JP2017002501A - Sanitary washing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sanitary washing device capable of easily discharging scales in a tank.SOLUTION: A sanitary washing device 20 includes a tank 80, a discharge nozzle 41, a pump 130, a backflow preventing mechanism 90, a case 31, and a strainer 110. The tank 80 has a heating element in an inside thereof, and stores water. The discharge nozzle 41 discharges water in the tank 80 toward a private part of a user. The pump 130 is provided in the downstream side of the tank 80, and supplies the water stored in the tank 80 to the discharge nozzle 41. The backflow preventing mechanism 90 has an air gap provided in a portion parting a flow passage through a space opened to the atmosphere in the upstream side of the tank 80. The case 31 stores the tank 80, the discharge nozzle 41, the pump 130, and the backflow preventing mechanism 90. The strainer 110 can be attached and detached to and from the tank 80 through a take-out hole 34 of the case 31, and filters the water flowing from the tank 80 to the pump 130.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The disclosed embodiments relate to a sanitary washing device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sanitary washing device is known that is disposed on an upper part of a Western-style toilet body and cleans a human body with discharged water.

  Moreover, the sanitary washing apparatus connected to the water supply needs to be provided with a backflow prevention mechanism in order to prevent the dirty water from flowing back through the flow path and contaminating the water supply. Here, the backflow prevention mechanism is, for example, a mechanism having an air gap provided at a site where the flow path is divided through a space opened to the atmosphere.

  In particular, in European countries, the standards for the above-described backflow prevention mechanism are clearly defined, and it is necessary to provide products that satisfy such standards. In addition, water in European countries is often hard water, and it is known that precipitates such as calcium carbonate (hereinafter referred to as “Scale”) are easily generated when the hard water is heated.

  In addition, as a sanitary washing device, there is one in which a tank that heats stored water is disposed on the downstream side of the above-described backflow prevention mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-090621 A

  However, when water with high hardness is used, the scale described above is likely to be accumulated in a tank that heats the stored water, and if such scale flows downstream, there is a possibility of causing clogging of the flow path.

  One aspect of the embodiment aims to provide a sanitary washing device that can easily discharge the scale in the tank.

  A sanitary washing device according to an aspect of an embodiment includes a tank in which a heating element is provided and stores water, a discharge nozzle that discharges water in the tank toward a local area of a user, and a downstream side of the tank A pump for supplying the water stored in the tank to the discharge nozzle, and an air gap provided on a portion upstream of the tank and where the flow path is divided through a space opened to the atmosphere. A backflow prevention mechanism, a case housing the tank, the discharge nozzle, the pump, and the backflow prevention mechanism, and being attachable to and detachable from the tank through an opening of the case, and flowing out from the tank to the pump And a strainer for filtering water.

  Thus, the strainer can be removed from the tank without removing the case, and thus the scale accumulated in the tank can be easily discharged to the outside.

  The tank includes a drain hole for draining the stored water, and the strainer is attached to and detached from the drain hole. Thereby, the scale in a tank can be reliably discharged | emitted by removing a strainer from a drain hole.

  The strainer includes a head, a shaft portion having a smaller diameter than the head, and an engaging portion that is provided on the head side of the shaft portion and engages the drainage hole. The drain hole is in a cylindrical shape having one end communicated with an opening on the lower side of the peripheral surface, and the head portion of the strainer that is disengaged from the drain hole of the engaging portion is A flexible cover that abuts against the head from the outside at a position to close the other end is provided.

  Thereby, when removing a strainer from a drain hole, it can prevent that the water which flows out from a tank scatters from the other edge part side.

  Further, the case is characterized in that a drainage path for guiding the water flowing out from the drain hole to the bowl of the toilet bowl is provided on the bottom surface. Thereby, the water which flowed out from the drain hole can be drained to the bowl of the toilet bowl.

  The drain hole is characterized in that at least a part of an opening in the tank is disposed below the heating element. Thereby, the water in the tank flows around the heating element and is drained from the drainage hole while entraining the scale in the vicinity of the heating element, so that the scale in the tank can be efficiently discharged.

  According to one aspect of the embodiment, the scale in the tank can be easily discharged in the sanitary washing device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a toilet apparatus provided with a sanitary washing device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the sanitary washing device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sanitary washing device. FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing the vicinity of the heat exchanger. FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the heat exchanger. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the backflow prevention mechanism. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the strainer. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the cover. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG. FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the position of the strainer when draining water. FIG. 12C is a diagram illustrating the strainer in a removed state. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG. FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the sanitary washing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram (part 1) illustrating a state of water in the tank. FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram (part 2) illustrating the state of water in the tank. FIG. 15C is an explanatory diagram (part 3) illustrating a state of water in the tank. FIG. 15D is an explanatory diagram (part 4) illustrating a state of water in the tank. FIG. 15E is an explanatory diagram (No. 5) showing a state of water in the tank. FIG. 15F is an explanatory diagram (No. 6) illustrating a state of water in the tank. FIG. 15G is an explanatory diagram (part 7) illustrating the state of water in the tank.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a sanitary washing device disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by embodiment shown below.

<1. Configuration of sanitary washing device>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a toilet apparatus provided with a sanitary washing device according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, for easy understanding, a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system in which the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction that are orthogonal to each other are defined and the Z-axis positive direction is the vertical upward direction is shown. It is shown. Such an orthogonal coordinate system may also be shown in other drawings used in the following description.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a toilet device 1 includes a Western-style toilet (hereinafter referred to as “toilet”) 10 and a sanitary washing device 20 and is installed in a toilet room. The toilet bowl 10 is a low tank type that performs washing with water stored in the water storage tank 11, but is not limited thereto, and may be a flush valve type, for example. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the floor-standing toilet 10 is shown, but the toilet bowl 10 is not limited to this, and may be a wall-mounted type.

  The sanitary washing device 20 is provided in the upper part of the toilet bowl 10. The sanitary washing device 20 includes a main body 30, a toilet lid 300, and a toilet seat (not shown). Both the toilet lid 300 and the toilet seat are attached to the main body 30 so that they can be opened and closed.

  The main body 30 includes a case 31 and a nozzle unit 40. The case 31 houses the nozzle unit 40 and the like. The detailed configuration of the case 31 will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the sanitary washing device 20 including the nozzle unit 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle unit 40 includes a discharge nozzle 41 that discharges water to a local area of the user. In the present specification, the expression “water” is not necessarily a meaning of cold water but may be used to mean including hot water.

  The discharge nozzle 41 has a discharge hole 42 at the tip. Further, the discharge nozzle 41 is configured to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the case 31 (see FIG. 1). Specifically, for example, a drive source such as a motor (not shown) is connected to the discharge nozzle 41. The discharge nozzle 41 is advanced and retracted between a position where the discharge nozzle 41 is advanced into the bowl 12 of the toilet bowl 10 and a position where the discharge nozzle 41 is retracted and stored in the case 31. In addition, the discharge nozzle 41 discharges water to a user's body in the position which advanced, and wash | cleans a local part.

  The sanitary washing device 20 further includes a water supply unit 50, a control unit 200, a seating sensor 210, and an operation unit 220. The water supply unit 50, the control unit 200, and the seating sensor 210 described above are provided in the main body unit 30.

  The water supply unit 50 supplies water from the water pipe A that is a water supply source to the nozzle unit 40. Specifically, the water supply unit 50 includes a first flow path 60, a hot water storage type heat exchanger 70 (hereinafter referred to as “heat exchanger 70”), and a second flow path 100.

  The first flow path 60 is a flow path from the water pipe A to the heat exchanger 70, and the second flow path 100 is a flow path from the heat exchanger 70 to the nozzle unit 40. The heat exchanger 70 includes a tank 80 and stores the water supplied from the water pipe A through the first flow path 60. In the tank 80, the stored water is heated to generate hot water, and the generated hot water is supplied to the nozzle unit 40 via the second channel 100.

  By the way, the sanitary washing device 20 needs to be provided with a backflow prevention mechanism in order to prevent dirty water from flowing back through the first flow path 60 and the like to contaminate the water pipe A. The backflow prevention mechanism is a mechanism that divides the flow path by forming a space (air gap) that is open to the atmosphere in the middle of the flow path from the water pipe A to the nozzle unit 40.

  In the prior art, an open tank is separately provided on the upstream side of the tank of the heat exchanger, and a vertical backflow prevention mechanism for discharging water in the vertical direction is provided in the open tank. Then, the water stored in the open tank is pumped to the tank of the heat exchanger by a pump provided on the downstream side of the open tank and then supplied to the nozzle unit.

  However, since the vertical backflow prevention mechanism described above is large in the height direction in order to ensure space, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of downsizing the sanitary washing device. Moreover, in the sanitary washing apparatus in the prior art, the apparatus may be increased in size by the installation space of the open tank.

  Furthermore, the above-described open type tank is configured to be constantly filled with water in order to prevent the pump from idling, and excess water exceeding a predetermined water level in the open type tank is discarded into the bowl of the toilet bowl. Therefore, there was room for improvement in the prior art from the viewpoint of saving water.

  Therefore, the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment is configured to reduce the size and save water.

  Moreover, as above mentioned, in the tank 80 of the sanitary washing apparatus 20 which concerns on this embodiment, the stored water is heated and warm water is produced | generated. Here, when the stored water, that is, the water supplied from the water pipe A is hard water containing a large amount of calcium ions and magnesium ions, for example, the scale is likely to be generated by heating, and the scale accumulates in the tank 80. was there. When such a scale flows to the second flow path 100 or the discharge nozzle 41 on the downstream side of the tank 80, the flow path may be clogged.

  Therefore, the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the scale in the tank 80 can be easily discharged.

  Moreover, in the sanitary washing apparatus 20, it is preferable that the warm water produced | generated with the tank 80 is taken out efficiently. That is, for example, in the case where the tank 80 is provided with a backflow prevention mechanism, when the hot water in the tank 80 is used for washing the user, the water level in the tank 80 gradually decreases and cold water flows from the water pipe A. To be replenished.

  Therefore, the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment is configured such that heated water can be efficiently taken out from the tank 80. Hereinafter, the configuration of the sanitary washing device 20 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first flow path 60 is provided with a water strainer 61, an electromagnetic valve 62, and a constant flow valve 63 in order from the upstream side. The water strainer 61 removes foreign matters such as dust mixed in the water supplied from the water pipe A. The electromagnetic valve 62 is a normally closed valve that is closed when no power is supplied, and opens and closes the first flow path 60 in accordance with a control signal from the control unit 200. The constant flow valve 63 adjusts the water that has flowed in from the water pipe A to a predetermined flow rate or less and flows it out.

  The heat exchanger 70 includes the tank 80 described above and a backflow prevention mechanism 90 provided on the upstream side of the tank 80. The tank 80 and the backflow prevention mechanism 90 are integrally formed, which will be described later.

  The tank 80 is provided with a heating element 71, a float switch 72, a thermistor 73, and a bimetal 74. The heating element 71 is disposed near the bottom surface 80 b inside the tank 80. The heating element 71 is energized by a control signal from the control unit 200 to generate heat, and heats the water stored in the tank 80. As the heating element 71, for example, a sheathed heater can be used. However, the heating element 71 is not limited to this, and may be another type of heating device such as a ceramic heater.

  The float switch 72 is disposed at a predetermined position near the upper portion of the tank 80. When the water level in the tank 80 rises above a predetermined position, a float (not shown) floats and outputs a predetermined signal. That is, the float switch 72 has a function of detecting the level of water stored in the tank 80. In the present embodiment, the float switch 72 that outputs an ON signal when the water level in the tank 80 is equal to or higher than a predetermined position is used. The float switch 72 will be described later with reference to FIG. .

  The thermistor 73 and the bimetal 74 are attached to the inside of the tank 80. The mounting positions of the thermistor 73 and the bimetal 74 will be described later.

  The thermistor 73 detects the temperature of the water in the tank 80 and outputs a signal indicating the detected temperature. The bimetal 74 is inserted in an energization circuit (not shown) for the heating element 71. Then, the bimetal 74 opens a contact in the energization circuit when the water in the tank 80 exceeds a predetermined temperature, and interrupts the energization to the heating element 71. The predetermined temperature can be arbitrarily set, but is preferably set to a value capable of detecting an excessive temperature rise of water in the tank, for example.

  Thereby, the bimetal 74 functions as a safety device that prevents the water in the tank 80 from being excessively heated by the heating element 71. In the bimetal 74, when the water in the tank 80 falls below a predetermined temperature after the power supply is cut off, the heating by the heating element 71 is resumed by automatically returning and closing the contact point. You may comprise.

  In the sanitary washing device 20, a strainer 110 is interposed between the tank 80 and the second flow path 100. The second channel 100 is provided with a pump 130. The strainer 110 filters water flowing from the tank 80 to the pump 130. Specifically, the strainer 110 removes foreign matters such as scales contained in water flowing out of the tank 80. The strainer 110 is configured to be detachable from the tank 80, which will be described later.

  The pump 130 is provided on the downstream side of the tank 80 and the strainer 110. The pump 130 is driven in response to a control signal from the control unit 200 and supplies water stored in the tank 80 to the discharge nozzle 41.

  In the second flow path 100, a vacuum breaker 140 is connected to a position downstream of the tank 80 and upstream of the discharge nozzle 41. The vacuum breaker 140 is connected to an air release path 141 whose one end is open to the atmosphere. The vacuum breaker 140 configured as described above can prevent a back flow from the discharge nozzle 41 to the heat exchanger 70 and the like when a negative pressure is generated in the second flow path 100, for example.

  The tube diameter of the second flow path 100 is set to be larger than the diameter of the discharge hole 42 of the discharge nozzle 41. Thus, scale clogging can be suppressed by increasing the pipe diameter of the flow path from the tank 80 to the discharge nozzle 41.

  The seating sensor 210 is provided at an appropriate position of the case 31 (see FIG. 1), for example, and detects that the user is sitting on the toilet seat. When seating is detected, the seating sensor 210 outputs a predetermined signal indicating seating. As the seating sensor 210, for example, a light emitting / receiving type distance sensor can be used.

  The seating sensor 210 is not limited to the distance sensor described above, and other types of sensors such as a load sensor that detects a user's load acting on the toilet seat may be used. Moreover, the seating sensor 210 does not necessarily need to be provided in the case 31, and may be provided, for example, on the wall surface of the toilet room. In the present embodiment, when a user's seating is detected, a seating sensor 210 that outputs an ON signal is used. The seating sensor 210 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The operation unit 220 includes operation buttons, operation knobs, and the like that are input by the user to start and stop the cleaning of the human body, and are provided at appropriate positions in the toilet room. The operation unit 220 outputs a signal indicating a start instruction or the like input from the user via an operation button or the like. For example, a remote controller can be used as the operation unit 220, but the operation unit 220 is not limited thereto, and may be attached to the main body unit 30.

  Various signals output from the float switch 72, the thermistor 73, the seating sensor 210, and the operation unit 220 are input to the control unit 200. The controller 200 controls the sanitary washing device 20 as a whole, and includes, for example, an arithmetic processing device (not shown) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device (not shown) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The control unit 200 performs processing for controlling the electromagnetic valve 62, the heating element 71, the pump 130, the nozzle unit 40, and the like based on various signals that are input. The details of such processing will be described in detail later. In FIG. 2, reference numerals that are not described will be described with reference to other drawings. In FIG. 2, reference numerals are assigned to correspond to the other drawings.

<2. Specific configuration of sanitary washing device>
Next, the above-described sanitary washing device 20 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sanitary washing device 20. In addition, the figure which shows the structure of the sanitary washing apparatus 20 after FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the case 31 of the sanitary washing device 20 houses various components such as the tank 80 of the heat exchanger 70, the backflow prevention mechanism 90, the discharge nozzle 41, the pump 130, and the control unit 200.

  Specifically, the case 31 includes a case plate 31a and a case cover 31b. The case plate 31a (hereinafter referred to as “plate 31a”) has a flat bottom surface 31a1 and is placed on the upper part of the toilet bowl 10 (see FIG. 1). The plate 31a is formed in a shape in which the X-axis is the longitudinal direction and the Y-axis is the short direction when viewed from above. Various components such as a tank 80 are arranged on the plate 31a.

  The case cover 31b is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the plate 31a, and is attached so as to cover the top of various components arranged on the plate 31a. In FIG. 3, for convenience of understanding, the case cover 31 b is indicated by an imaginary line, and the inside of the case 31 is seen through.

  Here, the arrangement positions of various components in the case 31 will be described. A nozzle unit 40 including a discharge nozzle 41 is disposed in the central portion 31 c of the case 31. In FIG. 3, the discharge nozzle 41 is stored in a cylindrical storage case 43.

  In the internal space of the case 31, the tank 80 and the pump 130 are arranged side by side on the left side of the discharge nozzle 41. In the present specification, the phrases indicating directions such as “left side” and “right side” are “left side” and “left side” when the bowl 12 side is viewed from the top in the sanitary washing device 20 attached to the toilet bowl 10. Means "right". Specifically, the X axis negative direction is referred to as “left side”, and the X axis positive direction is referred to as “right side”. Further, the negative Y-axis direction is “front”, and the positive Y-axis direction is “rear”.

  In the case 31, electronic components such as the control unit 200 are disposed on the right side of the discharge nozzle 41. In this manner, the internal space of the case 31 is divided into left and right regions with the discharge nozzle 41 as a boundary, and the water supply unit 50 including the tank 80 and the like is disposed in one region, and the electronic components such as the control unit 200 are disposed in the other region. Parts are placed. Thereby, for example, water droplets generated in the water supply unit 50 can be made difficult to scatter to the electronic component.

  In addition, although the deodorizing unit etc. are arrange | positioned in the above-mentioned other area | region, illustration was abbreviate | omitted in FIG. Moreover, the arrangement positions of the various components shown in FIG. 3 and the like are merely examples and are not limited.

<3. Configuration of tank and backflow prevention mechanism>
Next, the configuration of the tank 80 and the backflow prevention mechanism 90 of the heat exchanger 70 will be described in more detail. 4 is an enlarged front view showing the vicinity of the heat exchanger 70 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing the vicinity of the heat exchanger 70 shown in FIG. 4 and 5 show a state in which the case cover 31b is removed from the plate 31a.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is provided on the upper surface of the tank 80. Specifically, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is provided on the upper right portion of the tank 80, in other words, on the upper surface of the tank 80 on the discharge nozzle 41 side. In the above description, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is provided on the upper surface of the tank 80. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 may be provided at a position above the tank 80 by a predetermined distance.

  6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. In addition, illustration of the plate 31a was abbreviate | omitted in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 includes a discharge port 91, a water receiving port 92, and a drain port 93.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of the backflow prevention mechanism 90 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the discharge port 91 is provided at the end 60 a of the first flow path 60 that communicates with the water pipe A (see FIG. 2). Moreover, the discharge port 91 discharges the water supplied from the water pipe A toward a horizontal direction (for example, X-axis positive direction).

  In FIG. 7, the water discharged from the discharge port 91 is indicated by a dashed arrow D1. Further, in this specification, terms such as “horizontal” and “vertical” do not necessarily require mathematically precise accuracy, but allow for substantial tolerances and errors.

  The water receiving port 92 is an opening disposed so as to face the discharge port 91 through a space 94 opened to the atmosphere. The water receiving port 92 receives the water discharged from the discharge port 91. The water received at the water receiving port 92 flows into the tank 80. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the water receiving port 92 is formed so that the opening surface is vertical, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed so that the opening surface is inclined, for example. .

  As described above, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 according to the present embodiment is a horizontal backflow prevention mechanism that discharges water in a horizontal direction to the space 94 opened to the atmosphere, and the flow path is divided through the space 94 opened to the atmosphere. It has an air gap 94a (see FIG. 6) provided in the part B.

  In addition, the distance C1 from the discharge port 91 to the water receiving port 92 in the space 94 is set to a value that satisfies the standard defined in the country or place where the sanitary washing device 20 is installed, and is set to 20 mm or more, for example.

  The drain port 93 drains water remaining in the space 94. Specifically, the drainage port 93 is an opening disposed below a space 94 between the discharge port 91 and the water receiving port 92. Then, as shown by a dashed-dotted arrow D21 in FIG. 7, a part of the water discharged from the discharge port 91, for example, water that is not received by the water reception port 92 due to a lack of water is provided in the drain port 93. In other words, the water remaining in the space 94 without reaching the water receiving port 92 is received and drained.

  Further, the water that has flowed back from the tank 80 is drained into the drain port 93 as indicated by a dashed line arrow D22. The water drained into the drainage port 93 is drained to the toilet 10 through a drainage channel 85 formed in the tank 80, which will be described later.

  Thus, the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment can prevent the backflow from the tank 80 to the water pipe A, for example, by providing the backflow prevention mechanism 90 described above.

  In this embodiment, since the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is a horizontal backflow prevention mechanism, the sanitary washing device 20 can be downsized. That is, for example, if the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is a vertical backflow prevention mechanism that discharges water in the vertical direction, the distance C1 of the space 94 is secured in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the vertical backflow prevention mechanism is used, the height of the sanitary washing device 20 may be increased by the distance C1 of the space 94.

  In the present embodiment, since the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is a horizontal backflow prevention mechanism that secures the distance C1 of the space 94 in the horizontal direction, the height can be suppressed. Even if it exists, size reduction of the sanitary washing apparatus 20 can be achieved.

  Further, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 described above is formed integrally with the tank 80, so that the sanitary washing device 20 can be further downsized.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the tank 80 is formed in a rectangular shape or a substantially rectangular shape having a space in which water can be stored in a side sectional view. The tank 80 includes an inflow port 81a, a water inlet pipe 81, an outlet port 82b, a water outlet pipe 82, a drain hole 83, a reflecting portion 84, and a drain path 85.

  Water supplied from the first flow path 60 through the backflow prevention mechanism 90 flows into the inflow port 81a of the tank 80. The inflow port 81a is the water receiving port 92 of the backflow prevention mechanism 90 described above. That is, in the present embodiment, the water receiving port 92 also serves as the inflow port 81a of the tank 80. Further, since the water receiving port 92 also serves as the inlet 81 a of the tank 80, the space 94 (air gap 94 a) of the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is also formed above the tank 80.

  As described above, part or all of the components of the backflow prevention mechanism 90 are integrally formed in the tank 80, so that, for example, the number of parts can be reduced. Thereby, even if it is a case where the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is provided in the upper part of the tank 80, height can be restrained and the sanitary washing apparatus 20 can be reduced further as a result.

  Further, since the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is integrally formed with the tank 80, the number of steps for attaching the backflow prevention mechanism 90 to the tank 80 in the process of manufacturing the sanitary washing device 20 can be reduced.

  6 shows an example in which the discharge port 91 is attached to the tank 80, the present invention is not limited to this, and the discharge port 91 may be formed integrally with the tank 80. In the above description, the water inlet 92 is configured to also serve as the inflow port 81a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a separate water receiving port 92 may be attached to the inflow port 81a.

  In the tank 80, the reflecting portion 84 is formed at a position facing the inlet 81a on the side opposite to the outlet 91, in other words, at a position where the water that has passed through the inlet 81a that also serves as the water inlet 92 hits.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the reflection portion 84 includes a reflection surface 84 a having a predetermined elevation angle α with respect to the X axis that is the direction in which water is discharged from the discharge port 91. For example, the predetermined elevation angle α is set to a value larger than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees (0 ° <α <90 °). Therefore, as shown by the arrow D1, the reflecting portion 84 reflects the water discharged from the discharge port 91 and passed through the water receiving port 92 (inflow port 81a) downward. Thereby, the received water can be efficiently guided to the tank 80.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the water intake pipe 81 communicates with the inflow port 81 a and is formed by extending in the negative Z-axis direction. The outlet 81b of the water intake pipe 81 is disposed below the inflow port 81a. Specifically, for example, the outlet 81 b of the water inlet pipe 81 is positioned near the bottom surface 80 b of the tank 80 and further near the heating element 71. In addition, in FIG. 6, although the exit 181b shown with an imaginary line is also shown, this exit 181b is demonstrated by the modification mentioned later.

  Here, the shape of the water intake pipe 81 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. In FIG. 8, the longitudinal cross-section of the water intake pipe 81 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the water intake pipe 81 is formed such that the cross-sectional area of a portion close to the outlet 81b (for example, a portion indicated by reference numeral 81b1) is equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the distant portion 81a1. In addition, in FIG. 8, the site | part of the inflow port 81a vicinity was shown as an example of the far site | part 81a1.

  In the water intake pipe 81, water flows from the upper inflow port 81a toward the lower outlet 81b, and the width of the flow path is increased in the flow direction of the water. That is, the inlet pipe 81 is formed such that the flow path width W81b1 of the part 81b1 near the outlet 81b is equal to or larger than the flow path width W81a1 of the far part 81a1.

  Thereby, the inflowing water can be guided into the tank 80 while reducing the flow velocity. In FIG. 8, the flow velocity is indicated by the lengths of arrows D3 and D4. That is, FIG. 8 shows that the flow velocity (arrow D4) of the portion 81b1 near the outlet 81b is lower than the flow velocity (arrow D3) of the far portion 81a1.

  In this way, by guiding the water having a reduced flow rate into the tank 80, for example, the scale in the tank 80 can be prevented from being lifted, and the water before heating can be kept below the tank 80.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 6, the outflow port 82 b is an opening formed along the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) below the tank 80, and the water in the tank 80 is secondly passed through the strainer 110. It flows out to the flow path 100 (refer FIG. 2). In FIG. 6, the center line of the outlet 82b is indicated by reference numeral 82c.

  The outlet pipe 82 communicates with the outlet 82b and extends in the positive direction of the Z axis to form an upward inlet 82a. Thus, in the water discharge pipe 82, since the inlet 82a faces upward, for example, it is possible to make it difficult to enter the scale accumulated on the bottom surface 80b of the case 31.

  Further, the outlet pipe 82 is disposed at a position where the inlet 82a is higher than the outlet 81b of the inlet pipe 81 by a predetermined distance C2. Further, in the water discharge pipe 82, the inlet 82 a is positioned above the vicinity of the side surface opposite to the side surface where the outlet 81 b of the water inlet pipe 81 is disposed in the tank 80.

  Accordingly, the water that has passed through the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is guided to the water inlet pipe 81 and flows downward of the tank 80, and is heated by the heating element 71. Then, the heated water flows toward the inlet 82a of the outlet pipe 82 while flowing upward in the tank 80 as shown by an arrow D5, and flows out from the outlet 82b through the outlet pipe 82. .

  Thus, in the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment, the heated water sequentially flows out from the outlet 82b while convection upwards, so that the water before being heated does not easily flow out. Therefore, the heated water can be efficiently taken out from the tank 80. The predetermined distance C2 is appropriately set based on the capacity of the tank 80 and the performance of the pump 130.

  Further, in the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment, since the tank 80 of the heat exchanger 70 is configured as described above, an open-type tank having a backflow prevention mechanism is provided separately as in the prior art. It is not necessary to have a configuration for discarding excess water, and thus water saving can be achieved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the bimetal 74 and the thermistor 73 described above are provided at a position lower than the inlet 82 a of the water discharge pipe 82. Therefore, for example, even when the human body is cleaned by the discharge nozzle 41 and the water level in the tank 80 is lowered, the bimetal 74 and the like are not exposed from the water in the tank 80. Thereby, in this embodiment, it can prevent reliably that the bimetal 74 and the thermistor 73 falsely detect the temperature of air.

  The drain hole 83 is provided below the side surface of the tank 80 and is sealed by the strainer 110. The sealing by the strainer 110 will be described later. Moreover, the position of the drain hole 83 shown in FIG. 6 is an illustration and is not limited.

  For example, when draining water to clean the tank 80, the drain hole 83 is not sealed by the strainer 110, that is, is opened, and the water stored in the tank 80 is discharged to the outside. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, at least part of the opening in the tank 80 is disposed below the heating element 71 in the drain hole 83. Thereby, in this embodiment, the scale in the tank 80 can be discharged efficiently.

  Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, when a long cylindrical heating element 71 is inserted and arranged from the side of the tank 80, the drain hole 83 has a center line 83 c of the heating element 71. It arrange | positions so that it may become lower than the centerline 71a. Here, the center line 83 c of the drain hole 83 is a line passing through the center of the opening surface of the tank 80. The center line 71a of the heating element 71 is, for example, a line passing through the center of the cross section in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the heating element 71.

  Since the temperature of the heating element 71 is relatively high, a scale is likely to occur near the heating element 71. In the present embodiment, by configuring as described above, the water in the tank 80 flows around the heating element 71 as indicated by the arrow D6, and the scale near the heating element 71 is changed. Since the water is drained from the drainage hole 83 while being caught, the scale in the tank 80 can be discharged efficiently.

  Next, the drainage channel 85 will be described. The drainage channel 85 communicates with the drainage port 93 of the backflow prevention mechanism 90 described above. Moreover, the drainage channel 85 is provided on the outer wall 80a on the side surface of the tank 80 and formed so as to be partially exposed, as shown in FIGS.

  The point where the drainage channel 85 is provided on the outer wall 80a of the tank 80 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. In FIG. 4, the cover 95 is attached to a part of the drainage channel 85, but FIG. 9 shows a state in which the cover 95 is removed. In FIG. 9, the partition wall 80 c is indicated by a broken line in order to distinguish the outer wall 80 a of the tank 80 from the partition wall 80 c formed in the tank 80.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the drainage port 93 and the drainage channel 85 are formed by making the outer wall 80 a of the tank 80 recessed into the tank 80. Thereby, in the heat exchanger 70 including the backflow prevention mechanism 90, since it is not necessary to attach the drainage channel 85 as a separate member, the number of components can be reduced and the tank 80 can be downsized. .

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, the water intake pipe 81 is formed so that the outer wall 80a of the tank 80 is a part of the peripheral surface. In FIG. 9, the outer wall 80a which the water intake pipe 81 makes a part of the peripheral surface is shown with a reference numeral 81c. And the drainage channel 85 is arrange | positioned adjacent to the water inlet pipe 81 on both sides of the outer wall 81c (80a) which the water inlet pipe 81 makes a part of surrounding surface. In FIG. 9, the water discharged from the drainage port 93 and flowing through the drainage channel 85 is indicated by an arrow D7.

  As a result, the drainage channel 85 is disposed so as to be adjacent to the inlet pipe 81 having a relatively low temperature in the tank 80 of the heat exchanger 70. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the water flowing through the drainage channel 85, that is, the cold water that has not been flown into the tank 80 from taking the heat of the hot water in the tank 80 and cooling it.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and the like, the drainage port 93 and the drainage channel 85 are disposed at a position near the discharge nozzle 41 in the tank 80. Thereby, the length of the drainage channel 85 of the backflow prevention mechanism 90 can be shortened.

  In order to explain why the drainage channel 85 can be shortened, the drainage function and the like in the case 31 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the case 31 includes a discharge hole 32, a drainage path 33, and a take-out hole 34. For example, a plurality (two are shown in FIG. 5) of the discharge holes 32 are formed near the central portion 31c of the case 31 on the bottom surface 31a1 of the plate 31a.

  Thereby, for example, a member such as the discharge nozzle 41 that is likely to generate water droplets is disposed in the vicinity of the central portion 31 c of the case 31.

  Moreover, the discharge hole 32 is provided in the position which faces the bowl 12 (refer FIG. 2) of the toilet bowl 10, for example. By this. The water that has passed through the discharge hole 32 is drained into the bowl 12. Note that the number, arrangement position, and shape of the discharge holes 32 shown in FIG. 5 and the like are merely examples and are not limited.

  The drainage path 33 is a drainage channel used when draining the tank 80. Specifically, the drainage path 33 is a bowl-shaped wall portion standing on the bottom surface 31a1 of the plate 31a. As will be described later, draining of the tank 80 is performed by discharging water from the drain hole 83 of the tank 80 to which the strainer 110 is attached. Accordingly, the water drainage path 33 is shaped to guide the water discharged from the drain hole 83 to the discharge hole 32 as indicated by an arrow D8.

  Thereby, the water that flows out from the drainage hole 83 can be easily drained to the toilet 10 through the discharge hole 32 or the like. In addition, it is preferable that the bottom surface 31a1 of the plate 31a has a slope inclined toward the discharge hole 32. Thereby, the water on the bottom surface 31 a 1 can be smoothly drained toward the discharge hole 32.

  As well shown in FIG. 3, the take-out hole 34 is an opening provided on the side surface of the case 31 and is provided at a position corresponding to the position where the strainer 110 is disposed. Therefore, the take-out hole 34 is a hole for taking out the strainer 110 from the tank 80 when the strainer 110 is removed and cleaned. The take-out hole 34 is an example of an opening.

  As described above, in the case 31, the discharge hole 32 is provided in the vicinity of the discharge nozzle 41, while the drainage port 93 and the drainage channel 85 are also arranged at positions near the discharge nozzle 41 in the tank 80. Thereby, the length of the drainage channel 85 can be shortened.

<4. Structure of tank air holes>
As shown in FIG. 6, water is supplied to the tank 80 via a water inlet pipe 81 connected to a backflow prevention mechanism 90 that is open to the atmosphere. Therefore, when water is supplied from the water inlet pipe 81 and the water level of the tank 80 rises, the air above the tank 80 is released, or when the water in the tank 80 flows out and the water level is lowered, the tank 80 enters the tank 80. A mechanism for putting in air is necessary.

  Therefore, in the tank 80 according to the present embodiment, the air hole 86 is provided above. The air hole 86 allows air to enter and exit as the water level in the tank 80 fluctuates. Thereby, the air in the tank 80 can be escaped, or the air can be put into the tank 80.

  An intake / exhaust path 87 is connected to the air hole 86. As the intake / exhaust path 87, for example, a tube or the like can be used, but is not limited thereto.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the intake / exhaust path 87 is routed to the vicinity of the discharge hole 32 of the bottom surface 31 a 1 of the plate 31 a. As a result, the moisture that flows out of the tank 80 from the air hole 86 is discharged from the discharge hole 32 through the intake / exhaust passage 87, so that the moisture can be prevented from diffusing into the case 31.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the intake / exhaust path 87 is configured to also serve as the air release path 141 of the vacuum breaker 140. 2 and 6, the position where the intake / exhaust path 87 and the atmosphere release path 141 merge is indicated by the symbol P.

  As described above, the intake / exhaust path 87 functions as the air release path 141 of the vacuum breaker 140 in addition to the function of the air hole 86 as the atmosphere release path. Thereby, since the intake / exhaust path 87 and the air release path 141 can be partially shared, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

<5. Strainer and cover configuration>
Next, the configurations of the strainer 110 and the cover 120 provided on the downstream side of the outlet 82b of the tank 80 will be described.

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the downstream side of the outlet 82 b communicates with the drain hole 83 and the second flow path 100 (not visible in FIG. 6), but the strainer 110 is attached to the drain hole 83 as described above. Are sealed. Accordingly, when the drain hole 83 is sealed by the strainer 110, the water in the tank 80 flows from the outlet 82b through the strainer 110 to the second flow path 100, as will be described later. The tank 80 includes a cover 120, and the cover 120 is attached to the drain hole 83.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the strainer 110, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the cover 120. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the strainer 110 includes a head portion 111, a shaft portion 112, and a cap 113. The head 111 is formed in a columnar shape or a substantially columnar shape, and includes an operation knob 111a and a flange 111b.

  The operation knob 111a is formed at one end 111c of the head 111. The operation knob 111a is a protrusion that protrudes in a direction away from the end 111c. The protrusion is picked and rotated by a user or a tool.

  In addition, since the above-described operation is performed at a timing other than when the human body is cleaned by the sanitary cleaning device 20, the “user” here may be different from the user whose body is cleaned. Moreover, the shape of the operation knob 111a shown in FIG. 10 etc. is an illustration and is not limited, For example, other shapes, such as a concave shape, may be sufficient.

  The flange 111b is formed at the other end 111d of the head 111 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the columnar head 111.

  The shaft portion 112 is formed so as to be continuous from the head portion 111 and is formed in a cylindrical shape or a substantially cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the head portion 111. The shaft portion 112 includes a male screw portion 112a, a flat portion 112b, and a filter frame 112c.

  The male screw portion 112 a is provided on the head portion 111 side of the shaft portion 112. Specifically, the male screw portion 112 a is partially provided on the head portion 111 side in the shaft portion 112. Thereby, for example, the user can perform attachment / detachment with respect to the drain hole 83 of the strainer 110 mentioned later by comparatively few rotation operation. The male screw portion 112a is an example of an engaging portion.

  The flat portion 112b is a flat portion where the male screw portion 112a is not formed along the axial direction on the head portion 111 side of the shaft portion 112. The flat portion 112b is formed, for example, at a position lower than the nominal diameter of the male screw portion 112a. The function of the flat portion 112b will be described later.

  The filter frame 112c is an opening provided in the vicinity of the end portion 112d on the opposite side of the head portion 111 in the shaft portion 112. A filter 114 is stretched over the filter frame 112c.

  The filter 114 is made of a material that allows water to pass therethrough but does not allow foreign matters such as scale to pass through. As the filter 114, for example, a nonwoven fabric or a mesh can be used, but the filter 114 is not limited to this. Further, the numbers and shapes of the filter frames 112c and the filters 114 illustrated in FIG. 10 and the like are examples and are not limited.

  As well shown in FIG. 12A, the cap 113 is formed in a cylindrical shape or a substantially cylindrical shape having a smaller diameter than the shaft portion 112 and includes a sealing portion 113a. The sealing portion 113 a is formed in a disc shape or a substantially disc shape, and is provided on the end portion 113 b of the cap 113. The diameter of the sealing portion 113a is set to a value slightly smaller than the opening diameter of the drain hole 83 in the tank 80, for example.

  The cap 113 configured as described above is inserted and fitted into the hollow portion of the shaft portion 112 with the end portion 113c (see FIG. 12A) opposite to the end portion 113b provided with the sealing portion 113a as the head. Combined. Note that the length of the cap 113 is, for example, sealed in a state where the sealing portion 113a is exposed from the shaft portion 112 and fitted to the shaft portion 112 and the strainer 110 is attached to the drain hole 83. The portion 113 a is set to a value positioned at the opening of the drain hole 83 in the tank 80.

  In the above description, the strainer 110 is used in which the cap 113 is separate from the head 111 and the shaft 112. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the head 111, the shaft 112, and the cap 113 are used. And may be integrated. Furthermore, the head portion 111, the shaft portion 112, and the cap 113 may be separate from each other, or any one of them may be separate.

  The strainer 110 further includes a first seal member 116a and a second seal member 116b. As the first and second seal members 116a and 116b, for example, O-rings can be used, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  The first seal member 116 a is attached to the head portion 111 side of the shaft portion 112. The first seal member 116 a seals the space between the shaft portion 112 and the drain hole 83 in a watertight manner when the strainer 110 is in a position to seal the drain hole 83.

  In addition, the second seal member 116 b is attached to the sealing portion 113 a of the cap 113. When the strainer 110 is in a position to seal the drain hole 83, the second seal member 116b seals the space between the sealing portion 113a and the drain hole 83 in a watertight manner.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the cover 120 includes a peripheral surface 120a, a locking portion 120b, and an opening 120c. The peripheral surface 120a is formed in a cylindrical shape or a substantially cylindrical shape. In addition, a fixing hole 120e is formed in the vicinity of one end 120d on the peripheral surface 120a.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12A, a fixing projection 83a having a shape corresponding to the fixing hole 120e is formed on the outlet side of the drain hole 83. Therefore, the cover 120 is fixed to the outlet side of the drain hole 83 by attaching the cover 120 to the drain hole 83 while inserting the fixing projection 83a into the fixing hole 120e.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the locking portion 120 b of the cover 120 is disposed in a notch 120 g provided on the peripheral surface 120 a on the other end 120 f side. For example, a plurality of (for example, two) locking portions 120b are arranged at substantially equal intervals on the peripheral surface 120a. Further, a claw portion 120b1 projecting radially inward is formed at the tip of the locking portion 120b.

  In FIG. 11, the two locking portions 120b are arranged at positions facing each other on the peripheral surface 120a. However, the number and arrangement positions of the locking portions 120b are illustrative and are not limited. Absent.

  The cover 120 is manufactured using a flexible material (for example, resin). Thereby, the cover 120 including the locking portion 120b has flexibility, and thus the locking portion 120b can be elastically deformed in the radial direction.

  The opening 120c is formed in a rectangular shape in a bottom view, and a plurality (for example, two) of openings 120c are formed below the peripheral surface 120a in a state where the cover 120 is attached to the drain hole 83. The opening 120c functions as a flow path through which water discharged from the tank 80 through the drain hole 83 passes. This will be described later.

  In FIG. 11, the shape of the opening 120 c is rectangular, but is not limited thereto, and may be other shapes such as a circular shape or an elliptical shape. Further, the number of openings 120c is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 11, and may be one or three or more.

  Here, the dimension of the cover 120 with respect to the strainer 110 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 12A, the inner diameter E1 of the peripheral surface 120a of the cover 120 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the flange 111b of the strainer 110.

  In addition, the interval E2 between the claw portions 120b1 arranged to face each other in the cover 120 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the flange portion 111b. In addition, the outer diameter of the collar part 111b is a site | part used as the largest diameter in the strainer 110. FIG.

  By attaching the cover 120 configured as described above to the drain hole 83, one end 120 d of the cover 120 communicates with the drain hole 83.

  The drain hole 83 of the tank 80 is formed with a female screw part 83b that can be engaged with the male screw part 112a. Therefore, the strainer 110 is attached to the drain hole 83 by engaging the male screw portion 112a with the female screw portion 83b. The strainer 110 is removed from the drain hole 83 by loosening the male screw portion 112a with respect to the female screw portion 83b.

  As described above, the strainer 110 can be attached to and detached from the drain hole 83, and thus the scale in the tank 80 can be reliably discharged by removing the strainer 110 from the drain hole 83.

<6. Specific functions of strainers>
Next, specific functions of the strainer 110 will be described. In the following, the sanitary washing device 20 will be described separately for a normal operation for cleaning a human body, a case for draining the tank 80, and a case for cleaning the strainer 110.

  FIG. 12A shows the position of the strainer 110 in normal operation. 12B shows the position of the strainer 110 when draining the tank 80, and FIG. 12C shows the strainer 110 removed when the strainer 110 is cleaned.

  In the sanitary washing device 20, in the normal operation, as shown in FIG. 12A, the strainer 110 is engaged with and attached to the drainage hole 83 to be a position for sealing the drainage hole 83.

  Here, the outlet 82b of the tank 80 is assumed to be positioned in the vicinity of the filter 114 of the strainer 110. The outlet 82 b is preferably positioned so that the center line 82 c is orthogonal to the center line 83 c of the drain hole 83. Thereby, for example, the mold for the tank 80 can be easily manufactured as compared with the case where the center lines 82c and 83c are not orthogonal to each other, that is, when the center lines 82c and 83c are in a twisted position.

  For example, when the human body is washed, the water supplied from the tank 80 passes through the filter 114 from the outlet 82b as shown by an arrow D9, and the scale contained in the water when passing through the filter 114. Is captured. The water that has passed through the filter 114 flows into the second flow path 100 and is then discharged from the discharge nozzle 41 via the pump 130.

  Next, the case of draining the tank 80 will be described with reference to FIG. 12B. As shown in FIG. 12B, in the strainer 110, the male screw portion 112a is loosened with respect to the female screw portion 83b. Accordingly, in the strainer 110, a part of the shaft portion 112 is pulled out from the drain hole 83, the engagement with the drain hole 83 is released, and the sealed drain hole 83 is opened. When the drainage hole 83 is opened, the water in the tank 80 flows out between the strainer 110 and the drainage hole 83 as shown by an arrow D10.

  Here, as described above, the inner diameter E1 of the peripheral surface 120a of the cover 120 is larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 111b of the strainer 110, and the interval E2 of the claw portion 120b1 is larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 111b. It is set to be smaller.

  Accordingly, in the strainer 110, a part of the shaft portion 112 is pulled out from the drain hole 83, but the remaining portion of the shaft portion 112 (for example, a portion where the filter 114 is formed) is inserted into the drain hole 83. It becomes. In other words, even if the strainer 110 is disengaged from the drain hole 83, a part of the strainer 110 is idled while being partially inserted into the drain hole 83.

  The cover 120 is connected to the head 111 from the outside at a position where the head 111 of the strainer 110 released from the engagement with the drain hole 83 of the male thread 112a closes the other end 120f. It abuts at the portion 120b1. As a result, the water flowing out from the drain hole 83 is blocked by the flange 111b, so that when the strainer 110 is removed from the drain hole 83, the water flowing out from the tank 80 is prevented from splashing from the end 120f side. be able to.

  Further, since the strainer 110 is pushed in the horizontal direction (more precisely, the negative direction of the X axis) by the water pressure from the drain hole 83 and is pressed and locked to the claw portion 120b1 of the locking portion 120b, It is possible to further prevent the outflowing water from scattering. Further, since a part of the shaft portion 112 remains in the drain hole 83, the strainer 110 does not rattle even during drainage.

  Since the opening 120c is provided on the lower side of the cover 120, the water blocked by the flange 111b flows out through the opening 120c. Thus, the opening 120c functions as a flow path through which water discharged from the tank 80 through the drain hole 83 passes. In addition, the water discharged | emitted from the opening 120c falls to the plate 31a, is guide | induced to the discharge hole 32 by the above-mentioned drainage path | route 33, and is drained to the bowl 12 (refer arrow D8 of FIG. 5). Thus, by providing the drainage path 33 in the plate 31a, the water flowing out from the drainage hole 83 can be drained to the bowl 12 of the toilet bowl 10.

  Further, as described above, the flat portion 112 b is formed on the shaft portion 112 of the strainer 110. As a result, a gap is formed between the female screw portion 83b of the drain hole 83 and the flat portion 112b. Accordingly, when the male screw portion 112a is loosened when draining water, water begins to flow out through the gap, and the amount of water flowing out of the gap gradually increases as the male screw portion 112a is loosened. Thus, in this embodiment, the drainage flow rate of water can be adjusted by providing the flat portion 112b on the shaft portion 112 of the strainer 110.

  Moreover, the diameter of the drain hole 83 is set to be larger than the diameter of the second flow path 100 and the outlet 82b. Thereby, a relatively large scale in the tank 80 can be easily discharged to the outside. In addition, when performing the above-mentioned drainage, since the pump 130 is not driven, the water in the tank 80 at the time of draining does not flow out to the second flow path 100.

  Thus, by draining using the strainer 110 which can be attached to and detached from the tank 80, the scale accumulated in the tank 80 can be easily discharged to the outside.

  Next, a case where cleaning is performed to remove the scale captured by the strainer 110 after draining the tank 80 will be described with reference to FIG. 12C.

  As shown in FIG. 12C, when the strainer 110 is cleaned, the strainer 110 is removed from the cover 120. Specifically, when the strainer 110 is pulled in the horizontal direction (more precisely, in the negative direction of the X axis) by the user, the claw portion 120b1 with which the collar portion 111b is locked is pushed outward in the outer circumferential direction, and then outward of the cover 120. It is pulled out and removed from the drain hole 83 and the cover 120.

  Since the case 31 is provided with the above-described extraction hole 34 (see FIG. 3), the strainer 110 is removed through the extraction hole 34. Thus, by providing the take-out hole 34 in the case 31, the strainer 110 can be removed from the tank 80 without removing the case cover 31b and the like.

  Note that the locking portion 120b that is pushed out in the outer circumferential direction is restored by elastic deformation after the collar portion 111b passes. Although illustration is omitted, in the strainer 110, when the scale of the filter 114 is removed and cleaning is completed, the strainer 110 is inserted into the cover 120 and the drain hole 83 with the sealing portion 113a of the cap 113 at the top. . The strainer 110 is attached and fixed to the drainage hole 83 by engaging the male threaded portion 112 a with the female threaded portion 83 b of the drainage hole 83.

<7. Position of pump>
Next, the position where the tank 80, the pump 130, and the like are arranged in the internal space of the case 31 will be described in more detail. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the case cover 31 b of the case 31 includes a rectangular portion 36 and an inclined portion 37. The rectangular portion 36 is positioned so as to cover the rear (Y-axis positive direction) of the plate 31a. The rectangular portion 36 has a front surface 36a and a rear surface 36b extending in a vertical direction when viewed in the X-axis direction as viewed from the side, and a rectangular or substantially rectangular internal space 38 is formed. A tank 80 is disposed in the internal space 38.

  The inclined portion 37 is positioned so as to cover the front (Y-axis negative direction) of the plate 31a. The inclined portion 37 is formed such that the upper surface 37 a is continuous with the rectangular portion 36. Specifically, the upper surface 37a of the inclined portion 37 is inclined forward and downward toward the distal end 37a2 side, with the base end 37a1 side continuing to the front surface 36a of the rectangular portion 36.

  In other words, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 13, the bowl 12 of the toilet bowl 10 is disposed on the tip 37a2 side, and thus the inclined portion 37 described above faces the bowl 12 side of the toilet bowl 10 in a side view. Is formed to have a downward slope.

  In the inclined portion 37 configured as described above, a trapezoidal or substantially trapezoidal internal space 39 is formed in a side view. Since the internal space 39 is relatively narrow and has an irregular shape, it tends to be a dead space. However, in the sanitary washing device 20 according to the present embodiment, the above-described pump 130 is housed on the tip 37a2 side of the inclined portion 37. Thereby, the dead space of case 31 can be used effectively.

  Further, with the configuration as described above, the pump 130 can be positioned below the tank 80. As a result, the piping in the pump 130 is filled with water from the tank 80, and therefore, even if the pump 130 is a non-self-priming pump, for example, it is possible to start discharging water early after startup. Become.

<8. Configuration of control unit>
Next, the configuration of the control unit 200 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The control unit 200 includes a state detection unit 201, a water supply control unit 202, and a heating element control unit 203. The state detection unit 201, the water supply control unit 202, and the heating element control unit 203 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.

  The state detection unit 201 detects the seating state of the user, the operation instruction from the user, and the state of the tank 80. Specifically, the state detection unit 201 detects the seating of the user when the ON signal is output from the seating sensor 210, and detects the seating of the user when the OFF signal is output. In addition, the state detection unit 201 detects a start instruction to start cleaning the human body and a stop instruction to stop cleaning, which are output from the operation unit 220.

  Moreover, the state detection part 201 detects that the water level in the tank 80 is more than a predetermined position, when an ON signal is output from the float switch 72. FIG. On the other hand, the state detection unit 201 detects that the water level in the tank 80 is less than a predetermined position when an OFF signal is output from the float switch 72. Further, the state detection unit 201 detects the temperature of the water in the tank 80 based on the signal output from the thermistor 73.

  The water supply control unit 202 controls the operation of the electromagnetic valve 62 and the pump 130 based on various states detected by the state detection unit 201. Specifically, the water supply control unit 202 operates the electromagnetic valve 62 to supply water to the tank 80 and drives the pump 130 to discharge water from the tank 80 from the discharge nozzle 41.

  The heating element control unit 203 activates the heating element 71 to heat the water in the tank 80 when the temperature of the water in the tank 80 detected by the state detection unit 201 is lower than the reference temperature. On the other hand, the heating element control unit 203 stops the operation of the heating element 71 when the temperature of the water in the tank 80 is equal to or higher than the reference temperature.

  By the way, in the prior art, there is room for improvement from the viewpoint of effectively using water in the tank 80, more precisely, hot water. Therefore, in the sanitary washing device 20 according to the embodiment, the hot water in the tank 80 can be used as effectively as possible. Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail.

<9. Specific operation of sanitary washing device>
Next, the operation of the sanitary washing device 20 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the sanitary washing device 20 according to the embodiment.

  In FIG. 14, in order from the top, the output signal of the seating sensor 210, the drive state of the pump 130, the output signal of the float switch 72, the accumulated drive time of the pump 130, the open / close state of the electromagnetic valve 62, the elapsed time after separation, The float switch ON time is shown.

  15A to 15G are explanatory diagrams showing the state of water in the tank 80. FIG. Hereinafter, the timing for supplying water to the tank 80 will be described in detail.

  In FIG. 14, first, when the user is seated at time T <b> 1, the state detection unit 201 detects an ON signal from the seating sensor 210. Next, when an instruction to start cleaning is input from the user via the operation unit 220 at time T2, the water supply control unit 202 drives the pump 130 and discharges water (hot water) from the tank 80 from the discharge nozzle 41. Let

  Thereby, the water level in the tank 80 gradually decreases as shown in FIG. 15A. In FIGS. 15A to 15G, the hot water in the tank 80 is indicated by a dot with a symbol HW, and the cold water is indicated by a hatched line with a symbol CW. Here, the hot water HW means water heated by the heating element 71 and having a temperature in the vicinity of the reference temperature, and the cold water CW is, for example, immediately after entering the tank 80 through the water inlet pipe 81. It shall mean water whose temperature has not reached the reference temperature.

  If the explanation of FIG. 14 is continued, when the output of the float switch 72 switches from the ON signal to the OFF signal at time T3 as the water level in the tank 80 described above decreases, the water supply control unit 202 measures the pump drive accumulated time. Start the timer.

  When the accumulated pump drive time exceeds the first predetermined time A1, the water supply control unit 202 opens the electromagnetic valve 62 and starts supplying water to the tank 80. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 15B, the cold water CW starts to accumulate in the vicinity of the lower portion of the tank 80. Here, it is assumed that the amount of water supplied to the tank 80 is larger than the amount of water discharged from the discharge nozzle 41.

  Further, the first predetermined time A1 described above is set according to the performance of the pump 130 and the like. Specifically, the first predetermined time A1 is set to such a value that the supply of water is started before the water level in the tank 80 decreases and the inlet 82a of the water discharge pipe 82 is exposed from the water, for example. Is done. Thereby, it can prevent that the water discharged from the discharge nozzle 41 runs out.

  Subsequently, when the water level rises due to the supply of water to the tank 80 and the output of the float switch 72 switches from the OFF signal to the ON signal at time T5, the water supply control unit 202 closes the electromagnetic valve 62 to Supply is stopped (see FIG. 15C).

  Furthermore, when the cleaning for the user is continued, the water level in the tank 80 decreases again, and the output of the float switch 72 is switched from the ON signal to the OFF signal at time T6. At such timing, the water supply control unit 202 restarts a timer that measures the accumulated pump drive time.

  When the accumulated pump drive time exceeds the first predetermined time A1 at time T7, the water supply control unit 202 opens the electromagnetic valve 62 and starts supplying water to the tank 80 as shown in FIG. 15D.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the supply of water is started when the pump drive cumulative time exceeds the first predetermined time A1, not at the timing when the output of the float switch 72 switches from the ON signal to the OFF signal. did. As a result, the timing for starting the supply of water to the tank 80 can be delayed as much as possible, that is, the supply of water can be started after using the hot water HW in the tank 80 as much as possible.

  Subsequently, for example, when an instruction to stop cleaning is input from the user via the operation unit 220 at time T8, the water supply control unit 202 stops the pump 130 and stops discharging water from the discharge nozzle 41. . Further, the water supply control unit 202 closes the electromagnetic valve 62 and stops the supply of water to the tank 80 (see FIG. 15E).

  Next, when the user leaves the seat at time T9, the water supply control unit 202 measures the elapsed time after the seating at the timing when the output of the seating sensor 210 switches from the ON signal to the OFF signal. Subsequently, when the post-seating elapsed time exceeds the second predetermined time A2 at time T10, the water supply control unit 202 opens the electromagnetic valve 62 and starts supplying water to the tank 80. The second predetermined time A2 can be set to an arbitrary value, but is set to a value from several seconds to several tens of seconds, for example.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the supply of water to the tank 80 is not started immediately after leaving the seat, and the supply of water is started after the second predetermined time A2 has elapsed. Thereby, the hot water HW in the tank 80 can be utilized as effectively as possible.

  That is, for example, when water supply is started in the case where the user sits down for a moment, such as when the user sits back, the ratio of the cold water CW to the hot water HW increases in the tank 80 and can be used as a result. The amount of hot water HW may decrease. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the supply of water is not started when the user is sitting away for a moment, so that the hot water HW in the tank 80 can be used as much as possible.

  Subsequently, when the water level rises due to the supply of water to the tank 80 and the output of the float switch 72 switches from the OFF signal to the ON signal at time T11, the water supply control unit 202 starts a timer for measuring the float switch ON time. Let The above-described float switch ON time is a time after the user is seated and the output of the float switch 72 is an ON signal. That is, as shown in FIG. 15F, in the present embodiment, the supply of water to the tank 80 is continued even when the output of the float switch 72 becomes an ON signal.

  Thus, if the supply of water to the tank 80 is continued, the float of the float switch 72 can be submerged as shown in FIG. 15G. Thereby, drying of a float can be prevented. Moreover, although the scale may float on the water surface in the tank 80, it is possible to prevent the scale from adhering to the float by submerging the float.

  Next, when the float switch ON time exceeds the third predetermined time A3 at time T12, the water supply control unit 202 closes the electromagnetic valve 62 and stops supplying water to the tank 80. The third predetermined time A3 can be set to an arbitrary value, but is set to a value from several seconds to several tens of seconds, for example.

<10. Modification>
Next, a modified example of the sanitary washing device 20 according to the embodiment will be described. In the embodiment described above, the outlet 81 b of the water inlet pipe 81 is located in the vicinity of the heating element 71. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the water intake pipe 81 is disposed such that the outlet 81 b is above the center line 71 a of the heating element 71, but is not limited thereto.

  In the sanitary washing device 20 according to the modified example, as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 6, the water inlet pipe 81 is disposed at a position where the outlet 181 b is lower than the heating element 71. Specifically, the water inlet pipe 81 is disposed such that the outlet 181b is below the center line 71a of the heating element 71. Thereby, in the modified example, the water supplied from the water inlet pipe 81 to the tank 80 is likely to stay around the heating element 71, so that the water can be heated more efficiently.

  As described above, the sanitary washing device 20 according to the embodiment includes the tank 80, the discharge nozzle 41, the pump 130, the backflow prevention mechanism 90, the case 31, and the strainer 110. The tank 80 is provided with a heating element 71 and stores water. The discharge nozzle 41 discharges the water in the tank 80 toward the user's local area. The pump 130 is provided downstream of the tank 80 and supplies water stored in the tank 80 to the discharge nozzle 41.

  The backflow prevention mechanism 90 has an air gap 94a provided on the upstream side of the tank 80 and in a portion B where the flow path is divided through a space 94 opened to the atmosphere. The case 31 houses the tank 80, the discharge nozzle 41, the pump 130, and the backflow prevention mechanism 90. The strainer 110 is attachable to and detachable from the tank 80 through the take-out hole 34 of the case 31 and filters water flowing out from the tank 80 to the pump 130. Thereby, the scale in the tank 80 can be easily discharged.

  In the above-described embodiment, the backflow prevention mechanism 90 is a horizontal type, but this is illustrative and not limited, and other types of backflow prevention mechanisms such as a vertical type may be used.

  In the above description, the supply of water to the tank 80 is started after the first predetermined time A1 has elapsed since the output of the float switch 72 was switched from the ON signal to the OFF signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is not something. That is, for example, the supply of water to the tank 80 may be started when the output of the float switch 72 is switched from the ON signal to the OFF signal.

  In the above description, the supply of water to the tank 80 is started after the second predetermined time A2 has elapsed after the user has left the seat. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may start supplying water immediately.

  Further, in the above, after the user leaves the seat, and after the third predetermined time A3 has elapsed after the time when the output of the float switch 72 is ON, the supply of water to the tank 80 is stopped. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the supply of water to the tank 80 may be stopped after the user leaves the seat and when the output of the float switch 72 outputs an ON signal.

  Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toilet apparatus 10 Toilet bowl 12 Bowl 20 Sanitary washing apparatus 30 Main body part 31 Case 32 Discharge hole 33 Drainage path 34 Extraction hole 37 Inclined part 41 Discharge nozzle 60 First flow path 70 Heat exchanger 71 Heat generating element 74 Bimetal 80 Tank 81 Enter Water pipe 81a Inlet 81b, 181b Outlet 82 Outlet pipe 82a Inlet 82b Outlet 83 Drain hole 84 Reflector 85 Drain path 86 Air hole 87 Air intake / exhaust path 90 Backflow prevention mechanism 91 Discharge port 92 Receiving port 93 Drain port 94 Space 94a Air gap 100 Second channel 110 Strainer 114 Filter 120 Cover 130 Pump 140 Vacuum breaker 141 Atmospheric release path 200 Control unit A Water pipe

Claims (5)

A heating element is provided inside, and a tank for storing water;
A discharge nozzle for discharging water from the tank toward a user's local area;
A pump provided on the downstream side of the tank, for supplying water stored in the tank to the discharge nozzle;
A backflow prevention mechanism having an air gap provided on the upstream side of the tank and at a site where the flow path is divided through a space opened to the atmosphere;
A case housing the tank, the discharge nozzle, the pump and the backflow prevention mechanism;
A sanitary washing apparatus comprising: a strainer that is detachable from the tank through the opening of the case and that filters water flowing from the tank to the pump. The tank
Equipped with drainage holes to drain the stored water,
The strainer
The sanitary washing device according to claim 1, wherein the sanitary washing device is attached to and detached from the drain hole. The strainer
The head,
A shaft having a smaller diameter than the head;
An engagement portion provided on the head side of the shaft portion and engaged with the drain hole;
The tank
The drain hole and the one end portion communicate with each other, and have a cylindrical shape having an opening on the lower side of the peripheral surface. The sanitary washing device according to claim 2, further comprising a flexible cover that abuts against the head from the outside at a position where the end portion is closed. The case is
The sanitary washing device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a drainage path on a bottom surface for guiding water flowing out from the drain hole to a bowl of a toilet bowl. The drain hole is
The sanitary washing device according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein at least a part of the opening in the tank is disposed below the heating element.

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