JP2012110581A - Lid of toilet, or opening/closing device of toilet seat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a constitution capable of suppressing lubricant of a worm gear part from coming into the inside of a motor in an opening/closing device of the lid of a toilet or a toilet seat having a structure in which a worm gear is mounted on the rotary shaft of the motor.SOLUTION: In the structure in which the worm gear 112 is mounted on the rotary shaft of the motor 111 for rotating a lid driving shaft 110 for driving the lid of the toilet, the worm gear 112 and the motor 111 are inclinedly arranged such that the side of the worm gear 112 is located under the motor. The intrusion of the lubricant into the motor 111 is suppressed because the lubricant does not move to the side of the motor 111 located in an upper side even though the lubricant sticking to the worm gear 112 moves by the action of gravity.

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing device for a toilet lid or toilet seat.

  A technique for automatically opening and closing a lid and toilet seat of a toilet bowl with a motor is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-122150 A

  For example, when the toilet lid is automatically opened and closed by a motor, a structure is adopted in which a worm gear is attached to the motor shaft, a worm wheel is engaged with the worm gear, and power is transmitted from the worm wheel via a gear mechanism. In this case, a mechanism for supplying a lubricant (grease) to the meshing portion of the worm gear and the worm wheel is required. Usually, the above-mentioned object is achieved by adopting a structure in which the space in which the gear is accommodated is filled with the lubricant so that the entire worm gear is immersed in the lubricant.

  However, the structure filled with the lubricant is a structure in which the vicinity of the root of the rotation shaft of the motor is also immersed in the lubricant. For this reason, there arises a problem that the lubricant to be supplied to the worm gear portion enters the motor. Since this lubricant is a lubricant for smooth rotation of the worm gear portion, electrical characteristics such as electrical insulation are not preferentially considered. For this reason, when this lubricant enters the motor, there is an increased possibility of problems such as a decrease in electrical insulation inside the motor.

  In such a background, the present invention provides a configuration in which the entrance of the lubricant in the worm gear portion into the motor is suppressed in the toilet lid or toilet seat opening / closing device having a structure in which the worm gear is mounted on the rotation shaft of the motor. For the purpose.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an apparatus for opening and closing a toilet lid or toilet seat by the power of a motor, the toilet lid or toilet seat, a motor for opening and closing the lid or the toilet seat, and the motor A worm gear mounted on a rotation shaft; a worm wheel meshed with the worm gear; and a gear mechanism for transmitting rotation of the worm wheel to a drive shaft for opening and closing the lid or the toilet seat, the worm gear and the motor Is an opening / closing device for a toilet lid or toilet seat, wherein the worm gear side is inclined so as to be lowered.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the structure in which the worm gear is mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor, the entire worm gear is inclined so that the worm gear is on the lower side. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a structure in which the phenomenon that the lubricant adhering to the worm gear moves from the worm gear to the motor due to the influence of gravity does not occur.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a lubricant contact means for bringing a semi-solid lubricant into contact with the worm gear is provided. According to this configuration, the semi-solid lubricant is brought into contact with the worm gear, and the lubricant is gradually supplied to the worm gear over a long period of time.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the lubricant contact means includes an inclined surface on which the semi-solid lubricant slides, and the inclined surface includes the worm gear and the motor. It has the component to the direction which goes down to the direction which inclined. According to this configuration, the semi-solid lubricant moves under the action of gravity in the downward direction in which the worm gear is inclined. For this reason, the phenomenon that the lubricant for supplying the worm gear to the motor on the upper side of the inclined structure moves due to the influence of gravity does not occur.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, characterized in that the inclined surface has an inclined structure in which the lubricant slides toward the worm gear. According to this configuration, the lubricant in a semi-solid state slides down on the slope toward the worm gear by the action of gravity as time passes. For this reason, the lubricant can be supplied to the worm gear over a long period of time.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a circuit board extending in a direction below the motor. According to this configuration, by arranging the motor at an angle, the whole can be reduced in size while securing a space for housing the circuit board.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the toilet lid or toilet seat opening / closing device having a structure in which the worm gear is mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor, a configuration is provided in which entry of the lubricant in the worm gear portion into the motor is suppressed. Is done.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a configuration in which the lubricant is continuously supplied to the worm gear can be obtained.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the movement of the lubricant by the action of gravity is in the opposite direction to the motor located on the upper side of the inclined structure. Intrusion can be prevented.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the lubricant in a semi-solid state slides down the inclined surface toward the worm gear, it is possible to effectively supply the lubricant to the worm gear.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, by arranging the motor obliquely, it is possible to secure a space for accommodating the substrate and reduce the size of the whole.

It is the top view (A), side view (B), and (C) of the toilet bowl to which the invention can be applied. It is a front view of a lid opening / closing drive device and toilet seat damper device. It is an internal structure figure of a lid opening / closing drive device and toilet seat damper device. It is an internal structure figure of a lid opening / closing drive device and toilet seat damper device. It is an enlarged view of a worm gear mechanism part. It is an internal structure figure of a lid opening / closing drive device and toilet seat damper device.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a top view (A), side views (B) and (C) of a toilet seat to which the invention can be applied. A toilet 100 is shown in FIG. The toilet 100 includes a toilet main body 101, a toilet seat 102, and a lid 103. In this example, the toilet seat 102 is manually opened and closed (raised and lowered) by holding it. The lid 103 is electrically opened (raising operation) and manually closed (lowering operation). Of course, the lid 103 can be manually opened and closed (raised and lowered).

  Reference numeral 104 denotes a cover in which a lid opening / closing drive device / toilet seat damper device 105 is housed. By the operation of the lid opening / closing drive device / toilet seat damper device 105, the lid 103 is electrically opened / closed and braking is performed when the toilet seat 103 is manually moved. In addition, a hot water cleaning device (not shown) is housed inside the cover 104.

  2 shows a front view of the lid opening / closing drive device / toilet seat damper device 105, FIG. 3 shows its internal structure, and FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of its internal structure. . The lid opening / closing drive device / toilet seat damper device 105 includes a lid drive shaft 110 and a toilet seat braking shaft 130. As shown in FIG. 1, the lid drive shaft 110 is connected to the lid 103. The toilet seat braking shaft 130 is connected to the toilet seat 102. Although details are not described, the toilet seat 102 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the toilet body main body 101 around the toilet seat braking shaft 130, and the lid 103 is configured around the lid drive shaft 110. The toilet body 101 can be rotated.

  The lid driving shaft 110 is driven and rotated by the motor 111. That is, a worm gear 112 is attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 111, and the worm gear 112 is engaged with the worm wheel 113. The worm wheel 113 is connected to the reduction gear mechanism 114, and the rotation of the worm wheel 113 decelerated by the reduction gear mechanism 114 is transmitted to the lid drive shaft gear 115. The lid driving shaft 110 has a coaxial structure inside the toilet seat braking shaft 130, extends rearward, and a lid driving shaft gear 115 is attached to the rear end thereof. With this structure, the rotation of the motor 111 is transmitted to the lid driving shaft 110, and the lid driving shaft 110 rotates as the motor 111 rotates. Note that a direct current motor is employed as the motor 111.

  The toilet seat braking shaft 130 is an outer portion of the coaxial structure in which the lid driving shaft 110 is relatively rotatable, and a toilet seat braking shaft gear 131 is attached to the rear end thereof. The toilet seat braking shaft gear 131 meshes with the damper gear 132, and the damper gear 132 is attached to a rotating shaft (not shown) of the damper 133. The damper 133 is a commercially available unidirectional rotary damper, and relatively weak braking is applied to rotation in a specific direction, and relatively strong braking is applied to rotation in the opposite direction. It has such characteristics.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 111 and the worm gear 112 are arranged in an inclined state so that the motor 111 is on the upper side and the worm gear 112 is on the lower side when viewed from the side. A rotation detection sensor 116 that detects the rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor 111 is attached to the rear side of the motor 111. The rotation detection sensor 116 detects the rotation of the rotation shaft of the motor 111 using magnetic force. The output of the rotation detection sensor 116 is input to a control circuit 117 that controls the rotation of the motor 111. Based on the output of the rotation detection sensor 116, the output of an operation switch (not shown), the output of an infrared detection sensor (human detection sensor) (not shown) and the limit switch (not shown) that detects the movable range of the lid 103, the control circuit 117 The rotation of 111 is controlled. The control circuit 117 has a portion extending downward due to space. However, by adopting a structure in which the motor 111 is disposed obliquely, the portion of the control circuit 117 that extends downward is from the viewpoint of FIG. When viewed, a structure in which only that portion does not protrude downward is realized. Accordingly, the vertical dimension and the horizontal dimension when viewed from the viewpoint of FIG. 6 are reduced.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the worm gear 112 of FIG. FIG. 5 shows a state where the worm gear 112 is viewed from the axial direction in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of FIG. 3 further enlarged. FIGS. 5 and 6 show a lubricant holding member 141 (an example of a lubricant contact means) that is not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. 5 and 6 show a lubricant holding member 141 that holds grease as a lubricant. The lubricant holding member 141 is formed by bending a plate-like member into the shape shown in FIG. 5, and is fixed to a bracket 144 for fixing the motor 111 to the casing 105 a of the lid opening / closing drive device / toilet seat damper device 105. Yes.

  The lubricant holding member 141 includes an inclined surface 142. The inclined surface 142 is inclined so as to fall at an inclination of about 30 degrees toward the vicinity of the lower end of the worm gear 112 as indicated by an arrow c in FIG. The gap between the inclined surface 142 and the worm gear 112 is gradually narrowed as the slope is lowered, and the gap at the shortest portion (the lower portion of the worm gear 112) is about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm. A solid lubricant 143 adheres to the inclined surface 142 in the side surface direction of the worm gear 112. The lubricant 143 has a semi-solid state, and has a viscosity enough to gradually slide down the inclined surface 142 under the influence of gravity over a period of several months to several years.

  Here, when seen in the direction in which the inclined surface 142 is inclined (the direction of the arrow c), the semi-solid state lubricant 143 and the worm gear overlap each other (a state where they appear to overlap). In the initial state, the position of the lubricant 143 on the inclined surface 142 is a position near the center of the worm gear 112 in the axial direction. Further, as shown by an arrow d in FIG. 6, the inclined surface 142 is also inclined in the direction in which the worm gear 112 is inclined.

(Lid open / close operation)
The motor 111 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 rotates based on the presence or absence of human detection by an infrared detection sensor (not shown) and the output of the operation switch. When the motor 111 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the worm gear 112, the worm wheel 113, the reduction gear mechanism 114, and the lid driving shaft gear 115, and the lid driving shaft 110 rotates. As shown in FIG. 1, the lid drive shaft 110 of the lid opening / closing drive device / toilet seat damper device 105 is connected to the rotation shaft of the lid 103. When the lid driving shaft 110 rotates, the lid 103 rotates as shown in FIG. 1B → FIG. 1C. 1 (B) → (C) shows an example in which the lid 103 is opened (lifted up). However, if the rotation direction of the motor 111 is reversed, FIG. 1 (C) → (B). An operation of closing the lid 103 occurs. Further, the state in which the lid 103 cannot be rotated any further is detected by a limit switch (not shown), and the operation of the motor 111 is stopped based on this detection output.

  In the state of FIG. 1B, when the lid 103 is lifted by hand, the rotation of the lid 103 is detected by the rotation detection sensor 116 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and the motor is moved in the direction to open the lid 103. Control for rotating 111 is performed. That is, in the state of FIG. 1B, when the lid 103 is lifted by hand, it is detected, and operation control for automatically opening the lid 103 by the motor 111 is performed. Further, in the state of FIG. 1C, when the lid 103 is held by hand, the rotation of the lid 103 is detected by the rotation detection sensor 116 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), and the lid 103 is closed. Control for rotating the motor 111 is performed. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 1C, when the lid 103 is closed by hand, this is detected, and the operation control for automatically closing the lid 103 by the motor 111 is performed. When the lid 103 is manually opened and closed, it is electrically detected, and the lid 103 is driven and controlled to assist in manually opening and closing the lid 103 by opening the lid 103 together with the toilet seat 102. It works in the same way when closing.

  In the state shown in FIG. 1C, when the toilet seat 102 is lifted by hand, the toilet seat braking shaft 130 rotates and the rotation is transmitted to the damper 133 (see FIG. 4). The damper 133 is set so that the braking force acts relatively weakly on the rotation of the toilet seat 102 in the opening direction and the braking force acts relatively strongly on the rotation of the toilet seat 102 in the closing direction. . By this function, when the toilet seat 102 is lifted by hand, the toilet seat 102 is lifted without resisting the force to be lifted. On the other hand, if the toilet seat 102 is lifted when the toilet seat 102 is lifted, the toilet seat 102 does not drop suddenly, but gradually moves down by the braking force indicated by the damper 133 (see FIG. 4).

(Lubricant supply function over time)
As shown in FIG. 5, a part of the lubricant 143 in a semi-solid state attached to the inclined surface 142 is in contact with the teeth of the worm gear 112. When the worm gear 112 rotates, the lubricant 143 adheres to the rotating worm gear 112, whereby the lubricant 143 is supplied to the worm gear 112. Then, as time passes, the lubricant 143 gradually slides down the inclined surface 142 in the direction of the arrow c. As a result, the lubricant 143 moves in the direction of the arrow c, the lubricant 143 comes into contact with the worm gear 112, and the function of supplying the lubricant 143 to the worm gear 112 is maintained.

  Further, as the inclined surface 142 is lowered in the direction of the arrow c, the gap interval between the inclined surface 142 and the weam wheel 112 is gradually narrowed. Therefore, the above-described gap portion in which the lubricant 143 is gradually narrowed. It will be in the state to move to. For this reason, the lubricant 143 that is gradually scraped and thinned can be brought into contact with the worm gear 112 over a long period of time.

(Superiority)
As shown in FIG. 6, since the worm gear 112 is tilted, the lubricant 143 gradually moves in the direction of the arrow d in FIG. 6 by the action of gravity with respect to the tilted worm gear 112. Since this movement is a movement away from the motor 111, it is preferable to prevent the motor 111 from touching the lubricant 143 as much as possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the lubricant 143 in the semi-solid state is held on the inclined surface 142 and is brought into contact with the worm gear 112, whereby the lubricant 143 is supplied to the worm gear 112. According to this configuration, since the entire worm gear 112 is not immersed in the lubricant, it is possible to suppress the inconvenience that the lubricant moves into the motor 111 and the lubricant enters the motor 111. In addition, the amount of lubricant to be used can be suppressed.

  Further, since the inclined surface 142 is inclined downwardly from the worm gear 112, the lubricant 143 slides down the inclined surface 142, so that the lubricant 143 can be effectively supplied to the worm gear 112 over a long period of time. . Further, when seen in the direction in which the inclined surface 142 is inclined (the direction of the arrow c), the semi-solid lubricant 143 and the worm gear are overlapped, and the lubricant slides down the inclined surface while contacting the worm gear. Since the gap interval between the inclined surface 142 and the worm gear 112 in a gradually decreasing state is set to become narrower as the inclination decreases, the gradually decreasing lubricant 143 continues to contact the worm gear 112 effectively until the end. be able to.

  Further, since the lubricant 143 is located near the center of the worm gear 112 in the axial direction, the lubricant 143 spreads uniformly throughout the axial direction of the worm gear 112 as the worm gear 112 rotates left and right.

(Other)
The inclined surface is not limited to a flat surface, and may be a curved surface. Further, the inclined surface can be composed of a plurality of planes, a plurality of curved surfaces, and a combination of a plane and a curved surface. Further, in order to adjust the adhesion of the lubricant to the inclined surface, it is possible to provide a concave portion or a convex portion on the surface of the inclined surface, or to make the surface of the inclined surface rough.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to the configuration in which the lid 103 is driven by the motor has been described. However, the toilet seat 102 can be electrically driven by the motor, and the present invention can be applied to the configuration. . In this case, the driving force of the motor is a driving force that moves the toilet seat 102 up and down by a worm gear mechanism as shown in FIG. In this configuration, the above-described configuration in which the motor is tilted in the same manner as described above and the lubricant is supplied to the worm gear is applied. Of course, it is possible to electrically open and close the lid and the toilet seat, and the lubricant supply mechanism of the present invention can be applied to one or both of them.

  As another embodiment of the invention, a structure that does not include the lubricant holding member 141 that is an example of the lubricant contact means is also possible. In this case, the lubricant is applied to the worm gear 112 in advance, and the applied lubricant functions to smoothly engage the worm gear 112 and the worm wheel 113. Then, by tilting the motor 111 and the worm wheel 112 with the worm wheel 112 side down, a structure in which the pre-applied lubricant is prevented from entering the motor 111 is obtained. Since this modification does not require the lubricant holding member 141, the structure is further simplified. In terms of the function of continuously supplying the lubricant to the worm gear 112, a structure in which the lubricant holding member 141 is disposed is advantageous.

  The aspect of the present invention is not limited to the individual embodiments described above, and includes various modifications that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to the contents described above. That is, various additions, modifications, and partial deletions can be made without departing from the concept and spirit of the present invention derived from the contents defined in the claims and equivalents thereof.

  The present invention can be applied to a configuration in which the toilet lid or toilet seat is electrically opened and closed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Toilet bowl, 101 ... Toilet body, 102 ... Toilet seat, 103 ... Lid, 104 ... Cover, 105 ... Lid opening / closing drive device and toilet seat damper device, 110 ... Lid drive shaft, 111 ... Motor, 112 ... Worm gear, 113 ... Worm wheel , 114 ... Reduction gear mechanism, 115 ... Lid drive shaft gear, 116 ... Rotation detection sensor, 117 ... Control circuit, 130 ... Toilet seat braking shaft, 131 ... Toilet seat braking shaft gear, 132 ... Damper gear, 133 ... Damper, 141 ... Lubrication Agent holding member, 142 ... inclined surface, 143 ... lubricant, 144 ... bracket.

Claims (5)

A device for opening and closing a toilet lid or toilet seat by the power of a motor,
A toilet lid or toilet seat;
A motor for opening and closing the lid or the toilet seat;
A worm gear mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor;
A worm wheel meshed with the worm gear;
A gear mechanism for transmitting rotation of the worm wheel to a drive shaft for opening and closing the lid or the toilet seat;
The worm gear and the motor are tilted in a positional relationship such that the worm gear side is lowered.   2. The toilet lid or toilet seat opening and closing device according to claim 1, further comprising lubricant contact means for bringing a semi-solid lubricant into contact with the worm gear. The lubricant contact means includes an inclined surface on which the semi-solid lubricant slides down,
3. The toilet lid or toilet seat opening and closing device according to claim 2, wherein the inclined surface has a component in a direction in which the worm gear and the motor are inclined downward.   4. The toilet lid or toilet seat opening and closing device according to claim 3, wherein the inclined surface has an inclined structure in which the lubricant slides toward the worm gear.   5. The toilet lid or toilet seat opening / closing device according to claim 1, further comprising a circuit board extending in a direction below the motor. 6.

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