Drain pipe blockage detection device and blockage monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of appropriately detecting clogging of a drain pipe.SOLUTION: A clogging detection device of a drain pipe comprises: a rod part that extends in one direction and has at least a first end part disposed within the drain pipe; a support part that supports a second end part opposite to the first end part in an extending direction of the rod part so as to be movable within a predetermined range; a detection part that detects a movement amount when the first end part of the rod part is in contact with drainage flowing in the drain pipe and the rod part moves; and a determination part that determines clogging of the drain pipe based on a value detected by the detection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a clogging detection device and a clogging monitoring system for a drain pipe.

Background Art

[0002] Water used in a toilet or a kitchen is discharged to the outside through a drain pipe as drainage after use. In this case, substances contained in the drainage may gradually accumulate in the drain pipe, causing the drain pipe to become clogged.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a water level detector is provided in a drainage branch pipe, and based on the water level information from the water level detector, the time required for the change in the water level in the drainage branch pipe (drainage time) is measured. When the drainage time is longer than a predetermined time, a system for determining that there is a clog in the drain pipe has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As a device for detecting the water level, for example, a device that floats a float on the water surface and detects the position of the float that varies with the water level by a sensor can be considered. However, when a float-type detection device is arranged in a drain pipe, dirt contained in the drainage may adhere to the float, causing the float to stop moving and making it impossible to detect the water level. In addition, a device that detects the water level in a drain pipe by an ultrasonic sensor has also been proposed. However, if dirt adheres to the detection range of the ultrasonic sensor, it becomes impossible to correctly detect the water level. Therefore, it has not been practical to apply it to drain pipes in a toilet or a kitchen where dirt is likely to adhere.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a technology that can appropriately detect blockages in drain pipes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the drain pipe blockage detection device according to the present invention is A rod portion extending in one direction, with at least its first end positioned inside the drain pipe, A support portion that supports the second end of the rod portion, opposite to the first end, in the extending direction, so that it can move within a predetermined range, A detection unit for detecting the amount of movement of the rod portion when the first end of the rod portion comes into contact with the wastewater flowing inside the drain pipe and the rod portion moves, A determination unit that determines whether the drain pipe is clogged based on the value detected by the detection unit, It is equipped with.

[0008] The drain pipe blockage detection device is, The support portion includes a guide member that contacts the rod portion and guides its movement in the extending direction, A biasing member that biases the rod portion toward the second end in the extending direction, It may have.

[0009] The drain pipe blockage detection device is, The support portion may have a pivoting portion that pivotably supports the rod portion around the second end of the rod portion.

[0010] The determination unit may acquire flushing information indicating that flushing water has been flushed into the toilet connected to the drainpipe, and if the detected value by the detection unit does not exceed a standard value at the time the flushing water is flushed, it may determine that a blockage has occurred in the drainpipe.

[0011] To solve the above problems, the clogging monitoring system according to the present invention is The drain pipe blockage detection device, A management device that acquires clogging occurrence information indicating that clogging has occurred in the drain pipe from the clogging detection device, and when the clogging occurs, transmits a washing prohibition command for prohibiting the discharge of washing water to a washing controller that controls the discharge of washing water to a toilet connected to the drain pipe. It comprises.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the clogging monitoring system according to the present invention is A clogging detection device for the drain pipe, A management device that acquires clogging occurrence information indicating that clogging has occurred in the drain pipe from the clogging detection device, and when the clogging occurs, transmits a clogging occurrence notification to a predetermined administrator terminal. It comprises.

Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique capable of appropriately detecting clogging of a drain pipe.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a clogging monitoring system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a flowing water sensor attached to a drain pipe.[[ID=3I]] [Figure 3] It is a flowchart of clogging detection processing by a control unit. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing a modified example of a flowing water sensor.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The embodiments are an example of the present invention, and the configuration of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a clogging monitoring system according to the present embodiment. The clogging monitoring system 100 of the present embodiment detects clogging of a drain pipe 5 connected to plumbing facilities such as toilets, sinks, washbasins, bathtubs, and shower rooms in a building. The drain pipe 5 may include a drainage lateral pipe arranged on each floor of the building and a drainage riser pipe that collects and discharges the drainage of each floor. In the present embodiment, an example of the clogging monitoring system 100 that monitors clogging of the drain pipe 5 of a toilet is shown. The drain pipe of the toilet may be a drainage lateral pipe connected to a toilet bowl, a drainage lateral pipe connected to a urinal, or a drainage lateral pipe connected to a washbasin. In FIG. 1, one example of a toilet 6 connected to the drain pipe 5 is shown, but a plurality of toilets 6 may be connected to the drain pipe 5.

[0017] The clogging monitoring system 100 includes a clogging detection device 1, a management device 2, and a cleaning controller 3. The management device 2 is communicable with an administrator terminal 4 via a network N such as the Internet.

[0018] The clogging detection device 1 includes a flowing water sensor (detection unit) 10 attached to the drain pipe 5 and a control unit 20 that determines clogging of the drain pipe based on the detection result of the flowing water sensor 10.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the flowing water sensor 10 attached to the drain pipe 5. The flowing water sensor 10 includes a rod portion 11, a support portion 12, and a detection portion 13.

[0020] The rod portion 11 is an elongated rod-shaped member extending in one direction, and at least the tip portion (first end portion) 111 is disposed inside the drain pipe 5. The rod portion 11 is formed of, for example, a flexible synthetic resin.

[0021] The support portion 12 supports the base end (second end) 112 of the rod portion 11, opposite to the tip end 111, in the extending direction, allowing it to move within a predetermined range. The support portion 12 is generally cylindrical, and its lower part penetrates the pipe wall 51 of the drain pipe 5 and is attached to the drain pipe 5. The support portion 12 has an internal cavity 121 at its upper part that extends in the axial direction of the cylinder. In the support portion 12, a through hole 120 is provided at the bottom portion 122 located below the internal cavity 121, extending from the internal cavity 121 to the lower end of the support portion 12, through which the rod portion 11 passes.

[0022] A spring 123 is positioned inside the cavity 121 of the support portion 12, and a disc-shaped retaining plate 124 is placed on top of the spring 123. The base end 112 of the rod portion 11 is held by this retaining plate 124. That is, the base end 112 of the rod portion 11 is also held on top of the spring 123 via the retaining plate 124. The spring 123 is formed in an extended state, and when the rod portion 11 is pulled towards the tip portion 111 by the flow of drainage and the spring 123 is compressed, its elastic force functions as a biasing member that biases the rod portion 11 toward the base end 112. In this embodiment, the rod portion 11 is supported so that it can move up and down within the extension and contraction range of the spring 123. In this case, the rod portion 11 moves up and down along the through hole 120 of the support portion 12. That is, the peripheral wall that outlines the outer circumference of the through hole 120 serves as the guide member in this embodiment.

[0023] Furthermore, a magnet 125 is provided on the holding plate 124 and moves up and down together with the rod portion 11. The detection unit 13 is a magnetic sensor, and the detected value increases when the rod portion 11 is pulled downwards and the magnet 125 moves closer to the detection unit 13. Therefore, the flow sensor 10 can detect values ​​corresponding to the state of the wastewater flow, such as flow velocity and flow rate. In other words, the flow sensor 10 can detect the flow velocity and flow rate of wastewater.

[0024] The control unit 20 is a microcomputer with memory and a processor, and is a form of determination unit that determines whether the drain pipe is clogged based on the detection results of the water flow sensor 10. The control unit 20 is electrically connected to the cleaning controller 3 and acquires cleaning information from the cleaning controller 3. The control unit 20 determines that a clog has occurred in the drain pipe 5 when the value detected by the water flow sensor 10 does not exceed a standard value at the time the cleaning water is flowed. The control unit 20 is also connected to the management device 2 and transmits clog information indicating that a clog has occurred to the management device 2.

[0025] The management device 2 is a computer equipped with memory, a processor, and a communication interface. When a blockage occurs, it sends a blockage notification to a designated administrator terminal 4 used by the toilet manager. The management device 2 is also electrically connected to the flush controller 3, and when a blockage occurs, it sends a flush prohibition command to the flush controller 3 to prohibit the release of flushing water.

[0026] The flushing controller 3 releases flushing water into the toilet bowl 6 when a user of the toilet bowl 6 presses the flush button after using the toilet. However, the flushing controller 3 may also release flushing water after detecting the presence of a user for a predetermined period of time and detecting that the user has left the toilet bowl 6. Furthermore, the flushing controller 3 may release flushing water periodically. When the flushing controller 3 releases flushing water, it transmits flushing information to the control unit 20. The flushing controller 3 then releases flushing water when it receives a flushing prohibition command from the management device 2. This is prohibited.

[0027] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the blockage detection process performed by the control unit 20. When power is turned on, the control unit 20 repeatedly executes the process shown in Figure 3. In step S10, the control unit 20 determines whether or not cleaning water has been discharged based on whether or not it has received cleaning information from the cleaning controller 3. The control unit 20 may also determine that discharge has occurred when the water flow sensor 10 detects the flow of wastewater. In step S10, if the determination is negative, the control unit 20 terminates the process shown in Figure 3, and if the determination is positive, it proceeds to step S20.

[0028] In step S20, the control unit 20 acquires a detected value from the water flow sensor 10. Then, in step S30, the control unit 20 determines whether the discharge of the washing water is complete, that is, whether the drainage has stopped. If the determination in step S20 is negative, the control unit 20 returns to step S10 and repeats the acquisition of the detected value; if the determination is positive, it proceeds to step S40.

[0029] In step S40, the control unit 20 determines whether or not a blockage has occurred in the drain pipe 5 based on the maximum value of the detected value acquired in step S20. For example, if the drain pipe 5 is blocked and water cannot flow, or if the flow is poor, with a low flow velocity or low flow rate, the maximum value of the detected value will be small. Therefore, if the maximum value of the detected value is below the standard value, it is determined that a blockage has occurred, and if the maximum value exceeds the standard value, it is determined that no blockage has occurred. The standard value is set in advance according to the degree of blockage to be detected. For example, the standard value is set higher to detect early signs of blockage, and lower to detect when a blockage has occurred and cleaning is required.

[0030] If the control unit 20 determines in step S40 to be negative (S40, No), it terminates the process shown in Figure 3. If the determination is positive (S40, Yes), it proceeds to step S50.

[0031] In step S50, the control unit 20 transmits blockage information to the management device 2, indicating that a blockage has occurred in the drainpipe 5. Upon receiving the blockage information from the control unit 20, the management device 2 transmits a flushing prohibition command to the flush controller 3. This prevents the flush controller 3 from releasing flushing water, thus preventing problems such as flushing water overflowing from the toilet bowl 6 due to flushing water being released while the drainpipe 5 is blocked. The management device 2 also transmits a blockage notification to a designated administrator terminal 4. This notifies the toilet administrator that maintenance such as cleaning is required.

[0032] As described above, the blockage detection device 1 of this embodiment detects the state of drainage flow by the amount of movement of the rod portion 11, and determines whether the drain pipe is blocked based on this. Therefore, compared to the case where conventional floats are used, there is less area where dirt adheres, and unlike ultrasonic sensors, the detection accuracy is not greatly impaired by even a small amount of dirt, so it is possible to appropriately detect blockages in the drain pipe.

[0033] <Variation> Figure 4 shows a modified example of the flow sensor. This modified example differs from the previously described embodiment in the configuration of the flow sensor 10A, but the other configurations are the same. For this reason, elements identical to those in the previously described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and further explanation is omitted.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the flow sensor 10A has a rod portion 11 that is supported by a swing portion 113 so as to swing around a swing axis 12X at the base end portion 112. A magnet 125 is also provided on the upper part of the swing portion 113. Therefore, when there is no drainage flow, the magnet 125 is located at the top and is close to the detection portion 13, so the detection value is large, and when drainage is flowing... In this state, the oscillating part 113 rotates and the magnet 125 moves away from the detection part 13, causing the detected value to decrease. In other words, the flow sensor 10A can detect values ​​corresponding to the state of the drainage flow, such as flow velocity and flow rate. Therefore, in step 40 of Figure 3, the control unit 20 determines that a blockage has occurred if the maximum value detected by the flow sensor 10A exceeds a reference value, and determines that no blockage has occurred if the maximum value is below the reference value. In this modified example, as in the embodiment described above, a blockage in the drainpipe can be appropriately detected.

[0035] <others> The present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1: Detection device 10: Water flow sensor 10A: Flow sensor 100: Surveillance system 11: Rod section 111: Tip 112: Proximal end 113: Oscillating part 12: Support part 120: Through hole 121: Inner sky 122: Bottom 123: Spring 124: Holding plate 125: Magnet 12X: Pivot axis 13: Detection unit 2: Management device 20: Control Unit 3: Cleaning Controller 4: Administrator terminal 5: Drain pipe 51: Pipe wall 6: Toilet bowl

Claims

1. A rod portion extending in one direction, with at least its first end positioned inside the drain pipe, A support portion that supports the second end of the rod portion opposite to the first end so that it can move in the extending direction within a predetermined range, A detection unit that detects the amount of movement when the second end of the rod portion moves as the first end of the rod portion comes into contact with the wastewater flowing inside the drain pipe, A determination unit that determines whether the drain pipe is clogged based on the value detected by the detection unit, A drain pipe blockage detection device equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The support portion includes a guide member that contacts the rod portion and guides its movement in the extending direction, A biasing member that biases the rod portion toward the second end in the extending direction, A drain pipe blockage detection device according to claim 1, having the following:

3. The drain pipe blockage detection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit acquires flushing information indicating that flushing water has been flushed into the toilet connected to the drain pipe, and determines that a blockage has occurred in the drain pipe if the detected value by the detection unit does not exceed a standard value at the time the flushing water is flushed.

4. A drain pipe blockage detection device according to claim 1 or 2, A management device that obtains blockage information from the blockage detection device indicating that a blockage has occurred in the drainpipe, and when a blockage occurs, transmits a flushing prohibition command to the flushing controller, which controls the discharge of flushing water to the toilet connected to the drainpipe, prohibiting the discharge of flushing water. A blockage monitoring system equipped with [the necessary components].

5. A drain pipe blockage detection device according to claim 1 or 2, A management device that obtains information indicating that a blockage has occurred in the drain pipe from the blockage detection device and sends a blockage notification to a designated administrator terminal when the blockage occurs, A blockage monitoring system equipped with [the necessary components].

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