JP2008036064A - Heated seat and toilet device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide safe toilet seat heating which reduces power consumption of a toilet seat, is highly energy saving, and is excellent in insulation. <P>SOLUTION: The heated toilet seat includes the toilet seat 22 having a sitting face 26 getting into contact with a human body when sitting, part of which sitting face is made of a metal, a wire-like heater 30 made of a heater wire 28 and a heater wire covering 29 disposed on the rear inner face of the sitting face 26, a human body detection sensor 24 for detecting that a user enters a toilet, a temperature detection sensor 34 for detecting the temperature of the sitting face 26, and a control part 35 for controlling the amount of conduction to the wire-like heater 30. By mounting two or more insulation layers between the sitting face 26 and the heater wire 28, the toilet seat can be heated in a short time, and the safe heated toilet seat excellent in insulation performance for the use for many years can be obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet seat having a heating function, and more particularly to a heated toilet seat that can be heated to an optimum temperature in a short time until a user is seated.

In this type of conventional heated toilet seat, as shown in FIG. 6, an instantaneously heated toilet seat has been proposed. In this case, a sheet heating element 3, a heat insulating material 4, and a reflector 5 are heated and pressed on the back surface of the stainless steel seating surface 1 through an insulating member 2 and fixedly formed on the toilet seat body 6. The sheet heating element 3 is made by patterning stainless steel so as to meander repeatedly, to achieve uniform heating, and by providing a heat insulating material 4 and a reflector 5 to prevent heat dissipation, the seating surface 6, the temperature of the seating surface 6 rises quickly, so that power consumption can be reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-125981 A

  However, the conventional configuration requires a high-power heating element to raise the temperature of the seating surface in a short time, and the heating element itself becomes high temperature. There is a concern that the deterioration tends to occur and the insulation performance deteriorates after long-term use.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and provides the heating toilet seat excellent in the insulation performance which can be used safely and safely over a long period of time.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the heated toilet seat according to the present invention is a toilet seat in which at least a part of a seating surface that a human body contacts at the time of sitting is formed of metal, and two or more layers are provided between the seating surface and the linear heating element. The insulating layer is provided. In particular, it is a heated toilet seat that can be heated to an optimal temperature in a short time until the user is seated, and has a structure with a very large heat load. Even if the insulating performance of the insulating layer is deteriorated due to aging, the insulating performance between the linear heating element and the seating surface can be ensured by the second and subsequent insulating layers.

  The heated toilet seat according to the present invention can provide a heated toilet seat that can be used safely and safely for many years by ensuring insulation performance.

  In a first aspect of the present invention, a toilet seat in which at least a part of a seating surface with which a human body contacts when seated is made of metal, and two or more insulating layers are provided between the seating surface and a heater wire. Thus, even if the insulating performance of the first insulating layer is deteriorated due to aging, the insulating performance can be ensured by the second and subsequent insulating layers. Therefore, the heating toilet seat which can be used safely and safely for many years can be provided.

In the second invention, particularly in the first invention, the insulating layer has a two-layer structure using the same type of synthetic resin. For example, there may be a case where the heater wire is made of a double layer and is formed using the same type of synthetic resin, and the back surface of the seating portion and the heater wire are made of the same type of synthetic resin. As a result, even when a defect such as a pinhole exists in the heater wire coating, the pinhole can be shielded by the two-layer insulator to ensure the insulation performance. Therefore, a safe heated toilet seat with good insulation performance can be obtained. If the same kind of resin material is used, the adhesion between the heater wire and the seating surface is ensured because the adhesion is good and the workability is good.

  In the third invention, particularly in the first invention, the insulating layer has a two-layer structure using different kinds of synthetic resins. For example, there are cases in which the heater wire coating is formed with two different materials, or the seating portion back surface and the heater wire coating are formed with different materials. Accordingly, for example, the heat resistance can be changed depending on the degree of adhesion to the heater wire, and the adhesiveness between the resins can be taken into consideration, and the cost and processing cost can be reduced using an appropriate material. Of course, since there are two layers, when a defect such as a pinhole is present, the pinhole can be shielded by a two-layer insulator to ensure insulation performance. Therefore, a safe heated toilet seat with good insulation performance can be obtained.

  In a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, a layer using a fluororesin is provided as a part of the insulating layer. Thereby, an insulating layer having excellent heat resistance can be formed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a safe heated toilet seat that has good insulation performance against heat generated by a high-power linear heating element.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third aspects, a polyimide resin is used for covering the heater wire and is made a part of the insulating layer. Thus, the heat resistance of the insulating layer is improved by using the heater wire covering material which is most required for the heat resistance. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a safe heated toilet seat that has good insulation performance against heat generated by a high-power linear heating element.

  In a sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the seating surface is made of aluminum, an alumite layer is formed on the back side of the seating surface, and the alumite layer is a part of the insulating layer. . Thereby, while ensuring insulation performance, the anti-corrosion effect of a seating surface can be anticipated. Therefore, the heating toilet seat which can be used for many years can be obtained.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heating toilet seat according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view, FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a heating element unit composed of a linear heating element, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of a seating surface.

  1 to 4, a main body 21 is attached to a toilet bowl 20, and a toilet seat 22 and a toilet lid 23 are rotatably provided on the main body 21. Further, a human body detection sensor 24 for detecting the presence or absence of a human body in the toilet space by infrared rays is provided on the sleeve portion of the main body 21. The toilet seat 22 includes a toilet seat base 25 made of a synthetic resin and a metal seating surface 26 made of aluminum, and is formed by joining two members at their inner and outer peripheral edges.

A heating element unit 27 is disposed on the back surface of the seating surface 26. In this heating element unit 27, a linear heating element 30 in which the heater wire coating 29 of the heater wire 28 is made of fluororesin is disposed so as to fit in the shape of the toilet seat 22, and the upper and lower surfaces of the linear heating element 30 are arranged on two sides. The aluminum foil 31 is bonded. Instead of the aluminum foil 31, a metal foil such as a copper foil having good heat conduction may be used. The linear heating element 30 has insulation and heat resistance secured by a fluororesin. Here, a polyimide resin may be used instead of the fluororesin. When a polyimide resin is used, the heat resistance is further improved and excellent insulation and heat resistance are ensured. Even if other materials are used, there is no problem as long as insulation and heat resistance can be secured. The degree of insulation and heat resistance varies depending on the required performance of the heated toilet seat. On the back side of the seating surface 26, an anodized layer 30 is formed by anodizing to further improve the insulation performance. Further, there is no problem even if a method of attaching a film of polyimide, PET, or the like instead of forming the alumite layer 30 to improve the insulation performance. Further, when aluminum is not used for the seating surface 26, the alumite layer 32 cannot be formed. Therefore, there is no problem even if a method of applying a film of polyimide, PET, or the like to improve the insulation performance is not problematic.

  In this way, the first insulating layer is made of a fluororesin that is the heater wire coating 29, and the second insulating layer is an alumite layer 32 formed on the back side of the seating surface 26, whereby the first layer is formed. Even if the fluororesin of this type deteriorates the insulation performance due to thermal shock caused by the heat generated by the heater wire 28 or deterioration over time, and further leads to dielectric breakdown, the insulation performance can be ensured by the second alumite layer 32. Therefore, it is possible to provide a heated toilet seat that can be used safely and safely for many years.

  In addition, a surface decorative layer 33 is formed on the surface of the aluminum serving as the seating surface 26 for the purpose of appearance effect. The surface decorative layer 33 applied to the outer surface of the seating surface 26 can be dyed. However, if at least the outer surface of the seating surface 26 is coated, not only the anticorrosive effect but also a metal toilet seat such as aluminum can be used. The cool feeling can be wiped away, and a soft image or a high-class image can be produced by, for example, pearl coating such as pearls. Since a metal and aluminum press (drawing) product is used for the seating surface 26 of the toilet seat 22, the thermal conductivity is as high as about 200 W / (m · K). Heat can be transferred to the outer surface, that is, the surface decorative layer 33. And since it is aluminum with high heat conductivity, the soaking | uniform-heating effect which makes temperature distribution more uniform is acquired. Further, the required strength can be ensured even if the plate thickness is reduced by work hardening by pressing (drawing) aluminum. For example, in the case of resin, a thickness of about 3 mm is required from the viewpoint of strength, but in the case of a drawn product of an aluminum plate, half of 1.5 mm or less is sufficient. As the thickness is reduced, the heat capacity can be reduced, so that the amount of heat and time required for temperature increase can be reduced. As a result of the experiment, it was concluded that the aluminum plate thickness is preferably 0.8 to 1.2 mm in terms of strength and heating time.

  Further, a thermistor 34 as a temperature detection sensor is attached to the back surface of the seating surface 26 in order to detect the temperature of the seating surface 26. Signals from the thermistor 34 are transmitted to the control unit 33, and based on these signals, the energization to the linear heating element 28 is controlled so that the temperature of the seating surface 26, which is a warming surface, becomes a predetermined temperature. It has become. When detecting that a person has entered the toilet, the human body detection sensor 24 starts heating the seating surface 26 and transmits a signal to the control unit 35 so as to open the toilet lid 23. In addition, a seating detection sensor 36 that detects the seating on the toilet seat 22 by infrared rays is provided at the center of the main body 21. For example, in a heated toilet seat having a hot water cleaning function, the cleaning function operates only when a seating of a person is detected.

  With the above-described configuration, when the user enters the toilet, the human body detection sensor 24 detects the entry, the signal is sent to the control unit 35, and the control unit 35 starts energizing the linear heating element 30. To do. Based on the temperature signal of the thermistor 34 immediately before the start of energization, the control unit 35 performs an operation so that the seating surface 26 of the toilet seat 22 has an appropriate temperature, and controls the energization of the linear heating element 30.

Here, when the plate thickness of aluminum is 1.0 mm and 1200 W is applied to the linear heating element 30, the heating rate of the seating surface 26 is about 2.5 K / s. Also, as a result of the survey, the average time required for the user to sit after opening the toilet door is 10 seconds, and if the temperature of the seating surface 26 is 29 ° C. or higher, the user feels cold and uncomfortable. No results were obtained. In other words, even if the temperature of the toilet in the winter season is 5 ° C., if the temperature of the toilet seat is raised at the same time as entering the room, the temperature of the seating surface 26 becomes 30 ° C. 10 seconds after entering the room. The temperature can be raised to a temperature that does not feel cold. By using aluminum having good heat conduction for the seating surface 26, it is possible to heat the user in a short time until the user is seated on the toilet seat 22, and therefore, when the user is not entering the room, the linear shape is obtained. There is no need to energize the heating element 28, which is very energy saving and can be used comfortably because the seating surface 26 can be heated uniformly. In addition, when seated, the seating surface 26 is heated to a temperature at which it does not cool, so that it can be used comfortably without feeling cold. It is also possible to use stainless steel for the seating surface 26 instead of aluminum. Since stainless steel is stronger than aluminum, the thickness of stainless steel can be reduced, so the heat capacity can be reduced and the heating time can be shortened. be able to.

  Next, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 22, the energization amount to the linear heating element 30 is reduced to zero or the temperature of the seating surface 26 does not rise excessively by the signal of the seating detection sensor 36 so that the temperature becomes appropriate. The temperature of the seating surface 26 is kept warm. Thus, it can be used comfortably because it is kept at an appropriate temperature while sitting.

  As described above, the use state of the heater wire in the present embodiment is frequently subjected to a thermal cycle of repeating ON-OFF every time the toilet seat is used, and receives a large thermal shock. And especially about a coating | covering material inside a heater, a load is applied. By adopting the structure of this embodiment mode, the deterioration period of the insulating layer itself can be made longer than that of the related art, and the reliability can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the seating surface 26 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has the same basic configuration as the invention of the first embodiment. The difference is in the configuration of the heater wire coating 29.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the heater wire coating 29 includes a first insulating layer 37 and a second insulating layer 38 and has two insulating layers. With this configuration, when a defect such as a pinhole is present in the first insulating layer 37, the pinhole is shielded by the second insulating layer 38, and the insulating performance can be ensured. Therefore, a safe heated toilet seat with good insulation performance can be obtained. By providing the alumite layer 32, the insulating performance is enhanced as a three-layer insulating layer. Moreover, although the alumite layer 32 does not need to be provided, when it is provided, the insulation performance is improved and the corrosion resistance is also improved. When not provided, the insulating layer is reduced by one layer, so that the temperature rise performance of the seating surface 26 can be further improved.

  In addition, when the same synthetic resin, for example, a fluororesin, is used for both the first insulating layer 37 and the second insulating layer 38, the fluororesin has high heat resistance, so that insulation breakdown due to heat can be prevented. A heated toilet seat with good performance and safety can be obtained. Moreover, since the same resin is used, it is easy to procure materials and the productivity is improved.

  In addition, when polyimide resin is used for the first insulating layer 37 and fluororesin is used for the second insulating layer 38, the polyimide resin has better heat resistance than the fluororesin, and therefore, with respect to the heater wire 28 with higher output. However, insulation breakdown due to heat can also be prevented, and a safe heating toilet seat with good insulation performance can be obtained.

  For example, by adding an insulating layer to a magnet wire that is insulated and coated with a copper wire, the linear heating element 30 that has an excellent temperature rise performance and an excellent insulation performance can be realized because the heat capacity is very small.

  Here, there is no problem as long as insulation and heat resistance can be secured even if other materials are used as the insulating layer, and the degree of insulation and heat resistance varies depending on the required performance of the heating toilet seat.

As described above, the heating toilet seat according to the present invention provides two or more insulating layers between the seating surface and the linear heating element, so that a heating toilet seat that can be used safely is obtained by improving insulation. It can be applied as a heating technique for equipment on which a person sits.

Schematic configuration diagram of a heating toilet seat in the first embodiment of the present invention The perspective view of the heating toilet seat in Embodiment 1 Schematic configuration diagram of a heating element unit comprising a linear heating element in the first embodiment Sectional drawing of the seating surface in Embodiment 1 Sectional drawing of the seating surface in Embodiment 2 Sectional view of the seating surface of a conventional heated toilet seat

Explanation of symbols

22 Toilet Seat 24 Human Body Detection Sensor 26 Seating Surface 28 Heater Wire 29, 37, 38 Heater Wire Cover 30 Linear Heating Element 32 Anodized Layer 34 Thermistor (Temperature Detection Sensor)
35 Control unit

Claims (6)

A toilet seat in which at least a part of a seating surface that a human body contacts at the time of sitting is made of metal, a linear heating element comprising a heater wire and a heater wire coating provided on the back inner surface of the seating surface, and a user in the toilet In the heating toilet seat, comprising: a human body detection sensor that detects that a person has entered the room; a temperature detection sensor that detects a temperature of the seating surface; and a control unit that controls the amount of energization to the linear heating element. A heating toilet seat, wherein two or more insulating layers are provided between the heater wire and the heater wire. The heating toilet seat according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer has a two-layer structure using the same type of synthetic resin. The heating toilet seat according to claim 1, wherein the insulating layer has a two-layer structure using different types of synthetic resins. The heating toilet seat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a part of the insulating layer is formed using a fluororesin. The heating toilet seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the insulating layer includes a heater wire coating using a polyimide resin. The heating toilet seat according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the seating surface is made of aluminum, an alumite layer is formed on the back side of the seating surface, and the alumite layer is part of an insulating layer.

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