JP2005177223A - Toilet device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toilet device that detects the existence of a person inside the toilet without being affected by the size of the toilet space or the position of a door. <P>SOLUTION: A human body detecting means 3 that automatically detects the existence of a person inside the toilet is installed on an operation unit 7 which is arranged inside the toilet separately from a main body 5. The operation unit 7 is arranged on the wall of the entrance of the toilet. Consequently, the toilet device is provided, by which the existence of the human body is detected by an optimum timing without giving an unnatural feeling to the human body, in response to the size of the toilet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet apparatus.

  In recent years, hot water cleaning apparatuses have been widely used and their functions are increasing. As a conventional toilet device, there is a toilet device that is provided with a human body detection sensor in the toilet device body, detects the presence or absence of a person in the toilet, and opens and closes the toilet lid and closes the toilet seat (for example, patent document) 1). FIG. 11 shows a conventional toilet device described in Patent Document 1. In FIG.

In FIG. 11, a human body detection sensor 52 that is a human body detection means is provided at a corner portion on the upper front surface of the tank device 14, and the human body detection sensor 52 emits infrared light in front of the tank device 14, and its reflected light. A distance measuring sensor that detects the presence or absence of a human body in front of the tank device 14 based on the received light is used.
Japanese Patent No. 3201715 (page 8-12, FIG. 2)

  Normally, the floor space of the toilet, how to open the door, and the position of the toilet space vary, and if the goal is to be easy to use in any toilet, the human body detection means is located at the center of the toilet device or at the top of the toilet device. It is desirable to arrange the human body detection means at a position where the human body detection means is not hidden by opening and closing the toilet lid. However, it is often difficult to place in the center of the toilet apparatus or in the upper part of the toilet apparatus due to restrictions on function and design. Because the toilet unit has many right-handed users, it is often placed on the right side of the toilet unit (the right side when seated on the toilet unit), and the human body detector is installed at the same position as the control unit. There are many things to do. For this reason, when the door was on the left side of the toilet device, there was a problem that the detection of the human body was delayed and the function was impaired.

  Even if it is possible to mount the human body detecting means on the toilet apparatus main body without deteriorating the function and the design, when a distance measuring sensor is used for the human body detecting sensor as in the prior art, there is a certain range. Since the detection ON state is present when there is a reflecting object, there is a problem that the set distance cannot be increased in a toilet room of various sizes. That is, if the detection distance is set long, the wall of the toilet room is erroneously detected as a human body, and the detection is always on. Therefore, the detection range has to be set on the premise of the narrowest toilet room. That is, when the distance from the entrance to the toilet room to the toilet seat device is long, there is a problem that the human body cannot be detected unless a person stands in front of the toilet seat device.

  The above-mentioned problem can be solved by mounting human body detecting means on an operation unit for remotely operating the main body and installing the operation unit near the entrance of the toilet room. However, in order to detect a human body with a distance measuring sensor, it is necessary to continuously emit infrared rays. Therefore, the distance measuring sensor is mainly used for a toilet apparatus main body that can always supply power, and there is a problem that the battery is consumed as soon as the battery is used as the power supply means.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, detects 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 further minimizes installation effort An object of the present invention is to provide a toilet device that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a toilet apparatus according to the present invention is a remote control unit that is installed on a toilet bowl and has a control circuit, a toilet lid and a toilet seat that are rotatably attached to the main body, and a toilet apparatus. The operation unit includes an operation unit and human body detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the toilet room using a pyroelectric sensor. The human body detection means is mounted on the operation unit. In addition, the detection area of the human body detection means can be changed. Thereby, even in a toilet room of various sizes, it is possible to detect with high sensitivity when the user enters the toilet room.

  According to the present invention, the human body detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the human body is mounted on the operation unit that can be disposed in the toilet room separately from the main body, so that the operation unit is placed near the entrance of the toilet room of various sizes. By installing and transmitting to the main body by wireless communication means, it is possible to detect when the user has entered the toilet room. Moreover, the detection sensitivity of the presence or absence of a human body can be improved by setting it as the structure which can change the detection area of a human body detection means.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body having a control circuit installed on a toilet bowl, a toilet lid and a toilet seat rotatably attached to the main body, an operation unit for remotely operating a toilet device, It comprises human body detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person using a pyroelectric sensor, and the human body detection means is mounted on the operation unit. As a result, an operation unit equipped with human body detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a human body can be arranged in the toilet room separately from the main body, and even if the user is in a toilet room of various sizes, the user can enter the toilet room. Can be detected with high sensitivity.

  In the second invention, a plurality of human body detection means are provided in the operation unit. By providing a plurality of human body detection means in the operation unit, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a human body with high sensitivity without being affected by the mounting position of the operation unit or the direction of the toilet door.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a human body detection means having a configuration capable of freely changing the detection direction is provided in the operation unit. Thereby, the presence or absence of a human body can be detected with high sensitivity without being affected by the mounting position of the operation unit and the direction of the toilet door, and it is inexpensive without using a plurality of human body detection means.

  In a fourth aspect of the invention, the attachment position of the human body detection means can be selected. Thereby, the presence or absence of a human body can be detected with high sensitivity without being affected by the mounting position of the operation unit or the direction of the toilet door. Furthermore, it is inexpensive without using a plurality of human body detection means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, human body detection means having a configuration capable of freely changing the detection direction is provided in the operation unit, and further, human body detection means is provided above the operation unit. Thereby, the presence or absence of a human body can be detected with high sensitivity without being affected by the mounting position of the operation unit or the direction of the toilet door. Further, it is inexpensive without using a plurality of human body detection means, and by providing the upper part, it is possible to avoid erroneous detection due to the influence of the heat of the toilet apparatus body and to easily set the detection direction.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, human body detection means having a configuration in which the detection direction can be freely changed is provided in the operation unit, and further, human body detection means is provided below the operation unit. Thereby, the presence or absence of a human body can be detected with high sensitivity without being affected by the mounting position of the operation unit or the direction of the toilet door. Further, it is inexpensive without using a plurality of human body detection means, and by providing the lower part, it is possible to mount the human body detection means without conspicuously and reduce the influence of dust and the like.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of a toilet apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A pyroelectric sensor 1 is mounted on the operation unit 7. A pyroelectric sensor is a sensor that detects the change in the amount of heat in an object using the pyroelectric effect that generates an electrical signal in accordance with the amount of change in infrared rays that is emitted in proportion to the amount of heat that the object has. In the case of, the infrared ray is proportional to the ambient temperature, but when the human body is in the detection state, an infrared ray proportional to the human body surface temperature higher than the ambient temperature is 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. Therefore, the human body detecting means 3 detects the presence or absence of a human body by amplifying an electric signal several hundred to several thousand times. 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 unit 3 is transmitted to the transmission unit 4 and is output as a transmission signal that can be detected by the reception unit 6 installed in the main body 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 entering the toilet, the transmission means 4 transmits a human body presence signal to the main body 5. By providing the operation unit 7 separately from the main body 5, it is possible to detect a human body without deteriorating the design and functions of the main body 5. Further, the operation unit 7 may be attached to a position where the selection range of the attachment position is wide, close to the door as long as the hand can be reached while sitting on the toilet, and where there is little influence of sunlight or the like causing malfunction.

  When the operation unit 7 is arranged on the main body 5 installed in the toilet space as shown in the layout diagram of FIG. 3, the user can operate the operation unit 7 while sitting. On the other hand, by installing the operation unit 7 in the vicinity of the entrance for entering the toilet, when the human body crosses the detection area 8 of the human body detection means 3, the human body detection means 3 detects the presence of a human body, and the transmission means 4 By transmitting the human body presence signal, the main body 5 can detect the human body presence state. In the main body 5, depending on the presence of the human body, the toilet lid is opened to improve usability, and the heating toilet seat (a heater is provided on the toilet seat to warm the toilet seat, not shown) in the main body 5 is set. Various effects can be achieved, such as changing the temperature to lower the energization rate of the heated toilet seat when there is no human body or to stop the energization to improve energy saving.

  In consideration of detecting a human body more quickly and accurately, it is important that the direction of the human body detection means 3 is directed to the toilet door. As shown in FIG. 4, by providing a plurality of human body detection means 3 in the operation unit 7, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of a human body with high sensitivity without being affected by the direction of the door or the mounting position of the operation unit 7. Even if the installation position of the operation unit 7 is changed due to a change in the layout of the toilet room due to moving, etc., or when the installation position of the operation unit 7 is changed due to a malfunction after installation, etc. Can be handled without bothering the user. At this time, if only the human body detecting means 3 facing the toilet door is enabled and the detection range of the other human body detecting means 3 is narrowed or stopped, malfunctions can be reduced. The toilet device body often has a heat source (for example, a toilet seat heating function or a room heating function). If the human body detection means 3 is directed toward the main body 5, the heat source may be erroneously detected as a human body. is there.

  Here, a method of selecting the detection area 8 will be briefly described. The infrared rays in front of the operation unit 7 are collected by the lens 2 of the pyroelectric sensor 1, but the detection area 8 can be narrowed or widened depending on the type of the lens 2. As the detection area 8 is wider, the movement of the human body in the toilet space can be detected, but malfunctions due to the effect of a toilet seat heater (not shown) built in the main body 5 as described above. Since there is a possibility, it is necessary to set the detection area 8 to be narrow to some extent. Since the operation unit 7 is provided separately from the main body 5 and can be installed according to the toilet space, a human body can be detected even if the detection area 8 is set narrow.

  As a method of changing the detection area 8, a method of setting the pyroelectric sensor 1 and the lens 2 itself shown in FIG. 5A in a certain direction, or an upper surface of the lens 2 shown in FIG. Means for detecting only the direction in which the sheet-shaped shielding member 19 is provided, the direction in which the sheet-shaped shielding member 19 is applied from the outside to the upper surface detection portion of the pyroelectric sensor 1 shown in FIG. There are means for detecting only the pyroelectric sensor 1 and means for detecting the pyroelectric sensor 1 only in a certain direction, but it goes without saying that all of them produce the same effect. Here, a sheet-like member is used for the shielding member 19 in order to limit the detection area 8, but it may not be a sheet-like member as long as it has a shielding effect.

  By adopting a configuration in which the detection area 8 of the human body detection unit 3 can be freely changed, even if there is only one human body detection unit 3, the human body is sensitive without being affected by the direction of the door or the mounting position of the operation unit 7. The presence or absence of can be detected.

  The detection area 8 may be changed by the method shown in FIG. In particular, if a notification means is provided so that the user can easily know where the detection area 8 is, the setting of the detection area 8 is easy. For example, the detection area 8 can be selected step by step, and the operation becomes easy by giving a click feeling. Moreover, you may provide a rib so that the operation of direction may be improved. Further, the color of the detection direction may be changed so that the direction of the detection area 8 can be easily understood.

  When the human body detection means 3 is provided above the operation unit 7, the malfunction due to the heat source of the main body 5 described above can be avoided. Further, the user can easily set the detection area 8.

  When the human body detecting means 3 is provided below the operation unit 7, the human body detecting means 3 is inconspicuous, so that the design is not deteriorated and dust or the like is not collected. In addition, fluctuations in sunlight may occur due to non-detection when a user enters the toilet with direct sunlight from a window installed in the toilet room, or shaking of a curtain attached to the window or trees outside the window. Thus, it is possible to prevent false detection of detecting a human body even though the user has not entered the toilet.

  By configuring the human body detection means 3 to be movable, even if there is only one human body detection means 3, the presence or absence of the human body is detected with high sensitivity without being affected by the direction of the door or the mounting position of the operation unit 7. be able to.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 as a movable configuration, the human body detection means 3 is configured in advance by a human body detection unit 9 and a transmission unit 10 that transmits detection information from the human body detection unit 9 to the transmission unit 4. The detection unit 9 and the transmission unit 10 can be easily attached and detached. The user can easily move the human body detection means 3 by mounting the plurality of transmission units 10 on the operation unit 7.

  Here, when the connecting means of the human body detection unit 9 and the transmission unit 10 is a screw type as shown in FIG. 6, even when it is repeatedly detached, the connection unit 11 is hardly deteriorated and the durability is improved.

  Moreover, when the connection means of the human body detection part 9 and the transmission part 10 is made into a socket type as shown in FIG. 7, it is easy and inexpensive.

  At this time, it is preferable to protect the unused human body detection unit 9 and the connection unit 11 of the transmission unit 10 with a cover or the like so as not to be exposed to the outside.

  Further, if the transmission unit 10 of the human body detection unit 3 is flexible, the position can be changed without removing the human body detection unit 9 and the transmission unit 10, and the durability and reliability of the connection unit 11 can be increased. .

  Further, when the transmission unit 10 is configured to be flexible, it can be installed simply by providing the operation unit 7 with ribs 17 for fixing the human body detection means 3 as shown in FIG. Further, a tape may be used for fixing the human body detection means 3.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the operation unit 7 may be provided with a groove 20 and the human body detection means 3 may be slid.

  In FIG. 10, the toilet lid 13 and the toilet seat 18 which are rotatably mounted on the main body 5 placed on the toilet 12, the operation unit 7 for remotely operating the main body 5, and the presence / absence of a person in the toilet room It is equipped with a human body detecting means 3 for detecting the above and automatically opening and closing the toilet lid 13. Further, the main body 5 has a control circuit 15 for operating the function of the toilet device and an opening / closing device 16 for opening and closing the toilet lid 13.

  About the toilet apparatus comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  When the human body approaches the toilet device, when the human body detecting means 3 detects the presence of the human body and receives the signal at the receiving means 6, it outputs a signal for opening the toilet lid 13 from the control circuit 15 to the opening and closing device 16, and opens and closes it. The toilet lid 13 is opened via the device 16.

  Further, when the human body moves away from the toilet device, the human body detection means 3 detects the absence of the human body and transmits the signal to the transmission means 6, and outputs a signal for closing the toilet lid 13 from the control circuit 15 to the opening and closing device 16, The toilet lid 13 is configured to close via the opening / closing device 16. By automatically closing the toilet lid 13, when the toilet seat 18 has a heating function, useless heat dissipation can be prevented and energy saving can be improved.

  Furthermore, the detection result is reflected in the control of the room heating and cooling functions, the heating function of the toilet seat 18 and the like, and the ON / OFF operation is performed depending on the presence or absence of the human body, or the energization rate is changed, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption. It is possible to extend the life of the equipment. With the deodorization function, when the presence of the human body in the toilet is detected, the deodorization function is activated at the same time. The next user can use the toilet comfortably. The toilet seat 18 having a heating function lowers the energization rate when the presence of a human body in the toilet is detected, and increases the energization rate until the set temperature is reached when the presence of a human body is detected. As a result, power consumption can be reduced. In addition, even when there is no user, since the power supply rate is reduced and the power is supplied, the toilet seat 18 is kept at a certain temperature, and the time until the set temperature is reached after the presence of the human body is detected is short. Does not feel uncomfortable if it is cold when seated on the toilet seat 18. As for the room having the cooling and heating functions in the toilet room, the power consumption can be reduced by detecting the presence or absence of a human body as in the heating function of the toilet seat 18. Also, when operating the cooling, air blowing, and heating functions in the toilet only when a person is in the toilet, the function is activated at the same time that the presence of the human body is detected, and the function is stopped if the absence of the human body is detected. . As a result, troublesome operations such as operation when entering and leaving the toilet can be omitted, and when the user leaves the toilet, the function is not forgotten to be turned off.

  As described above, since the toilet apparatus according to the present invention has the pyroelectric sensor mounted on the remote control unit, it can be set at an optimal position for human body detection, and a lighting device that detects a person and requires ON / OFF It can be applied to other uses.

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 Installation drawing of operation unit and main body of toilet device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The block diagram of the operation unit of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention (A) External view of sensor unit of toilet device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention (b) External view of sensor unit of toilet device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention (c) of the toilet device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention External view of sensor unit The block diagram of the operation unit of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram of the operation unit of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram of the operation unit of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention The block diagram of the operation unit of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention Whole perspective view of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention External view of conventional toilet equipment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pyroelectric sensor 2 Lens 3 Human body detection means 4 Transmission means 5 Main body 6 Reception means 7 Operation unit 8 Detection area 9 Human body detection part 10 Transmission part 11 Connection part 12 Toilet bowl 13 Toilet lid 15 Control circuit 16 Opening and closing device 17 Rib 18 Toilet seat 19 Shield member 20 Groove

Claims (6)

A main body installed on the toilet bowl and having a control circuit, a toilet lid and a toilet seat rotatably attached to the main body, an operation unit for remotely operating the toilet device, and the presence / absence of a person in the toilet room. The toilet device includes a human body detecting means for detecting using an electric sensor, and the human body detecting means is mounted on the operation unit. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of human body detection means are provided in the operation unit. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is provided with human body detection means configured to freely change the detection direction. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the human body detection means can select an attachment position. The toilet apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a human body detection unit is provided above the operation unit. The toilet device according to claim 3, wherein a human body detection unit is provided below the operation unit.

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