JP5590284B2 - Toilet seat device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet seat device, and more particularly to a toilet seat device capable of automatically opening and closing a toilet lid and a toilet seat.

There is a toilet seat device attached to a stool type toilet that enables automatic opening and closing of the toilet seat and toilet lid. In such a toilet seat device, in order to assist the drive mechanism for opening and closing the toilet lid, an urging means for urging the toilet lid in the opening direction is provided.
As such an urging means, there is a proposal to provide an urging means such as a torsion spring for urging the toilet lid in the opening direction in an automatic opening and closing device having a drive mechanism for opening and closing the toilet lid (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

  Further, there is a proposal that separates the hinge device provided with a torsion spring for biasing the toilet lid to the open side from the automatic opening / closing device and fastens the output shaft of the automatic opening / closing device and the rotation shaft of the hinge device (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-270831 JP-A-2005-277

  However, in the case of a toilet seat device provided with a conventional automatic opening / closing device or hinge device, the urging means is provided only on one of the pair of shaft support portions provided on the left and right sides of the toilet lid, so the toilet lid Receives torque in the opening direction only from one shaft support. In this case, the toilet lid is tilted due to the bending of the toilet lid, and there is a problem that the aesthetic appearance is impaired.

  The present invention provides a toilet seat device that suppresses tilting caused by bending of the toilet lid and maintains aesthetic appearance.

To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in the first pivotal support portion that pivotally supports at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid and at least one end of the toilet seat and the toilet lid, the toilet seat and the toilet lid are provided. At least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid in the first biasing means for biasing at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid, and a second pivotal support portion that pivotally supports the other end of at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid. and second biasing means for biasing the opening direction or in the first shaft support, and a driving device for opening and closing at least one of the toilet seat and toilet lid, said first biasing means The urging force is less than the urging force of the second urging means .

That is, the urging means is provided on the shaft support portion on the drive device side, and is also provided on the other shaft support portion side. By substantially equalizing the urging torque (urging force) generated by both the urging means, both the shaft support portions of the toilet lid receive the torque almost evenly. Accordingly, the toilet lid is not bent, the inclination is suppressed, and the aesthetic appearance can be maintained.
In addition, by providing the driving device, the toilet seat and the toilet lid can be automatically opened and closed, and by providing the biasing means on the left and right, smooth and quick automatic opening and closing is realized.
Further, the biasing force of the biasing means of the drive device side, is made smaller than the urging force of the other side urging means eliminates the bending of the toilet lid due to torque applied by the drive unit, the slope Can be suppressed and aesthetics can be maintained.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the toilet seat apparatus which suppresses the inclination by the bending of a toilet lid and keeps beauty | look is provided.

It is a model perspective view showing the external appearance of the toilet seat apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the inside of the main-body part represented to FIG. 1 from the front. It is the perspective view which looked at the principal part inside the main-body part represented to FIG. 1 from the front. It is typical sectional drawing of the principal part of the electrically-driven opening / closing unit represented to FIG. It is typical sectional drawing of the internal structure of the assist unit represented to FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that, in the present specification and each drawing, the same elements as those described above with reference to the previous drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
A toilet seat device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided on a western-style seat toilet 800 and includes a main body 400, a toilet seat 200, and a toilet lid 300. The toilet seat 200 is pivotally supported by the toilet seat pivot support portions 201 and 202 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body 400. The toilet lid 300 is pivotally supported by the toilet lid shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion) and 302 (second shaft support portion) so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body 400. In this specific example, the toilet lid 300 is urged in the opening direction on both sides of the shaft support portion 301 and the shaft support portion 302.

  In this embodiment, the toilet lid shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion) and 302 (second shaft support portion) are provided behind the main body portion 400, and when the toilet lid 300 is closed, the toilet lid 300 is configured to cover the entire upper surface of the main body 400. Thus, by configuring the toilet lid 300 so as to cover the entire upper surface of the main body 400, it is possible to provide a toilet seat device with excellent aesthetics when the toilet lid is closed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the toilet lid shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion) and 302 (second shaft support portion) are provided in the vicinity of the toilet seat shaft support portions 201 and 202. The shape of the toilet lid 300 can also be reduced.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the inside of the main body 400 viewed from the front.
The main body 400 has an outer shape covered with a housing. The housing includes a case cover 430 and a case plate 770. A human body detection sensor 500 and a display unit 670 are appropriately provided on the upper surface of the case cover 430. The display unit 670 has a role of appropriately displaying, for example, the power-on state of the toilet seat device. In addition, an electric opening / closing unit 780 for automatically opening and closing the toilet seat 200 is provided on the front upper portion of the case cover 430 so as to protrude.

On the other hand, when the inside of the case cover 430 is viewed, for example, a nozzle unit 610, a hot air drying unit 620, and a deodorizing unit 630 are provided in front of the case cover 430. The nozzle unit 610 has a water discharge nozzle that can freely move back and forth, and has a role of spraying water on a “butt” of a user sitting on the toilet seat 200 and washing it. The hot air drying unit 620 has a role of applying hot air to a “buttock” of a user sitting on the toilet seat 200 and drying it. The deodorizing unit 630 has a role of sucking air in a bowl (not shown) of the toilet bowl 800, deodorizing, and discharging the air from the exhaust port 440.
That is, the toilet seat device of this specific example has a “hygienic cleaning function”, a “warm air drying function”, and a “deodorizing function”. However, this invention is not limited to this, The toilet seat apparatus which does not have these functions is also included.

  On the other hand, an electric opening / closing unit 720 (drive device), an assist unit 750 (second urging means), and a toilet flushing valve unit 730 are provided in the rear portion of the case cover 430. In this specific example, the electric opening / closing unit 720 (drive device) is pivotally supported on the left side toward the toilet lid 300 and has a role of opening and closing the toilet lid 300. On the other hand, the assist unit 750 (second urging means) is pivotally supported on the right side toward the toilet lid 300 and has a role of urging the toilet lid 300 in the opening direction.

  The toilet flushing valve unit 730 has a role of controlling the supply of flushing water that flows to the toilet 800. That is, the toilet seat device of this specific example has a so-called “water supply directly connected water supply” structure, and supplies water supplied from the water supply to the toilet bowl 800 via the toilet flush valve unit 730 without providing a low tank or the like. Perform cleaning. However, this invention is not limited to this, The toilet seat apparatus which can be attached to a low tank type toilet is also included.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main part inside the main body shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front.
As shown in FIG. 3, an electric opening / closing unit 720 (drive device) and an assist unit 750 (second urging means) are provided behind the case plate 770. As will be described later, a torsion coil spring (first urging means) is provided inside the electric opening / closing unit 720 (drive device).

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the electric switching unit shown in FIG.
The electric opening / closing unit 720 (drive device) has an outer shape covered with a case 721, and has a motor 722, an output shaft 723, a reduction gear mechanism 724, and a torsion coil spring 725 (first biasing means) inside. And having. A reduction gear mechanism unit 724 (portion surrounded by a broken line) decelerates the rotation of a rotation shaft (not shown) of the motor 722 and transmits it to the output shaft 723. The output shaft 723 is fixed so as not to rotate relative to the shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion) of the toilet lid 300 via a connecting shaft (not shown), so that the rotation of the motor 722 is controlled. To the shaft support 301 of

  As described above, the rotation of the motor 722 rotates the shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion), and the toilet lid 300 rotates in the opening direction.

  One end 725 </ b> A of the torsion coil spring 725 is fitted to the spring receiving portion 721 </ b> A of the case 721. Further, the other end 725 </ b> B of the torsion coil spring 725 is fitted to the spring receiving portion 723 </ b> A of the output shaft 723. As a result, torque proportional to the amount of rotation in the opening direction of the toilet lid 300 is applied to the shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion) of the toilet lid 300 (first biasing means).

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the assist unit shown in FIG.
The assist unit 750 (second urging means) has an outer shape covered with a case 751 and has an output shaft 752 and a torsion coil spring 753 inside.
The output shaft 752 is fixed so as not to rotate relative to the toilet lid shaft support portion 302 (second shaft support portion) via a connecting shaft (not shown).
One end 753A of the torsion coil spring 753 is fitted into the spring receiving portion 751A of the case 751, and the other end 753B is fitted into the spring receiving portion 752A of the output shaft 752. By doing so, an urging torque proportional to the rotation amount in the opening direction of the toilet lid 300 is applied to the shaft support portion 302 of the toilet lid 300 (second urging means).
Here, the biasing torque (biasing force) applied to the shaft support portion 302 (second shaft support portion) of the toilet lid 300 is substantially equal to the biasing torque (biasing force) applied to the shaft support portion 301 of the toilet lid 300. It is desirable to set to.

An electric opening / closing unit 720 (driving device) having a torsion coil spring 725 and an assist unit 750 (second urging means) having a torsion coil spring 753, the left and right shaft support portions 301 (first shaft support portions) of the toilet lid 300. ) And 302 (second shaft support) are applied with a biasing torque (biasing force) substantially evenly. Thereby, the inclination of the toilet lid 300 due to bending is suppressed. In particular, the toilet lid 300 in the closed state is not inclined left and right, and the aesthetic appearance of the toilet seat device 100 can be maintained. Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to apply a uniform and strong urging force by urging from the left and right shaft support portions as compared to the case of urging at either one of the left and right shaft support portions. As a result, the opening / closing operation of the toilet lid 300 can be performed smoothly and quickly.
Note that the effect of the present invention can be obtained particularly remarkably in the case of a toilet lid that tends to be large and covers the entire toilet seat apparatus as in this specific example.

  Furthermore, when a very large biasing torque (biasing force) is required, the torsion coil spring 725 must be enlarged even if the torque is applied only by the electric opening / closing unit 720, and the space is limited. It is difficult to store it. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, by generating an urging torque (biasing force) also from the assist unit 750 (second urging means) arranged in the vacant space, a larger urging torque ( Urging force) can be applied to the toilet lid 300.

  In addition, when the electric opening / closing unit 720 (driving device) is driven, the toilet lid 300 is moved by the shaft support portion 301 (first shaft supporting portion) on the electric opening / closing unit 720 (driving device) side to the assist unit 750 (second driving device). As a result, a greater torque is applied to the biasing means side shaft support 302 (second shaft support), and the toilet lid 300 is bent. When the toilet seat apparatus 100 is installed in a public place or the like and the electric opening / closing unit 720 (driving apparatus) is frequently driven, plastic deformation occurs in a state where the toilet lid 300 is bent. Then, depending on the material of the toilet lid 300, an unbalanced inclination is generated in the left and right directions when the toilet lid 300 is closed.

  In such a case, the urging torque (the urging force) applied to the shaft support portion 301 (first shaft support portion) of the toilet lid 300 on the electric opening / closing unit 720 (drive device) side is the assist unit 750 (second attachment force). By setting the biasing torque smaller than the biasing torque (biasing force) applied to the pivot support 302 (second pivot support) of the toilet lid 300 on the biasing means) side, the toilet lid 300 remains closed even when plastic deformation occurs. The left and right unbalanced slopes are eliminated, and the aesthetics can be maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the urging means for applying the urging force by the torsion coil spring is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the urging means, a spring having a different shape such as a leaf spring and other elastic bodies can be used.

  Further, these urging means may be provided on the main body 400 side of the toilet seat device or on the toilet lid 300 (or toilet seat 200) side. Or you may provide between the main-body part 400 and the toilet lid 300 (or toilet seat 200).

  In this specific example, the toilet lid 300 can be automatically opened and closed by the electric opening and closing unit 720, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in the toilet seat device that manually opens and closes the toilet lid 300 without using the electric opening / closing unit 720, an urging unit that urges the toilet seat 300 in the opening direction is provided in each of the shaft support portions 301 and 302. It is included in the scope of the present invention. Also in such a case, the right and left unbalanced inclination of the toilet lid 300 is eliminated, and the aesthetic appearance can be maintained. In addition, when manually opening and closing the toilet lid 300, it is possible to perform a smooth and quick opening and closing operation by applying an urging force from the left and right.

  On the other hand, in this specific example, the toilet lid 300 is urged by the shaft support portions 301 and 302 on both sides, but instead or together with this, the toilet seat 200 is directed toward the opening direction at the shaft support portions 201 and 202 on both sides. It may be energized. For example, a toilet seat device in which the toilet lid 300 is not provided and only the toilet seat 200 is provided is also included in the scope of the present invention. The toilet seat 200 often incorporates, for example, a heater for heating, and may be heavy. Even in such a case, an equal and sufficient urging force can be applied by urging the shaft support portions 201 and 202 on both sides in the opening direction. As a result, the toilet seat 200 is restrained from tilting in either the left or right direction, and the toilet seat 200 can be opened and closed smoothly and quickly.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. For example, with regard to the specific configuration of each element constituting the toilet seat device, the present invention can be implemented in the same manner by appropriately selecting from a well-known range by those skilled in the art, as long as the same effect can be obtained. Included in the range.
Moreover, what combined any two or more elements of each specific example in the technically possible range is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as the gist of the present invention is included.

In addition, all toilet seat devices that can be implemented by those skilled in the art based on the toilet seat device described above as an embodiment of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they include the gist of the present invention. .
In addition, in the category of the idea of the present invention, those skilled in the art can conceive of various changes and modifications, and it is understood that these changes and modifications also belong to the scope of the present invention. .

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Toilet seat apparatus, 200 Toilet seat, 201, 202 Axis support part, 300 Toilet lid, 301, 302 Axle support part, 400 Main body part, 430 Case cover, 500 Human body detection sensor, 610 Nozzle unit, 620 Hot air drying unit, 630 Deodorization unit, 670 display unit, 720 electric opening / closing unit (drive device, first biasing means), 721 case, 722 motor, 723 output shaft, 724 reduction gear mechanism unit, 725 torsion coil spring, 730 toilet flush valve unit, 750 assist unit (Second biasing means), 751 case, 752 output shaft, 753 torsion coil spring, 770 case plate, 780 electric switching unit, 800 toilet

Claims (1)

At least one of a toilet seat and a toilet lid;
A first urging means for urging at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid in an opening direction in a first shaft support portion that pivotally supports at least one end of the toilet seat and the toilet lid;
A second urging means for urging at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid in an opening direction in a second shaft support portion that pivotally supports the other end of at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid;
A driving device for opening and closing at least one of the toilet seat and the toilet lid in the first shaft support;
Equipped with a,
The toilet seat device according to claim 1, wherein a biasing force of the first biasing unit is smaller than a biasing force of the second biasing unit.

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