CN111519726B

CN111519726B - Sanitary cleaning device

Info

Publication number: CN111519726B
Application number: CN202010439830.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 鹤见直树; 松井健治
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2015-06-25
Filing date: 2016-06-20
Publication date: 2021-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 2036-06-20
Also published as: WO2016208175A1; EP3699370A1; CN111519726A; EP3315677A4; JPWO2016208175A1; JP6650569B2; EP3315677A1; CN107683360A; TW202041757A; TWI771701B; TW201704600A

Abstract

A sanitary washing device, comprising: a toilet seat which is provided on the toilet bowl in a manner of freely standing and falling; a main body for supporting the toilet seat to be capable of standing and falling; a heat exchanger that heats the washing water; a cleaning nozzle which cleans a human body; a foam generating section that generates a cleaning foam; a dispersion nozzle discharging the wash water or the wash foam to an inner surface of the toilet bowl; an opening/closing valve that opens and closes a branch flow path leading to the spray nozzle; a control unit; and an operation unit in which the cleaning nozzle is disposed at the center of the main body, and the distribution nozzle is disposed on either the left or right side of the cleaning nozzle. Thus, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl to suppress the adhesion of dirt.

Description

Sanitary cleaning device

The patent application of the invention is a divisional application of an invention patent application named as a 'sanitary cleaning device', with an international application date of 2016, 6 and 20, and an international application number of 'PCT/JP 2016/002944', and a national application number of '201680035134.4'.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sanitary washing device for washing a part of a human body.

Background

Conventionally, such a sanitary washing apparatus projects a washing nozzle from a storage position to a hip washing position or a female washing position. Then, the washing water is discharged from the discharge port of the washing nozzle. This has a structure for washing a part of a human body.

Under such circumstances, a sanitary washing apparatus has been proposed which has a spray nozzle for spraying foam to the inner surface of a toilet bowl before defecation so as to form a foam film on the inner surface of the toilet bowl, separately from a washing nozzle for washing a part of a human body (for example, see patent document 1).

In the sanitary washing device of patent document 1, when the detection unit detects the seating of a person, foam is automatically sprayed from the spray nozzle. Thus, a foam film is formed on the inner surface of the toilet bowl before defecation, and the adhesion of dirt on the inner surface of the toilet bowl is prevented.

However, there are cases where the foam scattering does not sufficiently reach the inner surface of the toilet bowl, and a sufficient effect cannot be expected as a countermeasure against the dirt.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2000-104319

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a sanitary washing device which forms a foam film from the front to the back of a toilet bowl so as to inhibit the attachment of dirt.

That is, the sanitary washing device of the present invention includes: a toilet seat which is provided on the toilet bowl in a manner of freely standing and falling; a main body for supporting the toilet seat to be capable of standing and falling; a heat exchanger that heats the washing water; a cleaning nozzle which cleans a human body; a foam generating section that generates a cleaning foam; a dispersion nozzle discharging the wash water or the wash foam to an inner surface of the toilet bowl; an opening/closing valve that opens and closes a branch flow path leading to the spray nozzle; a control unit; and an operation unit in which the cleaning nozzle is disposed at the center of the main body, and the distribution nozzle is disposed on either the left or right side of the cleaning nozzle.

According to this structure, in the case of spreading foam (hereinafter, referred to as "wash foam") from the spreading nozzle to the toilet bowl, the discharge port is directed higher when the discharge port is directed toward the front of the toilet bowl, which is farther from the discharge port of the spreading nozzle to the spreading position. On the other hand, when the discharge port is directed toward the rear of the toilet bowl, which is closer in distance from the discharge port of the scattering nozzle to the scattering position, the direction of the discharge port is lower. In this state, the cleansing foam is spread into the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Thus, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a sanitary washing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on a toilet bowl.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sanitary washing apparatus with the front body case removed.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sanitary washing apparatus with the main body casing and the control unit removed.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the upper surface of the operation portion of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the remote controller.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a water circuit of a washing section of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing an exploded state of a water circuit of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an assembled state of the water circuit of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the sub-tank of the water circuit.

Fig. 10 is a front sectional view of the subtank.

Fig. 11 is a side sectional view of the subtank.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the heat exchanger of the water circuit.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the heat exchanger.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a water pump of the water circuit.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the water pump.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a housed state of the nozzle device of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17-17 of fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housed state of the nozzle device.

Fig. 19 is a detailed sectional view of the portion B shown in fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 20-20 of fig. 19.

Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the housed state of the nozzle device.

Fig. 22 is a detailed sectional view of the portion C shown in fig. 21.

Fig. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a hip-washing state of the nozzle device.

Fig. 24 is a detailed sectional view of the portion D shown in fig. 23.

Fig. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a female washing state of the nozzle device.

Fig. 26 is a detailed sectional view of the portion E shown in fig. 25.

Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of washing for women of the nozzle device.

Fig. 28 is a detailed sectional view of the portion F shown in fig. 27.

Fig. 29 is a timing chart of the cleaning portion at the time of initial use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus.

Fig. 30 is a timing chart of the cleaning unit in normal use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus.

Fig. 31 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a scattering nozzle of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 32 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispensing nozzle.

Fig. 33 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an installation state of the spray nozzle of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 34 is a front view showing an arrangement state of the spray nozzle of the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 35 is a plan view showing the arrangement position of the distribution nozzle and the rotation angle of the discharge port of the distribution nozzle in the sanitary washing apparatus.

Fig. 36 is a graph showing pump output according to the rotation angle of the discharge port of the distribution nozzle.

Fig. 37A is a graph showing the pump output at the time of the discharge action of the scattering nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Fig. 37B is an explanatory view showing a discharging action of the scattering nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Fig. 38A is a graph showing pump output at the time of the discharge action of the scattering nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Fig. 38B is an explanatory view showing a discharge action of the scattering nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Description of the reference symbols

100: a sanitary cleaning device; 110: a toilet bowl; 110 a: an edge; 110 b: a draught surface; 110 c: an upper end surface; 115: a discharge port; 120: a deodorizing device; 130: a control unit; 200: a main body; 201: a rear body housing; 210: an operation section; 211: an infrared ray receiving section; 220: an operating switch; 221: a hip cleaning switch; 222: a nozzle cleaning switch; 230: a setting switch; 231: a hot water temperature switch; 232: a temperature switch of the toilet seat; 233: an eight hour interrupt switch; 234: a power-saving switch; 235: the toilet cover automatically opens and closes the switch; 240: a display lamp; 300: a toilet seat; 320: a toilet cover; 330: a seating sensor (seating detection unit); 331: a toilet seat opening/closing sensor (toilet seat opening/closing detection unit); 360: a toilet cover rotating mechanism; 400: a remote controller; 401: a remote controller main body; 402: a transmission unit; 410: a hip cleaning switch; 411: a female wash switch; 412: a stop switch; 413: moving a cleaning switch; 414: a rhythmic wash switch; 415: cleaning an intensity switch; 416: a cleaning position switch; 417: a scatter switch; 418: a toilet cover switch; 419: a toilet seat switch; 421: an intensity display lamp; 422: a position display lamp; 450: a human body detection sensor; 500: a cleaning section; 501: a chassis; 501 a: a water pump setting part; 501 b: a leg portion; 502: a connecting pipe; 510: a water supply connection port; 511: a filter; 512: a check valve; 513: a constant flow valve; 514: a water stop electromagnetic valve; 515: an overflow valve; 516: a water pump (displacement variable unit); 516 a: a motor section; 516 b: a link mechanism section; 516 c: a piston portion; 516 d: a water suction port; 516 e: an outlet port; 517: a flow regulating valve; 517 a: a valve body; 517 b: a stepping motor; 517 c: a water supply port; 530: a branch flow path; 530 a: an opening and closing valve; 531: a check valve; 532: a foam box; 533: a detergent tank; 534 a detergent pump; 535: an air pump; 550: a dispersion nozzle; 550 a: a dispersion nozzle driving section; 550 b: an inlet flow path; 550 c: a body portion; 550 d: rotating the nozzle; 550 e: an O-shaped ring; 550 f: an O-shaped ring; 550 h: an inlet aperture; 550 n: a shaft; 550 u: an outlet port; 560: a foam generating section; 601: a water inlet; 602: a water outlet; 600: an auxiliary water tank; 603: an atmosphere opening port; 610: a water tank main body; 611: a front water tank; 612: a rear water tank; 613: an atmosphere opening section; 613 a: a buffer unit; 613 b: a flow path; 614: a partition wall; 615: putting the mixture into a water tank; 615 a: an upper surface opening; 616: a storage tank; 617: a barrier wall; 618: a rectifying rib; 620: a water level detection sensor; 621: a common electrode; 622: a water level electrode; 623: an upper limit electrode; 624: a lower limit electrode; 630: an inlet water temperature sensor; 690: a cleaning water supply flow path; 700: a heat exchanger; 701: a housing; 702: a flat plate-shaped heater; 703: a hot water outlet part; 710: a front part; 711: a water inlet; 712: a hot water outlet; 713: an inlet flow path; 714: a gap; 715: a heating flow path; 716: a partition rib; 717: a water through hole; 718: a protrusion; 720: a back member; 730: a hot water outlet temperature sensor; 731: an excessive temperature rise sensor; 750: a buffer water tank; 800: a nozzle device; 801: a nozzle cover; 802: a connecting pipe; 810: a support portion; 811: a bottom edge portion; 812: an inclined portion; 813: a longitudinal edge portion; 814: a guide rail; 815: a rack guide; 816: a clasping part; 817: a water supply connection; 820: a nozzle portion; 830: a nozzle body; 831: a hip washing nozzle (washing nozzle); 832: a cleaning nozzle for women; 833: a nozzle cleaning section; 834: a hip cleaning ejection port; 835: a buttocks-cleaning flow path; 835 a: a rectifying plate; 836: a female cleaning spout; 837: a female cleansing flow path; 838: a nozzle cleaning ejection port; 839: a nozzle cleaning flow path; 840: a nozzle cover; 841: a nozzle boot body; 842: a connecting member; 843: a connecting sheet; 843 a: a connecting protrusion; 844: an ejection opening; 845: a water outlet; 850: a connecting portion; 851: a connection receiving part; 851 a: a front recessed portion; 851 b: a rear recessed portion; 860: a cleaning nozzle driving part; 861: a flexible rack; 862: a pinion gear; 863: the motor is driven.

Detailed Description

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

(embodiment mode)

Integral structure of < 1 > sanitary cleaning device

Hereinafter, the overall structure of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 5.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a sanitary washing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on a toilet bowl. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sanitary washing apparatus in a state where a front body case of the main body is removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the sanitary washing apparatus in a state where the front body casing and the control portion of the main body are removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper surface of the operation portion of the sanitary washing apparatus. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the remote controller.

As shown in fig. 1, the sanitary washing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is configured to have at least a main body 200, a toilet seat 300, a toilet lid 320, a remote controller 400, a human body detection sensor 450, and the like as main components. The main body 200, the toilet seat 300, and the toilet cover 320 are integrally formed and provided on the upper surface of the toilet bowl 110.

The arrangement of the components will be described below with the installation side of the main body 200 of the sanitary washing apparatus 100 being the rear side, the installation side of the toilet seat 300 being the front side, the right side facing the front side being the right side, and the left side facing the front side being the left side.

The operation part 210 is integrally provided to protrude from the right side of the main body 200. The toilet lid rotation mechanism 360 is provided on the front side of the main body 200, and drives the toilet seat 300 and the toilet lid 320 to be openable and closable. The toilet lid rotating mechanism 360 is composed of, for example, a dc motor and a plurality of gears, and opens and closes the toilet seat 300 and the toilet lid 320 individually or simultaneously.

As shown in fig. 1, when the toilet lid 320 is opened, the toilet lid 320 stands up so as to be positioned at the rearmost part of the sanitary washing apparatus 100. On the other hand, when the toilet cover 320 is closed, the toilet cover 320 covers the upper surface of the toilet seat 300.

The toilet lid 320 is formed of a molded member made of a resin material such as PP (polypropylene) or ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and has a double structure and a heat insulating structure made of a heat insulating material.

The toilet seat 300 includes a seat heater (not shown) that heats a seating surface. The seat heater heats the seating surface of the seat 300 to a comfortable temperature.

The seating sensor 330 constitutes a seating detection unit that is disposed in a bearing portion in the main body 200 that supports the rotation shaft of the toilet seat 300, and detects a human body seated on the toilet seat 300. The seating sensor 330 is, for example, a weight-type sensor, and opens and closes a switch in accordance with a change in weight of the user seated on the toilet seat 300. Thus, the seating sensor 330 detects whether or not the user is seated on the seating surface of the toilet seat 300.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the main body 200 includes: a cleaning section 500; a dispersion nozzle 550; a deodorizing means 120; and a control unit 130, and the like, and the cleaning unit 500 includes a sub-tank 600, a heat exchanger 700, and a nozzle device 800. The nozzle device 800 includes, for example, a hip cleaning nozzle 831 as a cleaning nozzle for cleaning a part of a human body. The spray nozzle 550 sprays wash water or wash foam to the inner surface of the toilet bowl. The deodorizing device 120 deodorizes odor during defecation. The control unit 130 controls each function of the sanitary washing apparatus 100. In the following description, the hip cleaning nozzle 831 is sometimes described as an example of a cleaning nozzle.

The nozzle device 800, which is a main component of the cleaning unit 500, is provided in the center of the inside of the main body 200. A distribution nozzle 550 is provided at a position on the right side of the nozzle device 800 and in front of the main body 200 fixedly mounted on the toilet bowl 110. A deodorization apparatus 120 is provided at the left side of the nozzle apparatus 800. A toilet lid rotating mechanism 360 is provided on the left side of the nozzle device 800, and the toilet lid rotating mechanism 360 drives the toilet 300 and the toilet lid 320 to open and close.

A water stop solenoid valve 514, a relief valve 515, a sub tank 600, and the like of the cleaning unit 500 are provided at the front of the right side of the nozzle device 800. A heat exchanger 700 is provided behind the nozzle device 800. A water pump 516 constituting a water discharge amount variable unit is provided behind the heat exchanger 700. The control part 130 is disposed above the washing part 500.

As shown in fig. 4, the operation unit 210 is provided with a plurality of switches, indicator lamps 240, and the like for operating and setting the respective functions of the sanitary washing apparatus 100. An operation board (not shown) is provided inside the operation unit 210. The operation substrate is provided with a plurality of tact switches and a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes), not shown. The tact switch and the visual confirmation LED can be pressed and operated through the switch label attached to the upper surface of the operation unit 210.

The operation unit 210 has an infrared receiving unit 211 at the rear of the upper surface. The infrared receiving unit 211 receives infrared signals transmitted from the remote controller 400 and the human body detection sensor 450 shown in fig. 1.

The operation unit 210 has an infrared receiving unit 211. The infrared receiving unit 211 is disposed behind the upper surface of the operation unit 210, and receives infrared signals transmitted from the remote controller 400 and the human body detection sensor 450 shown in fig. 1.

The switches of the operation unit 210 include a plurality of operation switches 220 for operating the washing operation, a plurality of setting switches 230 for setting various functions, and the like. The display lamp 240 is composed of a plurality of LEDs, and displays the setting state of the main body 200.

The operation switch 220 of the operation unit 210 is composed of, for example, a hip cleaning switch 221 and a nozzle cleaning switch 222. The hip-wash switch 221 is used for assistance in the event of a battery disconnection or failure of the remote controller 400. The nozzle cleaning switch 222 is operated to clean the nozzle.

The setting switch 230 of the operation unit 210 is composed of, for example, a hot water temperature switch 231, a toilet seat temperature switch 232, an eight-hour interruption switch 233, a power saving switch 234, and a toilet lid automatic opening/closing switch 235.

The switches perform the following operations by the pressing operation of the user.

The hot water temperature switch 231 sets the temperature of the washing water. The toilet seat temperature switch 232 sets the temperature of the toilet seat 300. When the eight-hour interrupt switch 233 is set, the heat preservation of the toilet seat 300 is stopped, and the heat preservation of the toilet seat 300 is started after eight hours. The power saving switch 234 automatically learns the time period when the sanitary washing apparatus 100 is not in use, and reduces the warm temperature of the toilet seat 300 to save power during the time period when it is not in use. The toilet lid automatic opening/closing switch 235 sets the automatic opening/closing operation of the toilet seat 300 and the toilet lid 320.

Further, most operations of the sanitary washing apparatus 100 are performed by a remote controller 400, and the remote controller 400 is configured separately from the main body 200. Therefore, the remote controller 400 is attached to a wall surface of a toilet room or the like that is easily operated by a user seated on the toilet seat 300.

As shown in fig. 5, the overall shape of the remote controller 400 is formed as a thin rectangular parallelepiped. The remote controller 400 has a plurality of switches and display lamps on the upper surface and the front surface of a box-shaped remote controller main body 401 molded from a resin material such as PP (polypropylene) or ABS. A transmission unit 402 is disposed near an upper corner of the remote controller main body 401, and the transmission unit 402 transmits an operation signal of the remote controller 400 to the main body 200 by infrared rays.

The remote controller main body 401 has built-in therein: a control board (not shown) that constitutes a control function of the remote controller 400; and a battery (not shown) as a power source of the remote controller 400.

For example, a hip-bathing switch 410, a woman-bathing switch 411, a stop switch 412, a moving-bathing switch 413, a rhythmic bathing switch 414, and the like are disposed in the center of the front surface of the remote controller main body 401.

The switches perform the following operations by a user's pressing operation or the like.

The buttocks washing switch 410 starts washing buttocks. The female wash switch 411 starts female washing for washing the female private parts. The stop switch 412 stops the hip washing and the female washing. The movable washing switch 413 can perform a wide range of washing by periodically moving the washing position back and forth at the time of hip washing and female washing. The rhythmic washing switch 414 periodically changes the washing intensity to perform washing at the time of hip washing.

On the upper part of the front surface of the remote controller main body 401, for example, a washing intensity switch 415, a washing position switch 416, a distribution switch 417, and the like are arranged. The washing intensity switch 415 adjusts the washing intensity at the time of hip washing and female washing by two switches. The washing position switch 416 adjusts the washing positions for the hip washing and the female washing by two switches. The distribution switch 417 discharges wash water or wash foam from the distribution nozzle 550 and distributes it to the inner surface of the toilet bowl or the surface of the wash nozzle.

Above the washing intensity switch 415, an intensity display lamp 421 of an LED for displaying the washing intensity in five steps, for example, is arranged. Further, above the cleaning position switch 416, a position display lamp 422 for displaying the cleaning position in five stages, for example, is disposed.

The remote controller main body 401 includes: a toilet lid switch 418 for electrically opening and closing the toilet lid 320; and a toilet seat switch 419 for electrically opening and closing the toilet seat 300. The user can open and close the toilet seat 300 and the toilet lid 320 arbitrarily by operating the switches. Here, the open state of the toilet seat 300 refers to a state in which the toilet seat 300 is substantially vertically (including vertically) erected, for example, when a man urinates. On the other hand, the closed state of the toilet seat 300 refers to a state in which the toilet seat 300 is substantially parallel (including parallel) to the upper edge surface of the toilet bowl 110. The open state or closed state of the toilet seat 300 is detected by a signal from a toilet seat opening/closing sensor 331 as a toilet seat opening/closing detection unit.

The human body sensor 450 shown in fig. 1 is configured separately from the main body 200, and is attached to a wall surface of a toilet, for example. The human body detection sensor 450 is configured by, for example, a pyroelectric sensor, a sensor control unit, an infrared transmission unit, a battery as a power source of the human body detection sensor 450, and the like, which are not shown. The pyroelectric sensor receives infrared rays emitted from a human body. The sensor control unit detects a human body by using a signal of the pyroelectric sensor. The infrared transmission unit transmits a human body detection signal from the sensor control unit to the control unit of the main body 200 by using infrared rays.

As described above, the sanitary washing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is configured.

< 2 > water loop structure of sanitary cleaning device

Hereinafter, the structure of the water circuit of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a water circuit structure of the sanitary washing apparatus.

The cleaning unit 500 shown in fig. 6 is built in the main body 200, and cleans a part of a user.

As shown in fig. 6, washing unit 500 constituting the water circuit includes at least a nozzle device 800 for discharging washing water, and a series of washing water supply passages 690 for supplying washing water from water supply connection port 510 to nozzle device 800.

The water supply connection port 510, the filter 511, the check valve 512, the constant flow valve 513, the water stop solenoid valve 514, the relief valve 515, the sub-tank 600, the heat exchanger 700, the buffer tank 750, the water pump 516 constituting the displacement variable unit, the flow control valve 517, and the like are sequentially provided in the washing water supply flow path 690. Finally, wash water supply flow path 690 is connected to nozzle device 800.

The water supply connection port 510 is disposed on the lower right side of the main body 200, and is connected to, for example, an external water supply line. The filter 511 is disposed inside the water supply connection port 510 to prevent dirt and the like contained in the tap water from flowing in. The check valve 512 prevents water stored in the subtank 600 from flowing backward into the service water line.

The constant flow valve 513 is disposed downstream of the check valve 512, and keeps the amount of the washing water flowing into the washing water supply flow path 690 constant. The water stop solenoid valve 514 electrically opens and closes the washing water supply flow passage 690 in response to a signal from the control unit 130. As shown in fig. 7, the constant flow valve 513, the water stop solenoid valve 514, and the relief valve 515 are integrally formed.

The subtank 600 is disposed downstream of the water stop solenoid valve 514 and has an atmosphere opening 603. The heat exchanger 700 instantaneously heats the washing water. The buffer tank 750 makes the temperature of the hot water heated through the heat exchanger 700 uniform.

The water pump 516 constituting the water discharge amount variable portion is connected to the downstream of the buffer water tank 750. The nozzle device 800 is disposed downstream of the water pump 516, and is connected to the water pump 516 via a flow control valve 517. The buttocks-washing nozzle 831, the female-washing nozzle 832, the nozzle cleaning portion 833, and the like of the nozzle device 800 are connected to each valve port of the flow rate control valve 517.

As shown in fig. 6, the branch flow path 530 includes an opening/closing valve 530a, and is branched between the water pump 516 and the throttle valve 517 in the washing water supply flow path 690. Branch flow path 530 connects wash water supply flow path 690 with bubble generation unit 560.

The bubble generating portion 560 is constituted by a check valve 531, a bubble tank 532, a detergent tank 533, a detergent pump 534, an air pump 535, and the like.

The branch flow path 530 supplies washing water to the bubble tank 532 of the bubble generating unit 560 through the check valve 531.

The distribution nozzle 550 is connected to the downstream of the foam tank 532 and is rotationally driven by a distribution nozzle driving portion 550 a. The detergent tank 533 and the detergent pump 534 are connected to the bubble tank 532, and supply detergent to the bubble tank 532.

The air pump 535 sends air to the bubble tank 532 to which the washing water and the detergent are supplied, and in the case of the detergent, washing bubbles are generated. The generated cleaning foam, cleaning water, and the like are supplied from the foam tank 532 to the distribution nozzle 550.

The broken lines shown in fig. 6 indicate that the respective components are electrically connected to and controlled by the control unit 130.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, among the components constituting the cleaning unit 500, a water supply connection port 510, a filter 511, a check valve 512, a constant flow valve 513, a water stop solenoid valve 514, a relief valve 515, a sub tank 600, a heat exchanger 700, a buffer tank 750, and a water pump 516 are assembled to a chassis 501. The chassis 501 is molded from a resin material such as ABS, for example, and is assembled to the rear body case 201 of the main body 200 as shown in fig. 2.

Specifically, the filter 511 and the check valve 512 are integrally assembled with the water supply connection port 510. The constant flow valve 513 and the relief valve 515 are integrally assembled with the water stop solenoid valve 514. The buffer tank 750 is integrally formed with the heat exchanger 700.

The water supply connection port 510 and the water stop solenoid valve 514, the water stop solenoid valve 514 and the sub-tank 600, and the sub-tank 600 and the heat exchanger 700 are directly connected to each other via a gasket such as an O-ring (not shown) without via a connection pipe or the like. The components constituting the water circuit are fixed to predetermined positions of the chassis 501.

With the above structure, a watertight construction is achieved, and the accuracy of arrangement of the components with each other is improved. In particular, the arrangement accuracy of the subtank 600 and the heat exchanger 700 is improved. This improves the accuracy of controlling the flow rate of the washing water. As a result, the performance of the cleaning unit 500 is improved, and the accuracy of controlling the flow rate is improved.

Next, the structure of the water pump 516 constituting the displacement variable unit will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8, and with reference to fig. 14 and 15.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a water pump of the water circuit. Fig. 15 is a sectional view of the water pump.

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, the water pump 516 is, for example, a piston pump that is a positive displacement pump having a substantially L-shaped (including L-shaped) outer shape. The water pump 516 includes a substantially cylindrical (including cylindrical) motor portion 516a, a link mechanism portion 516b, a piston portion 516c, and the like. The link mechanism portion 516b converts the rotational motion of the motor into a reciprocating motion. The piston portion 516c is driven by the reciprocating motion of the link mechanism portion 516b, and sucks and discharges wash water. Therefore, the piston portion 516c has a water suction port 516d and a discharge port 516e as connection ports on the outer surface.

In the case of the water pump 516 of the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted: the vibration generated by the motor portion 516a, which is only in rotational motion, is smaller than the vibration generated by the link mechanism portion 516b and the piston portion 516c, which are accompanied by reciprocating motion.

The specific actions of the water pump 516 are: first, when the motor portion 516a is driven, the piston portion 516c starts reciprocating. Thereby, the piston portion 516c sucks wash water from the water suction port 516d and discharges the wash water from the discharge port 516 e. At this time, the washing water discharged from the discharge port 516e is discharged as a water flow accompanied by appropriate pulsation along with the reciprocation of the piston portion 516 c.

The outer periphery of the substantially cylindrical (including cylindrical) motor portion 516a of the water pump 516 having the above-described configuration is surrounded by a cushioning member (not shown) made of a foamed resin having elasticity. The motor portion 516a is inserted into a substantially cylindrical (including cylindrical) water pump setting portion 501a provided at the rear of the chassis 501. Thereby, the water pump installation section 501a supports the motor section 516 a. At this time, the link mechanism portion 516b and the piston portion 516c are suspended to hang downward.

As shown in fig. 7, the water pump installation portion 501a is formed of a thin ABS resin or the like, and is formed above a rib-like leg portion 501b rising from the bottom surface of the chassis 501. Thus, the vibration of the water pump 516 can be effectively absorbed by the elasticity of the resin constituting the water pump installation portion 501 a.

The hot water outlet 712, which is a connection port of the heat exchanger 700 in which the buffer tank 750 is integrally formed, and the water suction port 516d, which is a connection port of the water pump 516, are connected to each other by a soft resin connection pipe 502 (see fig. 8).

As described above, in the water pump 516 of the present embodiment, the motor portion 516a with small vibration is provided in the water pump installation portion 501a of the chassis 501, which is formed to be thin, with the buffer member interposed therebetween. On the other hand, the link mechanism portion 516b and the piston portion 516c, which have a large degree of vibration, are suspended in a free state. The piston portion 516c and the like are connected to the buffer tank 750 via a soft resin connection pipe 502 (see fig. 8). This suppresses transmission of vibration generated when the water pump 516 is driven to the chassis 501, other components, and the main body 200. As a result, the comfort and durability of the sanitary washing apparatus 100 during use are improved.

In particular, the water pump 516 is supported via two members made of different materials, namely, a cushioning member made of foamed resin and resin having elasticity that forms the water pump installation portion 501 a. Therefore, vibration of a wide range of frequencies can be absorbed. This can further effectively suppress the transmission of vibration to the main body 200.

As described above, the water circuit of the sanitary washing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is configured.

< 3 > structure of auxiliary water tank

The structure of the sub-tank of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 9 to 11.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the sub-tank of the water circuit. Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view of the subtank. Fig. 11 is a front-rear sectional view of the subtank.

First, as shown in fig. 9, the subtank 600 is composed of at least the following components and the like: for example, a tank main body 610 molded from a resin material such as ABS, a water level detection sensor 620, and an inlet water temperature sensor 630. The water level detection sensor 620 detects the level of the washing water stored in the tank main body 610. The inlet water temperature sensor 630 is composed of, for example, a thermistor, and detects the temperature of the washing water supplied into the tank main body 610.

The tank main body 610 is composed of three components, i.e., a front tank 611, a rear tank 612, and an atmosphere opening part 613, the front tank 611 constitutes a front wall, both side walls, a bottom surface, and a top surface of the tank, the rear tank 612 constitutes a rear wall of the tank, and the atmosphere opening part 613 is disposed on the top surface of the tank main body 610. The overall shape of the tank main body 610 is formed by a plurality of planes including a front wall, a rear wall, two side walls, a bottom surface, and a top surface, and as shown in fig. 10, the tank main body 610 is formed in a substantially quadrangular shape (including a quadrangle) when viewed from above. The front wall of the front water tank 611 has a slope receding from the middle. That is, as shown in fig. 11, the tank main body 610 has a substantially trapezoidal shape (including a trapezoidal shape) in which the upper portion is thinner than the lower portion in the shape when viewed from the side. Thus, the sectional area of the upper portion of the tank main body 610 is smaller than that of the lower portion.

Further, a water inlet 601 is provided at a lower portion of one side wall of the front water tank 611 of the tank main body 610, and a water outlet 602 is provided at a lower portion of a rear wall of the rear water tank 612 of the tank main body 610.

The atmosphere opening portion 613 disposed on the top surface of the tank main body 610 has an atmosphere opening port 603 for communicating the inside and the outside of the tank main body 610. The atmosphere opening port 603 releases the air stored in the tank main body 610 to the outside, and maintains the internal pressure of the tank main body 610 at atmospheric pressure at all times. Thus, the inside of the sub tank 600 is maintained at atmospheric pressure, and the wash water supply passage 690 from the downstream of the sub tank 600 to the water suction port 516d of the water pump 516 is also maintained at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the water pump 516 can supply the cleaning water to the nozzle device 800 without being affected by the variation in the water pressure of the supplied tap water or the like. As a result, the water pump 516 can exhibit a stable pump function.

As shown in fig. 10, in the water pump 516, the flow path 613b of the atmosphere opening portion 613, which communicates with the atmosphere opening port 603, has a buffer portion 613a having a large cross-sectional area in a part of the flow path 613 b. When the washing water is to flow out from the atmosphere opening port 603 with bubbles and the like, the buffer 613a temporarily stores the washing water. This suppresses the outflow of the washing water from the atmosphere opening port 603.

Also, the inside of the tank main body 610 has a partition wall 614. The partition wall 614 divides the inside of the tank main body 610 into two tanks, a water inlet tank 615 and a storage tank 616. The tank main body 610 has a water inlet 601 near the bottom surface of the side surface (front tank 611) of the water inlet tank 615, and has a water outlet 602 near the bottom surface of the rear wall (rear tank 612) of the storage tank 616.

That is, the tank main body 610 forms an inlet tank 615 and an accumulation tank 616 by a partition wall 614. Accordingly, when the cleaning water flowing in from the water inlet 601 contains air, the air is released to the outside from the upper part of the water inlet tank 615 through the atmosphere opening port 603. Therefore, only the cleaning water containing no air can be flowed into the storage tank 616.

Further, a barrier wall 617 is provided above the water inlet groove 615 of the tank main body 610 so as to protrude from a side wall of the front tank 611 of the tank main body 610 in a substantially horizontal direction (including the horizontal direction), and the barrier wall 617 is interposed between the upper surface opening portion 615a of the water inlet groove 615 and the atmosphere opening portion 613. The barrier 617 has a size covering the entire upper surface opening 615a of the water inlet 615.

The water inlet groove 615 has a plurality of flow straightening ribs 618 inside. Flow straightening ribs 618 are alternately provided on the side wall of the front tank 611 of the tank main body 610 and the partition wall 614 so as to protrude in a substantially horizontal direction (including the horizontal direction).

Next, the flow of the washing water in the subtank 600 will be described.

The washing water flowing in from the water inlet 601 of the sub-tank 600 first flows into the lower portion of the water inlet groove 615. The inflowing washing water rises in the water inlet tank 615 while changing the flow direction by the flow straightening ribs 618. At this time, the flow straightening ribs 618 properly straighten the flow of water when the pressure of the washing water flowing in from the water inlet 601 is high or when the flow is significantly disturbed due to the inclusion of a large amount of air. The flow straightening rib 618 generates a vortex on the downstream side of the flow straightening rib 618, and separates air contained in the cleaning water by the vortex.

The cleaning water having risen in the water inlet tank 615 and separated from the air flows over the upper end of the partition wall 614 and is stored in the storage tank 616. At this time, even when the pressure of the washing water flowing in from the water inlet 601 is high or when the flow is significantly disturbed due to the inclusion of a large amount of air, the flow of the washing water upward (toward the atmosphere opening portion 613) is suppressed by the barrier wall 617. That is, the barrier 617 prevents the wash water from directly hitting the atmosphere opening portion 613 and flowing out of the subtank 600 through the atmosphere opening port 603.

As described above, while the wash water flowing in from the water inlet 601 of the sub tank 600 rises in the water inlet tank 615, air contained in the wash water is separated by the rectifying rib 618 or the like. The separated air is discharged from the atmosphere opening port 603 to the outside of the tank main body 610. Thereby, the washing water containing no air is stored in the storage tank 616 and supplied to the heat exchanger 700 from the water outlet 602 of the sub-tank 600.

If air is mixed into the cleaning water supplied from the subtank 600 to the heat exchanger 700, air bubbles are generated inside the heat exchanger 700. This may cause an abnormal increase in the temperature inside heat exchanger 700, which may damage heat exchanger 700. Therefore, the sub tank 600 of the present embodiment is provided with a partition wall 614 to separate air from the washing water and prevent air from being mixed. Then, only the washing water is supplied to the heat exchanger 700. Thereby, the heat exchanger 700 is effectively prevented from being damaged.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the inside of the sub-tank 600 is provided with a water level detection sensor 620, and the water level detection sensor 620 is composed of: a common electrode 621 as a common electrode, which is formed of a stainless material; and a plurality of water level electrodes 622 provided in accordance with each water level. In the present embodiment, the example of the configuration of one common electrode 621 and two water level electrodes 622 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The common electrode 621 is disposed on the inner surface of the lower portion of the front wall of the tank main body 610. The water level electrode 622 is disposed on the inner surface of the rear wall of the tank main body 610. The water level electrode 622 is composed of an upper electrode 623 disposed at an upper portion and a lower electrode 624 disposed at a lower portion. The common electrode 621 is disposed at a position lower than the lower electrode 624 of the water level electrode 622, and is disposed at a position always immersed in the washing water in a normal use state.

That is, the common electrode 621, and the upper electrode 623 and the lower electrode 624, which are the water level electrodes 622, are provided on different surfaces. This can suppress erroneous detection of the remaining water adhering to the inner surface of the tank main body 610 as the stored water.

Here, a method of detecting the water level of the washing water by the water level electrode 622 will be described below.

First, a dc voltage is applied between the common electrode 621 and the water level electrode 622. Also, whether the water level electrode 622 is immersed in the washing water is detected according to the change of the voltage. Thereby, the water level of the washing water of the tank main body 610 is detected. That is, when the water level of the storage tank 616 rises, the lower electrode 624 and the upper electrode 623 are immersed in water. At this time, the voltage between the common electrode 621 and the lower and

upper electrodes

624 and 623 drops. Thus, the control unit 130 detects the water level of the washing water according to the voltage drop.

Further, the upper electrode 623 of the water level electrode 622 is used for detection of the upper limit water level, and the lower electrode 624 is used for detection of the lower limit water level. Therefore, the upper electrode 623 is disposed at a position lower than the atmosphere opening port 603. This prevents the washing water from flowing out through the atmosphere opening 603. The lower electrode 624 is disposed above the water outlet 602 through which water flows to the heat exchanger 700. This can prevent air from flowing into the heat exchanger 700.

As described above, the subtank 600 of the present embodiment is configured.

< 4 > structure of heat exchanger

Hereinafter, the structure of the heat exchanger of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of the heat exchanger of the water circuit. Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger 700 of the present embodiment is formed integrally with the buffer tank 750, and the buffer tank 750 is provided above the heat exchanger 700.

First, the heat exchanger 700 is formed in a substantially rectangular (including rectangular) flat plate shape when viewed from the front (see fig. 13). The heat exchanger 700 includes at least a housing 701, a ceramic flat plate heater 702, a heat outlet member 703, and the like, and the housing 701 is molded from, for example, a reinforced ABS resin obtained by blending glass fibers with an ABS resin.

The housing 701 is composed of a front member 710 constituting a front surface portion and a rear member 720 constituting a rear surface portion. The flat plate-like heater 702 is disposed in a space formed between the front member 710 and the back member 720. The heating flow path 715 is formed by a gap between the facing portion of the front member 710 and the flat plate-like heater 702 and the facing portion of the rear member 720 and the flat plate-like heater 702.

The heat exchanger 700 configured as described above heats the washing water flowing through the heating flow path 715 instantaneously by the flat plate-shaped heater 702 to increase the temperature.

Further, in the heat exchanger 700, a water inlet 711 serving as a connection port is provided on the right side of the lower end of the front surface of the front member 710, and a hot water outlet 712 serving as a connection port of the hot water outlet 703 is provided on the upper end of the right side surface of the front member 710.

As shown in fig. 13, a water inlet flow path 713 connected to the water inlet 711 is provided substantially over the entire width (including the entire width) of the lower end portion of the housing 701. A plurality of slits 714 are provided over the entire width of the upper surface of the inlet flow channel 713. The washing water flowing into the water inlet flow channel 713 flows into the heating flow channel 715 through the slits 714. The slits 714 have a function of allowing washing water to uniformly flow into the heating flow path 715 over the entire width thereof.

A partition rib 716 is provided at the upper end of the heating flow path 715, and a buffer water tank 750 is provided above the partition rib 716. A plurality of water passage holes 717 are provided substantially over the entire width (including the entire width) of the partition rib 716. Thus, the washing water heated by the heating flow path 715 flows into the buffer water tank 750 through the water passage hole 717.

Further, in the buffer water tank 750, projections 718 having, for example, a substantially semicircular (including semicircular) cross-sectional shape are provided at intervals substantially over the entire width (including the entire width). The protrusion 718 disturbs the flow of the washing water flowing toward the hot water outlet 712 in the buffer water tank 750. Thus, the washing water is mixed, and temperature unevenness of the washing water is eliminated. As a result, the washing water of uniform temperature flows out through the hot water outlet 712.

The hot water outlet 703 is provided with two thermistors, i.e., a hot water outlet temperature sensor 730 and an excessive temperature rise sensor 731. The hot water outlet temperature sensor 730 detects the hot water outlet temperature of the washing water. The excessive temperature increase sensor 731 detects an excessive temperature increase of the heat exchanger 700. Thus, the controller 130 controls the temperature of the washing water flowing out of the heat exchanger 700.

As described above, the heat exchanger 700 of the present embodiment is configured.

< 5 > structure of nozzle device

Hereinafter, the structure of the nozzle device of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 16 to 28.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing a housed state of the nozzle device of the present embodiment. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 17-17 of fig. 16. Fig. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a housed state of the nozzle device. Fig. 19 is a detailed sectional view of the portion B shown in fig. 18. Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 20-20 of fig. 19. Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a storage state of the nozzle device. Fig. 22 is a detailed sectional view of the portion C shown in fig. 21. Fig. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a hip-washing state of the nozzle device. Fig. 24 is a detailed sectional view of the portion D shown in fig. 23. Fig. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a female cleansing state of the nozzle device. Fig. 26 is a detailed sectional view of the portion E shown in fig. 25. Fig. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle unit showing a state of washing for women of the nozzle unit. Fig. 28 is a detailed sectional view of the portion F shown in fig. 27.

As shown in fig. 16, the nozzle device 800 includes at least a support portion 810, a nozzle portion 820, a cleaning nozzle driving portion 860, a flow regulating valve 517, and the like. The support portion 810 is formed by molding a resin material such as POM (polyoxymethylene) or ABS, and is formed into a substantially triangular (including triangular) frame shape when viewed from the side. The nozzle 820 moves forward and backward along the support 810. The cleaning nozzle driving unit 860 drives the nozzle 820 to move forward and backward. The flow control valve 517 switches supply of the cleaning water to the nozzle portion 820.

In the following description of the nozzle device 800, the arrangement of the components will be described with the storage direction of the nozzle 820 being rearward, the advancing direction of the nozzle 820 being forward, the right side from the rearward to the forward, and the left side being leftward.

The support portion 810 is formed in a frame shape including an inclined portion 812 and a vertical side portion 813, the inclined portion 812 is lowered from a rear portion toward a front portion with respect to a substantially horizontal (including horizontal) bottom side portion 811, and the vertical side portion 813 joins the bottom side portion 811 and a rear end of the inclined portion 812. The inclined portion 812 has a guide rail 814 for guiding the nozzle portion 820 to move forward and backward and a rack guide 815 (see fig. 17) for guiding a flexible rack 861 (see fig. 17) of the cleaning nozzle driving portion 860 formed substantially over the entire length (including the entire length). A substantially cylindrical (including cylindrical) clasping portion 816 is integrally formed below the front end of the inclined portion 812, and the clasping portion 816 supports the nozzle portion 820 so as to surround it.

As shown in fig. 16, the guide rail 814 of the guide nozzle portion 820 is formed in a substantially T-shaped cross section (including a T-shaped cross section). The rack guide 815, which guides the flexible rack 861, has the following structure: the flexible rack 861 has a substantially U shape (including a U shape) with one side surface open when viewed in cross section, and is guided so as to restrict the upper and lower surfaces and one side surface of the flexible rack 861.

A rack guide 815 is also continuously formed from the inclined portion 812 on the longitudinal side portion 813 and the bottom side portion 811 at the rear of the support portion 810. The inclined portion 812 of the rack guide 815 is connected to the longitudinal side portion 813, and the longitudinal side portion 813 is connected to a corner of the bottom side portion 811 in an arc shape, for example. The rack guide 815 formed on the vertical side portion 813 and the bottom side portion 811 also has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape (including a U-shape). On the other hand, the side surface of the rack guide 815 is open on the left side surface at the inclined portion 812 and on the right side surface opposite to the vertical side portion 813 and the bottom side portion 811. Thereby, the sliding resistance can be reduced, and the flexible rack 861 can be guided more reliably. The open surfaces of the vertical side portion 813 and the bottom side portion 811 of the rack guide 815 are closed by, for example, a support portion cover or the like which is a separate member.

The cleaning nozzle driving unit 860 includes a flexible rack 861 coupled to the nozzle 820, a pinion 862 engaged with the flexible rack 861, and a driving motor 863 for driving the pinion 862 to rotate. The cleaning nozzle driving unit 860 moves the nozzle 820 forward and backward along the guide 814.

The drive motor 863 is formed of, for example, a stepping motor, and is controlled in rotation angle by a pulse signal. The flexible rack 861 is driven by the rotation of the drive motor 863 via the pinion 862.

A gap is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the clasping portion 816 of the support portion 810 and the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 820. Thereby, the washing water ejected from the nozzle portion 820 flows into the gap to wash the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle portion 820.

The nozzle cover 801 is openably and closably provided in front of the clasping portion 816 and is opened and closed by advancing and retreating the nozzle portion 820. Then, the nozzle cover 801 is closed in a state where the nozzle portion 820 is stored. This prevents the nozzle 820 from being contaminated with feces and the like.

A water supply joint 817 is provided at a bottom portion 811 of the support portion 810, and the water supply joint 817 connects a water supply pipe (not shown) connected to the washing water supply flow passage 690 and a connection pipe 802 that supplies washing water from the support portion 810 to the flow control valve 517.

As shown in fig. 21, the nozzle portion 820 includes at least a rod-shaped nozzle body 830, a nozzle cover 840, a coupling portion 850, and the like, and the nozzle body 830 is molded from a resin material such as ABS. The nozzle cover 840 is formed in a cylindrical shape and covers substantially the entire (including the entire) nozzle body 830. The coupling portion 850 pulls the nozzle cover 840 by the nozzle body 830.

As shown in fig. 6, the nozzle body 830 of the nozzle portion 820 includes: a buttocks washing nozzle 831 which washes a part; a female washing nozzle 832 for washing a female part; and a nozzle cleaning portion 833 for cleaning the nozzle portion 820.

As shown in fig. 23 and 24, buttocks washing portion 831 is constituted by buttocks washing discharge port 834 which opens upward at the front end portion of nozzle main body 830, and buttocks washing flow path 835 which communicates from the rear end of nozzle main body 830 to buttocks washing discharge port 834. Hip cleaning flow path 835 is provided at the lower side of nozzle body 830, and a bent portion bent upward is provided below hip cleaning ejection port 834. A rectifying plate 835a rectifying the flow of the washing water is provided in the bent portion. Thus, the washing water discharged from hip washing discharge port 834 is discharged upward through discharge opening 844 of nozzle cover 840.

As shown in fig. 25 and 26, the female cleansing portion 832 is constituted by a female cleansing ejection port 836 and a female cleansing flow path 837, the female cleansing ejection port 836 being disposed rearward of the hip cleansing ejection port 834, and the female cleansing flow path 837 communicating with the female cleansing ejection port 836 from the rear end of the nozzle body 830. The washing water ejected from the female washing ejection port 836 is ejected upward through the ejection opening 844 of the nozzle cover 840.

As shown in fig. 27, the nozzle cleaning portion 833 is configured by a nozzle cleaning ejection port 838 and a nozzle cleaning flow path 839, the nozzle cleaning ejection port 838 being disposed on a side surface of the nozzle main body 830, and the nozzle cleaning flow path 839 communicating with the nozzle cleaning ejection port 838 from a rear end of the nozzle main body 830. The washing water ejected from nozzle cleaning ejection port 838 is ejected into nozzle cover 840 and discharged from water discharge port 845 of nozzle cover 840 to the outside of nozzle cover 840. The cleaning water ejected from the nozzle cleaning ejection port 838 is used to clean the nozzle portion 820 and the periphery thereof.

The front of the nozzle 820 is supported in a state inserted into the clasping portion 816 of the support 810. The rear portion of the nozzle portion 820 is slidably provided while being suspended on the guide rail 814. The nozzle portion 820 is configured to be able to move forward and backward between a storage position shown in fig. 16, in which the nozzle portion 820 is stored rearward of the clasping portion 816, a hip cleaning position shown in fig. 23, in which the nozzle portion 820 protrudes from the clasping portion 816, and a woman cleaning position shown in fig. 25.

As shown in fig. 21, the nozzle cover 840 is composed of a nozzle cover main body 841 and a coupling member 842. The nozzle cover body 841 is formed by processing a stainless steel thin plate into a cylindrical shape, for example, so that the front end surface is formed as a closed surface and the rear end surface is formed as an open surface. The connecting member 842 is formed by molding a resin material such as ABS, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape (including a cylindrical shape), and has connecting pieces 843 (see fig. 22) at both side portions thereof, which engage with the nozzle body 830.

A nozzle cover stopper (not shown) that limits the sliding range of the nozzle cover 840 is integrally formed at the rear end right side of the coupling member 842. The nozzle cover stopper abuts against front and rear stopper receiving portions (not shown) formed in the supporting portion 810, thereby limiting the sliding range of the nozzle cover 840.

A part of the coupling member 842 is fixed and integrated in a state of being inserted into the nozzle cover main body 841 from an opening at the rear end of the nozzle cover main body 841.

On the front upper surface of the nozzle cover main body 841, for example, one ejection opening 844 is provided, and the ejection opening 844 can be opposed to the hip cleaning ejection port 834 and the female cleaning ejection port 836 of the nozzle main body 830. A drain opening 845 is provided on a front lower surface of the nozzle cover body 841, and the drain opening 845 discharges the washing water flowing out into the nozzle cover body 841 to the outside.

In addition, the inner diameter of the nozzle cover 840 has a size slightly larger than the outer diameter of the nozzle body 830. Thereby, the nozzle body 830 and the nozzle cover 840 are configured to be smoothly slidable with respect to each other in a state where the nozzle body 830 is inserted into the nozzle cover 840.

A flow regulating valve 517 is provided on the rear end surface of the nozzle body 830. As shown in fig. 6, the flow control valve 517 is composed of, for example, a disk-shaped valve main body 517a and a stepping motor 517b that drives switching operation. By switching the flow control valve 517, washing water is selectively supplied to the hip cleaning flow path 835, the female cleaning flow path 837, and the nozzle cleaning flow path 839.

A water supply port 517c (see fig. 16) is provided on an outer surface of a valve body 517a of the flow adjusting valve 517, and the water supply port 517c supplies washing water to the flow adjusting valve 517. The water supply port 517c is connected to and communicates with the water supply joint 817 of the support portion 810 via the connection pipe 802.

Next, a coupling portion 850 formed by a coupling member 842 of the nozzle cover 840 and a coupling receiving portion 851 of the nozzle body 830 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 22 and 28.

As shown in fig. 22 and 28, a coupling receiving portion 851 is formed on the right side of the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the nozzle body 830. The coupling receiving portion 851 is formed by 2 grooves of a front concave portion 851a and a rear concave portion 851b having substantially V-shapes (including V-shapes), and is arranged at a distance from each other in the front-rear direction. Further, the interval between the front recess 851a and the rear recess 851b is set to a size equal to the interval between the hip wash ejection port 834 and the female wash ejection port 836.

On the other hand, the connecting member 842 of the nozzle cover 840 is formed of a substantially cylindrical (including cylindrical) resin material such as ABS or POM, and has connecting pieces 843 projecting rearward on both sides of the rear portion. The connecting piece 843 has a connecting protrusion 843a having a substantially V-shape (including a V-shape) protruding inward at the rear end.

When the nozzle body 830 is inserted into the nozzle cover 840, the coupling protrusions 843a of the coupling members 842 of the nozzle cover 840 are always pressed against the coupling receiving portions 851 of the nozzle body 830 due to elasticity. At this time, when the coupling protrusion 843a engages with either the front recessed portion 851a or the rear recessed portion 851b, the nozzle main body 830 and the nozzle cover 840 are coupled to each other. Thereby, the nozzle cover 840 can be pulled and moved by the nozzle body 830.

In addition, as shown in fig. 22, in a state where the coupling projection 843a enters the front recessed portion 851a, as shown in fig. 26, the female cleansing ejection port 836 of the nozzle body 830 and the ejection opening 844 of the nozzle cover 840 face each other. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 28, in a state where the coupling protrusion 843a enters the rear recessed portion 851b, the hip cleaning ejection port 834 and the ejection opening 844 face each other as shown in fig. 19 and 24. This enables the washing water to be ejected from a predetermined ejection port.

As described above, the nozzle device 800 of the present embodiment is configured.

< 6 > control and action of the washing section

The control and operation of the cleaning unit of the sanitary cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described below.

First, the basic operation of the cleaning unit 500 will be described below with reference to fig. 6 and 26.

First, tap water flowing through the tap water line is supplied as washing water from the water supply connection port 510. Further, the water stop solenoid valve 514 is opened to supply the washing water to the subtank 600. At this time, the flow rate of the washing water flowing through the washing water supply flow path 690 is maintained constant by the constant flow valve 513. The driving of the water stop solenoid valve 514 is controlled by the control unit 130 in accordance with the operations of the remote controller 400 and the operation unit 210.

Next, the washing water fed to the sub-tank 600 is stored in the sub-tank 600, and is fed to the heat exchanger 700 and the water pump 516 constituting the water discharge amount variable unit. Then, the control unit 130 drives the water pump 516 to supply the washing water to the nozzle device 800 through the flow control valve 517. The driving of the water pump 516 is controlled by the control unit 130 in accordance with the operations of the remote controller 400 and the operation unit 210.

Next, the controller 130 energizes the flat plate heater 702 of the heat exchanger 700 to start heating the washing water. At this time, the control unit 130 controls the energization of the flat plate heater 702 based on the detection information of the inlet water temperature sensor 630 and the outlet hot water temperature sensor 730. That is, the control unit 130 controls the washing water to be maintained at the temperature set by the hot water temperature switch 231 of the operation unit 210.

Next, the control unit 130 controls switching of the flow control valve 517 based on operation information of the operation unit 210 and the remote controller 400. That is, the control unit 130 switches the flow control valve 517 to any one of the hip washing nozzle 831, the female washing nozzle 832, and the nozzle cleaning unit 833 of the nozzle device 800, and supplies the washing water. Thereby, the washing water is ejected from any one of the hip wash ejection port 834, the female wash ejection port 836, and the nozzle cleaning ejection port 838.

The control of the subtank 600 according to the present embodiment, particularly, the details of the water level detection and the flow rate detection will be described below.

First, the control of the cleaning unit 500 in the initial use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 29.

Fig. 29 is a timing chart of the cleaning portion at the time of initial use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus. The initial use corresponds to a state where the washing water is not stored in the washing unit, such as a case where the washing unit is first used after installation of the sanitary washing apparatus, or a case where the washing unit is reused after a drain operation for freeze prevention.

As shown in fig. 29, at time P1, the user operates the operation unit 210 or the wash switch (for example, the hip wash switch 221 or 410) of the remote controller 400. Accordingly, the controller 130 starts supplying the washing water into the subtank 600 and starts driving the water level detection sensor 620 by energizing the water stop solenoid valve 514. After the hip washing is stopped at time P14, the washing is finished, and the washing water is supplied to the subtank 600, and the water level detection sensor 620 continues to be driven until the water level detection sensor 620 detects the upper limit water level.

Next, at time P2, when water level detection sensor 620 detects the upper limit water level, control unit 130 starts time measurement. At time P3 when a predetermined time has elapsed, the energization of the water stop solenoid valve 514 is stopped to stop the supply of the washing water.

In the present embodiment, the energization is stopped after, for example, 2 seconds after the upper limit water level is detected. This is because the inside of the subtank 600 and the inside of the heat exchanger 700 are normally in a full water state at the time point P2 when the upper limit water level is detected. Here, the conveyance is continued for an extra 2 seconds. This allows the heat exchanger 700 and the water pump 516 to be filled with the cleaning water more reliably, thereby eliminating air in the heat exchanger 700 and the like. As a result, dry burning of the heat exchanger 700 due to the residual air is more reliably prevented, and safety and durability can be improved. At the same time, the washing water can be reliably delivered to the water pump 516 constituting the water discharge amount variable portion to be brought into a full water state. This enables the water pump 516 in the full water state to be started, and the washing water can be more reliably sent to the nozzle portion 820.

Next, at a timing P3 when the energization of the water stop solenoid valve 514 is stopped, the control unit 130 starts driving the water pump 516. At the same time, the flow control valve 517 is driven to start supply of the washing water to, for example, the hip cleaning passage 835 of the nozzle portion 820. At this time, the water level of the washing water in the subtank 600 is lowered by the driving of the water pump 516, and the detection of the upper limit water level is released by the water level detection sensor 620 at a time point P4. Then, at time P4, control unit 130 starts driving heat exchanger 700. That is, the normal operation of the water pump 516 can be confirmed by detecting the water level drop. This can prevent an abnormal temperature rise of the heat exchanger 700 such as dry burning.

The washing water supplied to hip cleaning flow path 835 is ejected from hip cleaning ejection port 834. The discharged washing water is reflected by the discharge opening 844 contacting the inner surface of the clasping portion 816 provided at the front end of the support portion 810. Thereby, the outer circumferential surface of the nozzle cover 840 is cleaned. Hereinafter, the above cleaning operation is referred to as "front washing". The pre-cleaning is continued until a time point P5 after 2 seconds from when the hot water temperature of the heat exchanger 700 reaches, for example, 25 ℃.

Next, at time P5, when the pre-cleaning is finished, the control unit 130 starts driving the cleaning nozzle driving unit 860 of the nozzle device 800. Then, the nozzle 820 is advanced from the storage position to the hip cleaning position. At this time, while moving from the storage position to the hip washing position, the control unit 130 switches the flow control valve 517 to supply washing water to the nozzle cleaning flow path 839. The washing water supplied to nozzle cleaning flow path 839 is ejected from nozzle cleaning ejection port 838 into nozzle cover 840. The sprayed washing water washes the inner surface of nozzle cover 840 and then flows out of nozzle cover 840 through drain hole 845. During this time, the nozzle portion 820 is heated by the washing water heated by the heat exchanger 700. Thus, the ejection of cold water can be prevented in advance at the time of the hip washing performed thereafter, and the unpleasant feeling of the user can be eliminated.

Next, at a time point P6 when the nozzle 820 reaches the hip-washing position, the control unit 130 switches the throttle valve 517 to start supplying washing water to the hip-washing flow path 835. The washing water supplied to hip cleaning flow path 835 is ejected from hip cleaning ejection port 834. The washing water passes through the ejection opening 844 to wash the user's private parts. Further, the hip washing is continued to, for example, a time point P11 at which the user performs an operation of stopping the washing.

At this time, the control unit 130 controls the temperature of the washing water to be a set temperature based on the detection data of the inlet water temperature sensor 630 and the outlet hot water temperature sensor 730 while driving the heat exchanger 700.

When the water pump 516 continues to be driven from the time point P3, the level of the washing water in the subtank 600 gradually decreases. Therefore, at a time point P7 when the water level detection sensor 620 detects the lower limit water level, the controller 130 starts energization of the water stop solenoid valve 514 to supply the washing water. Thereafter, the controller 130 continues to energize the water stop solenoid valve 514 until a time point P8 when the water level detection sensor 620 detects the upper limit water level.

At a time point P8 when the upper limit water level is detected, the control unit 130 stops the energization of the water stop solenoid valve 514 and starts the time measurement. Further, the elapsed time until the next time point P9 at which the water level detection sensor 620 detects the lower limit water level is measured.

Next, at the time point P9 when the lower limit water level is detected, the control unit 130 calculates the measured elapsed time and the amount of water (for example, 65cc) from the upper limit water level to the lower limit water level to calculate the flow rate. When the flow rate set for each washing intensity differs from the flow rate of the discharged water at the time P10 when the calculation by the flow rate calculation processing unit is finished, the control unit 130 adjusts the output of the water pump 516 to correct the flow rate of the washing water.

Next, at a timing P11 when the user performs an operation to stop the washing by operation unit 210 or remote controller 400, controller 130 stops the energization of water pump 516 and heat exchanger 700. At the same time, the control unit 130 drives the cleaning nozzle driving unit 860 of the nozzle device 800 to move the nozzle 820 backward from the hip cleaning position to the storage position.

At time P12 when the nozzle 820 retreats to the storage position, the control unit 130 stops driving the cleaning nozzle driving unit 860. At the same time, the control unit 130 drives the water pump 516 and the heat exchanger 700 again to start the "post-cleaning" of the cleaning nozzle portion 820.

Next, at a time point P13 when a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 130 stops driving the water pump 516 and the heat exchanger 700. This completes the "post-cleaning".

Next, at a time point P13 when the post-cleaning of the nozzle 820 is completed, the control unit 130 energizes the water stop solenoid valve 514 again to supply the cleaning water to the sub-tank 600. Then, at a time point P14 when the water level detection sensor 620 detects the upper limit water level, the controller 130 stops energizing the water stop solenoid valve 514, and ends a series of control of the hip washing. Thus, the washing unit 500 is in a standby state in a full state in which the subtank 600 is at the upper limit water level.

As described above, the control of the cleaning unit in the initial use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is executed.

Hereinafter, the control of the cleaning unit in the normal use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 30.

Fig. 30 is a timing chart of the cleaning unit in normal use of the sanitary cleaning apparatus. In addition, the normal use corresponds to a case where the sanitary washing apparatus in the standby state in which the sanitary washing apparatus has been used for the initial use has performed the washing operation.

Here, the control of the washing portion at the time of normal use shown in fig. 30 is different from the control of the washing portion at the time of initial use shown in fig. 29 in that the subtank 600 is already in a full water state at a time point P20 at which the washing operation is performed; and the control unit 130 stores the case where the initial use has been performed.

First, as shown in fig. 30, in the standby state where the subtank 600 is in the full water state at time 20, the user operates the operation unit 210 or the wash switch (for example, the hip wash switch 221 or 410) of the remote controller 400. Thereby, the control unit 130 energizes the water pump 516 to start supplying the washing water to the predetermined nozzle portion. At the same time, the energization to the heat exchanger 700 is started according to the stored data on which the control of the initial operation has been performed.

Further, the "pre-cleaning" operation of the nozzle device 800 is started at the same time. Then, the control unit 130 starts driving the water level detection sensor 620.

That is, the initial use described with reference to fig. 29 differs from the normal use in the control from the time when the cleaning operation is performed to the time when the energization of the heat exchanger 700 is started, and the control, operation, and operation after the time P5 when the driving of the nozzle device 800 is started are the same as those in fig. 29, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

As described above, the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment detects a change in the water level of the washing water by the water level detection sensor provided in the sub-tank, and calculates the flow rate by calculation. This eliminates the need to separately provide a flow sensor or the like dedicated to the cleaning unit for detecting the flow rate. As a result, the structure of the cleaning unit can be simplified, and cost reduction can be achieved.

In addition, the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment corrects the threshold value for determining the change in the output voltage between the electrodes in the detection of the water level, based on the temperature. Thus, the accuracy of water level detection and flow rate detection can be improved, and water having different conductivity in a wide range can be used as the washing water of the sanitary washing apparatus. As a result, the usable range and the usability of the sanitary washing apparatus can be further improved.

In the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment, when the sanitary washing apparatus is initially used, the water continues to be supplied for a predetermined time after the full water state of the subtank is detected. At the same time, when the water pump is driven and the water level detection sensor detects the removal of the upper limit water level, the heat exchanger starts to be energized. This makes it possible to determine that the heat exchanger is reliably supplied with the cleaning water, and as a result, dry burning of the heat exchanger can be prevented. Therefore, the structure can be simplified as compared with the structure for preventing dry burning that generally uses a flow sensor. As a result, a sanitary washing apparatus having high safety and reliability can be realized at low cost.

As described above, the control, operation, and operation of the cleaning unit of the sanitary cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment are executed.

< 7 > control, action and action of discharge of the dispersion nozzle towards the inner surface of the bowl

Hereinafter, the discharge control, operation, and operation of the discharge nozzle toward the toilet bowl inner surface according to the sanitary washing apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 31 to 36.

Fig. 31 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a scattering nozzle of the sanitary washing apparatus. Fig. 32 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispensing nozzle. Fig. 33 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an arrangement state of the scattering nozzle in the sanitary washing apparatus. Fig. 34 is a front view showing an arrangement state of the scattering nozzle in the sanitary washing apparatus. Fig. 35 is a plan view showing the arrangement position of the distribution nozzle and the rotation angle of the discharge port of the distribution nozzle in the sanitary washing apparatus. Fig. 36 is a graph showing pump output according to the rotation angle of the discharge port of the distribution nozzle.

As shown in fig. 31 and 32, the distribution nozzle 550 is composed of a distribution nozzle driving unit 550a, a main body 550c, a rotary nozzle 550d, and the like. The spray nozzle driving unit 550a is constituted by, for example, a motor, and rotationally drives the rotary nozzle 550 d. The body portion 550c has an inlet flow path 550b and an inlet hole 550h, and supplies washing foam, washing water, and the like generated by the foam generating unit 560 shown in fig. 6 to the rotary nozzle 550 d. The main body 550c rotatably holds the rotary nozzle 550d, which is axially sealed by the O-rings 550e and 550f, inside. Further, an X-ring may be used instead of the O-ring 550 f. This can reduce the torque required for rotating the rotary nozzle 550 d. In addition, sticking of the rotary nozzle 550d can be more reliably prevented. As a result, the distribution nozzle driving unit 550a can use a small-sized low-torque motor.

The rotary nozzle 550d is fitted to the spray nozzle driving unit 550a via a shaft 550n as a rotary drive body, and is driven to rotate.

As described above, the distribution nozzle 550 of the present embodiment is configured and operates as follows.

First, washing water or washing foam generated by the foam generating part 560 of fig. 6 is supplied from the inlet flow path 550b of the main body part 550c of the distribution nozzle 550. The supplied washing water or washing foam is supplied into the rotary nozzle 550d from a plurality of inlet holes 550h of the body portion 550c opened around the rotary nozzle 550 d. Thereafter, the water is discharged from the discharge opening 550u of the rotary nozzle 550d toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl and the hip-washing nozzle 831 and the like.

As shown in fig. 34 and 35, the distribution nozzle 550 is provided at a position on the right side of the center of the main body 200. This is because the hip washing nozzle 831 and the like, which are washing nozzles for washing the human body part, are preferentially arranged at the center. Therefore, the distribution nozzle 550 is disposed on either the left or right side rather than the center. In addition, the above configuration may be reversed, as a matter of course.

Next, the discharge control of the cleansing foam and the like from the spray nozzle 550 will be described with reference to fig. 6.

In the following, the discharge control of the distribution nozzle 550 in the case where the user is in the non-seated state and the toilet seat is in the closed state will be described.

First, when the user enters the toilet, the control unit 130 of the sanitary washing apparatus 100 detects the entry of a person by the human body detection sensor 450. At the same time, the control unit 130 shifts to the operation of the toilet bowl bubble dispersion, and starts the operation of the water pump 516 constituting the displacement variable unit. Further, control unit 130 opens on-off valve 530a of branch flow path 530.

In this case, the flow control valve 517 for switching the flow path to the hip-washing nozzle 831, the female-washing nozzle 832, the nozzle cleaning portion 833, or the like is in a closed state. Therefore, the washing water from the heat exchanger 700 is supplied to the distribution nozzle 550 via the branch flow path 530, the check valve 531 constituting the bubble generating unit 560, and the bubble tank 532. The supplied wash water is discharged from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl and the hip washing nozzle 831 and the like.

At this time, the control unit 130 drives the spray nozzle driving unit 550a of the spray nozzle 550 to rotationally drive the discharge port 550u of the rotating nozzle 550 d. Thus, the wash water or wash foam discharged from discharge port 550u spreads to the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl and to hip washing nozzle 831, etc., thereby forming a water film or foam film. This prevents the adhesion of dirt and the like.

In addition, as shown in fig. 35, the distance from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the inner surface of the toilet bowl is different according to the rotation angle direction of the distribution nozzle 550.

That is, when the rotation angle of the distribution nozzle 550 disposed at the above-described position is changed, as shown in fig. 35, when the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is 160 °, the distance from the discharge port 550u to the toilet bowl inner surface is longest (farther). On the other hand, when the rotation angle of the discharge opening 550u is 340 ° (corresponding to the position rotated by 180 ° from the above-mentioned 160 °), the distance from the discharge opening 550u to the toilet bowl inner surface is shortest (close).

Therefore, as shown in fig. 36, the control unit 130 controls the output of the water pump 516 constituting the water discharge amount variable unit to be changed according to the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550.

Hereinafter, a method of controlling the output of the water pump 516 according to the rotation angle of the distribution nozzle 550 will be described.

First, when the control unit 130 detects that the user enters the toilet through the human body detection sensor 450, the control unit starts the control.

Next, the control unit 130 changes the output of the water pump 516 constituting the water discharge amount variable unit in a range from "high" to "low" as shown in fig. 36 according to the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550, and discharges the wash foam or the like.

Specifically, the control unit 130 increases (raises) the output of the water pump 516 around the rotation angle of 160 ° at which the distance to the inner surface of the toilet bowl is the longest (far) as shown in fig. 35. On the other hand, the control unit 130 decreases (lowers) the output of the water pump 516 when the rotation angle at which the distance to the inner surface of the toilet bowl is shortest (close) is around 340 °.

That is, the control part 130 controls the discharge amount (and the discharge speed) of the wash water and the wash foam from the discharge opening 550u according to the rotation angle of the spray nozzle 550, that is, the distance between the discharge opening 550u and the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

More specifically, in the case of discharging wash foam and wash water to the front of the toilet bowl located at the farthest distance from the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle 550, the output of the water pump 516 is made "high", and the wash foam and wash water are discharged with the strongest momentum. Thus, the washing foam and the washing water can sufficiently reach the inner surface of the front of the toilet bowl.

On the other hand, in the case of discharging the wash foam and wash water to the rear of the toilet bowl located at the closest distance from the discharge port 550u of the spray nozzle 550, the output of the water pump 516 is made "low", and the wash foam and wash water are discharged with the weakest momentum. This prevents the occurrence of undesirable conditions such as wash foam and wash water rebound.

Before use, the washing water or the washing foam is discharged to the entire inner surface of the toilet bowl to form a water film or a foam film. This prevents the adhesion of dirt during use.

In the present embodiment, when the human body detection sensor 450 detects that the user enters the toilet, or when the user operates the dispersion switch 417 through the operation unit 210 or the remote controller 400, the wash foam is dispersed to the inner surface of the toilet bowl. At this time, as shown in fig. 36, the control part 130 spreads the wash foam to the inner surface of the toilet while varying the output of the water pump 516 constituting the displacement variable part. Specifically, the control portion 130 first rotates the spray nozzle driving portion 550a in the forward direction (e.g., clockwise), and sprays the wash foam while moving the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle from the toilet bowl rear toward the toilet bowl rear via the toilet bowl front. Then, the control part 130 rotates the spray nozzle driving part 550a in a reverse direction (e.g., counterclockwise), and sprays the wash foam while moving the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle 550 from the toilet bowl rear toward the direction of returning to the toilet bowl rear via the toilet bowl front. That is, the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle 550 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, and the wash foam is sprayed over the inner circumferential surface of the toilet bowl by at least one reciprocating rotational motion.

Thus, the output of the displacement variable portion is controlled so that the wash foam reaches the vicinity of the edge 110a of the toilet bowl 110, and the wash foam can be spread over substantially the entire circumference (including the entire circumference) of the inner surface of the toilet bowl 110. As a result, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed.

In this case, as shown in fig. 36, the control unit 130 may control such that the cleansing foam is discharged as follows: the output of the discharge amount varying unit is lower in the forward rotation of the spray nozzle driving unit 550a than in the reverse rotation of the spray nozzle driving unit 550 a. Thus, if the output of the water discharge amount variable portion is increased, the momentum of discharging the cleansing foam is increased, and thereby the cleansing foam can be spread to a distant place (position) from the spreading nozzle. On the other hand, if the output of the water discharge amount variable portion is reduced, the momentum of discharging the cleansing foam is weak, and therefore the cleansing foam can be spread to a closer portion (position) from the spreading nozzle. Specifically, as shown by the spreading movement locus TF indicated by the dotted line in fig. 35, in the forward rotation (clockwise), the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the spreading nozzle is directed toward the inner side of the draft surface 110b with respect to the edge 110a of the toilet bowl 110 to spread the wash foam. On the other hand, in the reverse rotation (counterclockwise), the wash foam is spread with the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the spreading nozzle directed toward the side close to the edge 110a of the toilet stool 110 as the spreading movement trajectory TR shown by the dotted line in fig. 35.

Thereby, at the beginning of starting the spreading of the wash foam (at the time of the forward rotation), first, the draft surface 110b at the upper portion of the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool 110 can be covered by the wash foam. Thereafter, upon reverse rotation, the wash foam can be spread over substantially the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl 110 near the rim 110 a. As a result, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt can be effectively suppressed.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, 33, 34, and 35, the spray nozzle 550 is disposed at a position in front of the main body 200 that is placed on the toilet bowl 110 and fixed thereto. That is, the spray nozzle 550 is provided at a position on the front side of the front end position in the state where the nozzle device 800 is stored, in which the body is washed by projecting the washing nozzle 831 from the storage position to the hip washing or female washing position. Therefore, upon the rotational driving, the cleansing foam can be spread until the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the spreading nozzle is directed toward the rear of the toilet bowl 110. This forms a foam film of the cleansing foam on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl 110, and can suppress the adhesion of dirt.

In the above description, the following configuration is exemplified: the control is performed such that the output of the water pump 516 as the water discharge amount variable portion is changed while the wash foam is dispersed into the toilet stool, but is not limited thereto. For example, the following configuration may be adopted for the distribution nozzle 550 without changing the output of the water pump 516 serving as the water discharge amount changing unit when distributing the foam. Thus, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed.

In this case, as shown in fig. 33 and 34, the rotary shaft Ax of the distribution nozzle 550 is provided in the main body 200 so as to be inclined in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Specifically, the rotary shaft Ax of the distribution nozzle 550 is arranged such that: in the front-rear direction, the distribution nozzle 550 is inclined toward the front side of the toilet bowl 110 toward the lower side. Further, the rotation axis Ax of the distribution nozzle 550 is arranged such that: in the left-right direction, the spray nozzle 550 is inclined downward toward the cleaning nozzle 83 (left side) disposed at the center of the main body 200. With the arrangement structure of the rotary shaft Ax, when the discharge port 550u is directed to the front of the toilet bowl 110, which is located at a relatively long distance from the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the distribution position, the discharge port 550u is located at a relatively high position in the discharge port direction Ac. As a result, the wash foam can be spread to the vicinity of the edge 110a in front of the toilet bowl 110. On the other hand, when the discharge outlet 550u is directed toward the rear of the toilet bowl 110, where the distance from the discharge outlet 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the distribution position is short, the position of the discharge outlet 550 is low in the discharge outlet direction Ac. Further, in the case where the discharge outlet 550u is directed to the left side of the toilet bowl 110, which is a little distant from the discharge outlet 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the distribution position, the position of the discharge outlet 550u is a little higher in the discharge outlet direction Ac. As a result, the wash foam can be spread to the vicinity of the edge 110a on the right side of the toilet bowl 110. Further, in the case where the discharge outlet 550u is directed to the right side of the toilet bowl 110, which is slightly closer in distance from the discharge outlet 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the distribution position, the position of the discharge outlet 550u is slightly lower in the discharge outlet direction Ac.

That is, in the case of spraying the wash foam from the spray nozzle 550 to the toilet bowl 110, the spray nozzle driving part 550a drives the discharge direction Ac of the discharge port 550u of the spray nozzle 550 to rotate about the rotation axis Ax. At this time, the distance from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the inner surface of the toilet bowl 110 is changed as the distribution nozzle 550 rotates. However, as described above, by arranging the rotation axis Ax of the distribution nozzle 550 to be inclined, the height of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is changed in the discharge port direction Ac as the rotation progresses, and the wash foam is distributed. Accordingly, a foam film can be formed from the inner surface of the edge 110a from the front to the near rear of the toilet stool 110. As a result, the attachment of dirt to the inner surface of the toilet bowl 110 from the front to the rear can be suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the rotation axis Ax of the discharge port of the spray nozzle has an inclination angle β in the front-rear direction shown in fig. 33 of, for example, 20 degrees, and an inclination angle γ in the left-right direction shown in fig. 34 of, for example, 10 degrees. The angle can be changed arbitrarily according to the shape of the toilet bowl and the position where the dispensing nozzle 550 is disposed.

The height position of the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is set to be lower than the upper end surface 110c of the toilet bowl 110 at any rotational position.

In the above description, when viewed from above in fig. 35, the normal rotation is clockwise rotation and the reverse rotation is counterclockwise rotation, but the normal rotation clockwise and the reverse rotation counterclockwise may be the normal rotation counterclockwise and the reverse rotation clockwise. In short, the direction in which the discharge port 550u of the spray nozzle starts rotating at the time of spraying is referred to as forward rotation, and the direction of return is referred to as reverse rotation.

As described above, the control unit 130 changes the output of the water pump 516 according to the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550. Thus, the washing water or the washing foam can be discharged so as to reliably reach the front, the side, and the rear of the toilet bowl inner surface at different distances. As a result, a water film or a foam film can be formed over a wide range of the inner surface of the toilet bowl, and adhesion of dirt can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which "high" and "low" are set based on the average level "medium" of the output of the water pump 516 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the reference level may be changed by setting the average level of the output of the water pump 516 to "medium" or low. In this case, it is preferable that the operation unit 210 or the remote controller 400 is provided with a rank switch for adjusting the average rank. Thus, even when the toilet bowl 110 provided with the sanitary washing apparatus 100 is different in size or the like, the washing water or the washing foam can be discharged so as to reach the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Further, the height position (with respect to the horizontal plane) of the wash foam scattered to the inner surface of the toilet bowl can be arbitrarily changed. As a result, a water film or a foam film can be more reliably formed on the entire inner surface of the toilet bowl, and adhesion of dirt can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the discharge control in which the controller 130 changes the output of the water pump 516 in accordance with the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 130 may control the rotation speed of the distribution nozzle driving unit 550a to be changed according to the rotation angle of the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550, in addition to the change in the output of the water pump 516.

That is, in the present embodiment, the output of the water pump 516 is changed, and the discharge momentum of the washing water or the washing foam is changed. Thereby, the wash water or wash foam is reliably spread to the farther toilet bowl inner surface, and the rebound of the wash water or wash foam at the closer toilet bowl inner surface is effectively suppressed.

However, when the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is rotated at a constant rotation speed, the distribution density of the wash foam and the wash water is small at a portion distant from the inner surface of the toilet bowl. On the other hand, the distribution density of the wash foam and wash water is high at a portion close to the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the rotation speed of the distribution nozzle 550 is also changed by the distribution nozzle driving portion 550a according to the rotation angle of the discharge port 550 u. This makes it possible to more uniformly distribute the washing water or the washing foam to the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Even when the output of the water pump 516 is changed to disperse the wash foam and the wash water, the distribution density of the wash foam and the wash water can be made uniform to some extent.

However, when the rotational speed of the spray nozzle driving part 550a is changed according to the rotational angle of the spray nozzle 550 to spray the wash foam and the wash water, the spray density can be more uniform. In other words, the wash foam or wash water can be discharged from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 and distributed with a more uniform distribution density over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

That is, when the rotation speed is constant, as shown in fig. 35, the wash water or wash foam spread toward the vicinity of the rotation angle of 160 ° which is the farthest distance from the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle 550, that is, toward the front of the toilet bowl is dispersed, and the distribution density is small. Therefore, when the wash foam and the wash water are discharged to the front of the toilet, the rotation speed of the spray nozzle 550 is minimized. This makes it possible to increase the time for the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle 550 to pass through the vicinity of the toilet bowl front, thereby increasing the spray density.

On the other hand, the wash foam and wash water discharged toward the vicinity of the rotation angle of 340 ° at the closest distance from the discharge outlet 550u of the distribution nozzle 550, that is, toward the rear of the toilet bowl are concentrated, and the distribution density is high. Therefore, the rotational speed of the scattering nozzle 550 is fastest. This shortens the time for the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle 550 to pass near the toilet bowl rear side, and reduces the spray density.

As a result, the distribution of the wash water or wash foam spread on the inner surface of the toilet bowl can be made uniform (non-uniform) regardless of the rotation speed. Therefore, the adhesion of the filth can be more effectively suppressed over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

As described above, the control unit 130 changes the rotation speed of the distribution nozzle driving unit 550a according to the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550. For example, when the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is directed toward a rotation angle in front of the toilet bowl, which is a long distance from the inner surface of the toilet bowl, the rotation speed of the distribution nozzle driving part 550a is made small (low speed). On the other hand, in the case of the rotation angle in which the direction of the discharge opening 550u is directed toward the toilet bowl rear side having a short distance from the toilet bowl inner surface, the speed of the distribution nozzle driving part 550a is made large (high speed).

Thus, the washing water or the washing foam can be uniformly discharged to the front, the side and the rear of the toilet bowl with different distances without uneven distribution density. As a result, the adhesion of the filth can be more effectively suppressed by the water film or the foam film uniformly formed on the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Here, in the present embodiment, the control part 130 controls such that washing water or washing foam is previously dispensed from the dispensing nozzle 550 to the inner surface of the toilet bowl when the entrance of a person is detected by the human body detection sensor 450. Specifically, the control part 130 controls such that the rotary nozzle 550d is rotationally driven, for example, at least once and spreads the foam by the spreading nozzle driving part 550a and then automatically stops when spreading the wash foam or the like to the toilet stool. Thereby, a water film or a foam film is formed on the inner surface of the toilet stool before the user uses the sanitary washing device. As a result, the adhesion of dirt to the inner surface of the toilet bowl during use can be effectively suppressed.

In addition, in the above description, the example in which the spray nozzle 550 is reciprocally rotated one rotation to spray the wash foam and the wash water before use is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the number of times is arbitrary as long as the number of times the scattered wash foam or wash water spreads over the inner surface of the toilet bowl is sufficient. In this case, the user can selectively set the number of reciprocations of spreading the wash foam to the inner surface of the toilet bowl through the operation part 210 or the remote controller 400.

In the above embodiment, the rotation direction of the distribution nozzle 550 is not particularly mentioned, and as shown in fig. 36, the rotary nozzle 550d is configured to rotate one rotation in a reciprocating manner. This is because, when the rotary nozzle 550d of the spray nozzle 550 is rotated in the right direction or the left direction over the entire circumference, the spray direction of the washing water or the washing foam is always the same. Therefore, by performing the dispersion by the reciprocating rotation as in the present embodiment, the wash foam and the wash water can be dispersed to the toilet bowl inner surface from both the forward and reverse rotation directions. This can reduce the occurrence of a so-called scatter leakage. Thus, a more even distribution of the wash foam and wash water throughout the inner surface of the toilet bowl can be achieved. As a result, the adhesion of dirt can be suppressed with a small number of scattering times (time). The reciprocating rotation is not limited to 1 reciprocation, but may be set to 2 reciprocations, 3 reciprocations, or the like.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 36, first, the rotary nozzle 550d of the distribution nozzle 550 is rotated in the forward direction (for example, clockwise) from a rotation angle 0 ° corresponding to the front side of the toilet bowl to a rotation angle 340 ° and temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the rotary nozzle 550d is reversely rotated (for example, counterclockwise) from the rotation angle 340 ° to the rotation angle 0 °, and is stopped after the reciprocating rotation.

In this case, a rotation restricting portion (not shown) is provided, for example, as a mechanical stopper, which restricts the rotatable range of the rotary nozzle 550d of the distribution nozzle 550 from a rotation angle of 0 ° to a rotation angle of 340 °.

Specifically, the rotation restricting portion is constituted by, for example, a projection formed on a part of the outer periphery of the rotation nozzle 550d and a rotation restricting wall of the main body portion 550 c. With this configuration, when the projection rotates to physically abut against the rotation restricting wall, the operation of the rotary nozzle 550d to be rotated is restricted. That is, the motor constituting the spray nozzle driving unit 550a slides and idles by contact. Thus, the rotary nozzle 550d is configured not to be rotatable beyond a rotatable range.

As described above, the distribution nozzle 550 of the above-described configuration is provided with the rotation restricting portion that restricts the rotation range, and the distribution nozzle 550 is reciprocally rotated within the rotatable range that is not restricted by the rotation restricting portion. Also, the wash foam and wash water are spread to the inner surface of the toilet bowl from opposite directions of reciprocation, i.e., both directions of forward and reverse rotation. This reduces the occurrence of so-called scatter omission portions. Thus, a more even distribution of the wash foam and wash water throughout the inner surface of the toilet bowl can be achieved. As a result, the adhesion of dirt can be suppressed with a small number of scattering times (time).

In the above-described configuration of the distribution nozzle 550, the position where the rotation restricting portion abuts against the projection of the rotating nozzle 550d driven by the motor constituting the distribution nozzle driving portion 550a can be always recognized as the origin of the rotational position of the distribution nozzle driving portion 550 a. That is, the deviation of the origin due to the reciprocating motion of the rotary nozzle 550d of the distribution nozzle 550 does not occur. This can improve the positional accuracy with respect to the rotation angle of the toilet bowl inner surface. Therefore, the deviation such as the positional deviation from the predetermined position of the toilet bowl inner surface can be made small. As a result, the wash foam and the wash water can be distributed from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the accurate rotation angle position of the inner surface of the toilet bowl at an appropriate discharge output and rotation speed.

In addition, in the above, the structure of physically limiting the rotation range of the distribution nozzle 550 has been described, but it is not limited thereto. When the deviation of the position of the origin of the spray nozzle 550 is not a problem, the forward and reverse rotation operations of the spray nozzle 550 can be simply performed by the spray nozzle driving unit 550 a. This makes it possible to realize various operations such as normal and reverse rotation and unidirectional rotation without requiring a rotation restriction section. As a result, a more appropriate operation can be achieved according to the state of dirt or the like on the inner surface of the toilet bowl. In this case, it is preferable to set the rotation angle of the reverse rotation to be around 160 °, and gradually slow down the rotation speed in the vicinity thereof. This reduces the load applied when the spray nozzle driving unit 550a is suddenly reversed.

The structure of the bubble generating unit 560 of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described below.

As described above with reference to fig. 6, the bubble generating unit 560 is connected to the branch flow path 530 via the opening/closing valve 530a, and the branch flow path 530 branches from the washing water supply flow path 690 between the water pump 516 and the flow rate control valve 517 constituting the water discharge amount variable unit. Then, by opening and closing valve 530a, washing water is supplied to bubble generation unit 560 through branch flow path 530.

The bubble generating portion 560 is composed of a check valve 531, a bubble tank 532, a detergent tank 533, a detergent pump 534, an air pump 535, and the like. The foam tank 532 is connected to the branch flow path 530 via a check valve 531.

The above-described spreading nozzle 550 is connected downstream of the foam tank 532. The bubble tank 532 is connected to a detergent tank 533 that supplies detergent via a detergent pump 534.

The foam box 532 is also connected to an air pump 535. The air pump 535 sends air to the foam box 532, generating cleaning foam, etc. The air pump 535 supplies the cleaning water and the generated cleaning foam to the spray nozzle 550.

The foam generating unit 560 is constructed as described above, and operates as follows.

First, the control unit 130 opens the on-off valve 530 a. Then, the controller 130 drives the water pump 516 to feed the washing water from the heat exchanger 700 to the bubble tank 532 of the bubble generating unit 560.

At this time, in the bubble tank 532, the detergent supplied from the detergent tank 533 by the detergent pump 534 is mixed with the washing water supplied from the heat exchanger 700.

Subsequently, the controller 130 drives the air pump 535 to supply air into the bubble tank 532. Thereby, in the foam tank 532, cleaning foam is generated. The generated wash foam is supplied to the distribution nozzle 550 and discharged from the discharge opening 550u of the rotary nozzle 550d to the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

At this time, the discharge amount of the washing water or the washing foam discharged from the spray nozzle 550 and the discharge momentum (discharge speed and discharge pressure) are increased or decreased according to the increase or decrease in the output of the water pump 516 and the air pump 535. Thereby, as described with reference to fig. 34, the wash foam and the wash water can be uniformly distributed to the inner surface of the toilet bowl. That is, the air pump 535 of the bubble generating unit 560 also functions as a water discharge amount varying unit, similarly to the water pump 516.

In the above description, the configuration in which the opening/closing valve 530a is provided in the branch flow path 530 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a flow path switching valve may be provided at a branching portion between the branch flow path 530 and the wash water supply flow path 690.

That is, the foam generating unit 560 of the present embodiment includes the foam tank 532 between the on-off valve 530a and the spray nozzle 550. The bubble tank 532 is supplied with detergent from the detergent tank 533 and generates cleaning bubbles. Has the following structure: the generated wash foam is discharged from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

Thus, a bubble film generated by the washing bubbles including the detergent is formed, instead of a simple water film generated by dispersing water or hot water on the inner surface of the toilet bowl. As a result, the adhesion of dirt can be more effectively suppressed.

Further, odor generated from dirt and the like can be effectively suppressed by the cleansing foam including the detergent. Moreover, the cleansing foam gives the user the impression of being visually clean. As a result, the comfort of the user is further improved.

In the above embodiment, the following configuration is described as an example: the distribution of wash water or wash foam toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl is performed in case that the entrance of a person is detected through the human body detecting sensor 450, but is not limited thereto. For example, the distribution may be performed by a person operating the distribution switch 417 provided in the operation unit 210 or the remote controller 400. Thus, even when the toilet as the sanitary washing apparatus is not used, if the dirt on the inner surface of the toilet bowl cannot be ignored, the cleaning foam or the like including the detergent is scattered on the inner surface of the toilet bowl, and the dirt can be removed. Moreover, it is possible to prevent stubborn dirt from adhering to the draft surface 110b and the like. That is, by the user operating the dispersion switch 417, a foam film generated by the wash foam containing the detergent can be formed on the inner surface of the toilet bowl at any time. As a result, the inner surface of the toilet bowl can be kept clean.

Further, in the above embodiment, the following structure may be provided: the user selects in advance which of the washing water and the washing foam is to be spread to the inner surface of the toilet bowl by the operation unit 210 or a spreading selection switch (not shown) of the remote controller 400. Thus, the degree of contamination of the toilet bowl inner surface, the generation state of odor, and the like can be arbitrarily selected. As a result, unnecessary use of the detergent is suppressed, and the cost performance is improved.

In the above embodiment, the following configuration may be adopted: in the case of spreading the cleansing foam to the inner surface of the toilet bowl, the control part 130 changes the output of the air pump 535 according to the rotation angle of the discharge opening 550u of the spreading nozzle 550, in the same manner as the output of the water pump 516 described with reference to fig. 34. That is, the air pump 535 may be used as the water discharge amount variable portion. Thus, the washing foam and the washing water can be discharged to effectively reach the front, the side and the rear of the toilet bowl with different distances. As a result, a foam film and a water film can be formed on the inner surface area in front of the toilet bowl, and adhesion of dirt can be suppressed.

Specifically, as in the case illustrated in fig. 35, the control unit 130 increases (raises) the output (air pressure) of the air pump 535 in the vicinity of the rotation angle of 160 ° where the distance from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the toilet bowl inner surface is longest (far). This can increase the air pressure by the air pump 535, thereby increasing the force of the wash foam and the wash water to be pushed away from the discharge port 550u of the spray nozzle 550.

On the other hand, the output (air pressure) of the air pump 535 is made small (low) in the vicinity of the rotation angle of 340 ° where the distance from the discharge opening 550u to the toilet bowl inner surface is shortest (close). This makes it possible to reduce the air pressure by the air pump 535 and reduce the force of splashing of the wash foam and the wash water. That is, the pressure of the air discharged from the air pump 535 is adjusted according to the distance from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 to the inner surface of the toilet stool. As a result, the wash foam and the wash water can be uniformly discharged to the inner surface of the toilet bowl without leakage.

In the above-described embodiment, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a waste detection unit (not shown) for detecting waste in the toilet bowl by an image pickup Device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is further provided. At this time, the control unit 130 moves the spray nozzle 550 back and forth at the portion where the soil remains based on the detection result of the soil detection unit, and intensively sprays the cleaning foam and the cleaning water from the spray nozzle 550. This effectively suppresses and removes the adhering dirt. In addition to the method of reciprocating only in the dirty portion, the rotation driving may be performed so that the rotation speed of the discharge port 550u of the scattering nozzle 550 passing through the dirty portion becomes lower. Further, the following structure may be adopted: when the dirty portion is passed, the outputs of the water pump 516 and the air pump 535 are further increased. This can provide the same effect.

As described above, the sanitary washing apparatus of the present embodiment includes: a toilet seat 300 which is provided to the toilet bowl 110 so as to be able to stand and fall; a main body 200 for supporting the toilet seat to be able to stand and fall; a heat exchanger 700 for heating the washing water; a cleaning nozzle 831 which is disposed in the center of the main body 200 and cleans the human body; a foam generating unit 560 that generates a cleaning foam; and a spray nozzle 550 discharging wash water or wash foam to an inner surface of the toilet bowl. Further, the method comprises: a water discharge amount variable unit 516 for varying the flow rate of the washing water or the washing foam sent to the spray nozzle; a spray nozzle driving unit 550a for rotationally driving the discharge opening 550u of the spray nozzle in a predetermined direction; an opening/closing valve 530a that opens and closes a branch flow path to the spray nozzle; a control unit 130; and an operation section 210. Further, the structure is as follows: the distribution nozzle 550 is provided in the main body such that a rotation shaft is inclined in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, the rotation shaft being arranged: in the front-rear direction, the toilet bowl is inclined toward the toilet bowl front side toward the lower side of the spray nozzle 550, and is arranged such that: in the left-right direction, the cleaning nozzle side is inclined toward the lower side of the distribution nozzle 550.

The above description is made by taking, as an example, control, operation, and action of discharging the wash foam to the inner surface of the toilet bowl by the distribution nozzle in the unseated state and the closed state of the toilet seat.

That is, the control unit 130 rotates the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 within a wide range of rotation angle. At this time, the control unit 130 controls the output of the water pump 516 constituting the displacement variable unit according to the output from "low" to "high" and discharges the cleansing foam to the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Thereby, the wash foam is discharged in a wide range reaching the inner surface of the toilet bowl. As a result, a foam film can be formed over a wide range of the inner surface of the toilet bowl, and adhesion of dirt can be effectively suppressed.

The output of the water pump 516 controlled to "high" means: the output is relatively high compared to the output of the water pump 516 under the operating conditions described in the < 8 > item and the < 9 > item, which will be described later.

< 8 > discharge control, action and action of the dispensing nozzle in the seated position against the inner surface of the bowl

Next, the discharge control of the spray nozzle 550 when the user operates the spray switch 417 in a state of being seated on the toilet seat 300 will be described with reference to fig. 37A and 38B.

Fig. 37A is a graph showing pump output in the discharge action of the dispersion nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Fig. 37B is an explanatory view showing a discharge direction of the scattering nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

In this case, the toilet seat opening/closing detector 331 detects a toilet seat closed state, and the seating detector 330 detects a seating state.

In this state, the user presses the operation unit 210 or the distribution switch 417 of the remote controller 400.

Thus, as shown in fig. 37B, the control portion 130 first rotates the distribution nozzle driving portion 550a to a position where the direction of reaching the discharge port 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is directed toward the toilet bowl rear. Then, the driving of the scattering nozzle 550 is stopped. In the case of the present embodiment, the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u corresponds to a position near 100 ° as shown in fig. 37A, for example, at the toilet bowl rear side (see fig. 33). The rotation angle is not limited to the above-described one, and may be, for example, in a range of about 100 ° to 240 ° counterclockwise.

Next, the discharge output of the water pump 516 or the air pump 535 constituting the water discharge amount variable portion is controlled to the output of "low". Then, the cleansing foam is discharged from the spray nozzle 550 toward the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 37B and toward the vicinity of the toilet bowl rear side for a predetermined time. In the present embodiment, the predetermined time is set to, for example, 8 seconds.

That is, in the case of the above-described condition, the wash foam is discharged toward the position behind the toilet bowl with a weak momentum (a "low" output). Therefore, the discharged cleansing foam does not scatter to the user seated on the toilet seat 300. Also, the wash foam scattered to the rear of the toilet bowl covers the draft surface 110b inside the toilet bowl. This can suppress the spread of odor and the adhesion of dirt on the inner surface of the toilet bowl, which are accompanied by excretion.

Further, when the excrement or urine excreted by the user in the seated state falls on the draft surface 110b, the wash foam covering the draft surface 110b in the toilet bowl functions as a cushion. As a result, the cushioning effect of the cleansing foam can suppress the rebound to the periphery of the toilet bowl or the user.

According to the operation of the dispensing nozzle 550, when the user is seated and the toilet seat is closed and the foam dispensing signal is input through the dispensing switch 417, the control unit 130 drives the dispensing nozzle driving unit 550a to a position where the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the dispensing nozzle 550 is directed toward the toilet bowl rear side and stops. Thereafter, the water pump 516 and the air pump 535 are controlled to have a low output, and the wash foam is discharged to the rear of the toilet bowl.

That is, in a state where the user is seated on the toilet seat 300, the wash foam is discharged with a weak momentum toward the rear of the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Thus, the washing foam does not scatter to the user, and the draft surface 110b of the discharge port 115 can be covered with the washing foam. As a result, the odor can be prevented from diffusing during excretion and the dirt can be prevented from adhering to the inner surface of the toilet.

< 9 > discharge control, action and action of a dispensing nozzle with a toilet seat open and in a non-seated state

Next, the discharge control of the spray nozzle in the following case will be described with reference to fig. 38A and 38B: in a state where the user is not seated on the toilet seat 300 and the toilet seat 300 is opened substantially vertically, as in the case of a man urinating, the user operates the distribution switch 417.

Fig. 38A is a graph showing pump output in a discharge action of the dispersion nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Fig. 38B is an explanatory view showing a discharge direction of the scattering nozzle toward the inner surface of the toilet bowl.

In this case, the toilet seat 300 is in the open state because the user is in the standing posture. That is, the toilet seat opening/closing detector 331 detects the open state of the toilet seat, and the seating detector 330 detects the non-seating state.

Thereby, as shown in fig. 38B, the control part 130 first drives the distribution nozzle driving part 550a up to a position where the direction of the discharge outlet 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 is toward the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool. Then, the driving of the scattering nozzle 550 is stopped. In the case of the present embodiment, for example, the discharge opening 550u is stopped at a position (see fig. 35) at a rotation angle of around 150 ° as shown in fig. 38A. Thus, the discharge port 550u is directed toward the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool.

Next, as shown in fig. 38A, the control portion 130 controls the discharge output of the water pump 516 or the air pump 535 constituting the water discharge amount variable portion to an output of a "medium" level. Also, the wash foam is discharged from the distribution nozzle 550 toward the direction shown by the arrow of fig. 38B toward the discharge port 115 of the toilet bowl 110 for a prescribed time. In the present embodiment, the predetermined time is set to, for example, 8 seconds. Thereby, the discharged cleansing foam covers the water surface (so-called draft surface 110b) above the discharge port 115. In the present embodiment, the "medium" level output is an output level at which the flush foam or the like directly reaches the toilet bowl discharge port 115.

That is, under the above conditions, the control unit 130 controls the water pump 516 constituting the displacement variable unit to discharge the cleansing foam or the like at an output of a "medium" level. Then, the washing foam is discharged to the vicinity of the draft surface 110b at the upper part of the discharge port 115 in advance, and the draft surface 110b is quickly covered with the washing foam. This can suppress the spread of odor and the adhesion of dirt near the draft surface 110b of the toilet bowl 110, which are caused by the excretion of urine or the like.

In addition, the cleansing foam covering the surface 110b acts as a cushion when the excreted urine falls near the surface 110 b. As a result, the cushioning effect of the cleansing foam can suppress the rebound to the periphery of the toilet bowl 110.

In addition, in fig. 38A and 38B, the discharge of the wash foam to a point near the center of the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool 110 is illustrated, but is not limited thereto. For example, the cleaning foam may be discharged by directing the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550 toward the range of the draft surface 110b of the discharge port 115. In this case, the position at which the cleansing foam is spread may be any one of the front side, the center, the rear side, or the left and right of the toilet bowl in the vicinity of the draft surface 110b of the drain port 115. That is, the cleansing foam is spread to the approximate range (inclusive range) of the draft surface 110b of the discharge port 115. This makes it possible to spread the cleansing foam to the draft surface 110b in a short time of several seconds after the start of discharge. As a result, the adhesion of dirt near the draft surface 110b of the toilet bowl 110 can be more reliably suppressed.

At this time, in a state where the rotation angle of the discharge port 550u is stopped, it is not necessary to discharge the cleansing foam. For example, the spreading nozzle 550 may be made to spread the cleansing foam in a reciprocating motion within a narrow range near the draft surface 110b of the discharge port 115. The discharge outputs of the water pump 516 and the air pump 535 are changed to discharge the cleansing foam. Thereby, the draft surface 110b of the discharge port 115 can be covered with the wash foam more efficiently.

According to the operation of the dispensing nozzle 550, when the user is in the non-seated state and the toilet seat is in the open state and the foam dispensing signal is input through the dispensing switch 417, the control unit 130 drives the dispensing nozzle driving unit 550a until the direction of the discharge opening 550u of the dispensing nozzle 550 reaches the position facing the discharge opening of the toilet bowl and stops. Thereafter, the water pump 516 and the air pump 535 are controlled to output at a "medium" level, and the wash foam is discharged toward the discharge port 115 of the toilet 110.

That is, when the spray switch 417 is operated in a state where the user is not seated on the toilet seat 300 and the toilet seat is in an open state, the wash foam is discharged with a "medium" level of momentum toward the draft surface 110b of the drain port 115 of the toilet stool 110. This allows the top of the draft surface 110b of the discharge port 115 of the toilet bowl 110 to be covered with the cleansing foam, and as a result, diffusion of odor during urination and adhesion of dirt near the draft surface 110b of the toilet bowl 110 can be suppressed.

As described above, in the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the controller 130 changes the direction of the discharge port 550u of the spray nozzle 550 and the output of the water pump 516 serving as the water discharge amount changing unit according to the seated state with respect to the toilet seat 300 and the open/close state of the toilet seat. Thus, the spray nozzle 550 for discharging the wash foam can be used in various ways depending on the use of the sanitary washing apparatus 100. As a result, the amount of foam can be controlled appropriately according to the situation, and the amount of detergent used can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the motor is used as the distribution nozzle driving unit 550a is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The following structure may also be adopted: the distribution nozzle 550 is rotated by a reaction when the washing foam is discharged from the discharge opening 550u of the distribution nozzle 550. This can simplify the structure and suppress power consumption.

In the present embodiment, the configuration having 1 distribution nozzle 550 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the following structure may be adopted: a plurality of spreading nozzles such as a spreading nozzle for spreading washing foam to the vicinity of the edge 110a of the toilet stool 110, a spreading nozzle for spreading washing foam to the vicinity of the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool 110, and the like are provided. In this case, the plurality of distribution nozzles may be rotated independently or may be rotated in conjunction with each other. Thereby, the wash foam can be spread to the inner surface of the toilet bowl in a short time.

In the present embodiment, the configuration in which 1 discharge port 550u is provided in the distribution nozzle 550 is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of discharge ports such as a discharge port for spreading the wash foam to the vicinity of the rim 110a of the toilet stool 110 and a discharge port for spreading the wash foam to the vicinity of the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool 110 may be provided on the spreading nozzle 550. Thereby, the wash foam can be spread to the inner surface of the toilet bowl in a short time.

In the present embodiment, the structure in which the discharge nozzle 550 discharges the liquid to both the vicinity of the edge 110a of the toilet stool 110 and the vicinity of the discharge port 115 of the toilet stool is described as an example, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, in addition to the above-described structure, the following structure may be adopted: the wash foam is spread to the middle position (height) of the rim 110a of the toilet stool 110 and the discharge port 115, etc. by the spreading nozzle 550. This can reduce the occurrence of the scattering omission part.

As described above, the sanitary washing apparatus of the present invention includes: a toilet seat which is provided on the toilet bowl in a manner of freely standing and falling; a main body for supporting the toilet seat to be capable of standing and falling; a heat exchanger that heats the washing water; a cleaning nozzle which is arranged at the central part of the main body and cleans the human body; a foam generating section that generates a cleaning foam; and a dispersion nozzle discharging wash water or wash foam to an inner surface of the toilet bowl. Further, the sanitary washing apparatus includes: a water discharge amount variable unit for varying the flow rate of the washing water sent to the spray nozzle; a spray nozzle driving part which drives the discharge port of the spray nozzle to rotate towards a specified direction; an opening/closing valve for opening/closing a branch flow path leading to the spray nozzle; a control unit; and an operation section. Further, the distribution nozzle may be provided in the main body such that a rotation shaft is inclined in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, the rotation shaft being arranged such that: the water supply device is inclined toward the lower side of the spray nozzle toward the front side of the toilet bowl in the front-rear direction, and inclined toward the lower side of the spray nozzle toward the washing nozzle in the left-right direction.

According to this structure, when the wash foam is discharged to the front of the toilet bowl, which is located at a relatively long distance from the discharge port of the spray nozzle to the spray position, the discharge port of the spray nozzle is directed toward a relatively high position. On the other hand, when the wash water is discharged to the rear of the toilet bowl, which is located at a short distance from the discharge port of the distribution nozzle to the distribution position, the discharge port of the distribution nozzle is directed downward. Also, the wash foam is dispersed into the inner surface of the toilet stool while changing the orientation of the discharge port of the dispersion nozzle according to the distance to the dispersion position. Thus, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl without changing the output of the displacement variable part, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed.

Further, the control unit of the sanitary washing apparatus of the present invention may control as follows: when the washing foam is spread from the spreading nozzle to the toilet bowl, the output of the water discharge amount variable part is changed, and the spreading nozzle driving part is rotated forward and backward, so that the direction of the discharge port of the spreading nozzle is spread over the inner circumference of the toilet bowl, and the washing foam is spread by at least one reciprocating rotation action.

According to this configuration, the control unit first rotates the dispensing nozzle driving unit in the forward direction, and dispenses the wash foam while moving the discharge port of the dispensing nozzle from the toilet bowl rear toward the toilet bowl rear via the toilet bowl front. Then, the control section rotates the dispersion nozzle driving section in the reverse direction, and disperses the wash foam while moving the direction of the discharge port of the dispersion nozzle from the toilet bowl rear side to the toilet bowl rear side via the toilet bowl front side. That is, the discharge port of the spray nozzle is rotationally moved in the forward and backward directions over the inner circumferential surface of the toilet bowl, and the wash foam is sprayed by at least one reciprocating rotational drive. Thus, the output of the discharge amount variable portion is controlled so that the wash foam reaches the vicinity of the edge of the toilet bowl, and the wash foam can be spread over substantially the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl. As a result, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed.

Further, the control unit of the sanitary washing apparatus according to the present invention may be configured to control the discharge of the washing foam from the discharge port of the distribution nozzle so as to output: the output of the discharge amount varying unit is lower in the forward rotation of the spray nozzle driving unit than in the reverse rotation of the spray nozzle driving unit.

According to this configuration, when the discharge nozzle rotationally driven in one reciprocating motion is rotated in the forward direction, the discharge amount variable portion is made weak to discharge the wash foam to the side of the draft surface on the inner side of the edge of the toilet bowl. On the other hand, in the reverse rotation, the output of the displacement variable portion is made strong, and the wash foam is spread to the side close to the edge of the toilet bowl. Thus, the draft surface at the upper part of the discharge port of the toilet bowl can be covered with the wash foam at the initial stage of the start of the distribution of the wash water. Also, the wash foam can be spread to substantially the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl near the rim. As a result, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed.

In addition, the sanitary washing apparatus of the present invention may further include a human body detection sensor for detecting a user's entrance into and exit from the toilet, and the control part may control the spray nozzle such that the washing foam is sprayed into the toilet bowl when the human body detection sensor detects the user's entrance into the toilet.

According to this configuration, when the human body detection sensor detects that the user has entered the toilet, the discharge nozzle is rotationally driven to reciprocate at least once, and the cleansing foam is previously discharged substantially over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the toilet bowl. Therefore, before use, the foam film can be formed by leaning against the inner surface of the toilet bowl, and the attachment of the dirt can be prevented.

Further, the foam generating part of the sanitary washing apparatus of the present invention includes: a bubble tank to which washing water is supplied from the heat exchanger through the drain amount variable portion; a detergent pump which supplies the detergent in the detergent tank to the foam tank; and an air pump that supplies air to the foam tank. Further, the control unit may control so that the washing water or the washing foam of the foam tank is discharged from the distribution nozzle.

According to this configuration, not only water or hot water can be discharged to the surface of the washing nozzle or the inner surface of the toilet bowl, but also washing foam including detergent can be discharged. This can improve the cleaning effect and the effect of inhibiting the adhesion of dirt. Further, the spreading of unpleasant odor can be suppressed by the use of the cleansing foam containing the detergent. As a result, the user can be provided with a visually clean feeling and a comfortable feeling during use.

Industrial applicability

In the present invention, the spray nozzle is provided in the main body such that a rotation axis of the discharge port which is rotationally driven is inclined in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The front-rear direction inclination of the distribution nozzle is arranged such that the lower side of the rotation shaft is inclined toward the toilet bowl front side, and the left-right direction inclination is arranged such that the lower side of the rotation shaft is inclined toward the washing nozzle side. Thus, a foam film is formed on the inner surface from the front to the rear of the toilet bowl, and the adhesion of dirt is suppressed. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the sanitary washing apparatus, and can be applied to other water application devices having a spray nozzle.

Claims

1. A sanitary washing device having:

a toilet seat which is provided on the toilet bowl in a manner of freely standing and falling;

a main body for supporting the toilet seat to be capable of standing and falling;

a heat exchanger that heats the washing water;

a cleaning nozzle which cleans a human body;

a foam generating section that generates a cleaning foam;

a dispersion nozzle discharging the wash water or the wash foam to an inner surface of the toilet bowl;

an opening/closing valve that opens and closes a branch flow path leading to the spray nozzle;

a control unit; and

an operation part for controlling the operation of the operation part,

the cleaning nozzle is disposed at the center of the main body,

the distribution nozzle is arranged on either the left or right of the cleaning nozzle,

the spray nozzle is provided with a spray nozzle driving part which drives the discharge opening of the spray nozzle to rotate towards a specified direction,

the control unit includes the steps of: when rotationally distributing the foam from the distribution nozzle to the toilet bowl, the foam is rotationally distributed by a rotational operation of rotating the distribution nozzle driving portion so that a direction of a discharge port of the distribution nozzle reaches the rear of the toilet bowl at least from the rear of the toilet bowl through the front of the toilet bowl.

2. The sanitary washing device according to claim 1,

the distribution nozzle is provided in the main body such that a rotation axis of the discharge port of the distribution nozzle which is rotationally driven is inclined in a front-rear direction and a left-right direction,

the inclination in the front-rear direction is inclined such that a lower side of the rotation shaft is positioned at a front side of the toilet bowl, and the inclination in the left-right direction is inclined such that a lower side of the rotation shaft is positioned at the side of the washing nozzle for washing the human body.

3. Sanitary washing arrangement according to claim 1 or 2,

the dispensing nozzle is further provided with a main body portion and a rotating nozzle,

the spray nozzle driving section rotationally drives the rotary nozzle,

the main body part is provided with an inlet flow path and an inlet hole, and the cleaning foam or the cleaning water generated by the foam generating part is supplied into the rotary nozzle through a plurality of inlet holes formed in the rotary nozzle.

4. The sanitary washing device according to claim 3,

the rotary nozzle is rotatably held in the inlet hole disposed in the side surface of the body portion, and is axially sealed by X-rings above and below the inlet hole.

5. The sanitary washing device according to claim 3,

the sanitary washing device is provided with a rotation limiting part which limits the rotatable range of the rotating nozzle.

6. The sanitary washing device according to claim 5,

the rotation restricting part restricts a range in which the rotary nozzle is rotatable so as not to spread the wash foam or the wash water to a part of the rear of the toilet bowl.

7. Sanitary washing arrangement according to claim 1 or 2,

the washing water or the washing foam discharged from the discharge port of the distribution nozzle is distributed to the washing nozzle.

8. Sanitary washing arrangement according to claim 1 or 2,

the sanitary washing device is provided with a dirt detecting part for detecting the dirt of the toilet bowl through an image pick-up element,

the control part distributes the washing foam or the washing water from the distribution nozzle to the part with the residual dirt according to the detection result of the dirt detection part.

9. Sanitary washing arrangement according to claim 1 or 2,

the distribution nozzle is provided with a plurality of discharge ports for distributing the liquid to different locations.