JP2002054841A - Bathroom - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bathroom in which the amount of hot water for use in a hot water/ water cock and a shower in a cleaning place is increased by intactly, performing automated hot water supply as it is when any person enters a bathtub even in the case where the person is present in the bathroom, and making automated hot water supply operation into the bathtub stand by only when a person is present in the washing place. SOLUTION: To solve the difficulties described above, the present invention is adapted such that it includes a bathroom including a bathtub, a washing place, and an inlet to the washing place, hot water supply means for hot water supply to the bathtub, and control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, the control means interrupting hot water supply after automatically supplying hot water at a set temperature up to a predetermined water level; once a water level in the bathtub is lowered. In the foregoing bathroom there is provided a human body detection sensor for detecting the presence of a person, and once the existence of any person in the washing place is detected with the human body detection sensor, the foregoing control means waits automated hot water supply operation to the bathtub. Further, a detection region of the foregoing human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub region and a washing place region, and a mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is positioned toward a boundary between the bathtub region and the washing place region.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bathroom equipped with a human body detection sensor for capturing a motion of a human body in a bathroom and performing image processing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-9-33097, a human body detecting means for detecting whether or not a human body is present in a bathroom is provided, and the human body is detected by the human body detecting means. A configuration is known in which a hot water supply unit is controlled so as not to execute automatic hot water supply to a bathtub. Thereby, when a person is in the bathtub, it is possible to avoid that hot water is automatically supplied and disadvantages such as burns are caused.

[0003]

However, in the apparatus having a hot water supply means for supplying hot water with hot water set by a bather, if the bather is in the bathtub, it is necessary to control the automatic hot water supply not to be executed. Does not occur at all, and it is rather inconvenient to use it if the control is not performed.
On the other hand, in the conventional automatic hot water supply device without the human body detecting means, since the hot water supply capacity has an upper limit, when the bather goes out of the bathtub and moves to the washing place, the automatic hot water supply is started with the drop of the bathtub water level. However, since a large amount of hot water is supplied from the water heater to the bathtub, when the hot water tap is opened in the washroom during automatic hot water supply, there is a problem that hot water does not come out from the hot water tap or only a little water comes out. Was.

In view of the above problems, the present invention executes automatic hot water supply as it is when a person is present in a bathtub and enters the bathtub only when there is a person in the washing room, even when a person is present in the bathroom. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bathroom in which the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages are improved by waiting for the automatic hot water supply operation and increasing the amount of hot water for use of a hot water faucet and a shower in a washing room. In addition, the detection system of the human body detection sensor has been improved to ensure the detection of people in the washroom, and the use of low-resolution imaging means for the human body detection sensor has enabled rapid detection of the human body and protection of privacy. It is easy.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a bathroom according to the present invention comprises a bathroom having a bathtub, a washing place and an entrance to the washing place, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, Control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, and this control means is configured to automatically stop the hot water supply after the hot water is supplied to the predetermined hot water level at the set hot water temperature when the bathtub water level falls, Is provided with a human body detection sensor that detects the presence of a person, and when the presence of a person in the washing room is detected by the human body detection sensor, the control unit is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub. Wherein the detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washroom area, and the mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is positioned toward the boundary between the bathtub area and the washroom area. Features. According to the first feature, when the presence of a person in the washing room is detected, an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub is waited, so that the hair in the washing room, a faucet when the body is being washed, There is no danger that the amount of hot water from the shower will decrease, and this will be practically convenient. In addition, by dividing the detection area of the human body detection sensor into a bathtub and a washing area, image data can be arithmetically processed for each area, thereby increasing the processing speed of a captured image and enabling quick detection determination. . Furthermore, by positioning the direction of the human body detection sensor toward the boundary between the bathtub and the washing area, it is possible to reliably detect the movement of a person at the boundary between the bathtub area and the washing area, and to detect the movement of a person to the washing area. There is an advantage that the movement can be reliably detected and the standby command for the automatic hot water supply operation can be promptly issued.

Further, the bathroom of the present invention has a bath having a bathtub, a washing room, and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means,
This control means is configured such that when the bathtub water level falls, the hot water is automatically stopped at the set hot water temperature to a certain level, and then the hot water supply is stopped.A human body detection sensor for detecting the presence of a person is provided in the bathroom. When the presence of a person in the washing room is detected by the human body detection sensor, the control means is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub. The detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washroom area, and the mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is positioned toward the boundary between the bathtub area and the washroom area. This is the second feature. According to the second feature, in addition to the above features, by using a low-resolution imaging device as the human body detection sensor, the outline of the human body is blurred, and the outline of the human body does not appear directly. There are benefits that lead to protection.

Further, the bathroom of the present invention has a bath having a bathtub, a washing room, and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, The control means is configured such that when the bathtub water level falls, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at a set hot water temperature to a certain level, and then the hot water supply is stopped, and a low-resolution imaging device for detecting the presence of a person in the bathroom. And a heat-sensing infrared sensor is provided, and when the presence of a person in the washing room is detected by the human body detection sensor and the infrared sensor, the control means automatically controls the bathtub. In the apparatus configured to wait for the hot water supply operation, the detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washing area, and the mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is set between the bathtub area and the washing area. That is located towards the field is set to the third feature. According to the third feature, in addition to the features described above, it is possible to determine that the user has entered the bathroom by detecting both the human body detection sensor and the infrared sensor, and to reliably determine entry into the bathroom, , The standby for the automatic hot water supply operation can be surely executed even when the bathroom is dark.

Further, the bathroom of the present invention has a bath having a bathtub, a washing room, and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, The control means is configured such that when the bathtub water level falls, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at a set hot water temperature to a certain level, and then the hot water supply is stopped, and a low-resolution imaging device for detecting the presence of a person in the bathroom. And a heat-sensing infrared sensor is provided, and when the presence of a person in the washing room is detected by the human body detection sensor and the infrared sensor, the control means automatically controls the bathtub. In the apparatus configured to wait for the hot water supply operation, the detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washroom area, and the mounting position of the human body detection sensor is set to a ceiling of a bathroom or a bathroom. That is positioned toward the mounting direction of the human body detection sensor at the boundary between the tub region and Araijo area with is positioned on the surface it has a fourth feature. According to the fourth feature, in addition to the features described above, both the bathtub and the washing room can be accommodated within the sensor viewing angle, and in particular, the detection of a person in the washing room is ensured, and the operation standby is reliably performed. be able to.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a bathroom according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a sensor and a detection area viewed from the ceiling side according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a mounting relationship of a bathroom sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of an image core circuit constituting one pixel of the image detection unit of the human body detection sensor. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the imaging range of the sensor, the detection range, and the detection area. FIG.
Is a control flowchart. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment showing the relationship between the imaging range of the sensor, the detection range, and the detection area. FIG. 9 is an overall configuration diagram of a water heater showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a control flowchart.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a bathroom 1 as viewed from the side, schematically showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a bathtub 2 and a washing place 3 are provided. 4 is an entrance to the bathroom. The human body sensor 5 is installed on the ceiling 34 of the bathroom 1. When the bathroom 1 is a system bathroom, it is desirable to attach the bathroom 1 to an inspection port opened on the ceiling for maintenance and inspection. The human body sensor 5 may be attached to the bathroom wall 36 of the bathroom 1.

The human body sensor 5 has an image pickup device using an artificial retina, and comprises a human body detection sensor 51 which picks up an image of the movement of the human body in a bathroom and processes the image, and means other than the image pickup device, for example, an infrared sensor 52. I have.

The output of the human body sensor 5 is connected to a bathroom remote controller 35 and a kitchen remote controller through a signal line (not shown). The remote controller for controlling the water heater has a display unit such as a lamp for notifying that there is a bather in the bathroom 1. The display is performed when the human body sensor 5 detects the bather and outputs a detection signal from a signal line. The part is turned on.

FIG. 4 shows a human body sensor 5 including a human body detection sensor 51 and an infrared sensor 52 using an artificial retinal chip.
This shows a specific configuration of FIG.

The human body detecting sensor 51 detects an image of the human body and processes the detected image. The control device 7 supplies a control signal to the image capturing device 6 and determines processing information.
It is composed of In addition to the human body detection sensor 51, an infrared sensor 52 is provided in the same case, and the control device 7 is shared so as to supplement monitoring when the bathroom 1 is dark.

The image pickup section 8 of the image pickup apparatus 6 comprises an image detection section 9 consisting of 32 × 32 pixels (= 1024 pixels), an imaging lens 10, a scanner 11, a multiplexer 12, and a scanner drive control section 13. ing. The pixels of the image detection unit 9 are each set to 256 levels of monochrome “level 0”.
(256) from (black) to 255 (white) ". By configuring the resolution of the imaging unit 8 at a low resolution, the captured image is coarse, and the outline of the human body does not appear as it is,
Privacy can be protected.

In the image pickup section 8, an image in the bathroom is formed on the image detecting section 9 by the image forming lens 10. The drive of the scanner 11 is controlled by a scanner drive control unit 13, and controls each pixel row of the image detection unit 9 so as to sequentially enter a light receiving state (on state) at regular intervals. Photocurrents simultaneously output from the pixels in one column in the light receiving state are converted from analog data into serial data by the multiplexer 12, amplified by the amplifier 14, and then input to the image processing unit 15. The conversion from analog data to serial data and the like may be performed by an externally provided control unit 7 or an IC provided separately.

Each pixel of the image detecting section 9 is constituted by a pixel core circuit 17 as shown in FIG. The pixel core circuit 17 includes a light receiving element 18, a charge storage circuit 19, and a sensitivity variable circuit 20.
The reset terminal 22 is connected to the scanner 11, and the photocurrent output terminal 23 is connected to the multiplexer 12. In FIG. 4, the gain adjustment unit 16 includes an image processing unit 15
The image average value (brightness of the image) is checked, and if the image average value is out of an appropriate range, the gain of the imaging device 6 is adjusted by the amplifier 14 and the scanner drive control unit 13 controls the image detection unit 9. The accumulation time is adjusted, and the light is adjusted so that an image with appropriate brightness is obtained.

In the imaging device 6 using the artificial retina, the average value of the image is calculated based on the gradation (0 gradation (black) to 255 gradation (white)) in all 32 × 32 pixels constituting the image detecting unit 9. 25
(6 gradations) and is represented by a value from 0 to 255. The average value of the image is determined by the gain of the amplifier 14 and the accumulation time of the image detector 9. Here, the gain corresponds to the aperture of the camera, and the accumulation time corresponds to the shutter speed of the camera. Therefore, in order to obtain an appropriate image average value of the imaging device 6, the gain is fixed to an appropriate gain,
The accumulation time may be adjusted. Alternatively, the gain may be adjusted by fixing an appropriate accumulation time.

In FIG. 4, at least an image detecting section 9 for performing image pickup and an image processing section 15 for performing image processing.
Is composed of one chip. This chip is called an artificial retinal chip. Also, on the back side of this chip,
The control device 7 is provided. The control device 7 is composed of a microcomputer, and incorporates therein, as software, an area dividing means 24 for dividing a detection area for performing a detection process by the human body detection sensor 51 into a plurality of areas. is there. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a point table 25 for processing image information input to the image processing unit 15 is divided into a plurality of areas. That is, the imaging capability range detectable by the human body detection sensor (corresponding to the entire point table 25) is first divided into a detection area 26 that requires image processing and a non-detection area 27 that does not perform image processing. That is, the entire imaging capability range is not set as the detection area. This limits the processing range of the image by using a part of the detection processing area that can be detected as a sensor detection area that actually detects and processes.
Speeding up image processing.

Further, the detection area 26 is set to the washing area 3
It is divided into two areas, 0 and a bathtub area 31. By dividing the area into two, light control can be performed for each area, and image processing can be appropriately performed. Further, by dividing the region into two and calculating image data for each region, the speed for image processing can be increased. FIG.
As shown in (2), the area between the washing area 30 and the bathtub area 31 is defined as an invalid area 33, and the invalid area 33 may be a non-detection area where no image processing is performed. As a result, even if the mounting position of the sensor is slightly shifted, the detection error can be reduced.

The imaging lens 10, the imaging device 6, and the control device 7, which constitute the human body detection sensor 51, are housed in one case together with the infrared sensor 52, and are mounted on the ceiling 34 of the bathroom 1 as a human body sensor set. It is attached. 2 and 3 show examples of the mounting position of the human body detection sensor 51. FIG.

In FIG. 2, the human body detection sensor 51 includes
It is attached to the ceiling 34 of the bathroom 1 toward the center of the boundary between the washing area 30 and the bathtub area 31 of the bathroom 1. Experiments have confirmed that the imaging area of this sensor in a standard bathroom is in the range as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the human body detection sensor 51 may be positioned toward the center of the boundary between the bathtub area and the washroom area. In the figure, 5a, 5b and 5c show a human body detection sensor attached to the wall surface 36 of the bathroom 1. 5d in the figure is attached to a remote controller 35 for operating the water heater. In each case, it is located toward the center of the boundary between the bathtub area and the washroom area. Since it is the center of the boundary, it refers to a portion obtained by equally dividing the width (A) of the washing room 3, and the height of the center may be approximately the same as the height of the bathtub 2.

Then, the detection output of the imaging device 6 and the detection output of the infrared sensor 52 are output to the judgment means 32, respectively. The determining means comprehensively determines the presence or absence of a bather and the movement of the bather in the bathroom based on the output from the imaging device 6 and the output from the infrared sensor.

The image detected by the artificial retina is processed as follows. The image processing unit 15 receives image information from all pixels constituting the image detection unit 9 at regular intervals. The image processing unit 15 receives the image information at regular time intervals,
The image information is processed and output to the judging means 32 to monitor the movement of the bather.

More specifically, first, the image processing unit 15 calculates the difference (difference) in the amount of received light between the image (previous image) a predetermined time earlier detected by the image detection unit 9 and the current image (current image). I do. Pixels having a positive difference are represented by +, negative pixels are represented by-, and pixels having a difference of 0 are represented by 0. Since the movement of the object can be determined based on the boundary of the image, the movement of the boundary of the image appears as a positive or negative difference there. Thereby, the moving direction of the image boundary is estimated. By looking at the sum of the differences, it is possible to roughly grasp the movement of the person. Then, by averaging the difference vector between the pixel and its surrounding 3 × 3 pixels (optical flow), it is possible to detect the presence or movement of a person in the bathroom.

As shown in FIG. 6, the detection area 26 of the human body detection sensor 51 is divided into two areas, a wash area 30 and a bathtub area 31, and the sum of the differences or the amount of movement is detected for each area. . Here, the amount of motion refers to each region 30, 3
It is the average of the scalar amounts of the optical flows of each pixel for each pixel (scalar average) or the sum of the scalar amounts (scalar sum).

Next, determination of whether or not a person has entered the bathroom 1 will be described. In FIG. 7, when a person starts entering the bathroom, first, the infrared sensor 52 in a standby state detects a human body and is turned on (step S1), and a timer is set (step S2). When a person is detected in the washing room (in the case of YES in step S3), it is determined that the person has entered the room (step S3).
4). In this entry determination, since the detection of the human body by the human body detection sensor 51 requires time for imaging and calculation of the amount of movement, or when the bathroom 1 is dark, the monitoring sensitivity is low. Sensor 52
After the person is detected, the human body detection sensor 51 detects the person together, thereby compensating for the weak points of the human body detection sensor 51 and ensuring the entry into the room.

Also, when leaving the bathroom 1, the infrared sensor 52 is turned off (No in step S5), and the human body detection sensor 51 does not detect the amount of movement (in step S6). (In the case of no), it is determined that the person has left the bathroom 1. Since only the heat sensing type infrared sensor 52 may erroneously determine the bathtub temperature as the human body temperature, the weak point of the infrared sensor 52 is supplemented by using another sensor. Then, even when the human body detection sensor 51 does not detect a person in the washing room 3 (No in step S3), if a person is detected in the bathtub (step S8), the infrared sensor 52 and the human body detection sensor are detected within a predetermined time. When both 51 detect a person (steps S9, S1
0), it is determined that the person has entered the room (step S4). After it is determined that the person has entered the room, a timer is set (step S11) so that the detection duration time of the sensor matches the average bathing time. The timer set time may be extended by detecting that a person is in the bathroom 1.

Next, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub 2 and its control will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 101 denotes a hot water supply unit including a bath hot water supply device and the like.
A heat exchanger 102 for supplying hot water, a gas burner 103 provided below the heat exchanger 102, a heat exchanger 104 for bath, and a gas burner 105 provided below the heat exchanger are provided therein. Reference numeral 106 denotes control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means 101. One of the controls is such that when the bathtub water level falls, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at a set hot water temperature to a predetermined water level and then stopped. The bathroom remote controller 35 is provided between the bathroom 1 and the hot water supply unit 10.
Reference numeral 53 denotes a remote controller for the bathroom.
An automatic operation switch 54 provided at 5 is a hot water temperature adjustment switch for setting hot water supply temperature. Reference numeral 55 denotes a kitchen remote control for remotely controlling the hot water supply means 101 from the kitchen, and has a display section 56 for displaying a hot water temperature and the like. The kitchen remote control 55 also has an automatic operation switch similarly to the bathroom remote control. 57, a hot water temperature adjustment switch 58 for setting hot water supply temperature is provided. Normally, from the viewpoint of convenience, two remote controls, a bathroom remote control 35 and a kitchen remote control 55, are used to operate the hot water supply means 101 such as a bath water heater.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a water inlet pipe leading to the hot water supply heat exchanger 102, and reference numeral 60 denotes a hot water outlet pipe extending from the hot water supply heat exchanger 102 to the hot water supply currant (not shown). The water inlet pipe 59 is provided with a water solenoid valve 61 for adjusting and opening the water flow from the upstream side, a water flow sensor 62 for detecting the flow of water, and a water temperature sensor 63 for detecting the incoming water temperature. The tapping pipe 60 is provided with a temperature sensor 64 such as a thermistor as a temperature-sensitive member for detecting the temperature of the hot water heated by the hot water supply heat exchanger 102. The temperature sensor 64 may detect the temperature of the hot water after the hot and cold water is mixed.

Reference numeral 65 denotes a gas pipe reaching the gas burner 103. The gas pipe 65 is provided with a gas solenoid valve 66 as a driving member for opening and closing a gas passage. Reference numeral 67 denotes a circulation path of the hot water supply means 101 connected to the bathtub 2.
7 is provided with a pressure sensor 68 for detecting the water level of the bathtub 2 and a circulation pump 69. Reference numeral 70 denotes a hot water supply pipe branched from the hot water supply pipe 60 and connected to the circulation path 67, and an electromagnetic valve 71 is provided on the way. Reference numeral 72 denotes a gas solenoid valve provided in a gas passage 73 leading to the gas burner 105. Control means 1
Reference numeral 06 indicates the state of the bath water heater main body based on detection signals from the temperature sensor 64, the water amount sensor 63 and other various sensors, and various parts of the bath water heater main body (for example, the gas solenoid valve) based on a control signal from a remote controller. , Gas proportional valve). Further, at the time of the automatic hot water supply operation, the electromagnetic valve 71 is opened to supply hot water to the bathtub 2 via the circulation path 67, and the preset bathtub water level is detected by the pressure sensor 68, whereby the automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub 2 is stopped. Function.

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, after installing the bath water heater main body, a remote controller for remote control is connected to the main body.

First, a power supply is introduced into a bath water heater main body which is a hot water supply means, and then a desired hot water temperature is controlled by a remote controller in advance.
Set the bathtub water level, etc. Next, when the automatic operation switch 57 of the remote controller is turned on, the electromagnetic valve 71 is opened and water is supplied, the hot water supply burner 103 is ignited, and the hot water supply
, The hot water is supplied to the bathtub 2 via the circulation path 67 and the automatic hot water supply operation is started (step S11).

When bathing in the bathtub 2 progresses and reaches a desired water level set by the bather, the set pressure is detected by the water level sensor 68, and a detection signal is input to the control means 106. A command to close the burner 103 and the solenoid valve 71 is issued from 106, and the filling is ended (step S12). This operation is performed as a part of the automatic hot water supply operation, and when the bather subsequently uses the bath water to lower the bath water level, the water level sensor 68 detects the lowered water pressure and sends a signal to the control means 106. Then, the control means 106 outputs an open command to the burner 103 and the electromagnetic valve 71, starts hot water supply to the bathtub 2 and adds hot water to a predetermined water level again, and stops hot water supply when the water level reaches the predetermined water level. It is.

After completion of the hot water filling (step S12), the presence of a person in the bathroom 1 is detected by the human body detection sensor 51 (Yes in step S13), and the presence of the person in the washing room 3 is also determined. If it is detected (YES in step S14), the automatic hot water supply operation is put on standby (step S1).
5).

Here, "standby" means that the automatic hot water supply operation is controlled so as not to start even if an automatic hot water supply command is input. Thereby, when the body is washed using the hot water in the bathtub 2 in the washing place 3, the hot water in the bathtub 2 decreases, and even if the water level sensor 68 detects the drop in the bathtub hot water level as described above. ,
No hot water is supplied to the bathtub 2. This operation is performed by inputting a signal to the control means 106 of the hot water supply means 101 when the determination means 32 determines that a person is in the washing room 3 in the course of image processing by the human body detection sensor 51.

Therefore, when the bather is in the washing room 3, the hot water supplied from the hot water supply means 101 is not automatically supplied to the bathtub 2. Hot water is discharged from the hot water tap in the washroom 3, and the situation where the amount of hot water coming out of the hot water tap runs short is avoided.

On the other hand, when the presence of a person is not detected in the washing room 3 (No in step S14), the above-described automatic hot water supply operation is continued (step S16). Here, the continuation of the automatic hot water supply operation means that when the water level sensor 68 detects a drop in the bath water level, hot water supply is performed and hot water supply is stopped at the set water level. Thus, if the bathtub water level drops for some reason while a person is in the bathtub 2, the water level is added to the bathtub 2 via the control means 106 by the water level sensor 68 to supply hot water. When the bathtub 2 is occupied by people, it is rare to use the hot water faucet of the washing room 3, so it is considered that there is little possibility that a problem in use occurs. Finally, by turning off the automatic operation switch 57 of the remote controller (step S17), the process returns to the start.

The attachment of the human body detection sensor 51 is as follows.
The monitor is attached so that the monitoring direction is directed to the center of the boundary between the washroom area 30 and the bathtub area 31 in the bathroom. This allows the detection area of the human body detection sensor 51 to be divided into the bathtub area 31 and the washing area 30, so that the boundary between both areas can be reliably monitored, and the presence of a person detected in the washing area 3 can be detected. The determination can be made reliably, and the standby of the automatic hot water supply operation can be quickly instructed. in this way,
The attachment position of the human body detection sensor 51 attached to the center of the boundary is not limited to the ceiling 34, but can be attached to the wall surface 36 of the bathroom and the remote controller 35 which is a device in the bathroom.

If the device is mounted on the wall surface 36, the installation work can be easily performed and the device can be easily installed in an existing bathroom.
If they are mounted on the remote controller 35 and built in, both can be installed with a single installation. Ceiling 34 or bathroom wall 36
, The entire bathroom 1 can be put in the field of view of the sensor, and the presence of a person in the washing room 3 can be reliably grasped.
In particular, by attaching the sensor toward the boundary between the bathtub 2 and the washing room 3, the boundary can be clarified for the movement of each person in the bathtub 2 and the washing room 3.

Further, the human body detection sensor 51 is connected to the washing area 3
The image processing is performed in the invalid area 33 even if the mounting position of the human body detection sensor is slightly deviated from the proper position by mounting the image processing apparatus at the position of the invalid area 33 where the image processing is not performed, which is provided between 0 and the bathtub area 31. Since this is not performed, the detection of the two areas of the washing room 2 and the bathtub 3 can always be reliably performed. It is desirable that the gap between the washing area 30 and the bathtub area 31, which is the area width of the invalid area 33, is substantially equal to the case width of the human body sensor 5. Since the human body detection sensor 51 and the infrared sensor 52 constituting the human body sensor 5 are housed in one case, it is easy to mount and check.

In the case of a system bathroom including a unit bath or the like, an inspection port for inspection is located on the ceiling 34 of the bathroom, and the human body sensor 5 is attached to the inspection port which is an inspection lid. It is recommended that Since the inspection port can be attached and detached, not only can the human body sensor 5 be installed and inspected easily, but also the condition of the optimal attachment position of the sensor can be satisfied.

The above-described embodiment shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made within the scope. For example, in the present embodiment, the system bathroom has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example and can be installed in other existing bathrooms. Further, in this embodiment, a two-can bath water heater using gas as fuel is shown as a hot water supply means, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and oil hot water may be used. In addition, the same effect can be expected even with a one-can-two-channel water heater.

[0044]

As described above, the bathroom of the present invention is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub when detecting the presence of a person in the washing room. There is no danger that the amount of hot water from the tap or shower will decrease, which is convenient for actual use. In addition, by dividing the detection area of the human body detection sensor into a bathtub and a washroom area,
The image data can be arithmetically processed for each area, the processing speed of the captured image can be increased, and the detection determination can be performed quickly. further,
By positioning the direction of the human body detection sensor toward the boundary between the bathtub and the washroom, it is possible to reliably detect the movement of the person at the boundary between the bathtub area and the washroom area, and to detect the movement of the person to the washroom. Therefore, there is an advantage that the standby command for the automatic hot water supply operation can be promptly issued. In the bathroom of the present invention, since the human body detection sensor is a low-resolution imaging device, the outline of the human body is blurred, and the outline of the human body does not appear directly, which is advantageous in protecting privacy. Furthermore, the bathroom of the present invention can be determined to have entered the bathroom by detection of both the human body detection sensor and the infrared sensor,
Since the entry into the room is reliably determined, and the automatic hot water supply operation is on standby when a person is present in the washing room, the standby for the automatic hot water supply operation can be reliably executed even when the bathroom is dark. Further, in the bathroom of the present invention, both the bathtub and the washing room can be accommodated within the sensor viewing angle, and particularly, the detection of a person in the washing room can be reliably performed, and the operation standby of the automatic hot water supply operation can be reliably performed. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a bathroom according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship between a sensor and a detection area viewed from a ceiling side according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a mounting position of a bathroom sensor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric circuit showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of an image core circuit forming one pixel of an image detection unit of the human body detection sensor.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an imaging range of a sensor, a detection range, and a detection area.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship between an imaging range, a detection range, and a detection area of a sensor according to another embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an overall configuration diagram of a hot water supply unit showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a control flowchart of one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 bathroom 2 bath tub 3 washing room 4 doorway 6 imaging device 7 control device 9 image detection unit 15 image processing unit 17 image core circuit 26 detection area 30 washing area 31 bathtub area 32 determination means 33 invalid area 34 ceiling 35 bathroom remote control 36 Bathroom wall surface 51 Human body detection sensor 52 Infrared sensor 55 Kitchen remote controller 68 Water level sensor 71 Solenoid valve 101 Hot water supply means 106 Control means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A bathroom having a bathtub, a washing room and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, and the control means comprises a bathtub water level. When the temperature drops, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at the set hot water temperature and then stopped, and the bathroom is provided with a human body detection sensor for detecting the presence of a person. When the presence of a person in the washroom is detected by the control means, the control means is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub, wherein the detection area of the human body detection sensor is a bathtub area and a washroom area. Divided into
A bathroom, wherein the mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is positioned toward a boundary between a bathtub area and a washroom area. 2. A bathroom having a bathtub, a washing room and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, and the control means comprises a bathtub water level. When the temperature drops, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at the set hot water temperature and then stopped, and the bathroom is provided with a human body detection sensor for detecting the presence of a person. When the presence of a person in the washing room is detected, the control unit is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub, and the human body detection sensor is configured by a low-resolution imaging device. Wherein the detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washroom area, and the mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is positioned toward a boundary between the bathtub area and the washroom area. bathroom. 3. A bathroom having a bathtub, a washing room and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, and the control means comprises a bathtub water level. When the water temperature drops, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at the set hot water temperature and then stopped, and the human body detection is implemented by a low-resolution imaging device that detects the presence of a person in the bathroom. A sensor is provided and a heat-sensing infrared sensor is provided, and when the presence of a person in the washroom is detected by the human body detection sensor and the infrared sensor,
The control means is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub, wherein a detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washroom area, and a mounting direction of the human body detection sensor is set in the bathtub. A bathroom characterized by being located towards the boundary between the area and the washroom area. 4. A bathroom having a bathtub, a washing room and an entrance to the washing room, hot water supply means for supplying hot water to the bathtub, control means for controlling the operation of the hot water supply means, and the control means comprises a bathtub water level. When the water temperature drops, the hot water supply is automatically stopped at the set hot water temperature and then stopped, and the human body detection is implemented by a low-resolution imaging device that detects the presence of a person in the bathroom. A sensor is provided and a heat-sensing infrared sensor is provided, and when the presence of a person in the washroom is detected by the human body detection sensor and the infrared sensor,
The control means is configured to wait for an automatic hot water supply operation to the bathtub, wherein a detection area of the human body detection sensor is divided into a bathtub area and a washing area, and a mounting position of the human body detection sensor is set to a bathroom. A bathroom characterized by being located on a ceiling or a wall surface of a bathroom, and a mounting direction of a human body detection sensor is positioned toward a boundary between a bathtub area and a washroom area.