Method of driving an automatic on-off valve for a water passageway

• US 5,063,955 A
• Filed: 07/03/1990
• Issued: 11/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: INAX Corporation (LIXIL Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: INAX Corporation (LIXIL Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakakibara, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenthal, Arnold
• Application Number:
  US07/547,213
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 251/129.04, 4/623, 137/1
• US Class Current: 137/1
• CPC Class Codes: E03D 5/105 touchless, e.g. using sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 4/03 Electric flushing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0318 Processes

Abstract

A method of driving an automatic on-off valve for a water passageway uses the automatic on-off valve including an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing the water passageway, a sensor unit for detecting an object such as a man or a human hand and a control unit for controlling supply/cut-off of driving electric power supplied from a power supply to the electromagnetic valve in response to a signal transmitted from the sensor unit. The method comprises the steps of: permitting the control unit to control an operation of the electromagnetic valve in a normal state; manually supplying the electromagnetic valve with the driving power given from a manual driving unit connected to the electromagnetic valve; and thus forcibly driving the electromagnetic valve.

Claims

1. A method of driving an automatic on-off valve for a water passageway, said automatic on-off valve including an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing said water passageway, a sensor unit for detecting an object and a control unit for controlling supply/cut-off of driving electric power supplied from a power supply to said electromagnetic valve in response to a signal transmitted from said sensor unit, said method comprising the steps of:

permitting said control unit to control an operation of said electromagnetic valve in a normal state;

connecting a manual driving unit to said electromagnetic valve;

manually supplying said electromagnetic valve with driving power given from the manual driving unit, said driving power from the manual driving unit being in the form of pulses and having a pulse continuity time longer than that of the driving electric power supplied through the control unit; and

thus forcibly driving said electromagnetic valve.

2. The driving method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said manual driving unit is of a portable type.

3. The driving method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic valve is of a latching type.