Faucet control device, method thereof, and faucet

Abstract

The faucet control device includes a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor that measure the temperatures of hot water and cold water, respectively, a heated water tank in which hot water supplied from a hot water pipe is heated by a heater and stored, a third temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the water in the heated water tank, an electronic valve that selects two of the heated hot water supplied from the heated water tank, the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe, and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe as supply water to be mixed, adjusts the mixing ratio of the selected supply water to be mixed, and discharges discharge water at the desired temperature input by a user, a fourth temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the discharge water discharged from the electronic valve, a flow rate sensor that measures the flow rate of the discharge water, and a controller that controls the operation of the heater and the electronic valve.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a faucet control device capable of automatic temperature adjustment, a method thereof, and a faucet.

Background Art

[0002] A faucet provided on a sink or a washstand includes a main body configured to supply cold and warm water from cold and warm water pipes respectively, and a lever provided on the main body for interrupting water and selecting cold and warm water. When a user holds and rotates or raises and lowers the lever, water can be shut off or supplied, and the temperature of the supplied water can be adjusted. While adjusting the water volume while opening and closing the lever, when hot water and cold water come out together from one faucet fitting, the temperature of the water is adjusted by adjusting the rotation angle of the lever.

[0003] The temperature of the hot water supplied through the faucet is affected by the state of the boiler in the case of an individual supply system. For example, when the boiler has been sufficiently driven and hot water is secured, the faucet is operated and hot water is supplied. However, when the boiler has just been driven, first cold water is supplied, and gradually the amount of hot water increases until it reaches a predetermined temperature. On the other hand, in the case of a central supply system, it is affected by the distance from the hot water supply source to the hot water consumption location, the outside air temperature, the water pressure, and the use of hot water by the neighbor.

[0004] In addition, when the temperature inside the hot water supply faucet is not uniform, it often occurs that suddenly high-temperature water is supplied through the faucet, or the temperature of the water changes during the supply of hot water. Such a sudden change in the temperature of the hot water may cause burns to the skin with slightly hot water, or may give the user an uncomfortable feeling due to the instantaneous cooling of the temperature of the supplied water. Furthermore, there is a problem that the temperature of the water also changes when the supply water pressure of the hot water changes.

[0005] Regarding this, Patent Document 1 presents a faucet capable of automatic temperature control, its control device, and method. However, the faucet described in this patent has limitations in that it can perform the target operation only in an environment where sufficient power is supplied. That is, in a country like South Korea, where the maximum power allowed for household electrical appliances is about 3 Kw, if 50 ml of water is heated by a heater in one second, it can be raised by about 12 °C. In such a situation, if the temperature of the warm water in the hot water pipe is as low as 20 °C, even if the valve is controlled so that 50 ml of warm water per second flows out from the hot water pipe, the temperature of the warm water can only be raised to 32 °C in one second. Since this temperature is excessively lower than the desired temperature of the user, it becomes difficult to achieve the target that the user intends to obtain from the faucet.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a faucet control device capable of automatic temperature control and a method thereof.

[0008] In addition, the present invention provides a faucet control device and a method thereof that can supply warm water at a desired temperature of the user immediately when the user uses the faucet even when the warm water in the hot water pipe is cold.

[0009] In addition, the present invention provides a faucet control device and a method thereof that can automatically adjust to maintain a constant discharged temperature even when the supply water pressure of warm water or cold water changes.

[0010] In addition, the present invention provides a faucet that can automatically adjust to maintain a constant discharged temperature even when the supply water pressure of warm water or cold water changes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a faucet control device capable of automatic temperature control is provided.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an input means for setting a desired temperature of the discharged water by a user, a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor for measuring the temperatures of the hot water and the cold water supplied from the hot water pipe and the cold water pipe respectively, a heating water tank for heating and storing the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe by a heater provided inside and supplying the heated hot water when the user uses the faucet, a third temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the water in the heating water tank, a hot water direct pipe for supplying the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe to the faucet side, two of the hot water supplied from the heating water tank, the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe, and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe are selected as the supply water to be mixed, and the mixing ratio of the selected supply water to be mixed is adjusted to discharge the discharged water at the desired temperature input by the user through the discharge pipe. An electromagnetic valve, a fourth temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the discharged water discharged from the electromagnetic valve, a flow sensor provided in the discharge pipe of the electromagnetic valve for measuring the flow rate of the discharged water, based on the temperature of the water in the heating water tank, controlling whether the heater provided in the heating water tank is driven, and based on the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the discharged water set by the user, readjusting the mixing ratio of the selected supply water to be mixed or reselecting the supply water to be mixed, and then adjusting the mixing ratio of the reselected supply water to be mixed. A controller that repeatedly performs an operation of controlling the electromagnetic valve so that the difference between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the discharged water set by the user becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined reference temperature.

[0013] Preferably, an input pipe connected to the discharge pipe of the electromagnetic valve and into which the discharged water is input, and at least two discharge pipes are included, and a second electromagnetic valve for outputting the discharged water input from the input pipe to the discharge pipe selected from the at least two discharge pipes under the control of the controller is further provided.

[0014] Preferably, the electronic valve includes a motor that rotates according to a control signal input from the controller and a cartridge. The cartridge includes a rotating shaft that is connected to the drive shaft of the motor and rotates, a first inflow pipe that is connected to the hot water direct pipe and through which hot water is input, a second inflow pipe that is connected to the heating water tank and through which heated hot water is input, a third inflow pipe that is connected to the cold water pipe and through which cold water is input, a rotating plate that is connected to the rotating shaft and rotates with through holes formed therein, and a discharge pipe that discharges the discharged water. The cartridge mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from two inflow pipes selected from the first inflow pipe, the second inflow pipe, and the third inflow pipe according to the rotation amount of the rotating plate, and discharges the mixture through the discharge pipe.

[0015] Preferably, if the difference between the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the user is higher than or equal to the first reference temperature, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate by a first angle. If the difference between the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the user is lower than the first reference temperature and higher than or equal to the second reference temperature, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate by a second angle. If the difference between the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the user is lower than the second reference temperature and higher than or equal to the third reference temperature, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate by a third angle. The first angle is set to be larger than the second angle, and the second angle is set to be larger than the third angle. If the temperature of the discharged water is higher than the desired temperature of the user, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate in a direction to increase the amount of cold water. If the temperature of the discharged water is lower than the desired temperature of the user, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate in a direction to increase the amount of hot water.

[0016] Preferably, the cartridge mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from the first inflow pipe and the second inflow pipe according to the rotation amount of the rotating plate, and discharges the mixture through the discharge pipe, or mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from the second inflow pipe and the third inflow pipe, and discharges the mixture through the discharge pipe.

[0017] Preferably, the cartridge mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from the first inflow pipe and the second inflow pipe according to the rotation amount of the rotary plate, and discharges it through the discharge pipe, or mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from the first inflow pipe and the third inflow pipe, and discharges it through the discharge pipe.

[0018] Preferably, the controller determines the target heating temperature of the warm water in the heating water tank based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor and the third temperature sensor, and drives the heater until the warm water in the heating water tank reaches the target heating temperature.

[0019] Preferably, the target heating temperature is lower than or the same as the maximum heating temperature set for the warm water in the heating water tank.

[0020] Preferably, the controller performs the operation of determining the target heating temperature of the warm water and the driving operation of the heater at regular time intervals based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor and the third temperature sensor.

[0021] Preferably, the input means is a communication module through which the desired temperature of the discharged water is input from the user's portable terminal device via a communication network.

Advantages of the Invention

[0022] By providing a faucet control device and method capable of automatic temperature adjustment according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a faucet, even when the supply water pressure of warm water or cold water changes, it can be automatically adjusted to maintain a constant discharged temperature. Also, even when the warm water in the hot water pipe is cold, as soon as the user uses the faucet, warm water at the desired temperature of the user can be supplied.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

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Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] As used herein, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "composed of" or "including" are not to be construed as necessarily including all of the many components or many steps described in the specification, and some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or it must be construed that additional components or steps may be further included. Also, terms such as "··· part (unit)" and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be embodied in hardware or software, or embodied in a combination of hardware and software. Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the configuration of a faucet control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, a faucet control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a hot water connection pipe 1a, a cold water connection pipe 2a, a temperature setting means 110, a plurality of temperature sensors 120a to 120d, a hot water direct pipe 130, an electromagnetic valve 140, a heating water tank 150, a flow sensor 160, and a controller 170.

[0027] The temperature setting means 110 is a component by which a desired temperature of the discharged water is set by the user. The temperature setting means 110 shown in 1 is embodied by push buttons. In this case, the push buttons are composed of a button for raising the temperature and a button for lowering the temperature. The desired temperature already set in the faucet control device 100 and the desired temperature increased or decreased by the user pressing the buttons are output to a separate display device (not shown) or output via a speaker (not shown). On the other hand, in addition to the buttons for increasing and decreasing the temperature, there may be further provided a menu button for grasping the state of the device. In this case, the user can select functions such as a function for grasping the amount of water used and a function for setting a preferred temperature for each user by using the menu button and the temperature increase / decrease buttons. Further, by operating the menu button, the state of the corresponding faucet control device 100 is displayed on the display device. Also, when there is a malfunction or failure of the faucet control device 100, a corresponding error code is displayed on the display device.

[0028] As described above, when the temperature setting means 110 is embodied by push buttons, the faucet can be opened and closed using a separate knob. As an example, if a direction-changing cartridge is provided at the water outlet end of the solenoid valve 140 and the knob connected to the direction-changing cartridge is in the middle position (6 o'clock direction), the discharge of the discharged water is blocked. Then, if the knob is rotated clockwise from the middle position, the discharged water is discharged to the bathtub or washbasin, and as the amount of rotation in the clockwise direction increases, the discharge amount of the discharged water increases. Also, if the knob is rotated counterclockwise from the middle position, the discharged water is discharged to the shower head, and as the amount of rotation in the counterclockwise direction increases, the discharge amount of the discharged water increases. Further, the opening and closing of the faucet may be performed by separately providing a solenoid valve (not shown). In this case, the separate solenoid valve is connected to the direction-changing cartridge and adjusts the discharge direction of the discharged water and the amount of the discharged water.

[0029] On the one hand, the temperature setting means 110 is composed of a rotation sensor coupled to the knob 3 of a normal faucet. Such a rotation sensor detects the horizontal rotation amount of the faucet knob 3 to have the user set the desired temperature of the discharged water. The horizontal rotation amount of the faucet knob 3 sets the angle when the faucet knob 3 rotates to the leftmost side to 0°, and assumes that the angle when it rotates to the rightmost side is set to θ Hmax °. At this time, when the faucet knob 3 is located at the center, the angle of the faucet knob 3 is 0.5θ Hmax °. That is, when the horizontal rotation angle of the faucet knob 3 is between 0° and 90°, when the faucet knob 3 is located at the center, the angle is 45°. At this time, the temperature of the discharged water corresponding to each horizontal rotation amount of the faucet knob is appropriately set as needed. The following table shows an example of setting the temperature of the discharged water according to the horizontal rotation angle of the faucet knob 3.

[0030]

Table 1

[0031] As described above, when setting the desired temperature of the discharged water using the horizontal rotation angle of the faucet knob 3, the desired water volume of the discharged water can be set based on the vertical rotation angle of the faucet knob 3. That is, the vertical rotation amount of the faucet knob 3 sets the angle when the faucet knob 3 is located at the lowermost end to 0°, and the angle when it is located at the uppermost (upper) side to θ Vmax °. For example, the vertical rotation amount of the faucet knob 3 is set in the range of 0° to 45°. At this time, the water volume of the discharged water can be set according to the vertical rotation amount of the faucet knob 3.

[0032] With such a configuration, the faucet control device 100 detects the stop position of the faucet knob 3 based on the previous stop position of the faucet knob 3 (the horizontal and vertical rotation amounts at the end of the previous operation) and the current movement amount (the horizontal and vertical rotation amounts). However, if the stop position is calculated based on the previous stop position and the current movement amount of the faucet knob 3, there arises a problem that the error becomes increasingly larger over time. Therefore, for the horizontal rotation angle of the faucet knob 3, the faucet control device 100 sets the intermediate angle (0.5θ Hmax °) as the horizontal reference angle, and for the vertical rotation angle, after setting 0° when the faucet knob 3 is in the state of being located at the lowermost end as the vertical reference angle, if the faucet knob 3 is positioned at the horizontal reference angle and the vertical reference angle, the movement amount of the faucet knob is initialized. Then, based on the initialized movement amount of the faucet knob 3, by measuring the vertical and horizontal rotation amounts of the faucet knob 3 and calculating the current movement amount of the faucet knob 3, the error is minimized.

[0033] Also, the faucet control device 100 determines the detected stop position at the time point when a certain time (for example, 1 second) has elapsed since the faucet knob 3 stopped as the final position.

[0034] As described above, the faucet control device 100 measures the horizontal and vertical rotation angles of the faucet knob 3 and calculates the temperature and amount of the discharged water desired by the user.

[0035] On the other hand, input devices in various forms are used as the temperature setting means 110. As an example, when the hot water knob and the cold water knob are separated, the rotation amounts of the hot water knob and the cold water knob are measured to grasp the temperature and amount of the discharged water desired by the user. Also, if the desired temperature and amount of water are input from the user through a touch panel and a communication module is attached to the faucet control device 100, it may also receive the desired temperature and amount of the discharged water from the user with a smartphone, a wireless controller, etc.

[0036] When a smartphone is used as an input device, it is desirable that the smartphone be provided with an application for controlling the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention. The output device of the control panel selectively displays, depending on the user's selection or setting state, the temperature of cold water, the temperature of hot water, the amount of cold water, the amount of hot water, the temperature of discharged water, the amount of discharged water, and the like. The input device of the control panel has forms such as a touch screen, a voice recognition device, and a button input device. In this case, the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention includes a communication unit for transmitting and receiving data to and from the input device and the output device, and a device capable of wired or wireless communication including a Bluetooth module, a Wi-Fi module, etc. is adopted as the communication unit.

[0037] The temperature sensors 120a to 120d are respectively provided between the hot water connection pipe 1a, the cold water connection pipe 2a, the heating water tank 150, the solenoid valve 140 and the faucet.

[0038] The first temperature sensor 120a is connected to the hot water pipe 1 and provided around the hot water inflow point of the hot water connection pipe 1a into which hot water flows, and measures the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water pipe 1. The second temperature sensor 120b is connected to the cold water pipe 2 and provided around the cold water inflow point of the cold water connection pipe 2a into which cold water flows, and measures the temperature of the cold water supplied through the cold water pipe 2. The hot water temperature and the cold water temperature measured by the first temperature sensor 120a and the second temperature sensor 120b are output to the controller 170.

[0039] The third temperature sensor 120c measures the temperature of the water in the heating water tank 150. The heating water tank 150 is provided with a heater 155 inside to heat and store the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe 1. That is, while the faucet is not operating (while the user is not using water), the heater 155 provided in the heating water tank 150 is driven to heat the water in the heating water tank 150 to a predetermined first temperature (for example, 60 °C). If the temperature of the water in the heating water tank 150 reaches the first temperature, the controller 170 stops the operation of the heater 155. In such a state, if the temperature of the water in the heating water tank 150 drops to a predetermined second temperature (for example, 40 °C), the controller 170 drives the heater 155 again and repeats the operation of heating the water in the heating water tank 150 to the predetermined first temperature. The first temperature and the second temperature are determined by the amount of hot water remaining in the pipe from the first inflow point of the hot water (in the case of hot water supplied by a district heating company, the point where the central pipe branches into each house, and in the case of individual heating, the hot water outlet point of the boiler installed in the house) to the faucet 3, the supply temperature of the hot water, the capacity of the heating water tank 150, the amounts of hot water and cold water, the capacity of the heater 155, and the like. At this time, in order to ensure the desired temperature of the discharged water, it is advantageous to set the first temperature as high as possible. However, considering the possibility of the user getting burned and the heat resistance performance of the heating water tank 150, it is desirable to set it to 80 °C or less as much as possible. On the other hand, although FIG. 1 shows that only one heater is installed in the heating water tank 150, a plurality of heaters may be installed in the heating water tank 150.

[0040] The heater 155 provided in such a heating water tank 150 is controlled to operate even when the faucet is in operation. The driving state is determined by the amount of hot water remaining in the pipe from the initial inflow point of the hot water to the faucet 3, the supply temperature of the hot water, the supply temperature of the cold water, the capacity of the heating water tank 150, the desired temperature and amount of the discharged water set by the user, the amounts of the hot water and the cold water, the capacity of the heater 140a, etc. Furthermore, the capacity of the heater 155 is basically determined by the capacity of the heating water tank 150 and the supply temperature of the hot water. For example, when the capacity of the heating water tank 150 is 1 l, to heat 20°C hot water for 5 minutes to raise it to 80°C, the capacity of the heater 155 only needs to be about 1 KW. The heated hot water thus heated is stored in the heating water tank 150, and the controller 170 controls the solenoid valve 130a in response to the operation of the faucet 1 by the user, and until the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe 1 reaches the first reference temperature (for example, 42°C), the heated hot water discharged from the heating water tank 140 is mixed with cold water or hot water and supplied to the faucet 3.

[0041] When the faucet 3 is not in use, such a solenoid valve 140 closes the pipe connected to the heating water tank 150 and drives to a position communicating with any one of the pipes connected to the cold water pipe 2 and the direct hot water pipe 130 (preferably the pipe connected to the direct hot water pipe 130) in order to prevent the heat of the heated hot water in the heating water tank 150 from being transmitted to the cold water pipe 2 and the direct hot water pipe 130. Then, based on the desired temperature of the discharged water set by the user when the faucet 3 is in use, the temperature of the heated hot water in the heating water tank 150, the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water pipe 1, and the temperature of the cold water supplied through the cold water pipe 2, the solenoid valve 140 adjusts the opening ratio of two pipes selected from the three pipes connected to the solenoid valve 140 to control the temperature of the discharged water to be the desired temperature of the discharged water set by the user.

[0042] On one hand, by appropriately determining the inner diameter of the pipe branched from the warm water connecting pipe 1a to the heating water tank 150 and the inner diameter of the pipe branched from the warm water connecting pipe 1a to the warm water direct pipe 130, the distribution ratio of the warm water can be set. At this time, the distribution ratio of the warm water flowing in from the warm water pipe 1 to the heating water tank 150 and the warm water direct pipe 130 is preferably set to 1:1, and if necessary, it is set within the range of 1:1 to 1:4. In this case, in order to prevent the heat of the heated warm water in the heating water tank 150 from being transmitted to the warm water pipe 1 side, it is desirable to provide a direction control valve 180 on the warm water inlet side of the heating water tank 150 so that the warm water flows only from the warm water pipe 1 to the heating water tank 150.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 2, the solenoid valve 140 is composed of a cartridge 142 and a drive motor 144. As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge 142 is composed of a first inflow pipe 310, a second inflow pipe 320, a third inflow pipe 330, a discharge pipe 340, a rotary plate 350, and a rotary knob 360. The rotary shaft of the drive motor 144 is connected to the rotary knob 360, and it rotates when the drive motor 144 is driven and the rotary shaft rotates. Then, the rotary plate 350 rotates corresponding to the rotation of the rotary knob 360. At this time, the drive motor 144 is embodied by a servo motor whose rotation amount is determined by the input pulse width, a step motor whose rotation amount is determined by the input number of pulses, and the like.

[0044] When the servo motor is used as the drive motor 144, the rotation amount is determined by the pulse width input from the controller 170. Hereinafter, a servo motor whose rotation angles are 0°, 120°, and 240° respectively when the input pulse widths are 0.5 ms, 1.5 ms, and 2.5 ms will be described. At this time, the relationship between the input pulse width and the rotation angle is as follows.

[0045]

Equation

[0046] Taking the case where the water outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, the hot water direct pipe 130, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inflow pipe 310, the second inflow pipe 320, and the third inflow pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3, the operation of the solenoid valve 140 due to the rotation of the servomotor will be described.

[0047] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the operating state of the cartridge 142 according to the rotation angle of the servomotor.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 4, when a pulse having a width of 0.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the servo motor is driven with a rotation angle of 0°. As a result, the rotation knob 360 and the rotation plate 350 of the cartridge 142 are in a state corresponding to the rotation angle of 0° of the servo motor. FIG. 4(a) shows the corresponding state (relationship) between the rotation plate 350 of the cartridge 142 corresponding to the rotation angle of 0° of the servo motor, and the first inflow pipe 310, the second inflow pipe 320, and the third inflow pipe 330. As shown in FIG. 4(a), when the rotation angle of the servo motor is 0°, the cartridge 142 is in a state where only the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the first inflow pipe 310 is discharged to the discharge pipe 340, and the second inflow pipe 320 and the third inflow pipe 330 are blocked, and the warm water supplied from the warm water direct pipe 130 and the cold water supplied through the cold water pipe 2 are not discharged. Also, when a pulse having a width of 1.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the servo motor is driven with a rotation angle of 120°. As a result, the rotation knob 360 and the rotation plate 350 of the cartridge 142 are in a state corresponding to the rotation angle of 120° of the servo motor. FIG. 4(b) shows the corresponding state between the rotation plate 350 of the cartridge 142 corresponding to the rotation angle of 120° of the servo motor, and the first inflow pipe 310, the second inflow pipe 320, and the third inflow pipe 330. As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the rotation angle of the servo motor is 120°, the cartridge 142 is in a state where only the warm water supplied from the warm water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 is discharged to the discharge pipe 340, and the first inflow pipe 310 and the third inflow pipe 330 are blocked, and the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 are not discharged. Also, when a pulse having a width of 2.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the servo motor is driven with a rotation angle of 240°. As a result, the rotation knob 360 and the rotation plate 350 of the cartridge 142 are in a state corresponding to the rotation angle of 240° of the servo motor. FIG. 4(c) shows the corresponding state between the rotation plate 350 of the cartridge 142 corresponding to the rotation angle of 240° of the servo motor, and the first inflow pipe 310, the second inflow pipe 320, and the third inflow pipe 330.As shown in (c) of FIG. 4, when the rotation angle of the servomotor is 240°, the cartridge 142 is in a state where only the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 is discharged to the discharge pipe 340, and the first inflow pipe 310 and the second inflow pipe 320 are blocked, so that the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 and the warm water supplied from the direct warm water pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 are not discharged.

[0049] On the other hand, if a pulse having a width of 0.5 ms to 1.5 ms is input to the servomotor, the rotation angle of the servomotor becomes 0° to 120°. As a result, the cartridge 142 has the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the warm water supplied from the direct warm water pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 mixed in a volume ratio depending on the pulse width and discharged to the discharge pipe 340. At this time, depending on the position and shape of the through holes formed in the rotary plate 350, the angle and mixing ratio at which the heated warm water, the warm water, and the warm water and the cold water are mixed change.

[0050] FIG. 5 shows the operating states of the cartridge 142 when pulses having widths of 0.5 ms, 0.7 ms, and 1.0 ms are input to the servo motor, respectively. Referring to FIG. 5(a), when a pulse having a width of 0.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 0°, and from this time on, the cartridge 142 discharges only the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the first inflow pipe 310 to the discharge pipe 340. Also, referring to FIG. 5(b), when a pulse having a width of 0.7 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 36°, and at this time, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the warm water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 are mixed at a volume ratio of approximately 5:1. Further, referring to FIG. 5(c), when a pulse having a width of 1.0 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 60°, and at this time, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the warm water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 are mixed at a volume ratio of approximately 1:1.

[0051] Also, if a pulse having a width of 1.5 ms to 2.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 120° to 240°. As a result, the cartridge 142 has hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 and cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 mixed in a volume ratio according to the pulse width and discharged to the discharge pipe 340. FIG. 6 shows the operating states of the cartridge 142 when pulses having widths of 1.5 ms, 2.0 ms, and 2.3 ms are input to the servo motor respectively. Referring to FIG. 6(a), if a pulse having a width of 1.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 0°. From this point, the cartridge 142 discharges only the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 to the discharge pipe 340. Also, referring to FIG. 6(b), if a pulse having a width of 2.0 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 180°. At this time, the cartridge 142 has the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 mixed in a volume ratio of approximately 1:1. Also, referring to FIG. 6(c), if a pulse having a width of 2.2 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 204°. At this time, the cartridge 142 has the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 mixed in a volume ratio of approximately 1:5.

[0052] In contrast, when the stepper motor is used as the drive motor 144, the rotation angle and rotation speed of the stepper motor are proportional to the number and frequency of the pulse signals input from the controller 170, respectively, whereby the rotation amount of the servo motor is determined. For example, if 600 pulses are applied to a stepper motor with a step value of 1.8, the stepper motor rotates 360°, assuming that the rotary knob 360 rotates 360° in the clockwise direction. Taking the case where the outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, the hot water direct pipe 130, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inlet pipe 310, the second inlet pipe 320, and the third inlet pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3 as an example, the operation of the solenoid valve 140 due to the rotation of the stepper motor will be described.

[0053] When the number of steps of the stepper motor is 0, the opening 352 formed in the rotating plate 350 of the cartridge 142 is positioned such that only the first inflow pipe 310 through which the heated warm water flows in is opened, and all of the heated warm water is discharged into the discharge pipe 340. Also, when the number of steps of the stepper motor is 200, the opening 352 formed in the rotating plate 350 of the cartridge 142 is positioned such that only the second inflow pipe 320 through which the remaining warm water flows in is opened, and all of the remaining warm water is discharged into the discharge pipe 340. Further, when the number of steps of the stepper motor is 400, the opening 352 formed in the rotating plate 350 of the cartridge 142 is positioned such that only the third inflow pipe 330 through which the cold water flows in is opened, and all of the cold water is discharged into the discharge pipe 340. Therefore, if the number of steps of the stepper motor changes between 0 and 200, the heated warm water and the remaining warm water are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:0 to 0:1. If the number of steps of the stepper motor changes between 200 and 400, the remaining warm water and the cold water are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:0 to 0:1. If the number of steps of the stepper motor changes between 400 and 600, the cold water and the heated warm water are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:0 to 0:1. By using the solenoid valve 140 employing the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3 in such a manner, after selecting two of the first inflow pipe 310 into which the heated warm water is input, the second inflow pipe 320 into which the remaining warm water is input, and the third inflow pipe 330 into which the cold water is input, by adjusting the opening ratio of the two selected inflow pipes, it is possible to provide the discharged water at the desired temperature of the user through the faucet.

[0054] The flow sensor 160 is provided at the rear end of the discharge pipe 340 of the electronic valve 140 to measure the amount of discharged water discharged from the discharge pipe 240. The amount of discharged water measured by the flow sensor 160 is provided to the controller 170, whereby the controller 170 can know whether the faucet is in use. That is, the controller 170 determines that the use of the faucet 3 has started when the amount of discharged water becomes greater than 0, and determines that the use of the faucet 3 has ended when the amount of discharged water becomes 0. Further, the controller 170 can calculate the usage amounts of heated warm water, warm water, and cold water based on the amount of discharged water and the rotation angle of the electronic valve 140. When water of different amounts and temperatures is supplied from two pipes respectively, the amount and temperature of the mixed water can be calculated by the following mathematical formula.

[0055] [Number] Here, T represents the temperature of the discharged water, T H represents the temperature of the water supplied from the first pipe, T L represents the temperature of the water supplied from the second pipe, Q H represents the supply water amount of the water supplied from the first pipe, Q L represents the amount of water supplied from the second pipe.

[0056] If the electronic valve 140 is in a state where the heated warm water and the warm water supplied from the heating water tank 120 and the hot water direct pipe 130 are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:1 (that is, as shown in Fig. 5(b), a pulse with a width of 1.0 ms is input to the servo motor and the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 60°), when the temperature of the warm water measured by the first temperature sensor 120a is 20°C, the temperature of the heated warm water measured by the third temperature sensor 120c is 60°C, the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor 120d is 38°C, and the amount of the discharged water measured by the flow sensor 160 is 100 ml, according to Formula 2, the amounts of the heated warm water and the warm water supplied to the electronic valve 140 are 45 ml and 55 ml respectively. Thus, it can be seen that the supply amount of the warm water is larger than that of the heated warm water. Of course, since the electronic valve 140 is in a state where the heated warm water and the warm water are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:1, when the supply amounts of the heated warm water and the warm water are equal, the amounts of the heated warm water and the warm water supplied to the electronic valve 140 are equal to 50 ml.

[0057] The faucet control device 100 according to the present invention further includes a display device (for example, an LCD panel, an electronic type is a touch panel, etc.). The display device outputs a preset desired temperature, a desired temperature increased or decreased by the user pressing a button, and the like. On the other hand, when in addition to the button for increasing or decreasing the temperature, a menu button for grasping the state of the device is further provided, the amount of water used, the preferred temperature for each user, etc. are displayed on the display device by the user operating the menu button. Also, when the faucet control device 100 malfunctions or breaks down, a corresponding error code is displayed on the display device.

[0058] On the one hand, when a display device is attached to the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention, it is necessary to cut off the power supply of the display device when the faucet 3 is not in use. For this purpose, it is necessary to further attach a motion sensor (not shown) to the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention. The motion sensor is preferably provided around the display device. If a person is detected by the motion sensor, the controller 170 turns on the display device, and if a person is not detected by the motion sensor, the controller 170 turns off the display device. Different from this, the controller 170 may also turn off the display device when a person is not detected by the motion sensor for a certain period of time (for example, 5 seconds). Further, when the amount of discharged water measured by the flow rate sensor 160 is not zero, the controller 170 controls so as not to turn off the display device even if a person is not detected by the motion sensor.

[0059] Based on the signals input from the temperature sensors 120a to 120d, the controller 170 grasps the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water pipe 1, the temperature of the heated hot water in the heating water tank 150, the temperature of the cold water supplied through the cold water pipe 2, and the temperature of the discharged water discharged from the solenoid valve 140. Further, based on the grasped temperature of the hot water, the temperature of the heated hot water, the temperature of the cold water, the temperature of the discharged water, and the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 controls the solenoid valve 140 so that the temperature of the discharged water becomes the desired temperature of the user.

[0060] First, the controller 170 compares the temperature desired by the user with the hot water temperature to select two of the three connecting pipes 310, 320, 330 connected to the cartridge 142 of the electronic valve 140. At this time, if the temperature desired by the user is higher than or equal to the hot water temperature, the first connecting pipe 310 to which heated hot water is supplied and the second connecting pipe 320 to which hot water is supplied are selected, and if the temperature desired by the user is lower than the hot water temperature, the second connecting pipe 320 to which hot water is supplied and the third connecting pipe 330 to which cold water is supplied are selected. Then, the controller 170 determines the mixing ratio of water of different temperatures supplied through the two selected connecting pipes using Equation 2, and controls the electronic valve 140 based on this. At this time, the initial position of the electronic valve 140 can be controlled based on the operation data of the location where the water faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is installed. Then, the controller 170 compares the temperature of the discharged water with the temperature desired by the user to finely control the electronic valve 140. In the following, a case where a servo motor is applied to the electronic valve 140 will be described.

[0061] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a method for controlling the electronic valve 140.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 7, the controller 170 controls the temperature T O and the user's desired temperature T T Difference with T D (S700). If the absolute value of the difference between the temperature of the discharge water and the temperature desired by the user is higher than or equal to a first reference temperature (T1, for example, 5° C.) (S705), the controller 170 checks whether the temperature of the discharge water is higher than the temperature desired by the user (S710). If the temperature of the discharge water is higher than the temperature desired by the user, the controller 170 rotates the electronic valve 140 clockwise by a first angle (for example, 10°) to increase the amount of low-temperature water (S715). On the other hand, if the temperature of the discharge water is lower than the temperature desired by the user, the controller 170 rotates the electronic valve 140 counterclockwise by a first angle to increase the amount of high-temperature water (S720).

[0063] In contrast, if the absolute value of the difference between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user is lower than the first reference temperature and higher than or equal to the second reference temperature (T2, for example, 2°C) (S725), the controller 170 checks whether the temperature of the discharged water is higher than the desired temperature of the user (S730). If the temperature of the discharged water is higher than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 rotates the electronic valve 140 about 5° in the clockwise direction so as to increase the amount of cold water (S735). In contrast, if the temperature of the discharged water is lower than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 rotates the electronic valve 140 about 5° in the counterclockwise direction so as to increase the amount of hot water (S740).

[0064] Also, if the absolute value of the difference between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user is lower than the second reference temperature and higher than or equal to the third reference temperature (T3, for example, 1°C) (S745), the controller 170 checks whether the temperature of the discharged water is higher than the desired temperature of the user (S750). If the temperature of the discharged water is higher than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 rotates the electronic valve 140 about 1° so as to increase the amount of cold water (S755). In contrast, if the temperature of the discharged water is lower than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 rotates the electronic valve 140 about 1° so as to increase the amount of hot water (S760). Such an operation is repeated until the absolute value of the difference between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user becomes lower than the third reference temperature. Then, until the use of the faucet ends, the controller 170 calculates the difference value between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user at a fixed cycle and determines how to control the electronic valve 140.

[0065] Hereinafter, the control operation of the electronic valve 140 by the controller 170 will be described by taking as an example the case where the allowable rotation angle of the servo motor applied to the electronic valve is 0° to 240°, and the input pulse widths are 0.5 ms, 1.5 ms, and 2.5 ms, and the rotation angles of the servo motor are 0°, 120°, and 240°, respectively.

[0066] For example, if the supply temperature of the warm water, the temperature of the heated warm water, and the desired temperature of the user are 20°C, 60°C, and 40°C respectively, since the warm water temperature is lower than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 mixes the heated warm water supplied from the first connecting pipe 310 and the second connecting pipe 320 with the warm water. However, according to the result calculated by Equation 2, the electronic valve 140 is controlled so that the heated warm water and the warm water are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:1. At this time, when the rotation angle of the electronic valve 140 is 60°, the heated warm water and the warm water are mixed at a volume ratio of 1:1. Therefore, the controller 170 outputs a pulse having a width of 1.0 ms to the electronic valve 140. Next, the controller 170 determines how to finely adjust the electronic valve 140 based on the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor 110d. If the temperature of the discharged water is 38°C, since it is 2°C lower than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 further rotates the electronic valve 140 in the clockwise direction by a second angle (for example, 5°) so that the rotation angle becomes 65°. Therefore, the controller 170 provides a pulse having a width of 1.042 ms to the electronic valve 140 to increase the amount of the heated warm water and reduce the amount of the warm water. Next, the controller 170 determines how to additionally finely adjust the electronic valve 140 based on the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor 110d. If the temperature of the discharged water is 41°C, since it is 1°C higher than the desired temperature of the user, the controller 170 further rotates the electronic valve 140 in the counterclockwise direction by a third angle (for example, 1°) so that the rotation angle becomes 64°. Therefore, the controller 170 provides a pulse having a width of 1.033 ms to the electronic valve 140 to reduce the amount of the heated warm water and increase the amount of the warm water. In this way, the controller 170 continuously compares the temperature of the discharged water with the desired temperature of the user, and repeatedly controls the electronic valve 140 until the difference between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user is less than the third reference temperature (for example, 1°C). At this time, the first reference temperature to the third reference temperature, and the rotation angles (the first angle to the third angle) corresponding to the respective reference temperatures are determined experimentally.

[0067] On the other hand, when a stepper motor is applied to the solenoid valve 140, similar to the case where a servo motor is applied, the step value of the stepper motor is changed to control the solenoid valve 140 so that the difference between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user is less than the third reference temperature.

[0068] As described above, by controlling the solenoid valve 140 based on the difference value between the temperature of the discharged water and the desired temperature of the user, without using a flow sensor for measuring the supply amount of hot water and the supply amount of cold water, it is possible to make the temperature of the discharged water coincide with the desired temperature of the user or at least less than a predetermined temperature difference (for example, 1 °C which is the third reference temperature) only with the four temperature sensors 120a to 120d. Further, when the amount of hot water or cold water supplied to the faucet 3 decreases due to the use of hot water or cold water at other consumption destinations (other bathrooms, kitchens, etc.), or when the amount of hot water or cold water supplied to the faucet 3 increases due to the interruption of the use of hot water or cold water at other consumption destinations, it is possible to quickly make the temperature of the discharged water coincide with the desired temperature of the user or at least less than a predetermined temperature difference (for example, 1 °C which is the third reference temperature) without a separate control routine. The amounts of hot water and cold water increase in two cases. First, when hot water and cold water are supplied at the maximum supply amount at a specific usage destination, if the use of hot water or cold water at another usage destination ends while the supply amount of hot water or cold water to that usage destination has decreased due to the use of hot water or cold water at the other usage destination, the supply amount of hot water or cold water to that usage destination will increase. Second, since hot water or cold water is being used at other usage destinations, if hot water or cold water is used at a specific usage destination, hot water or cold water will be supplied in an amount that does not reach the maximum supply amount. In such a state, if the use of hot water or cold water at other usage destinations ends, the supply amount of hot water or cold water to that usage destination will increase.

[0069] On the other hand, in the case of an embodiment in which the outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, the hot water direct pipe 130, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inlet pipe 310, the second inlet pipe 320, and the third inlet pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3, after the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water pipe 1 reaches the user's desired temperature (for example, 40° C.), the solenoid valve 140 mixes the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the second inlet pipe 320 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inlet pipe 330 to discharge the discharged water at the user's desired temperature. At this time, most of the remaining hot water in the heating water tank 150 has a temperature lower than the user's desired temperature. That is, if the temperature of the remaining hot water is 20° C. and the temperature of the heated hot water in the heating water tank 150 is 65° C. at the time of using the faucet 3, when the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water pipe 1 reaches the lowest target temperature of the discharged water, the temperature of the water in the heating water tank 150 is generally 20° C. to 30° C. This means that when the target heating temperature of the water existing in the heating water tank 150 is set to 65° C. after the use of the faucet 3 is finished, the temperature that the heater 155 provided in the heating water tank 150 should raise the temperature to is 35° C. to 45° C. Therefore, when the use of the faucet 3 is finished, compared with the case where the heating water tank 150 is filled with hot water at the maximum supply temperature (for example, 50° C.), the power consumption by the heater 155 increases.

[0070] Hereinafter, taking the case where the hot water direct pipe 130, the outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inlet pipe 310, the second inlet pipe 320, and the third inlet pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3 as an example, the operation of the solenoid valve 140 due to the rotation of the servo motor will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 4(a), when the rotation angle of the servo motor is 0°, the cartridge 142 is in a state where only the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the first inflow pipe 310 is discharged into the discharge pipe 340, and the second inflow pipe 320 and the third inflow pipe 330 are blocked, and the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 and the cold water supplied through the cold water pipe 2 are not discharged. Also, if a pulse having a width of 1.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the servo motor is driven with a rotation angle of 120°. As a result, the rotary knob 360 and the rotary plate 350 of the cartridge 142 are in a state corresponding to the rotation angle of 120° of the servo motor. Fig. 4(b) shows the corresponding state between the rotary plate 350 of the cartridge 142 corresponding to the rotation angle of 120° of the servo motor and the first inflow pipe 310, the second inflow pipe 320, and the third inflow pipe 330. As shown in Fig. 4(a), when the rotation angle of the servo motor is 120°, the cartridge 142 discharges only the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 into the discharge pipe 340, and the first inflow pipe 310 and the third inflow pipe 330 are blocked, and the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 are not discharged. Also, if a pulse having a width of 2.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the servo motor is driven with a rotation angle of 240°. As a result, the rotary knob 360 and the rotary plate 350 of the cartridge 142 are in a state corresponding to the rotation angle of 240° of the servo motor. Fig. 4(c) shows the corresponding state between the rotary plate 350 of the cartridge 142 corresponding to the rotation angle of 240° of the servo motor and the first inflow pipe 310, the second inflow pipe 320, and the third inflow pipe 330. As shown in Fig. 4(c), when the rotation angle of the servo motor is 240°, the cartridge 142 discharges only the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 into the discharge pipe 340, and the first inflow pipe 310 and the second inflow pipe 320 are blocked, and the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe 130 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 are not discharged.

[0072] On one hand, if a pulse having a width of 0.5 ms to 1.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 0° to 120°. As a result, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the warm water supplied from the warm water direct pipe 130 through the second inflow pipe 320 are mixed in a volume ratio according to the pulse width and discharged to the discharge pipe 340. At this time, depending on the position and shape of the through holes formed in the rotary plate 350, the mixing angle and mixing ratio of the heated warm water, warm water, and warm water and cold water change.

[0073] FIG. 5 shows the operating states of the cartridge 142 when pulses having widths of 0.5 ms, 0.7 ms, and 1.0 ms are input to the servo motor respectively. Referring to FIG. 5(a), if a pulse having a width of 0.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 0°, and from this time on, the cartridge 142 discharges only the warm water supplied from the warm water direct pipe 130 through the first inflow pipe 310 to the discharge pipe 340. Also, referring to FIG. 5(b), if a pulse having a width of 0.7 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 36°, and at this time, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the warm water supplied from the warm water direct pipe 130 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 are mixed in a volume ratio of about 5:1. Further, referring to FIG. 5(c), if a pulse having a width of 1.0 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 60°, and at this time, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the warm water supplied from the warm water direct pipe 130 through the first inflow pipe 310 and the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 are mixed in a volume ratio of about 1:1.

[0074] Also, if a pulse having a width of 1.5 ms to 2.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 120° to 240°. As a result, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 are mixed at a volume ratio according to the pulse width and discharged to the discharge pipe 340. FIG. 6 shows the operating states of the cartridge 142 when pulses having widths of 1.5 ms, 2.0 ms, and 2.3 ms are input to the servo motor respectively. Referring to FIG. 6(a), if a pulse having a width of 1.5 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 120°. From this time on, the cartridge 142 discharges only the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 to the discharge pipe 340. Also, referring to FIG. 6(b), if a pulse having a width of 2.0 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 180°. At this time, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 are mixed at a volume ratio of approximately 1:1. Also, referring to FIG. 6(c), if a pulse having a width of 2.2 ms is input to the servo motor, the rotation angle of the servo motor becomes 204°. At this time, the cartridge 142 is in a state where the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 through the second inflow pipe 320 and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe 2 through the third inflow pipe 330 are mixed at a volume ratio of approximately 1:5.

[0075] On the one hand, when the outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, the hot water direct pipe 130, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inlet pipe 310, the second inlet pipe 320, and the third inlet pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3, from the time point when the faucet 3 is used until the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user (for example, 40°C), the solenoid valve 140 is controlled within the angular range in a state where the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the first inlet pipe 310 and the hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 through the hot water direct pipe 130 are mixed. From the time point when the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user, the solenoid valve 140 is controlled within the angular range in a state where the hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 through the hot water direct pipe 130 and the cold water supplied to the third inlet pipe 330 through the cold water pipe 2 are mixed. That is, when the outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, the hot water direct pipe 130, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inlet pipe 310, the second inlet pipe 320, and the third inlet pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3, from the time point when the faucet 3 is used until the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user, the solenoid valve 140 operates within the first section controlled within the range of 0° to 120° where the heated hot water supplied to the first inlet pipe 310 and the hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 are mixed. After the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user, the solenoid valve 140 operates within the second section controlled within the range of 120° to 240° where the hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 and the cold water supplied to the third inlet pipe 330 are mixed.

[0076] In contrast, when the hot water direct pipe 130, the outlet pipe of the heating water tank 150, and the cold water pipe 2 are respectively connected to the first inlet pipe 310, the second inlet pipe 320, and the third inlet pipe 330 of the cartridge 142 shown in FIG. 3, from the time point when the faucet 3 is used until the time point t1 when the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user (for example, 40°C), the solenoid valve 140 operates in a first section that is controlled in the range of 0°C to 120°C where the hot water supplied to the first inlet pipe 310 and the heated hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 are mixed. And at the time point t1 when the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user, the temperature of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inlet pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 must be maintained higher than or the same as the desired temperature of the user. At this time, when the temperature of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inlet pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 is higher than the desired temperature of the user, there is a problem that if the hot water supplied to the first inlet pipe 210 and the heated hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 210 are mixed, the temperature of the discharged water will be higher than the desired temperature of the user. Therefore, from the time point t1 when the temperature of the hot water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130 reaches the desired temperature of the user until the time point t2 when the temperature of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inlet pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 reaches the desired temperature of the user, the solenoid valve 140 operates within a second section that is controlled in the range of 120°C to 240°C where the heated hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 and the cold water supplied to the third inlet pipe 330 are mixed. Next, from the time point t2 when the temperature of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inlet pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 reaches the desired temperature of the user, the temperature of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 rapidly drops to the temperature of the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe 1 to the faucet 3 at the time of use (for example, 20°C), and after that temperature is maintained for a certain period of time, it gradually rises to the desired temperature of the user. At this time, after the time point t2 when the temperature of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inlet pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 reaches the desired temperature of the user, there is a problem that if the heated hot water supplied to the second inlet pipe 320 and the cold water supplied to the third inlet pipe 330 are mixed, the temperature of the discharged water will be lower than the desired temperature of the user.Therefore, from time point t2 when the temperature of the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inflow pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 reaches the desired temperature of the user, until time point t3 when the temperature of the heated warm water supplied from the heating water tank 150 to the second inflow pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 reaches the desired temperature of the user again, the solenoid valve 140 operates in a first section that is controlled within a range of 0° to 120° where the warm water supplied to the first inflow pipe 310 and the heated warm water supplied to the second inflow pipe 320 are mixed. And after time point t3 when the temperature of the heated warm water supplied to the second inflow pipe 320 of the solenoid valve 140 reaches the desired temperature of the user again, the solenoid valve 140 operates within a second section that is controlled within a range of 120° to 240° where the heated warm water supplied to the second inflow pipe 320 and the cold water supplied to the third inflow pipe 330 are mixed. By controlling the solenoid valve 140 in this way, when the use of the faucet 3 ends, the heating water tank 150 will be filled with warm water at the maximum supply temperature (for example, 50°C). Therefore, when the target heating temperature of the water in the heating water tank 150 is set to 65°C after the use of the faucet 3 ends, the temperature that the heater 155 provided in the heating water tank 150 should raise the temperature to is 15°C, so the power consumption by the heater 155 can be reduced.

[0077] On the other hand, in the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, the discharge of the discharged water to the faucet is electronically controlled. For example, the discharge amount of the discharged water can be adjusted by a separate solenoid valve provided between the solenoid valve 140 shown in FIG. 1 and the faucet 3, and the discharged water can be provided to the faucet 3 by an amount close to the target water volume.

[0078] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing an embodiment in which the discharge amount of the discharged water is adjusted by a separate solenoid valve provided between the solenoid valve 140 shown in FIG. 1 and the faucet 3, and the discharged water is provided to the faucet by an amount close to the target water volume.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 8, when compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a second solenoid valve 240b is added between the first solenoid valve 260a corresponding to the solenoid valve 140 in FIG. 1 and the faucet 3. The first solenoid valve 240a operates in the same manner as the solenoid valve 140 shown in FIG. 1. The second solenoid valve 240b receives and outputs the discharged water from the output pipe of the first solenoid valve 240a, and adjusts the discharge amount of the mixed warm water input from the output pipe of the first solenoid valve 240a according to the control signal of the controller 270, and outputs it to the faucet or the shower head. In the embodiment 800 shown in FIG. 8, the temperature and water volume setting means 3a can be embodied in various forms as described above.

[0080] In this case, as the second solenoid valve 240b, a solenoid valve equipped with a cartridge for adjusting the discharge amount of the input water is used. At this time, the controller 270 controls a motor (such as a servo motor or a stepping motor) provided in the second solenoid valve 240b corresponding to the target water amount of the discharged water, and adjusts the opening and closing amount of the cartridge, so that the water amount of the discharged water discharged to the faucet or the shower head becomes the target water amount. The cartridge shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 is adopted for the second solenoid valve 240b provided between the first solenoid valve 240a shown in FIG. 8 and the faucet 3. If the solenoid valve shown in FIG. 9 is adopted, the water outlet pipe of the first solenoid valve 240a shown in FIG. 8 is connected to the discharge pipe 940, the faucet 3 is connected to the first inflow pipe 910, and the movable shower head is connected to the second inflow pipe 920. At this time, the third inflow pipe 930 is blocked. Therefore, when using the second solenoid valve 240b adopting the cartridge shown in FIG. 9, depending on the rotation state of the motor provided in the second solenoid valve 240b by the controller 270, the discharged water is discharged to either the faucet 3 or the movable shower head, or is not discharged to either of them. At this time, the flow rate of the discharged water discharged to the first inflow pipe 910 or the second inflow pipe 920 changes according to the rotation amount of the solenoid valve 240b. Different from this, if the solenoid valve shown in FIG. 10 is adopted, the water outlet pipe of the first solenoid valve 240a shown in FIG. 8 is connected to the discharge pipe 1050, the faucet 3 is connected to the first inflow pipe 1010, the movable shower head is connected to the second inflow pipe 1020, and the fixed shower head is connected to the third inflow pipe 1030. At this time, the fourth inflow pipe 1040 is blocked. Therefore, when using the second solenoid valve 240b adopting the cartridge shown in FIG. 10, depending on the rotation state of the motor provided in the second solenoid valve 240b by the controller 270, the discharged water is discharged to either the faucet, the movable shower head or the fixed shower head, or is not discharged to either of them. At this time, the flow rate of the discharged water discharged to the two inflow pipes adjacent to the fourth inflow pipe 1040 changes according to the rotation amount of the solenoid valve 240b.Therefore, if flow rate adjustment is to be applied to the faucet, the fixed shower head, and the movable shower head, these must be connected to the inlet pipe adjacent to the fourth inlet pipe 1040.

[0081] In the above description, when the cartridge shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is used as the second electronic valve 240b of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the discharge pipe of each cartridge functions as the water inlet pipe of the second electronic valve 240b, and the inlet pipe of each cartridge functions as the discharge pipe of the second electronic valve 240b. In this way, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the outlet direction of the discharged water, the amount of the discharged water, etc. are all automatically controlled by the electronic valves 240a and 240b. Therefore, when the controller 170 is provided with a communication function such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, X-Wave, etc., or is provided with a home network function, the faucet control device 200 according to the present invention can be remotely controlled using a home network control device or the user's smartphone. Thereby, the user can remotely control the faucet control device 200 to fill the bathtub with water at a desired temperature for a desired time. At this time, a drain shut-off device driven by the faucet control device 200 according to the present invention is provided at the drain outlet of the bathtub, and when the function of filling the bathtub with water is performed, the drain outlet of the bathtub is blocked by the drain shut-off device.

[0082] On the one hand, the controller 170 determines whether to drive the heater 155 based on the temperature of the hot water in the hot water pipe 1 measured by the first temperature sensor 120a, the temperature of the heated hot water in the heating water tank 150 measured by the third temperature sensor 120c, the volume of the remaining hot water remaining in the hot water pipe 1 from the hot water supply point to the faucet, the capacity of the heater, etc. At this time, in view of the fact that increasing the capacity of the heating water tank 150 also extends the heating time of the water by the heater 155, it is desirable that the capacity of the heating water tank 150 be appropriately determined between 1 l and 3 l. Further, in order to minimize the driving time of the heater 155 without excessively increasing the capacity of the heating water tank 150, until the remaining hot water remaining in the pipe between the hot water supply point and the heating water tank 150 is exhausted (used up), the target temperature and target water volume of the discharged water are set to be different from the desired temperature and desired water volume set by the user. For example, even if the desired temperature and desired water volume set by the user are 45°C and 80 ml / sec respectively, until the remaining hot water remaining in the pipe between the hot water supply point and the heating water tank 150 is exhausted, the target temperature and target water volume of the discharged water can be limited to a maximum of 40°C and 60 ml / sec. Such limit values are determined based on the capacity of the heating water tank 150, the capacity of the heater 155, the volume of the remaining hot water, etc.

[0083] The heating water tank 150 is manufactured to have a capacity capable of storing a certain amount (e.g., 2 l) of water, and a heater 155 and a third temperature sensor 120c are provided inside thereof. While the faucet is not operating (while the user is not using water), the heater 155 provided in the heating water tank 150 is driven to heat the water in the heating water tank 150 to a predetermined first temperature (e.g., 65°C). If the temperature of the water in the heating water tank 250 reaches the first temperature, the controller 170 stops the operation of the heater 155. In such a state, if the temperature of the water in the heating water tank 150 drops to a predetermined second temperature (e.g., 40°C), the controller 170 drives the heater 155 again and repeats the operation of heating the water in the heating water tank 150 to the predetermined first temperature. At this time, if the temperature of the warm water measured by the first temperature sensor 120a is higher than or the same as the first temperature, the heater 155 is not driven, and if the temperature of the warm water measured by the first temperature sensor 120a reaches the first temperature, it is desirable to drive the heater 155.

[0084] On the other hand, as described above, if the driving of the heater 155 is determined only by the temperature measured by the third temperature sensor 120c, stable warm water supply is possible, but there is a problem that the power consumption increases. In view of such a problem, when the faucet 3 is not used, the controller 170 can optimize the power consumption by determining the driving of the heater 155 based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor 120a and the third temperature sensor 120c. FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a method of driving the heater 155 by the controller 170 based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor 120a and the third temperature sensor 120c when the faucet 3 is not used.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 11, when power is supplied to the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention, the controller 170 periodically grasps the hot water temperature in the hot water pipe 1 measured by the first temperature sensor 120a and the third temperature sensor 120c, and the heated hot water temperature in the heating water tank 150 (S1100). First, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the first reference temperature V1 (S1105). If the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is equal to or higher than the first reference temperature V1, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). Differently, if the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the first reference temperature V1, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the second reference temperature V2 (S1110). If the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is equal to or higher than the second reference temperature V2, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120a is lower than the seventh reference temperature V7 (S1130). In step S1030, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is equal to or higher than the seventh reference temperature V7, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). Differently, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the seventh reference temperature V7, the controller 170 turns on the heater (S1150). And when the heater 155 is turned on, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c becomes equal to or higher than the eighth reference temperature V8, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). Differently, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the eighth reference temperature V8, after maintaining the heater 155 in the turned-on state (S1150), if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c becomes equal to or higher than the eighth reference temperature V8, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125).

[0086] In step S1110, if it is confirmed that the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the second reference temperature V2, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the third reference temperature V3 (S1115). If the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is equal to or higher than the third reference temperature V3, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the eighth reference temperature V8 (S1135). In step S1135, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is equal to or higher than the eighth reference temperature V8, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). On the contrary, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the eighth reference temperature V8, the controller 170 turns on the heater (S1160). Then, with the heater 155 turned on, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c becomes equal to or higher than the ninth reference temperature V9, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). On the contrary, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the ninth reference temperature V9, after maintaining the heater 155 in the turned-on state (S1160), if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c reaches the ninth reference temperature V9, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125).

[0087] In step S1115, if it is confirmed that the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the third reference temperature V3, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the fourth reference temperature V4 (S1120). If the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is equal to or higher than the fourth reference temperature V4, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120a is lower than the ninth reference temperature V9 (S1140). In step S1135, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is equal to or higher than the ninth reference temperature V9, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). In contrast, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 220c is lower than the ninth reference temperature V9, the controller 170 turns on the heater (S1170). Then, with the heater 155 turned on, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c becomes equal to or higher than the tenth reference temperature V10, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). In contrast, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the tenth reference temperature V10, after maintaining the heater 155 in the turned-on state (S1170), if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c reaches the tenth reference temperature V10, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125).

[0088] In step S1120, if it is confirmed that the measured value T1 of the first temperature sensor 120a is lower than the fourth reference temperature V4, the controller 170 checks whether the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the tenth reference temperature V10 (S1145). In step S1045, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is equal to or higher than the tenth reference temperature V10, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). On the contrary, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the tenth reference temperature V10, the controller 170 turns on the heater (S1180). Then, with the heater 155 turned on, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c becomes equal to or higher than the tenth reference temperature V10, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125). On the contrary, if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c is lower than the tenth reference temperature V10, after maintaining the heater 155 in the turned-on state (S1180), if the measured value T3 of the third temperature sensor 120c reaches the tenth reference temperature V10, the controller 170 turns off the heater 155 (S1125).

[0089] As described above, each reference temperature is set as shown in the following table. Such reference temperatures vary depending on the capacity of the heating water tank 150, the capacity of the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1, the capacity of the heater 155, the maximum heating temperature of the warm water set in the heating water tank 150, the temperature of the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1, the temperature of the cold water in the cold water pipe 2, and the like.

[0090]

Table 2

[0091] As described with reference to FIG. 11, when the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is not used, the on / off of the heater 255 can be controlled based on the preset reference temperature for the values of the first temperature sensor 120a and the third temperature sensor 120c. Differently, the driving of the heater 155 may be controlled based on, for example, the minimum supply temperature of the remaining warm water supplied through the hot water direct pipe 130, the maximum temperature of the heated hot water in the heating water tank 150, and the like.

[0092] FIG. 12 is a drawing showing a method of driving the heater 155 performed by the controller 170 by such a method.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 12, the controller 170 determines whether the faucet 3 is in use based on the flow rate value input from the flow sensor 160 (S1200). At this time, if the measured value input from the flow sensor 160 is greater than 0, the controller 170 determines that the faucet 3 is in use. Next, if it is determined that the faucet 3 is not in use, the controller 170 calculates the target heating temperature of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 by the following formula (S1210).

[0094]

Equation

[0095] In Equation 3, the target temperature T T of the discharged water is basically determined based on the total amount of the remaining warm water and the capacity of the heating water tank 150, and is desirably set to a temperature higher than the human body temperature (for example, in the range of 38°C to 42°C). On the other hand, at the start time of using the faucet 3, the temperature TH (0) is equal to the target heating temperature of the warm water, and is the time point t when the temperature of the remaining warm water becomes equal to the target temperature of the discharged water. a At this time, the temperature T of the heated warm water H (t a ) should be at least equal to or higher than the target temperature of the discharged water. The temperature T of the remaining warm water over time from the start time of using the faucet 3 W (t) is maintained with little difference (e.g., ±3°C) during a certain period of time from the start time of using the faucet (t = 0) (for example, 1 / 3 to 3 / 4 of the time T required for the discharged water to reach the target temperature from the start time of using the faucet), and thereafter, it rises to the maximum supply temperature of the warm water. At this time, when the temperature of the remaining warm water rises rapidly (e.g., 1 / 3T N ), after the temperature of the remaining warm water rises rapidly, it gradually shows a tendency to rise to the maximum supply temperature. Different from this, when the temperature of the remaining warm water rises slowly (e.g., 3 / 4T N ), the temperature of the remaining warm water shows a tendency to rise linearly to the maximum supply temperature. N )

[0096] Also, in Equation 3, the flow rate Q of the heated warm water over time from the start time of using the faucet 3 H (t) is obtained from the equation after transforming Equation 2.

[0097]

Equation

[0098] In Equation 4, the temperature T of the discharged water O(t) is the target temperature T of the discharged water, which is a fixed value regardless of the passage of time. T is equal to. Also, the amount of discharged water Q O (t) over time since the start of use of the faucet 3 is the value measured by the flow rate sensor 160. And the temperature T of the heated warm water over time since the start of use of the faucet 3 H (t), the temperature T of the remaining warm water W (t) and the temperature T of the discharged water O (t) are the values measured by the third temperature sensor 120c, the first temperature sensor 120a, and the fourth temperature sensor 120d, respectively.

[0099] Therefore, the controller 170 can grasp the supply amount of the heated warm water over time since the start of use of the faucet 3 using Equation 4, and based on this, from the start of use of the faucet 3, the temperature T of the remaining warm water W (t) reaches the target temperature T of the discharged water T and can calculate the total amount of the heated warm water used until the time point ta when they are equal.

[0100] Next, the controller 170 compares the target heating temperature (T H , target ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 with the current temperature (T H , cur ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 measured by the third temperature sensor 120c (S1220). If the current temperature (T H , cur ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 is lower than the target heating temperature (T H , target ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150, the controller 170 turns on the heater 155 (S1230). Different from this, if the current temperature (T H , cur ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 is higher than or the same as the target heating temperature (T H , target ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150, the heater 155 is turned off (S1240). After driving the heater 155, the controller 170 measures the current temperature (T of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 by the third temperature sensor 120cH , cur ), and the maximum heating temperature (T H , max ) of the warm water are compared (S1250). If the current temperature (T H , cur ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 is lower than the maximum heating temperature (T H , max ) of the warm water, after maintaining the state where the heater 155 is turned on, step S1250 is repeatedly performed. Different from this, if the current temperature (T H , cur ) of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 reaches the maximum heating temperature (T H , max ) of the warm water, the heater 155 is turned off (S1240). On the other hand, in step S1200, if the measured value input from the flow rate sensor 160 is greater than 0, the controller 170 determines that the faucet 3 is in use and starts controlling the solenoid valve 140.

[0101] By the method described above, the controller 170 appropriately controls the driving of the heater 155 provided in the heating water tank 150 while the faucet 3 is not used, so that while minimizing power consumption, warm water can be stably supplied when the faucet 3 is used by the subsequent user.

[0102] On the one hand, as described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, when the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is not used, based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor 120a and the third temperature sensor 120c measured at regular time intervals, the heater 155 is appropriately turned on and off to adjust the temperature of the warm water in the heating water tank 150, so that when the user uses the faucet 3, discharged water at the temperature desired by the user can be provided immediately. However, in a situation where the temperature of the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1 becomes excessively low, or in a situation where the amount of the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1 is larger than the capacity of the heating water tank 150 at the location where the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is provided, before the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1 is completely exhausted, the temperature of the warm water that can be provided by the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention may become lower than the temperature of the discharged water desired by the user. In this case, even when the faucet 3 is in use, the controller 170 can drive the heater 155 to heat the warm water in the heating water tank 150 to guarantee the temperature of the discharged water desired by the user.

[0103] When the capacity of the heating water tank 150 is 2 l, the total amount of remaining warm water is 4 l, the capacity of the heater 155 is 1 kW, the flow rate of the discharged water set by the user is 100 ml / s, the temperature of the warm water supplied through the hot water pipe 1 is 20°C, and the desired temperature of the discharged water of the user is 40°C, a case where the temperature of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 is 50°C will be described. At this time, if the time required for the temperature of the remaining warm water to reach the desired temperature of the discharged water of the user is 35 seconds, the total amount of the remaining warm water used until 35 seconds have elapsed since the start of use of the faucet 3 will be 3.5 l. And assume that the remaining warm water maintains 20°C until 25 seconds have elapsed since the start of use of the faucet 3, and then the temperature linearly rises to 40°C for 10 seconds, and the heated warm water maintains 50°C until 35 seconds have elapsed since the start of use of the faucet 3. In this case, in order to provide the discharged water at the desired temperature of the user, the solenoid valve 140 continuously changes the mixing ratio of the heated warm water and the remaining warm water. Based on this, the total amount of the heated warm water required until 35 seconds have elapsed since the start of use of the faucet 3 calculated by Equation 4 is about 2.1 l. Therefore, even if the solenoid valve 140 is controlled to cut off the cold water and 100% of the warm water mixed with the heated warm water and the remaining warm water is supplied to the faucet 3, there is a problem that warm water lower than 40°C, which is the desired temperature of the discharged water of the user, is supplied. In this case, if the heater 155 with a capacity of 1 kW is driven during the use of the faucet, the temperature of the warm water in the heating water tank 150 can be raised by about 4°C. Therefore, warm water at the desired temperature of 38°C of the user can be continuously supplied.

[0104] In the situation where the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is in use as described above, whether to drive the heater 155 is determined by the volume of the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1 (that is, when warm water is supplied by a district heating company, the point where it branches from the central pipe to each house; in the case of individual heating, the volume of the cooled warm water remaining in the hot water pipe 1 until warm water at the supply temperature is supplied from the hot water outlet of the boiler installed in the house), the temperature of the remaining warm water, the volume of the heating water tank 150, the volume of the heater 155, the desired flow rate of the discharged water of the user, the desired temperature of the discharged water of the user, and the like. If it is determined that the desired temperature of the discharged water of the user cannot be guaranteed even if the heater 155 is driven in the situation where the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is in use, the controller 170 drives the heater 155 and at the same time, based on the temperature and quantity of the remaining warm water, the volume of the heating water tank 150 and the temperature of the warm water in the heating water tank 150, the desired flow rate of the discharged water of the user, the volume of the heater 155, etc., it is desirable to set the temperature of the discharged water lower than the desired temperature of the discharged water of the user and supply it to the faucet 3.

[0105] On the other hand, in the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1, since the hot water tank 150 is sealed with respect to the hot water pipe 1 and the solenoid valve 140, when the water in the hot water tank 150 is heated, its volume expands, and an excessively large pressure is applied to the hot water tank 150. Since this can cause damage to the device, it is necessary to lower the pressure below an appropriate level (for example, 1.5 times the hot water supply pressure). For this reason, the controller 170 may perform a pressure relief operation based on the value measured by the third temperature sensor 120c provided in the hot water tank 150. In this case, each time the temperature of the water in the hot water tank 150 measured by the third temperature sensor 120c provided in the hot water tank 150 rises by about a predetermined reference temperature (for example, 10°C), the controller 170 first controls the solenoid valve 140 to a position where the heated hot water in the hot water tank 150 and the cold water in the cold water pipe 2 are mixed, and then controls it to a position where the heated hot water in the hot water tank 150 is not discharged. As a result, the heated hot water flows toward the cold water pipe, and the pressure in the hot water tank 150 is released. Such an operation may be performed if the amount of pressure increase (for example, the pressure in the hot water tank 150) corresponding to the amount of temperature rise of the water in the hot water tank 150 measured by the third temperature sensor 120c provided in the hot water tank 150 is equal to or higher than a first reference pressure (for example, 5 bar). Such a pressure relief operation by the controller 170 is continuously performed after the faucet control device 100 according to the present invention is provided, regardless of whether the user uses the faucet 3. Differently, the pressure relief operation for the hot water tank 150 may be performed based on the pressure value measured by a pressure sensor (not shown) attached to the hot water tank 150. In this case, if the pressure in the hot water tank 150 measured by the pressure sensor is equal to or higher than a first reference pressure (for example, 5 bar), the controller 170 controls the solenoid valve 140 so that the heated hot water flows toward the cold water pipe 2. Then, when the pressure in the hot water tank 150 reaches a second reference pressure (for example, 2 bar), the controller 170 controls the solenoid valve 140 to block the discharge of the heated hot water to the cold water pipe 2.

[0106] In the above description, the temperature of the remaining warm water in the hot water pipe 1 is equal to the temperature of the remaining temperature measured by the first temperature sensor 120a provided in the hot water connection pipe 1a. Further, although the embodiments have been described above, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be variously modified and changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the following claims.

Claims

1. Input means for setting a desired temperature of the discharged water by the user; A first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor for measuring the temperatures of the hot water and cold water supplied from the hot water pipe and the cold water pipe respectively; A heating water tank that heats and stores the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe with a heater provided inside, and supplies the heated hot water when the user uses the faucet; A third temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the water in the heating water tank; A hot water direct pipe for supplying the hot water supplied from the hot water pipe to the faucet side; Two of the heated hot water supplied from the heating water tank, the hot water supplied from the hot water direct pipe, and the cold water supplied from the cold water pipe are selected as the supply water to be mixed, and the mixing ratio of the selected supply water to be mixed is adjusted, and the discharged water at the desired temperature input by the user is discharged through the discharge pipe. An electromagnetic valve; A fourth temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the discharged water discharged from the electromagnetic valve; A flow sensor provided in the discharge pipe of the electromagnetic valve for measuring the flow rate of the discharged water; Based on the temperature of the water in the heating water tank, control whether the heater provided in the heating water tank is driven, and based on the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the discharged water set by the user, Repeatedly perform the operation of controlling the electromagnetic valve so as to readjust the mixing ratio of the selected supply water to be mixed or reselect the supply water to be mixed and then adjust the mixing ratio of the reselected supply water to be mixed, so that the discharged water A controller that controls so that the difference between the temperature and the desired temperature of the discharged water set by the user is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference temperature; The electromagnetic valve is A motor that rotates by a control signal input from the controller; Including a cartridge; The cartridge is A rotating shaft connected to the drive shaft of the motor and rotating; A first inflow pipe connected to the hot water direct pipe and into which hot water is input; A second inflow pipe connected to the heating water tank and into which heated hot water is input; A third inflow pipe connected to the cold water pipe and into which cold water is input; A rotating plate connected to the rotating shaft and rotating, with through holes formed therein; Including a discharge pipe for discharging the discharged water; The cartridge mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from two inflow pipes selected from the first inflow pipe, the second inflow pipe, and the third inflow pipe according to the rotation amount of the rotating plate, and discharges it through the discharge pipe. A faucet control device characterized by that.

2. An input pipe that is connected to the discharge pipe of the electronic valve and into which discharged water is input, and at least two discharge pipes, and further includes a second electronic valve that outputs the discharged water input from the input pipe to a discharge pipe selected from the at least two discharge pipes under the control of the controller. The faucet control device according to claim 1.

3. If the difference between the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the user is higher than or equal to a first reference temperature, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate by a first angle. If the difference between the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the user is lower than the first reference temperature and higher than or equal to a second reference temperature, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate by a second angle. If the difference between the temperature of the discharged water measured by the fourth temperature sensor and the desired temperature of the user is lower than the second reference temperature and higher than or equal to a third reference temperature, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate by a third angle. The first angle is set larger than the second angle, and the second angle is set larger than the third angle. If the temperature of the discharged water is higher than the desired temperature of the user, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate in a direction to increase the amount of cold water. If the temperature of the discharged water is lower than the desired temperature of the user, the controller controls the electronic valve to rotate in a direction to increase the amount of hot water. The faucet control device according to claim 1.

4. The cartridge mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from the first inflow pipe and the second inflow pipe or the supply water to be mixed supplied from the second inflow pipe and the third inflow pipe according to the rotation amount of the rotary plate, and discharges it through the discharge pipe. The faucet control device according to claim 3.

5. The cartridge mixes the supply water to be mixed supplied from the first inflow pipe and the second inflow pipe or the supply water to be mixed supplied from the first inflow pipe and the third inflow pipe according to the rotation amount of the rotary plate, and discharges it through the discharge pipe. The faucet control device according to claim 3.

6. ​ The controller determines a target heating temperature of the hot water in the heating water tank based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor and the third temperature sensor, and drives the heater until the hot water in the heating water tank reaches the target heating temperature. The faucet control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.

7. The faucet control device according to claim 6, characterized in that the target heating temperature is lower than or the same as the maximum heating temperature set for the hot water in the heating water tank.

8. The controller performs a determination operation of the target heating temperature of the hot water and a driving operation of the heater based on the measured values of the first temperature sensor and the third temperature sensor at regular time intervals. The faucet control device according to claim 6, characterized in that.

9. The input means is a communication module through which a desired temperature of the discharged water is input from a user's portable terminal device via a communication network. The faucet control device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

Images