JP2021070985A - Remote control device and toilet device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a remote control device having improved operability for operating a toilet device, with power consumption reduced.SOLUTION: A remote control device 2 comprises a first remote control device 20 having a first communication unit 203 for periodically communicating with a control unit 3 that controls a functional unit 1 as a part of a toilet device 100 based on received signals, and a second remote control unit 21 having a second communication unit 213 for communicating with the control unit 3 as a communication partner only when used.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a remote control device and a toilet device.

Conventionally, a toilet device including a remote control device for performing various operations of the toilet device is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a main remote controller for operating a warm water washing device, a sub remote controller for operating toilet bowl electrical components other than the warm water washing device such as a toilet seat opening / closing device, and a toilet device including two remote controls. There is.

JP-A-2007-239266

The communication method of the two remote controllers disclosed in Patent Document 1 is either infrared communication or radio wave communication, which is the same communication method. However, since the two remote controllers having different functions have different communication conditions, frequency of use, and the like, it is considered that the two remote controllers are not designed to be suitable for the respective usage conditions.

The present disclosure is a remote control device capable of transmitting the signal for operating the functional unit toward a toilet device including a functional unit and a control unit that controls the functional unit based on a received signal. The remote control device includes a first remote control device and a second remote control device, and the first remote control device has a first communication unit that periodically communicates with the control unit, and the second remote control device. The remote control device provides a remote control device having a second communication unit that communicates with the control unit only when in use.

It is a perspective view which shows the toilet apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the 1st remote control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this disclosure. It is a front view which shows the 1st remote control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the 2nd remote control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a toilet main body 10, a functional unit 1, a first remote control device 20, a second remote control device 21, and a control unit 3. It is a body type toilet device. The first remote controller 20 and the second remote controller 21 are arranged on the wall surface W of the toilet room where the toilet device 100 is provided via the bracket 30, and the second remote controller 21 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 14 inside the toilet body 10. Is.

The toilet body 10 includes a toilet seat 11, a toilet lid 12, a top cover 13, an accommodating portion 14, and a toilet bowl 15. The toilet body 10 is provided with a tank or the like in addition to the above (not shown). The functional unit 1 is placed on the upper part of the toilet body, and includes a toilet bowl cleaning device and a local cleaning device inside. The functional unit 1 is controlled by a control unit 3 described later, and executes various functions such as opening and closing the toilet lid 12 in addition to the toilet bowl cleaning function and the local cleaning function. The functional unit 1 may have all of these functions, or may have at least one of these functions.

The toilet seat 11 is a portion on which the user is seated, is arranged on the annular opening of the toilet bowl 15, and has an annular shape. The toilet lid 12 is a lid that covers the openings of the toilet seat 11 and the toilet bowl 15 so as to be openable and closable. The top cover 13 is a member that covers the upper part of the outer shape of the toilet body 10. The accommodating portion 14 is a recess formed inside the toilet body 10 and capable of accommodating the second remote control device 21. The second remote controller 21 that is used less frequently can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 14 except when it is in use. The toilet bowl 15 opens upward and a drainage port is formed at the bottom. The toilet bowl 15 is a member made of, for example, pottery.

The control unit 3 is housed inside the toilet body 10 (not shown). The control unit 3 receives signals transmitted from the first remote control device 20 and the second remote control device 21, and controls the operation of the function unit 1 based on the received signals. The control unit 3 can receive signals of both the infrared communication system and the radio wave communication system.

The remote control device 2 is a device capable of remotely controlling various functions of the toilet device 100. Signals are transmitted to the function unit 1 and other remote control devices by a communication method such as infrared rays or BLE (registered trademark) (radio waves) to remotely control various functions. The remote controller 2 has an operation unit on the outer surface, a control unit, and a communication unit. The remote controller 2 may be a dry battery type or a rechargeable battery type. It may be rechargeable in a wall-mounted state via the bracket 30 or in a state of being housed in the accommodating portion 14.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the operation unit 201 is provided on the upper side surface and the front surface of the first remote controller device 20 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The operation unit 201 is composed of a plurality of operation buttons. FIG. 2A shows the upper side surface of the first remote control device 20, and FIG. 2B shows the front surface of the first remote control device 20. The operation unit 201 is configured to have a plurality of operation buttons.

The functions included in the first remote controller device 20 are, for example, a toilet bowl cleaning function and a local cleaning function, and among the functions included in the toilet device 100, the functions frequently used by the user are integrated. As a result, since there are few types of operation buttons of the first remote controller device 20, the appearance is not complicated, and the design and operability are improved.

The first remote controller device 20 has a first communication unit 203 inside (not shown), and communicates by a radio wave communication method. In the radio wave communication method, mutual communication can be performed with the control unit 3 on the toilet body 10 side, and the setting status of the toilet body 10 side can be received by the first remote controller device 20. In the radio wave communication method, since the first communication unit 203 can be provided inside the first remote control device 20, the first communication unit 203 is not exposed to the outside, and the design of the first remote control device 20 can be improved.

The first remote control device 20 periodically communicates with the control unit 3. That is, both communicate at predetermined time intervals. As a result, the responsiveness of the remote control operation can be improved. That is, in the communication only during use, there is a waiting time from the remote control operation to the execution of the communication due to the processing in the board, but the first remote control device 20 always communicates with the control unit 3 because it communicates with the control unit 3 periodically. It is on standby in a possible state, and it is possible to execute communication in a short time after the user operates the remote controller.

Like the first remote control device 20, the second remote control device 21 is a device capable of remotely controlling various functions of the toilet device 100. The second remote controller 21 of the present embodiment can operate all the functions of the toilet device 100. For example, in addition to the function that the first remote controller device 20 can operate, the function of adjusting the temperature of the washing water ejected from the shower nozzle, the temperature adjusting function of the toilet seat 11, and other functions that are not frequently used by the user of the toilet device 100 are also available. It is operable.

That is, the frequently used functions related to daily use are collectively operated by the first remote controller 20, and the less frequently used functions are operated by the second remote controller 21, so that the operability and the first remote controller can be operated. The design of 20 is improved.

The second remote controller 21 has a second communication unit 213 on its side surface (not shown), and communicates with the control unit 3 on the toilet body 10 side only when in use by an infrared communication method. That is, both communicate only when the user operates the remote controller. Power consumption can be reduced by infrared communication.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second remote controller 21 has an operation unit 211 and a display unit 212 on the front surface. In addition to the above, the second remote controller 21 is provided with a control board, a communication unit, and the like (not shown).

In order to prevent erroneous operation, the second remote controller 21 is configured so as to be incapable of communicating with the outside and inoperable from the outside in a state of being accommodated in the accommodating portion 14. For example, the second remote controller 21 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 14 by providing a certain space between the operation unit 211 and the top cover 13 so that the operating unit 211 is not operated due to the bending of the top cover 13. Further, the communication method of the second remote control device 21 is infrared communication, and the communication unit is covered with the second remote control device 21 housed in the housing unit 14.

The operation unit 211 of the second remote control device 21 is a part for transmitting signals for operating various functions of the toilet device 100 toward the control unit 3, and is composed of a plurality of operation buttons. The operation unit 211 may be configured by a switch or the like other than the button. The second remote controller 21 can transmit signals for operating various functions of the toilet device 100 by inputting a code or the like by combining these plurality of operation buttons. As a result, it is possible to operate more functions than the number of operation buttons, so that the number of operation buttons included in the second remote controller 21 can be reduced.

In addition, various functions of the corresponding toilet device 100 may be directly assigned to the plurality of operation buttons. By being able to send signals to operate functions other than the assigned functions by pressing and holding a button or pressing multiple buttons at the same time, it is possible to operate more functions than the number of operation buttons.

The display unit 212 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display capable of displaying characters and symbols. On the display unit 212, the setting status of various functions of the toilet device 100 such as the heating set temperature of the toilet seat 11 and the ejection strength of the washing water, the code input to the operation unit 211, and the like are displayed. In addition to the above, the display unit 212 displays the remaining battery level, the current time, and the like of the second remote controller 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second remote controller 21 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 14 inside the toilet body 10. As a result, space saving is further improved. Alternatively, it may be configured to be accommodated inside the first remote controller device 20.

The toilet device 100 can also be operated by a third remote controller device 22 (not shown) such as a smartphone. The third remote controller 22 can operate all the functions that can be operated by the first remote controller 20 and the second remote controller 21, and transmits signals by a communication method such as infrared communication or BLE (registered trademark) (radio wave). , Remotely control various functions. Since the control unit 3 can support both infrared communication and radio wave communication, the degree of freedom of cooperation with an external device such as the third remote controller device 22 is increased.

As described above, according to the remote controller device 2 of the present embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

The remote control device 2 of the present embodiment is the signal for operating the functional unit 1 toward the toilet device 100 including the functional unit 1 and the control unit 3 that controls the functional unit 1 based on the received signal. The remote control device 2 has a first remote control device 20 and a second remote control device 21, and the first remote control device 20 periodically communicates with the control unit 3. The second remote control device 21 has a first communication unit 203, and has a second communication unit 213 that communicates with the control unit 3 only when in use. As a result, the first remote controller device 20 can periodically communicate with the control unit to improve the responsiveness of the remote controller operation, reduce the battery consumption of the second remote controller device 21, and improve the battery life.

The first remote control device 20 and the second remote control device 21 each have different communication means with the control unit 3. As a result, by applying different communication means to each remote control device, it is possible to combine a remote control device having excellent design and a remote control device with reduced power consumption.

The communication means with the control unit of the first remote control device 20 is radio wave communication, and the communication means with the control unit 3 of the second remote control device 21 is infrared communication. As a result, the first remote controller device 20 that periodically communicates with the control unit 3 and has a high communication frequency uses an infrared communication method with a low electricity charge, and the second remote controller device 21 that communicates only when in use and has a low communication frequency receives radio waves. By adopting the communication method, it is possible to improve the design of the second remote controller 21 while suppressing the power consumption more effectively.

The toilet device 100 includes a toilet body 10 and a remote control device 2. As a result, the operability and design of the remote control device of the remote control operation type toilet device 100 can be improved, and the power consumption can be reduced.

The remote controller 2 of the present embodiment has been described above. The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.

Hereinafter, variations of the present disclosure will be described.

The first remote control device 20 may have a display unit. Information on the setting status of the toilet body 10 received by mutual communication can be confirmed on the display unit.

The first remote control device 20 may be an infrared communication method, and the second remote control device 21 may be a radio wave communication method. It is possible to improve the design of the second remote controller 21 while reducing the power consumption of the frequently used first remote controller 20. Further, since the communication frequency of the second remote controller 21 is low, the amount of increase in power consumption is limited as compared with the infrared communication system even in the radio wave communication system.

The communication method is not limited to the radio wave communication method and the infrared communication method, and may be a remote controller device in which other communication methods are combined.

100 ... Toilet device, 1 ... Functional unit, 10 ... Toilet body, 11 ... Toilet seat, 12 ... Toilet lid, 13 ... Top cover, 14 ... Storage unit, 15 ... Toilet bowl, 2 ... Remote control device, 20 ... First remote control device, 201 ... Operation unit, 203 ... First communication unit, 21 ... Second remote control device, 211 ... Operation unit, 212 ... Display unit, 213 ... Second communication unit, 30 ... Bracket, 3 ... Control unit

Claims (5)

A first remote control device having a first communication unit that periodically communicates with a control unit that controls a functional unit that is a part of the toilet device based on a received signal as a communication partner.
A remote control device including a second remote controller having a second communication unit that communicates only when the control unit is used as a communication partner. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the first communication unit and the second communication unit have different communication methods. The remote control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication method with the control unit of the first remote control device is radio wave communication, and the communication method with the control unit of the second remote control device is infrared communication. The remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first remote control device is used more frequently than the second remote control device. A toilet device including the toilet body and the remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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