JP2005200981A - Toilet equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide toilet equipment capable of performing human body detection by a transmitting wave from the Doppler sensor with high sensitivity without interfering with a toilet lid and a toilet seat in the case the Doppler sensor is used for a human body detection sensor. <P>SOLUTION: In the toilet equipment 10 constituted by providing a washing tank and a resin-made tank casing 22 covering the washing tank from the outside to the rear section of a toilet body 14, the Doppler sensor 30 transmitting an electric wave as the transmitting wave forward is placed in a position of an upper casing lid 22B in the tank casing 22 and in a state to hide it under the casing lid 22B as the human body detection sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to toilet equipment, and more particularly to toilet equipment using a Doppler sensor as a human body detection sensor.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a toilet facility, it is widely performed that the presence or absence of a user (human body) is detected by a human body detection sensor and the operation of various devices is controlled by a control unit based on the detection.
For example, when the user is detected, the toilet lid is automatically opened, after the user leaves the detection area after use, the toilet flushing water is automatically flushed, or the toilet seat and the toilet lid are automatically closed. Things have been done.

  Conventionally, an infrared sensor is mainly used as a human body detection sensor in such toilet facilities, and the user is detected based on reception of reflected light reflected by the user when the user enters the detection area. It was.

  However, in the case of this infrared sensor, since the presence or absence of the user is detected based on the amount of reflected light, it is only possible to determine whether or not there is a user in the detection area. In other cases, various devices may malfunction due to erroneous detection.

  In addition, when using this infrared sensor, it is necessary to provide a translucent window at a predetermined location and embed the infrared sensor so as to face the window. In this case, the aesthetic appearance is impaired by the window. Or the degree of freedom of toilets and other designs is limited.

In addition, when an infrared sensor is used as a human body detection sensor, the following problems have also occurred.
Conventionally, in toilet facilities, such an infrared sensor is provided in a tank casing that covers the washing tank from the outside. In this case, when the toilet lid and toilet seat are opened, the front of the infrared sensor is the toilet lid and toilet seat. It will be blocked, and it will not be possible to detect the human body ahead.

FIG. 6 shows a specific example.
In the figure, 200 is a toilet body having a toilet bowl 202, 204 and 206 are toilet seats and toilet lids that can be opened and closed at the proximal end, and 208 covers a wash tank (not shown) for storing toilet wash water from the outside. The tank casing 208 is provided with an infrared sensor 210 facing the window 211 as a human body detection sensor.

  As shown in the figure, the infrared sensor 210 is in a state where the front is blocked by the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 when the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 are opened. It becomes impossible to detect the person.

  Accordingly, when a man urinates with the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 upright, that is, when the toilet seat 204 is opened, this cannot be detected when the man leaves the toilet facility 214, and the toilet flushing water is automatically added after the addition. The toilet seat 204 and the toilet lid 206 cannot be closed automatically.

Therefore, conventionally, the position near the lower end of the tank casing 208, that is, the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 are opened so that the user in front can be detected even when the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 are opened. The second infrared sensor 212 is provided at a position where a user in front can be detected under (the infrared sensor 212 is provided facing the window 213 in this case as well).
However, in this case, it is necessary to provide two human body detection sensors, which increases the cost.

  In contrast, in recent years, toilets have been sent based on the so-called Doppler effect in which radio waves are sent as transmission waves to the user and the frequency of the reflected wave from the user changes when the user is moving. It has been proposed to use a Doppler sensor for detecting a user who performs the detection as a human body detection sensor (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, Patent Document 6, Patent) Reference 7).

  If such a Doppler sensor is used as a human body detection sensor, not only the presence / absence of a user but also its movement can be detected, and various devices can be controlled more finely.

  In addition, since the transmission wave (radio wave) from the Doppler sensor can pass through the resin product and the wooden product, it is generally possible to provide this in a concealed state in the tank casing 208 made of the resin product. As in the case, it is possible to solve the problem that the window portion 211 impairs the aesthetics and restricts the degree of freedom of the toilet and other designs.

Similarly, since the transmission wave can pass through the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204, which are generally made of a resin product, a Doppler sensor can be disposed at a position where the front is blocked by the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204.
Therefore, if a Doppler sensor is used as the human body detection sensor, it is possible to detect the user in front not only when the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 are closed, but also when the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 are open. As a result, it is possible to use only one human body detection sensor which has been conventionally required.

  However, even when this Doppler sensor is used as a human body detection sensor, if the Doppler sensor is disposed at a position hidden behind the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 in the open state, a part of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor is generated. There is a problem of being reflected by the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204. In this case, the amount of transmitted waves transmitted to the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204 is reduced, resulting in a problem that the detection sensitivity of human body detection is lowered.

In particular, an aluminum foil may be embedded in the toilet seat 204 (this aluminum foil is embedded in the heating toilet seat in order to make heating by the heater uniform). In this case, transmission of transmission waves to the toilet seat 204 is performed. The amount is further reduced, and the detection sensitivity of human body detection is further reduced.
Therefore, even when such a Doppler sensor is used as a human body detection sensor, it is desirable to provide it at a position where a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor does not interfere with the toilet lid 206 and the toilet seat 204.

JP 2001-305220 A JP 2002-71824 A JP 2002-70119 A JP 2003-21677 A JP 2002-285624 A JP 2001-311773 A JP 2001-231716 A

  The present invention has such a situation as a background, and when using a Doppler sensor as a human body detection sensor, the transmitted wave from the Doppler sensor does not interfere with the toilet lid and toilet seat and can perform human body detection with high sensitivity. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a toilet facility that requires only one Doppler sensor and can be manufactured at low cost.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, at the rear part of the toilet body, there is a washing tank and a radio wave permeable member that covers the washing tank from the outside and has a casing body and a casing lid that closes the upper end opening of the casing body. In a toilet facility provided with a tank casing, a Doppler sensor that transmits a radio wave forward as a transmission wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor at a position of the casing lid and concealed by the casing lid. And

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the Doppler sensor is attached and fixed to the upper surface of the casing body.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first and second aspects, the Doppler sensor is disposed at a position biased to the right or left side from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second and third aspects, a mounting pin is provided on the upper surface of the casing main body so as to project upward, and a fixing portion is formed by the mounting pin, and the Doppler sensor is formed by the fixing portion. Is fixed to the upper surface of the casing body.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the fixing portion is provided at two locations that are biased to the right side and the left side from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the third aspect, the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor is directed to the left or right side of the front direction viewed from the toilet body.

Effects and effects of the invention

As described above, according to the present invention, the Doppler sensor is disposed at the position of the upper casing lid of the tank casing and concealed by the casing lid. Therefore, it is possible to avoid interference with the toilet lid and toilet seat, and to efficiently transmit the transmitted wave from the Doppler sensor to the user in front, thereby improving the detection sensitivity of human body detection. it can.
In addition, since the user can be detected well when the toilet lid and toilet seat are in the closed state as well as when the toilet lid and the toilet seat are in the open state, only one human body detection sensor (Doppler sensor) is required, and the cost can be reduced. .

In the present invention, since the Doppler sensor can be arranged in a state of being concealed by the casing lid, the cost for mounting the Doppler sensor can be reduced.
For example, when the infrared sensor is provided at the position of the upper casing lid, the casing lid 208B is provided with a notch 216 or a through hole 218 as shown in the comparative example in FIGS. Thus, the infrared sensor 220 and the window portion 222 are provided in a fitted state with the window portion 222 exposed to the outside.
In the figure, 208A represents the lower casing body.

However, in this case, the shape of the casing lid 208B is complicated, the molding die for the casing lid 208B has a complicated structure, and the mold cost is increased. That is, the cost of the tank casing 208 is increased.
In the case of the example shown in FIG. 8, the wiring 224 and the connector 226 for connecting them are necessary, which causes a problem that costs are also increased.

  On the other hand, in the case of a Doppler sensor, it can be disposed in a state of being concealed by the casing lid, so that the above-mentioned problems do not occur, and therefore the cost for mounting the Doppler sensor is kept low. be able to.

  In addition, when the Doppler sensor is provided at the position of the casing lid in the tank casing in this way, the Doppler sensor is at a high position, so even when a part of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor is radiated backward, It is possible to prevent the user from picking up the movement of water and misdetecting it as the movement of the user.

In the present invention, the Doppler sensor can be attached and fixed to the upper surface of the casing body.
In this way, the Doppler sensor can be attached with a simple attachment structure.

  By the way, even when the Doppler sensor is provided at the position of the casing lid, when the Doppler sensor is provided at the center position in the left-right direction, when the toilet lid and toilet seat are stood up, that is, when the toilet seat is opened, the toilet seat and toilet lid are transmitted to the transmitted wave from the Doppler sensor May occur.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the Doppler sensor is arranged at a position biased to the right side or the left side from the center of the toilet body in the left-right direction. Interference with the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor can be avoided more reliably.

  Thus, when the Doppler sensor is arranged at a position biased to the right side or the left side in this way, the arrangement position can be lowered as compared with the case where the Doppler sensor is arranged at the center position. The height of the tank casing can be reduced, and thus the entire tank casing can be made low, so that the entire toilet facility can be made compact in appearance.

  Next, a fourth aspect of the present invention is that a fixing portion is formed by projecting an attachment pin upward on the upper surface of the casing body, and the Doppler sensor is attached and fixed at the fixing portion. The Doppler sensor can be attached with a simple structure, and the attaching operation can be easily performed.

Here, the fixing portions can be provided at two positions that are biased from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body to the right side and the left side (Claim 5).
In this way, depending on the situation of the installation site of the toilet equipment, for example, depending on the situation of the installation site of the toilet equipment such as the entrance to the toilet room is on the right side or the left side when viewed from the toilet body. The Doppler sensor can be mounted and fixed to the right or left side using either the right side or the left side fixing part, and the fixing part for the mounting is provided after selecting the mounting location of the Doppler sensor on the installation site. Benefits you don't need.

  Next, when the Doppler sensor is disposed at the right or left side biased position, the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor is directed to the left side or the right side with respect to the front direction viewed from the toilet body. Thus, in this way, even when the Doppler sensor is provided on the right or left side, the detection area by the Doppler sensor can be set appropriately.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, 10 is a toilet facility in the toilet room 12, 14 is a toilet body having a toilet bowl 16, and 18 and 20 are a toilet seat and a toilet lid, respectively, which can be opened and closed at the proximal end.

A cleaning tank (not shown) for storing toilet flushing water and a resin tank casing 22 for covering this from the outside are installed on the upper surface of the rear part of the toilet body 14.
Here, the tank casing 22 includes a lower casing main body 22A and an upper casing lid 22B that closes the upper end opening of the casing main body 22A. ing.

Further, inside the tank casing 22 is housed a main body function unit of a local cleaning device that cleans a human body part by showering local cleaning water from a cleaning nozzle 28.
On the other hand, a remote controller 29 for remotely operating various functional units in the local cleaning device and the toilet facility 10 is attached to the wall W.

  In the present embodiment, a Doppler sensor 30 as a human body detection sensor is concealed by the casing lid 22B on the position of the casing lid 22B in the tank casing 22, more specifically on the upper surface of the casing body 22A.

  Here, the Doppler sensor 30 sends a transmission wave (high-frequency radio wave of about 10 GHz) toward the detection target, that is, the user, and the frequency of the reflected wave from the user changes when the user is moving. The user who moves is detected based on the so-called Doppler effect.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the Doppler sensor 30 is disposed at a position deviated from the center in the left-right direction in the tank casing 22, that is, from the center in the left-right direction in the toilet body 14 to the left in the drawing. .

FIG. 3 shows the mounting structure of the Doppler sensor 30.
As shown in the figure, the upper surface of the casing body 22A of the tank casing 22 and a position biased to the left side in the figure from the center in the left-right direction of the casing body 22A (ie, from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body 14 to the left side in the figure). A plurality of mounting pins 32 are provided so as to protrude upward at a biased position, and a fixing portion 34 is constituted by them, and the Doppler sensor 30 is attached and fixed to the upper surface of the casing main body 22A by the fixing portion 34. Yes.

Here, the attachment pin 32 is provided with a locking claw 36 at the upper end. On the other hand, the Doppler sensor 30 is provided with a locking recess 38 on the upper surface corresponding to the locking claw 36.
In this embodiment, when the Doppler sensor 30 is pushed downward by elastically deforming the plurality of mounting pins 32 and pushed open, the locking claws 36 are moved when the Doppler sensor 30 passes through the locking claws 36 of the mounting pins 32. The Doppler sensor 30 is fixed to the upper surface of the casing body 22A by elastically locking to the locking recess 38.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the position of the casing body 22 </ b> A is deviated from the center in the left-right direction to the right side in the figure, that is, the position deviated from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body 14 to the right side in the figure. A fixing portion 34 composed of a plurality of mounting pins 32 is provided, and the Doppler sensor 30 can be attached and fixed to the upper surface of the casing body 22 by the fixing portion 34 even at a position biased to the right side.

According to the toilet facility 10 of the present embodiment as described above, since the Doppler sensor 30 is disposed at a high position of the tank casing 22, interference with the toilet lid 20 and the toilet seat 18 can be avoided and the Doppler sensor 30. The transmission wave from can be efficiently applied to the user in front, and the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be increased.
Further, since the user can be well detected not only when the toilet lid 20 and the toilet seat 18 are in the closed state but also when they are in the open state, only one Doppler sensor 30 is required, and the cost can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, since the Doppler sensor 30 is used as the human body detection sensor and is arranged in a state of being concealed by the casing lid 22B, the infrared sensor is used as the human body detection sensor. It is not necessary to provide a window portion, and therefore it is not necessary to provide notches 216 and through-holes 218 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, so that the cost required can be reduced, and wiring as shown in FIG. Since it is unnecessary to connect 224 with the connector 226, there is no problem that the cost is high, and the cost for mounting the Doppler sensor 30 can be reduced.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, since the Doppler sensor 30 is at a high position, even when a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 30 is partially radiated backward, water is supplied into the cleaning tank or water in the cleaning tank. It is possible to eliminate the risk of misdetecting the movement of the user when picking up the water.

  In the present embodiment, the Doppler sensor 30 is attached and fixed to the upper surface of the casing main body 22A. Therefore, the Doppler sensor 30 can be attached with a simple attachment structure.

In this embodiment, the Doppler sensor 30 is disposed at a position biased to the left side in FIGS. 1 to 3 from the center of the toilet body 14 in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the toilet lid 20 and the toilet seat 18 are opened. In addition, it is possible to more reliably avoid the toilet seat 18 and the toilet lid 20 from interfering with the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 30.
In the present embodiment, the Doppler sensor 30 is disposed at a position biased to the left in the drawing from the center in the left-right direction. However, the Doppler sensor 30 is disposed at a position biased to the right by the fixing portion 34 on the right in FIG. You can also keep it.

  Thus, when the Doppler sensor 30 is arranged at a position biased to the right side or the left side in this way, the arrangement position can be lowered as compared with the case where the Doppler sensor 30 is arranged at the center position. Thus, the height of the tank casing 22 can be reduced, and the entire toilet equipment 10 can be made compact in appearance.

  In the present embodiment, the Doppler sensor 30 is mounted and fixed by the fixing portion 34 including the mounting pin 32 projecting from the upper surface of the casing body 22A. Therefore, the Doppler sensor 30 can be mounted with a simple structure. In addition, the mounting operation can be easily performed.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the fixing portions 34 are provided at two positions that are deviated from the center in the left-right direction to the right side and the left side, and the Doppler sensor 30 can be mounted and fixed on either the right side or the left side. For example, depending on the situation of the installation site of the toilet facility 10 such that the entrance of the toilet room 12 is on the right side or the left side when viewed from the toilet body 14, the Doppler is used using either the right side or the left side fixing portion 34. The sensor 30 can be mounted and fixed, so that there is an advantage that the detection area can be set appropriately or the sensitivity of the detection sensitivity can be adjusted appropriately.

  In the case where the Doppler sensor 30 is provided at a position deviated from the center in the left-right direction to the right or left as described above, the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor 30 is from the casing body 22, that is, the toilet body 14, as shown in FIG. This can be arranged so as to be parallel to the front direction when viewed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor 30 is inward, that is, the transmission direction is the left side of the front direction when viewed from the casing body 22A, that is, the toilet body 14, or It is also possible to arrange this so that the direction is biased to the right (here, the direction of the fixing portion 34 is selected so that the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor 30 is such a direction).

In this way, even when the Doppler sensor 30 is provided at a right-side or left-side biased position by directing the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor 30 toward the left side or the right side with respect to the front direction viewed from the toilet body 14. The detection area can be set appropriately.
4B, it is also possible to dispose the Doppler sensor 30 in a state in which the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor 30 is outward as shown in FIG. 5A.

  In the above, the Doppler sensor 30 is disposed at a position biased to the right side or the left side from the center of the casing body 22A in the left-right direction. However, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to arrange at the center position.

  In this case, it is possible to provide the Doppler sensor 30 in contact with the upper surface of the casing body 22A. It can also be made to hold in the position where it floated from the upper surface of main part 22A.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, this is merely an example, and the present invention can be configured in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the toilet installation which is one Embodiment of this invention with a toilet room. It is a principal part enlarged front view of the toilet equipment of the embodiment. It is a principal part expansion perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the toilet equipment of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the direction of the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor in the toilet equipment of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the toilet installation which used the conventional infrared sensor as a human body detection sensor. It is a comparative example figure for demonstrating the problem at the time of using an infrared sensor. It is a comparative example figure different from FIG. 7 for demonstrating the problem at the time of using an infrared sensor.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Toilet equipment 14 Toilet bowl body 22 Tank casing 22A Casing body 22B Casing lid 30 Doppler sensor 32 Mounting pin 34 Fixing part

Claims (6)

In a toilet facility provided with a washing tank and a tank casing having a casing body and a casing lid that closes an upper end opening of the casing body at the rear part of the toilet body, which is a radio wave permeable member that covers the washing tank from the outside ,
A toilet facility characterized in that a Doppler sensor for transmitting a radio wave forward as a transmission wave is arranged as a human body detection sensor at a position of the casing lid and concealed by the casing lid.   The toilet equipment according to claim 1, wherein the Doppler sensor is attached and fixed to an upper surface of the casing body.   The toilet equipment according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the Doppler sensor is arranged at a position biased to the right side or the left side from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body.   4. The mounting pin according to claim 2, wherein a mounting pin is provided on the upper surface of the casing body so as to project upward, and a fixing portion is formed by the mounting pin, and the Doppler sensor is mounted on the upper surface of the casing body. Toilet equipment characterized by mounting and fixing.   The toilet equipment according to claim 4, wherein the fixing portions are provided at two locations that are biased from the center in the left-right direction of the toilet body to the right side and the left side.   4. The toilet equipment according to claim 3, wherein the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor is directed to the left side or the right side with respect to the front direction viewed from the toilet body.

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