with a rational structure and increased reliability.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an installation of a drain valve opening and closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram showing an example of the configuration of the drain valve opening and closing device of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart showing a first example of the operation procedure of the drain plug opening and closing device of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart showing a second example of the operation procedure of the drain plug opening and closing device of this embodiment.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is a drain valve opening and closing device 1 that is installed outside a building H such as a house, apartment, condominium, factory, office, or store, and drains water by injecting air into the riser pipe T2 to drain the water into the ground below the freezing depth, thereby preventing the water pipe from freezing. As shown in FIG. 1, the drain valve opening and closing device 1 includes a drain valve 2, a drive unit 5, and a control unit 7. The drain valve 2 includes a relay pipe 4 that relays the riser pipe T2 installed on the ground to draw water into the room of the building H and the water supply pipe T1 buried in the ground, a pipe body 3 that is connected to the relay pipe 4 and stands upright, and a valve that is connected to the pipe body 3 and opens and closes the water passage from the water supply pipe T1 to the riser pipe T2. The drive unit 5 is disposed on the upper part of the drain valve 2 and electrically opens and closes the drain valve 2. The control unit 7 is located above the ground E1, is wired to the drive unit 5, and contains a communication circuit 6 that can communicate wirelessly in both directions with an external communication device S.

In the example of FIG. 1, the control unit 7 is located outside the building H and is located closer to the building H than the drain plug 2. The control unit 7 is also located on the exterior wall surface H1 of the building H, and is provided with a protective cover to prevent it from being operated by external forces. The control unit 7 is configured to receive commands from the communication device S and control the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2, thereby allowing the water to be switched between a draining state and a water-passing state.

Figure 2 is an example of a circuit diagram of the drain valve opening and closing device 1. The drive unit 5 includes a motor 12 that opens and closes the drain valve 2, a driver 13 that drives the motor 12, and a converter 16 that supplies power to the driver 13. The motor 12 operates on direct current, and the converter 16 is an AC/DC converter that converts external AC voltage to DC voltage and steps it down. The control unit 7 includes a communication circuit 6 that can communicate wirelessly, a current sensor 14 that detects the current value of the driver 13, and a controller 15 that drives and controls the motor 12 by receiving a detection signal from the current sensor 14. The controller 15 controls the communication circuit 6. The controller 15 transmits a signal from the communication circuit 6 to an external communication device S, and also receives a command from the communication circuit 6 that has received a command from the external communication device S, and drives and controls the motor 12. As an example, the controller 15 is a microcomputer that sends a PWM signal to the driver 13 based on the received command, and appropriately sets the power supplied from the power MOSFET to the motor 12. In the example of FIG. 2, the control unit 7 has an environmental sensor 24 that detects the physical quantities of the external environment around the drain plug 2, and the control unit 7 controls the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 based on the measured values of the environmental sensor 24, giving priority to commands from the communication device S.

The communication device S is, for example, a smartphone. For example, the smartphone is owned by the user of the building H. The drain valve opening and closing device 1 has an application program 9 that is installed on the communication device S for wireless communication with the control unit 7 and can access control data corresponding to the type of drain valve 2, and is used by starting the application program 9 installed on the communication device S. The application program 9 starts on the communication device S and accesses the control data, identifies the drain valve 2 to be wirelessly communicated with among the drain valves whose data is registered, and controls the opening and closing operation of the identified drain valve 2. With this configuration, it is easy to import control data corresponding to various types of drain valves 2 into the communication device S by the simple task of accessing the network as necessary and downloading and installing the application program 9 into the communication device S, and it is easy to update this control data to the latest version.

(First Example)
Next, a first example of the operation procedure of the drain plug opening and closing device 1 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG.

In step S1A, the user taps a specific icon on the screen of the communication device S to launch the application program 9, and the application program 9 accesses control data corresponding to various types of drain plugs 2 and identifies the drain plug 2 that is the target of wireless communication from among the registered data drain plugs. For example, the drain plug 2 is identified by acquiring and comparing the Media Access Control address of the drain plug 2 that has been registered in advance by the user. In step S1B following step S1A, the user inputs a first command on the screen of the communication device S as a command to pass water or drain water. In step S1C following step S1B, the application program 9 wirelessly transmits the command from the communication device S.

In step S1D following step S1C, the control unit 7 receives the first command from the communication device S through the communication circuit 6. In step S2A following step S1D, the control unit 7 judges whether the first command is normal through the controller 15. If it judges that the first command is not normal, the control unit 7 transmits an error signal from the communication circuit 6 to the communication device S in step S4A. For example, if the water is already flowing when a water flow command is received, the control unit 7 judges that the first command is not normal and returns an error signal to the communication device S. For example, if the water is already drained when a water drain command is received, the control unit 7 judges that the first command is not normal and returns an error signal to the communication device S. On the other hand, for example, if the water is drained when a water flow command is received, the control unit 7 judges that the first command is normal and proceeds to the next step. For example, if the water is flowing when a water drain command is received, the control unit 7 judges that the first command is normal and proceeds to the next step. In step S2A, "normal" is synonymous with "valid."

When the control unit 7 determines in step S2A that the first command is abnormal (invalid) and sends an error signal in step S4A, the communication device S receives the error signal in step S4B, and displays an error message on the screen of the communication device S indicating that the first command is incorrect in step S4C.

In step S2A, if the control unit 7 determines that the first command is normal (valid), the process proceeds to step S3, in which the control unit 7 starts drive control of the motor 12. Following step S3, the process proceeds to step S5, in which the control unit 7 receives a detection signal from the current sensor 14 and determines whether the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is normal. If the control unit 7 determines that the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is not normal, the process proceeds to step S6A, in which the power supply to the motor 12 is stopped and an error signal is sent to the communication device S. On the other hand, if the control unit 7 determines that the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is normal in step S5, the power supply to the motor 12 is continued. "Normal" in step S5 is synonymous with "within the normal range" or "within the set range."

If it is determined in step S5 that the initial current value or the start-up current value of the motor 12 is not normal (is not within the normal range or the set range) and an error signal is sent in step S6A, the communication device S receives the error signal in step S6B, and displays an error message on the screen of the communication device S in step S6C indicating that the operation of the motor 12 in the drive unit 5 of the drain plug 2 is abnormal.

In step S5, if the control unit 7 determines that the initial current value or the rising current value of the motor 12 is normal (within a normal range or a set range), the process proceeds to step S7. Here, when the control unit 7 determines in step S5 that the initial current value (or the rising current value) of the motor 12 is normal, it may promptly notify the communication device S that it is operating normally.

In step S5, if the control unit 7 determines that the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is normal, the process proceeds to step S7, where the control unit 7 receives a detection signal from the current sensor 14 and determines whether the motor 12 has reached the full load current value or the rated current. If the control unit 7 determines that the motor 12 has not reached the full load current value or the rated current, the process proceeds to step S8A, where a status signal of the motor 12 corresponding to the detection signal is transmitted to the communication device S, and then the communication device S receives the status signal of the motor 12 transmitted in step S8B, and then the open/closed status of the drain plug 2 is displayed on the screen of the communication device S in step S8C.

If the motor 12 has reached the full load current value or the motor 12 has reached the rated current in step S7, the control unit 7 determines that the drain plug 2 has been switched between open and closed and proceeds to step S9A, where it sends a completion signal in step S9A, the communication device S receives the completion signal in step S9B, and displays on the screen of the communication device S in step S9C that the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 has been completed. Furthermore, when the control unit 7 has sent the completion signal in step S9A, it stops drive control of the motor 12 in step S10. Then, the application program 9 ends its operation.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 7 arranged outside the building H receives commands transmitted by the communication device S from users of the building H and controls the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2, so that the conventional construction of drilling holes in the building to install an operating panel and wiring work inside the room are not required. Furthermore, the drain plug 2 can be identified by software processing such as starting the application program 9 on the communication device S and accessing the control data, so that even if the types of drain plugs increase, it can be easily handled. The above-mentioned first example is a configuration in which the control unit 7 judges whether the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 is normal based on the detection signal. This results in a configuration with very little burden on the communication device S. In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, the control unit 7 is configured to be able to execute priority control that controls the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 in priority to the command from the communication device S based on the measurement value of the environment sensor 24, and the priority control can be changed by starting the application program 9 from the setting condition input screen of the communication device S. It is also possible to program the application program 9 to execute priority control that takes precedence over the command from the communication device S in response to a disaster alert signal set by the communication device S, for example.

(Second Example)
Next, a second example of the operation procedure of the drain valve opening and closing device 1 of this embodiment will be described below based on the flowchart shown in Fig. 4. Note that steps having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof may be omitted.

Steps S1A to S1D are the same as in the first example described above. When the control unit 7 receives the first command from the communication device S via the communication circuit 6 in step S1D, it transmits a status signal indicating whether the drain plug 2 is in a drained state in step S1E, and the communication device S that receives the status signal in step S1F proceeds to step S2B, and the application program 9 determines whether the first command is normal in step S2. If it is determined that the first command is not normal, it proceeds to step S4C, where an error is displayed on the screen of the communication device S. For example, if the water is already flowing when a water flow command is issued, it is determined that the first command is not normal and an error is displayed. For example, if the water is already drained when a water drain command is issued, it is determined that the first command is not normal and an error is displayed. On the other hand, for example, if the water is drained when a water flow command is issued, it is determined that the first command is normal and the next step is performed. For example, if the water is flowing when a water drain command is issued, it is determined that the first command is normal and the next step is performed. In step S2B, "normal" is synonymous with "valid."

In step S2B, if the application program 9 determines that the first command is normal (valid), the process proceeds to step S12A, where the application program 9 transmits a second command to execute the first command since the first command is determined to be normal. In step S12B, the control unit 7 receives the second command and the process proceeds to step S13, where the control unit 7 starts driving control of the motor 12. Following step S13, in step S14A, the control unit 7 receives a detection signal from the current sensor 14 and transmits the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12. In step S14A, when the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is transmitted, the communication device S transmits the initial current value in step S14B and the process proceeds to step S15, where the application program 9 determines whether the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is normal or not. If the initial current value (or rising current value) of the motor 12 is not normal, the power supply to the motor 12 is stopped, and in step S16C, an error message is displayed on the screen of the communication device S indicating that the operation of the motor 12 in the drive unit 5 of the drain plug 2 is abnormal.

On the other hand, if the application program 9 determines in step S15 that the initial current value (or the rising current value) of the motor 12 is normal, the process proceeds to step S23A in which a third command is transmitted to instruct the motor 12 to continue to be energized since the initial current value of the motor 12 has been determined to be normal, followed by step S23B in which the control unit 7 receives the third command transmitted from the communication device S in step S23A. Then, step S23B is followed by step S28A in which the control unit 7 continues to energize the motor 12 and transmits a status signal indicating the current value of the motor 12 at every set predetermined time interval by receiving a detection signal from the current sensor 14.

When a detection signal is received from the current sensor 14 at every predetermined time set in step S28A and a status signal indicating the current value of the motor 12 is transmitted, the communication device S receives the status signal in step S28B and proceeds to step S37, where the application program 9 determines whether the motor 12 has reached the full load current value or the rated current in step S37. If the motor 12 has not reached the full load current value or the rated current, the process proceeds to step S38C, where the open/closed state is displayed on the screen of the communication device S based on the status signal of the motor 12 corresponding to the detection signal.

If the application program 9 determines in step S37 that the motor 12 has reached the full load current value or that the motor 12 has reached the rated current, the application program 9 determines that the drain plug 2 has been switched between open and closed and proceeds to step S39A, where it sends a completion signal in step S39A, the control unit 7 receives the completion signal in step S39B, and stops drive control of the motor 12 in step S40. Furthermore, when the application program 9 sends the completion signal in step S39A, it displays on the screen of the communication device S in step S39C that the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 has been completed, and ends the operation.

The second example described above is configured so that the application program 9 judges whether the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 is normal based on the detection signal. This results in a configuration that places a very small burden on the control unit 7. In addition to the above embodiment, the application program 9 started up in the communication device S is configured to execute priority control that controls the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 based on the measurement value of the environmental sensor 24 in priority to the command from the communication device S, and the priority control can be changed by starting the application program 9 and using the setting condition input screen of the communication device S. It is also possible to program the application program 9 to execute priority control that controls in priority to the command from the communication device S in conjunction with a disaster alert signal set by the communication device S, for example.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 7 controls the opening and closing operation of the drain plug 2 in response to a command from the communication device S to pass water or drain water, thereby controlling the drain state and the water passing state to be switchable. However, the control unit 7 may check the open/close state of the drain plug 2 and send a predetermined signal to the communication device S to display the state on the screen of the communication device S each time a status check command is received from the communication device S. This allows the user to check the current open/close state of the drain plug 2 on the communication device S, for example, when the drain plug 2 is manually switched to open or closed in a configuration in which the drain plug 2 is compatible with both electric and manual operation, or when a user in a remote location wants to know the current open/close state of the drain plug 2, making it easy to use. In the example of FIG. 2, the control unit 7 is configured to be powered by the drive unit 5, but it may be configured to be powered by the building H, or a power supply method such as a built-in battery may be adopted. In addition, in the example of FIG. 2, the current sensor 14 is configured to be included in the control unit 7, but the current sensor 14 may be configured to be included in the drive unit 5. In addition, in the example of FIG. 2, the environmental sensor 24 is included in the control unit 7, but the environmental sensor 24 may be included in the drive unit 5. In addition, in the example of FIG. 2, the signal connection between the control unit 7 and the drive unit 5 is wired, but the signal connection between the control unit 7 and the drive unit 5 can also be wireless, such as by short-range communication.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Drain valve opening/closing device 2 Drain valve 3 Pipe body 4 Relay pipe 5 Drive unit 6 Communication circuit 7 Control unit 9 Application program 12 Motor 13 Driver 14 Current sensor 15 Controller (microcomputer)
16 Converter 24 Environmental sensor E1 Ground H Building, H1 Outer wall surface S Communication device (smartphone)
T1 Water supply pipe T2 Rising pipe

Claims (5)

A drain valve opening and closing device comprising: a drain valve that connects a riser pipe for drawing water to a building and a water supply pipe buried underground; a drive unit that electrically opens and closes the drain valve; and a control unit capable of wireless communication with external communications equipment, wherein the control unit is configured to receive commands from the communications equipment and transmit control signals to the drive unit located in a different location, thereby controlling the opening and closing operation of the drain valve , the device being located on or near the exterior wall surface of the building, and having a protective cover attached to prevent it from being operated by external forces . The drain valve opening and closing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the control unit has a current sensor that detects a current value of a motor arranged in the drive unit , and when it determines that the opening and closing operation is normal based on the detection signal of the current sensor , it sends a completion signal of the opening and closing operation to the communication device, and when it determines that the opening and closing operation is not normal based on the detection signal, it sends an error signal to the communication device . The control unit has an environmental sensor that detects physical quantities of the environment surrounding the drain plug , and is configured to control the drainage operation in priority to the command when it determines that a disaster has occurred based on the measurement values of the environmental sensor, and the environmental sensor is a combination of two or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a vibration sensor, a magnetic field sensor, and a pressure sensor . The drain plug opening and closing device of claim 1, characterized in that an application program corresponding to the type of drain plug is installed on the communication device, and the application program is launched on the communication device to identify the drain plug that is to communicate wirelessly with the control unit and send the command to the control unit , the control unit having a current sensor that detects the current value of a motor arranged in the drive unit, and the application program launched on the communication device sends a completion signal for the opening and closing operation to the control unit if it determines that the opening and closing operation of the drain plug is normal based on the detection signal of the current sensor, and displays an error on the screen of the communication device if it determines that the opening and closing operation of the drain plug is not normal based on the detection signal . The control unit has an environmental sensor that detects physical quantities of the environment surrounding the drain plug , and the application program launched on the communication device is configured to control the drainage operation in priority to the command when it determines that a disaster has occurred based on the measurement values of the environmental sensor in the control unit , and the environmental sensor is a combination of two or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a light sensor, a vibration sensor, a magnetic field sensor, and a pressure sensor .

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