JP2010184093A - Toilet seat lift - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toilet seat lift which can motor-drive a toilet seat unit up to a higher position without increasing the height dimension of the toilet seat lift and further can prevent inclination of a movable body even when a vertical stroke of the toilet seat unit is elongated. <P>SOLUTION: In the toilet seat lift 1, the top dead point of the movable body 30 is set at a high position since a position of an output pinion 58 higher than that of a stepping motor 51. Moreover, the output pinion 58 is disposed higher than a height position at the middle between the bottom plate part 21 and the top plate part 23. Accordingly the top dead point of the movable body 30 is extremely high. When a vertical stroke of the toilet seat unit is elongated, the movable body 30 is easily inclined, such inclination is prevented by balancing the clearance in the lateral direction in a second guide mechanism 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet seat lifting and lowering device for lifting and lowering a toilet seat of a Western-style toilet.

  In a Western-style toilet, the toilet seat and toilet lid rotate around the back, resulting in a prone posture and a standing posture. For this reason, even if it is going to clean the back of the upper surface of a toilet bowl main body, only a very narrow clearance is left between the toilet bowl main body and the toilet seat, and even if it wants to clean the part, a hand will not enter. In view of this, a toilet seat lifting / lowering device has been devised that can drive the toilet seat unit from the toilet body by motor driving (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the toilet seat lifting apparatus described in Patent Document 1, in the motor drive mechanism provided between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, the motor is disposed above the intermediate height position between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion. The driving force of such a motor is transmitted to the rack portion of the movable body to which the toilet seat unit is connected via an output pinion provided below the motor, and the movable body is transmitted between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion. Move up and down.

JP 2005-218554 A

  However, in the toilet seat lifting and lowering device described in Patent Document 1, although the top dead center of the movable body is defined at the height position of the output pinion, the output pinion is provided at a low position. The top dead center is low. For this reason, since the clearance gap formed between a toilet seat and a toilet bowl body is narrow when raising a toilet seat unit, there is a problem that it is inconvenient because a hand does not enter deeply during cleaning. However, in order to shift the motor and the output pinion to a high position as they are, it is necessary to increase the distance between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, so that the height dimension of the toilet seat lifting device becomes large. is there. Further, in the toilet seat lifting device described in Patent Document 1, the movable body is lifted and lowered only between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion. Therefore, in order to raise the toilet seat unit to a high position, the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion are Although it is necessary to widen the distance, there is a problem that if such a configuration is adopted, the height dimension of the toilet seat lifting / lowering device becomes large.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat lifting / lowering device that can drive a toilet seat unit to a higher position without increasing the height of the device.

  Next, the subject of this invention is providing the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus which can prevent the inclination of a movable body even when the up-down stroke of a toilet seat unit is lengthened.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a fixed body fixed to the toilet body side of a Western-style toilet, a movable body connected to the toilet seat unit side, a guide mechanism for guiding the movable body in the vertical direction, A toilet seat lifting / lowering device having a motor drive mechanism for moving the movable body up and down, wherein the motor drive mechanism meshes with a motor and a rack portion of the movable body to transmit a driving force from the motor to the movable body. An output pinion, and the fixed body includes a bottom plate portion positioned below the motor drive mechanism and a top plate portion positioned above the motor drive mechanism, and the output pinion is connected to the motor. The movable body is disposed at a height position between the top plate portion and the movable body is driven to a position where an upper end portion of the rack portion protrudes upward from the top plate portion.

  In the present invention, when the motor is driven, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the rack portion formed on the movable body via the output pinion. As a result, the movable body is guided by the guide mechanism and moves up and down. For this reason, the toilet seat unit can be made to float from the toilet body. At this time, since the state where the output pinion and the lower end of the rack portion are engaged becomes the top dead center of the movable body, the top dead center of the movable body is defined by the height position of the output pinion. Therefore, in the present invention, the output pinion is arranged at a position higher than the motor, and the top dead center of the movable body is set at a high position. For this reason, since the toilet seat unit can be lifted to a high position, a wide gap can be formed between the toilet seat and the toilet body. As described above, in the present invention, the vertical stroke of the movable body is extended by changing the positional relationship between the motor and the output pinion between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, and arranging the output pinion at a high position. The toilet seat unit can be lifted to a high position without increasing the distance between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, that is, the height of the toilet seat lifting device. Further, since the movable body is driven to a position where the upper end portion of the rack portion protrudes upward from the top plate portion, the distance between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, that is, the height dimension of the toilet seat lifting device is not increased. However, the toilet seat unit can be lifted to a high position.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the output pinion is disposed above an intermediate height position between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion. According to this configuration, the toilet seat unit can be lifted to a higher position, so that a wider gap can be formed between the toilet seat and the toilet body.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the motor is disposed below an intermediate height position between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion. According to this configuration, the motor drive mechanism can be arranged by effectively using the space between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion in the height direction.

  In the present invention, the guide mechanism includes a guide shaft whose upper and lower ends are respectively held by the top plate portion and the bottom plate portion, and a shaft hole into which the guide shaft is fitted in the movable body. Can be adopted.

  In this invention, it is preferable that the said shaft hole is provided below the upper end part of the said rack part in the said movable body. According to such a configuration, since the entire shaft hole engages with the guide shaft even when the upper end portion of the rack portion protrudes upward from the top plate portion, the movable body can be guided in a stable state.

  In the present invention, in the movable body, it is preferable that only the upper end portion of the portion where the rack portion is formed is driven to a position protruding above the top plate portion. According to such a configuration, an extra portion does not protrude from the top plate portion, which is safe.

  In the present invention, the output pinion and the rack portion mesh with each other in the left-right direction, and the guide mechanism is located on a side where the rack portion is located with respect to the output pinion, on both left and right sides sandwiching the output pinion. A first guide mechanism provided, and a second guide mechanism provided on the opposite side of the output pinion from the side on which the rack portion is located. In the first guide mechanism, the guide shaft and the The first guide shaft and the first shaft hole provided as shaft holes have a clearance that allows the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole to be in a substantially contact state both in the left-right direction. In the second guide mechanism, the second guide shaft and the second shaft hole provided as the guide shaft and the shaft hole are an outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and an inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole. The clearance in the left-right direction is greater than the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole, and the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft on the lower end side It is preferable that the clearance with the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole is different in the left-right direction. If the first and second guide mechanisms are provided on both the left and right sides of the output pinion as a guide mechanism, the movable body is difficult to tilt. In this case, in the first guide mechanism, if the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole are in a clearance that is in a substantially contact state in both the left and right directions, the output pinion and the rack portion Meshes well. Further, in the second guide mechanism, the horizontal clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole is determined in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole. If it is larger than the clearance, the sliding load applied to the movable body can be reduced. Here, if the stroke of the movable body is lengthened, the movable body may be tilted by the force applied to the toilet seat unit, but the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole at the lower end side. If they are different in the left-right direction, the lower end of the movable body is not displaced in the wider clearance, so that the movable body can be prevented from tilting.

  In the present invention, the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole on the lower end side is such that the output pinion is from the side opposite to the side where the output pinion is located. It is preferable that it is small on the side where it is located. If the stroke of the movable body is lengthened, the movable body may be tilted by the force applied to the toilet seat unit and the output pinion and the rack portion may be disengaged, resulting in tooth skipping. If the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole is made smaller on the side where the output pinion is located than on the side opposite to the side where the output pinion is located, It is possible to prevent the movable body from being inclined such that the lower end portion of the movable body is displaced to the side opposite to the side where the output pinion is located. Therefore, tooth skipping does not occur between the output pinion and the rack portion, so the stepping motor when using a stepping motor as the motor and the angle detection between the motor and the output pinion detect the movable body. Even when the vertical position is controlled, the vertical position of the movable body can be controlled with high accuracy.

  In the present invention, when the second guide shaft is a round bar having the same outer diameter and extending in the vertical direction, the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole has the second guide shaft on the lower end side. In order to make the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole different, it is preferable that an overhanging portion that protrudes inward from the virtual circle from one side in the left-right direction is formed. According to such a configuration, the horizontal clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole can be easily made different, and the tilt of the movable body can be reliably prevented.

  In the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus according to the present invention, the output pinion is arranged at a high position, so that the top dead center of the movable body can be set at a high position. For this reason, since the toilet seat unit can be floated to a high position, a wide gap can be formed between the toilet seat and the toilet body. In addition, by changing the positional relationship between the motor and the output pinion between the bottom plate part and the top plate part and arranging the output pinion at a high position, the vertical stroke of the movable body is extended. The toilet seat unit can be lifted to a high position without increasing the distance from the plate portion, that is, the height of the toilet seat lifting / lowering device. Further, since the movable body is driven to a position where the upper end portion of the rack portion protrudes upward from the top plate portion, the distance between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion, that is, the height dimension of the toilet seat lifting / lowering device is not increased. However, the toilet seat unit can be lifted to a high position.

It is explanatory drawing of the western style toilet unit using the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing of the external appearance of the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing of the internal structure of the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing of the guide mechanism of the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing which shows the clearance in the 1st guide mechanism of the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus to which this invention is applied, and a 2nd guide mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the 2nd shaft hole which comprises a 2nd guide mechanism in the toilet seat raising / lowering apparatus to which this invention is applied.

  An example of a toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the left-right direction is the X direction, -X is added to the left side, and + X is added to the right side. The front-rear direction is the Y direction, and -Y is added to the rear side, and + Y is added to the front side. The vertical direction is the Z direction, with -Z on the lower side and + Z on the upper side.

(Composition of toilet unit)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a Western-style toilet unit using a toilet seat lifting apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIGS. 1A and 1B are respectively Western-style toilet units using a toilet seat lifting apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 2, it is explanatory drawing of the state which lowered the toilet seat, and explanatory drawing which shows the state which raised the toilet seat from the toilet bowl main body.

  A Western-style toilet unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a Western-style toilet body 101, a toilet seat 102 that is opened and closed on the toilet body 101, and a toilet lid 103 that is opened and closed on the toilet seat 102. And the toilet lid 103 rotates around the back, and becomes a prone posture and a standing posture. The toilet seat 102 and the toilet lid 103 are integrated as a toilet seat unit 110. The toilet seat unit 110 includes a damper device that reduces the speed when the toilet seat 102 and the toilet lid 103 are flattened by its own weight, if necessary. There is a case in which an electric device for electrically opening and closing the toilet lid is incorporated. In any of these cases, the western toilet unit 100 of the present embodiment has the toilet seat 102 (toilet seat unit 110) lifted from the toilet body 101 as shown in FIG. An electric toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1 that can be cleaned is configured.

(Configuration of toilet seat lifting device)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the appearance of a toilet seat lifting / lowering device to which the present invention is applied. FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are a perspective view of the toilet seat lifting / lowering device and a state where an outer cover and an inner cover are removed, respectively. It is a perspective view. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the internal configuration of the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus to which the present invention is applied. FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are a perspective view of the movable body in the uppermost position, and the movable body is the highest. It is a perspective view of the state in a lower position. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a guide mechanism of a toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are cross-sectional views when cut at positions passing through the first guide shaft on the left side, It is sectional drawing when cut | disconnecting in the position which passes along the 2nd guide shaft on the right side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1 of this embodiment includes a toilet seat lifting / lowering device main body 2 and a rectangular tube-shaped outer cover 3 that covers the toilet seat lifting / lowering device main body 2. In the toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1, the toilet seat lifting / lowering device main body 2 includes a fixed body 20 fixed to the toilet body 101 side of the western toilet, a movable body 30 connected to the toilet seat unit 110 side, and the movable body 30 in the vertical direction. And a motor drive mechanism 50 for moving the movable body 30 up and down.

  The fixed body 20 includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate portion 21 that is fixed to the upper surface portion of the toilet body 101 (see FIG. 1), a vertical plate portion 22 that rises upward at the rear end of the bottom plate portion 21, and a vertical plate portion 22. The top plate part 23 of the substantially rectangular shape which protrudes ahead from the upper end of this and opposes the baseplate part 21 is provided.

  In the fixed body 20, a first guide mechanism 41 on the right side and a second guide mechanism 42 on the left side are provided as a guide mechanism 40 between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23. Each of the first guide mechanism 41 and the second guide mechanism 42 includes a round bar-shaped first guide shaft 411 and a second guide shaft 421 each having upper and lower ends held by the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23, respectively. .

  The first guide shaft 411 and the second guide shaft 421 support the first slider 31 on the right side and the second slider 32 on the left side that can slide up and down along the guide shafts 411 and 421. The sliders 31 and 32 have a lifting plate 35 attached to their front surfaces. For this reason, the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 constitute a movable body 30 that moves up and down integrally with the lifting plate 35. The elevating plate 35 includes a connecting plate portion 351 that connects the sliders 31 and 32 on the front surfaces of the first slider 31 and the second slider 32, and a horizontal plate portion 352 that is bent forward from the lower end portion of the connecting plate portion 351. The toilet seat unit 110 is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 352. For this reason, when the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 move up and down, the toilet seat unit 110 fixed to the lifting plate 35 also moves up and down integrally.

  The first slider 31 and the second slider 32 have a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIG. 4, a first shaft hole 311 and a second shaft hole 321 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed inside the first slider 31 and the second slider 32, and the shaft holes 311, 321 are formed in the shaft holes 311, 321. By fitting the first guide shaft 411 and the second guide shaft 421, the first guide mechanism 41 and the second guide mechanism 42 are configured.

  The first slider 31 extends in the vertical direction at the left end portion of the slider body portion 310 in which the first shaft hole 311 is formed, and the upper end portion 316 protrudes from the upper surface portion of the slider body portion 310. A rack portion 317 is formed on the left side surface of the rack portion 315 over the entire vertical direction. Accordingly, in the first slider 31, the first shaft hole 311 formed in the slider main body portion 310 is provided at a height position below the upper end portion 316 of the rack portion 317 in the movable body 30. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, the movable body 30 is raised until the upper end portion 316 of the rack constituting portion 315 protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23. Accordingly, the top plate portion 23 is formed with a notch 230 at a position overlapping the upper end portion 316 of the rack constituting portion 315. Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the upper end portion 316 of the rack component 315 protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23, the other parts of the movable body 30 are the top plate portion 23. Do not protrude further upward.

(Configuration of stopper)
As shown in FIG. 4, square holes 319 and 329 are opened on the back side of the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 at portions facing the vertical plate portion 22. Engagement members 318 and 328 are respectively disposed in these square holes 319 and 329 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the horizontal direction, and at the back thereof, the engagement members 318 and 328 are urged toward the vertical plate portion 22. A spring (not shown) is arranged. In the vertical plate portion 22, the tips of the engaging members 318 and 328 enter at positions below the line through which the engaging members 318 and 328 pass when the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 move up and down. Lower recesses 221 and 222 are formed on the left and right, and upper recesses 223 and 224 into which the distal ends of the engaging members 318 and 328 enter are formed on the left and right.

  Therefore, between the movable body 30 and the vertical plate portion 22, the engaging members 318 and 328 and the lower concave portions 221 and 222 of the vertical plate portion 22 function as a lower stopper when the movable body 30 is lowered. . Further, the engaging members 318 and 328 and the upper concave portions 223 and 224 of the vertical plate portion 22 function as upper stoppers when the movable body 30 is raised. In both of the lower stopper and the upper stopper, a click feeling is generated when the engaging members 318 and 328 are engaged with the lower concave portions 221 and 222 or the upper concave portions 223 and 224, respectively.

(Detailed configuration of motor drive mechanism)
As shown in FIG. 3, in the toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1 of this embodiment, a motor drive mechanism 50 that drives the movable body 30 in the vertical direction is configured between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23. The motor drive mechanism 50 is disposed in a space sandwiched between the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42. For this reason, the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are located on both the left and right sides of the motor drive mechanism 50.

  The motor drive mechanism 50 includes a stepping motor 51 (motor) capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions as a drive source, and a reduction wheel train 52 that transmits the driving force of the stepping motor 51. . The reduction gear train 52 includes an idle wheel 54 that meshes with a pinion 53 connected to the rotation shaft of the stepping motor 51, a first speed reduction wheel 55 that includes a large-diameter gear that meshes with the idle wheel 54, and the first deceleration wheel. A second reduction gear 56 having a large diameter gear meshing with the small diameter gear of the wheel 55 and an output wheel 57 having a large diameter gear meshing with the small diameter gear of the second reduction gear 56 are provided. An output pinion 58 is formed at one end of the wheel 57. The output pinion 58 and the rack portion 317 mesh with each other in the left-right direction, the first guide mechanism 41 is located on the side where the rack portion 317 is located with respect to the output pinion 58, and the rack portion 317 is located with respect to the output pinion 57. The second guide mechanism 42 is located on the side opposite to the side where it is located. Further, the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit (not shown) that controls power supply to the stepping motor 51 and the like. The front surface of the motor drive mechanism 50 is covered with an inner cover 59 shown in FIG.

  In the motor drive mechanism 50 configured as described above, the top dead center of the movable body 30 is defined by the height position of the output pinion 58. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. The movable body 30 is raised until the portion 316 protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the stepping motor 51 and the idle vehicle 54 are disposed at substantially the same height position, and the first reduction vehicle 55 and the second reduction vehicle are directed upward from the stepping motor 51 and the idle vehicle 54. 56 and the output wheel 57 are arranged in this order. For this reason, the output pinion 58 is disposed above the motor 51 at a height position between the stepping motor 51 and the top plate portion 23.

  Here, the stepping motor 51 is disposed below an intermediate height position between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23, and the output pinion 58 has an intermediate height between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23. It is arranged above the position.

  Although not shown, the output wheel 57 has a small-diameter gear at the end opposite to the output pinion 58, and a sensor gear connected to a potentiometer meshes with the small-diameter gear. . Since the potentiometer outputs a signal corresponding to the angular position of the output wheel 57 to the control unit, the control unit can detect the height position and moving speed of the movable body 30. The stepping motor 51 may include a torque limiter with a built-in ratchet between the rotor and the rotating shaft. In such a torque limiter, the movable body 30 is used when transmitting a driving force from the rotor to the rotating shaft. The rotation in the direction of lowering is always transmitted, but the rotation in the direction of raising the movable body 30 is interrupted if an excessive load is applied to the rotating shaft side. Accordingly, when power is transmitted from the rotating shaft to the rotor, rotation in the direction in which the movable body 30 moves up and down is always transmitted, but rotation in the direction in which the movable body 30 descends is transmitted to the rotor side. If an excessive load is applied, transmission is interrupted.

(Detailed configuration of the guide mechanism 10)
As shown in FIG. 3, in the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the movable body 30 has a long vertical stroke, and the movable body 30 is extended until the upper end portion 316 of the rack component 315 protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23. To raise. For this reason, the length dimension of the rack part 317 is long. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3B, when an external force is applied to the toilet seat unit 110 with the movable body 30 in the lower position, the lower end of the movable body 30 is indicated by an arrow R1 in FIG. The movable body 30 tends to tilt rightward as indicated by the arrow R2. Since this inclination is a direction in which the output pinion 58 and the upper portion of the rack portion 317 are disengaged, there is a possibility that tooth jump occurs between the output pinion 58 and the rack portion 317. In particular, in this embodiment, the movable body 30 is indicated by an arrow R2 because the slider main body portion 310 in which the first shaft hole 311 is formed does not exist and is not supported on the right side of the upper portion of the rack portion 317. As shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 3B, when the lower end portion of the movable body 30 is displaced to the right side as indicated by the arrow R3, the displacement is in a direction in which the output pinion 58 and the rack portion 317 are in deep engagement. Because of the displacement, no major problem occurs.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the guide mechanism 40 is configured as described below with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing clearances in the first guide mechanism 41 and the second guide mechanism 42 of the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied. FIGS. 5 (a), 5 (b), and 5 (c) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the first guide mechanism 41 on the upper end side, a cross-sectional view of the first guide mechanism 41 in the middle in the height direction, and a cross-sectional view of the first guide mechanism 41 on the lower end side. 5D, 5E, and 5F are a cross-sectional view of the second guide mechanism 42 at the upper end side, a cross-sectional view of the second guide mechanism 42 at an intermediate portion in the height direction, and a second view. FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view on the lower end side of the guide mechanism 42. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the second shaft hole 321 constituting the second guide mechanism 42 in the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus 1 to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 6 (a), (b), (c), (D) is the perspective view which cut | disconnected the 2nd axial hole 321 to the vertical direction, and was seen from diagonally right side, the perspective view which cut | disconnected the 2nd axial hole 321 to the vertical direction, and was seen from diagonally downward left, and the 2nd axial hole It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the planar structure in the lower end side of. 6A, 6B, and 6C correspond to cross-sectional views taken along the line DD 'in FIG. 5D.

  First, as can be seen from FIG. 4, of the first guide mechanism 41 and the second guide mechanism 42 arranged on the left and right of the output pinion 58, the first guide mechanism on the side where the rack portion 317 is located with respect to the output pinion 58. In 41, the 1st axial hole 311 is a stabile hole. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the first guide shaft 411 and the first guide shaft 411 can Between the one-shaft hole 311, there is a clearance that allows the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft 411 and the inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole 311 to be in a substantially contact state both in the left-right direction. For this reason, the movable body 30 is not easily tilted, and the output pinion 58 and the rack portion 317 are properly meshed with each other.

  On the other hand, in the second guide mechanism 42 opposite to the side where the rack portion 317 is positioned with respect to the output pinion 58, as shown in FIG. 5D, the upper end side of the second shaft hole 321 is The cross section has a substantially elliptical shape with the major axis in the left-right direction. Moreover, as shown in FIG.5 (e), the cross section of the 2nd axial hole 321 is a substantially perfect circle in the middle position of a height direction, and the downward direction from this middle position is FIG.5 (e), ( As can be seen from a comparison of f), the skirt shape has a substantially perfect circular shape and the inner diameter continuously expands downward. Therefore, the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321 over the entire height direction is the same as the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft 411 and the first shaft hole 311. It is larger than the clearance in the left-right direction with respect to the inner peripheral surface. For this reason, even when the first guide mechanism 41 and the second guide mechanism 42 are provided on both the left and right sides sandwiching the output pinion 58 to prevent the movable body 30 from being inclined, some dimensional errors in the second guide mechanism 42, etc. Regardless, the sliding load applied to the movable body 30 is small.

  As shown in FIG. 5D, the second shaft hole 321 has a dimension in the front-rear direction (short axis direction) that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the second guide shaft 421 on the upper end side. Therefore, the movable body 30 is not shaken in the front-rear direction.

  In the second guide mechanism 42, as shown in FIG. 5F, the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321 on the lower end side is different in the left-right direction. ing. For this reason, even if the lower end portion of the movable body 30 is displaced to either side in the left-right direction, the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321 come into contact with each other on the side having a small clearance. The lower end of the movable body 30 is not displaced to the side where the clearance is wide.

  In this embodiment, as shown by an arrow R1 in FIG. 3B, when the movable body 30 is positioned below, the lower end portion of the movable body 30 is easily displaced to the right. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 (f), the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321 at the lower end side is such that the output pinion 58 is It is smaller on the right side where the output pinion 58 is located than on the opposite side (left side). That is, the clearance CR on the right side between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321 is the left clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321. It is smaller than the clearance CL.

  In realizing this configuration, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the left surface of the second shaft hole 321 is a tapered surface 321t that is slightly inclined obliquely downward. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, the right surface of the second shaft hole 321 is a flat surface 321s extending vertically in the vertical direction. For this reason, on the lower end side of the second shaft hole 321, as schematically shown in FIG. 6 (d), a chord is formed on the inner side of a virtual circle (indicated by a one-dot chain line) from one side (right side) in the left-right direction. A projecting portion 321p projecting in this manner is formed.

  Therefore, as indicated by the arrow R1 in FIG. 3B, even if the lower end portion of the movable body 30 tends to be displaced to the left side, the second guide shaft 421 and the second guide shaft 421 are located inside the second shaft hole 321. Since the right side surface (projecting portion 321p) having a small clearance abuts on the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421, the lower end portion of the movable body 30 is not displaced to the left side. Therefore, as indicated by an arrow R2 in FIG. 3B, the upper end portion of the movable body 30 does not tilt to the right side, so that a situation occurs in which the engagement between the output pinion 58 and the rack portion 317 is disengaged and tooth skipping occurs. do not do.

(Elevation operation)
The toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1 according to this embodiment is used in a state where the bottom plate portion 21 is fixed to the upper surface portion of the toilet body 101 (see FIG. 1), while the toilet seat unit 110 is attached to the upper surface of the horizontal plate portion 352 of the lifting plate 35. Is done.

  Before starting cleaning or the like, the movable body 30 is at the lowest position as shown in FIG. 3B, and the toilet seat unit 110 is located on the toilet main body 101 as shown in FIG. In this state, the distal end portions of the engaging members 318 and 328 described with reference to FIG. 4 are engaged with the lower concave portions 221 and 222 of the vertical plate portion 22, and the first stopper is operating. Therefore, in the lowest position, the toilet seat unit 110 does not rise carelessly due to the engaging force at the first stopper, the detent torque of the stepping motor 51, and the dead weight of the toilet seat unit 110. In this state, the potentiometer outputs that the toilet seat unit 110 is at the lowest position.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 1B, when a predetermined switch operation is performed when the toilet seat unit 110 is to be lifted to start cleaning, the control unit outputs a predetermined pulse signal to the stepping motor 51. To do. As a result, since the stepping motor 51 rotates in the positive direction for a predetermined number of steps or for a predetermined time, the driving force of the stepping motor 51 is transmitted to the output pinion 58 via the speed reduction wheel train 52, and the output pinion 58 Raises the first slider 31 via the rack portion 317. As a result, the engagement with the first stopper is released, and the movable body 30 ascends integrally as shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1B, the toilet seat unit 110 floats from the toilet body 101.

  The stepping motor 51 stops after the movable body 30 is raised until the engagement with the second stopper is performed. In this state, in the movable body 30, only the upper end portion 316 of the rack constituting portion 315 in which the rack portion 317 is formed protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23, and other portions protrude upward from the top plate portion 23. do not do.

  Until then, since the output of the potentiometer changes, the control unit can detect from the output that the toilet seat unit 110 has been raised to a predetermined position. Further, the fact that the toilet seat unit 110 has been raised to a predetermined position can be notified by a click sound generated by the second stopper. Further, when the toilet seat unit 110 is stopped at the uppermost position, the toilet seat unit 110 is not dropped by its own weight due to the engaging force of the second stopper and the detent torque of the stepping motor 51.

  Here, when the toilet seat unit 110 that should have been driven up has not arrived at the uppermost position even after being driven for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of steps, the toilet seat unit 110 stopped in the middle of ascending due to some sort of malfunction. It will be. The occurrence of such a problem can be seen from the fact that no click sound is generated by the second stopper, but in this embodiment, it can be detected by the output value of the potentiometer. Therefore, when a problem occurs, the control unit can notify the fact based on the detection result of the potentiometer. In addition, the control unit can take measures such as resetting the operation of the stepping motor 51 so that the subsequent operation is not started unnecessarily.

  On the other hand, in the state shown in FIG. 3A, when a predetermined switch operation is performed when cleaning is completed and the toilet seat unit 110 is to be lowered, the control unit outputs a predetermined pulse signal to the stepping motor 51. As a result, since the stepping motor 51 rotates in the reverse direction for a predetermined number of steps or for a predetermined time, the rotational kinetic force of the stepping motor 51 is transmitted to the output pinion 58 via the reduction gear train 52, and FIG. As shown in (b), the output pinion 58 lowers the first slider 31 via the rack portion 317. Therefore, the engagement with the second stopper is released, and the movable body 30 moves down together with the toilet seat unit 110.

  Then, after the toilet seat unit 110 is lowered until the engagement with the first stopper is performed, the stepping motor 51 stops. Until then, since the output of the potentiometer changes, the control unit can detect from the output that the toilet seat unit 110 has been lowered to a predetermined position. Further, the fact that the toilet seat unit 110 has been lowered to a predetermined position can be notified by a click sound generated by the first stopper.

  Here, if the toilet seat unit 110 that should have been driven downward has not arrived at the lowest position even after being driven for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of steps, the toilet seat unit 110 stops midway due to some malfunction. It will be done. The occurrence of such a problem can be seen from the fact that no click sound is generated by the first stopper, but the control unit can also detect it by the output value of the potentiometer. Therefore, when a problem occurs, the control unit can notify the fact based on the detection result of the potentiometer. In addition, the control unit can take measures such as resetting the operation of the stepping motor 51 so that the subsequent operation is not started unnecessarily.

(Manual toilet seat unit lowering / normal operation)
In the toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1 of this embodiment, the toilet seat unit 110 at the uppermost position can be manually lowered to the lowermost position after cleaning is completed. In this case, the toilet seat unit 110 is pushed down by human power without supplying power to the stepping motor 51. At this time, the lowering of the movable body 30 is transmitted to the stepping motor 51 via the rack portion 317 and the reduction wheel train 52. In this embodiment, the motor used as the drive source is the stepping motor 51. At 51, a step-out occurs. Further, in this embodiment, the motor used as the drive source is the stepping motor 51, and the speed reduction wheel train 52 is connected between the stepping motor 51 and the rack portion 317, so the toilet seat unit 110 is lowered manually. When this is done, the detoning torque of the stepping motor 51 and the load on the speed reduction wheel train 52 act as appropriate drag, so the toilet seat unit 110 slowly descends.

(Main effects of this form)
As described above, in the toilet seat lifting / lowering apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the motor drive mechanism 50 has the output pinion 58 disposed at a position higher than the stepping motor 51, so that the top dead center of the movable body 30 is at a higher position. is there. Moreover, the output pinion 58 is disposed above the intermediate height position between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23. Therefore, the top dead center of the movable body 30 is extremely high. Therefore, since the toilet seat unit 110 can be lifted to a high position, a wide gap can be formed between the toilet seat unit 110 and the toilet body 101. Therefore, since the hand reaches the back of the gap between the toilet seat unit 110 and the toilet body 101, cleaning is easy. As described above, in this embodiment, the positional relationship between the stepping motor 51 and the output pinion 58 is changed between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23, and the output pinion 58 is disposed at a high position. Since the vertical stroke is extended, the toilet seat unit can be lifted to a high position without increasing the distance between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23, that is, the height dimension of the toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1. Further, since the movable body 30 is driven to a position where the upper end portion 316 of the rack portion 317 protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23, the distance between the bottom plate portion 31 and the top plate portion 32, that is, the toilet seat lifting / lowering device 1. The toilet seat unit 110 can be lifted to a high position without increasing the height dimension.

  Further, since the stepping motor 51 is disposed below the intermediate height position between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23, the space between the bottom plate portion 21 and the top plate portion 23 is effective in the height direction. The motor drive mechanism 50 can be arranged by utilizing the above.

  Further, the shaft holes (the first shaft hole 311 and the second shaft hole 321) constituting the guide mechanism 40 (the first guide mechanism 41 and the second guide mechanism 42) are more than the upper end portion 316 of the rack portion 317 in the movable body 30. Is also provided below. For this reason, even when the upper end portion 316 of the rack portion 317 protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23, the entire shaft hole (the entire first shaft hole 311 and the second shaft hole 321) is guided by the guide shaft (the first guide shaft 411 and Since the second guide shaft 421) is engaged, the movable body 30 can be guided in a stable state. Further, in the movable body 30, only the upper end portion 316 of the rack constituent portion 315 in which the rack portion 317 is formed protrudes upward from the top plate portion 23, and an extra portion does not protrude from the top plate portion 23, which is safe. .

  Further, if the stroke of the movable body 30 is lengthened, the movable body may be tilted by the force applied to the toilet seat unit. However, in the second guide mechanism 42, the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 on the lower end side and the second shaft The clearance with the inner peripheral surface of the hole 321 is different in the left-right direction. For this reason, since the lower end part of the movable body 30 is not displaced toward the wider clearance, the movable body 30 can be prevented from being inclined.

  In particular, in this embodiment, the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft 421 and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole 321 at the lower end side is greater than the side opposite to the side where the output pinion 58 is located. Therefore, the inclination of the movable body 30 such that the lower end of the movable body 30 is displaced to the side opposite to the side where the output pinion 58 is located as viewed from the second guide mechanism 42 is prevented. Can do. As a result, no tooth jump occurs between the output pinion 58 and the rack portion 317. Therefore, step control when the stepping motor 51 is used as a motor and angle detection between the motor and the output pinion 58 are detected. Even when the vertical position of the movable body 30 is controlled by the above, the vertical position of the movable body 30 can be controlled with high accuracy.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the stepping motor 51 is used as the drive source of the motor drive mechanism 50, but other motors may be used. Further, the configuration for extending the vertical stroke of the movable body 30 such as the positional relationship between the stepping motor 51 and the output pinion 58 may be applied to a toilet seat lifting / lowering device in which only one set of the guide mechanism 40 is configured. .
In the above-described embodiment, the movement of the output wheel 57 is detected by the potentiometer and the position and the descending speed of the toilet seat unit 110 are monitored. However, the idle wheel 54 or the reduction vehicles 55 and 56 that constitute the reduction wheel train 52. The position and lowering speed of the toilet seat unit 110 may be monitored by detecting any one of the rotation angle positions. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the potentiometer was used to monitor the position and descending speed of the toilet seat unit 110, you may monitor the position and descending speed of the toilet seat unit 110 by sensors, such as Hall IC.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toilet seat elevating device 20 Fixed body 21 Bottom plate part 22 Vertical plate part 23 Top plate part 30 Movable body 31 First slider 32 Second slider 35 Lift plate 40 Guide mechanism 41 First guide mechanism 42 Second guide mechanism 50 Motor drive mechanism 51 Stepping motor (motor)
58 output pinion 100 western toilet unit 101 toilet body 110 toilet seat unit 311 first shaft hole 315 rack component 316 rack component upper end 317 rack 321 second shaft hole 321p projecting portion 411 of second shaft hole first guide shaft 421 Second guide shaft

Claims (9)

A fixed body fixed to the toilet body side of the western toilet, a movable body connected to the toilet seat unit side, a guide mechanism for guiding the movable body in the vertical direction, and a motor drive mechanism for raising and lowering the movable body. In the toilet seat lifting device having
The motor driving mechanism includes a motor and an output pinion that meshes with a rack portion of the movable body and transmits a driving force from the motor to the movable body,
The fixed body includes a bottom plate portion located below the motor drive mechanism, and a top plate portion located above the motor drive mechanism,
The output pinion is disposed at a height position between the motor and the top plate part,
The toilet seat lifting and lowering device, wherein the movable body is driven to a position where an upper end portion of the rack portion protrudes upward from the top plate portion.   The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to claim 1, wherein the output pinion is disposed above a middle height position between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion.   The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the motor is disposed below a middle height position between the bottom plate portion and the top plate portion.   The guide mechanism includes a guide shaft whose upper and lower end portions are respectively held by the top plate portion and the bottom plate portion, and a shaft hole into which the guide shaft is fitted in the movable body. The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to claim 4, wherein the shaft hole is provided at a height position lower than an upper end portion of the rack portion in the movable body.   The toilet seat lifting and lowering device according to claim 5, wherein in the movable body, only the upper end portion of the portion where the rack portion is formed is driven to a position protruding upward from the top plate portion. The output pinion and the rack portion mesh in the left-right direction,
The guide mechanism includes: a first guide mechanism provided on a side where the rack portion is located with respect to the output pinion, of the left and right sides sandwiching the output pinion, and the rack portion with respect to the output pinion. Provided as a second guide mechanism provided on the side opposite to the side on which it is positioned;
In the first guide mechanism, the first guide shaft and the first shaft hole provided as the guide shaft and the shaft hole have an outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft and an inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole in the left-right direction. In any of the above, it has a clearance to be in a substantially contact state,
In the second guide mechanism, the second guide shaft and the second shaft hole provided as the guide shaft and the shaft hole are the left and right sides of the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole. The clearance in the direction is greater than the clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the first guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the first shaft hole, and the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft on the lower end side and the first The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the clearance between the inner peripheral surface of the biaxial hole is different in the left-right direction.   The clearance in the left-right direction between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole on the lower end side is closer to the side where the output pinion is located than the side opposite to the side where the output pinion is located. The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to claim 7, wherein the toilet seat lifting / lowering device is smaller. The second guide shaft is a round bar extending in the vertical direction with substantially the same outer diameter,
In order to make the clearance in the left-right direction different between the outer peripheral surface of the second guide shaft and the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole on the lower end side, the inner peripheral surface of the second shaft hole has one side in the left-right direction. The toilet seat lifting / lowering device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a protruding portion that protrudes inward from a virtual circle from the side is formed.

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