JP5652294B2 - Heating toilet seat device - Google Patents

Description

  The aspect of this invention is related with the heating toilet seat apparatus which can warm the toilet seat installed in a toilet bowl.

  Generally, in many heating toilet seat devices, for example, a heater or the like is provided inside the toilet seat as an electrical heating element. When a current flows through the heater, the surface temperature of the toilet seat rises due to heat conduction of Joule heat generated in the heater. For example, when the toilet seat is made of resin, since the resin has a large thermal resistance, it may take several tens of seconds to several minutes for the surface temperature of the toilet seat to rise to the target temperature. Therefore, in order to prevent the user from feeling cold when seated on the toilet seat, it is necessary to preheat the surface of the toilet seat by energizing the heater even when the user is not seated on the toilet seat. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of reducing power consumption during standby and saving energy.

  On the other hand, there is a hot water type toilet seat device including an induction heating power source, a heating exciting coil, and a heating element (Patent Document 1). According to the hot water washing toilet seat device described in Patent Literature 1, heating toilet seat heating can be instantaneously heated, and power supply can be stopped except when seated without keeping the toilet seat in a heat-retaining state. And can exert a great energy saving effect. However, there is a problem that a strong magnetic field may be radiated to the user when induction heating is performed so that the heating element generates heat instantaneously even after the user is seated on the toilet seat. In addition, there is a problem that the toilet seat cannot be kept warm when the user is seated on the toilet seat.

  On the other hand, there exists a toilet seat heating apparatus which comprises a heater and an electromagnetic induction heating coil (patent document 2). In the toilet seat heating device described in Patent Document 2, when the entry into the toilet is detected, the electromagnetic induction heating coil is activated to instantaneously heat the toilet seat. Further, after being seated on the toilet seat, heating is continued by the heater. However, if the heating means for instantaneous heating or rapid heating and the heating means for heat insulation heating are provided as separate systems, there is a problem that the structure becomes complicated and the cost increases.

  On the other hand, the inventor is considering performing both rapid heating and heat insulation heating of the toilet seat by induction heating. For example, the present inventor is considering performing heat insulation heating by induction heating by reducing the voltage supplied to the resonance circuit. According to this, realization of rapid heating and heat insulation heating can be achieved with a simpler structure.

  The instruction of induction heating is performed by, for example, a control unit provided inside the main body (casing) of the heating toilet seat device. However, when a failure occurs in the control unit, the instruction system, or the like, there may be a case where the induction heating cannot be stopped even if the induction heating is stopped when the induction heating becomes abnormal. There is room for improvement in this regard.

JP-A-8-228964 JP 2008-18114 A

  This invention is made | formed based on recognition of this subject, and it aims at providing the heating toilet seat apparatus of the induction heating type which can improve safety | security more.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resonance circuit having an induction heating coil and a resonance capacitor, a conductor that is induction-heated by a magnetic field generated by the induction heating coil, a toilet seat provided with the conductor, and a first switching An inverter having an element for controlling power supplied to the resonance circuit, a rectifier for rectifying a current supplied from a commercial power source, and a second switching element for stepping down the rectified output of the rectifier A step-down unit that supplies to the inverter, a casing that supports opening and closing of the toilet seat, and that is supplied with commercial power, is provided inside the casing, and controls the switching of the second switching element to control the rectified output. A main body control unit that switches the amount of step-down and supplies it to the inverter to perform induction heating of the toilet seat, and is provided inside the casing, and the commercial power supply A first power supply device that supplies a power supply voltage for driving the main body control unit, and a second power supply device that is provided inside the toilet seat and generates a drive voltage for driving the step-down unit. The heating is characterized in that energization to the resonance circuit can be stopped regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit by stopping the drive voltage supplied from the second power supply device to the step-down unit. It is a toilet seat device.

  According to the heating toilet seat device, by stopping the drive voltage supplied from the second power supply device to the step-down unit, the energization to the resonance circuit is stopped regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit. If it does so, the drive of a resonance circuit will stop and the electricity supply of induction heating will be interrupted | blocked. Thus, for example, even when a failure occurs in the main body control unit 410, the instruction system, the first switching element 551, the second switching element 521, etc., induction heating can be stopped, and safety can be further improved. it can.

  Further, the drive voltage supplied by the second power supply device is stopped, while the power supply voltage supplied by the first power supply device is not stopped. Therefore, the main body control unit can continue driving with the power supply voltage supplied from the first power supply device when there is no failure.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, an overvoltage detection unit that detects a voltage supplied to the inverter, an abnormal temperature detection circuit unit that directly or indirectly detects a temperature of the conductor, An overpower detection unit that indirectly detects the power consumption of the conductor, and when the voltage detected by the overvoltage detection unit is higher than a predetermined threshold voltage, and the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit Regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit, at least one of the case where an overheat abnormality of the conductor is detected and the case where the overpower detection unit detects an abnormality of the power consumption, the second A heating toilet seat device characterized in that the power supply device is cut off.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, even if an abnormality occurs in the main body control unit or a communication failure occurs between the main body control unit and the toilet seat, the second power supply device can be shut off independently on the toilet seat side. it can. Therefore, the second power supply device can be reliably shut off regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit.

  According to a third aspect, in the second aspect, the second power supply device returns after the application of the voltage of the commercial power supply is once interrupted and reapplied after the interruption. The heating toilet seat device.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, after the second power supply device is cut off, the application of the voltage of the commercial power supply is once cut off and then restored when it is applied again. In other words, after being shut off, the second power supply device does not return unless the application of the voltage of the commercial power supply is once shut off and reapplied. According to this, regardless of the instruction from the main body control unit, unless the user intentionally performs a reset operation (commercial power supply reactivation operation), the induction heating operation can be reliably held in a stopped state. it can.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, the backup power supply further enables the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit to be driven for a predetermined time after the second power supply device is shut off. This is a heating toilet seat device.

  According to the heating toilet seat device, the backup power source can drive the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit for a predetermined time even after the second power supply device is shut off. For example, when the backup power supply is not provided, the drive voltage of the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit itself immediately decreases when the second power supply is shut off. As a result, the output voltage of the second power supply device drops below the intended voltage, and the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit for shutting down the second power supply device is completely turned off before the shutdown of the second power supply device is completed. There is a risk of being unable to drive. Therefore, there is a possibility that the second power supply device cannot be reliably shut off.

  On the other hand, this heating toilet seat device is provided with a backup power source. Therefore, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit can be driven for a predetermined time even after the second power supply device is shut off and the drive voltage supplied from the second power supply device is stopped. Thereby, the abnormal temperature detection circuit part can interrupt | block the 2nd power supply device more reliably. In addition, since it is not necessary to supply a driving voltage from the first power supply device to the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit, it is possible to reduce the cord connecting the casing and the toilet seat.

  A fifth invention is a drive voltage system for driving the overvoltage detection unit, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit, and the overpower consumption detection unit in any one of the second to fourth inventions. Is a heating toilet seat device that is independent of the system of the second power supply device and is the same as the system of the first power supply device.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, the driving voltage for driving the overvoltage detection unit, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit, and the overpower consumption detection unit is supplied from the first power supply device. Therefore, the overvoltage detection unit, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit, and the overpower consumption detection unit are driven even after the second power supply device is shut off and the drive voltage supplied from the second power supply device is stopped. be able to. Thereby, a 2nd power supply device can be interrupted | blocked more reliably.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the aspect of this invention, the induction heating type heating toilet seat apparatus which can improve safety | security more is provided.

It is a perspective schematic diagram which illustrates the toilet apparatus provided with the heating toilet seat apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram showing the toilet seat of this embodiment. It is a circuit diagram of the heating toilet seat device concerning this embodiment. It is a timing chart showing the specific example of operation | movement of the heating toilet seat apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is a graph showing the relationship between the resistance value of the thermistor of this embodiment, and temperature. It is a flowchart showing the specific example of operation | movement of the heating toilet seat apparatus concerning this embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a toilet apparatus including a heated toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the toilet seat of this embodiment.
2A is a schematic plan view of the toilet seat according to the present embodiment as viewed from above, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. is there.

  The toilet device shown in FIG. 1 includes a Western-style seat toilet 800 and a heated toilet seat device 100 provided thereon. The heating toilet seat device 100 includes a casing 400, a toilet seat 200, and a toilet lid 300. The toilet seat 200 and the toilet lid 300 are pivotally supported with respect to the casing 400 so as to be freely opened and closed. That is, the casing 400 supports the rotation (opening / closing) of the toilet seat 200 and the toilet lid 300. The toilet lid 300 can cover the toilet seat 200 in the closed state.

  In the casing 400, an entrance detection sensor (entrance detection means) 402 for detecting the user's entry into the toilet room, a seating detection sensor (sitting detection means) 404 for detecting that the user is sitting on the toilet seat 200, A toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor (toilet lid opening / closing detection means) 406 for detecting the opening / closing state of the toilet lid 300 is provided. In addition, the installation form of the entrance detection sensor 402, the seating detection sensor 404, and the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406 is an example, and is not limited thereto.

  The entrance detection sensor 402 can detect a user immediately after opening a toilet room door or entering a toilet room and a user existing in front of the door trying to enter the toilet room. That is, the entrance detection sensor 402 can detect not only a user who has entered the toilet room, but also a user before entering the toilet room, that is, a user existing in front of the door outside the toilet room. As such a room entry detection sensor 402, a pyroelectric sensor, a microwave sensor such as a Doppler sensor, or the like can be used. When using a sensor that uses the microwave Doppler effect or a sensor that detects the object to be detected based on the amplitude (intensity) of the microwave transmitted and reflected, the user's The presence can be detected. That is, the user before entering the toilet room can be detected.

  The seating detection sensor 404 can detect a human body existing above the toilet seat 200 immediately before the user sits on the toilet seat 200 or a user seated on the toilet seat 200. In other words, the seating detection sensor 404 can detect not only a user seated on the toilet seat 200 but also a user existing above the toilet seat 200. As such a seating detection sensor 404, for example, an infrared light emitting / receiving distance measuring sensor or the like can be used.

  As the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406, for example, a combination of a Hall IC and a magnet, a micro switch, or the like can be used.

  The toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406 is not limited to being built in the casing 400, and may be provided outside the hinge portion of the toilet lid 300 or the casing 400. That is, the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406 may detect the opening / closing state of the toilet lid 300. The same applies to the entrance detection sensor 402 and the seating detection sensor 404, and the entrance detection sensor 402 and the seating detection sensor 404 are not limited to being built in the casing 400. That is, the entry detection sensor 402 only needs to be able to detect the user entering the toilet room. The seating detection sensor 404 only needs to be able to detect the user's seating on the toilet seat 200. For example, a method of attaching the entrance detection sensor 402 to the entrance of the toilet room as a separate body and transmitting the entrance of the user to the toilet room to the main body control unit 410 (see FIG. 3) in the casing 400 by infrared communication may be used.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the toilet seat 200 includes a housing 210 that forms the outer shape of the toilet seat 200. The casing 210 is formed of an insulating material such as resin. Note that the housing 210 may be formed of a plurality of members or a single member.

  Inside the casing 210 of the toilet seat 200, an induction heating coil 222 that generates a magnetic field when a high-frequency current is applied is provided. In the toilet seat 200 shown in FIG. 2, the induction heating coil 222 is attached to the upper surface (inner surface facing the seating surface) 210 a inside the toilet seat 200. However, the installation form of the induction heating coil 222 is not limited to this, and the induction heating coil 222 may be supported by a support body (not shown) provided inside the toilet seat 200.

  The toilet seat 200 is provided with a conductor (heat generating portion) 231 that is induction-heated by a magnetic field generated from the induction heating coil 222. More specifically, the conductor 231 generates heat due to an eddy current induced by a magnetic field generated from the induction heating coil 222. The conductor 231 is attached to the upper surface (sitting surface) of the toilet seat 200. Alternatively, the conductor 231 may be provided inside the casing 210 of the toilet seat 200. Alternatively, the conductor 231 may be attached to the upper surface 210 a inside the toilet seat 200.

  As the conductor 231, for example, a metal such as a ferromagnetic material such as iron or stainless steel or a paramagnetic material such as aluminum can be used. In order to make it difficult to emit a magnetic field to the outside of the toilet seat 200, it is more preferable to use a ferromagnetic material such as iron or stainless steel having a large electric resistance for the conductor 231. In the case where the conductor 231 is provided on the upper surface of the toilet seat 200, it is more preferable that the surface of the conductor 231 is coated or coated so that the human body and the conductor 231 are not in direct contact with each other. .

  According to the present embodiment, the heating toilet seat device 100 can rapidly heat the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 using the principle of induction heating, and can make the seating surface an appropriate temperature faster. Moreover, since the heating toilet seat apparatus 100 concerning this embodiment can heat the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 rapidly, when the user is not using the toilet seat 200, it is not necessary to keep the toilet seat 200 warm. Therefore, it is possible to reduce power consumption during standby and save energy.

  Further, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 200, that is, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 200, it is necessary to keep the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 at an appropriate temperature. According to this embodiment, the heating toilet seat apparatus 100 performs rapid heating and heat insulation heating by induction heating. That is, the heating toilet seat device 100 according to the present embodiment maintains the temperature of the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 within a predetermined temperature and the rapid heating mode in which induction heating is performed so as to continuously increase the temperature of the seating surface of the toilet seat 200. Thus, it is possible to execute a heat insulation heating mode in which induction heating is performed. Thereby, the heating toilet seat apparatus 100 concerning this embodiment can implement | achieve rapid heating and heat retention heating with a simpler structure.

  The instruction of induction heating is given from the main body control unit 410 provided inside the casing 400. Here, for example, when a failure occurs in the main body control unit 410 or the instruction system, there is a case where the induction heating cannot be stopped even if the induction heating is stopped when the induction heating becomes abnormal. In this case, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 200, the rapid heating mode may be executed. On the other hand, the heating toilet seat device 100 according to the present embodiment is a second power supply device provided inside the toilet seat 200 regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit 410 when induction heating becomes abnormal. Block 515 (see FIG. 3). The second power supply device 515 generates and supplies a drive voltage (power supply voltage) for driving the high frequency power supply circuit 500 (see FIG. 3), for example.

  When the second power supply device 515 is shut off, the supply of the drive voltage for driving the high-frequency power supply circuit 500, for example, is stopped regardless of the instruction from the main body control unit 410. When the supply of the driving voltage is stopped, the driving of the high frequency power supply circuit 500 is stopped. If it does so, the electricity supply of induction heating will be interrupted | blocked. Thereby, for example, even when a failure occurs in the main body control unit 410 or the instruction system, the execution of the rapid heating can be stopped, and the safety can be further improved.

Next, an operation for shutting off the second power supply device 515 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the heating toilet seat device according to the present embodiment.

  Inside the casing 400, a main body control unit 410, a first power supply device 420, an entrance detection sensor 402, a seating detection sensor 404, a toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406, and an abnormality display unit 408 are provided. ing. The entrance detection sensor 402, the seating detection sensor 404, and the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406 are as described above with reference to FIG.

  The first power supply device 420 is connected to the commercial power supply 10 and supplies a power supply voltage for driving the main body control unit 410. The abnormality display unit 408 performs abnormality display based on an instruction from the main body control unit 410, for example, when induction heating becomes abnormal.

  Inside the toilet seat 200, a high frequency power supply circuit 500 that generates a high frequency current and supplies the high frequency current to the induction heating coil 222 is provided. The high frequency power supply circuit 500 includes a rectifying unit 510, a second power supply device 515, a step-down unit 520, a smoothing unit 530, a resonance circuit 540, and an inverter 550.

The rectifying unit 510 rectifies the current supplied from the commercial power supply 10.
The step-down unit 520 is a chopper type step-down circuit, and includes a second switching element 521, a diode 522, a gate driver 523, and a smoothing unit 530. 550.

  The second power supply device 515 generates a drive voltage V <b> 2 that drives the gate driver 523 of the step-down unit 520 and supplies the drive voltage V <b> 2 to the gate driver 523. In addition, the second power supply device 515 generates a drive voltage V <b> 3 that drives an oscillation control unit 257 described later, and supplies the drive voltage V <b> 3 to the oscillation control unit 257. A drive voltage V5 for driving an abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, an overvoltage detection unit 620, an overpower consumption detection unit 630, and a latch operation unit 643, which will be described later, is a regulator of the drive voltage V3 for driving the oscillation control unit 257. The voltage is stepped down by 645 as appropriate.

  The smoothing coil 531 and the smoothing capacitor 533 in the smoothing unit 530 not only function as a part of the chopper type step-down circuit. The smoothing capacitor 533 also plays a role of smoothing and supplying a high-frequency large current flowing through the inverter 550. The smoothing coil 531 has a high impedance with respect to a high frequency and also serves to prevent noise from being transmitted to the commercial power supply 10 side. The step-down function and the smoothing function may not be used as a coil and a capacitor, but may have a combination of a coil and a capacitor and be connected in series.

  The resonance circuit 540 includes an induction heating coil 222 and a resonance capacitor 541. The inverter 550 includes a first switching element 551 and controls power supplied to the resonance circuit 540. For example, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is used for the first switching element 551.

  The toilet seat 200 includes an abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, an overvoltage detection unit 620, an overpower consumption detection unit 630, a latch operation unit 643, a rapid / heat retention determination unit 251, and an oscillation control unit 257. , Is provided.

  The main body control unit 410 transmits a control signal for an output instruction (heating instruction) to the rapid / thermal insulation determination unit 251 via the coupler 253. Based on the control signal transmitted from the main body control unit 410, the rapid / thermal insulation determination unit 251 transmits control signals for the rapid heating mode and the thermal insulation heating mode to the oscillation control unit 257. The oscillation control unit 257 controls on / off of the first switching element 551 based on the control signal transmitted from the rapid / thermal insulation determination unit 251.

  In addition, the main body control unit 410 transmits a control signal to the gate driver 523 of the step-down unit 520 via the coupler 253. The gate driver 523 controls on / off of the second switching element 521 based on a control signal transmitted from the main body control unit 410 via the coupler 253. The second switching element 521 switches whether to step down the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 based on the signal output from the gate driver 523.

  As described above, the oscillation control unit 257 controls on / off of the first switching element 551 based on the control signal transmitted from the main body control unit 410. That is, the main body control unit 410 issues a heating instruction and controls on / off of the first switching element 551 via the oscillation control unit 257. The main body control unit 410 only gives an instruction to turn on / off induction heating, and the oscillation control unit 257 performs direct on / off control of the first switching element 521. The operation of the oscillation control unit 257 is as follows.

  First, when the oscillation control unit 257 controls the first switching element 551 to be in an on state, the current supplied from the commercial power supply 10 is rectified by the rectifying unit 510, smoothed by the smoothing unit 530, and supplied to the induction heating coil 222. Flowing. When the heat insulation heating mode is executed, the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 is appropriately stepped down by switching control of the second switching element 521 of the step-down unit 520.

  The step-down operation is performed by feed-forward control in the step-down unit 520. However, the step-down operation may be performed by feedback control without being limited thereto. When the step-down operation is performed by the feed-forward control in the step-down unit 520, for example, even when the high-frequency power supply circuit 500 operates so that a larger current than expected flows and the voltage of the smoothing capacitor 533 drops abnormally, the step-down unit Step-down control is performed with the voltage on the input side of 520. For this reason, the operation of increasing the output of the step-down unit 520 and causing a larger current to flow does not occur. Therefore, safety can be further improved. On the other hand, when the step-down operation is performed by feedback control, for example, even when the voltage of the commercial power supply 10 fluctuates, output fluctuation can be suppressed and stabilized.

  When current flows through the induction heating coil 222, magnetic energy accumulates in the induction heating coil 222. Subsequently, when the oscillation control unit 257 controls the first switching element 551 to be in an off state, no current is supplied from the commercial power supply 10, while the magnetic energy stored in the induction heating coil 222 is electrostatically applied to the resonance capacitor 541. Move as energy. Thereafter, energy returns from the resonance capacitor 541 to the induction heating coil 222 again to resonate.

  In the middle of this resonance operation, when the first switching element 551 is again turned on by the oscillation controller 257, the induction heating coil 222 is supplemented with magnetic energy, and the above operation is repeated to continue the resonance.

  As described above, when the oscillation control unit 257 controls switching between the on state and the off state of the first switching element 551, resonance occurs in the induction heating coil 222 and the resonance capacitor 541, and a high-frequency current is generated. The high frequency current is supplied to the induction heating coil 222. The induction heating coil 222 generates a high frequency magnetic field by the supplied high frequency current. Due to this high frequency magnetic field, an eddy current is generated in the conductor 231 and the conductor 231 generates heat. With the above operation, the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 can be heated.

  For example, when the room entry detection sensor 402 detects the user's room entry, the main body control unit 410 can control the energization of the induction heating coil 222 to heat the toilet seat 200 rapidly. Therefore, when the user sits on the toilet seat 200, the temperature can be set so as not to feel cold.

  When executing the rapid heating mode, the main body control unit 410 controls the second switching element 521 to be continuously turned on. Thereby, in the rapid heating mode, the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 is supplied to the inverter 550 without being stepped down by the step-down unit 520. That is, the commercial power supply 10 after rectification and the induction heating coil 222 are directly connected. The main body control unit 410 can raise the temperature of the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 continuously and heat it rapidly.

  Subsequently, when the user uses the toilet seat 200 or tries to use the toilet seat 200, the main body control unit 410 gives an instruction for heat insulation and controls on / off of the first switching element 551, and the toilet seat 200. The temperature of the seating surface is kept within a predetermined temperature.

  The main body control unit 410 instructs the switching control of the second switching element 521 when executing the heat insulation heating mode. Then, the main body control unit 410 causes the rectification output of the rectification unit 510 to be sufficiently lowered by the step-down unit 520 than the rectification output in the rapid heating mode. That is, the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 is sufficiently stepped down from the rectified output in the rapid heating mode in the step-down unit 520 and supplied to the inverter 550.

  Since the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 is sufficiently stepped down by the step-down unit 520, the coil current flowing through the induction heating coil 222 is smaller than the coil current in the rapid heating mode. That is, the vibration amplitude of the coil current in the heat retaining heating mode is smaller than the vibration amplitude of the coil current in the rapid heating mode. Therefore, the resonance amplitude of the resonance voltage in the heat retaining heating mode is smaller than the resonance amplitude of the resonance voltage in the rapid heating mode. Further, the resonance energy in the heat retaining heating mode is smaller than the resonance energy in the rapid heating mode. Note that the resonance voltage is a voltage applied to both ends of the first switching element 551.

  Thereby, the main body control unit 410 sufficiently lowers the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 by the step-down unit 520 without changing the resonance operation, so that the induction heating output in the heat retaining heating mode is changed from the induction heating output in the rapid heating mode. Can also be suppressed. Therefore, the main body control unit 410 can keep the temperature of the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 within a predetermined temperature by making the power consumption lower than the power consumption in the rapid heating mode.

  However, for example, when a failure occurs in the main body control unit 410, the instruction system, the first switching element 551, the second switching element 521, etc., the main body control unit 410 performs induction heating when the induction heating becomes abnormal. If you try to stop it, you may not be able to stop it. In this case, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 200, the rapid heating mode may be executed.

  In contrast, in the toilet seat 200 of the heating toilet seat device 100 according to the present embodiment, an abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, an overvoltage detection unit 620, an overpower consumption detection unit 630, a latch operation unit 643, Is provided.

  The abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 is connected to a thermistor (temperature sensor) 605 that detects the temperature of the conductor 231. The abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 detects the temperature of the conductor 231 directly or indirectly by the thermistor 605. The abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 compares the voltage based on the temperature of the conductor 231 detected by the thermistor 605 with the reference voltage based on the temperature of a predetermined threshold by the comparator 611, and the comparison result (signal) is ORed. Output to the circuit 641.

  The latch operation unit 643 switches between the through state and the latch state based on the signal output from the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 via the OR circuit 641. When the temperature of the conductor 231 detected by the thermistor 605 is higher than a predetermined threshold temperature, the latch operating unit 643 outputs a signal for stopping (shutting down) the second power supply device 515. Thereby, the oscillation of the oscillation switching element 515a provided in the second power supply device 515 is stopped. Therefore, regardless of the instruction from the main body control unit 410, the second power supply device 515 is shut off.

  Or the overvoltage detection part 620 detects the voltage V7 between the smoothing coil 531 and the induction heating coil 222 on the basis of GND (ground). That is, the overvoltage detection unit 620 detects the voltage V7 supplied to the inverter 550. Then, the overvoltage detection unit 620 compares the voltage based on the voltage V7 with the reference voltage based on the voltage set in advance in the rapid heating mode and the heat insulation heating mode, and compares the comparison result (signal). Output to the OR circuit 641.

  Switching between a reference voltage based on a preset voltage in the rapid heating mode and a reference voltage based on a preset voltage in the warming heating mode is performed by a reference voltage switching unit 621 provided in the overvoltage detection unit 620. Done. The reference voltage switching unit 621 is connected to the rapid / thermal insulation determination unit 251, and based on a signal output from the rapid / thermal insulation determination unit 251, a reference voltage based on a voltage set in advance in the rapid heating mode and the thermal insulation heating A reference voltage based on a voltage set in advance in the mode is switched and output to the comparator 623.

  The latch operation unit 643 switches between the through state and the latch state based on the signal output from the overvoltage detection unit 620 via the OR circuit 641. When the voltage V7 between the smoothing coil 531 and the induction heating coil 222 is higher than a predetermined threshold voltage, the latch operating unit 643 outputs a signal for stopping (cutting off) the second power supply device 515. To do. Thereby, the oscillation of the oscillation switching element 515a provided in the second power supply device 515 is stopped. Therefore, regardless of the instruction from the main body control unit 410, the second power supply device 515 is shut off.

  Alternatively, a current transformer 607 is connected to the overpower consumption detection unit 630. The overpower consumption detection unit 630 multiplies the current applied to the high frequency power supply circuit 500 measured by the current transformer 607 and the voltage of the commercial power supply 10 to multiply the power consumption of the conductor 231 provided in the toilet seat 200. Detect indirectly. Then, the overpower detection unit 630 compares the power consumption based on the energization current measured by the current transformer 607 and the reference power consumption voltage based on the current set in advance in the rapid heating mode and the heat insulation heating mode. The comparison result (signal) is output to the OR circuit 641.

  The switching between the reference consumption voltage based on the current preset in the rapid heating mode and the reference consumption voltage based on the preset current in the heat insulation heating mode is performed in the same manner as the switching described above for the overvoltage detection unit 620, for example. Done.

  The latch operation unit 643 switches between the through state and the latch state based on the signal output from the overpower consumption detection unit 630 via the OR circuit 641. When the power consumption of the conductor 231 is higher than the predetermined threshold power consumption, the latch operating unit 643 outputs a signal for stopping (shutting down) the second power supply device 515. Thereby, the oscillation of the oscillation switching element 515a provided in the second power supply device 515 is stopped. Therefore, regardless of the instruction from the main body control unit 410, the second power supply device 515 is shut off.

  When the second power supply device 515 is shut off, the supply of the drive voltages V2 and V3 for driving the gate driver 523 and the oscillation control unit 257 is stopped. Then, the gate driver 523 and the oscillation control unit 257 cannot be driven. Therefore, the driving of the high-frequency power supply circuit 500 is stopped, and the induction heating energization (energization to the resonance circuit 540) is interrupted. Thereby, for example, even when a failure occurs in the main body control unit 410, the instruction system, the first switching element 551, the second switching element 521, etc., the execution of the rapid heating can be stopped and the safety is further improved. be able to.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the induction heating becomes abnormal, the second power supply device 515 is shut off, while the first power supply device 420 is not shut off. Therefore, the main body control unit 410 can be driven by the power supply voltage supplied from the first power supply device 420 when there is no failure. For example, the main body control unit 410 can issue an instruction to display an abnormality in induction heating to the abnormality display unit 408. Alternatively, the main body control unit 410 can read data such as an abnormality information history stored in an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). According to this, it is possible to specify, for example, an abnormal location or the number of occurrences of an abnormality.

  The system of the drive voltage V5 that drives the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, the overvoltage detection unit 620, the overpower consumption detection unit 630, and the latch operation unit 643 is independent from the system of the second power supply device 515. However, it may be the same as the system of the first power supply device 420. According to this, since the first power supply device 420 is not shut off, the drive voltage V5 can be supplied from the first power supply device 420. Therefore, even after the stop signal of the second power supply device 515 is output from the latch operation unit 643 and the drive voltages V2, V3, and V4 are reduced, the second power supply device 515 can be reliably shut off. This will be described in detail later regarding the backup capacitor 647.

Next, a specific example of the operation of the heating toilet seat device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a specific example of the operation of the heating toilet seat device according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the resistance value of the thermistor of this embodiment and temperature.

This specific example is an operation when the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 detects a temperature abnormality of the conductor 231.
As shown in FIG. 5, the relationship between the resistance value of the thermistor 605 and the temperature is inversely proportional. That is, when the temperature of the conductor 231 increases and the temperature of the thermistor 605 increases, the resistance value of the thermistor 605 decreases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the temperature of the conductor 231 increases, a voltage (voltage of a signal line connected to the thermistor 605) V10 (see FIG. 3) based on the temperature of the conductor 231 is generated. To rise. When the voltage V10 based on the temperature of the conductor 231 becomes higher than the reference voltage V20 (see FIG. 3) based on the predetermined threshold temperature, as shown in FIG. 4B, the output voltage of the comparator 611 is output. V30 (see FIG. 3) is inverted.

  When the output voltage of the comparator 611 is inverted, as shown in FIG. 4C, the output voltage V40 (see FIG. 3) of the latch operating unit 643 is changed from “L (LOW: Low)” to “H (HIGH: High). ”. In the present specification, the output voltage V40 of the latch operating unit 643 being “L (LOW)” means that the latch operating unit 643 does not output a signal for stopping the second power supply device 515. It shall be. On the other hand, the output voltage V40 of the latch operation unit 643 being “H (HIGH)” means that the latch operation unit 643 is outputting a signal for stopping the second power supply device 515. To do.

  When the output voltage V40 of the latch operating unit 643 becomes “H”, the oscillation of the oscillation switching element 515a stops as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 4E, the drive voltage V2 that drives the gate driver 523 of the step-down unit 520 starts to decrease. Further, the drive voltages V3 and V4 that drive the oscillation control unit 257 start to decrease. Then, as shown in FIG. 4F, after the decrease of the drive voltages V2, V3, and V4 is finished, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, the overvoltage detection unit 620, the overpower consumption detection unit 630, and the latch The driving voltage V5 for driving the operating portion 643 starts to decrease.

  When the second power supply device 515 is shut off and the drive voltages V2, V3, and V4 are lowered and no longer supplied, the gate driver 523 and the oscillation control unit 257 cannot be driven. Then, the driving of the high frequency power supply circuit 500 is stopped and the energization of induction heating is interrupted. Thereby, for example, even when a failure occurs in the main body control unit 410, the instruction system, the first switching element 551, the second switching element 521, etc., the execution of the rapid heating can be stopped and the safety is further improved. be able to.

  In this specific example, as shown in FIGS. 4E and 4F, the drive voltage V5 starts to decrease after the decrease of the drive voltages V2, V3, and V4 is completed. That is, the drive voltage V5 has a time constant T with respect to the responsiveness of decrease. Therefore, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, the overvoltage detection unit 620, the overpower consumption detection unit 630, and the latch operation unit 643 are configured such that the second power supply device 515 is cut off and the drive voltages V2, V3, and V4 are Even after the supply stops, it can be driven only for a time constant (predetermined time) T. This can be realized by the backup capacitor (backup power supply) 647 and the rectifier diode 648 shown in FIG. The time constant T with respect to the responsiveness of the decrease in the drive voltage V5 is longer than the time from the start to the end of the decrease in the output voltage (drive voltages V2, V3, V4) of the second power supply device 515. The rectifier diode 648 is arranged for the purpose of cutting the edge so that the supply current source to the load (not shown in FIG. 3) connected to the V4 system does not become the backup capacitor 647 during the steady operation.

  When the backup capacitor 647 is not provided, when the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 detects a temperature abnormality of the conductor 231 and shuts off the second power supply device 515 via the latch operation unit 643, the abnormal temperature detection circuit The drive voltage V5 of the unit 610 itself is immediately reduced. As a result, the output voltage of the second power supply device 515 drops below the intended voltage, and the abnormal temperature detection for shutting down the second power supply device 515 is completed before the shutoff of the second power supply device 515 is completed. There is a possibility that the circuit unit 610 cannot be driven. Therefore, there is a possibility that the second power supply device 515 cannot be reliably shut off.

  On the other hand, the heating toilet seat device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a backup capacitor 647. The backup capacitor 647 can supply the drive voltage V5 only during the time constant T even after the second power supply device 515 is shut off and the supply of the drive voltages V2, V3, V4 is stopped. Therefore, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 can be driven only for the time constant T even after the second power supply device 515 is shut off and the supply of the drive voltages V2 and V3 is stopped. The time constant T is longer than the time from the start to the end of the decrease in the output voltage (drive voltages V2, V3 and regulator output voltage V4) of the second power supply device 515. Thereby, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 can reliably shut off the second power supply device 515 via the latch operation unit 643. The same applies to the case where at least one of the overvoltage detection unit 620 and the overpower consumption detection unit 630 shuts off the second power supply device 515.

  When the backup capacitor 647 is provided, the first power supply device 420 does not need to supply the drive voltage V5 to the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610. Therefore, the cords that connect the casing 400 and the toilet seat 200 can be reduced.

  In this specific example, the case where the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 detects a temperature abnormality of the conductor 231 has been described as an example. The operation of this specific example is the same when the overvoltage detection unit 620 detects a voltage abnormality and when the overpower consumption detection unit 630 detects a power consumption abnormality. That is, when the voltage V7 (see FIG. 3) becomes higher than a predetermined threshold voltage (corresponding to FIG. 4A), the output voltage of the comparator 623 is inverted (corresponding to FIG. 4B), and the latch operating unit The output voltage V40 of 643 is switched from “L” to “H” (corresponding to FIG. 4C). Alternatively, when the power consumption of the conductor 231 becomes higher than the power consumption of the predetermined threshold (corresponding to FIG. 4A), the output voltage V40 of the latch operating unit 643 is switched from “L” to “H” ( Corresponding to FIG.

Next, specific examples of the operation described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 will be further described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the operation of the heating toilet seat device according to the present embodiment.

  First, the operation starts (step S101), and when the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 detects a temperature abnormality of the conductor 231 (step S103), an abnormal signal is output to the latch operating unit 643 (step S105). Then, the latch operation unit 643 outputs a signal for stopping (shutting down) the second power supply device 515 (step S107). At this time, unless the main body control unit 410 outputs a predetermined signal, the latch operation unit 643 continues to output a signal for stopping the second power supply device 515.

  When the latch operation unit 643 outputs a stop signal for the second power supply device 515, the second power supply device 515 stops (latches) (step S109). If it does so, the electricity supply to the induction heating coil 222 will stop (step S111). Subsequently, when the commercial power supply 10 is turned on again (step S113), the second power supply device 515 returns (step S115). Then, the high frequency power supply circuit 500 enters a standby state (step S115).

  In other words, after being stopped by the stop signal output from the latch operating unit 643, the second power supply device 515 does not return unless the voltage of the commercial power supply 10 is once cut off and applied again. According to this, regardless of the instruction from the main body control unit 410, unless the user intentionally performs the reset operation (re-operation of the commercial power supply 10), the induction heating operation is surely held in the stopped state. be able to.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. As long as the features of the present invention are provided, those skilled in the art appropriately modified the design of the above-described embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape, dimensions, material, arrangement, etc. of each element included in the toilet seat 200 and the toilet lid 300, the circuit configuration of the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610 and the overvoltage detection unit 620, and the second power supply device 515 are reliably shut off. The configuration means of the backup power source of the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit 610, the overvoltage detection unit 620, and the overpower consumption detection unit 630 provided for the purpose is not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate.
Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Commercial power supply, 100 Heating toilet seat apparatus, 200 Toilet seat, 210 Housing | casing, 210a Upper surface, 222 Induction heating coil, 231 Conductor, 251 Rapid / insulation discrimination part, 253 Coupler, 257 Oscillation control part, 300 Toilet lid, 400 casing, 402 entrance detection sensor, 404 seating detection sensor, 406 toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor, 408 abnormality display unit, 410 main body control unit, 420 first power supply device, 500 high frequency power supply circuit, 510 rectification unit, 515 second power supply device, 515a Oscillation switching element, 520 step-down unit, 521 second switching element, 522 diode, 523 gate driver, 530 smoothing unit, 531 smoothing coil, 533 smoothing capacitor, 540 resonance circuit, 541 resonance capacitor, 550 inverter, 551 First switching element, 605 thermistor, 607 current transformer, 610 abnormal temperature detection circuit unit, 611 comparator, 620 overvoltage detection unit, 621 reference voltage switching unit, 623 comparator, 630 overpower consumption detection unit, 641 OR circuit, 643 Latch actuator, 645 regulator, 647 backup capacitor, 648 rectifier diode, 800 Western style toilet

Claims (5)

A resonant circuit having an induction heating coil and a resonant capacitor;
A conductor that is induction-heated by the magnetic field generated by the induction heating coil;
A toilet seat provided with the conductor;
An inverter having a first switching element and controlling power supplied to the resonant circuit;
A rectifier that rectifies the current supplied from the commercial power supply;
A step-down unit having a second switching element and stepping down the rectified output of the rectifying unit and supplying the stepped-down output to the inverter;
A casing that supports opening and closing of the toilet seat, and commercial power is supplied,
A main body control unit that is provided inside the casing, switches the step-down amount of the rectified output by controlling switching of the second switching element, supplies the inverter to the inverter, and performs induction heating of the toilet seat;
A first power supply device provided in the casing and connected to the commercial power supply to supply a power supply voltage for driving the main body control unit;
A second power supply device that is provided inside the toilet seat and generates a driving voltage for driving the step-down unit;
With
A heating toilet seat characterized in that energization to the resonance circuit can be stopped regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit by stopping the drive voltage supplied from the second power supply device to the step-down unit. apparatus. An overvoltage detector for detecting a voltage supplied to the inverter;
An abnormal temperature detection circuit unit for directly or indirectly detecting the temperature of the conductor;
An overpower detection unit that indirectly detects power consumption of the conductor;
Further comprising
When the voltage detected by the overvoltage detection unit is higher than a predetermined threshold voltage, when the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit detects an overheat abnormality of the conductor, and when the overpower consumption detection unit detects the power consumption 2. The heated toilet seat device according to claim 1, wherein the second power supply device is shut off regardless of an instruction from the main body control unit in at least one of cases where an abnormality is detected.   3. The heating toilet seat device according to claim 2, wherein the second power supply device returns after the application of the voltage of the commercial power supply is once interrupted and applied again after the interruption.   The heating toilet seat device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a backup power source that enables the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit to be driven for a predetermined time even after the second power supply device is shut off.   A drive voltage system for driving the overvoltage detection unit, the abnormal temperature detection circuit unit, and the overpower consumption detection unit is independent of the system of the second power supply device, and the system of the first power supply device. The heating toilet seat device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the heating toilet seat device is the same as the system.

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