JP5515416B2 - Toilet seat device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to human body detection of a toilet seat device.

  Conventionally, this type of toilet seat device pivotally supports a toilet lid and a toilet seat on a main body installed behind the toilet. The toilet seat has a substantially elliptical annular shape, and is pivotally supported by the main body via arms provided integrally on both sides of the rear portion of the toilet seat. The upper surface of the toilet seat forms a seating surface on which a user sits. A heating means for heating the seating surface is built in the toilet seat. In addition, the sleeve part provided on the side of the main body is equipped with a human body sensor that detects that a person has entered the toilet, and has a mechanism that automatically starts warming the toilet seat and automatically opens and closes the toilet lid. (For example, refer patent document 1).

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional toilet seat device described in Patent Document 1. In FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, a stepped portion 3 is formed on the upper surface of the sleeve portion 2 provided so as to protrude forward from the side portion of the main body 1, and a human body is detected in front of the stepped portion 3. A sensor storage unit 4 is formed, and the human body detection sensor storage unit 4 incorporates a human body detection sensor.

JP-A-11-172741

  In the conventional toilet seat device, in order to expand the detection range of the human body detection sensor, a stepped portion is formed on the upper surface of the sleeve portion so as to increase from the front of the sleeve portion to the rear, and a human body detection sensor storage portion is formed in front of the step portion. Since the human body detection sensor has a built-in human body detection sensor, the human body detection sensor housing has a hand or finger in contact with the body or clothes when the seating operation is performed, or when the sleeve switch is operated. However, there is a problem that the operability and usability such as being in contact with each other and the sleeve switch being difficult to see are impaired and the operation part is enlarged.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and provides a toilet seat device that can secure the detection range of the human body detection sensor, can reduce the operability and usability of the operation unit, and can reduce the size of the operation unit. It is intended to do.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a toilet seat device of the present invention includes a main body installed on a toilet bowl, a toilet seat that pivotally supports the main body and heats a seating surface, and has a built-in toilet body. A toilet lid that pivotally supports and covers the main body and the toilet seat, a sleeve provided on the side of the main body, the front end of which is retracted from the front end of the toilet seat, and a control unit that controls at least the heating element built in the main body A human body detection sensor for detecting a human body entering the toilet at the upper front end of the sleeve, and the human body detection sensor is installed at a position lower than the seating surface of the toilet seat and the toilet lid is closed. Is provided with a detection range having a predetermined width and a predetermined height on the vertical plane in the left-right direction at the front end position of the toilet lid.

  As a result, the sleeve part is retracted from the front end of the toilet seat, and the human body detection sensor is installed at a position lower than the seating surface of the toilet seat, so that the sleeve part and the human body detection sensor impede the sitting operation on the toilet seat. And the operability of the operation switch provided on the sleeve is not impaired. Moreover, since a predetermined range of the toilet lid tip position can be detected, it is possible to reliably detect the human body that has entered the toilet room.

  The toilet seat device of the present invention can reliably detect a human body without impairing the seating operation on the toilet seat and the operability of the operation switch.

The perspective view which shows the toilet lid open state of the toilet seat apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention The perspective view which shows the toilet lid closed state of the toilet seat apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention The perspective view which shows the state which removed the cover of the human body detection sensor attachment part in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The exploded perspective view of the toilet seat in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Sectional drawing which shows the human body detection sensor attachment part in Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) is a top view which shows the horizontal installation direction of the human body detection sensor in Embodiment 1 of this invention, (b) is a side view which shows the installation direction of the vertical direction of a human body detection sensor Sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the human body detection sensor and toilet lid in Embodiment 1 of this invention The schematic diagram which shows the state which installed the toilet seat apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention in the toilet room Schematic diagram showing the detection range of the human body detection sensor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the conventional toilet seat apparatus

The first invention is a main body installed on a toilet, a toilet seat pivotally supported by the main body and having a heating element for heating a seating surface, a pivot seat pivotally supported by the main body, A toilet lid that covers the main body and the toilet seat; provided on a side of the main body; and a sleeve that has a front end recessed from the front end of the toilet seat; and a control unit that controls at least the heating element, The sleeve includes an operation unit for operating each function of the toilet seat device on an upper surface, and a human body detection sensor including an infrared sensor for detecting a human body entering the toilet room at an upper front end, and the human body detection sensor is a seating surface of the toilet seat In a state where the human body detection sensor is installed at a lower position and the toilet lid is closed, the human body detection sensor includes a reference detection range having a predetermined width and a predetermined height on a vertical surface in the left-right direction at the front end position of the toilet lid , Even when the temperature of the seating surface rises, The serial toilet seat is that there is no be erroneously detected as a human body.

  As a result, the sleeve part is retracted from the front end of the toilet seat, and the human body detection sensor is installed at a position lower than the seating surface of the toilet seat, so the sleeve part and the human body detection sensor interfere with the seating operation on the toilet seat. And the operability of the operation switch provided on the sleeve is not impaired.

  Further, since the human body detection sensor is installed at a position lower than the seating surface, the toilet seat is not erroneously detected as a human body even when the temperature of the seating surface rises. Moreover, since a predetermined range of the toilet lid tip position can be detected, it is possible to reliably detect the human body that has entered the toilet room.

  In a second aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the reference detection range has a width within a range of 40 cm at least to the left and right of the center line in the front-rear direction of the toilet lid, and a height of at least 80 cm from the floor surface. The above range is included.

  This makes it possible to reliably detect even a short stature child who can use the toilet alone with the toilet seat device installed in a normal toilet room.

  In a third aspect of the invention, particularly in the first or second aspect of the invention, when the human body detection sensor detects a human body, the control unit controls the heating element to raise the temperature of the seating surface.

  As a result, when a toilet seat device that does not detect a human body is not used, power supply to the heating element is cut off or suppressed, and only when a human body that uses the toilet seat device is detected, the amount of power supply can be increased to increase the temperature. Therefore, a high energy saving effect can be obtained.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the toilet seat toilet lid rotation mechanism for automatically opening and closing the toilet lid is provided, and the control is performed when the human body detection sensor detects a human body. The unit controls the toilet seat toilet lid rotation mechanism and opens the toilet lid.

  As a result, when the user enters the toilet room, the toilet lid is automatically opened, which is convenient and hygienic.

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the appearance of the toilet seat device according to the present embodiment installed on a toilet and the toilet lid is opened. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the appearance of the toilet lid closed. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of the human body detection sensor attached to the upper front portion of the front end of the sleeve portion with the cover removed.

<1> Configuration of Toilet Seat Device As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet seat device 100 includes a main body 200, a toilet seat 300, and a toilet lid 400, and is installed on the upper surface of the toilet bowl 700.

  Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the direction in which the main body 200 of the toilet seat device 100 is disposed is described as the rear, and the direction in which the toilet seat is disposed is described as the front.

  A toilet seat 300 and a toilet lid 400 are attached to the main body 200 via a toilet seat toilet lid rotating mechanism (not shown) so as to be electrically opened and closed. In the state where the toilet lid 400 is opened as shown in FIG. 1, the toilet lid 400 stands up so as to be positioned at the rearmost part of the toilet seat device 100. When the toilet lid 400 is closed as shown in FIG. 2, the toilet lid 400 hides the upper surface of the toilet seat 300 and the side surface of the upper toilet seat casing 310 described later.

  The main body 200 includes a cleaning water supply mechanism (not shown), a heat exchanger (not shown), a cleaning mechanism including a cleaning nozzle 201, a drying unit (not shown), and a control unit (not shown). (Not shown) and the like are incorporated.

  A seating sensor 202 is installed at the front corner of the main body 200. The seating sensor 202 is a non-contact type seating sensor and is a reflective infrared sensor. That is, when the light receiving unit detects infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the human body, it is detected that the user is seated on the toilet seat 300.

  The washing water supply mechanism and the heat exchanger are connected to the washing nozzle 201, and the washing water supplied from the water pipe is heated by the heat exchanger to supply hot water to the washing nozzle and used from the washing nozzle 201. Washing water is sprayed toward the user's local area to clean the user's local area. The cleaning nozzle 201 is provided with a butt cleaning nozzle part for cleaning the butt and a bidet nozzle part for cleaning a female part.

  Further, the drying unit can blow the warm air toward the local area wetted by the washing water and dry the local area.

  Note that the cleaning mechanism and the drying unit are not essential components of the toilet seat device, and may be a toilet seat device that does not include these components.

  Also, a sleeve portion 210 is provided so as to protrude forward from the side portion of the main body 200, and an operation portion 211 is provided on the upper surface of the sleeve portion 210, so that each function of the toilet seat device can be operated. Note that the upper surface of the sleeve portion 210 is lower than the seating surface 311 of the toilet seat 300, and the front end is a position retracted from the front end of the toilet seat 300.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a human body detection sensor 600 is attached to the front end upper portion 211 of the sleeve portion 210. The human body detection sensor 600 is a reflection-type infrared sensor, and detects that the user has entered the toilet room when the light receiving unit detects the infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the human body.

  The control unit of the main body 200 controls the operation of each unit of the toilet seat device 100 based on signals transmitted from the operation unit 211, the human body detection sensor 600, and the seating sensor 202.

<2> Configuration of Toilet Seat 300 FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the toilet seat 300. As shown in FIG. 4, the toilet seat 300 is formed of a substantially elliptical annular upper toilet seat casing 310 mainly made of aluminum, a substantially horseshoe-shaped toilet seat heater 350 adhered to the back surface of the upper toilet seat casing 310, and a synthetic resin. The substantially elliptical annular lower toilet seat casing 320 is configured as a main component.

  Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the front side as viewed from the seated user is defined as the front portion of the toilet seat 300, and the rear side as viewed from the seated user is defined as the rear portion of the toilet seat 300.

  The upper toilet seat casing 310 is formed by pressing an aluminum plate having a thickness of about 1 mm by press working or the like, an alumite layer and a surface decorative layer are provided on the surface, and a heat-resistant polyester powder coating film having an insulating property is provided on the back surface. Is formed.

  Instead of the aluminum plate, other metal having good thermal conductivity such as a plate material such as copper or stainless steel or a molded product of magnesium alloy may be used. Further, the surface treatment applied to the aluminum plate is not limited to the above specifications, and other chemical treatments or other coatings using acrylic or urethane paints can be selected.

  The toilet seat heater 350 is formed in a substantially horseshoe shape in which a part of the front portion is cut off. The toilet seat heater 350 is configured by meandering a linear heater between two metal foils made of aluminum. The toilet seat heater 350 is provided with a linear heater so that the seating surface 311 and the bent portion 312 can be heated, and the density is changed depending on the location so that the thigh and buttocks of the seated user can be heated comfortably. It is arranged.

  The lower toilet seat casing 320 is a molded product using a resin material, and includes a main body casing portion 321 whose planar shape is substantially the same as that of the upper toilet seat casing 310, and arm portions 322 that project obliquely upward on both sides rearward of the main body casing portion 321. It is configured. The upper toilet seat casing 310 and the lower toilet seat casing 320 are coupled by an inner peripheral portion 311a and an outer peripheral portion 311b, and a watertight means using rubber or resin-based packing or an adhesive sealant is applied to the joint portion.

  A toilet seat 300 having a toilet seat heater 350 adhered to the back surface of the upper toilet seat casing 310 and a lower toilet seat casing 320 coupled thereto has an arm portion 322 at the rear as shown in FIG. 5, and the arm portion 322 is attached to the toilet seat of the main body 200. By being coupled to a toilet lid rotation mechanism (not shown), it is pivotally supported.

  When the toilet seat 300 having the above-described configuration is not used, it is concealed by the toilet lid 400 from above. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper toilet seat casing 310 having the toilet seat heater 350 adhered to the back surface is concealed by the toilet lid 400 as shown in FIG. 2, thereby suppressing heat dissipation during standby and improving the energy saving effect. it can.

<3> Attachment Structure of Human Body Detection Sensor As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a sleeve portion 210 is provided on the side of the main body 200, and an operation portion 211 is provided on the upper surface of the sleeve portion 210. The operation can be performed. An opening 212 is provided at the upper front end of the sleeve portion 210, and a cover 213 is attached to the opening 212. The cover 213 is a molded product made of a resin material. The cover 213 has a curved shape continuously connected to the front surface and the upper surface of the sleeve portion 210, and the thickness of the portion through which infrared rays pass is substantially equal, so that the infrared rays are irregularly transmitted. It has a shape that suppresses the occurrence of refraction and reflection.

  A human body detection sensor 600 for detecting that a person has entered the toilet is provided inside the cover 213. Human body detection sensor 600 is a reflective infrared sensor, and detects that the user has entered the toilet room when the light receiving unit detects infrared light emitted from the light emitting unit and reflected by the human body. It has become.

  The human body detection sensor 600 is provided in the opening 212 at the upper front end of the sleeve portion 210, and since there is no projection on the upper surface of the sleeve portion 210, there is no trouble when the switch of the operation portion 211 is operated. The sleeve part including the operation part can be made compact.

Furthermore, since the human body detection sensor 600 is built inside the cover 213, the human body detection sensor 600 is not exposed on the surface of the sleeve portion 210 , so that there is no problem such as breakage of the human body detection sensor 600, and stable detection performance can be ensured.

  FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the human body detection sensor 600 at the installation position. As shown in the figure, the sleeve portion 210 is provided below the seating surface 311 of the toilet seat 300, and the human body detection sensor 600 is installed at a position about 20 mm below the seating surface 311.

  For this reason, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 300, there is no concern that the user's body or clothes may hit the sleeve portion 210 and the seating operation may be hindered, and the human body detection sensor 600 is about 20 mm from the seating surface 311. Since it is installed at a lower position, it is possible to prevent the toilet seat 300 from being erroneously detected as a human body even when the surface temperature of the seating surface 311 is close to the human body.

  6 (a) and 6 (b) show the installation direction of the human body detection sensor, FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view showing the installation direction in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 6 (b) shows the vertical direction. It is a side view which shows the installation direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the human body detection sensor 600 is installed on the opposite side of the main body 200 provided with the sleeve portion 210 so as to swing the detection range angle by about 15 degrees, and the human body detection sensor 600 is arranged. It is possible to reliably detect a person entering the room from the entrance 801 of the toilet 800 on the side that is not. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the human body detection sensor 600 is arranged so that the elevation angle of the forward detection range faces approximately 30 degrees above the horizontal, so that the human body detection range can be set in a wide range. It becomes possible to reliably detect the person entering the room.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the human body detection sensor and the toilet lid. As shown in FIG. 7, a toilet lid 400 is disposed on the side of the human body detection sensor 600 at a position higher than the human body detection sensor 600, and a part of the detection range on the opposite side of the toilet lid 400 is due to the toilet lid 400. Shielded. Therefore, in order to secure the detection range, the human body detection sensor 600 is arranged so that the elevation angle formed by the human body detection sensor 600 and the upper edge of the toilet lid 400 is 30 degrees or less. Thereby, since the human body detection range obstruct | occluded with the toilet lid 400 can be made small, even a child with a short height can be reliably detected.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a standard installation state in which the toilet seat device is installed in a standard toilet room. As shown in the figure, the standard toilet room has a width of 80 cm and a depth of 120 cm, and the toilet seat device 100 is installed on the upper surface of the toilet installed in the back.

  The door 801 at the entrance of the toilet room 800 is generally installed on the front wall surface of the toilet seat device 100 or on the left and right wall surfaces in front of the toilet seat device 100. In any of these cases, the human body detection sensor 600 in the present embodiment is used. The human body immediately after entering the room from the door 801 can be detected.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a detection range of the human body detection sensor in the present embodiment installed in the standard installation state shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the detection range W of the human body detection sensor 600 is a range of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped that is higher than the sleeve portion 210 in front of the toilet seat device 100, but an undetectable range is generated particularly on the lower side opposite to the sleeve portion 210. . In the present embodiment, on the vertical surface in the left-right direction at the front end position of the toilet lid 400, the lower end of the detection range on the opposite side of the sleeve is 80 cm from the floor level, and the front is lower than 80 cm. It is possible to detect up to, and only the higher range can be detected behind it.

  When the toilet seat device 100 of the present embodiment having the above detection range W is installed in the standard toilet room 800 shown in FIG. 8, the human body entering from the door 801 provided on either the front or the left and right side walls, It can be detected immediately after entering the room. In particular, by setting the lower end of the detection range to 80 cm, even a child with a short height who can use the toilet seat device 100 alone can be reliably detected.

  In the detection range W, the detection range in front of the toilet seat device 100 is not substantially limited with respect to the installation conditions of the human body detection sensor 600, but the vertical direction in the left-right direction at the front end position of the toilet lid 400 is not limited. The surface detection range is a detection range that serves as a reference for determining the entire detection range W in front of the surface. In the present embodiment, the detection range at this position is referred to as a reference detection range WS.

  As shown by the hatched area in FIG. 9, the reference detection range WS in the present embodiment is a vertical plane in the left-right direction at the front end position on the center line C in the front-rear direction of the toilet lid 400. A reference detection range is a range within 40 cm and a range of 80 cm or more from the floor surface in the height direction.

  When the human body detection sensor 600 can detect the reference detection range WS, when the toilet seat apparatus 100 is installed in a standard toilet room 800 having a width of 80 cm and a depth of 120 cm shown in FIG. The human body detection sensor 600 can detect the human body immediately after the user enters the toilet room, regardless of whether the user is installed at any position on the front side.

<4> Operation and Effect of Toilet Seat Device The toilet seat device configured as described above operates as follows.

When not in use, the toilet lid 400 is closed and conceals the upper surface of the toilet seat 300 and the side surface of the upper toilet seat casing 310. When the room temperature is low, such as in winter, the toilet seat heater 350 is controlled by the control unit 90. By energizing the toilet seat 300, the temperature of the toilet seat 300 is adjusted to about 18 ° C., for example. The temperature at this time is referred to as a standby temperature. Of course, when the room temperature is high in summer or the like, the temperature of the toilet seat 300 is also high, and the toilet seat heater 350 is not energized.

  When the user enters the toilet room, the human body detection sensor 600 detects the user. Thereby, the detection signal is transmitted to the control unit.

  When the control unit detects that the user has entered the toilet room based on a detection signal from the human body detection sensor 600, the control unit opens the toilet lid 400 and controls driving of the toilet seat heater 350 based on the stored toilet seat set temperature. Select a specific heater control pattern.

  The driving of the toilet seat heater 350 is controlled based on the selected heater control pattern and time information obtained by the time measuring unit. Thereby, the toilet seat heater 350 is driven to rise in temperature, and the temperature of the toilet seat 300 is instantaneously raised to the toilet seat set temperature.

  In order to instantaneously increase the toilet seat to the set temperature, the 1200 W drive, which is the maximum capacity of the toilet seat heater 350, is at least the lowest temperature at which the surface temperature of the toilet seat 300 does not feel uncomfortable when the user is seated. This is performed until reaching the cooling sensation limit temperature). This cooling sensation limit temperature is found to be about 29 ° C. by subject experiments conducted by the inventors.

  On the other hand, in the subject experiment conducted by the inventors, the average value of the shortest time required for the user to enter the toilet room, take off from the normal clothes, and sit on the toilet seat is 6 seconds, and is driven at 1200W. By doing so, the temperature can be raised to the limit temperature in a shorter time.

  After reaching the limit temperature, the control unit lowers the driving of the toilet seat heater 350 to 600 W driving and continues the driving until the seating surface 311 of the toilet seat 300 reaches the set temperature. After reaching the set temperature, the driving is lowered to 50 W, and the seating surface 311 is kept at the set temperature.

  Here, the user can change the set temperature by operating the toilet seat temperature adjustment switch of the operation unit 211 of the sleeve unit 210.

  When the user sits on the toilet seat 300, the seat sensor 202 detects the seated human body and transmits a detection signal to the control unit. Thereby, the operation of the washing function and the drying function that can be used in the sitting state can be performed.

  For example, when the user operates the butt cleaning switch of the operation unit 211 of the sleeve unit 210, the butt cleaning nozzle of the cleaning nozzle 201 protrudes forward, and cleaning water is ejected to start butt cleaning. Next, when the end switch is operated, the ejection of the washing water stops and the buttocks washing nozzle is stored in the original storage position.

  Next, when the drying switch is operated, warm air blows out toward the user's buttocks, and the buttocks that have been wet by washing can be dried.

  When the user stands up from the toilet seat 300, the seating sensor 202 detects that the user has left the seat and transmits a detection signal to the control unit. With this signal, the control unit stops energizing the toilet seat heater after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  When the user leaves the toilet room, the human body detection sensor 600 stops transmitting the human body detection signal, so that the control unit closes the toilet lid 400 after a predetermined time.

  As described above, the toilet seat device according to the present invention can be reliably detected without compromising the operability of the sleeve switch, and the operation unit can be made compact. It can also be applied to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Toilet seat apparatus 200 Main body 210 Sleeve part 300 Toilet seat 311 Seating surface 350 Toilet seat heater (heating element)
400 Toilet lid 600 Human body detection sensor 700 Toilet bowl C Center line WS Reference detection range

Claims (4)

A body installed on the toilet,
A toilet seat pivotally supported by the main body and having a heating element for heating the seating surface;
A toilet lid pivotally supported on the main body and covering the main body and the toilet seat;
Provided on the side of the main body, the front end of the sleeve is retracted from the front end of the toilet seat,
Including a control unit built in the main body and controlling at least the heating element;
The sleeve includes an operation unit for operating each function of the toilet seat device on an upper surface, and a human body detection sensor including an infrared sensor for detecting a human body entering the toilet room at an upper front end, and the human body detection sensor is a seating surface of the toilet seat Install in a lower position,
In the state in which the toilet lid is closed, the human body detection sensor has a reference detection range having a predetermined width and a predetermined height on the vertical surface in the left-right direction at the front end position of the toilet lid, and the temperature of the seating surface increases. Even when the toilet seat device is used, the toilet seat device is not erroneously detected as a human body . 2. The toilet seat device according to claim 1, wherein the reference detection range includes a width within a range of 40 cm or less at least to the left and right with respect to a center line in the front-rear direction of the toilet lid, and a height of at least 80 cm from the floor surface. . The toilet seat device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the human body detection sensor detects a human body, the control unit controls the heating element so as to raise the temperature of the seating surface. A toilet seat toilet lid rotation mechanism that automatically opens and closes the toilet lid; and when the human body detection sensor detects a human body, the control unit controls the toilet seat toilet lid rotation mechanism to open the toilet lid The toilet seat apparatus of any one of Claims 1-3.