JP5757132B2 - 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 toilet seat heating device including a heater and an electromagnetic induction heating coil (Patent Document 1). In the toilet seat heating apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when entry into a toilet is detected, an electromagnetic induction heating coil is operated 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, rapid heating and heat insulation heating can be realized with a simpler structure.

  However, for example, when a failure occurs in the condition circuit unit or the control unit that determines the execution condition of the rapid heating, the induction heating may not be cut off. There is room for improvement in this regard. Further, in the toilet seat heating apparatus described in Patent Document 1, for example, when a failure occurs in the human body detection means or the toilet seat lid opening / closing detection means, the user is guided even if the user is present in the vicinity of the toilet lid or toilet seat. There is a problem that the power supply for heating cannot be cut off.

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 high-output unit that outputs to the step-down unit a step-down unit that is supplied to the inverter, a switch that is mechanically operated by the use of the toilet seat by a user, and an instruction that continuously controls the second switching element to be in an on state. A condition circuit; and a low output condition circuit that issues an instruction to step down the rectified output by controlling switching of the second switching element toward the step-down unit. And, and a control unit by lowering the rectified output is supplied to the inverter to perform induction heating of the toilet seat by controlling the switching of said second switching element, the step-down unit, the switch The heating is characterized in that it operates according to an instruction from the low output condition circuit by cutting off an instruction from the high output condition circuit, and reduces the rectified output to a predetermined value or less and supplies it to the inverter. It is a toilet seat device.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, when the switch operates, the step-down unit steps down the rectified output to a predetermined value or less and supplies it to the inverter regardless of an instruction from the control unit. Therefore, when the toilet seat is in a use state, the voltage supplied to the inverter becomes a predetermined value or less. For this reason, even if a failure occurs in the control unit or the like, the magnetic flux generated by the operation of the inverter can be reduced when the toilet seat is in use. Thereby, safety can be improved more. Further, the inverter can operate with a voltage stepped down to a predetermined value or less by the step-down unit. Therefore, even when the toilet seat is in use, the toilet seat can be kept warm by induction heating.

The second aspect, in the first aspect, pre-Symbol switch is a heating toilet seat apparatus, characterized in that said high-output condition circuit, the step-down unit, provided between the signal line .

  According to this heating toilet seat device, the switch is provided on the signal line between the high output condition circuit and the step-down unit, and can block the instruction from the high output condition circuit. It is possible to more reliably prevent an instruction from the high output condition circuit from being transmitted to the step-down unit. The operation of the step-down unit is limited to an instruction from the low output condition circuit. Therefore, the rectified output of the rectifying unit can be stepped down more reliably to a predetermined value or less.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the heating toilet seat device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the switch operates with a load based on a user's seating operation on the toilet seat.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, the switch operates with a load based on the user's seating operation on the toilet seat. Therefore, the switch can operate more reliably mechanically by the load applied by the user sitting on the toilet seat.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the toilet seat further includes a toilet lid capable of covering the toilet seat, and the switch is operated by opening and closing the toilet lid. Device.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, the switch operates by opening and closing the toilet lid. Therefore, the switch can operate more reliably mechanically by opening and closing the toilet lid.

  The fifth invention is the first to fourth inventions, further comprising a casing for supporting rotation of the toilet seat, wherein the control unit is provided in the casing, and the step-down unit and the switch are The heating toilet seat device is provided inside the toilet seat.

  According to this heating toilet seat device, the step-down unit and the switch are provided inside the toilet seat. Therefore, there is little possibility that communication abnormality will occur, and the rectified output of the rectifying unit can be stepped down to a predetermined value or less with more certainty.

  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 plane schematic diagram for demonstrating the installation mode of the switch of this embodiment. It is another circuit diagram of the heating toilet seat apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the specific example of the switch which operate | moves by the opening / closing operation | movement of a toilet seat. It is a perspective schematic diagram showing the other specific example of the switch which operate | moves by the opening / closing operation | movement of a toilet seat.

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 of the toilet seat 200 and the toilet lid 300. The toilet lid 300 can cover the toilet seat 200 in the closed state.

  The casing 400 includes an entrance detection sensor (entrance detection means) 402 that detects entry of a user into the toilet room, a human body detection sensor (human body detection means) 403 that detects a user in front of the toilet seat 200, and a use A seating detection sensor (sitting detection means) 404 for detecting that the person has sat on the toilet seat 200 and a toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor (toilet lid opening / closing detection means) 406 for detecting the open / closed state of the toilet lid 300 are provided. Yes. In addition, the installation form of the entrance detection sensor 402, the human body detection sensor 403, 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 human body detection sensor 403 can detect a user who is in front of the western-style seat toilet 800, that is, a user who is present at a position spaced forward from the toilet seat 200. That is, the human body detection sensor 403 can detect a user who enters the toilet room and approaches the toilet seat 200. As such a human body detection sensor 403, for example, an infrared light projecting / receiving distance measuring sensor or the like can be used.

  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, the human body detection sensor 403, and the seating detection sensor 404. The entrance detection sensor 402, the human body detection sensor 403, and the seating detection sensor 404 are built in the casing 400. It is not limited. That is, the entry detection sensor 402 only needs to be able to detect the user entering the toilet room. The human body detection sensor 403 only needs to be able to detect a user in front of the toilet seat 200. The seating detection sensor 404 only needs to be able to detect the user's seating on the toilet seat 200. For example, the entrance detection sensor 402 may be separately attached to the entrance of the toilet room, and the user's entrance to the toilet room may be transmitted to the control unit 410 (see FIG. 3) in the casing 400 by infrared communication.

  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.

  Here, for example, if a failure occurs in a condition circuit unit or a control unit that determines the execution condition of rapid heating, the induction heating may not be cut off. 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 includes a switch that operates mechanically when the toilet seat 200 is used by the user. This switch is called, for example, a “mechanical switch” or a “contact switch”, and can be physically switched on / off. And in the heating toilet seat apparatus 100 concerning this embodiment, the instruction | indication of rapid heating can be interrupted | blocked with a switch irrespective of the instruction | indication from a control part. Thereby, even when a failure occurs in the control unit or the like, the execution of the rapid heating can be stopped, and the safety can be further improved.

Next, an operation for interrupting the rapid heating instruction by the switch 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.
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view for explaining the installation form of the switch of the present embodiment.

  For example, the control unit 410 is provided inside the casing 400. The control unit 410 includes a high output condition circuit 440 and a low output condition circuit 450. The high output condition circuit 440 determines a condition for executing the rapid heating mode, and issues a high output instruction to the step-down unit 520 of the high frequency power supply circuit 500 provided in the toilet seat 200. The low output condition circuit 450 determines a condition for executing the heat insulation heating mode, and issues a low output instruction to the step-down unit 520 of the high frequency power supply circuit 500 provided in the toilet seat 200. The high output condition circuit 440 and the low output condition circuit 450 do not have to be clearly distinguished as circuits. For example, the microcomputer determines a condition for executing the rapid heating mode or the warming heating mode, and the high output instruction and the low output condition are determined. It may be output by switching to an instruction.

  The high output condition circuit 440 includes a human body detection sensor 403, a seating detection sensor 404, a time timer 407, and a temperature monitoring sensor 408. The human body detection sensor 403 and the seating detection sensor 404 are as described above with reference to FIGS. The time limit timer 407 can measure the execution time of the rapid heating mode or limit the execution time of the rapid heating mode. The temperature monitoring sensor 408 can detect the temperature of the toilet seat 200.

  Further, the high output condition circuit 440 includes an AND circuit 441. Detection signals from the human body detection sensor 403, the seating detection sensor 404, the time limit timer 407, and the temperature monitoring sensor 408 are input to the AND circuit 441. Then, when the conditions for performing induction heating (rapid heating mode) with high output are met, the high output condition circuit 440 issues an instruction (high output instruction) permitting execution of the rapid heating mode to the step-down unit 520.

  The low output condition circuit 450 includes a human body detection sensor 403, a seating detection sensor 404, and the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406 includes a temperature monitoring sensor 408. The human body detection sensor 403, the seating detection sensor 404, and the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406 are as described above with reference to FIGS. As described above, the temperature monitoring sensor 408 can detect the temperature of the toilet seat 200.

  The low output condition circuit 450 includes an AND circuit 451. Detection signals from the human body detection sensor 403, the seating detection sensor 404, the toilet lid opening / closing detection sensor 406, and the temperature monitoring sensor 408 are input to the AND circuit 451. When conditions for performing induction heating with low output (heat retention heating mode) are met, the low output condition circuit 450 issues an instruction (low output instruction) for permitting execution of the heat retention heating mode to the step-down unit 520.

  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 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 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.

  In addition, an oscillation control unit 257, a switch 260, and an OR circuit 271 are provided inside the toilet seat 200. As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the switch 260 is called, for example, a “mechanical switch” or a “contact switch”, and can be physically switched on / off. The switch 260 is provided on a signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271. Then, the switch 260 can block the instruction (signal) output from the high output condition circuit 440 by operating. The operation of the switch 260 is performed by, for example, a user's sitting operation on the toilet seat 200 or an opening / closing operation of the toilet lid 300.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the switch 260 is provided, for example, on the leg 211 of the toilet seat 200. Alternatively, the switch 260 is provided on the shaft support 213 of the toilet seat 200 with respect to the casing 400, for example. When the switch 260 is provided on the leg 211 or the shaft support portion 213 of the toilet seat 200, the switch 260 is operated by a load applied by the user sitting on the toilet seat 200. That is, when the user sits on the toilet seat 200, the toilet seat 200 moves downward in response to a load due to the weight of the user. By doing so, the switch 260 provided in the leg 211 or the shaft support part 213 of the toilet seat 200 is pushed downward. The switch 260 that operates by opening and closing the toilet lid 300 will be described in detail later.

  The OR circuit 271 is provided on a signal line between the switch 260 and the gate driver 523 and between the low output condition circuit 450 and the gate driver 523.

  The oscillation control unit 257 controls on / off of the first switching element 551 based on the control signal transmitted from the control unit 410. That is, the control unit 410 issues a heating instruction, and controls on / off of the first switching element 551 via the oscillation control unit 257. The 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 entrance detection sensor 402 detects the entrance of the user and the high output condition circuit 440 has a condition for executing the rapid heating mode, the control unit 410 controls the energization of the induction heating coil 222 to control the toilet seat 200. Can be heated 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 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 controller 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, for example, conditions for executing the rapid heating mode are not met by detection signals from the human body detection sensor 403, the seating detection sensor 404, and the like. Therefore, the high output condition circuit 440 does not issue an instruction to permit execution of the rapid heating mode.

  On the other hand, when the user uses the toilet seat 200 or tries to use the toilet seat 200 and the low-power condition circuit 450 has a condition for executing the heat-retaining and heating mode, the control unit 410 issues a heat-retaining and heating instruction to the first. The switching element 551 is turned on / off to keep the temperature of the seating surface of the toilet seat 200 within a predetermined temperature.

  The control unit 410 gives an instruction for switching control of the second switching element 521 when executing the heat insulation heating mode. Then, the control unit 410 sufficiently lowers the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 by the step-down unit 520 more than the rectified 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 control unit 410 sufficiently reduces the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 by the step-down unit 520 without changing the resonance operation, thereby causing the induction heating output in the heat retaining heating mode to be higher than the induction heating output in the rapid heating mode. Can be suppressed. Therefore, the 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, if a failure occurs in the control unit 410, the high output condition circuit 440, or the like, the high output condition circuit 440 may issue a high output instruction even if conditions for executing the rapid heating mode are not met. In this case, when the user is seated on the toilet seat 200, the rapid heating mode is executed. When a failure occurs in the control unit 410, the high output condition circuit 440, or the like, both the high output instruction from the high output condition circuit 440 and the low output instruction from the low output condition circuit 450 are input to the OR circuit 271. There is a case. In this case, even if an instruction for switching control is input to the OR circuit 271, the instruction output from the OR circuit 271 is an instruction to continuously control the second switching element 521 to the ON state. Therefore, when the user is sitting on the toilet seat 200, the rapid heating mode is executed.

  On the other hand, the heating toilet seat device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a switch 260 provided on a signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271. When the user sits on the toilet seat 200, the switch 260 operates due to a load applied to the toilet seat 200, and interrupts the signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271. That is, when the toilet seat 200 is in use, the switch 260 blocks the high output instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 regardless of the instruction from the control unit 410.

  Thereby, when the toilet seat 200 is in a use state, the voltage supplied to the inverter 550 becomes a predetermined value or less. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in the control unit 410, the high output condition circuit 440, etc., the magnetic flux generated by the operation of the inverter 550 can be reduced when the toilet seat 200 is in use. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in the control unit 410, the high output condition circuit 440, or the like, execution of the rapid heating mode can be stopped, and safety can be further improved.

  The switch 260 is provided on the signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271, and is not provided on the signal line between the low output condition circuit 450 and the OR circuit 271. Therefore, the inverter 550 can operate even when the supplied voltage is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, that is, even when the high output instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 is interrupted. Thereby, even if the toilet seat 200 becomes a use state, the control part 410 can perform a heat retention heating mode.

  Further, the switch 260 can more reliably prevent the high output instruction from being transmitted to the step-down unit 520 by blocking the signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271. Since the operation of the step-down unit 520 is limited to the low output instruction output from the low output condition circuit 450, the rectified output of the rectifier unit 510 can be stepped down more reliably to a predetermined value or less.

  Furthermore, since the switch 260 is a “mechanical switch” or a “contact switch” that is operated by a load applied by the user sitting on the toilet seat 200, the switch 260 can operate more reliably. Moreover, the heating toilet seat apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can perform a self-diagnosis as to whether or not the switch 260 has a failure such as welding. More specifically, the switch 260 and the seating detection sensor 404 operate independently of each other. Therefore, when the seating detection sensor 404 detects a user and the switch 260 does not perform an on / off operation, the control unit 410 determines that at least one of the seating detection sensor 404 and the switch 260 has failed. It can be determined that it has occurred. Thereby, safety can be improved more. As means for detecting the on / off state of the switch 260, for example, there is means for feeding back a voltage signal between the terminals of the switch 260 to the control unit 410.

  In addition, as described above, the step-down unit 520 and the switch 260 are provided inside the toilet seat 200. Therefore, there is little possibility that communication abnormality will occur, and the rectified output of the rectifying unit 510 can be more reliably lowered to a predetermined value or less by the switch 260.

FIG. 5 is another circuit diagram of the heating toilet seat device according to the present embodiment.
In the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 5, a pull-down resistor 273 is provided on the signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271. A switch 260 is connected to a signal line between the pull-down resistor 273 and the OR circuit 271. The switch 260 is connected to the ground. Other circuit configurations are the same as those described above with reference to FIG.

  In the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 5, when the user sits on the toilet seat 200, the switch 260 is operated by a load applied to the toilet seat 200 and is turned on (closed state). Then, the high output instruction signal output from the high output condition circuit 440 is dropped to the ground and blocked. That is, when the toilet seat 200 is in use, the switch 260 blocks the high output instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 regardless of the instruction from the control unit 410.

  Thus, in the present specification, within the range of “blocking”, not only the switch 260 is turned off (open state) and the signal line is cut off, but also the high output instruction is cut off, and the switch 260 is turned on (closed). State) and being connected to the ground, this includes shutting off the high output instruction.

  Also in the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 5, the same effects as those described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 can be obtained.

Next, a case where the operation of the switch 260 is performed by opening and closing the toilet lid 300 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a specific example of a switch that operates by opening and closing the toilet seat.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the range B shown in FIG. 1 when viewed in the direction of arrow C. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the toilet lid 300 is closed, and FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the toilet lid 300 is opened.

  The switch 260 of this specific example includes a moving body 261, an elastic body 263, and a third switching element 265. The moving body 261 has a flange 261a at the lower end. The elastic body 263 is a “spring”, for example, and is connected to the moving body 261 and the casing 400. The elastic body 263 biases the moving body 261 upward. The third switching element 265 is provided in the casing 400 and can be physically switched on / off.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, in a state where the toilet lid 300 is closed, the moving body 261 is pushed downward by the concave portion 301 of the toilet lid 300. Therefore, the moving body 261 moves to the third switching element 265 side against the biasing force received from the elastic body 263, and the third switching element 265 is in the on state. At this time, the high output instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 is not blocked. Therefore, when the conditions under which the rapid heating mode can be executed in the high-power condition circuit 440 are satisfied, the control unit 410 controls the second switching element 521 to be continuously turned on to rapidly heat the seating surface of the toilet seat 200. be able to.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the toilet lid 300 opens, the force received from the recess 301 of the toilet lid 300 is released, and the moving body 261 moves upward by the urging force of the elastic body 263. And if the collar part 261a of the mobile body 261 contacts the casing 400, the upward movement of the mobile body 261 stops. Then, the third switching element 265 is turned off. Thereby, irrespective of the instruction from the control unit 410, the high output instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 can be blocked. Further, the switch 260 can be mechanically operated more reliably by the opening / closing operation of the toilet lid 300.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view illustrating another specific example of the switch that operates by opening and closing the toilet seat.
The switch 260 a of this specific example includes a contact (terminal) 262 and an operation shaft 264. As shown in FIG. 7, the contact 262 is arranged in a substantially ring shape. The operation shaft 264 rotates as the toilet lid 300 rotates. The switch 260 a can be switched on / off by switching the contact 262 according to the rotation angle of the operation shaft 264.

  The switch 260a of this specific example is provided, for example, in the shaft support portion of the toilet lid 300 with respect to the casing 400. When the toilet lid 300 is opened, the operation shaft 264 rotates. Then, the switch 260a is turned off when the contact 262 is switched according to the rotation angle of the operation shaft 264. Thereby, irrespective of the instruction from the control unit 410, the high output instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 can be blocked. Further, the switch 260a can be mechanically operated more reliably by the opening / closing operation of the toilet lid 300.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the heating toilet seat device 100 includes the switch 260 that is mechanically operated by the use of the toilet seat 200 by the user. The switch 260 is provided on a signal line between the high output condition circuit 440 and the OR circuit 271. When the toilet seat 200 is in a use state, the instruction output from the high output condition circuit 440 regardless of the instruction from the control unit 410. Can be cut off. Thereby, when the toilet seat 200 is in a use state, the voltage supplied to the inverter 550 becomes a predetermined value or less. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in the control unit 410, the high output condition circuit 440, etc., the magnetic flux generated by the operation of the inverter 550 can be reduced when the toilet seat 200 is in use. Therefore, even if a failure occurs in the control unit 410, the high output condition circuit 440, or the like, execution of the rapid heating mode can be stopped, and safety can be further improved.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described. 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 high-frequency power supply circuit 500, the installation form of the switch 260, and the like are not limited to those illustrated. And can be changed as appropriate.
Further, the switch 260 is not limited to the one exemplified in the present embodiment. For example, the switch 260 may be a magnetic sensor such as a reed switch. In this case, for example, a magnet is provided on the toilet lid 300. And switch 260 switches on / off because magnetic force changes by the opening / closing operation | movement of the toilet lid 300. FIG.
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.

  100 Heating Toilet Seat Device, 200 Toilet Seat, 210 Case, 210a Top Surface, 211 Leg, 213 Shaft Support, 222 Induction Heating Coil, 231 Conductor, 257 Oscillation Control Unit, 260, 260a Switch, 261 Moving Body, 261a Wedge, 262 Contact point, 263 elastic body, 264 operation shaft, 265 third switching element, 271 OR circuit, 273 pull-down resistor, 300 toilet lid, 301 recess, 400 casing, 402 entrance detection sensor, 403 human body detection sensor, 404 seating detection sensor, 406 Toilet lid open / close detection sensor, 407 timer, 408 temperature monitoring sensor, 410 control unit, 440 high output condition circuit, 441 AND circuit, 450 low output condition circuit, 451 AND circuit, 500 high frequency power supply circuit, 510 rectification unit 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, 800 Western-style toilet bowl

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 step-down output to the inverter;
A switch that operates mechanically by use of the toilet seat by a user;
A high-power condition circuit that issues an instruction to continuously turn on the second switching element to the step-down unit, and an instruction to step down the rectified output by controlling the switching of the second switching element A low output condition circuit that outputs the voltage to the step-down unit, and controls the switching of the second switching element to step down the rectified output and supply it to the inverter to perform induction heating of the toilet seat A control unit,
With
The step-down unit operates according to an instruction from the low output condition circuit by operating the switch to cut off an instruction from the high output condition circuit, and steps down the rectified output to a predetermined value or less to the inverter. A heating toilet seat device characterized by being supplied. Before SL switch, the high output and condition circuit, the step-down unit, heating toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that provided in the signal line between the.   The heating toilet seat device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the switch operates with a load based on a seating operation of a user on the toilet seat. Further comprising a toilet lid that can cover the toilet seat,
The heating toilet seat device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the switch is operated by an opening / closing operation of the toilet lid. Further comprising a casing for supporting rotation of the toilet seat;
The control unit is provided inside the casing,
The heating toilet seat device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step-down unit and the switch are provided inside the toilet seat.

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