Liquid determination system and liquid determination method

Abstract

To determine the degree of contamination of a liquid relative to a clean liquid serving as a reference.SOLUTION: A liquid determination system 1 comprises: a light detection unit 2 that irradiates a liquid surface (water surface 12s) with light 15 in a diagonal direction from the top of a tank (bathtub 11) storing a liquid (hot water 12) toward a retroreflective plate 14 provided to a bottom face 11b of the tank and receives reflected light 16; a liquid depth acquisition unit 3 that acquires a liquid depth (water depth D) from the bottom face 11b of the tank to the liquid surface; and a determination unit 4 that determines the degree of contamination of the liquid on the basis of the change amount of luminous power of the reflected light 16 acquired by the light detection unit 2 and the liquid depth acquired by the liquid depth acquisition unit 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a liquid determination system and a liquid determination method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a method for detecting the bathing state of a person in a bathtub. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses: Ultrasonic waves are emitted from the bathroom ceiling towards the bathtub, and the bather's head is detected based on the received reflected waves. A submersion determination system is disclosed that calculates the distance between the part and the water surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-129930 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By the way, for example, if you can prompt bathers to change the water at the appropriate time, you can promote clean bathing. Therefore, it is also desirable to detect the condition below the water surface, such as the degree of dirtiness of the water in the bathtub. It is being eaten.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and provides a method for detecting contamination of a liquid relative to a reference clean liquid. The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid determination system and a liquid determination method that can determine the concentration of a liquid. do. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a liquid determination system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a tank for storing a liquid. From the top of the tank, the liquid surface is directed obliquely toward the retroreflector plate provided on the bottom of the tank. a light detection unit that irradiates light and receives reflected light, and a liquid depth from the bottom of the tank to the liquid surface. a liquid depth acquiring unit, a change in the amount of light of the reflected light acquired by the light detecting unit, and a change in the amount of light of the reflected light acquired by the liquid depth acquiring unit and a determination unit that determines the degree of contamination of the liquid based on the liquid depth.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a liquid determination method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: The light is directed from the part obliquely to the liquid surface toward the retroreflector provided on the bottom surface of the tank. a light detection step of irradiating the liquid with light and receiving reflected light; and a step of acquiring the liquid depth from the bottom of the tank to the liquid surface. a liquid depth acquisition step in which the change in the amount of reflected light acquired in the light detection step is compared with the liquid depth; a determining step of determining the contamination level of the liquid based on the liquid depth acquired in the acquiring step; , including. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to determine the degree of contamination of a liquid relative to a standard clean liquid. This has the effect of [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid determination system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the liquid determination system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the liquid determination system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the liquid determination system according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a liquid determination system according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. The components in the embodiments are those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the components described below are included in the present disclosure. Various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of components can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the following embodiments, the following items are necessary to illustrate the embodiments of the liquid determination system according to the present disclosure. In the following description of the embodiment, only the components that are mentioned will be described, and other components will be omitted. Therefore, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and different components are given different reference numerals.

[0011] (First embodiment) [System Configuration] A liquid determination system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a liquid determination system 1 according to a first embodiment. 2 is a functional block diagram of the liquid determination system 1 according to the first embodiment. The liquid determination system 1 determines the contamination level of the liquid based on the change in the light transmittance of the liquid stored in the tank. This is a system that determines the following:

[0012] In the first embodiment, the tank is a bathtub 11 provided in a bathroom 10 shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the liquid determination system of the first embodiment is the hot water 12. 1 judges the degree of contamination of hot water 12 in a bathtub 11 provided in a bathroom 10 shown in FIG. The setting system 1 is provided as a function of other systems such as a bathroom remote control that controls a water heater. The bathroom 10 has a ceiling 13 at least above the bathtub 11.

[0013] At least one retroreflector 14 is attached to the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11. The retroreflector 14 reflects the incident light 15 in the same direction as the incident direction. The retroreflector 14 reflects the light 15, and the reflected light 16 returns in the direction from which the light 15 was emitted. It should be noted that the light 15 is not reflected by the retroreflector 14 but is reflected by the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11. In this case, the reflected light 17 does not return in the direction from which the light 15 was emitted.

[0014] The liquid determination system 1 of the first embodiment includes a light detection unit 2, a liquid depth acquisition unit 3, a determination unit 4, The liquid determination system 1 also includes a part of the light detection unit 2 and a liquid depth acquisition unit A liquid determination device including a part of the liquid detection unit 3, a determination unit 4, and a part of the notification unit 5, and controlling each element. Including 100.

[0015] The light detection unit 2 is provided from the top of the bathtub 11 that stores hot water 12 to the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11. The light detector 2 emits light 15 toward the retroreflector 14 and receives reflected light 16. Light 15 is irradiated obliquely onto the water surface 12s of the hot water 12. In the first embodiment, the light detector 2 includes a light emitter 21 and a light receiver 22. 2 and the light emission control unit 121 and the detection processing unit 122 of the liquid determining device 100 shown in FIG. include.

[0016] The light emitting unit 21 includes an infrared light emitting element that emits infrared light 15. The ceiling 13 of the 10 is attached to a mounting portion 13m. The mounting portion 13m is, for example, The light emitting unit 21 is a housing fixed to the ceiling 13. The light emitting unit 21 emits light 15 in the direction of a retroreflector. The light emitting unit 21 is provided so as to face the light emitting unit 14 based on a control signal from the light emitting control unit 121. and irradiate with light 15.

[0017] The light receiving unit 22 includes an infrared light receiving element that receives the reflected infrared light 16. The light receiving unit 22 is attached to a mounting portion 13m provided on the ceiling 13 of the bathroom 10. The light receiving section 21 is provided coaxially with the direction of irradiation of the light 15. The light receiving section 22 receives a detection signal of the reflected light 16. The light emission control unit 121 outputs the detected light to the detection processing unit 122. The details will be explained later.

[0018] The liquid depth acquisition unit 3 acquires the water depth D from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 to the water surface 12s. In the first embodiment, the acquisition unit 3 transmits signals from the top of the bathtub 11 toward the water surface 12s. The distance L to the water surface 12s is detected based on the reflected wave 19 of the received ultrasonic wave 18. The water depth acquisition unit 3 acquires the water depth D based on the distance L. The water depth acquisition unit 3 includes a transmitter 31 and a receiver 32, and the transmission control unit 131 and the detection processing unit 132 of the liquid determining device 100 shown in FIG. , including.

[0019] The transmitting unit 31 includes a piezoelectric vibrator for transmitting the ultrasonic wave 18. The transmitter 31 is attached to a mounting portion 13m provided on the ceiling 13 of the building 0. The transmitting unit 31 is provided so that the wave 18 propagates to the water surface 12s of the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11. The ultrasonic wave 18 is emitted based on a control signal from the emission control unit 131 .

[0020] The receiving unit 32 includes a piezoelectric vibrator that receives the reflected wave 19 of the ultrasonic wave 18. The transmitter 31 is attached to the attachment portion 13m provided on the ceiling 13 of the bathroom 10. The receiving unit 32 outputs a detection signal of the received reflected wave 19 to the detection processing unit 132. The outgoing call control unit 131 and the detection processing unit 132 will be described in detail later.

[0021] The determination unit 4 determines the water depth D based on the reflected light 16 acquired by the light detection unit 2 and the water depth D acquired by the water depth acquisition unit 3. The determination unit 4 determines the contamination level of the hot water 12 based on the light intensity of the liquid determining device 100 shown in FIG. The light transmittance calculation unit 141, the change amount calculation unit 142, and the state determination unit 143 are included. The details of the calculation unit 141, the change amount calculation unit 142, and the state determination unit 143 will be described later. explain.

[0022] When the determining unit 4 determines that the contamination level of the hot water 12 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the notifying unit 5 notifies the If the liquid level is high, the liquid determining device 100 notifies the user of predetermined notification information. The predetermined threshold value is stored in advance in the liquid determining device 100. The predetermined threshold value may be, for example, changeable by the user as appropriate. The predetermined notification information includes at least one of video, audio, sound, and light. In this embodiment, the notification unit 5 includes notification information to guide the user to replace the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11. The liquid determining device 100 includes a notification device 51 and a notification control unit 151 of the liquid determining device 100 shown in FIG. Alternatively, the hot water may be changed automatically without any notification.

[0023] The notification device 51 receives control signals including a video signal, an audio signal, etc. output from the notification control unit 151. The notification device 51 notifies predetermined notification information based on the signal. The notification device 51 is a display device that visually notifies predetermined notification information, and a sound device that notifies predetermined notification information. Therefore, a speaker that notifies predetermined notification information, a device that notifies predetermined notification information by light, etc. The display device includes at least one of the light emitting devices of the liquid determination system 1. A dedicated display device or a display shared with other systems, such as a bathroom remote control that operates a water heater. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). displays, including organic EL (Organic Electro-Luminescence) displays, etc. The display device is a touch panel that functions as an operation unit that can input various operations. The notification control unit 151 will be described in detail later. do.

[0024] In the first embodiment, the liquid determining device 100 has the following functions as one of the functions of the liquid determining system 1: The liquid determining device 100 is implemented by various control programs and various control processes. a storage device for storing data to be stored, and a device for executing a predetermined control program; The storage device includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Ra Non-volatile memory such as random access memory (DMA), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and flash memory Reliable or volatile semiconductor memory, magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, The processing unit may be, for example, a compact disc, a mini disc, or a DVD. PU(Central Processing Unit), MCU(Micro Controller Unit) Processor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), System L SI (Large Scale Integration), etc. The liquid determining device 100 is a single storage device. or implemented with multiple storage devices and one or multiple processing units. The liquid determining device 100 includes a light emission control unit 121 and a detection processing unit 122 of the light detecting unit 2. , the transmission control unit 131, the detection processing unit 132, and the liquid depth calculation unit 133 of the liquid depth acquisition unit 3, and the determination a light transmittance calculation unit 141, a change amount calculation unit 142, and a state determination unit 143 in the unit 4; and a notification unit 5 and a notification control unit 151.

[0025] The light emission control unit 121 controls the light emitting unit 21. More specifically, the light emission control unit 121 The light emitting unit 21 is switched between a light emitting state and a non-light emitting state, and the light emitting unit 21 in the light emitting state irradiates The light emission control unit 121 controls the amount of light 15. The light emission control unit 121 causes the light emitting unit 21 to emit the light 15. The direction in which the light unit 21 emits light 15 is toward the retroreflector 14. 121 outputs control information for the light emitting unit 21 to the detection processing unit 122.

[0026] The detection processing unit 122 acquires a detection signal of the reflected light 16 from the light receiving unit 22. 22 is a signal that indicates the control information of the light emitting unit 21 acquired from the light emission control unit 121 and the control information of the light receiving unit 22 acquired from the light emission control unit 122. The amount of the reflected light 16 is acquired based on the detection signal of the reflected light 16. The light detection unit 141 outputs the acquired amount of reflected light 16 to the light transmittance calculation unit 141 of the determination unit 4. For example, the light emission control unit 121 sets the light emitting unit 21 to a non-light emitting state and the detection process The unit 122 puts the light receiving unit 22 into a light receiving state, thereby causing the light receiving unit 22 to receive ambient light. As a result, the detection processing unit 122 can detect whether the light emitting unit 21 is in a light emitting state or a non-light emitting state. The reflection of the light 15 emitted by the light emitting unit 21 is calculated based on the difference between the light received by the light receiving unit 22 in the normal state and the light received by the light receiving unit 22 in the normal state. Only the incident light 16 can be extracted and detected.

[0027] The outgoing call control unit 131 controls the outgoing call unit 31. More specifically, the outgoing call control unit 131 The pulse width and repetition frequency of the ultrasonic wave 18 transmitted from the receiving unit 31 are controlled. The control unit 131 causes the transmitting unit 31 to transmit the ultrasonic wave 18. The signal 18 propagates toward the water surface 12s of the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11. The control information of the signal receiving unit 31 is output to the detection processing unit 132 .

[0028] The detection processing unit 132 acquires the detection signal of the reflected wave 19 from the receiving unit 32. 32 receives control information for the transmitting unit 31 from the transmission control unit 131 and control information for the receiving unit 32 from the receiving unit 33. Based on the detection signal of the reflected wave 19, the ultrasonic wave 18 is transmitted from the transmitting unit 31 and then received. The detection processing unit 132 acquires the delay time until the reflected wave 19 is received. The delay time information is output to the liquid depth calculation unit 133.

[0029] The liquid depth calculation unit 133 calculates the water depth D from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 to the water surface 12s. More specifically, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 first calculates the liquid depth after the ultrasonic wave 18 is transmitted from the transmitter 31. The delay time until the receiver 32 receives the reflected wave 19 is acquired from the detection processor 132 . Next, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 transmits ultrasonic waves based on the control information of the transmitter 31 at the calculated delay time. 18, the propagation speed of the water 12 from the transmitting part 31 and the receiving part 32 is multiplied by Next, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 subtracts the distance L from the ceiling height H. The water depth D is calculated by calculating the height H of the ceiling. The ceiling height H is the distance from the liquid detection device 31 to the receiving device 32. The ceiling height H is stored in the storage device of the device 100. The water depth calculation unit 133 may detect the calculated water depth D in the determination unit 4. The result is output to the light transmittance calculation unit 141.

[0030] The light transmittance calculation unit 141 receives the light transmittance from the detection processing unit 122 of the light detection unit 2. The amount of light 16 reflected by the retroreflector 14 provided on the light source 15 is acquired. The liquid depth calculation unit 141 calculates the water level from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 from the liquid depth calculation unit 133 of the liquid depth acquisition unit 3. The light transmittance calculation unit 141 calculates the amount of reflected light 16 and the water depth D. Based on D, the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12 is calculated. outputs the calculated light transmittance per unit distance to the change amount calculation unit 142.

[0031] The change amount calculation unit 142 calculates the amount of change in the light transmittance of the hot water 12 from a predetermined reference value. The reference value is, for example, the value obtained for new hot water 12 when the bathtub 11 is filled with hot water 12. The amount of light per unit distance of the water 12 calculated from the amount of light 15 reflected by the water and the water depth D. The reference value is the light transmittance. For example, the reference value is obtained every time the bathtub 11 is filled with hot water 12, and the liquid determination device The reference value may be stored in the storage device of the device 100, or a previously acquired reference value may be used as is. The amount of change is the difference between this reference value and the calculated light transmittance per unit distance. The light transmittance of the bath 12 decreases over time and with use in bathing, and the addition of water or bathing The change amount calculation unit 142 calculates the change amount from the calculated reference value of the light transmittance. The change amount of the signal is output to the state determination unit 143.

[0032] The state determination unit 143 determines whether the hot water 12 is hot or cold based on the amount of change in light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. That is, the state determination unit 143 determines the degree of contamination of the reflected light 16 acquired by the light detection unit 2. The contamination level of the hot water 12 is determined based on the change in the amount of light and the water depth D acquired by the liquid depth acquisition unit 3. The degree of contamination is a predetermined index based on the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. The lower the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12, the higher the contamination level. The liquid determining device 100 determines whether the contamination level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. The state determination unit 143 determines whether the contamination level of the hot water 12 is equal to or higher than a preset threshold value. If the result is above, the determination result is output to the notification control section 151 of the notification section 5.

[0033] The notification control unit 151 controls the notification device 150 based on predetermined conditions and the acquired notification information. The notification control unit 151 controls the state of the determination unit 4 to notify predetermined notification information. Based on the determination result obtained from the determination unit 143, predetermined notification information is notified to the notification device 51. The control signal including the video signal, audio signal, etc. for informing the user is output to the annunciation device 51. When the contamination level of the hot water 12 is equal to or higher than a preset threshold, the notification control unit 151 controls the notification device 51 to notify predetermined notification information.

[0034] [System Processing] The flow of processing in the liquid determination system 1 according to the first embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the liquid determination system 1 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 3 is carried out by the liquid determining device 100 of the liquid determining system 1. The liquid determining device 100 executes the control program and data stored in the liquid determining device 100. , power is supplied to the liquid determining device 100, or a predetermined start operation by a user or the like is performed. By receiving the operation signal, the process proceeds to step ST201 shown in FIG. Start.

[0035] The liquid determining device 100 irradiates the light 15 toward the retroreflector 14 (step ST Specifically, the light emission control unit 121 controls the light emitting unit 21 to emit light 15. The direction in which the light 15 is emitted from the light emission control unit 12 is the direction toward the retroreflector 14. 1 outputs control information for the light emitting unit 21 to the detection processing unit 122. The liquid determining device 100 Proceed to step ST202.

[0036] The liquid determining device 100 receives reflected light 16 of light 15 reflected by the retroreflector 14 ( Step ST202). Specifically, the light 15 emitted by the light emitting unit 21 in step ST201 The light 16 reflected by the retroreflector 14 is received by the light receiving unit 22. The detection signal of the reflected light 16 is output to the detection processing unit 122. Proceed to step ST203.

[0037] The liquid determining device 100 acquires the amount of reflected light 16 (step ST203). First, the detection processing unit 122 acquires a detection signal of the reflected light 16 from the light receiving unit 22. The light-emitting unit 122 receives the control information for the light-emitting unit 21 from the light-emission control unit 121 and the light-receiving unit 22. The amount of the reflected light 16 is obtained based on the detected signal of the reflected light 16. The liquid crystal display device 22 outputs the acquired amount of reflected light 16 to the light transmittance calculation unit 141 of the determination unit 4. Body determination device 100 proceeds to step ST204.

[0038] The liquid determining device 100 transmits ultrasonic waves 18 toward the water surface 12s (step ST2 04). Specifically, the transmission control unit 131 causes the transmitting unit 31 to transmit the ultrasonic wave 18. The ultrasonic waves 18 emitted from the unit 31 propagate toward the water surface 12s of the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11. The transmission control unit 131 outputs the control information of the transmission unit 31 to the detection processing unit 132. The determination apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST205.

[0039] The liquid determining device 100 receives a reflected wave 19 of the ultrasonic wave 18 reflected by the water surface 12s ( Specifically, the ultrasonic wave 1 transmitted by the transmitting unit 31 in step ST204 is The receiving unit 32 receives the reflected wave 19 reflected by the water surface 12s of the receiving unit 32. The liquid determining device 100 outputs a detection signal of the reflected wave 19 to the detection processing unit 132. Proceed to step ST206.

[0040] The liquid determining device 100 calculates the water depth D from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 to the water surface 12s. (Step ST206). Specifically, first, the detection processing unit 132 detects the reflected signal from the receiving unit 32. Next, the detection processing unit 132 receives the detection signal of the wave 19 from the transmission control unit 131. Based on the control information of the transmitting unit 31 and the detection signal of the reflected wave 19 acquired from the receiving unit 32, , from when the ultrasonic wave 18 is transmitted from the transmitting unit 31 to when the reflected wave 19 is received by the receiving unit 32. Get the delay time.

[0041] Next, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 calculates the wave of the ultrasonic wave 18 based on the control information of the transmitting unit 31 during the delay time. By multiplying the propagation speed, the water surface 12s of the hot water 12 from the transmitting part 31 and the receiving part 32 is Next, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 calculates the distance L to the bottom of the bathtub 11 stored in advance. Subtract the distance L from the ceiling height H from the surface 11b to the transmitting unit 31 and the receiving unit 32. The water depth calculation unit 133 calculates the water depth D by the light transmission factor of the determination unit 4. The result is output to the transient calculation unit 141. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST207.

[0042] The processes from step ST204 to step ST206 are the same as those in step ST201. It may be executed before the process from step ST201 to step ST203, or after the process from step ST201 to step ST203. This process may be executed in parallel with the process from step ST202 to step ST203.

[0043] The liquid determining device 100 determines the unit distance based on the amount of reflected light 16 and the water depth D of the hot water 12. Specifically, the light transmittance calculation unit 14 calculates the light transmittance of the target object (step ST207). 1 is reflected by a retroreflector 14 provided on the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11. 6 and the water depth D from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 to the water surface 12s. The light transmittance calculation unit 141 calculates the light transmittance per unit distance. The liquid determining device 100 outputs the light transmittance to the change amount calculation unit 142. Move to 208.

[0044] The liquid determining device 100 determines the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12 from a predetermined reference value. Specifically, the change amount calculation unit 142 calculates the change amount from the hot water (step ST208). Calculate the amount of change from the reference value for the light transmittance per unit distance of 12. The state determination unit 142 determines the amount of change in the light transmittance per unit distance from the reference value. 43. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST209.

[0045] The liquid determining device 100 determines the liquid level of the hot water 12 based on the amount of change in light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. Specifically, the state determining unit 143 determines the degree of contamination of the optical fiber 2 (step ST209). Based on the change in the amount of light of the reflected light 16 acquired by the detection unit 2 and the water depth D acquired by the water depth acquisition unit 3, The contamination level of the hot water 12 is determined based on the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST210. do.

[0046] The liquid determining device 100 determines whether the contamination level is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S Specifically, the state determination unit 143 determines the contamination level determined in step ST209. If the contamination level is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (stage Step ST210: Yes), the state determination unit 143 notifies the notification control unit 15 of the notification unit 5 of the determination result. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST211. If the liquid level is lower than the threshold value (step ST210; No), the liquid determining apparatus 100 Move to 212.

[0047] If the contamination level is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value (step ST210; Yes), the liquid determining device 1 00 notifies predetermined notification information (step ST211). 151 includes a video signal, an audio signal, etc. for causing the alarm device 51 to notify predetermined alarm information. The notification control unit 151 outputs a control signal including the above-mentioned signal to the notification device 51. The predetermined notification information is notified based on the control signal including the received video signal, audio signal, etc. In the first embodiment, the notification information is used to inform the user to change the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11, etc. The liquid determining device 100 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0048] If the contamination level is lower than the predetermined threshold (step ST210; No), the liquid determining device 100 The liquid determining device 1 determines whether or not to end the liquid determining process (step ST212). 00 indicates, for example, that a predetermined end operation is accepted and the liquid determination process is completed a predetermined number of times. When the liquid determination process is ended (step ST21), 2; Yes), the liquid determining apparatus 100 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. If the liquid determination process is not to be ended (step ST212; No), the liquid determining apparatus 100 Return to step ST201 and repeat step ST212 until the result of step ST212 is Yes. The process from step ST201 to step ST212 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals. The timing is set in advance in the storage device of the liquid determining device 100.

[0049] [System Effects] As described above, the liquid determination system 1 of the first embodiment is configured to determine the amount of liquid in the tank (bathtub 11). The contamination of the liquid is determined based on the change in the amount of light reflected from the light 16 irradiated onto the hot water 12. The lower the amount of reflected light 16 from the liquid, the higher the contamination level. The degree of contamination is determined based on the amount of change in the amount of reflected light 16 from the light 15 irradiated onto the liquid. By determining this, the degree of contamination of the liquid can be determined relative to a reference clean liquid.

[0050] Furthermore, the liquid determination system 1 of the first embodiment detects the temperature of the liquid (hot water 12) by irradiating the liquid with light 1 from outside. Therefore, the amount of light reflected from the bath (bathtub 11) is constant. There is no need to secure a distance between the bather's head and the water. This can be realized using the configuration of a conventional submersion determination system that calculates the distance to the surface. The system is easy to implement.

[0051] (Second embodiment) Next, a liquid determination system 1 according to a second embodiment will be described. The physical configuration of the liquid determination system 1 is the same as that of the liquid determination system 1 according to the first embodiment. The liquid determination system 1 of the second embodiment is a liquid determination system for determining the amount of light emitted from the liquid stored in the tank. This is a system that determines the solubility of a substance added to a liquid based on changes in transmittance.

[0052] In the second embodiment, the tank is a bathtub 11 provided in the bathroom 10 shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the substance is hot water 12. The substance is, for example, a powdered bath additive. That is, the liquid determination system 1 of the second embodiment is a bathtub 1 provided in a bathroom 10 shown in FIG. The solubility of the bath additives added to the bath 12 in the bath 1 is determined. The second embodiment will be described with reference to the case where the powder is dissolved in hot water 12 in a chemical process. It can also be applied to dissolving medicine in a liquid tank used in a facility, etc.

[0053] The liquid determination system 1 differs from the first embodiment in the determination content by the determination unit 4. In the first embodiment, the amount of change in the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12 from the reference value is used as the basis. In the second embodiment, the degree of contamination of the hot water 12 is determined by measuring the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. The solubility of the bath additive added to the hot water 12 is determined based on the amount of change per unit time. They differ in points.

[0054] The determination unit 4 of the second embodiment will be described. The determination unit 4 determines the reflected light acquired by the light detection unit 2. 16 and the water depth D acquired by the liquid depth acquisition unit 3, the dissolution of the bath agent added to the hot water 12 is calculated. The determination unit 4 of the second embodiment determines the liquid concentration as shown in FIG. The device 100 includes a light transmittance calculation unit 141, a change amount calculation unit 142, and a state determination unit 143. The function of the light transmittance calculation unit 141 in the second embodiment is the same as that of the light transmittance calculation unit 141 in the first embodiment. Since it is similar to the output unit 141, the explanation will be omitted.

[0055] The change amount calculation unit 142 of the second embodiment calculates the change amount per unit time for the light transmittance of the hot water 12. The change amount calculation unit 142 calculates the change amount. The light transmittance per unit distance is stored as time-series data, and the time-series data The differential value of the light transmittance per unit distance is calculated based on the above. The amount of change calculation unit 142 increases as the agent dissolves in the hot water 12 over time. The calculated change in light transmittance per unit time is output to the state determination unit 143 .

[0056] The state determination unit 143 determines the amount of change per unit time in the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. Based on this, the state determination unit 143 determines the solubility of the bath additive added to the hot water 12. is the change in the amount of light of the reflected light 16 acquired by the light detection unit 2 and the water depth D acquired by the water depth acquisition unit 3. Based on this, the solubility of the bath additive added to the hot water 12 is determined. is a predetermined index based on the amount of change in light transmittance per unit time per distance. The solubility is higher as the light transmittance per unit distance of the water 12 is higher, and the solubility is higher as the light transmittance per unit time is higher. The smaller the amount of change in the solubility, the higher the value. The threshold value is stored in advance in the storage device of the liquid determining device 100. 143 is a judgment when the solubility of the bath agent added to the hot water 12 is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. The result of the measurement is output to the notification control unit 151 of the notification unit 5.

[0057] [System Processing] The flow of processing in the liquid determination system 1 according to the second embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the liquid determination system 1 according to the second embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 4 is carried out by the liquid determining device 100 of the liquid determining system 1 in accordance with a predetermined The liquid determining device 100 executes the control program and data stored in the liquid determining device 100. , power is supplied to the liquid determining device 100, or a predetermined start operation by a user or the like is performed. By receiving the operation signal, the process proceeds to step ST301 shown in FIG. Start.

[0058] The liquid determining device 100 irradiates the light 15 toward the retroreflector 14 (step ST Specifically, the light emission control unit 121 controls the light emitting unit 21 to emit light 15. The direction in which the light 15 is emitted from the light emission control unit 12 is the direction toward the retroreflector 14. 1 outputs control information for the light emitting unit 21 to the detection processing unit 122. The liquid determining device 100 The process proceeds to step ST302.

[0059] The liquid determining device 100 receives reflected light 16 of light 15 reflected by the retroreflector 14 ( Step ST302) Specifically, the light 15 emitted by the light emitting unit 21 in step ST301 The light 16 reflected by the retroreflector 14 is received by the light receiving unit 22. The detection signal of the reflected light 16 is output to the detection processing unit 122. The process proceeds to step ST303.

[0060] The liquid determining apparatus 100 acquires the amount of reflected light 16 (step ST303). First, the detection processing unit 122 acquires a detection signal of the reflected light 16 from the light receiving unit 22. The light-emitting unit 122 receives the control information for the light-emitting unit 21 from the light-emission control unit 121 and the light-receiving unit 22. The amount of the reflected light 16 is obtained based on the detected signal of the reflected light 16. The liquid crystal display device 22 outputs the acquired amount of reflected light 16 to the light transmittance calculation unit 141 of the determination unit 4. Body determination device 100 proceeds to step ST304.

[0061] The liquid determining device 100 transmits ultrasonic waves 18 toward the water surface 12s (step ST3 04). Specifically, the transmission control unit 131 causes the transmitting unit 31 to transmit the ultrasonic wave 18. The ultrasonic waves 18 emitted from the unit 31 propagate toward the water surface 12s of the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11. The transmission control unit 131 outputs the control information of the transmission unit 31 to the detection processing unit 132. The determination apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST305.

[0062] The liquid determining device 100 receives a reflected wave 19 of the ultrasonic wave 18 reflected by the water surface 12s ( Specifically, the ultrasonic wave 1 transmitted by the transmitting unit 31 in step ST304 is The receiving unit 32 receives the reflected wave 19 reflected by the water surface 12s of the receiving unit 32. The liquid determining device 100 outputs a detection signal of the reflected wave 19 to the detection processing unit 132. Proceed to step ST306.

[0063] The liquid determining device 100 calculates the water depth D from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 to the water surface 12s. (Step ST306). Specifically, first, the detection processing unit 132 detects the reflected signal from the receiving unit 32. Next, the detection processing unit 132 receives the detection signal of the wave 19 from the transmission control unit 131. Based on the control information of the transmitting unit 31 and the detection signal of the reflected wave 19 acquired from the receiving unit 32, , from when the ultrasonic wave 18 is transmitted from the transmitting unit 31 to when the reflected wave 19 is received by the receiving unit 32. Get the delay time.

[0064] Next, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 calculates the wave of the ultrasonic wave 18 based on the control information of the transmitting unit 31 during the delay time. By multiplying the propagation speed, the water surface 12s of the hot water 12 from the transmitting part 31 and the receiving part 32 is Next, the liquid depth calculation unit 133 calculates the distance L to the bottom of the bathtub 11 stored in advance. Subtract the distance L from the ceiling height H from the surface 11b to the transmitting unit 31 and the receiving unit 32. The water depth calculation unit 133 calculates the water depth D by the light transmission factor of the determination unit 4. The result is output to the transient calculation unit 141. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST307.

[0065] The processes from step ST304 to step ST306 are the same as those in step ST301. It may be executed before the process from step ST301 to step ST303, or after the process from step ST301 to step ST303. This process may be performed in parallel with the process from step ST301 to step ST303.

[0066] The liquid determining device 100 determines the unit distance based on the amount of reflected light 16 and the water depth D of the hot water 12. Specifically, the light transmittance calculation unit 14 calculates the light transmittance of the target object (step ST307). 1 is reflected by a retroreflector 14 provided on the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11. 6 and the water depth D from the bottom surface 11b of the bathtub 11 to the water surface 12s. The light transmittance calculation unit 141 calculates the light transmittance per unit distance. The liquid determining device 100 outputs the light transmittance to the change amount calculation unit 142. Move to 308.

[0067] The liquid determining device 100 determines the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12 per unit time. Specifically, the change amount calculation unit 142 calculates the change amount of the hot water 1 Calculate the change in light transmittance per unit distance per unit time. The output unit 142 uses the calculated change in light transmittance per unit distance per unit time to determine the state. The liquid determining apparatus 100 then outputs the result to the determining unit 143. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST309.

[0068] The liquid determining device 100 measures the amount of change per unit time in the light transmittance per unit distance of the hot water 12. Based on this, the solubility of the bath additive added to the hot water 12 is determined (step ST309). Specifically, the state determination unit 143 determines the amount of light of the reflected light 16 acquired by the light detection unit 2 per unit time. The bath water 12 is then measured based on the amount of change in the amount of water and the water depth D acquired by the liquid depth acquisition unit 3. The solubility of the agent is determined by the light transmittance per unit distance of the water 12 per unit time. The liquid determining apparatus 100 performs step ST Transition to 310.

[0069] The liquid determining device 100 determines whether the solubility is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S Specifically, the state determination unit 143 determines the solubility determined in step ST309. If the solubility is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold (state Step ST310: Yes), the state determination unit 143 notifies the notification control unit 15 of the notification unit 5 of the determination result. The liquid determining apparatus 100 proceeds to step ST311. If the liquid level is lower than the threshold value (step ST310; No), the liquid determining apparatus 100 Move to 312.

[0070] If the solubility is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value (step ST310; Yes), the liquid determining device 1 00 notifies predetermined notification information (step ST311). 151 includes a video signal, an audio signal, etc. for causing the alarm device 51 to notify predetermined alarm information. The notification control unit 151 outputs a control signal including the above-mentioned signal to the notification device 51. The predetermined notification information is notified based on the control signal including the received video signal, audio signal, etc. In the second embodiment, the notification information is sent to the user informing them of the bath additives added to the hot water 12 in the bathtub 11. The liquid determining device 100 includes notification information that indicates that the liquid has completely dissolved and that bathing is possible. The processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 ends.

[0071] If the solubility is lower than the predetermined threshold (step ST310; No), the liquid determining device 100 The liquid determining apparatus 1 determines whether or not to end the liquid determining process (step ST312). 00 indicates, for example, that a predetermined end operation is accepted and the liquid determination process is completed a predetermined number of times. When the liquid determination process is ended (step ST31), 2; Yes), the liquid determining apparatus 100 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. If the liquid determination process is not to be ended (step ST312; No), the liquid determining apparatus 100 The process returns to step ST301, and step ST312 is repeated until the determination is Yes. The process from step ST301 to step ST312 is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals. The timing is set in advance in the storage device of the liquid determining device 100.

[0072] [System Effects] As described above, the liquid determination system 1 of the second embodiment is Based on the change in the amount of light 15 irradiated onto the hot water 12 and the amount of reflected light 16 per unit time, The solubility of a substance (bath additive) added to a liquid is determined by the amount of reflected light from the liquid. The higher the light intensity of 6, the higher the value. The smaller the change in light intensity per unit time, the higher the value. , the change in the amount of reflected light 16 of light 15 irradiated onto the liquid at a predetermined period per unit time Determining the solubility of a substance introduced into a liquid by determining the solubility based on can be done.

[0073] The liquid determination system 1 of the second embodiment has the same configuration as the liquid determination system 1 of the first embodiment. Similarly, the amount of reflected light 16 of light 15 irradiated from outside the liquid (hot water 12) is obtained. Therefore, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are placed at a certain distance in the liquid in the bath (bathtub 11). It is not necessary to wear a mask. In addition, unlike the conventional submersion detection system that calculates the distance between the bather's head and the water surface, This can be realized using the existing system configuration, making the system easy to implement.

[0074] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0075] Furthermore, the components of the liquid determination system 1 shown in the figure are functional concepts and are not necessarily The liquid determination device does not have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. For example, the specific form of the liquid determination device is as follows: The liquid determination device may be configured to perform all or a plurality of operations depending on the processing load, usage conditions, etc. of the liquid determination device. Parts may be functionally or physically distributed or integrated in any unit.

[0076] The liquid determination device is configured, for example, as software, by a program loaded into a memory. In the above embodiment, the above hardware or software is used. These functional blocks are explained as functional blocks that are realized by the cooperation of these blocks. The network may be hardware only, software only, or a combination of both. This can be realized in a variety of ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1 Liquid Judgment System 2. Light detection unit 3 Liquid depth acquisition part 4 Judgment section 5. Notification Department 10 Bathroom 11 Bathtub (tub) 11b Bottom 12 Hot water (liquid) 12s water surface (liquid surface) 13 Ceiling 13m mounting part 14 Retroreflector 15 Light (infrared) 16, 17 Reflected light 18 Ultrasound 19 Reflected wave 21 Light-emitting part 22 Light receiving part 31 Communications Department 32 Receiving unit 51 Alarm device 100 Liquid determination device D Water depth (liquid depth) L distance H Ceiling height

Claims

1. a light detection unit that irradiates light from an upper portion of a tank that stores a liquid toward a retroreflector provided on a bottom surface of the tank in an oblique direction relative to the liquid surface and receives reflected light; a liquid depth acquisition unit that acquires a liquid depth from a bottom surface of the tank to a liquid surface; a determination unit that calculates the light transmittance per unit distance by dividing the light transmittance of the light based on the reflected light acquired by the light detection unit by the liquid depth acquired by the liquid depth acquisition unit, and determines the solubility of the substance introduced into the liquid based on the amount of change per unit time in the light transmittance per unit distance; A liquid determination system comprising:

2. The liquid depth acquisition unit calculates the liquid depth from the bottom surface of the tank to the liquid surface based on the distance to the liquid surface detected based on the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the top of the tank toward the liquid surface and received. The liquid determination system according to claim 1 .

3. a notification unit that notifies predetermined notification information when the solubility of the substance added to the liquid determined by the determination unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value; The liquid determination system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a light detection step of irradiating light from an upper portion of a tank storing a liquid toward a retroreflector provided on a bottom surface of the tank in an oblique direction relative to the liquid surface and receiving reflected light; a liquid depth acquisition step of acquiring a liquid depth from a bottom surface of the tank to a liquid surface; a determination step of calculating the light transmittance per unit distance by dividing the light transmittance of the light based on the amount of reflected light acquired in the light detection step by the liquid depth acquired in the liquid depth acquisition step, and determining the solubility of the substance introduced into the liquid based on the amount of change per unit time in the light transmittance per unit distance; A liquid determination method comprising:

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