JP2005143628A - Toilet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a toilet seat device, having a distance measuring type sensor which brings about a detection ON state when any kind of existence is confirmed at a certain set distance, and therefore presents the detection ON state in a toilet room of which the size is various, in the case of the set distance is made longer, by confirming the wall of the toilet room cannot be provided with a long set distance from the end of the toilet seat. <P>SOLUTION: A sensor unit which automatically detects the presence/absence of a human body is arranged in the toilet room separately from a main body. Then, by arranging the sensor unit on the wall of a toilet entrance, this toilet device can detect the presence/absence of the human body by an optimal timing without applying a feeling of incongruity to the human body according to the size of the toilet room. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet apparatus, and more particularly to user entry detection in a toilet space.

  Conventionally, this type of toilet device has a human body detection sensor in the toilet seat unit, detects entry into the toilet room, opens the toilet lid of the toilet seat device, and switches the set temperature of the toilet seat. It is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

FIG. 9 shows a conventional toilet apparatus. In FIG. 9, 101 is a main body, 102 is a sensor, 103 is a toilet lid, 104 is a toilet seat, and 105 is a detection area.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-190450 (first item, FIG. 1)

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the human body detection sensor uses a distance measuring sensor that is in the detection ON state when there is some reflection object in a certain range. The problem of not being used was used. That is, if the detection distance is long, the detection is always on due to the wall of the toilet room, so the detection range has to be set on the premise of the narrowest toilet room. Therefore, even if the distance from the entrance to the toilet room to the toilet seat device is long, the human body cannot be detected unless the human body stands immediately in front of the toilet seat device.

  In order to detect a human body with a distance measuring sensor, it is necessary to continuously emit infrared rays. Therefore, a large amount of power is consumed, and if a battery or the like is used as a power supply means, the battery is consumed immediately. It was mainly used for the device body. When the human body detection sensor is provided in the toilet device body, the toilet seat device covers the entire toilet seat device to prevent the dust in the toilet room from entering the gap between the toilet seat body and the toilet seat. There was a problem that the design of the main body would be restricted.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a toilet device that can detect the presence or absence of a human body at an optimal timing without giving a sense of incongruity to the human body according to the size of the toilet room. And

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a toilet apparatus according to the present invention includes a human body detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a user using a pyroelectric sensor in a toilet space, and a transmission unit that transmits a detection signal based on the detection unit. And a toilet seat unit having a receiving means for receiving a detection signal transmitted by the sensor unit, and the sensor unit detects the human body by the human body detection means until the transmission prohibition time elapses after the detection signal is transmitted. Is not to be performed.

  As a result, the sensor unit that detects the presence or absence of a human body can be installed in the toilet room separately from the main body, and the sensor unit is installed near the entrance of the toilet room of various sizes and transmitted to the main body by wireless communication means By doing so, it is possible to detect when the user enters the toilet room. Further, even if the detection area of the sensor unit is crossed by the user's operation in the toilet room, the power consumption of the sensor unit can be reduced without repeatedly transmitting.

  The toilet apparatus of the present invention can be provided with a sensor unit for detecting the presence or absence of a human body in the toilet room separately from the main body, and the sensor unit is installed near the entrance of the toilet room of various sizes, and wireless communication means By transmitting to the main body, it is possible to detect when the user enters the toilet room. Even if the detection area of the sensor unit is crossed by the user's operation in the toilet room, the sensor unit is not repeatedly transmitted, and the power consumption of the sensor unit can be reduced.

  1st invention is a sensor unit which consists of the human body detection means which detects the presence or absence of a user in a toilet space using a pyroelectric sensor, the transmission means which transmits a detection signal based on a detection means, and the sensor unit transmitted And a toilet seat unit having receiving means for receiving the detection signal, and the sensor unit does not perform human body detection by the human body detection means until the transmission prohibition time has elapsed after transmitting the detection signal.

  As a result, the sensor unit that detects the presence or absence of a human body can be installed in the toilet room separately from the main body, and the sensor unit is installed near the entrance of the toilet room of various sizes and transmitted to the main body by wireless communication means By doing so, it is possible to detect when the user enters the toilet room. Even if the detection area of the sensor unit is crossed by the user's operation in the toilet room, the sensor unit is not repeatedly transmitted, and the power consumption of the sensor unit can be reduced.

  The second invention has a power shut-off means for shutting off the power supply to the human body detecting means until the power shut-off time elapses after the human body detection signal is transmitted to the sensor unit of the toilet apparatus according to claim 1 in particular. As a result, even if the detection area of the sensor unit is crossed due to the user's operation in the toilet room, there is no need to repeatedly transmit, and unnecessary power supply to the human body detection means may be performed. Therefore, the power consumption of the sensor unit can be further reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in particular, the power shut-off time in the power shut-off means of the toilet device according to claims 1 to 2 is shorter than the transmission prohibition time. Even if the detection area of the sensor unit is crossed by the operation, it does not transmit many times, and unnecessary power is not supplied to the human body detection means, so the power consumption of the sensor unit can be further reduced. it can. In addition, since the power shut-off time is shorter than the transmission prohibition time, after the power shut-off time has elapsed, the power to the human body detection means is restarted, and the human body detection means has sufficient detection performance to detect the human body. Therefore, the human body detection performance is not insufficient even though the transmission prohibition time has elapsed, and the usability can be improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in particular, the toilet seat unit of the toilet apparatus according to claims 1 to 3 includes a toilet lid, a motor for opening and closing the toilet lid, and motor control means for driving the motor, the motor control means being a sensor unit. When the detection signal is received, the toilet lid is switched from the closed state to the open state, and the toilet lid is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed. As a result, the human body can automatically close the toilet lid without any operation after using the toilet device, improving usability, and when the toilet seat is a heated toilet seat with a built-in heater, when the user does not use it In addition, since the toilet lid is closed, unnecessary heat radiation from the heated toilet seat can be prevented, and the economy can be further improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the toilet seat unit of the toilet apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is provided with seating detection means for detecting that the user is seated on the toilet seat, and the motor control means is seated by the seating detection means. During the detection, the reception of the detection signal from the sensor unit and the operation of closing the toilet lid are prohibited, so that the sensor unit is in spite of the user sitting on the toilet seat. According to the detection signal from, the toilet lid does not open or close, and the usability can be improved.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in particular, after the toilet lid is opened and the toilet seat is closed and the non-sitting state of the user is detected by the motor control means of the toilet apparatus according to claims 1 to 5 The toilet lid is closed after a lapse of time, which prevents the toilet lid from being inadvertently closed during the clothing time after the user sat on the toilet seat and evacuated or urinated. Can be planned.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in particular, the toilet lid is opened by the motor control means of the toilet apparatus according to claims 1 to 6 and the toilet lid is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the toilet seat was detected to be open. As a result, the toilet lid is not inadvertently closed when boys are small, and usability can be improved.

  In the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, the motor control means of the toilet apparatus according to claims 1 to 7 receives the detection signal from the sensor unit until the reception prohibition time has elapsed since the toilet lid was closed manually by the user. Accordingly, even when the user crosses the detection area of the sensor unit again when the user leaves the toilet after using the toilet device, the toilet lid does not open and the usability can be improved.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the area for detecting the presence or absence of a user by the human body detecting means of the toilet device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is effective only on the lower side of the horizontal plane, and the window installed in the toilet room The user has entered the toilet due to fluctuations in sunlight due to undetected when the user enters the toilet with direct sunlight from the sun, or the shaking of the curtains attached to the window and the trees outside the window. In spite of the absence, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection of detecting a human body and improve usability.

  The tenth invention has a plurality of transmission means for transmitting detection signals to the sensor unit of the toilet apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, whereby the transmission signal to the toilet seat unit is transmitted to the ceiling in the toilet room. Even if the transmission signal due to reflection is attenuated, the detection signal of the human body can be reliably transmitted, and the usability can be improved.

  In an eleventh aspect of the invention, in particular, the transmission means of the sensor unit of the toilet apparatus according to claims 1 to 10 is arranged with a certain inclination from the vertical plane, whereby the toilet ceiling and floor surface of the transmission signal from the sensor unit are arranged. The number of reflections can be reduced, a human body detection signal can be reliably transmitted, and usability can be improved.

  In the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the transmission means of the sensor unit of the toilet apparatus according to claims 1 to 11 transmits the transmission signal a plurality of times at the time of one transmission. Even if there is an obstacle such as a human body, a detection signal of the human body can be reliably transmitted, and the usability can be improved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a toilet apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The pyroelectric sensor 1 is a sensor for detecting a change in the amount of heat of an object using a pyroelectric effect that generates an electrical signal in accordance with the amount of change in infrared rays emitted in proportion to the amount of heat of the object. In the case of, the infrared ray is proportional to the ambient temperature, but when the human body is in the detection state, infrared rays proportional to the human body surface temperature higher than the ambient temperature are emitted, so only the difference between this ambient temperature and the human body surface temperature The presence or absence of a human body can be detected by the electrical signal. A lens 2 is attached to the pyroelectric sensor 1, and infrared rays emitted from the ambient temperature such as a wall in front of the pyroelectric sensor 1 by the lens 2 or the surface of the human body crossing the front of the pyroelectric sensor 1. Infrared rays emitted from can be collected most efficiently.

  In general, infrared is an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength range of 0.7 to 1000 μm, which has a wavelength longer than that of visible light and shorter than that of microwave, and the frequency of infrared light emitted from the human body is 5 to 20 μm. Is the wavelength. The lens 2 and the pyroelectric sensor 1 are subjected to an optical process that effectively uses only infrared rays having wavelengths from the human body and attenuates infrared rays having other wavelengths.

  Furthermore, the electrical signal output from the pyroelectric sensor 1 is a very small signal of about several tens to several hundred mV, which is obtained by converting the amount of infrared rays proportional to the difference between the ambient temperature and the human body surface temperature. For this reason, the human body detection means 3 amplifies the electric signal several hundred to several thousand times to detect the presence or absence of the human body. Further, when the electric signal is amplified by the human body detection means 3, it is determined that a frequency shorter or longer than the moving speed of the human body is a disturbance other than the human body and a maximum amplification factor is obtained at about 1 Hz. A pass filter is configured. FIG. 2 shows a characteristic graph of the bandpass filter. The human body detection means 3 determines that there is a human body when the electric signal amplified several hundreds to several thousand times changes more than a certain value (generally about 0.3 to 0.7 V). . When configuring this band pal filter, generally, it takes time to charge a capacitor (not shown) constituting the band pal filter after power-on, and the human body detection means 3 takes about 10 seconds. The rise time until human body detection is possible.

  The human body presence signal from the human body detection means 3 is transmitted to the transmission means 4 and output as a transmission signal that can be detected by the reception means 6 installed in the toilet seat unit 5. This transmission signal conforms to a transmission code of an infrared remote controller of a home appliance such as a television or an air conditioner. This transmission code is established as a home appliance association format in order to prevent erroneous transmission as a common format among manufacturers that manufacture and sell home appliances, and a code is assigned to each manufacturer and device.

  When the transmission means 4 detects a human body that has entered the toilet, the transmission means 4 transmits the signal to the toilet seat unit 5 as a human body presence signal. However, the infrared ray changes due to the movement of the human body in the toilet room. I will send it again. Therefore, the transmission prohibition time (about 30 seconds to 1 minute) once the human body presence signal is transmitted, invalidates the human body presence signal from the human body detecting means 3 to prevent erroneous transmission due to the movement of the human body. This stabilizes the operation and reduces power consumption. Since the sensor unit 7 is a remote controller provided separately from the toilet seat unit 5, human body detection can be performed regardless of the size of the toilet space of the user and the design of the toilet seat unit 5. In the remote controller provided separately, the battery power source of the sensor unit 7 often uses a dry battery, and by providing the above-mentioned transmission prohibition time, the battery life of the dry battery is extended, the frequency of battery replacement by the user is reduced, and the usability is improved. be able to.

  Furthermore, the transmission means 4 temporarily inputs the human body presence signal from the human body detection means 3 and then shuts off the power to the human body detection means 3 until the power cut-off time (about 20 seconds) elapses. The power consumed in 3 can also be reduced. This power cut-off time is set shorter than the above-mentioned transmission prohibition time, and after the power cut-off time has elapsed, the rise time (approximately 10 seconds) from turning on the power to the human body detection means 3 until the human body detection performance of the human body detection means 3 is stabilized is about 10 seconds. The signal from the detection means 3 is invalidated.

  Therefore, as shown in the layout diagram of the sensor unit 7 and the toilet seat unit 5 in the toilet space in FIG. 3, the human body moves the detection area 8 of the sensor unit 7 by installing the sensor unit 7 in the vicinity of the entrance to the toilet room. When the human body is detected, the human body detecting means 3 detects the presence of a human body and the transmitting means 4 transmits a human body presence signal so that the toilet seat unit 5 can detect the presence of a human body. In the toilet seat unit 5, depending on the presence of the human body, a toilet lid, which will be described later, is opened to improve usability, or a heated toilet seat in the toilet seat unit 5 (a heater is provided on the toilet seat to warm the toilet seat. ) Can be changed to achieve various effects such as a reduction in the energization rate of the heated toilet seat when there is no human body and an improvement in energy savings when the energization is stopped.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the toilet seat unit 5 of the toilet apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 9 is a toilet lid, and 10 is a motor for opening and closing the toilet lid 9. Reference numeral 11 denotes a toilet lid position sensor that detects the rotation angle of the toilet lid 9. The toilet lid position sensor 11 is provided on the rotation shaft of the toilet lid 9 and detects the rotation angle of the toilet lid 9 by a rotary variable resistor (generally also referred to as a rotary volume). When the receiving means 6 receives the human body presence signal from the sensor unit 7, the motor control means 12 operates the toilet lid 9 to the open state. That is, when the user enters the toilet space, the toilet lid 9 of the toilet seat unit 5 automatically operates from the closed state to the open state.

  Further, after the toilet lid 9 is opened, the toilet lid 9 is closed after a predetermined time, so that a toilet seat heating heater (not shown) is disposed on the toilet seat 13 from the toilet seat 13. Inadvertent heat dissipation can be prevented, the energization rate of the heater for heating the toilet seat can be reduced, and the energy saving performance can be improved.

  The toilet seat 13 includes a seating detection means 14 for detecting that the user is seated. As the seating detection means 14, a gravity method for detecting seating by the user's gravity, a capacity detection method for detecting a change in the stray capacitance component with the ground when the user is seated, and further, in the toilet seat unit 5. There is an infrared system using an infrared transmission unit and an infrared reception unit, which utilizes the fact that infrared rays transmitted when a human body is seated are reflected to enter the infrared reception unit.

  When the seating detection means 14 detects the seating of the user, the motor control means 12 prohibits the reception of the human body presence signal from the sensor unit 7, and the motor 10 closes the toilet lid 9. Is prohibited. Thus, although the user is seated on the toilet seat, the toilet lid does not open or close according to the detection signal from the sensor unit, and the usability can be improved.

  The toilet seat unit 5 is provided with a toilet lid position sensor 15 that detects the rotational position of the toilet seat 13. The toilet seat position sensor 15 is provided on the rotation shaft of the toilet seat 13 like the toilet lid position sensor 11 described above, and detects the rotation angle of the toilet lid 13 by a rotary variable resistor. In the motor control means 12, the toilet lid 9 is in an open state, the toilet seat 13 is in a closed state, and the toilet lid is in a closed state after a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) has elapsed since the user's non-sitting state has been detected. . As a result, the toilet lid 9 is not inadvertently closed during the clothing time after the user sits on the toilet seat and defecates or urinates, improving usability.

  Further, the toilet lid 9 is closed after a certain time (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed since the toilet lid 9 was opened by the motor control means 12 and the toilet seat 13 was detected to be open. As a result, the toilet lid 9 is not inadvertently closed when the boy is small, and usability can be improved.

  In addition, the detection signal from the sensor unit 7 is prohibited from reception until the reception prohibition time elapses after the toilet lid 9 is manually closed by the user by the motor control means 12. As a result, even when the user leaves the toilet after using the toilet device, the toilet lid 9 does not open even if the user crosses the detection area 8 of the sensor unit 7 again, and the usability can be improved.

  The opening / closing operation of the toilet lid 9 is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 according to the positions of the toilet lid 9 and the toilet seat 12 and the seating state of the user.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 is an external view of the sensor unit 7 of the toilet apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The infrared rays in front of the sensor unit 7 are collected by the lens 2 of the pyroelectric sensor 1 built in the sensor unit 7. The detection area 8 should be set to be narrow or wide depending on the type of the lens 2. I can do it. As the detection area 8 is wider, the movement of the human body in the toilet space can be detected, but there is a possibility of malfunction due to the influence of a heater (not shown) built in the toilet seat unit 5. Therefore, it is necessary to set the detection area 8 to be narrow to some extent. Since the sensor unit 7 is provided separately from the toilet seat unit 5 and can be installed according to the toilet space, the human body can be detected even if the detection area 8 is set narrow. In addition, by making the detection area 8 effective only on the lower side of the horizontal plane, the detection area 8 is not detected when the user enters the toilet by direct sunlight from the window installed in the toilet room, and is attached to the window. Due to fluctuations in the curtains and trees outside the window, it is possible to prevent false detections that detect the human body even though the user has not entered the toilet due to fluctuations in sunlight, which can improve usability. . As means for making the detection area 8 only in the lower surface direction, the pyroelectric sensor 1 shown in FIG. 6A and the means for setting the lens 2 itself in the lower surface direction, or the lens shown in FIG. A means for attaching a sheet-like material from the outside to the upper surface portion of 2 to detect only in the lower surface direction, and a sheet-like material from the outside to the upper surface detection portion of the pyroelectric sensor 1 shown in FIG. There are means for detecting only the lower surface direction, means for using the pyroelectric sensor 1 itself for detecting only the lower surface direction, etc., but it goes without saying that both of them produce the same effect.

  Further, as shown in the enlarged view of the periphery of the transmission means 4 of the sensor unit 7 in FIG. 7, the sensor unit 7 has a plurality of transmission means 4, each of which is forward in front of a vertical surface and side. It is installed tilted in the direction. Usually, since the sensor unit 7 in the toilet space is installed on the wall surface of the toilet space, the transmission signal from the sensor unit 7 is reflected on the ceiling or floor in the toilet space as shown in FIG. It is transmitted to the receiving means 6. The transmission signal from the sensor unit 7 is attenuated by the infrared reflectance due to the material and color of the ceiling and floor. By having a plurality of transmission means 4, even if the transmission signal to the toilet seat unit 5 attenuates the transmission signal due to the ceiling reflection in the toilet room, the detection signal of the human body can be reliably transmitted, and the usability can be improved. Furthermore, each of the transmitting means 4 can be attached to the front in front of the vertical surface and inclined in the lateral direction, whereby the number of reflections of the toilet ceiling and floor of the transmission signal from the sensor unit 7 can be reduced. A human body detection signal can be reliably transmitted, and the usability can be improved.

  Further, the transmission means 4 of the sensor unit 7 transmits a transmission signal a plurality of times (for example, transmission of a transmission code three times) at one time transmission. Even if there is an object, the detection signal from the sensor unit 7 can be received at the next transmission, so that the detection signal of the human body can be reliably transmitted, and the usability can be improved.

  As described above, since the toilet device according to the present invention can reliably detect the user entering the toilet space, the toilet device can also be applied to an entry detection device or the like.

The block diagram of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention Bandpass filter characteristic diagram of toilet apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention The toilet unit sensor unit and toilet seat unit installation diagram in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the toilet seat unit of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention The toilet lid opening / closing flowchart of the toilet apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention (A) Sensor unit external view of toilet device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention (b) Sensor unit external view of toilet device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention (c) Toilet device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention External view of sensor unit Enlarged view around the transmitting means of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 3 of the present invention The sensor unit of the toilet apparatus and toilet seat unit installation drawing in Embodiment 3 of this invention External view of conventional toilet equipment

Explanation of symbols

Reference Signs List 3 Human body detection means 4 Transmission means 5 Toilet seat unit 6 Reception means 7 Sensor unit 10 Motor 12 Motor control means 14 Seating detection means

Claims (12)

A sensor unit comprising human body detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a user using a pyroelectric sensor in a toilet space, a transmission unit for transmitting a detection signal based on the detection means, and reception for receiving a detection signal transmitted by the sensor unit And a toilet seat unit, wherein the sensor unit does not perform human body detection by the human body detection unit until the transmission prohibition time has elapsed after transmitting the detection signal. 2. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit has a power shut-off means for shutting off power to the human body detecting means until the power shut-off time elapses after the human body detection signal is transmitted. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power shut-off time in the power shut-off means is shorter than the transmission prohibition time. The toilet seat unit has a toilet lid, a motor for opening and closing the toilet lid, and motor control means for driving the motor. The motor control means switches the toilet lid from the closed state to the open state when receiving a detection signal from the sensor unit. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toilet lid is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed. The toilet seat unit has a seating detection means for detecting that the user is seated on the toilet seat, and the motor control means is prohibited to receive a detection signal from the sensor unit while the seating detection means detects the user's seating. The toilet device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a toilet lid closed state operation is prohibited. 2. The motor control means according to claim 1, wherein the toilet lid is in an open state, the toilet seat is in a closed state, and the toilet lid is in a closed state after a predetermined time has elapsed after detecting a non-sitting state of the user. 5. A toilet apparatus according to 5. 7. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the motor control means sets the toilet lid to a closed state after a predetermined time has elapsed since the toilet lid was opened and the toilet seat was detected to be open. 8. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the motor control means prohibits reception of a detection signal from the sensor unit until a reception prohibition time elapses after the toilet lid is closed manually by a user. 9. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area for detecting the presence or absence of a user by the human body detection means is effective only on a lower surface rather than a horizontal plane. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit has a plurality of transmission means for transmitting a detection signal. 11. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means is arranged with a certain inclination from the vertical plane. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission means transmits a transmission signal a plurality of times at one transmission.

Images