JP2006334133A - Toilet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the power consumption and to increase the reliability of the automatic action by making individual sensors act rationally in a so-called automatic toilet apparatus equipped with the two or more sensors such as the human body sensor and the sitting sensor or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The toilet apparatus is so constituted that the top of a seat 2 which is disposed on a toilet stool 1 to be freely opened and closed is opened and closed by a seat cover 4 and is equipped with the human body sensor 7 to detect the approach of a person and the sitting sensor 8 to detect the sitting of the person on the seat 2, wherein the power supply to the human body sensor 7 is discontinued to be in an inactive condition when the sitting sensor 8 detects the sitting of the person on the seat 2, and when otherwise, the human body sensor 7 is set in an active condition. Thereby, the human body sensor 7 is made to act only when necessary. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet apparatus including various sensors such as a human body detection sensor and a seating sensor for detecting a person sitting on a toilet seat.

  When a person approaches the toilet device, it is detected by the human body detection sensor, and the toilet lid that has been closed is opened, and if seating on the toilet seat is detected by the seating sensor, for example, the deodorizing device is started, Recently, many people have been automated such as closing the toilet lid when they have left the toilet seat and left the toilet device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

These toilet devices are equipped with many sensors such as the human body detection sensor, the toilet lid opening / closing sensor, the toilet seat opening sensor, and the seating sensor.
JP 2002-121803 A

  However, in the conventional toilet device, various sensors are always set in an operating state, and therefore, it lacks rationality in terms of power use.

  In addition, in the case of using an optical sensor, for example, the seating sensor may erroneously detect the toilet lid instead of the human body, and as a result, it is a factor that causes an inadvertent operation such as a deodorizing device. It was.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and aims to rationalize automation of a toilet device and the like.

  To achieve the above object, a toilet apparatus according to the present invention includes a toilet seat that can be freely opened and closed on a toilet bowl, a toilet lid that opens and closes on the toilet seat, a human body detection sensor that detects the approach of a person, and a person to the toilet seat. A seating sensor that detects the seating of the human body, and when the seating sensor detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat, the power supply to the human body detection sensor is interrupted and deactivated; otherwise, the human body detection sensor This is set to the operating state, and in particular, prevents inadvertent operation of the human body detection sensor.

  Even if the toilet device of the present invention is equipped with a plurality of sensors, only the necessary sensors are operated, so that waste of electric power can be suppressed as much as possible, and the occurrence of malfunctions is also prevented. Therefore, the reliability of automation can be improved.

  A first invention is a toilet seat that is installed on a toilet bowl so as to be openable and closable, a toilet lid that opens and closes on the toilet seat, a human body detection sensor that detects the approach of a person, and a seating sensor that detects a person sitting on the toilet seat. When the seating sensor detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat, the power supply to the human body detection sensor is interrupted to make it non-operating, otherwise the human body detection sensor is set to the operating state. is there.

  In other words, the state in which the seating sensor detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat is not limited to the fact that the human body detection is performed in this way, so even if power supply to the human body detection sensor is interrupted here, It will not be an obstacle.

  In the second invention, in particular, the seating sensor of the first invention is set to the operating state only when the toilet lid is open.

  Therefore, the function of the seating sensor becomes rational, and in addition, even if the seating sensor is optical, the toilet lid is not erroneously detected.

  In particular, the third invention has a toilet seat opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing state of the toilet seat, the toilet lid is open, and the seating sensor detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat. The toilet seat opening / closing sensor was set to the operating state except for the state.

  Therefore, even in this embodiment, a rational operation can be expected from the toilet seat opening / closing sensor.

  These human body detection sensors and / or seating sensors are optically configured, and preferably use infrared rays.

  In addition, the human body detection sensor is installed at a site unrelated to the open / close state of the toilet lid. For example, it is possible to detect the human body through the space above the closed toilet lid and through the gap between the legs of the opened toilet lid by being positioned diagonally in front upper part of the control box provided at the rear upper part of the toilet seat It becomes.

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

(Embodiment 1)
1 to 3, a toilet seat 2 that can be freely opened and closed is disposed on the toilet 1. The opening and closing of the toilet seat 2 refers to a form in which the toilet seat 1 is placed substantially horizontally and is just closed, and a form in which the toilet seat 1 is opened substantially vertically and the toilet 1 is opened. Actually, the toilet seat 2 is rotatably connected to the rear main body 3.

  The toilet seat 2 is provided with heating means for heating, and the main body 3 is provided with various controllers in addition to a hot water washing function, a deodorizing device, and the like. A toilet lid 4 that opens and closes above the toilet bowl 1 and the toilet seat 2 is also rotatably attached to the main body 3.

  The open / closed states of the toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 4 are detected by the toilet seat open / close sensor 5 and the toilet lid open / close sensor 6 arranged at the respective pivotally attached portions, and both detect the open / closed state with a rotation angle. I am doing so.

  Furthermore, the exterior part of the main body 3 has a toilet device, more specifically, a human body detection sensor 7 for detecting that a person has entered the toilet, and a seat for detecting that a person has been seated on the toilet seat 2. A sensor 8 is provided.

  The human body detection sensor 7 and the seating sensor 8 are optical, for example, using infrared rays. One human body detection sensor 7 transmits infrared rays obliquely upward, while the seating sensor 8 Emits infrared rays horizontally.

  More specifically, since the infrared rays from the human body detection sensor 7 are directed obliquely upward, when the toilet lid 4 is closed, it passes through the upper space, and in the opened state, between the pivoted legs. It passes through the gap. The seating sensor 8 detects a human body seated on the toilet seat 2.

  The temporary operation and operation of the toilet apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the start operation is performed in step 1, the closing of the toilet seat 2 is confirmed in step 2, and the closing of the toilet lid 4 is confirmed in step 3. When a person enters the toilet to use the toilet device, the human body detection sensor 7 detects it (step 4), and the toilet lid 4 is opened by an electric means or the like (step 5).

  If the user is male and is a small user, the toilet seat 2 is opened in step 6. The toilet seat 2 is opened by operating an electric switch by operating a separate switch or the like. When the use ends and the person leaves the toilet, the detection output by the human body detection sensor 7 disappears in step 7, so that the electric means closes the toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 4 (step 8). 9).

  If the toilet seat 2 is kept closed in the previous step 6, that is, if the user sits on the toilet seat 2 and adds a use, the seating sensor 8 performs a detection operation in step 10 to detect the seating. The deodorizing device etc. installed in the part 3 will be started.

  When the use is finished and the user leaves the toilet seat 2, the seating sensor 8 is turned off in Step 11, and then the detection output by the human body detection sensor 7 is lost by going out of the toilet (Step 12). It is closed via the means (step 13).

  The deodorizing device is not stopped immediately after the seating sensor 8 and the human body detection sensor 7 are turned off, but is provided with a predetermined delay time.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows operating states of various sensors. That is, in the figure, A is the time of step 5 in FIG. 2 when the human body sensor 7 detects a person and opens the toilet lid 4, B is the same as in step 10 when the user is seated on the toilet seat 2, and C is the toilet seat 2. Similarly, at the time of step 11 where the user has left, D indicates the time when the user goes out of the toilet and the human body detection sensor 7 is turned OFF to close the toilet lid 4.

  Since the human body detection sensor 7 is for monitoring the presence or absence of a toilet user, the human body detection sensor 7 is basically maintained in an operating state in which power is always supplied. In the state where the seat is seated, the energization is stopped and switched to the non-operating state.

  This means that at least when a person is seated on the toilet seat 2, that is, when the seating sensor 8 is operating, it means that a person is present and there is no significance in operating the human body detection sensor 7. By the way.

  Further, the seating on the toilet seat 2 is specified only when the toilet lid 4 is open. Therefore, the toilet seat opening / closing sensor 5 and the seating sensor 8 operate when the toilet lid opening / closing sensor 5 is in an operating state. State. However, when the seating sensor 8 is operating, the toilet seat opening / closing sensor 5 is set in a non-operating state.

  As described above, since the various sensors are in an operating state only when necessary, power consumption can be suppressed and the lifetime of each sensor can be extended.

  In particular, when an optical sensor such as an infrared ray is used as the seating sensor 8, it does not erroneously detect the toilet lid 4 or the like as a human body, so that reliable automation can be realized.

  As described above, the toilet apparatus according to the present invention is capable of suppressing the waste of electric power as much as possible because only the necessary sensors are operated even if the toilet apparatus is equipped with a plurality of sensors. It can also prevent malfunctions and increase the reliability of automation, and can of course be used for equipment other than toilet devices equipped with a plurality of sensors.

The perspective view of the toilet apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention Flow chart of toilet device in the first embodiment Operation timing chart of each sensor of the toilet device in the first embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toilet bowl 2 Toilet seat 4 Toilet lid 5 Toilet seat opening / closing sensor 6 Toilet lid opening / closing sensor 7 Human body detection sensor 8 Seating sensor

Claims (6)

A toilet seat that can be freely opened and closed on the toilet, a toilet lid that opens and closes on the toilet seat, a human body detection sensor that detects the approach of a person, and a seat sensor that detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat. Toilet device in which when the sensor detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat, power supply to the human body detection sensor is interrupted to make it non-operating, and otherwise, the human body detection sensor is set to the operating state. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the seating sensor is set in an operating state only when the toilet lid is open. A claim that has a toilet seat open / close sensor that detects the open / closed state of the toilet seat, and that this toilet seat open / close sensor is set to an operating state, except that the toilet lid is open and the seat sensor detects the seating of a person on the toilet seat. Item 1. The toilet device according to Item 1. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the human body detection sensor and / or the seating sensor is configured by an optical device. The toilet apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the human body detection sensor and / or the seating sensor uses infrared rays. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a human body detection sensor is installed at a part unrelated to the open / closed state of the toilet lid.

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