JP2006161285A - Toilet bowl flushing apparatus and toilet bowl flushing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toilet bowl flushing apparatus and a toilet bowl flushing system, which can be installed in common in various existing low tanks, and which can also perform an operation in "a cleaning mode" for keeping the water level of sealing water low. <P>SOLUTION: Characteristically, this toilet bowl flushing apparatus, which can be attached to the low tank which has a ball tap and a drain valve, comprises: a motor unit which has a motor, a speed reducing means for reducing the speed of the output of the motor, and an output shaft from the speed-reduction means; and a power transmission member which can be attached to the output shaft, which can be connected to the ball tap by a first connecting means, which can be connected to the drain valve by a second connecting means, and which enables the ball tap and the drain valve to be selectively pulled up in such a manner as to correspond to a rotational operation of the output shaft. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet bowl cleaning device and a toilet bowl cleaning system. More specifically, the toilet bowl can be attached to a low tank of a flush toilet so that flush water can be automatically supplied from the low tank to the flush toilet, and an operation suitable for cleaning the toilet bowl can also be performed. The toilet bowl cleaning device and the toilet bowl cleaning system.

  Flush toilet bowls are widely used in household toilets and public toilets because they suppress the generation of odors and are clean and hygienic. A normal flush toilet has a structure in which sealed water is held in the bowl portion in order to suppress the backflow of the odor of the drain pipe and the adhesion of filth during use. However, if dirt or the like adheres to the bowl surface along the submergence line of the sealed water, it will give an unsanitary impression. On the other hand, in order to clean the portion of the submergence line of the sealed water, if the detergent is applied and rubbed with a brush or the like, the detergent is diluted with the sealed water, and cleaning is not easy. Another problem is that the sealing water is difficult to clean by splashing with a brush or the like.

On the other hand, a flush toilet that enables the so-called “cleaning mode” in which the water level of the sealed water is lowered than usual by controlling the timing of supplying the flush water to the toilet is disclosed. (Patent Document 1).
JP-A-11-350578

  By the way, the present inventors have developed a toilet flushing device that can supply flush water to a flush toilet either manually or automatically. According to this apparatus, for example, when the user operates a switch on a remote controller provided on a wall surface of a toilet, washing water can be poured into the toilet bowl. In addition, for example, it is also possible to detect that the user has stood up from the toilet seat with a sensor, and automatically flush the flushing water into the toilet bowl.

  In such an automatic toilet cleaning device, adding a “cleaning mode” function that can maintain the water level of the sealed water at a low level makes it easier to use, especially for housewives who clean toilets. A user-friendly toilet cleaning device can be provided.

  The present invention has been made based on the recognition of such a problem, and the purpose of the present invention is that it can be commonly installed in various existing low tanks, and the “cleaning mode” for maintaining the water level of the sealed water at a low level. An object is to provide a toilet cleaning device and a toilet cleaning system that can operate.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention,
A toilet bowl cleaning device attachable to a low tank having a ball tap and a drain valve,
A motor unit having a motor, a reduction means for reducing the output of the motor, and an output shaft from the reduction means;
It can be attached to the output shaft, can be connected to the ball tap by a first connecting means, can be connected to the drain valve by a second connecting means, and the ball tap corresponding to the rotation operation of the output shaft. And a power transmission member capable of selectively lifting the drain valve,
A toilet bowl cleaning device is provided.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a toilet cleaning device that can be installed in common with various existing low tanks and that can also operate in a “cleaning mode” that maintains the level of the sealed water at a low level. .

According to another aspect of the present invention,
A toilet bowl cleaning device attachable to a low tank having a ball tap and a drain valve,
A motor unit having a motor, a speed reduction means for reducing the output of the motor, a first output shaft from the speed reduction means, and a second output shaft from the speed reduction means;
The first power that can be attached to the first output shaft, can be connected to the ball tap by the first connecting means, and can lift the ball tap in response to the rotation operation of the first output shaft. A transmission member;
The second output shaft is attachable to the second output shaft, can be connected to the drain valve by a second connecting means, and the drain valve can be lifted in response to the rotation operation of the second output shaft. A power transmission member of
A toilet bowl cleaning device is provided.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a toilet cleaning device that can be installed in common with various existing low tanks and that can also operate in a “cleaning mode” that maintains the level of the sealed water at a low level.

Here, when the ball tap is lifted, the drain valve is not lifted,
If the ball tap is not lifted when the drain valve is lifted, the “cleaning mode” can be reliably and easily realized by stopping the water supply to the low tank after causing the “siphon phenomenon”. .

  Further, if the connecting means is a ball chain, it can be easily attached to various existing low tanks, and power for lifting can be reliably transmitted.

On the other hand, according to still another aspect of the present invention, any one of the toilet cleaning devices described above,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the toilet bowl cleaning device;
With
A toilet cleaning system is provided in which an operation mode for maintaining a state in which the ball tap is pulled up can be executed after the drain valve is pulled up.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a toilet cleaning device that can be installed in common with various existing low tanks and that can also operate in a “cleaning mode” that maintains the level of the sealed water at a low level. .

Here, if the state where the ball tap is pulled up is maintained for a certain period of time, the state where the water level of the drain trap of the toilet bowl can be maintained low, and cleaning can be performed reliably and easily.
Further, if the state in which the ball tap is pulled up is canceled according to the user's instruction, the user can perform cleaning only for a desired time, and thereafter, the “cleaning mode” can be canceled, which is excellent in usability.

  Further, if the control signal supplied to the motor unit in order to maintain the ball tap in the pulled-up state includes a PWM signal, the motor can be prevented from being heated even if the hold operation is performed for a long time. it can.

  Further, if the supply of electric power to the motor unit is stopped and a short-circuit brake of the motor is generated in order to maintain the ball tap in the pulled up state, heating of the motor or the like can be prevented during holding.

  Further, if the drain valve is pulled up after maintaining the state where the ball tap is pulled up, the waste water after cleaning can be replaced with clean washing water, which is clean.

  In addition, if the control unit is attached to the toilet seat, there is no need to install an independent control unit in the hand-washing room, and a toilet cleaning system is realized that is compact and attractive and does not require wiring. it can.

  In addition, if the toilet seat also has a local cleaning device that cleans the user's local area with water or warm water, it can share the local cleaning device and the power supply unit, etc. An automatic toilet system can be realized.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a toilet cleaning device and a toilet cleaning system that can be installed in common with various existing low tanks and that can operate to maintain the sealing surface of the toilet in a low state. Can be provided. As a result, the user can take advantage of the fact that electric cleaning can be used at low cost without replacing the low tank, and the toilet bowl can be easily cleaned.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.
Drawing 1 is a mimetic diagram which illustrates the state where the toilet bowl washing device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention was attached to the low tank of a flush toilet bowl.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the inside of the low tank as viewed from above.
That is, the motor unit 10 of the toilet bowl cleaning device is attached to the low tank 200 and connected to a control unit (not shown) by the connection cord 76. A control unit (not shown) can be incorporated in, for example, a warm water washing toilet seat device (popular name “Washlet” or the like).
The motor unit 10 has a built-in motor, and its operation can be controlled by a remote controller 510, for example. In this case, the remote controller 510 may be dedicated for the motor unit 10 or may be used as a remote controller for the warm water washing toilet seat device.

  A shaft 82 is appropriately attached to the motor unit 10, and a ball chain lever 84 is attached to the tip of the shaft 82. The ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of the arrow A or B, thereby pulling up the drain valve 240 and the ball tap via the ball chains 220 and 260, respectively. The ball chain lever 84 can also be rotated by manually rotating the operation handle 100.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the ball chain lever as viewed from the front.
That is, the ball chain lever 84 rotates around the shaft 82 in the directions of arrows A and B, respectively. When the ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of arrow A, the drain valve 240 is pulled up in the direction of arrow C through the ball chain 220. When the ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of arrow B, the ball tap is pulled up in the direction of arrow D via the ball chain 260. The ball chain lever 84 does not necessarily have a symmetrical shape. That is, the distance from the rotation center of the shaft 82 to the attachment position of the ball chain 220 and the distance from the rotation center of the shaft 82 to the attachment position of the ball chain 260 are respectively determined according to the required lifting stroke. Can be set separately.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the internal structure of the low tank.
That is, a drain valve 240 that is pulled up by the ball chain 220 is provided at the bottom of the low tank 200 so as to face the drain flange 242. A float 222 is provided in the middle of the ball chain 220, and an overflow pipe 244 is connected to the drainage flange 242. When the drain valve 240 is opened, the wash water WL in the low tank 200 is discharged to the flush toilet through the drain flange 242. On the other hand, the overflow pipe 244 is provided with an opening at its tip, and when the water level of the wash water WL in the low tank 200 rises for some reason, it is discharged to the flush toilet through the drainage flange 242, thereby It has a role to prevent overflow from 200. Here, FIG. 4 shows a state where the low tank 200 is full of water. At this time, the water level of the cleaning water WL stored in the low tank 200 is normally slightly lower than the opening provided at the tip of the overflow pipe 244.
On the other hand, a water supply valve 266 is provided above the low tank 200. The water supply valve supplies water P1 supplied from outside through water supply or the like into the low tank as water supply P2. Furthermore, in many cases, a part of the water supply P1 supplied from the outside is also supplied to the overflow pipe 244 as the water supply P3 through the water supply valve 266. This water supply path is provided for the sake of simplifying the drawing. Illustration is omitted.
A float 262 is connected to the water supply valve 266 via a lever 264. When the position of the float 262 changes according to the level of the cleaning water WL stored in the low tank 200, the water supply valve 266 opens and closes. As shown in FIG. 4, when the low tank 200 is full of water, the water supply valve 266 is closed corresponding to the position of the float 262. On the other hand, when the water level in the low tank 200 decreases, the water supply valve 266 is opened in response to the decrease in the position of the float 262, and the cleaning water P2 and P3 are supplied. The water supply valve 266, the lever 264, and the float 262 are collectively referred to as a “ball tap”.

  In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the motor unit 10 is attached to the low tank 200, and the drain valve 240 and the ball tap are pulled up by the ball chain lever 84 attached to the tip of the motor unit 10. It is done. That is, when one end of the ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of arrow C, the drain valve 240 is pulled up via the ball chain 220. On the other hand, when one end of the ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of arrow D, the drain valve 240 is pulled up via the ball chain 260. 4 and the subsequent drawings, the positional relationship between the ball chain lever 84, the drain valve 240, and the ball tap is not always as real. That is, the ball chain lever 84 may be arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface instead of being arranged substantially parallel to the paper surface as shown in FIG. Also, the position may be provided in the vicinity of the center axis of the row tank 200 as illustrated in FIG. 4 or may be provided close to one of the side surfaces.

  Further, in the present specification, “pulling up” “ball tap” means that at least one of the float 262 and the lever 264 is kept in a state where the lowering is suppressed. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the ball chain 260 is provided with a predetermined “sag”. This is because, as will be described in detail later, during a normal cleaning operation, the float 262 is lowered and the water supply valve 266 is opened as the water level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 decreases. When one end of the ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of arrow D, the amount of “sag” of the ball chain 260 decreases, and even if the level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 decreases, the float 262 (lever H.264) is pulled by the ball chain 260 and does not descend. That is, the closed state of the water supply valve 266 is maintained.

Hereinafter, an operation performed in the low tank 200 in the present embodiment will be described. 5 and 6 are schematic views illustrating a normal cleaning operation.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the low tank 200 is full of water, when the motor unit 10 operates and the ball chain lever 84 rotates to raise one end thereof in the direction of arrow C, the ball chain The drain valve 240 is pulled up via 220. Then, the wash water in the low tank 200 is discharged through the drainage flange 242 and the wash water S is supplied to the toilet bowl. At this time, it is also possible to distinguish between “large cleaning” and “small cleaning” by adjusting the amount of pulling up the ball chain 220.
That is, when the ball chain 220 is pulled up greatly to increase the opening of the drain valve 240, the secondary side (toilet side) of the drain valve 240 is also filled with flush water. Then, the pressure difference between the primary side and the secondary side of the drain valve becomes small, and as shown in FIG. 5B, the drainage is performed by the buoyancy of the float 222 even if the ball chain lever 84 is returned to the original state. The valve 240 is kept open. As a result, most of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 is discharged, and “large cleaning” is performed.

  On the other hand, when the ball chain 220 is slightly lifted to reduce the opening of the drain valve 240, the secondary side of the drain valve 240 is maintained close to the atmospheric pressure, so the primary side compared to the secondary side. The water pressure on the side is higher. Therefore, when the ball chain 220 is returned to its original position, the drain valve 240 is closed by water pressure. That is, a small amount of washing water can be flowed only while the ball chain 220 is pulled up, and “small washing” is performed.

  In any of these cases, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 decreases, the float 262 descends and the water supply valve 266 is opened. That is, the water supplies P2 and P3 are supplied. At this time, since the ball chain 260 is provided with a predetermined “sag”, the descent of the float 262 is not prevented.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, when the water level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 is further lowered, the drain valve 240 is closed, and the water level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 is increased by the feed water P2. start. Prior to this state, the ball chain lever 84 rotates in the direction of the arrow C 'and returns to the steady state. Also at this time, since the ball chain 260 is provided with a predetermined “sag”, the descent of the float 262 is not prevented.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the water level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 continues to rise. When the state shown in FIG. 5A is finally reached, the water supply valve 266 is closed. Water supply P2, P3 stops. The feed water P3 supplied to the overflow pipe 244 from the state shown in FIG. 6 (a) to the state shown in FIG. 5 (a) through the state shown in FIG. 6 (b) remains as it is. It is poured into the toilet and the water level of the sealed water is returned to the normal level.

7 and 8 are schematic views illustrating the water flow generated in the flush toilet corresponding to the operation described above with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.
In the steady state, as shown in FIG. 7A, the bowl portion 350 of the toilet bowl 300 is maintained in a state where the flush water is filled. At this time, the level of the washing water is substantially equal to the upper end of the drain trap 370 communicating with the drain pipe. And it is interrupted | blocked with a drain pipe by the partition plate 360, and the reverse flow of an odor etc. is blocked | prevented.

  From this state, when “large cleaning” is started, the cleaning water supplied from the low tank 200 passes through the rim water discharge hole 342 via the rim water passage 340 as illustrated by the arrow S1 in FIG. It is supplied to the bowl part 350. Further, as shown in the figure, a jet outlet 330 opened in the bowl portion 350 may be provided, and a part of the washing water supplied from the low tank 200 may be discharged from the jet outlet 330 as indicated by an arrow S2.

  When the cleaning water S1 and S2 are supplied to the toilet bowl 300 in this manner, a flow is generated that goes over the weir of the drain trap 370 toward the drain pipe. As shown in FIG. 7C, when this water flow fills the upper space of the drain trap 370, a so-called “siphon phenomenon” occurs. That is, as represented by an arrow E in FIG. 7C, the cleaning water stored in the bowl portion 350 is discharged into the drainage pipe together with the filth.

  After the siphon phenomenon occurs, as shown in FIG. 8A, the wash water that has not exceeded the drain trap 370 returns to the bowl portion 350, and the water level is the same as or slightly lower than the lower end of the partition plate 360. Above. Then, by supplying the cleaning water S1 and S2, the water level of the bowl portion 350 gradually rises, and after passing through the state shown in FIG. 8B, as shown in FIG. Return to water level. As described above with reference to FIG. 6, after the drain valve 240 of the low tank 200 is closed, the feed water P3 supplied to the overflow pipe 244 is supplied as the washing water S1 and S2.

  As described above, when the motor unit 10 is operated and the ball chain lever 84 is rotated in the direction of the arrow C for a predetermined time, the drain valve 240 in the low tank 200 is opened, and the washing water can flow. In this series of operations, if a predetermined “sag” is provided in the ball chain 260, the descent of the ball tap float 262 is not hindered, and the water supply valve 266 can be opened smoothly.

Next, the operation in the “cleaning mode” performed by the toilet bowl cleaning device of the present embodiment will be described.
FIGS. 9 and 10 are schematic views illustrating operations performed in the low tank 200 in the “cleaning mode”.
That is, also in the “cleaning mode”, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the low tank 200 is full of water, the motor unit 10 operates and the ball chain lever 84 rotates, so that one end thereof is an arrow C. The drain valve 240 is pulled up via the ball chain 220. Then, the wash water in the low tank 200 is discharged through the drainage flange 242 and the wash water S is supplied to the toilet bowl. At this time, the pulling amount of the ball chain 220 is large, and the drain valve 240 is opened at an opening corresponding to “large washing”.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the motor unit 10 operates and the ball chain lever 84 rotates, the other end rises in the direction of arrow D, and the ball tap is pulled up via the ball chain 260. . That is, the lowering of the float 262 or the lever 264 is prevented by pulling upward. As a result, the water supply valve 266 is maintained in the closed state even though the water level of the cleaning water WL is lowered. At this time, as described above with reference to FIG. 5B, the drain valve 240 is kept open. Therefore, the wash water WL in the low tank 200 continues to be discharged to the toilet.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 10A, when the water level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 reaches the lower limit, the drain valve 240 is closed. At this time, the state where the ball tap is pulled up in the direction of the arrow D through the ball chain 260 is maintained. That is, the water supply valve 266 maintains a closed state. In this state, the level of the wash water stored in the bowl part of the toilet bowl is lowered to the lowest level, and the waterline is exposed. Therefore, by maintaining this state for a predetermined time, the bowl portion can be cleaned.

  If a predetermined time is maintained in the state of FIG. 10A, or the user operates the switch, the ball chain lever 84 is returned to the initial state. That is, as shown in FIG. 10B, the other end descends in the direction of the arrow D ′ by the rotation of the ball chain lever 84. Then, due to the weight of the float 262 and the lever 264, they are lowered and the water supply valve 266 is opened. As a result, the water level of the cleaning water WL in the low tank 200 rises due to the water supply P2. At the same time, the water supply P3 is supplied to the toilet through the overflow pipe 244, and the water level of the sealed water is raised to a normal state. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 4, when the low tank 200 becomes full, the water supply valve 266 is closed and the water supplies P <b> 2 and P <b> 3 are stopped.

  FIG.11 and FIG.12 is a schematic diagram showing the change of the water level of the toilet bowl in "cleaning mode". That is, with the opening of the drain valve 240, as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, a “siphon phenomenon” is caused in the toilet bowl 300. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12A, the water level of the bowl portion 350 is lowered to near the lower limit level.

  However, at this time, as described above with reference to FIG. 10A, since the ball tap is pulled up by the ball chain lever 84, when the drain valve 240 is closed, the supply of the wash water to the toilet bowl 300 is stopped, As shown in FIG. 12A, the state where the water level is low is maintained.

  In this state, the detergent can be sprinkled on the bowl 350 and the dirt can be scraped off with a brush or the like. Normally, the lower half portion 350C of the bowl portion is below the waterline of the sealed water, and the detergent cannot be sprinkled directly. On the other hand, in this embodiment, this lower half part 350C is exposed, and it can be sufficiently cleaned with a brush or the like by directly spraying the detergent. Moreover, at this time, the sealed water is less likely to splash.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 10A, when the predetermined time has elapsed or the ball chain lever 84 returns to the initial state due to the user's switch operation or the like, the ball tap operates, and FIG. As shown, cleaning water S1 and S2 are supplied to the toilet bowl 300. The washing water S1 and S2 are supplied via the overflow pipe 244. Then, when the low tank 200 is full, water supply is stopped, and as shown in FIG. 12C, the water level of the bowl portion 350 also returns to the normal state.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation in the “cleaning mode” described above.
That is, first, in step S101, the drain valve 240 is pulled up, and the flush water is made to flow in the toilet bowl 300 to cause the “siphon phenomenon”.
Next, in step S102, the ball tap is pulled up to close the water supply valve 266.
In step S103, this state is held for a predetermined time or until a user gives an instruction.
Thereafter, in step S104, the ball tap is released and the water supply valve 266 is opened.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the level of the washing water remaining in the bowl portion of the toilet bowl 300 can be maintained at the lowest level by appropriately rotating the ball chain lever 84 and pulling up the ball tap. . As a result, cleaning of the drain trap 350 can be carried out reliably and easily, and a convenient toilet cleaning device can be provided.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a modified example of the operation in the “cleaning mode” of the present embodiment.
That is, also in this modified example, in steps S101 to S104, the same operation as described above with reference to FIG. 13 is performed. Thereafter, when the low tank 200 becomes full, the drain valve is pulled up again in step S105. By this operation, the washing water flows again in the toilet bowl 300, and the “siphon phenomenon” is generated. In this way, the toilet bowl 300 is further cleaned by replacing the cleaned cleaning water accumulated in the bowl 350 in the “cleaning mode” with clean cleaning water and flushing the bowl surface with cleaning water. It becomes a state.

  Hereinafter, a specific example of the motor unit 10 suitable for use in the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the main part of the toilet bowl cleaning device of this example.
That is, the motor unit 10 includes a screwing protrusion 20 and a driving unit 40. A shaft 22 protrudes from the tip of the screw protrusion 20. On the other hand, a first output shaft 70 and a second output shaft 72 are provided on the tank inward surface of the drive unit 40. The ball chain lever 84 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14 can be attached to either of the output shafts 70 and 72.

  Further, the rotational torque output from the first output shaft 70 and the rotational torque output from the second output shaft 72 may be different from each other. As will be described later, the drain valve 240 and the ball tap can be pulled up by appropriately using the first and second output shafts 70 and 72 appropriately.

  The drive unit 40 is connected to a connection cord 76 for exchanging signals and the like with the control unit 500.

  An operation handle 100 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the shaft 22 protruding outside the low tank. Even when the operation handle is manually operated, manual rotation torque is transmitted to the output shafts 70 and 72 via the shaft 22. At this time, in order to prevent the addition of the cogging torque of the motor built in the drive unit 40, a predetermined idling angle may be given to the operating shaft of the motor, or a clutch mechanism or the like may be added. In this regard, the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-292508 filed earlier by the present inventors can be employed.

Next, the internal structure of the motor unit 10 of the present embodiment will be described with a specific example.
FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the internal structure of the toilet bowl cleaning device of the present embodiment. This figure is a conceptual diagram for explaining the power transmission relationship, and the dimensions and arrangement relationships of the elements are not necessarily as they are actually.

Inside the motor unit 10 of the present embodiment, a motor 42 as a drive source and five stages of gears 43 to 51 as speed reduction / transmission means are provided. These are accommodated in a housing 41 made of resin or the like. The rotational torque of the fourth stage gear 49 is output to the first output shaft 70. The second output shaft 72 is rotated in the same direction as the first output shaft 70 by the fifth gear 51.
When a brush type high-speed motor operating with DC 24 volts is used as the motor 42, the reduction ratio from the first stage 43 to the fourth stage 49 can be about 1/100.

The shaft 22 serving as a manual input end and the first output shaft 70 are directly connected. The shaft 22 is provided with a shaft return spring 52 and is biased to a neutral state. Similarly, the gear 46 of the fourth stage is provided with a gear return spring 53 and is biased to a neutral state.
Further, in order to prevent the addition of cogging torque of the motor 42 during manual operation using the operation handle 100, the fourth stage gear 49 is coupled to the shaft 22 with a predetermined idling angle.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a coupling cross section between the fourth-stage gear 49 and the shaft 22. That is, the shaft 22 is arranged in the inner center of the fourth stage gear 49. The shaft 22 is coupled to the operation handle 100 and the first output shaft 70 as described above. Further, convex portions 22P and 49P are provided on the outer surface of the shaft 22 and the inner surface of the gear 49, respectively. FIG. 4 shows a neutral state. When the shaft 22 (that is, the operation handle 100) is rotated in the direction of the arrow from this state, in the range until the convex portion 22P comes into contact with the convex portion 49P of the gear 49, The gear 49 can be rotated independently. That is, in this range, the shaft 22 can be rotated without receiving the cogging torque of the motor 42 or the addition of the gear return spring 53. In this way, manual operation by the operation handle 100 can be performed easily.

  On the other hand, when driven by the motor 42, when the gear 49 idles in any direction of the arrow from the neutral state shown in FIG. 17 and the convex portion 49P contacts the convex portion 22P of the shaft 22, the shaft 22 And torque is transmitted to the output shaft. That is, the range until the convex part 49P contacts the convex part 22P is provided as the idling angle.

Next, a driver circuit for driving such a motor unit 10 will be described.
FIG. 18 is a schematic view illustrating a driver circuit that drives the motor 42 of the motor unit 10. That is, this driver circuit is built in, for example, a warm water washing toilet seat device installed in the toilet bowl 300.

  The driver circuit illustrated in FIG. 18 includes switching elements Tr1 to Tr4 for controlling the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the motor 42, a positive characteristic thermistor 71d for preventing an overcurrent from flowing to the motor 42, and a drive unit. Diodes d1 and d2 for preventing back electromotive force during braking control from being applied to a CPU or the like built in 520 or remote controller 510, and diodes d3 and d4 for forming a current path during braking control Have.

For example, when the motor 42 is rotated forward, the switching elements Tr1 and Tr4 are turned on, the Tr2 and Tr3 are turned off, and when reversed, the Tr1 and Tr4 are turned off and the switching elements Tr2 and Tr3 are turned on. To do.
On the other hand, when a strong brake is applied to the motor 42, either the switching element T3 or Tr4 is turned on and the other switching elements are turned off. For example, when the brake is applied in this way after the motor 42 is rotated by a predetermined amount, the shaft of the motor 42 is moved by the biasing force of the gear return spring 53 and the shaft return spring 52 built in the motor unit 10. It is rotated and tries to return to the neutral position shown in FIG. At this time, since the motor 42 acts as a generator, the regenerative braking by the current induction magnetic field works. Further, by providing the diodes d1 and d2, it is possible to prevent the counter electromotive force from being applied to a CPU or the like built in the control unit 500 or the like.

  On the other hand, when a weak brake is applied, all the switching elements Tr1 to Tr4 may be turned off. That is, in this case, the braking action by the cogging torque of the motor 42 is obtained.

  When the switching elements Tr1 to Tr4 are appropriately turned on as described above, the duty can be controlled by a pulse width modulation (PWM) method.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view illustrating an energization waveform subjected to PWM control.
That is, when driving each of the switching elements Tr1 to Tr4, the rotational speed can be controlled by a pulsed energization waveform (for example, DC 24 volts) as illustrated in FIG. For example, the period G can be set to 1 millisecond (PWM drive frequency 1 kHz) during forward rotation or reverse rotation, and the period G can be set to 8 milliseconds (PWM drive frequency 125 Hz) during braking. Here, “ON-duty H%” represents that the period of the ON state in one cycle (G milliseconds) is H%. For example, if G = 1 ms and H = 30%, this means that the device is in the ON state for 0.3 ms (1 ms × 30%) in one cycle.

Hereinafter, a specific example of appropriately switching the driving method of the motor 42 according to the operation mode will be described.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart exemplifying a driving method of the motor 42 when the normal “large cleaning” is performed.
That is, as described above with reference to FIG. 5A or 9A, when the drain valve 240 is opened, the output shaft of the motor unit 10 may be rotated in a predetermined direction for about 1 second. In this case, the motor 42 can be driven with a duty of 100%. At this time, the motor 42 is given the maximum driving force, and the output shaft can be quickly rotated to perform “large cleaning”.

  On the other hand, as described above with reference to FIGS. 9B and 10A, when the operation of pulling up and holding the ball tap for a certain time is performed, the duty is set to 100% and the continuous drive current is supplied to the motor. However, the motor 42 may generate heat during the hold period. In such a case, it is desirable to control the power supply by PWM control.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a specific example in which a PWM operation is introduced to perform a hold operation for a predetermined time.
In this case, first, in steps S22 and S23, driving with a duty of 100% is performed only for a time T1. Thereby, the output shaft of the motor unit 10 is quickly rotated to the hold position, and the ball chain 260 is pulled up. Thereafter, in steps S24 and S25, motor drive by PWM control is executed. In other words, the drive duty in step S24 is such that the motor 42 can be supplied with power sufficient to keep the valve open in the small cleaning state against the urging force of the shaft return spring 52 and the gear return spring 53. Good. Specifically, for example, the drive duty in step S24 can be set to 80%. In this way, even if the state in which the ball tap is pulled up is held for the time T2, heating of the motor 42 can be prevented.

Furthermore, a hold operation for holding the ball tap in a lifted state may be executed by controlling the brake of the motor 42.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the small washing hold operation in which the strong brake control is introduced. That is, first, in steps S32 and S33, driving with a duty of 100% is performed for a time T1, and the output shaft of the motor unit 10 is rapidly rotated to the ball tap hold position. Thereafter, in steps S34 and S35, the strong regenerative brake control is executed by turning on the switching element Tr3 or Tr4. Then, the motor 42 slowly returns to the neutral state (the state shown in FIG. 17) by brake control against the urging force of the shaft return spring 52 and the gear return spring 53. Therefore, the water supply valve of the low tank can be kept closed, and an operation substantially similar to the hold operation can be realized. In this case, the motor 42 is not heated during the period of steps S34 and S35 because no electric power is supplied to the motor 42 from the outside.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a specific example in which the ball tap is held by the duty control with the strong brake control.
That is, when applying a strong brake in step S44, the switching element Tr3 or Tr4 is turned on by duty control as illustrated in FIG. By appropriately selecting the duty, the braking force can be finely controlled, and the speed until the output shaft of the motor unit 10 returns to the neutral state (the state shown in FIG. 17) can be appropriately controlled. Thereby, it is also possible to hold the state where the ball tap is pulled up.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing hold control in which weak brake control using cogging torque is introduced.
That is, in step S52 and S53, the drive with a duty of 100% is performed for a time T1, and the output shaft of the motor unit 10 is rapidly rotated to the lifted position of the ball tap, and then in step S54, the switching elements Tr1 to Tr4 are driven. Are all turned off, and weak brake control by the cogging torque of the motor 42 is executed. Also in this case, the motor 42 slowly returns to the neutral state (the state shown in FIG. 17) by brake control against the urging force of the shaft return spring 52 and the gear return spring 53. Therefore, the state where the ball tap is pulled up can be continuously maintained, and the hold operation can be substantially realized. Whether to use the strong brake control shown in FIG. 22 or the weak brake control shown in FIG. 24 is appropriately determined in consideration of the urging force of the return springs 52 and 53, the time required for the hold operation, and the like. be able to.

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a specific example in which weak brake control is performed by duty control. That is, in step S64, the switching elements Tr1 to Tr4 are turned off by duty control as shown in FIG. Also in this case, the braking force can be finely controlled by appropriately selecting the duty, and the speed until the output shaft of the motor unit 10 returns to the neutral state (the state shown in FIG. 17) can be appropriately controlled. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately set the time for the ball tap hold operation.

Next, a further modification of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 26 is a schematic view illustrating the usage mode of the motor unit 10 in this modification. That is, in this modification, the ball chain levers 85 and 87 are attached to the first output shaft 70 and the second output shaft 72, respectively. And the ball chain 220 and 260 are pulled up by these ball chain levers 85 and 87, respectively. As described above with reference to FIG. 16, the first output shaft 70 and the second output shaft 72 rotate in the same direction. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 17, when the ball chain levers 85 and 87 are attached so as to extend in directions opposite to each other, when one of these tips rises, the other tip falls. That is, the tip ends of these ball chain levers 85 and 87 perform complementary operations in the same manner as both ends of the ball chain lever 84 illustrated in FIG.

  Therefore, for example, after the drain valve 240 is pulled up by the ball chain lever 85 as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the ball chain lever 87 is used as illustrated in FIG. 9B or FIG. 10A. It becomes possible to pull up and hold the ball tap.

  As a result, as in the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14, the “cleaning mode” can be reliably and easily performed, and an easy-to-use toilet cleaning device and toilet cleaning system can be provided.

In the case of using the toilet cleaning device of the specific example described above with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17, the “cleaning mode” can also be realized by operating the operation handle 100 (see FIG. 1).
That is, when the operation handle 100 is turned in the “large cleaning” direction and the cleaning water is poured, the ball tap can be maintained in the raised state by rotating and holding the operation handle 100 in the opposite direction. Therefore, in this state, as illustrated in FIG. 12A, the bowl level of the toilet bowl can be maintained at a low level, and the bowl surface can be cleaned reliably and easily. At this time, if a lock mechanism that can fix the operation handle 100 in a state opposite to the “large washing” direction is provided, both hands of the user are freed and the usability is excellent. For this purpose, for example, a mechanism that can be locked in a rotated state by pushing or pulling the operation handle 100 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis may be provided.

FIG. 27 is a schematic view illustrating a toilet flushing system that controls the toilet flushing apparatus from the warm water flush toilet seat.
FIG. 28 is a schematic view illustrating the connection between the motor unit 10 and the warm water washing toilet seat 400.

  That is, the connection port 402 is provided on the back surface of the hot water washing toilet seat 400 provided on the toilet bowl 300. The connection cord 76 connected to the toilet bowl cleaning device 10 accommodated in the low tank 200 is pulled out from an air vent hole 290 provided on the back surface of the low tank 200, and the connection plug 78 at the tip thereof is connected to the connection port of the toilet seat 400. 402 is connected.

  The warm water washing toilet seat 400 has a built-in drive unit (not shown), and can appropriately control the operation of the motor unit 10 by appropriately supplying a drive signal of DC 24 volts, for example. That is, it is very convenient for the user to operate the operation switch or the like attached to the remote controller of the warm water cleaning toilet seat 400 to allow the cleaning water to flow to the toilet or to execute the “cleaning mode”. .

The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples.
That is, even if a person skilled in the art has modified the design of the elements constituting the toilet bowl cleaning device and toilet bowl cleaning system of the present invention, they are included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the gist of the present invention. The

For example, the external shape and size of the motor unit 10, the number of built-in motors and gears, their reduction ratios, or their arrangement relations, etc., which are appropriately modified by those skilled in the art, are also included in the scope of the present invention Is included in the scope of the present invention.
In addition, the shape and structure of the control unit, operation unit, remote controller, and the like constituting the toilet flushing system, or their arrangement relations, which are appropriately modified by those skilled in the art, are also included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the state which attached the toilet bowl washing | cleaning apparatus concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention to the low tank of the flush toilet bowl. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the inside of the low tank of FIG. 1 from upper direction. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the ball chain lever from the front. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the internal structure of a low tank. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates normal washing | cleaning operation | movement. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates normal washing | cleaning operation | movement. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the water flow which arises in a flush toilet corresponding to the operation | movement mentioned above regarding FIG.5 and FIG.6. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the water flow which arises in a flush toilet corresponding to the operation | movement mentioned above regarding FIG.5 and FIG.6. FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating an operation performed in the low tank 200 in the “cleaning mode”. FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating an operation performed in the low tank 200 in the “cleaning mode”. It is a schematic diagram showing the change of the water level of the toilet bowl in "cleaning mode". It is a schematic diagram showing the change of the water level of the toilet bowl in "cleaning mode". It is a flowchart which illustrates the operation | movement in "cleaning mode". It is a flowchart showing the modification of the operation | movement in the "cleaning mode" of this embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the principal part of the toilet bowl washing | cleaning apparatus of the specific example of this invention. It is the conceptual diagram which represented typically the internal structure of the toilet bowl washing | cleaning apparatus of the Example of this invention. It is a schematic diagram showing the joint section of gear 49 and shaft 22 of the 4th step. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a driver circuit that drives a motor 42 of the motor unit 10. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the energization waveform by which PWM control was carried out. It is a flowchart which illustrates the drive system of the motor 42 at the time of implementing large washing | cleaning. It is a flowchart showing the specific example which introduces PWM control and implements a hold operation. It is a flowchart showing the hold operation | movement which introduced strong brake control. It is a flowchart showing the specific example which implements strong brake control by duty control. It is a flow chart showing hold control which introduced weak brake control by cogging torque. It is a flowchart showing the specific example which implements weak brake control by duty control. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the usage aspect of the motor unit 10 in the modification of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the toilet bowl washing | cleaning system which implements control of the toilet bowl washing | cleaning apparatus from a warm water washing toilet seat. 4 is a schematic view illustrating the connection between the motor unit 10 and a warm water cleaning toilet seat 400. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Motor unit 20 Threading protrusion part 22 Shaft 40 Drive part 41 Housing 42 Motor 43-51 Gear 49P Convex part 52, 53 Gear return spring 70, 72 Output shaft 71d Positive characteristic thermistor 76 Connection code 82 Shaft 84, 85, 87 Ball Chain lever 100 Operation handle 200 Low tank 220 Ball chain 222 Float 240 Drain valve 242 Drain flange 244 Overflow pipe 260 Ball chain 262 Float 264 Lever 266 Water supply valve 300 Toilet 330 Jet outlet 340 Rim water outlet 342 Rim water outlet 350 Bowl part 360 Partition Plate 370 Drain trap 500 Control unit 510 Remote control

Claims (11)

A toilet bowl cleaning device attachable to a low tank having a ball tap and a drain valve,
A motor unit having a motor, a reduction means for reducing the output of the motor, and an output shaft from the reduction means;
It can be attached to the output shaft, can be connected to the ball tap by a first connecting means, can be connected to the drain valve by a second connecting means, and the ball tap corresponding to the rotation operation of the output shaft. And a power transmission member capable of selectively lifting the drain valve,
A toilet cleaning device comprising: A toilet bowl cleaning device attachable to a low tank having a ball tap and a drain valve,
A motor unit having a motor, a speed reduction means for reducing the output of the motor, a first output shaft from the speed reduction means, and a second output shaft from the speed reduction means;
The first power that can be attached to the first output shaft, can be connected to the ball tap by the first connecting means, and can lift the ball tap in response to the rotation operation of the first output shaft. A transmission member;
The second output shaft is attachable to the second output shaft, can be connected to the drain valve by a second connecting means, and the drain valve can be lifted in response to the rotation operation of the second output shaft. A power transmission member of
A toilet cleaning device comprising: When the ball tap is raised, the drain valve is not raised,
The toilet bowl cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ball tap is not lifted when the drain valve is lifted.   The toilet bowl cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting means is a ball chain. Toilet bowl washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A control unit for controlling the operation of the toilet bowl cleaning device;
With
A toilet flushing system characterized in that it is possible to maintain a state in which the ball tap is pulled up after the drain valve is pulled up.   The toilet bowl cleaning system according to claim 5, wherein the state in which the ball tap is pulled up is maintained for a certain period of time.   6. The toilet bowl cleaning system according to claim 5, wherein the state in which the ball tap is lifted is released according to a user instruction.   The toilet cleaning system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the control signal supplied to the motor unit to maintain the ball tap in a raised state includes a PWM signal.   The toilet according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the supply of electric power to the motor unit is stopped and a short-circuit brake of the motor is generated in order to maintain the ball tap in a raised state. Cleaning system.   The toilet flushing system according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the drain valve is pulled up after maintaining the state where the ball tap is pulled up.   The toilet control system according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the control unit is attached to a toilet seat.

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