JP2004341798A - Charge reception device for pay toilet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charge reception device for a pay toilet having excellent versatility, capable of being applied to not only a private room type toilet but also a nonprivate-room urinal toilet. <P>SOLUTION: This charge reception device has a detection sensor 2 detecting presence/absence of a user, a charge reception means 3 collecting a use charge of the toilet, and a notification means 4. When the presence of the user is detected by the detection sensor 2, notification by the notification means 4 is started. When the charge reception means 3 collects the use charge, the notification by the notification means 4 is stopped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toll collection device for a pay toilet such as a public toilet or a building toilet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many public toilets and the like are free to use freely. However, the maintenance costs of these toilets, such as cleaning costs for toilets, water usage, electricity for lighting, and repair costs for toilets, are considerable. Is actually a heavy burden. Under such circumstances, some attempts have been made to charge public toilets and building toilets. In such a case, if a manager is used to collect the toilet usage fee, the labor cost is high, so a paid toilet that can collect the usage fee unattended has been proposed. For example, a private toilet (see Patent Document 1) provided with a door opening / closing device capable of opening a door by inserting a coin, and a charge collection device and an automatic unlocking device provided at an entrance / exit door provide a user with a charge. 2. Description of the Related Art A private toilet (see Patent Literature 2) is known in which an automatic unlocking device is activated when a user enters a door to open a door so that the door can be entered.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-87653 (Claim 1, Paragraph 0009)
[0004]
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3043963 (paragraphs 0007 to 0010)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the above-mentioned conventional toilet system can be applied to a private toilet having a door, but cannot be applied to a male urinal toilet that is not a private room.
[0006]
Further, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, it is necessary to provide a door opening / closing device and an automatic unlocking device for controlling opening / closing of the door in conjunction with the insertion of a coin. There was a problem that the cost also increased.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such a technical background, and can be applied not only to a single-room type toilet but also to a non-private male urinal toilet, which is excellent in versatility and relatively simple. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toll collection device for a pay toilet which has a simple configuration and can reduce the cost.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object is provided with a detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a user, a fee collection unit for collecting a toilet usage fee, and a notification unit, and the notification unit when the presence of a person is detected by the detection sensor. Is started, and when the fee collection unit collects a usage fee, the notification by the notification unit is stopped.
[0009]
When the user is located in front of the toilet or in the private toilet, the detection sensor detects this and starts notification by the notification means. The user is urged to pay the fee for using the toilet by a sound guide or an alarm sound, so that the user pays a prescribed fee. When the toll collection unit collects the paid usage fee, the notification by the notification unit stops, so that after payment, the user can use the device in a calm state without being heard by voice guidance or an alarm sound. If the user does not pay the prescribed usage fee, the notification by the notification means is further performed, and the user feels a feeling of mental oppression, thereby improving the payment rate of the usage fee. . In addition, since a relatively simple configuration is sufficient, miniaturization is possible and a low-cost product can be manufactured.
[0010]
After the presence of the user is detected by the detection sensor, when the detection sensor detects that the user has left, if the notification by the notification unit is being performed, the notification is stopped. Is preferred. In this case, the notification by the notification means does not continue even after the user leaves without paying the usage fee, and it is possible to prevent the noise caused by the continuation of meaningless notification and to continue the notification. Energy (electric energy, etc.) can be prevented.
[0011]
It is preferable that the notifying unit notifies the user by voice that the toilet is a paid toilet. As a result, the user can be strongly encouraged to pay the toilet usage fee.
[0012]
Alternatively, it is preferable that the notifying unit notifies the user of an alarm sound. The warning sound gives the user a feeling of mental oppression, so that the user can be strongly encouraged to pay the toilet usage fee.
[0013]
It is preferable that the notification unit continuously notifies. Thereby, the user can be more strongly urged to pay the toilet usage fee.
[0014]
It is preferable that the fee collection means collects the usage fee of the toilet by cash. Cash is the most versatile payment method and does not inconvenience the user.
[0015]
If the cash is a coin, there is no advantage that expensive bills are stored in the toll collection means, so that there is an advantage that they are hard to be stolen. Among them, the cash is particularly preferably a 10-yen coin.
[0016]
In addition, it is preferable that the toll collection device for a pay toilet according to the present invention is configured in a box type provided with an openable front door. The front door that can be opened is provided so that the collected usage fee can be easily collected.The box type is compatible with the general design of the toilet without discomfort and easy to install. Become.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A toll collection device (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, (2) is a detection sensor, (3) is a toll collection unit, (4) is a notification unit, and (5) is a case. The toll collection means (3) includes a coin slot (20), a coin slot (30), a checker (31), a swing arm for counting (32), and a coin storage box (33).
[0018]
The case (5) has a box shape and includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case body (11) with an open front and a front door (10) attached to an open surface of the body (11). As shown in FIG. 1A, the front door (10) has upper and lower right ends attached to the case body (11) via hinges, and can be opened to the front side (front side in the drawing). Has been done. As shown in FIG. 1 (b), a keyhole (23) is provided in the left side wall (11a) of the case body (11), and a key is inserted into the keyhole (23) with the front door (10) closed. The front door (10) is fixed to the case body (11) in a locked state by inserting and closing the lock. When collecting the collected usage fee, coins can be easily collected by inserting a key into the keyhole (23), unlocking the keyhole, and opening the front door (10).
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1 (a), a coin slot (20) is provided at the uppermost position of the front door (10), and a detection sensor (2) is located diagonally below and to the right of the slot (20). A return lever (22) is provided at a position diagonally lower left of the input port (20). Further, a coin return port (21) is provided at a position slightly to the left of the front door (10) slightly below the center in the vertical direction, and a number of sound holes (24) are provided immediately below the return port (21). … Is drilled. These sound holes (24) are holes for transmitting sound from the notification means (4) to the front side (user side). The detection sensor (2) detects the presence or absence of a user with an infrared sensor.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 2, a coin insertion portion (30) is disposed at a position corresponding to the coin insertion slot (20) on the inner surface of the front door (10), and a coin detection portion is located immediately below the coin insertion portion (30). A changer (coin sorter, coin sorter) (31) is arranged, and a counting swing arm (32) is swingably mounted on the left side immediately below the checker (31). In addition, a coin return unit (36) is disposed on the right side immediately below the cashier (31). A coin storage box (33) having an open upper surface is disposed below the counting swing arm (32). Further, a notifying means (4) is attached at a lower right position on the inner surface of the front door (10), and a control unit (control unit) (34) is disposed at an upper left position.
[0021]
The notifying means (4) is composed of a speaker, and the notifying means (4) notifies the voice information recorded in the control section (34) when necessary. The checker (31) is a device for selecting whether or not the coin is a proper coin. The structure and the sorting mechanism are conventionally known, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral (35) denotes a dry battery, which supplies power to the control unit (34), the detection sensor (2), and the like. (37) is a return lever interlocking arm.
[0022]
When the detection sensor (2) detects the presence of the user, a detection signal is transmitted to the control unit (34), and the control unit (34) notifies the notification unit (4) of the voice information based on the detection signal. To start. When the swinging arm for counting (32) swings downward due to the passing of coins, the number of times is counted by the control unit (34), and when the counted number reaches a specified number, the control unit (34). Instructs the notifying means (4) to stop notifying the voice information. When the notification by the notification means (4) is stopped, the count number is reset (returned to the count number 0).
[0023]
After the detection sensor (2) detects the presence of the user, when the detection sensor (2) detects that the user has left, the notification by the notification means (4) is performed. In some cases (i.e., when the user leaves without paying the usage fee), the notification by the notification means (4) is stopped by an instruction from the control unit (34).
[0024]
The toll collection device (1) for a pay toilet according to the present invention can be applied to various types of toilets such as a private toilet and a non-private men's urinal. The following describes an example of a case where the device is installed in the device (see FIG. 3).
[0025]
When the user stands in front of the urinal (50), the detection sensor (2) detects the presence of the user, whereby the notification means (4) starts to notify the voice information. For example, a voice such as "This toilet is a paid toilet. Please insert 20 yen into the coin slot in front of you." If the user inserts two 10-yen coins into the coin slot (20) in response, these coins pass through the coin slot (30) and are checked by the checker (31) to see if they are 10 coins. Is carried out, and if it is confirmed that the coin is a 10-yen coin, the coin is dropped from the checker (31) to the coin storage box (33). At this time, the coin comes into contact with the swing arm for counting (32), swings it downward, and falls into the coin storage box (33), and the number of swings is counted by the control unit (34). When the counted number reaches a specified number (two times in the present embodiment), a voice of "Thank you." Is played according to an instruction from the control unit (34), and then a voice by the notification means (4). Notification of information is stopped. When the user pays the toilet usage fee in this way, the user can complete the use in a calm state without being heard the voice guidance. If it is determined by the checker (31) that the dropped coin is not a 10-yen coin, the coin is dropped to the coin return section (36), and the user collects the coin from the coin return slot (21). it can. When a coin having a clearly large diameter such as a 500 yen coin is accidentally inserted into the coin insertion slot (20), the interlocking arm (37) prevents the coin from being moved into the cashier (31). In this case, if the return lever (22) is pushed down, the interlocking arm (37) is pushed down in conjunction with this, and the erroneously inserted 500 yen coin or the like is dropped to the coin return section (36) (returned). ).
[0026]
On the other hand, if the user has not paid the prescribed usage fee, the notification of the voice information by the notification means (4) is continuously repeated, so that the user feels a feeling of mental oppression. Payment of the usage fee is encouraged, and the payment rate of the usage fee can be improved by such a method. It is preferable that the notification of the plurality of times by the notification means (4) be performed at a louder volume than the first notification. In particular, it is preferable to increase the volume of the notification stepwise as the number of times of the notification increases. Particularly preferred.
[0027]
If the user leaves without paying the prescribed usage fee, the detection sensor (2) detects this, and the notification of the notification means (4) is stopped by an instruction from the control unit (34). Thus, regardless of whether the user fee is paid or not paid, useless notification is not performed when the user is absent.
[0028]
In the above-described embodiment, the change function is not provided, but a change may be made (for example, a change is made with a 10-yen coin for the insertion of a 100-yen coin). Further, in the above embodiment, the usage fee of the toilet is collected by coins. However, the usage fee may be collected (changed) not only by coins but also by banknotes.
[0029]
Further, in the above embodiment, the toll collection means (3) collects the usage fee of the toilet by cash, but is not particularly limited to such a mode, and collects, for example, by a prepaid card. A form may be adopted. Alternatively, a form in which the user's mobile phone is used for collection (for example, a method of deducting a toilet fee from a user's bank account predetermined based on a recorded user's mobile phone number at a later date, etc. may be mentioned. ) Can also be adopted.
[0030]
Further, in the above embodiment, the notification means (4) notifies the user of the fact that the toilet is a pay toilet, but the notification means (4) is not particularly limited to such a form. (A siren, a buzzer, a chime, etc.) may be notified to the user. In this case, for example, an explanation to the effect that "the alarm sound stops when the toilet usage fee is paid" may be posted in a place noticeable to the user.
[0031]
In the above embodiment, an infrared sensor is used as the detection sensor (2). However, the invention is not particularly limited to this, and any sensor can be used as long as it can detect the presence or absence of a user. But can be used.
[0032]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, each component is attached to the inside of the case (5) or to the case (5). However, the present invention is not particularly limited to such a configuration. It may be arranged separately from (5).
[0033]
Further, in the above embodiment, the charge collection device (1) is configured separately from the urinal (50), but may be configured integrally with the urinal (50).
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the user is located in front of the toilet or in the private toilet, the detection sensor detects this and starts the notification by the notification means. The notification prompts the user to pay the toilet usage fee, and the user pays the prescribed usage fee. When the toll collection unit collects the paid usage fee, the notification by the notification unit stops, so that after payment, the user can use the device in a calm state without being heard by voice guidance or an alarm sound. If the user does not pay the prescribed usage fee, the notification by the notification means is further performed, and the user feels a feeling of mental oppression, thereby improving the payment rate of the usage fee. . In addition, since a relatively simple configuration is sufficient, downsizing is possible and the cost is low. This charge collection device can be applied to various types of toilets such as a private room type toilet and a non-private room men's urinal toilet, and is excellent in versatility.
[0035]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the noise caused by the continuation of the notification when there is no user, and also to prevent the waste of energy (such as electric energy) for continuing such useless notification. it can.
[0036]
According to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to strongly encourage the user to pay the fee for using the toilet.
[0037]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the warning sound gives the user a feeling of mental oppression, so that the user can be strongly encouraged to pay the toilet usage fee.
[0038]
According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to more strongly urge the user to pay the fee for using the toilet.
[0039]
According to the invention of claim 6, since the usage fee is collected by cash, which is the most versatile payment means, there is no inconvenience to the user.
[0040]
According to the invention of claim 7, it is relatively difficult to be stolen, which is convenient for crime prevention.
[0041]
According to the invention of claim 8, since the front door which can be opened is provided, it is possible to easily collect the collected usage fee, and since it is a box type, there is no sense of incongruity with the general design of the toilet. Fit and easy installation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a charge collection device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a front view and (B) is a left side view.
FIG. 2 is a rear view of the bill collection device shown with a rear wall removed.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a state in which the charge collection device is arranged in a toilet.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bill collection device 2 ... Detection sensor 3 ... Charge collection means 4 ... Notification means 10 ... Front door

Claims (8)

A detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a user,
Toll collection means for collecting toilet usage fees,
Notifying means,
The notification by the notification unit is started when the presence of the user is detected by the detection sensor, and the notification by the notification unit is stopped when the fee collection unit collects a usage fee. Toll collection device for paid toilets. 2. After the presence of the user is detected by the detection sensor, when the detection sensor detects that the user has left, if the notification by the notification unit is being performed, the notification is stopped. A toll collection device for a paid toilet according to 1. 3. A toll collection device for a pay toilet according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit notifies the user of the fact that the toilet is a pay toilet by voice. The toll collection device for a toilet toilet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification unit notifies the user of an alarm sound. 5. The charge collection device for a pay toilet according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit continuously notifies the notification. 6. The toll collection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fee collection unit collects a usage fee of the toilet by cash. 7. The toll collection device for a pay toilet according to claim 6, wherein the cash is a coin. The toll collection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the device is configured as a box having an openable front door.

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