Patent Application
20250059745
The present invention relates to a control device and a control method of a faucet device which automatically controls supply and stop of a fluid, and to a faucet device.
A faucet device of this type and its control device and control method have been disclosed in Patent Document 1. In such a faucet device, a detector that detects a detection target in a discharge region of water discharged by a water discharge unit is provided in a spout attached to a sink. A frequency analysis unit converts a sensor signal into a frequency domain signal and extracts it as a signal for each of filter banks with different frequency bands. A recognition unit uses a frequency distribution of signals based on a plurality of signals for each of filter banks as detection data. The detection target is recognized by comparing the detection data with sample data stored in a database.
Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2015/092993
However, in the conventional faucet device and its control device and control method described above, it is necessary to compare the detection data with the sample data stored in the database to recognize the detection target. Therefore, a complicated pattern recognition process is required in the recognition unit to compare each piece of data, and a database for storing the sample data is required in the control device. Thus, the faucet device and its control device become large, and the control method of the faucet device becomes complicated. Therefore, conventionally, the control device and control method of the faucet device capable of appropriately determining the presence or absence of a detection target around the discharge portion cannot be provided in a small size and at a low price.
The present invention is made to solve the above problems, and constitutes a control device of a faucet device that includes:
Further, the present invention constitutes a control method of a faucet device that includes:
According to these configurations, when only a discharged fluid is present, the signal intensity distribution of the reflected wave received by the reception antenna for each arrival angle and arrival distance is calculated. Among a plurality of bins partitioning the calculated signal intensity distribution, a predetermined bin with a large signal intensity of the reflected wave is determined, thereby estimating that the discharge region of the fluid is present at the arrival angle and arrival distance of the reflected wave assigned to the predetermined bin. Therefore, when a reflected wave with a signal intensity exceeding a predetermined threshold is subsequently detected at the predetermined bin, it is determined that the detection target has entered the discharge region of the fluid, so that the control unit controls the valve to discharge the fluid. When the reflected wave with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold is no longer detected at the predetermined bin, it is determined that the detection target has left the discharge region of the fluid, so that the control unit controls the valve to stop the fluid supply.
Further, the present invention constitutes a faucet device that includes:
According to the present invention, a detection target can be detected in the discharge region of the fluid without performing the conventional complicated pattern recognition process. Therefore, the faucet device and its control device do not require a database for storing the sample data, so that the faucet device and its control device can be reduced in size. Further, since the control method of the faucet device does not require the pattern recognition process, the process can be simplified. As a result, it is possible to provide a faucet device capable of appropriately determining the presence or absence of the detection target around the discharge portion, and its control device and control method in a small size and at a low price.
Embodiments for implementing a faucet device and its control device and control method of the present invention will be described below.
The FMCW radar 2 includes, in the inside thereof, a transmission antenna and a reception antenna. The transmission antenna transmits a radio wave S to the inside of the water receiving portion of the water receiving bowl 7 that receives the discharged water 9. The reception antenna receives a reflected wave of the radio wave S which is transmitted from the transmission antenna, hits the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8, and is reflected by the water 9.
The water 9 is supplied to the water discharge unit 8 through a water pipe 10 shown in
The operation of the FMCW radar 2 is controlled by the calculator 3. In the present embodiment, the calculator 3 is described as a PC (personal computer) provided outside the FMCW radar 2, but the calculator 3 may also be provided inside the FMCW radar 2. The calculator 3 includes a calculation unit 3a, a determination unit 3b, and a storage unit 3c (e.g., hardware-embedded memory). The storage unit 3c can also be designed “storage” or “memory”. As described above, the radio wave S transmitted from the transmission antenna of the FMCW radar 2 hits the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8, and is reflected by the water 9 and received as a reflected wave by the reception antenna. The calculation unit 3a calculates a signal intensity distribution of the reflected wave for each arrival angle and arrival distance.
In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 3a is composed of a frequency analysis unit 3a1 and a detection recognition unit 3a2 (i.e., detection recognizer). The frequency analysis unit 3a1 converts a time signal of the received signal of the reflected wave transmitted from the transmission antenna as a chirp signal and received by the reception antenna into a frequency signal, and analyzes the frequency of the received signal. The frequency analysis is performed by a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), a Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), or the like.
The detection recognition unit 3a2 estimates the arrival distance R of the received signal from the analyzed frequency f according to, for example, the following equation (1) where S is the slope of the chirp signal, and c is the speed of light.
The detection recognition unit 3a2 estimates the arrival angle θ of the received signal according to, for example, the following equation (2) based on the phase difference between a plurality of reception antennas arranged at equal intervals, where d is the distance between the reception antennas, λ is the wavelength of the reflected wave, and ω is the phase difference between the signals received by the reception antennas.
When only the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8 is present in the vicinity of the water discharge unit 8 for a fixed period of time, the determination unit 3b determines the predetermined bin 21a with a large signal intensity of the received signal among the plurality of bins 21 in the signal intensity distribution calculated by the calculation unit 3a.
In the present embodiment, the determination unit 3b obtains a time average value of the signal intensity for each bin 21 from a fixed number of signal intensity distributions generated in a plurality with the lapse of time. The time average value is a value obtained by dividing, by a fixed number, the sum of the signal intensities with respect to the fixed number of signal intensity distributions generated in a plurality with the lapse of time. The obtained time average value is regarded as an average signal intensity of each bin 21. The determination unit 3b determines a bin 21 with the maximum intensity among the obtained average signal intensities as the predetermined bin. Here, description is made on the assumption that the bin 21a is determined to be the predetermined bin.
The calculator 3 includes the storage unit 3c that stores the signal intensity of the bin 21a, which has been determined as the predetermined bin by the determination unit 3b, the arrival angle θ, and the arrival distance R. The determination unit 3b calculates a signal intensity obtained by adding a fixed offset value to the stored average value of the signal intensity as a predetermined threshold, and stores the calculated predetermined threshold in the storage unit 3c. The offset value may be a predetermined value. Alternatively, the threshold may also be determined from the dispersion and/or time transition of the signal intensity of the received signal in the signal intensity distribution when the state of only the water 9 is observed. In other words, the threshold does not necessarily have to be calculated by adding the offset value to the stored average value of the signal intensity.
The determination unit 3b determines whether a supply condition and a stop condition of the water 9 are satisfied, and outputs a supply signal or a stop signal to the control unit 4 based on the determination result. In the present embodiment, when a received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the threshold is detected at the predetermined bin 21a, the determination unit 3b outputs the supply signal for supplying the water 9 to the control unit 4. When the received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the threshold is no longer detected at the predetermined bin 21a, the determination unit 3b outputs the stop signal for stopping the supply of the water 9 to the control unit 4.
When the supply signal for supplying the water 9 is inputted from the determination unit 3b, the control unit 4 controls to cause the valve 5 to open to supply the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8. When the stop signal for stopping the supply of the water 9 is inputted from the determination unit 3b, the control unit 4 controls to cause the valve 5 to close to stop the supply of the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8.
First, an operation unit of the water discharge unit 8 is operated by a person to flow the water 9 from the water discharge unit 8 (see step 101 of
Next, the reflected wave of the radio wave S that hits the water 9 and is reflected by the water 9 is received by the reception antenna of the FMCW radar 2, and the signal intensity distribution of the received signal for each arrival angle and arrival distance, as shown in
Next, the signal intensity of the bin 21a, which has been determined as the predetermined bin by the determination unit 3b, as well as the arrival angle θ and the arrival distance R are temporarily stored in the storage unit 3c as a log under the control of the CPU. Next, a predetermined threshold is determined by the determination unit 3b based on the log data stored in the storage unit 3c (see step 105). The predetermined threshold is calculated by the determination unit 3b as, for example, a signal intensity obtained by adding a fixed offset value to the average value of the signal intensities of the received signals stored in the storage unit 3c. The predetermined threshold determined by the determination unit 3b is stored in the storage unit 3c (see step 106).
A characteristic line 31, in which plots of black circles are connected by a solid line, indicates the time transition of the signal intensity of the received signal received by the reception antenna when the water 9 is being discharged from the water discharge unit 8 and only the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8 is present in the vicinity of the water discharge port of the water discharge unit 8. A straight line 31a, which is indicated by a long broken line crossing the characteristic line 31, represents the time average of the signal intensity indicated by the characteristic line 31.
A characteristic line 32, in which plots of white circles are connected by a short broken line, indicates the time transition of the signal intensity of the received signal received by the reception antenna when only a human hand is present in the vicinity of the water discharge port of the water discharge unit 8. A characteristic line 33, in which plots of triangle are connected by a solid line, indicates the time transition of the signal intensity of the received signal received by the reception antenna when the water 9 and a human hand are simultaneously present in the vicinity of the water discharge port of the water discharge unit 8.
The predetermined threshold is indicated as a solid straight line 34. The straight line 34 has the signal intensity obtained by adding a fixed offset value to the signal intensity of the straight line 31a, which is the average value of the signal intensity of the characteristic line 31 when only the water 9 is present in the vicinity of the water discharge port of the water discharge unit 8.
When the processing of step 106 is completed, the setting process of the control of the faucet device 6 is completed. When the faucet device 6 is actually used after the setting process has been completed, the following control is performed. The determination unit 3b determines, based on the signal intensity of the received signal detected at the predetermined bin 21a, whether the supply condition and the stop condition of the water 9 are satisfied, and outputs, based on the determination result, the supply signal or the stop signal to the control unit 4. Upon receiving the supply signal or the stop signal, the control unit 4 controls the opening and closing of the valve 5. In other words, when a received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold is detected at the predetermined bin 21a, the supply signal is outputted from the determination unit 3b to the control unit 4, so that a signal for opening the valve 5 is outputted from the control unit 4 to the valve 5. As a result, the water 9 is supplied to the water discharge unit 8. When the received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold is no longer detected at the predetermined bin 21a, the stop signal is outputted from the determination unit 3b to the control unit 4, so that a signal for closing the valve 5 is outputted from the control unit 4 to the valve 5. As a result, the supply of the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8 is stopped.
With the faucet device 6 and its control device 1 and control method according to the present embodiment, when only the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8 is present in the vicinity of the water discharge unit 8, the signal intensity distribution of the reflected wave received by the reception antenna of the FMCW radar 2 for each arrival angle θ and arrival distance R is calculated by the processing of steps 101 to 103 of
When a received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold is detected at the predetermined bin 21a after the setting process of the control of the faucet device 6 has been completed, it is determined that a detection target, such as a human hand or other part of a human, has entered the discharge region of the water 9 discharged by the water discharge unit 8. As a result, the supply signal is outputted from the determination unit 3b to the control unit 4, and the signal for opening the valve 5 is outputted from the control unit 4 to the valve 5. As a result, the water 9 is discharged from the water discharge unit 8. When the received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold is no longer detected at the predetermined bin 21a, it is determined that the detection target has left the discharge region of the water 9 discharged by the water discharge unit 8. As a result, the stop signal is output from the determination unit 3b to the control unit 4, and the signal for closing the valve 5 is output from the control unit 4 to the valve 5. As a result, the supply of the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8 is stopped.
Therefore, with the faucet device 6 and its control device 1 and control method according to the present embodiment, even if a large object is present outside the discharge region of the water 9, the detection target can be detected without being affected by the object. Further, even if the installation position of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna of the control device 1, i.e., the installation position of the FMCW radar 2 changes, or the structure of the water discharge unit 8 and the water receiving bowl 7 changes, the predetermined bin 21a will correspond to the position of the discharge region of the water 9 formed at the time of the determination, according to the installation position of the FMCW radar 2 and the structure of the water discharge unit 8 and the water receiving bowl 7. Since the discharge region of the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8 is flexibly specified according to the predetermined bin 21a determined in such a manner, the installation position of the control device 1 is not limited to a fixed position as in the conventional technique, so that the degree of freedom of the installation position of the control device 1 is increased.
To verify the above description, the operation of the control device 1 was confirmed when the FMCW radar 2 was installed at position A, B, C, or D on the upper surface of the water receiving bowl 7 on the side portion of the water discharge unit 8. In other words, the FMCW radar 2 was installed at each installation position A, B, C, or D; and at each installation position A, B, C, or D, the water was discharged from the water discharge unit 8, the radio wave S was transmitted from the transmission antenna, and the signal intensity distribution of the received signal of the reflected wave was calculated. Further, at each installation position A, B, C, or D, the signal intensity of the straight line 34 indicating the predetermined threshold was determined, and the control of the valve 5 by the control unit 4 was confirmed. As a result, it was confirmed that the control device 1 of the faucet device 6 normally recognizes the detection target in the discharge region of the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8, and that the discharge and stop of the water 9 from the water discharge unit 8 are normally performed, as in the above embodiment.
With the control device 1 and the control method of the faucet device 6 according to the present embodiment, the detection target can be detected in the discharge region of the water 9 without performing the conventional complicated pattern recognition process (principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis). In the pattern recognition process, generally a DSP (digital signal processor) is required, so that the amount of information to be processed is large. In other words, in the conventional control device of the faucet device that performs the complicated pattern recognition process, a database with a large capacity for storing a large amount of sample data is required. On the other hand, in the control device 1 of the faucet device 6 according to the present embodiment, a database with a large capacity for storing a large amount of sample data is not required, so that the faucet device 6 and its control device 1 can be reduced in size. Further, since the control method of the faucet device 6 does not require the pattern recognition process, the processing can be simplified. As a result, the faucet device 6 and its control device 1 and control method capable of appropriately determining the presence or absence of a detection target around the water discharge unit 8 can be provided in a small size and at a low price.
When the detection target enters the discharge region of the water 9 discharged from the water discharge unit 8, the signal intensity of the received signal exceeds the predetermined threshold. This is indicated by the characteristic line 32 detected when a human hand or the like is present in the graph of
Further, with the faucet device 6 and its control device 1 and control method according to the present embodiment, the bin 21a with the maximum average signal intensity among a fixed number of signal intensity distributions is determined as the predetermined bin in step 104 of
Further, with the control device 1 and control method of the faucet device 6 according to the present embodiment, the predetermined bin is determined by the determination unit 3b based on the signal intensity distribution calculated by the calculation unit 3a while the water 9 is being discharged from the water discharge unit 8 for a fixed time. Thus, a bin 21 with the reliably large signal intensity is determined as the predetermined bin 21a. Therefore, the position of the discharge region of the water 9 is estimated from the predetermined bin 21a without any error.
In the above embodiment, the value indicated by the straight line 34 based on the characteristic line 31 when only the water 9 is present is determined as the predetermined threshold. However, as indicated by the graph of
In such a case, the determination unit 3b determines a signal intensity indicated by a dash-dot straight line 35 as the predetermined threshold for discharging. The dash-dot straight line 35 is the signal intensity obtained by subtracting a fixed offset value from the average value indicated by the straight line 31a of the signal intensity of the received signal stored in the storage unit 3c. The determination unit 3b determines a signal intensity indicated by the solid straight line 34 as the predetermined threshold for stopping discharging. The solid straight line 34 is the signal intensity obtained by adding a fixed offset value to the average value indicated by the straight line 31a of the signal intensity of the received signal stored in the storage unit 3c. The determination unit 3b stores the determined predetermined threshold for discharging and the predetermined threshold for stopping discharging in the storage unit 3c.
The determination unit 3b outputs the supply signal to the control unit 4 when a received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold for discharging is detected at the predetermined bin 21a. Upon receiving the supply signal, the control unit 4 controls the valve 5 to supply the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8. When a received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold for stopping discharging is no longer detected at the predetermined bin 21a, the determination unit 3b outputs the stop signal to the control unit 4. Upon receiving the stop signal, the control unit 4 controls the valve 5 to stop the supply of the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8.
In a detection target, such as a hand, where the characteristic line 32 indicates the time transition of the signal intensity of the received signal, sometimes the signal intensity of the received signal falls below the predetermined threshold indicated by the straight line 34, and becomes very close to the straight line 31a. Therefore, it is assumed that it is possible that, when the predetermined threshold is the signal intensity indicated by the straight line 34, the water 9 is not discharged from the water discharge unit 8 even when the detection target enters the discharge region of the water 9. However, with the above configuration, since the determination unit 3b determines the signal intensity indicated by the straight line 35 as the predetermined threshold for discharging, the water 9 is more reliably discharged from the water discharge unit 8 when the detection target enters the discharge region of the water 9. Further, the determination unit 3b determines the signal intensity indicated by the straight line 34 as the predetermined threshold for stopping discharging. Therefore, when the detection target has left the discharge region of the water 9 and the received signal with a signal intensity exceeding the predetermined threshold for stopping discharging is no longer detected at the predetermined bin 21a, the supply of the water 9 to the water discharge unit 8 is surely stopped.
Further, the determination unit 3b may obtain the predetermined bin and the threshold by using the average value of the signal intensity of the bin 21a and the bins 22 around the bin 21a indicated by hatched lines, as shown in
With the present configuration, the detection range of the detection target can be deformed and expanded by setting a range obtained by combining a fixed number of bins including the bin 21a with the maximum average signal intensity and its surrounding bins 22 as the predetermined bin.
Further, the determination unit 3b may, for example, calculate the average value of the signal intensities of each bin 21 with respect to a fixed number of signal intensity distributions generated in a plurality with the lapse of time at a predetermined time after the water 9 is discharged from the water discharge unit 8 with a predetermined time interval, for each of the predetermined times, and obtain the average value of the signal intensities of each bin 21 as the moving average signal intensity of each bin 21. In such a case, a bin 21 with the maximum intensity, among the moving average signal intensities, is determined as the predetermined bin.
With the present configuration, instead of a bin 21 representing the average signal intensity with the maximum time average, a bin 21 representing the moving average signal intensity with the maximum moving average is determined as the predetermined bin. Therefore, with the present configuration, even if there is a period when the position and/or amount of flowing water is not stable, the estimation accuracy of the position of the predetermined bin in the signal intensity distribution can be improved by obtaining the moving average signal intensity.
In each of the above embodiments, a case in which water is discharged as the fluid from the discharge portion has been described. However, the fluid is not limited to water, and even in a case where liquid soap is discharged as the fluid from the discharge portion, the present invention can be applied in the same manner as the faucet device and its control device 1 and control method in each of the above embodiments.
In summary, the present invention is expressed as follows.
A control device of a faucet device, comprising:
The control device of a faucet device according to <1>, further comprising:
The control device of a faucet device according to <1>, further comprising:
The control device of a faucet device according to any one of <1>to <3>, wherein the determination unit obtains an average value of the signal intensity of each bin as an average signal intensity of each bin with respect to a fixed number of the signal intensity distributions generated in a plurality with a lapse of time, and determines a bin with a maximum intensity among the obtained average signal intensities as the predetermined bin.
The control device of a faucet device according to any one of <1>to <3>, wherein the determination unit obtains an average value of signal intensity of each bin and bins around each bin as an average signal intensity of each bin with respect to a fixed number of signal intensity distributions generated in a plurality with a lapse of time, and determines a bin with a maximum intensity among the obtained average signal intensities and bins around the bin as the predetermined bin.
The control device of a faucet device according to any one of <1>to <3>, wherein the determination unit calculates, at a predetermined time, an average value of the signal intensity of each bin with respect to a fixed number of the signal intensity distributions generated in a plurality with a lapse of time with a predetermined time interval, for each of the predetermined times, obtains an average value of the signal intensity of each bin as a moving average signal intensity of each bin, and determines a bin with a maximum intensity among the obtained moving average signal intensities as the predetermined bin.
The control device of a faucet device according to any one of <1>to <6>, wherein the determination unit determines the predetermined bin based on the signal intensity distribution calculated by the calculation unit while the fluid is being discharged for a fixed time.
A faucet device comprising:
A control method of a faucet device, comprising:
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-079056 | May 2022 | JP | national |
This application is the continuation application of PCT/JP2023/016684 filed on Apr. 27, 2023, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-079056 filed on May 12, 2022, all of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2023/016684 | Apr 2023 | WO |
| Child | 18938335 | US |
