U.S. patent application number 12/265405 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-18 for flush apparatus.
Invention is credited to Ching-Liang Chiu, Yen-Ta Hsu.
Application Number | 20100064424 12/265405 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42005899 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100064424 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hsu; Yen-Ta ; et
al. |
March 18, 2010 |
FLUSH APPARATUS
Abstract
A flush apparatus includes a solenoid valve, a driving circuit
for providing a driving power to the solenoid valve, a battery, a
solar cell electrically connected to the battery, and a control
module electrically connected to the driving circuit for providing
at least one control signal to the driving circuit to control
ON/OFF of the driving circuit. The solar cell and the battery are
electrically connected to a power output terminal in parallel, and
the power output terminal is electrically connected to the driving
circuit directly for providing the driving power to the driving
circuit.
Inventors: |
Hsu; Yen-Ta; (Taoyuan Hsien,
TW) ; Chiu; Ching-Liang; (Taoyuan Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Muncy, Geissler, Olds & Lowe, PLLC
P.O. BOX 1364
FAIRFAX
VA
22038-1364
US
|
Family ID: |
42005899 |
Appl. No.: |
12/265405 |
Filed: |
November 5, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
4/304 ; 4/302;
4/406 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E03D 5/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
4/304 ; 4/302;
4/406 |
International
Class: |
E03D 5/10 20060101
E03D005/10; E03D 13/00 20060101 E03D013/00; E03D 3/00 20060101
E03D003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 18, 2008 |
TW |
097135725 |
Claims
1. A flush apparatus comprising: a solenoid valve; a driving
circuit for providing a driving power to the solenoid valve; a
battery; a solar cell, wherein the solar cell and the battery are
electrically connected to a power output terminal in parallel, and
the power output terminal is directly electrically connected to the
driving circuit for providing the driving power to the driving
circuit; and a control module electrically connected to the driving
circuit for providing at least one control signal to the driving
circuit to control ON/OFF of the driving circuit.
2. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flush
apparatus is an automatic flush urinal and the control module
further comprises a microcontroller.
3. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power
output terminal further electrically connected to the control
module for providing a power to the control module.
4. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a
diode disposed between the solar cell and the power output terminal
for preventing the current reverse from the battery back to the
solar cell.
5. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a
detecting unit electrically connected to the control module for
transmitting a detecting signal to the control module.
6. The flush apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the detecting
unit is an infrared detecting unit.
7. The flush apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the detecting
unit comprises a transmitter and a receiver, and when a user starts
to use the flush apparatus, an infrared signal transmitted from the
transmitter is reflected and received by the receiver.
8. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a
switch and a resistor, wherein an output of the solar cell is
electrically connected to the switch and then electrically
connected to the control module, one terminal of the resistor is
grounded, the other terminal of the resistor is electrically
connected to a node disposed between the switch and the control
module, and the control module controls the switch to monitor the
output voltage of the solar cell so that whether a user is close to
or left away from the flush apparatus is determined according to
the voltage change of the node.
9. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control
module provides the control signal to the driving circuit so as to
control a flushing time of the flush apparatus according to a using
time and/or a using frequency of a user.
10. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solar
cell receives an environmental light so as to charge the solar
cell.
11. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a
voltage of the power output terminal is greater than an
electromotive force (EMF) of the battery, the solar cell applies
electricity to the control module and the driving circuit, and
charges the battery; when a voltage of the power output terminal is
lower than an electromotive force of the battery, the battery
applies electricity to the control module and the driving
circuit.
12. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid
valve is a structural solenoid valve, and the driving circuit
provides a pulse voltage to the solenoid valve to switch the
solenoid valve.
13. The flush apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the driving
circuit is a switch.
14. The flush apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the switch
has a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal, the
first terminal is electrically connected to the control module for
receiving the control signal of the control module, the second
terminal is electrically connected to the power output terminal,
and the third terminal is electrically connected to the solenoid
valve.
15. The flush apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the switch
comprises a field effect transistor (FET) and a diode, and the
first terminal is a gate of the field effect transistor for
receiving the control signal, the second terminal is a drain of the
FET electrically connected to the power output terminal and
connected to a cathode of the diode in parallel, and the third
terminal is a source of the FET electrically connected to the
solenoid valve and connected to an anode of the diode in
parallel.
16. The flush apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the switch
comprises a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), the first terminal
is a base of the bipolar junction transistor, the second terminal
is a collector of the bipolar junction transistor, and the third
terminal is an emitter of the bipolar junction transistor.
17. The flush apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid
valve is a latching solenoid valve with a single coil so that the
latching solenoid valve is switched by changing a current direction
of the coil.
18. The flush apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the driving
circuit is a full-bridge circuit, the power output terminal is
electrically connected to a power source terminal of the
full-bridge circuit, and the control module provides a plurality of
control signals to the full-bridge circuit so as to control the
current direction of the full-bridge circuit.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Non-provisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn.119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 097135725 filed in
Taiwan, Republic of China on Sep. 18, 2008, the entire contents of
which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a flush apparatus and, in
particular, to a solar flush apparatus that uses a solar cell or a
battery as a power source of the latching solenoid valve.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] The traditional automatic flush apparatus is applied to the
automatic flush urinal or automatic scrubber, and it is designed to
match the city electricity standards. Nevertheless, the electronic
control circuits are still driven by direct current, so the city
electricity, which is alternating current, must be transformed to
the direct current for the electronic control circuits. It is
commonly to use a converter to perform the voltage converting.
Generally, the converter will consume a lot of energy. If the
solenoid valve used in the alternating-current product is not a
latching solenoid valve, the power consumption for keeping the
solenoid valve open will be impressive.
[0006] Since the above-mentioned alternating-current flush
apparatus needs a conventional converter, the cost and the volume
thereof are increased. In addition, the assembling thereof is more
difficult and complex than other products of the same model.
Moreover, the building must have the preset power lines for
installing the products later, so that this kind of products cannot
be popularized.
[0007] Regarding to a direct-current automatic flush apparatus, the
supplied power for this kind of products is the direct current,
which is supplied by batteries. Although it is easy to install this
product, the lifetime thereof is sufficiently restricted by the
voltage of the battery. That is, the batteries must be replaced in
a short time so as to remain the function of the flush apparatus.
This will also produce a lot amount of drained batteries, which
causes the pollution and load of the environment.
[0008] If the battery is a rechargeable battery, a battery charger
with the converter is needed. Thus, the installation of the
automatic flush apparatus is more difficult and complex than other
products of the same model, and the preset power lines in the
building are still needed for installing the automatic flush
apparatus so the products cannot be popularized. Accordingly, the
drawback of the automatic flush apparatus with the
alternating-current power source can not be overcome.
[0009] In addition, the automatic flush apparatus with the
direct-current power source usually cooperates with the latching
solenoid valve, which has less power consumption, because the
voltage of the used batteries is too small. The drawback of the
latching solenoid valve is that there is no effective debugging
method as the valve is failed (shut down or malfunctioned). If the
solenoid valve can not accurately control to turn off the hydrant,
the serious waste in water resource may occur and the difficulty
for dealing with this problem is increased.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention
is to provide a flush apparatus that can use the power from a solar
cell and a battery, which are connected to the power output
terminal in parallel, so as to sufficiently increase the using time
of the battery.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
flush apparatus that includes a solar cell, which can be used as a
sensor, so that the solar cell and the traditional detecting unit
can be used alternately so as to decrease the power
consumption.
[0012] Still another object of the present invention is to provide
a flush apparatus including a power output terminal electrically
connected to the driving circuit directly so as to prevent the
damage of the control module caused by the counter-electromotive
force (CEMF) generated by the solenoid valve.
[0013] Yet still another object of the present invention is to
provide a flush apparatus including a driving circuit for a
structural solenoid valve.
[0014] To achieve the above objects, the present invention
discloses a flush apparatus including a solenoid valve, a driving
circuit, a battery, a solar cell and a control module. The driving
circuit provides a driving power to the solenoid valve. The solar
cell and the battery are electrically connected to a power output
terminal in parallel. The power output terminal is electrically
connected to the driving circuit directly for providing the driving
power to the driving circuit. The control module is electrically
connected to the driving circuit for providing at least one control
signal to the driving circuit to control ON/OFF of the driving
circuit.
[0015] When the solenoid valve is a structural solenoid valve, the
driving circuit provides a pulse voltage to the solenoid valve to
switch the solenoid valve. The driving circuit is a switch having a
first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal. The first
terminal is electrically connected to the control module for
receiving the control signal of the control module, the second
terminal is directly connected to the power output terminal, and
the third terminal is electrically connected to the solenoid
valve.
[0016] As mentioned above, the flush apparatus of the present
invention has the solar cell and the battery connected to the power
output terminal in parallel for providing electricity to the flush
apparatus, so that the using time of the battery can be
sufficiently extended. In addition, the solar cell can be also used
as the sensor, so that the solar cell and the traditional detecting
unit can be alternately used so as to decrease the power
consumption. The power output terminal is electrically connected to
the driving circuit directly, so that the damage of the control
module caused by the counter-electromotive force generated by the
solenoid valve can be prevented. When the solenoid valve is a
structural solenoid valve, the driving circuit can be a switch so
that the power consumption for the entire flush apparatus can be
reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The present invention will become more fully understood from
the subsequent detailed description and accompanying drawings,
which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not
limitative of the present invention, and wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a flush apparatus
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a flush apparatus la
of the present invention; and
[0020] FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic illustrations of different
driving circuits for the flush apparatus of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The present invention will be apparent from the following
detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the
same elements.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a flush apparatus
1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The
flush apparatus 1 includes a solar cell 11, a battery 12, a control
module 13, a driving circuit 14, a solenoid valve 15 and a
detecting unit 16.
[0023] The solenoid valve 15 is a switch of the flush apparatus 1.
The driving circuit 14 is electrically connected to the solenoid
valve 15 for providing a driving power to the solenoid valve 15 so
as to drive the solenoid valve 15. The driving circuit 14 can be,
for example but not limited to, a switch or a full-bridge circuit.
The solar cell 11 and the battery 12 are electrically connected to
a power output terminal V in parallel. The power output terminal V
is electrically connected to the driving circuit 14 directly for
providing the driving power to the driving circuit 14. The control
module 13 is electrically connected to the driving circuit 14 for
providing at least one control signal Sc to the driving circuit 14
to control ON/OFF of the driving circuit 14. The solenoid valve 15
can be controlled by the time period that the driving power passes
through the driving circuit 14. The control module 13 includes a
microcontroller.
[0024] In addition, the flush apparatus 1 further includes a diode
17. The solar cell 11 is electrically connected to the anode of the
diode 17, and the cathode of the diode 17 is electrically connected
to the power output terminal V for preventing the reverse current
to the solar cell 11. The power output terminal V is also
electrically connected to the control module 13 for providing
electricity to the control module 13.
[0025] The flush apparatus 1 of the present invention is an
automatic solar flush apparatus, which uses both of the solar cell
11 and battery 12 as the power supply. These two kinds of power
sources can be cooperated to provide the electricity for the
driving circuit 14 and the control module 13. When the
environmental light illuminates the solar cell 11, the solar cell
11 can be charged so that the electromotive force (EMF) of the
solar cell 11 as well as the voltage of the power output terminal V
increases. When the voltage of the power output terminal V is
greater than the EMF of the battery 12, the solar cell 11 becomes
the major working power source for providing electricity to the
control module 13 and the driving circuit 14 and charging the
battery 12. When the environmental light is weak, the EMF of the
solar cell 11 as well as the voltage of the power output terminal V
is decreased. When the voltage of the power output terminal V is
smaller than the EMF of the battery 12, the battery 12 can
automatically become the major working power source for providing
electricity. In this case, the solar cell 11 can charge the battery
12 or directly provide electricity to the loads, so that the
battery 12 can provide the load stable and continuous power
source.
[0026] The detecting unit 16 is electrically connected to the
control module 13 for detecting whether a user exists or not in
front of the flush apparatus 1 and then transmitting a detecting
signal SD to the control module 13. The control module 13 outputs a
control signal Sc to the driving circuit 14 according to the
detecting signal SD so as to control the ON/OFF of the solenoid
valve 15. In the embodiment, the detecting unit 16 can be an
infrared detecting unit and include a transmitter 161 and a
receiver 162. Taking an automatic flush urinal as an example, when
the user starts to use the flush apparatus 1, the transmitter 161
transmits an infrared signal and the receiver 162 receives the
infrared signal reflected by the user so as to determine that the
user exists. Thereafter, when the user leaves, the receiver 162 can
not receive the infrared signal reflected by the user, so that it
is determined that the user has left. When the detecting unit 16
determines that the user has left, the control module 13 provides a
control signal Sc to the driving circuit 14 to control the ON/OFF
of the driving circuit so as to control a flushing time of the
flush apparatus 1 according to a using time and/or a using
frequency of the user.
[0027] The solar cell 11 can also be used as a sensor. The flush
apparatus 1 further includes a switch S.sub.0 and a resistor R. An
output terminal N1 of the solar cell 11 is electrically connected
to the switch S.sub.0 and then electrically connected to the
control module 13. One terminal of the resistor R is grounded, and
the other terminal of the resistor R is electrically connected to a
node N2 disposed between the switch So and the control module 13.
The control module 13 controls the switch So to monitor the energy
change of the solar cell 11, and whether the user is close to or
left away from the flush apparatus 1 can be determined according to
the voltage change of the node N2. Thus, the solar cell 11 can be
used as the sensor. In the present invention, the solar cell 11 and
the detecting unit 16 can be alternately used as the sensor so as
to reduce the power consumption.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a flush apparatus 1a
of the present invention. In the embodiment, the solenoid valve 15a
is a structural solenoid valve, and the driving circuit 14 provides
a pulse voltage to control the ON/OFF of the solenoid valve
15a.
[0029] The driving circuit 14 is a switch S, which has a first
terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal. The third
terminal of the switch S is electrically connected to the solenoid
valve 15a, the second terminal of the switch S is directly
connected to the power output terminal V, and the first terminal of
the switch S is electrically connected to the control module 13 for
receiving the control signal Sc of the control module 13 so as to
control the ON/OFF of the switch S. The switch S can include a
field effect transistor (FET) or a bipolar junction transistor
(BJT).
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3A, a switch S.sub.2 of the flush apparatus
1b is composed of a FET and a diode. The drain of the FET is
connected to a cathode of the diode, and the source of the FET is
connected to an anode of the diode, so that the FET and the diode
are connected in parallel. The source of the FET is electrically
connected to the solenoid valve 15a, the drain of the FET is
electrically connected to the power output terminal V directly, and
the gate of the FET is electrically connected to the control module
13 for receiving the control signal Sc of the control module 13,
which can control the ON/OFF of the FET. When the control signal Sc
drives the switch S.sub.2, a pulse voltage is provided to the
solenoid valve 15a.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 3B, the difference between the flush
apparatus 1c and the flush apparatus 1b of FIG. 3A is in that a
switch S.sub.3 of the flush apparatus 1c includes a BJT. The
emitter of the BJT is electrically connected to the solenoid valve
15a, the collector of the BJT is electrically connected to the
power output terminal V directly, and the base of the BJT is
electrically connected to the control module 13 for receiving the
control signal Sc of the control module 13, which can control the
ON/OFF of the BJT. When the control signal Sc drives the switch
S.sub.3, a pulse voltage is provided to the solenoid valve 15a.
[0032] When the driving circuit 14 is a full-bridge circuit, the
solenoid valve 15 can be a latching solenoid valve. The latch of
the latching solenoid valve 15 can be disposed at the lock or
unlock position by controlling the current direction of the coil in
the latching solenoid valve 15, thereby achieving the function of
normal locking or normal unlocking. In this embodiment, the power
output terminal V is electrically connected to a power source VDD
of the full-bridge circuit directly. When the control module 13
provides at least one control signal Sc to the driving circuit 14,
the ON/OFF of the driving circuit 14 can be controlled so as to
control the flush time of the solenoid valve 15.
[0033] To sum up, the electricity of the flush apparatus of the
present invention is provided by the solar cell and the battery,
which are connected in parallel and then connected to the driving
circuit and control module, etc. The solar cell can continuously
apply electricity to the battery so as to extend the using time of
the battery.
[0034] The detecting unit must be operated all the time. In the
present invention, the solar cell can be used as a sensor, so that
the solar cell and the detecting unit can be alternately used to
decrease the power consumption.
[0035] The latching solenoid valve is an inductance component, so
it will generate the counter-electromotive force (CEMF), which may
damage the electronic elements. In the present invention, the power
source is electrically connected to the driving circuit directly to
provide the driving power to the solenoid valve without passing
through the control module, so that the stability of the control
module can be enhanced.
[0036] In addition, the present invention can utilize a structural
solenoid valve, so the ON/OFF of the solenoid valve can be
controlled by providing the pulse voltage in a single direction.
This can greatly decrease the static current loss through the
electronic components and wires. The response time of the
structural solenoid valve is shorter than that of the conventional
latching solenoid valve, so that the power consumption for the
entire flush apparatus can be reduced.
[0037] Although the present invention has been described with
reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to
be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the
disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will be
apparent to persons skilled in the art. It is, therefore,
contemplated that the appended claims will cover all modifications
that fall within the true scope of the present invention.
* * * * *