JP2001207498A - Control device for faucet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a true maintenance-free control device of a faucet, where entire member to be used maintain required performance over a long time, and the all the replacement for all the parts including batteries or the like can be dispensed with in a faucet device, for utilizing energy obtained through generation for control of the faucet. SOLUTION: In this control device of the faucet, that is equipped with a capacitor, a voltage conversion means for converting the voltage of the capacitor to a prescribed voltage, a faucet control circuit being actuated by feeder from the voltage conversion means, and a solenoid valve for opening and closing a channel by a faucet control circuit, a generation means and a primary battery are provided, and the capacitor is charged by the output of the generation means or the primary battery.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a faucet control device, and more particularly to a control device having a power generation function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The purpose of driving a faucet control device by means of a power generation function is to eliminate any construction and maintenance related to the power supply of the device. However, if the operation is stopped or the parts need to be periodically replaced depending on the use conditions, there is no point in providing a power generation function.

[0003] The details found in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-37096 are as follows. The generator is driven by an impeller provided in the flow path of the faucet, and when the storage battery is insufficiently charged in a device that charges the storage battery by the generator and supplies power to the faucet controller (control circuit) by the storage battery. In this case, a dry battery is provided in order to supply power to the faucet controller from the dry battery. The purpose of a dry battery is to prevent the operation from being stopped when the amount of power generation is insufficient.

[0004]

According to the conventional invention,
The storage battery is used as a main power supply of the control circuit, and when the voltage of the storage battery is insufficient, a power supply current is supplied from the dry battery to the control circuit. this is,
There are the following problems.

First, a storage battery is used as a main power supply.
The storage battery has a shorter usable life, that is, a shorter life than other electronic components, such as a resistor and a capacitor. The storage battery is
The use of batteries is uneconomical due to the high power consumption of portable devices, power tools, and toys, and equipment that is used for a long time with little power consumption, such as a faucet device, is essential. Incompatible. In addition, for each type of storage battery, there are appropriate charging methods such as constant voltage charging, low current charging, monitoring of temperature fluctuation, and the like. Similarly, there is a limiting condition such as current value for discharging. If this is not followed, the storage battery will be overcharged or overdischarged and the performance will tend to be significantly degraded.

In the method of charging by a generator when the faucet is discharged, since the power generation time is short, a large amount of electric power is generated instantaneously, and its timing cannot be predicted. Although not a conventional example, when a solar cell is used as a generator, a large current continuously flows for several hours in fine weather, and this continues for many days. Similarly, when power is generated by a thermoelectric generator using the temperature difference between hot water and water, it is difficult to control power generation. In the case of hydropower, solar cells, and thermal power,
Unlike the case where the user intentionally charges the storage battery using a charger or the like, the charging conditions vary depending on the situation. It is difficult to satisfy the charging rules recommended for storage batteries, and shortening the life of storage batteries is inevitable. As described above, since a storage battery that cannot generally be expected to have a long life is used and can be charged only by an inappropriate method, the storage battery is expected to need to be replaced in several years. Therefore, the use of the storage battery requires replacement of the storage battery before the life of the faucet device, and the maintenance-free purpose cannot be achieved. Thus, the use of a storage battery is a wrong choice.

The storage battery and the dry battery are connected in parallel to the control circuit, and power is supplied to the control circuit from one or both of the batteries. In the conventional example, a method is used in which a diode is used and switching is performed according to a difference in battery voltage level.
This has the following problems. Switching between batteries means that the storage battery and the dry battery must have the same performance. The main consumption of the faucet control circuit is the operation of the solenoid valve, the faucet device using a battery, the open state of the solenoid valve,
Latching solenoids that hold closed are commonly used, but require momentarily large currents. Therefore,
In the conventional example, both a storage battery and a dry battery must have the ability to flow a large current. However, dry batteries that can be used for a long period of time, for example, 10 years, have been developed for uses such as gas meters that are consumed for a long time with a very small current, and the internal resistance of the batteries is large, making them unsuitable for high-current applications. When a large current is supplied, the dry battery deteriorates and has a life of about several years like a storage battery, which is contrary to the purpose of maintenance-free power supply described above.

Further, it is actually very difficult to clearly switch between a storage battery and a dry battery. Both storage batteries and dry batteries tend to have a lower output voltage when the remaining battery power is low,
Its performance varies depending on the type of battery. It changes not only in the remaining amount but also in the environment such as temperature, which also differs depending on the type of battery. The conventional NiCd battery is a type of battery having relatively flat discharge characteristics, and maintains most of the discharge period at about 1.2 V, and thereafter, the voltage rapidly decreases.
The state in which the voltage of the storage battery drops sharply is a state close to overdischarge, the current supply capacity also drops extremely, and the control circuit cannot be driven. Therefore, the battery must be switched to a dry battery before the voltage drops sharply. However, since the state where the NiCd battery maintains a constant battery voltage is long, the dry battery and the storage battery are often consumed simultaneously. Similarly, the voltage of a dry battery gradually changes depending on the remaining amount of the battery. Therefore, it is impossible to switch the voltage at a certain voltage, and it is inevitable that the battery is consumed at the same time as the storage battery. Also, once the voltage of the storage battery has dropped, a considerable amount of charging is required for the voltage to be restored by charging. Therefore, even when the power generation is performed, the consumption of the dry battery continues. Furthermore, dry batteries are also used to charge storage batteries, and the amount of self-discharge of storage batteries,
Losses such as heat generation during charging of the storage battery must also be borne. Therefore, the consumption of the dry battery becomes more and more, and once the dry battery starts operating, it consumes most of its capacity, and the time until the replacement of the dry battery is shortened.

[0009] As described above, in the conventional system, since both the storage battery and the dry battery can supply power to the faucet control circuit, the dry battery to be used when the remaining amount of the storage battery is insufficient is undesirably consumed. When batteries are really needed, they can run out of power. In addition, since it is not possible to know whether the storage battery or the dry battery is used, the pace at which the dry battery is consumed cannot be predicted, and the dry battery needs to be replaced promptly with a margin. This also defeats the purpose of making the power supply maintenance-free by power generation, as described above. As described above, in the method of energizing the control circuit while switching between the storage battery and the dry battery, the life of the storage battery and the dry battery is quickly terminated due to the characteristics of the battery actually used, and the system achieves the desired maintenance-free operation Can not.

[0010] In addition, when a hydroelectric generator composed of a water turbine and a generator is used as the power generation means, there are the following problems aside from maintenance-free. As a well-known characteristic of a generator, when an output current is extracted from the generator, a torque is generated in a direction that hinders the rotation of the generator due to the electromagnetic force of the current. This impedes the rotation of the turbine mounted on the generator, increasing the pressure loss in the hydro-generator section and reducing the flow rate of the faucet device. The purpose of the generator is to charge power storage means serving as a power source of the faucet device, and the flow rate of the faucet device is set to an appropriate amount in a state of outputting a charging current.

However, when the power storage means is fully charged and becomes in a state where charging is unnecessary or charging should be prohibited, there is no longer any destination of the generator current which has been output as the charging current. Then, the output current of the generator becomes zero, the pressure loss of the hydroelectric generator decreases, and the flow rate of the faucet device increases. As described above, in the case of hydroelectric power generation, there is a problem that the load current of the generator changes depending on whether the power storage means is charged or not, and the flow rate of the faucet device changes irrespective of the user's intention. For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 2-65046 discloses a device "connecting a generator and a storage battery only when the storage battery is less than full charge". In this case, since the load on the generator is eliminated when the storage battery is fully charged, the flow rate of the faucet suddenly increases when the storage battery is completely charged, as described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a faucet apparatus for controlling a faucet using energy generated by power generation, in which all the members used are required for a long time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a faucet control device which maintains a high performance and does not require any replacement of a battery or the like until the product life of the faucet device, and realizes truly maintenance-free. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a faucet control device having a stable flow rate regardless of the state of charge of a power storage unit when using hydroelectric power generation.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a capacitor, voltage conversion means for converting the voltage of the capacitor to a predetermined voltage, and power supply from the voltage conversion means. A water faucet control circuit, and a water faucet control device having an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing a flow path by the water faucet control circuit, comprising a power generation means and a primary battery, wherein the capacitor comprises an output of the power generation means or the primary battery. So that there are no short-lived parts.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the water faucet control device of the first aspect, since the charging control means for controlling charging of the primary battery to the capacitor is provided, deterioration of the primary battery due to large current discharge is prevented.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the faucet control device according to the second aspect, the charge control means controls the voltage in accordance with the voltage of the capacitor, thereby preventing unnecessary consumption of the primary battery.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the charging control means has a function of restricting power supply from the primary battery to the faucet control circuit. You can control the quantity.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, since the charging control means is a switch means, control is simple.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the faucet control device according to the first to fourth aspects, the charge control means is an impedance changing means, so that advanced control is possible.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to the fifth aspect, the switch means disconnects the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor according to a load current of the faucet control circuit.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the water faucet control device according to the fifth aspect, the switch means disconnects the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor when the output of the voltage conversion means drops.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the water faucet control device according to the fifth aspect, the switch means disconnects the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor for a predetermined time after the solenoid valve is energized. Claims 7 to 9 can prevent the deterioration of the primary battery due to the large current discharge, and can manage the consumption of the primary battery.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to the sixth aspect, the impedance changing means sets the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor to high impedance in accordance with a load current of the faucet control circuit. I made it.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to the sixth aspect, when the output of the voltage conversion means decreases, the impedance changing means sets the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor to high impedance.

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in the water faucet control device according to the sixth aspect, the impedance changing means sets the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor to high impedance for a predetermined time after the solenoid valve is energized. . According to the tenth to twelfth aspects, it is possible to prevent the primary battery from deteriorating due to the large current discharge and control the consumption of the primary battery while optimally controlling the charging time of the capacitor.

According to a thirteenth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the first to twelfth aspects, the voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit.
The efficiency of the voltage conversion means is good.

According to a fourteenth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the first to fourth aspects, the voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit and the charge control means is a resistor.
There is no need to control the charge control means by a microcomputer or the like.

According to a fifteenth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the fifth aspect, the voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit, and the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor is performed during the switching operation of the switching type voltage conversion circuit. , The deterioration of the primary battery due to the large current discharge can be prevented, and the consumption of the primary battery can be managed.

According to a sixteenth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the sixth aspect, the voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit, and the primary battery and the capacitor are connected when the switching type voltage conversion circuit performs a switching operation. Is made high impedance, the primary battery can be prevented from deteriorating due to the large current discharge while controlling the charging time of the capacitor optimally, and the consumption of the primary battery can be managed.

According to a seventeenth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the thirteenth to sixteenth aspects, the voltage of the primary battery may be low because the voltage conversion circuit is a booster circuit.

Claim 18 is Claim 6 and 10 to 1
In the faucet control devices of Nos. 2 and 17, since the impedance changing means is a series or parallel circuit of a resistor and a switching element, various impedance changes can be made by controlling the switching element.

Claim 19 is claim 6 and claims 10 to 1
In the faucet control devices of Nos. 2 and 17, since the impedance changing means is based on the change of the ON / OFF control of the switch element, it requires only a small number of components and is optimal for control by a microcomputer or the like.

According to a twentieth aspect, in the faucet control device according to any one of the first to nineteenth aspects, when the capacitor voltage is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage, a discharge means for discharging the capacitor is provided, so that the output of the power generation means is too large. Troubles can be avoided.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the invention, in the faucet control device according to the twentieth aspect, since the discharging means is constituted by a resistor and a switching element, parts are inexpensive and control is simple.

In a preferred embodiment, the faucet control device further comprises a human body detecting means for detecting a user of the faucet control device, and controls an operation frequency of the human body detecting means according to a voltage of the capacitor. Therefore, no additional component for the discharging means is required.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to any one of the first to twenty-second aspects, the power generation means is a hydroelectric generator provided in a flow passage of the faucet device. Is done.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the invention, in the faucet control device according to the first to twenty-second aspects, the power generation means is a solar cell provided in or near the main body of the faucet device, so that power can be generated at all times.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to any one of the first to twenty-second aspects, the power generating means is a thermoelectric power generation element thermally coupled to a flow path of the faucet device. Electricity is generated and there are no moving mechanical parts, so it has excellent durability.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the first to twenty-second aspects, the power generation means is provided in a hydraulic power generator provided in a flow path of the faucet device, or in a main body or in the vicinity of the faucet device. Since any one of the solar cell and the thermoelectric generator thermally coupled to the flow path of the faucet device is combined, the setting according to the use situation is possible.

According to a twenty-seventh aspect, in the faucet control device according to the twenty-third to twenty-sixth aspects, the power generating means is configured to be replaceable with a different power generating means, so that it can be changed according to the situation even after the faucet apparatus is installed.

According to a twenty-eighth aspect, in the faucet control device according to the twenty-third to twenty-seventh aspects, an output voltage limiting circuit is provided at the output of the power generating means, so that reliability is improved when the power generating means is combined.

According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, in the faucet control device according to the twenty-third aspect, a power consumption circuit is provided and switching means for connecting the capacitor or the power consumption circuit to a generator output is provided. The current is not interrupted, and the flow rate of the faucet device is stabilized.

According to a thirty-fourth aspect, in the faucet apparatus according to the twenty-ninth aspect, the switching means controls the charging voltage of the condenser, so that the flow rate of the faucet apparatus is stabilized and the condenser charging control is performed simultaneously. It becomes possible.

A thirty-first aspect of the present invention provides a hydraulic power generator provided in a flow path of a water faucet device, a power storage means charged by the power generator, a water faucet control circuit activated by power supply from the power storage means, A water faucet control device having an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing a flow path by the water faucet control circuit, comprising a power consumption circuit, and a switching means for connecting the power consumption circuit or the power storage means to a generator output. Therefore, the output current of the generator is not interrupted, and the flow rate of the faucet device is stabilized.

According to a thirty-second aspect, in the faucet apparatus according to the thirty-first aspect, the switching means controls the charging means according to the charging voltage of the power storage means. Is also possible.

[0045]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to make the present invention easier to understand, a detailed description will be given below with reference to the drawings.

[0046]

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a microcomputer serving as a center of a faucet control circuit for controlling the faucet device, 2 is a human body detection circuit for detecting a user of the faucet device, and 3 is an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing a water passage of the faucet device. Solenoid, 4 is solenoid 3
Is a solenoid energizing circuit for energizing. The microcomputer 1, the human body detection circuit 2, and the solenoid energizing circuit 4 are related to control of the faucet device, and constitute a faucet control circuit. The human body detection circuit 2 is a sensor that detects a hand if the faucet device is an automatic hand-washing device, performs a detection operation by the port PO3 of the microcomputer 1, and outputs the detection result to the port PI1 of the microcomputer 1. Note that the human body detection circuit 2 does not necessarily need to be a sensor, and may be a manual operation switch, a timer, or the like as long as it is a control condition of the faucet device. The solenoid 3 is a latching type solenoid that does not consume current except when the solenoid valve is switched between open and closed. The solenoid energizing circuit 4 energizes the solenoid 3 forward / reverse according to the opening / closing of the solenoid valve. The H-bridge circuit performs an open energization when PO1 of the microcomputer 1 is Hi and a closed energization when PO2 is Hi. Note that the current flowing through the solenoid current flowing circuit 4 is much larger than the current flowing through the microcomputer 1 and the human body detection circuit 2.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a capacitor, which together with the voltage conversion circuit 6 constitutes a power supply for the faucet control circuit. The voltage conversion circuit 6 is a drop-type constant voltage circuit, and is not the configuration of FIG.
It can also be configured by a three-terminal regulator IC and a smoothing capacitor. Reference numeral 7 denotes a generator mounted on a water turbine provided in the waterway. The output of the generator is full-wave rectified by a full-wave rectifier 8, and then charges the capacitor 5 via the diode 2. The constant voltage diode 9 is a protection element for preventing the output of the full-wave rectifier 8 from exceeding the maximum rated voltage of the capacitor 5, and the diode 2 is used to prevent the capacitor 5 from being discharged by the leak current of the constant voltage diode 9. To prevent. Reference numeral 10 denotes a primary battery, which charges the capacitor 5 via the resistor 11, the transistor 13, and the diode 12. The transistor 13 is turned on / off by the port PO4 of the microcomputer 1, and when the PO4 is Lo, the transistor 13 is turned on. The diode 12 is for preventing reverse charging of the primary battery 10. Further, assuming that the output voltage of the voltage conversion circuit 6 and the power supply voltage of the faucet control circuit is VDD and the voltage of the capacitor 5 is VC, VDD and VC are the microcomputer 1
A / D conversion ports AD1 and AD2
The microcomputer 1 can know each voltage.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the main routine of the faucet apparatus. Activate the human body detection circuit 2 periodically,
When the human body is sensed, the solenoid 3 is driven to discharge water, which is a well-known operation of an automatic hand-washing machine. The program step S001 of the main routine of FIG.
In step 001), the human body detection circuit 2 is operated, and if a human body is being sensed, the process proceeds to S003 to S004 for energizing the solenoid valve to open, and if no human body is sensed, to S005 to S006 for closing energizing. Next, in step S007, a PO4 control subroutine of the microcomputer 1 for controlling the charging of the capacitor 5 is executed.
At 08, it waits for 1 second and returns to S001 to form a loop. FIGS. 3 and 4 show a flowchart of a subroutine of opening energization in S004 and closing energization in S006, respectively.
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the PO4 control subroutine.

In FIG. 3, PO4 is set to Hi in S301, the transistor 13 is turned off, and the power supply from the primary battery 10 is stopped. In step S302, PO1 is set to Hi and the solenoid 3 is energized in the opening direction. In step S303, 20 msec is waited. In step S304, PO1 is set to Lo and the energization is terminated.
At 05, PO4 is returned to Lo, and the process returns to the main routine.

FIG. 4 is different from FIG. 3 only in that the port for controlling the energization of the solenoid is changed from PO1 to PO2.

In FIG. 5, first, in step S501, the output voltage of the voltage conversion circuit 6 and the power supply voltage VDD of the faucet control circuit are subjected to A / D conversion. In step S502, whether VDD is equal to the set voltage of the voltage conversion circuit 6 (a constant voltage value that is stabilized and output), that is, the output of the voltage conversion circuit 6 is lower than the original set value due to an instantaneous increase in load current or the like. Check if you have not. Circuit elements such as a transistor and a three-terminal regulator used in the voltage conversion circuit 6 include:
This is because each element has a limit capability, and the output voltage always varies depending on the load current. When VDD is less than the set voltage, it means that the load current of the faucet control circuit is rapidly increased. At this time, PO4 is set to Hi in S505, the transistor 13 is turned off, and the faucet control circuit In particular, power supply to the solenoid energizing circuit 4 is prevented. If VDD is the set voltage in S502,
In S503, the voltage VC of the capacitor 5 is A / D converted.
In S504, it is determined whether or not VC is a sufficiently high value, that is, whether or not VC is higher than “the value obtained by adding 1 V (the voltage drop of the voltage conversion circuit 6) to the set value of VDD”. Since it is not necessary to charge transistor 5, transistor 13 is turned off in S505, and if low, transistor 13 is turned on in S506. Then, the process returns to the main routine from S507.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart of an operation example of the first embodiment. First, before time T1 (hereinafter T1), the transistor 13 is turned on because VC is low, and has a value substantially equal to the output voltage of the primary battery 10. T1
When the human body is detected in the above, the solenoid is energized to open.
At the time of this energization, although a short time, a large current is applied to the solenoid 3
Is energized. However, the transistor 13 is turned off according to the flowchart of FIG. 3, and the primary battery 10 is not discharged. Further, since VDD drops due to a sudden increase in the load current, the transistor 13 is turned off according to the determination in S502 in FIG. When water discharge is started, the generator 7 starts generating power, and VC rises. Then, since the VDD returns to the set value, the transistor 13 is once turned on at T2.
At 3 the VC exceeds (VDD set voltage + 1 V), so the transistor 13 is turned off. In this state, since the faucet control circuit can be operated by the condenser 5,
The discharge of the primary battery 10 is completely prevented. When the detection of the human body is lost at T4, the closed energization is performed.
Is not energized from When the water discharge is completed, a slight consumption of the microcomputer 1, the human body detection circuit 2, etc.
VC gradually decreases due to the leakage current of the device. The microcomputer 1 detects a decrease in VC, and sets the transistor 13 at T5.
Is turned on, and the voltage of the capacitor 5 is held by the primary battery 10. Since the current is weak, there is almost no influence of the resistor 11.

As described above, since the transistor 13 is turned off when a large current load occurs, there is no possibility that the primary battery 10 discharges a large current. Further, since the resistor 11 is included in the charging circuit of the capacitor 5, the transistor 13
Even when N is set, the output current of the primary battery 10 is limited to some extent. That is, even if the control of the transistor 13 is instantaneously delayed, the resistor 11 alleviates the large current discharge of the primary battery 10. The capacitor 5
Is maintained at least at substantially the same value as the voltage of the primary battery 10, and when power is generated, the voltage immediately rises unlike a storage battery. That is, as soon as the power generation starts, the consumption of the primary battery is stopped. In the conventional storage battery, the battery voltage does not increase simultaneously with the start of power generation, and the consumption of the primary battery cannot be stopped simultaneously with the start of power generation.

The effects obtained in this embodiment by the above operation are listed. (1) The primary battery 10 does not supply a large current, and a type of primary battery that does not have a large current supply capability can be used. That is, a primary battery having a life of about 10 years and developed for a gas meter or the like can be used. (2) Since the consumption of the primary battery stops as soon as the power generation starts, the maximum consumption of the primary battery can be accurately predicted as “the consumption during the period when no power is generated”. Therefore, the shortest life can be calculated from the total capacity of the primary battery,
Selecting the required capacity of the primary battery can guarantee the life of the primary battery. (3) Unlike a storage battery, a capacitor has substantially no limit on the number of times of charging and discharging. If a large-capacity capacitor with a capacity of about 1F is used, charging and discharging once a day is sufficient. Even if the life is 10 years, the number of times of charge / discharge is 3650 times, and there is no problem as the life of the components of the capacitor. Therefore, unlike a conventional storage battery, there is no need to replace it in several years. (4) Since charging of the capacitor is performed only by applying a voltage, it is not necessary to perform charge control as in a storage battery. As shown in FIG. 1, the power generation output need only be limited to the breakdown voltage of the capacitor 5 or less by the Zener diode 9, and there is no fear of deterioration due to overcharge unlike the conventional storage battery. (5) The voltage of the capacitor 5 is (VDD set voltage + 1V)
Is exceeded, the charging is stopped. Therefore, even if a high-voltage primary battery 10 is used, there is no problem in charging the capacitor 5. (6) The voltage of the capacitor 5 fluctuates according to charge and discharge.
Since the voltage conversion circuit 6 is provided, even if the voltage of the capacitor 5 rises, it does not affect the operation of the faucet control circuit.

As described above, since both the capacitor and the primary battery use components that have a long life, there is no concern that the components will deteriorate due to the operating conditions, and the primary battery will not be unintentionally consumed. It is possible to realize a completely maintenance-free faucet device that guarantees the life of the primary battery and does not require replacement of parts and batteries for a long time. Note that the charging circuit for the capacitor 5 is a series circuit of the resistor 11 and the transistor 13, but if the ON resistance of the transistor 11 is adjusted, the resistor 1
1 is unnecessary. The resistor 11 can be eliminated by a method such as selecting a transistor having a large ON resistance, adjusting the gate signal voltage, or controlling the chopper of the gate signal. Although the Zener diode 9 is used as a means for limiting the voltage of the power generation output, a resistor or a constant voltage IC may be used.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described. The PO4 control flowchart is different from the first embodiment. This is shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, the same steps as those in FIG. 5 have the same step numbers. S
If VDD is not equal to the set voltage in step 502, the process proceeds to step S70.
In step 5, chopper control is performed to make PO4 Lo at 10% duty. In S705, since the ratio of the time during which the transistor 13 is ON is small, the impedance of the transistor 13 is high. Therefore, a large current does not flow from the primary battery 10, but a charging current flows when the VC drops extremely. If VDD is the set value, the process proceeds to S504, and if VC is higher than (VDD set voltage +1 V), chopper control is performed to set PO4 to Lo at 50% duty in S707, and a medium impedance is set. VC
Is high, there is no need to charge the battery. However, even when the VC 4 suddenly drops, even if the PO4 control of the microcomputer 1 cannot respond immediately, a certain amount of charging can be performed. V in S504
If C is equal to or lower than (VDD set voltage + 1 V), the transistor 13 is completely turned on in S706 to reduce the impedance. It has a small charging time constant and charges even with a small voltage difference. As described above, the connection between the primary battery 10 and the capacitor 5 is not performed by simple ON / OFF control, and the impedance (ON
Resistance), the time constant of the charging circuit of the capacitor 5 can be arbitrarily controlled. As a result, the charging time of the capacitor can be minimized within a current range that does not cause deterioration of the primary battery.

For example, normally, the impedance is lowered to improve the response of charging, and the impedance is increased when the load current of the circuit increases or when the voltage of the capacitor is high and charging is not necessary. To limit the charging current. In the related art, since a proper range is set for the charging current of the storage battery, it is impossible to control the charging current from the primary battery in a wide range in this way. The method of adjusting the impedance of the charge control means may be a method of changing the ON duty of the transistor as shown in FIG. 7 or a method of combining a resistor and a transistor in series or in parallel.
Various types can be made.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment will be described. The PO4 control flowchart is different from the first embodiment. This is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, in S801, it is checked whether it is within 1 second from the opening energization of the solenoid 3. Within one second from the opening energization is immediately after a large load current flows to the faucet control circuit, and it is expected that VDD is temporarily reduced. At this time, the transistor 13 is turned off in S803 because there is a possibility that current is supplied from the primary battery 10. Similarly in S802, 1
If it is within seconds, the transistor 13 is turned off in S803. Otherwise, the transistor 13 is turned on in S804.

In the third embodiment, the charge of the capacitor 5 can be controlled only by the timer of the microcomputer 1, so that the A / D conversion is not required and the control can be performed simply. Note that the operation may be performed in combination with each voltage condition of the first embodiment. Further, in combination with the chopper control of the transistor 13 as in the second embodiment, a method of increasing the impedance for one second from energization of the solenoid 3 may be used. Alternatively, a method may be used in which the ON duty of the transistor 13 is gradually increased in accordance with the time elapsed from energization of the solenoid.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 9 shows a circuit diagram of a fourth embodiment. The difference from FIG. 1 lies in the configuration of the voltage conversion circuit, the point that there is no transistor 13 and no PO4 for controlling it, and that there is no A / D conversion terminal for VC. The operation flowchart is the same as the first embodiment except for the control of PO4. The voltage conversion circuit 61 in FIG. 9 is a switching type booster circuit. Automatically turns on switching so that output voltage is constant
If a dedicated booster IC for performing the / OFF control is used, a circuit with high accuracy and low power consumption can be easily configured.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart of the operation example. When a human body is detected at T1, the solenoid 3 is turned on. At this time, the output voltage VDD of the voltage conversion circuit 61 decreases due to the opening current. When VDD drops, boost IC
As a result, the voltage conversion circuit 61 starts a switching operation, and VDD rises. During this time, the charge of the capacitor 5 is consumed as the power source for the switching operation, but the primary battery 10 is not consumed. This is because the switching type booster circuit requires a momentarily large pulse current. The output current of the primary battery 10 is limited by the resistor 11 and the switching operation is performed by the capacitor 5 having a low output impedance. And the primary battery 10 hardly contributes, so that it is not consumed. VD after T5
When D decreases, the voltage conversion circuit 61 intermittently performs a short-time switching operation to maintain VDD at the set value. In this case, only the capacitor 5 is used as a power source.

This embodiment has the following effects. (1) Since the load is a switching type, the consumption of the primary battery can be controlled only by the resistor 11, and the charge control circuit and the control method thereof are simplified. . (2) Conversion efficiency from VC to VDD is high because of the switching type voltage conversion circuit. The voltage conversion circuit 6 in FIG.
Although the circuit has a simple configuration, the price is low, but the voltage drop is a loss. With the switching type circuit of FIG. 9, almost constant efficiency can be maintained regardless of the voltage. The same effect can be obtained with a step-down switching circuit instead of a step-up switching circuit. (3) By increasing the voltage, the voltage range of the capacitor 5 serving as a power supply can be widened. For example, primary battery 1
0 is 1.5V, the minimum voltage of the capacitor 5 is 1.0V, V
DD may be a condition of 5.0V. As the operating voltage range of the capacitor 5 is wider, charging from the primary battery 10 can be reduced. (4) Since the voltage conversion circuit 61 is a step-up type, V is higher than VDD.
C may be low, and the primary battery 10 having a low voltage can be used. The number of cells of the primary battery 10 can be reduced, and a capacitor 5 having a low withstand voltage can be used, which contributes to downsizing and cost reduction of the faucet device.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is different from FIG.
Is controlled by PO4. Further, a discharge circuit of the capacitor 5 is constituted by the resistor 14 and the transistor 15 and is controlled by the port PO5 of the microcomputer 1. Further, the voltage VC of the capacitor 5 is input to AD2 which is an A / D conversion input port of the microcomputer 1.

FIG. 12 shows a main flowchart of the fifth embodiment. The flowcharts of the open energization and the close energization are respectively shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the flowchart of the PO4 control is shown in FIG. First, the flowchart of FIG. 12 will be described. FIG.
In FIG. 7, the parts performing the same operations as in FIG. 2 are given the same step numbers. After S007 in FIG.
A / D-convert the voltage VC. In S111, it is checked whether or not VC has become higher than the withstand voltage of the capacitor, that is, a voltage that can be applied as a component. If VC is equal to or lower than the withstand voltage, PO5 is set to Lo in S112, that is, the transistor 15 is turned off, and the process proceeds to S008. Subsequent steps are the same as in FIG.
If VC is equal to or higher than the withstand voltage of the capacitor 5 in S111, PO5 is set to Hi in S113 and the transistor 15 is turned on.
Is turned on to discharge the capacitor 5 via the resistor 14.
Further, after waiting for a short time of 0.1 second in S114, S00
Return to 1. The control of PO4 in FIG. 8 is as described in the third embodiment, and the transistor 13 is turned off for one second after energization of the solenoid 3, which is the state with the heaviest load on the voltage conversion circuit 61.

The fifth embodiment has the following effects. (1) The voltage of the capacitor 5 is limited by using the Zener diode 9, but such an element also has a power limit. Alternatively, there is a method using a constant voltage output circuit such as a three-terminal regulator. However, if the output voltage of the power generation means becomes too high, there is a possibility that the component withstand voltage of such a voltage limiting means may be exceeded. Not limited to hydroelectric power generation, the output means tends to decrease when the output current is large, and discharging the capacitor 5 by the resistor 14 and the transistor 15 has the effect of suppressing the output voltage of the power generation means.
It is possible to prevent components directly connected to the power generation means from being broken by applying a high voltage. (2) By shortening the timer to 0.1 second in S114 of FIG. 12, the speed of looping the main routine of FIG. 12 increases. This increases the consumption of the microcomputer 1 including the human body detection circuit in S001 and the A / D conversion, and has the effect of promoting the discharge of the capacitor 5. If the capacity of the power generation means is relatively small, such as increasing the number of times of operation of the circuit part that consumes a lot,
The voltage rise of the capacitor 5 can be prevented only by changing the operation of the microcomputer 1. (3) Immediately after the solenoid 3 is energized, VDD drops, and the voltage conversion circuit 61 continuously performs a switching operation. At this time, if the primary battery 10 is partially consumed, accurate calculation of the consumption of the primary battery 10 cannot be performed. Especially resistance 11
Determines the charging time constant of the capacitor 5 and cannot unconditionally increase the resistance. However, in this embodiment, since the transistor 13 cuts off when the load current is the largest, the value of the resistor 11 can be determined as the charging time constant of the capacitor 5 under the worst conditions.

The PO4 control may be performed as shown in FIGS. Further, if the switching waveform of the voltage conversion circuit 61 is input to the port of the microcomputer 1, it is possible to directly determine whether the switching operation is performed. Therefore, the microcomputer 1 can detect the switching operation itself and turn off the transistor 13 or set the impedance to high. In addition, if a booster IC that enables / disables switching operation to be set by an external signal is used, the microcomputer 1
It is also possible to synchronize the switching operation with the ON / OFF control of the transistor 13.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 13 shows a sixth embodiment. FIG. 13 is different from FIG. 11 in that the transistor 13 is omitted and a solar cell 20 and a thermoelectric element 21 are added as power generation means. The solar cell 20 is installed in a place with good lighting conditions such as an upper part of a faucet device, and charges the capacitor 5 via the diode 22. Since a solar cell has a limited maximum output voltage and does not generate enough power to destroy general electric components, an output voltage limiting circuit may not be necessary if there is a discharging means for the capacitor 5. Reference numeral 21 denotes a thermoelectric generator, which has a sufficient power generation capability when attached to a pipe of a faucet device using hot water and water. The maximum output voltage is limited by the Zener diode 24, and the capacitor 5 is charged via the diode 23. Reference numerals 25 to 28 denote detachable connectors, which are a generator 7, a solar cell 20, a thermoelectric generator 2
The first power generation means and the primary battery 10 are connected to the capacitor 5.

The function of each part in FIG. 13 will be described. First, the operation of the discharge circuit of the resistor 14 and the transistor 15 has been described in the fifth embodiment. However, when a plurality of power generation means are connected as shown in FIG. By providing the discharge circuit, the capacitor 5 always becomes an appropriate load, and the voltage of the capacitor 5 and the output voltages of all the connected power generation means can be suppressed. Basically, it must be managed so that the maximum output voltage of each power generation means is equal to or lower than a predetermined voltage. However, the safety is enhanced by providing the capacitor 5 with a discharge circuit. FIG. 13 shows a configuration in which different power generation means such as a hydroelectric generator 7, a solar cell 20, and a thermoelectric generator 21 are used at the same time. Since these power generation means have completely different power generation characteristics, it is impossible to control charging under arbitrary conditions. However, in the present invention, since the capacitor 5 is used as the charging means, there is no concern about performance degradation even in charging with a large current such as hydroelectric power generation, and charging can be performed with a small current such as a solar cell. Since the voltage range is wide, there is no problem in combining different power generation means.

When a storage battery is used as in the conventional example, the charging condition recommended for the storage battery cannot be satisfied, so that it is expected that the storage battery will not only be deteriorated but also will not be satisfactorily charged. Therefore, it is impossible to use a storage battery in combination with different power generation means. Further, in FIG.
The circuits on the side of the capacitor 5 from the parts to 28 all have the same configuration. Since the capacitor 5 can cope with various charging conditions, it can be freely connected, detached, and replaced as long as the power generation means or the primary battery has the same polarity.

According to the use environment and use frequency of the faucet device,
It is also possible to combine hydropower and solar cells,
Various specifications changes, such as using multiple hydroelectric generators, replacing the power generation means, replacing the primary battery with a different voltage, and using multiple primary batteries to increase the backup capacity, even after installation and during use It is always possible, including. In the first place, the use of primary batteries in the event of insufficient power generation is due to the inability to predict the power generation capacity and frequency of use, and the ability to change the power generation method according to the situation is very effective. is there.

(Embodiment 7) FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of a seventh embodiment. The following points are different from FIG. 11 of the fifth embodiment. First, an inverter 31 is used instead of the transistor 13 in FIG. The inverter 31 has the same function as the transistor 13 in FIG.
Is connected to the power supply terminal of the inverter 31,
The stress applied to the element when the battery is attached is smaller than that of the transistor 13. Therefore, it becomes easier to handle as charge control means for the capacitor 5. FIG. 14 does not include a discharge circuit for the capacitor 5 including the resistor 14 and the transistor 15 in FIG. 11, and the voltage of the capacitor 5 is not input to the microcomputer 1. The output of the full-wave rectifier 8 is connected to a power consumption circuit including a resistor 32, a transistor 33, and a Zener diode 9. Although the function is the same as that of the voltage limiting circuit by the Zener diode 9 in FIG. 11, the difference is that the output of the generator 7 is actively consumed.

The power consumption circuit according to the seventh embodiment solves the problem that the flow rate of the faucet device fluctuates due to the change in the load current of the generator. Usually, the generator 7 is in a state of outputting the charging current of the capacitor 5, and in this state, the flow rate of the faucet device is set to an appropriate amount. However, when the capacitor 5 is fully charged and becomes in a state where charging is unnecessary or charging should be prohibited, the destination of the output current of the generator 7 disappears. For example, a case where a constant voltage IC is used as an output voltage limiting circuit of the power generation means. When the charging of the condenser 5 is stopped by any means, the output current of the generator becomes zero, the pressure loss of the hydraulic power generator decreases, and the flow rate of the faucet device increases. As described above, in the case of hydroelectric power generation, the load current of the generator changes depending on the state of charge of the power storage means, and the flow rate of the faucet device changes irrespective of the user's intention.

In the case of the seventh embodiment, the capacitor 5 being charged
Has a low input impedance and can be regarded as almost a constant voltage load. The output voltage of the full-wave rectifier 8 becomes a value obtained by adding the forward voltage of the diode 2 to the voltage of the capacitor 5, and the load current of the generator 7 is stabilized. When the charging of the capacitor 5 proceeds to the target voltage, the power consumption circuit including the Zener diode 9, the resistor 32, and the transistor 33 continuously consumes the output current of the generator instead of the charging current of the capacitor 5. Therefore, when viewed from the generator, the capacitor 5
When the voltage is below the voltage at which the Zener diode 9 is turned on, the capacitor 5 becomes a load, and at a voltage higher than that, the resistor 32 becomes a load, and an output current always flows.
Therefore, the torque generated in the generator continues, and the flow rate of the faucet device does not change.

The power consumption circuit has an effect of limiting the voltage of the capacitor 5, but also functions as an output voltage limiting circuit. In order to suppress the output voltage, the reverse voltage applied to the diode of the full-wave rectifier 8 is also limited, and the full-wave rectifier 8 having a low withstand voltage can be used. In particular, many Schottky diodes with low loss have low withstand voltage of components, but since they are easy to use, they contribute to high efficiency of the device.

(Embodiment 8) Such a power consuming circuit is not limited to the circuit of FIG. 14 using a capacitor as a power storage means, but is effective for all faucets that store power by hydroelectric power generation. FIG. 15 illustrates an example in which a secondary battery is used as the power storage means. Since the secondary battery deteriorates when overcharged,
Charging must be stopped when fully charged. The simplest charging method is constant voltage charging, and may be configured as shown in FIG. The voltage detection IC 34 detects the charge completion voltage of the secondary battery 35. When the secondary battery 35 is fully charged,
The voltage detection IC 34 turns on the transistor 33 and the resistor 3
2 is the load of the generator 7. If the impedance of the resistor 32 is smaller than that of the secondary battery 35, the output voltage of the full-wave rectifier 8 decreases, and the secondary battery 35 is not charged any more. The resistor 32 becomes a load in place of the secondary battery 35 and continuously draws current from the generator 7, so that the flow rate of the faucet device does not suddenly change as in the seventh embodiment.

(Embodiment 9) In FIG. 15, the state of charge of the secondary battery 35 is determined by the voltage detection IC 34, and the switching is uniquely performed only by the voltage level. However, the A / D conversion function of the microcomputer 1 is used. Thus, the charge / discharge determination may be made according to the charging characteristics of the secondary battery 35, and the transistor 33 may be controlled using the port of the microcomputer 1. This circuit is shown in FIG.
In FIG. 16, the microcomputer 1 can arbitrarily select either the secondary battery 5 or the resistor 32 as the load of the generator 7. For example, a nickel cadmium battery that produces a memory effect when repeating shallow charge and discharge
After deep discharge, it is desirable to charge. Even in such a case, the secondary battery 35 can be arbitrarily charged or suspended depending on the program of the microcomputer 1 without changing the flow rate of the faucet device.

[0077]

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, in a water faucet device for controlling a water faucet by using energy generated by power generation, all the members used maintain the required performance for a long time, It is possible to provide a faucet control device that does not require any replacement of components such as batteries until the product life of the faucet device and realizes true maintenance-free operation. Furthermore, by providing a power consumption circuit for continuously taking out the output current of the generator, the flow rate does not fluctuate depending on the state of charge of the power storage means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of first to third embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a main routine according to first to third embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of open energization in the first to third and fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of closing energization according to the first to third and fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of charge control according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of charge control according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of charging control according to the third and fifth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing the operation of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram of a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a main routine according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram of a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram of a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a circuit diagram of an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram of a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... microcomputer, 2 ... human body detection circuit, 3 ... solenoid, 4
... solenoid energizing circuit, 5 ... capacitor, 6 ... voltage conversion circuit (1), 61 ... voltage conversion circuit (2), 7 ... generator
9 Zener diode, 10 primary battery, 11 resistor, 13 transistor, 14 resistor, 15 transistor, 20 solar cell, 21 thermoelectric element 32 resistor
33 ... transistor,

Claims (32)

[Claims] 1. A capacitor, voltage conversion means for converting the voltage of the capacitor to a predetermined voltage, a faucet control circuit operated by power supply from the voltage conversion means, and a flow path controlled by the faucet control circuit. A control device for a faucet having an electromagnetic valve that opens and closes, comprising: a power generating means and a primary battery, wherein the capacitor is charged by an output of the power generating means or the primary battery. 2. The faucet control device according to claim 1, further comprising charge control means for controlling charging of said capacitor from said primary battery. 3. The faucet control device according to claim 2, wherein said charging control means controls the voltage in accordance with a voltage of said capacitor. 4. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said charging control means has a function of restricting power supply from said primary battery to said faucet control circuit. apparatus. 5. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said charging control means is a switch means. 6. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said charging control means is an impedance changing means. 7. The faucet control device according to claim 5, wherein said switch means responds to a load current of said faucet control circuit.
A faucet control device, wherein the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor is cut off. 8. The faucet control device according to claim 5, wherein the switch means disconnects the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor when the output of the voltage conversion means drops. . 9. The faucet control device according to claim 5, wherein the switch means disconnects the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor for a predetermined time after the solenoid valve is energized. . 10. The faucet control device according to claim 6, wherein the impedance changing means sets the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor to high impedance in accordance with a load current of the faucet control circuit. Water faucet control device. 11. The faucet control device according to claim 6, wherein said impedance changing means sets the connection between said primary battery and said capacitor to high impedance when the output of said voltage conversion means drops. Control device. 12. The faucet control device according to claim 6, wherein the impedance changing means sets the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor to a high impedance for a predetermined time after the solenoid valve is energized. Control device. 13. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit. 14. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit, and said charge control means is a resistor. 15. The faucet control device according to claim 5, wherein the voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit,
A faucet control device, wherein a connection between the primary battery and the capacitor is cut off during a switching operation of the switching type voltage conversion circuit. 16. The faucet control device according to claim 6, wherein said voltage conversion means is a switching type voltage conversion circuit,
A water faucet control device for setting the connection between the primary battery and the capacitor to a high impedance during a switching operation of the switching type voltage conversion circuit. 17. The faucet control device according to claim 13, wherein said voltage conversion circuit is a booster circuit. 18. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first and second to tenth to the twelfth and the first one
7. The faucet control device according to claim 7, wherein the impedance changing means is a series or parallel circuit of a resistor and a switch element. 19. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first and second embodiments are configured as follows.
7. The faucet control device according to claim 7, wherein the impedance changing means is based on a change in ON / OFF control of a switch element. 20. The faucet control device according to claim 1, further comprising discharging means for discharging said capacitor when said capacitor voltage is equal to or higher than a predetermined voltage. 21. The faucet control device according to claim 20, wherein
The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said discharging means comprises a resistor and a switch element. 22. The faucet control device according to claim 20, further comprising a human body detecting means for detecting a user of the faucet control device, wherein an operation frequency of the human body detecting means is controlled according to a voltage of the capacitor. A faucet control device. 23. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said power generation means is a hydroelectric generator provided in a flow passage of said faucet device. 24. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said power generation means is a solar cell provided in or near a main body of the faucet device. 25. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein said power generation means is a thermoelectric generator thermally coupled to a flow path of said faucet device. 26. The faucet control device according to claim 1, wherein the power generation means is a hydroelectric generator provided in a flow path of the faucet device, or a solar cell provided in or near the main body of the faucet device. Alternatively, a faucet control device characterized by combining any one of thermoelectric elements thermally coupled to a flow path of the faucet device. 27. The faucet control device according to claim 23, wherein said power generating means is configured to be exchangeable with a different power generating means. 28. The faucet control device according to claim 23, wherein an output voltage limiting circuit is provided at an output of said power generation means. 29. The faucet control device according to claim 23,
A faucet control device, comprising: a power consumption circuit; and switching means for connecting the capacitor or the power consumption circuit to a generator output. 30. The water faucet control device according to claim 29, wherein said switching means controls in accordance with a charging voltage of said capacitor. 31. A hydraulic power generator provided in a flow path of a water faucet device, a power storage means charged by the power generator, a water faucet control circuit operated by power supply from the power storage means, and a water faucet. A water faucet control device having an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing a flow path by a control circuit, comprising a power consumption circuit, and a switching means for connecting the power consumption circuit or the power storage means to a generator output. The faucet control device. 32. The faucet control device according to claim 31, wherein said switching means controls in accordance with a charging voltage of said power storage means.