JP5796830B2 - Toilet seat device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toilet seat device having an elevating function.

  Western-style toilets can finish stool with a comfortable posture compared to Japanese-style toilets, but for physically handicapped and frail elderly people with reduced physical functions such as legs and hips (hereinafter referred to as disabled people) Some people have difficulty in sitting on the toilet seat of a Western-style toilet or standing up from the toilet seat. In addition, since the space in the toilet is generally small, it is difficult for the assistant who assists in these operations to perform the assisting work skillfully in the toilet.

  As a method for solving the above problems, it is widely known that raising and lowering the toilet seat is effective for the purpose of assisting the standing-up operation or sitting operation of the handicapped person. An elevating device for elevating and lowering a toilet seat between a use position for stool and an auxiliary position above the use position is disclosed. According to the toilet equipped with such a lifting device, by raising the toilet seat to the upper auxiliary position during the sitting operation, it is possible to receive the buttocks of the disabled and the like with the toilet seat, and to prevent inadvertent dropping of the buttocks. That is, a handicapped person or the like who is difficult to maintain the middle waist posture can sit on the toilet seat more safely without striking the buttocks on the toilet seat during the sitting motion. Further, if the toilet seat is raised to the auxiliary position again during the standing-up operation, the disabled person can stand up from the toilet seat with less muscular strength, so the burden on the disabled person or the caregiver can be reduced.

  The lifting device in Patent Document 1 is disposed between an opening of a toilet body and a water storage tank fixed to the rear upper end of the toilet body, and includes a drive mechanism including a guide rail, a drive motor, a sprocket, a chain, and the like. The toilet seat is moved up and down. In the present specification and claims, front and rear, left and right, and upper and lower directions mean directions seen from a person sitting on the toilet seat.

  In the toilet bowl of patent document 2, the toilet seat pivotally attached to the front end part of the toilet bowl body is moved up and down by an operating body provided on the side surface of the toilet bowl body. The operating body includes a rack and a pinion, a motor that rotates the pinion, and the like. In the toilet device described in Patent Document 3, the hydraulic cylinder is displaced between an operating posture in which the rear end of the toilet seat is lifted and a standby posture in which the toilet seat contacts the toilet body. The toilet seat is pivotally attached to the front end portion of the toilet body, and a link composed of a pair of arm members connected in an X shape is disposed between the rear end portion of the toilet seat and the toilet body.

  In the toilet seat device of Patent Document 4, a support member is erected on the floor in front of the toilet body, and the front end of the toilet seat is swingably connected to the upper end of the support member. A drive device for swinging the toilet seat up and down includes a cylinder device, a hydrogen storage alloy, and a hydrogen-hydraulic converter disposed between them. When a disabled person or the like sits on the toilet seat in the auxiliary position, the pressure switch detects the seating state, the heater that heats the hydrogen storage alloy is turned on, the hydrogen gas stored in the alloy is released, and the hydrogen-hydraulic converter Flow into. As a result, the hydraulic fluid stored in the converter flows into the pressure chamber of the cylinder device, the piston is pushed down against the urging force of the compression spring, and the toilet seat swings downward toward the use position. When water is flowed after the stool, the hydrogen storage alloy is cooled by the water, and the hydrogen gas flowing into the hydrogen-hydraulic converter is sucked into the alloy. As a result, the hydraulic fluid in the pressure chamber of the cylinder device returns to the converter, the piston is pushed up by the compression spring, and the toilet seat swings upward toward the auxiliary position.

  Further, in relation to the present invention, Patent Document 5 discloses a toilet seat device in which a bellows-like bag that can be vertically expanded and contracted is disposed below the toilet seat. However, the bag of Patent Document 5 is merely buffering the impact at the time of sitting, and is not intended to assist the standing-up operation or sitting operation of the handicapped person and the like, and thus is essentially the toilet seat device of the present invention. Different.

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-24213 (page 2, right column, line 34 to page 3, left column, line 22, line 2) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-105590 microfilm (2nd page, lines 3-15, drawing) JP-A-63-111827 (page 2, upper left column, line 9 to upper right column, line 8, FIG. 2) Japanese Patent No. 2854521 (paragraph numbers 0016 to 0017, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent No. 3125646 (paragraph numbers 0015 to 0016, FIG. 3)

  In the toilet seat device of Patent Document 1, since the lifting device is constituted by a guide rail, a drive motor, a sprocket, a chain, etc., the front and rear dimensions of the lifting device are inevitably increased, and installation space is required when attaching to an existing Western-style toilet. It is difficult to ensure. In particular, when an existing Western-style toilet is a low tank type in which a water storage tank is fixed to the upper rear end of the toilet body, the front and rear space between the upper surface opening of the toilet body and the water storage tank is small. It becomes difficult.

  In the toilet seat device of Patent Document 2, the toilet seat is directly attached to the front end of the toilet body. Therefore, when attaching a toilet seat to an existing toilet body, it is necessary to perform processing such as making a hole in the toilet body formed of porcelain, which is not practical. The same applies to the toilet seat device of Patent Document 3. Further, in the toilet seat device of Patent Document 2, since it is necessary to attach the toilet seat and the operating body separately, the installation work takes time, and the installation space for the operating body is required on the side of the toilet body, and the toilet seat device is installed in a narrow toilet. It is difficult to secure space.

  In the toilet seat device of Patent Document 4, as in the toilet seat device according to the present invention, the toilet seat is lifted and lowered using hydrogen gas released from the hydrogen storage alloy. However, in the toilet seat device of Patent Document 4, the toilet seat drive device includes a cylinder device and a hydrogen-hydraulic converter in addition to the hydrogen storage alloy. Therefore, there is a disadvantage that the overall structure of the toilet seat device is complicated and the cost is increased.

  The toilet is also commonly used by healthy people who have no problems with their legs. However, the toilet seat device according to Patent Documents 1, 3, and 4 cannot be turned upright and swung backward from the toilet body like a general toilet seat, and is difficult to use for men's small use. Yes. The toilet seat of Patent Document 2 can be rotated 270 ° forward, so that the toilet seat can be prevented from being obstructed for men's small use. The body gets in the way and is inconvenient.

The object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat device with an elevating function that does not require a large installation space, can be applied to a conventional toilet body as well as a new toilet body, and can be easily constructed with less effort. It is to provide.
An object of the present invention is to simplify the overall structure of a toilet seat device having a lifting function using a hydrogen storage alloy and reduce its cost.
An object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat device with an elevating function that can be erected on the rear side of the opening of the toilet body when the toilet seat is unnecessary.

The present invention relates to a toilet seat base 12 that is supported up and down by a swing shaft 15 disposed at the rear of the toilet body 1, a toilet seat 14 disposed on the upper surface of the toilet seat base 12, and a toilet seat 14 with respect to the toilet seat base 12. The present invention relates to a toilet seat device 10 including an elevating mechanism for elevating operation. The elevating mechanism supplies hydrogen gas to the stretchable bags 21 and 22 disposed between the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12, and the stretchable bags 21 and 22, or hydrogen for re-occluding the hydrogen gas supplied to the stretchable bags 21 and 22. Including the occlusion unit 23. The hydrogen storage unit 23 is provided with a hydrogen storage alloy 41, a heating unit 42 that heats the hydrogen storage alloy 41 to release hydrogen gas, and a cooling unit that cools the hydrogen storage alloy 41 and stores hydrogen gas. Between the hydrogen storage part 23 and the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22, hydrogen gas is sent and received through the gas passage 60, and the use position where the toilet seat 14 is supported by the toilet seat base 12 and the auxiliary position above the toilet seat base 12 Can be moved up and down. The gas passage 60 is provided with a hydrogen recovery chamber 62 having a stretchable bag structure for temporarily storing hydrogen gas returned from the stretchable bags 21 and 22 to the hydrogen storage unit 23.

  The toilet seat device 10 includes a toilet seat base 11 that is fixed to the rear upper surface of the toilet body 1. The toilet seat base 12 is supported by a swing shaft 15 provided on the toilet seat base 11 so as to be raised and lowered. A hydrogen storage part 23 is arranged inside the toilet seat base 11.

  The cooling means for cooling the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is configured to perform cooling by using the washing water for washing the toilet body 1 as a cooling medium.

  Between the toilet seat base 12 and the toilet seat 14, a link mechanism 26 that restricts the toilet seat 14 from rising beyond the auxiliary position and a spring 29 that biases the toilet seat 14 in a direction in which the telescopic bags 21 and 22 contract. Provide.

  The raising / lowering mechanism of the toilet seat 14 in the present invention supplies hydrogen gas to the stretchable bags 21 and 22 and the stretchable bags 21 and 22 disposed between the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12, or hydrogen supplied to the stretchable bags 21 and 22. And a hydrogen storage part 23 for re-storing gas. When the hydrogen storage alloy 41 of the hydrogen storage unit 23 is heated by the heating means 42, hydrogen gas is released from the hydrogen storage alloy 41 and flows into the expansion bags 21 and 22 through the gas passage 60, and the expansion bags 21 and 22. Expands and the toilet seat 14 rises. On the other hand, when the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is cooled in the state where the toilet seat 14 is raised, the absorption of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen storage alloy 41 starts and the hydrogen gas in the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 flows out into the gas passage 60, and the expansion and contraction bag 21. 22 contracts and the toilet seat 14 descends.

  As described above, when the toilet seat 14 is directly lifted / lowered by the elastic bags 21 and 22 disposed between the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12, the lift mechanism has a higher lift mechanism than the toilet seat device that lifts / lowers the toilet seat with a mechanical lift device. Compactness can be achieved. Therefore, the toilet seat device according to the present invention can be easily applied not only to the new toilet body 1 but also to the existing toilet body 1.

  In the present invention, the toilet seat base 12 is supported up and down by the swing shaft 15 disposed at the rear of the toilet body 1, and the toilet seat 14 is attached to the toilet seat base 12 via the telescopic bags 21 and 22. Therefore, when the swing shaft 15 is provided on the toilet body 1, the toilet seat device 10 can be mounted on the toilet body 1 simply by connecting the toilet seat base 12 to the swing shaft 15. Further, when the swing shaft 15 is provided as a part of the toilet seat device 10, the toilet seat device 10 can be attached to the toilet body 1 simply by fixing the swing shaft 15 to the toilet body 1. That is, the toilet seat device 10 according to the present invention can be easily applied to the toilet body 1 with little effort.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the toilet bag 14 is lifted by directly expanding the expansion bags 21 and 22 with hydrogen gas released from the hydrogen storage alloy 41. According to this, compared with the toilet seat apparatus of the conventional form which uses a cylinder apparatus and a hydrogen-hydraulic converter in addition to a hydrogen storage alloy, the whole structure of the toilet seat apparatus 10 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  When the toilet seat base 12 is supported up and down by a swing shaft 15 disposed at the rear part of the toilet body 1, the toilet seat base 12 is swung backward together with the telescopic bags 21 and 22 and the toilet seat 14, and the rear side of the opening of the toilet body 1. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience for small men. Moreover, if the toilet seat base 12 etc. can be stood up, the toilet body 1 can be easily cleaned.

  The toilet seat base 12 can be supported up and down by the toilet seat base 11 fixed to the rear upper surface of the toilet body 1, and the hydrogen storage part 23 can be arranged inside the toilet seat base 11. Thus, if the hydrogen storage part 23 is accommodated in the toilet seat base 11 and unitized, the toilet seat apparatus 10 can be constructed to the toilet body 1 with less labor.

  When the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is cooled using the cleaning water for cleaning the toilet body 1 as a cooling medium, the hydrogen storage part 23 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced compared to the case where the cooling means is configured by a cooling device or the like, Power consumption when cooling the hydrogen storage alloy 41 can be reduced. The washing water for washing the toilet body 1 includes water flowing toward the toilet body 1, water stored in the water storage tank 2, and water flowing toward the water storage tank 2.

  If a link mechanism 26 is provided between the toilet seat base 12 and the toilet seat 14 to restrict the toilet seat 14 from rising beyond the auxiliary position, the telescopic bags 21 and 22 are excessively inflated, and the telescopic bags 21. It is possible to reliably prevent accidents such as the bursting of the 22 or the cracking of the stretchable bags 21 and 22 and the leakage of hydrogen gas. Furthermore, it is possible to reliably prevent an accident such as the handicapped person's buttocks sitting on the toilet seat 14 being lifted more than necessary and the handicapped person falling.

  The absorption rate of hydrogen gas when the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is cooled is smaller than the release rate of hydrogen gas when the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is heated. Therefore, by providing a spring 29 that biases the toilet seat 14 in the direction in which the stretchable bags 21 and 22 contract, the toilet bag 14 can compress the stretchable bags 21 and 22 downward and increase the internal pressure of the gas passage 60. Thereby, absorption of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen storage alloy 41 can be promoted, and the descending speed of the toilet seat 14 can be increased.

  When the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 for temporarily storing the hydrogen gas returned from the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 to the hydrogen storage unit 23 is provided, the expansion and contraction can be performed without being influenced by the absorption speed of the hydrogen gas by the hydrogen storage alloy 41. The bags 21 and 22 can be quickly contracted. Therefore, the toilet seat 14 can be lowered more quickly.

It is a vertical side view of the toilet seat apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a side view of a western style toilet bowl with which the toilet seat device concerning Example 1 was equipped. It is a top view of the western style toilet bowl with which the toilet seat apparatus concerning Example 1 was mounted | worn. It is a vertical side view of the toilet seat base of the toilet seat device according to the first embodiment. It is a piping block diagram of the western style toilet bowl with which the toilet seat apparatus which concerns on Example 1 was mounted | worn. It is a vertical side view of the toilet seat base of the toilet seat device according to the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 5 shows Example 1 of the toilet seat apparatus based on this invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the Western-style toilet equipped with the toilet seat device 10 includes a toilet body 1 having an upper surface opened and a wash water storage tank 2 fixed to the rear end of the upper surface of the toilet body 1. The toilet seat device 10 includes a toilet seat base 11 that is fixed to the rear upper surface of the toilet body 1, a toilet seat base 12 and a lid 13 that are supported by the toilet seat base 11 in a undulating manner, and a toilet seat that is disposed on the upper surface of the toilet seat base 12. 14 and a lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the toilet seat 14 with respect to the toilet seat base 12. The toilet seat 14 can be raised and lowered between a use position supported by the toilet seat base 12 shown by a solid line in FIG. 2 and an auxiliary position above the use position shown by an imaginary line.

  In FIG. 2, reference numerals 17 and 18 denote an ascending switch for raising the toilet seat 14 and a descending switch for lowering the toilet seat 14. When the lift switch 17 is pressed once, the toilet seat 14 starts to rise, and when it is pressed again, the toilet seat 14 stops. Further, when the lowering switch 18 is pressed once, the toilet seat 14 starts to descend, and when it is pressed again, the toilet seat 14 stops. In this embodiment, the switches 17 and 18 are arranged on the wall surface of the toilet. However, the switches 17 and 18 may be arranged anywhere as long as they reach the toilet seat 14 while sitting on the toilet seat 14, and the toilet body 1, the water tank 2, or the toilet seat. You may arrange | position to the apparatus 10 itself. Further, the toilet seat 14 may be raised (or lowered) when the raising switch 17 (or the lowering switch 18) is pressed, and the toilet seat 14 may be stopped when a fingertip or the like is separated from the raising switch 17 (or the lowering switch 18). Good.

  The toilet seat base 11 is formed in the shape of a horizontally long hollow box and is disposed between the rear end of the upper surface opening of the toilet body 1 and the water storage tank 2. 1 is fixed to the upper surface. A swing shaft 15 that pivotally supports the toilet seat base 12 is provided on the left and right side surfaces of the toilet seat base 11.

  The toilet seat base 12 is formed in a substantially O shape in plan view, and a pair of left and right arm members 16 that are pivotally supported by the swing shaft 15 of the toilet seat base 11 are integrally provided at the rear end thereof. The toilet seat base 12 is placed on the toilet seat base 11 between a use posture placed on the upper surface of the toilet body 1 around the swing shaft 15 and a retracted posture standing along the front surface of the water storage tank 2. On the other hand, it can swing up and down within a range of about 90 °. In the case of a small man, the toilet seat base 12 and the toilet seat 14 can be erected on the rear side of the opening of the toilet body 1 with the toilet seat base 12 in the retracted posture. The lid 13 can also swing with respect to the toilet seat base 11 in the same range as the toilet seat base 12, and covers the upper surface of the toilet seat 14 and the central opening of the toilet seat 14 from the upper surface in the horizontal position.

  The toilet seat 14 is formed in an O shape that is substantially the same shape as the toilet seat base 12 in plan view (see FIG. 3), and is disposed so as to cover the upper surface of the toilet seat base 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the lifting mechanism of the toilet seat 14 includes a pair of front and rear elastic bags 21 and 22 disposed between the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12, and a hydrogen storage portion 23 disposed inside the toilet seat base 11. Etc.

  Each elastic bag 21 and 22 is formed in the bellows shape which can be expanded-contracted up and down. When hydrogen gas is fed into the contracted stretchable bags 21 and 22, the stretchable bags 21 and 22 extend in the vertical direction and push the toilet seat 14 up to the auxiliary position. The stretchable bags 21 and 22 are formed using a multilayer aluminum laminate film having high hydrogen gas tightness. Furthermore, the sealant layer of the film is formed of a polymer material having a molecular structure that is particularly airtight against hydrogen gas, thereby realizing a more robust hydrogen tightness.

  The upper surfaces of the elastic bags 21 and 22 are fixed to the lower surface of the toilet seat 14, and the lower surfaces of the elastic bags 21 and 22 are fixed to the upper surface of the toilet seat base 12 by a method such as adhesion. As shown in FIG. 3, the front stretchable bag 21 is disposed at the front end portions of the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12 and is formed in a sector shape along the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12 in a plan view. The rear elastic bag 22 is disposed at the rear end portions of the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12 and is formed in a rectangular shape along the rear end edges of the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12 in a plan view. In addition, the rear elastic bag 22 is set to have larger left and right dimensions than the front elastic bag 21.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rear elastic bag 22 is set such that the vertical dimension when extended is larger than that of the front elastic bag 21. Therefore, the toilet seat 14 that has been pushed up by the two stretchable bags 21 and 22 and has reached the auxiliary position assumes a forward-lowering inclined posture. The vertical dimensions of the front and rear stretchable bags 21 and 22 at the time of contraction are substantially the same, and the toilet seat 14 in the use position is substantially horizontal (see FIG. 2).

  Between the front and rear stretchable bags 21 and 22 in the space between the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12, the toilet seat 14 is prevented from rising beyond the auxiliary position, and the toilet seat 14 at the auxiliary position is prevented from wobbling. A pair of left and right link mechanisms 26 and 26 are arranged. Each link mechanism 26 includes a pair of arms 27 and 28 having different lengths. One end of each arm 27 and 28 is on the lower surface of the toilet seat 14, and the other end of each arm 27 and 28 is the upper surface of the toilet seat base 12. Are connected to each other in a freely rotatable manner. In addition, a tension coil-shaped spring 29 is disposed before and after each link mechanism 26 in the space between the toilet seat 14 and the toilet seat base 12, and the operation thereof will be described later.

  In the toilet seat base 12, the connecting portion 31 with the long arm 27 is disposed in front of the connecting portion 32 with the short arm 28. In the toilet seat 14, the connecting portion 33 with the long arm 27 is provided with the short arm. It arrange | positions rather than the connection part 34 with 28. FIG. The connecting portions 33, 34 between the toilet seat 14 and the arms 27, 28 are formed by long holes extending in the front-rear direction, and the arms 27, 28 can slide relative to the toilet seat 14 in the front-rear direction. The long hole constituting the connecting portion 33 with the long arm 27 is set to have a smaller front-rear dimension than the long hole constituting the connecting portion 34 with the short arm 28.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the toilet seat 14 is in the auxiliary position, the arms 27 and 28 cross each other in a side view. The end of the long arm 27 on the toilet seat 14 side is received by the front end of the long hole of the connecting portion 33, and the end of the short arm 28 on the toilet seat 14 side is received by the rear end of the long hole of the connecting portion 34. . Further, the short arm 28 has a larger standing angle than the long arm 27 and takes a posture close to vertical. When the telescopic bags 21 and 22 are contracted in this state, the arms 27 and 28 rotate in opposite directions around the connecting portions 31 and 32 on the toilet seat base 12 side to approach a horizontal posture. At this time, the ends of the arms 27 and 28 on the toilet seat 14 side slide in opposite directions along the long holes of the connecting portions 33 and 34. When the telescopic bags 21 and 22 are completely contracted, the arms 27 and 28 are in a horizontal posture, and the end of the long arm 27 on the toilet seat 14 side is received by the rear end of the long hole of the connecting portion 33. The end on the toilet seat 14 side is received by the front end of the long hole of the connecting portion 34.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the hydrogen storage unit 23 accommodates a pair of upper and lower hydrogen storage alloys 41, a heater (heating means) 42 disposed in contact with the hydrogen storage alloy 41, the hydrogen storage alloy 41 and the heater 42. The hydrogen storage chamber 43 is configured to include a water-tight container 44 that accommodates the hydrogen storage chamber 43. The space between the outer surface of the hydrogen storage chamber 43 and the inner surface of the watertight container 44 is filled with water, and this water serves as a cooling medium constituting the cooling means for the hydrogen storage alloy 41. The cooling means includes water (cooling medium) surrounding the hydrogen storage chamber 43, a watertight container 44 for containing water, an electromagnetic valve 52 (described later) for controlling the supply of water to the watertight container 44, and the cold heat of water stored in hydrogen. It is comprised with the chamber wall of the hydrogen storage chamber 43 conducted to the alloy 41.

As the hydrogen storage alloy 41, La-Ni system, Ca-Ni ₅ system, Mm-Ni system, Ti-Fe system, or the like can be applied. In the Mm-Ni system, Mm is an alloy containing a plurality of rare earths obtained in the rare earth generation process. The total weight of the hydrogen storage alloy 41 used in this example is about 30 g.

  The heater 42 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower hydrogen storage alloys 41. According to this, compared to the case where the heater 42 is disposed between the inner surface of the hydrogen storage chamber 43 and the hydrogen storage alloy 41, the heat generated by the heater 42 can be efficiently conducted to the hydrogen storage alloy 41. Electric power for generating heat from the heater 42 is supplied from a power supply unit 47 (see FIG. 3) housed in the toilet seat base 11 and disposed on the side of the hydrogen storage unit 23.

  The hydrogen storage chamber 43 and the watertight container 44 are constituted by a rectangular box-shaped container body whose upper surface is open and a lid that closes the upper surface opening of the container body. The horizontal dimension of the hydrogen storage chamber 43 is set to 100 mm, the longitudinal dimension is set to 40 mm, and the vertical dimension is set to 22 mm. The horizontal dimension of the watertight container 44 is set to 130 mm, the longitudinal dimension is set to 70 mm, and the vertical dimension is set to 52 mm. Thereby, size reduction of the toilet seat base 11 which accommodates the hydrogen storage part 23 is implement | achieved.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the watertight container 44 is connected to a water supply pipe 50 that supplies cleaning water to the toilet body 1, and the watertight container 44 and the water storage tank 2 are connected by a water introduction pipe 51. The water introduction pipe 51 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 52, and when the electromagnetic valve 52 is opened, water sequentially passes through the water supply pipe 50, the watertight container 44, and the water introduction pipe 51 and flows into the water storage tank 2. Thereby, the water in the watertight container 44 is continuously replaced, and the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is quickly cooled. An electromagnetic valve 54 is also provided in the water discharge pipe 53 that connects the water storage tank 2 and the toilet body 1. When the flush lever disposed on the outer surface of the water storage tank 2 is turned, the electromagnetic valve 54 is opened, the water in the water storage tank 2 is discharged toward the toilet body 1 and the toilet body 1 is washed.

  A gas passage 60 for transmitting and receiving hydrogen gas between the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 and the hydrogen storage unit 23 includes a main pipe 61 that connects the hydrogen storage chamber 43 and the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22, a main pipe 61, and a hydrogen recovery chamber 62. It is comprised with the branch pipe 63 etc. which connect. The main pipe 61 is branched into two at a branching portion 65 on the side of the stretchable bags 21 and 22 with respect to the connecting portion 64 with the branch pipe 63, one branch is the front stretchable bag 21 and the other is the rear stretchable. Connected to the bag 22. An electromagnetic valve 66 is provided between the connecting portion 64 and the branching portion 65 in the main pipe 61, and an electromagnetic valve 67 is also provided in the branch pipe 63. The hydrogen recovery chamber 62 is made of the same material as the stretchable bags 21 and 22 and is formed in a stretchable bag structure having high airtightness against hydrogen gas, and the volume when stretched is about 2000 to 3000 ml. The hydrogen recovery chamber 62 may be disposed anywhere as long as it does not interfere with people, but in the present embodiment, the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 is disposed on the floor surface below the water storage tank 2 (see FIG. 2). The operation of the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 and the opening / closing operations of the electromagnetic valves 66 and 67 will be described later. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 70 denotes a sensor for detecting that the toilet seat 14 has reached the auxiliary position.

  The usage method of the toilet seat apparatus 10 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated. When a disabled person or the like sits down on the toilet seat 14, prior to the operation, the lift switch 17 is turned on to raise the toilet seat 14 to the auxiliary position. Since the toilet seat 14 that has been raised to the assisting position is in a downward-tilting posture, a disabled person or the like can sit on the toilet seat 14 in a comfortable middle waist posture, greatly reducing the burden on the legs. Further, since the user sits on the toilet seat 14 in the forward-downward tilted posture, the foot does not lift from the floor surface.

  When the raising switch 17 is turned on to energize the heater 42 of the hydrogen storage unit 23, the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is heated by the heat of the heater 42, and hydrogen gas is released from the hydrogen storage alloy 41. Simultaneously with the start of energization, the solenoid valve 66 of the main pipe 61 opens, and the hydrogen gas released from the hydrogen storage alloy 41 flows into the telescopic bags 21 and 22 through the main pipe 61. As a result, the stretchable bags 21 and 22 are extended, and the toilet seat 14 is pushed up to the auxiliary position against the biasing force of the spring 29. Alternatively, the solenoid valve 66 may be opened by energizing the heater 42 by detecting that the lid 13 of the toilet seat device 10 or the door of the toilet is opened or that a person has entered the toilet. When the sensor 70 detects that the toilet seat 14 has reached the auxiliary position, the energization of the heater 42 is cut off, the electromagnetic valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is closed, and the expansion bags 21 and 22 are filled with hydrogen gas. Kept in a state.

  A disabled person or the like sitting on the toilet seat 14 in the auxiliary position turns on the lowering switch 18 to lower the toilet seat 14 to the use position for the toilet. As a result, the electromagnetic valves 66 and 67 of the main pipe 61 and the branch pipe 63 are both opened, and the telescopic bags 21 and 22 are compressed downward by the toilet seat 14 by the weight of the person sitting on the toilet seat 14 and the biasing force of the spring 29, Hydrogen gas in the telescopic bags 21 and 22 is pushed out to the main pipe 61. Part of the hydrogen gas pushed out from the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 is absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy 41, and the rest is accommodated in the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 through the distribution pipe 63 to expand the hydrogen recovery chamber 62. It is also possible to open the solenoid valves 66 and 67 by detecting that a person is seated on the toilet seat 14 with a pressure switch.

  When it is detected by a sensor (not shown) that the telescopic bags 21 and 22 are completely contracted and the toilet seat 14 is lowered to the use position, the electromagnetic valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is closed to hold the telescopic bags 21 and 22 in the contracted state. To do. Even after the solenoid valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is closed, the solenoid valve 67 of the branch pipe 63 is kept open. Thereby, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 is gradually absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy 41. In order to promote absorption, the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 may be biased in a direction to be contracted by a spring. When the handicapped person finishes the stool, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 is generally absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy 41. In this manner, the hydrogen recovery chamber 62 temporarily stores the hydrogen gas that is returned from the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 to the hydrogen storage unit 23.

  A disabled person or the like after the stool turns on the raising switch 17 to raise the toilet seat 14 to the auxiliary position again. As a result, the heater 42 for heating the hydrogen storage alloy 41 enters a heat generating state, the electromagnetic valve 67 of the branch pipe 63 is closed, and the electromagnetic valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is opened. Hydrogen gas released from the hydrogen storage alloy 41 flows into the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22, the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 extend, and the toilet seat 14 is pushed up to the auxiliary position. Thereby, since the buttocks of a disabled person or the like sitting on the toilet seat 14 are pushed up and become a middle waist posture, the disabled person or the like can then stand up with a small force. The force with which the telescopic bags 21 and 22 push up the toilet seat 14 is far greater than the force with which a conventional hydraulic cylinder or the like pushes up the toilet seat, so that the toilet seat 14 can be pushed up reliably against the weight of a disabled person or the like. it can. In addition, since the toilet seat 14 in the auxiliary position is in a downward-tilting posture, when the toilet seat 14 is lifted, the feet of the disabled and the like are not lifted off the floor surface, and the center of gravity of the body moves forward to the feet. Because it approaches, disabled people can stand up easily. When the sensor 70 detects that the toilet seat 14 has reached the auxiliary position, the energization to the heater 42 is interrupted and the solenoid valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is closed as before.

  A disabled person or the like standing up from the toilet seat 14 at the auxiliary position rotates the flush lever on the side surface of the water storage tank 2. Thereby, the electromagnetic valve 54 of the water discharge pipe 53 is opened, the water in the water storage tank 2 is discharged toward the toilet body 1, and the toilet body 1 is washed. Further, the electromagnetic valve 52 of the water introduction pipe 51 is opened, and water flows through the water supply pipe 50, the watertight container 44 and the water introduction pipe 51 toward the water storage tank 2, and the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is quickly cooled. As a result, the absorption rate of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen storage alloy 41 increases. Further, the solenoid valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is opened, the hydrogen gas in the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 is absorbed by the cooled hydrogen storage alloy 41, and the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 are gradually contracted. At this time, the toilet seat 14 urged downward by the spring 29 compresses the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 downward to promote the absorption of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen storage alloy 41. When it is detected that the telescopic bags 21 and 22 are completely contracted and the toilet seat 14 is lowered to the use position, the electromagnetic valve 66 of the main pipe 61 is closed to hold the telescopic bags 21 and 22 in the contracted state.

  In addition, it can detect that a disabled person stood up from the toilet seat 14, and left | separated from the toilet bowl, and can open each solenoid valve 52 * 54 * 66. Further, the electromagnetic valve 67 of the branch pipe 63 is opened simultaneously with the electromagnetic valve 66 of the main pipe 61, and the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 can be quickly contracted using the hydrogen recovery chamber 62. In addition, the toilet seat 14 may be held in the auxiliary position without opening the solenoid valve 66 of the main pipe 61 even after the toilet body 1 is washed by flowing water. In this case, the solenoid valve 66 is opened by operating the lowering switch 18 or closing the lid 13.

  In the above embodiment, the solenoid valve 52 of the water introduction pipe 51 is opened after the stool and water is allowed to flow into the watertight container 44 to cool the hydrogen storage alloy 41. Also when seated on, the hydrogen storage alloy 41 can be cooled by opening the electromagnetic valve 52 to increase the absorption rate of hydrogen gas by the hydrogen storage alloy 41. Examples of the timing for opening the electromagnetic valve 52 include a time point when the lowering switch 18 is turned on and a time point when the toilet seat 14 reaches the use position.

(Example 2) FIG. 6: shows Example 2 of the toilet seat apparatus which concerns on this invention. In this case, the heating means of the hydrogen storage unit 23 is composed of a Peltier element 42. Electric power for activating the Peltier element 42 is supplied from a power supply unit 47 accommodated in the toilet seat base 11. As the hydrogen storage alloy 41, only one having a vertical dimension and volume approximately twice that of the first embodiment is disposed, and Peltier elements 42 are disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the hydrogen storage alloy 41, respectively. It is. Each Peltier element 42 is arranged so that one surface is in contact with the hydrogen storage alloy 41 and the other surface is in contact with the hydrogen storage chamber 43. According to this, when the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is heated, cold heat generated on the surface of the Peltier element 42 on the side of the hydrogen storage chamber 43 can be efficiently released to the outside through the hydrogen storage chamber 43.

  The Peltier element 42 also serves as a cooling means for the hydrogen storage alloy 41. In this embodiment, the Peltier element 42 and the water around the hydrogen storage chamber 43 are used in combination to cool the hydrogen storage alloy 41. When a current in the opposite direction to that in the case of heating the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is supplied to the Peltier element 42, cold heat is generated on the surface of the Peltier element 42 on the hydrogen storage alloy 41 side, and the hydrogen storage alloy 41 is cooled. The heat generated on the surface of the Peltier element 42 on the hydrogen storage chamber 43 side is released to the outside through the hydrogen storage chamber 43. Since others are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, it is possible to omit the water around the hydrogen storage chamber 43 and the watertight container 44 and configure the cooling means for the hydrogen storage alloy 41 with only the Peltier element 42.

  In addition, in the said Example, the water storage tank 2 and the watertight container 44 are connected by another piping, and the circulating water flow which returns to the water storage tank 2 from the water storage tank 2 through the said piping, the watertight container 44, and the water introduction pipe | tube 51 in order. Can be formed. In this case, the hydrogen storage alloy 41 can be cooled without flowing water into the toilet body 1 and consuming it. Moreover, in the said Example, all the water supplied from the water supply pipe | tube 50 flows into the watertight container 44, and all the water which passed the watertight container 44 flows into the water storage tank 2, However, It is not necessary. For example, the water supply pipe 50 can be branched into two, one connected to the water storage tank 2 and the other connected to the watertight container 44. At this time, the water that has flowed into the watertight container 44 may be sent to the water storage tank 2 or may flow to the toilet body 1.

  When the toilet seat device of the present invention is applied to an existing toilet bowl, the toilet seat base 12 is mounted instead of the toilet seat of the existing toilet bowl, and the toilet seat 14 and the lifting mechanism are assembled thereto. The toilet seat base 11 in that case can be omitted as necessary. The hydrogen storage unit 23 may be disposed anywhere in the toilet as long as it can be connected to the expansion and contraction bags 21 and 22 by the gas passage 60. For example, the hydrogen storage unit 23 may be disposed on the floor below the water storage tank 2 or inside the water storage tank 2. Can do. When arranged inside the water storage tank 2, the hydrogen storage alloy 41 can be cooled with the stored water. The telescopic bags 21 and 22 do not need to be a pair of front and rear, can adopt any configuration such as a pair of left and right, one, three or more, and can be configured to lift only the rear part of the toilet seat 14.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Toilet body 2 Water storage tank 10 Toilet seat apparatus 11 Toilet seat base 12 Toilet seat base 14 Toilet seat 15 Oscillating shaft 21 Telescopic bag 22 Telescopic bag 23 Hydrogen storage part 26 Link mechanism 29 Spring 41 Hydrogen storage alloy 42 Heating means (heater / Peltier element)
60 Gas passage 62 Hydrogen recovery chamber

Claims (4)

A toilet seat base (12) supported by a swing shaft (15) disposed at the rear of the toilet body (1), and a toilet seat (14) disposed on the upper surface of the toilet seat base (12). 12) a toilet seat device comprising an elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the toilet seat (14) with respect to 12),
The elevating mechanism supplies hydrogen gas to the telescopic bag (21, 22) and the telescopic bag (21, 22) disposed between the toilet seat (14) and the toilet seat base (12), or the telescopic bag (21, 22). A hydrogen storage part (23) for re-storing the hydrogen gas supplied to
The hydrogen storage part (23) includes a hydrogen storage alloy (41), heating means (42) for heating the hydrogen storage alloy (41) to release hydrogen gas, and cooling the hydrogen storage alloy (41) to hydrogen. Cooling means for occluding gas is provided,
Use position where hydrogen gas is sent and received through the gas passage (60) between the hydrogen storage part (23) and the expansion bag (21, 22) and the toilet seat (14) is supported by the toilet seat base (12) And an auxiliary position above the toilet seat base (12) ,
The gas passage (60) is provided with a hydrogen recovery chamber (62) having a stretchable bag structure for temporarily storing hydrogen gas returned from the stretchable bag (21, 22) to the hydrogen storage unit (23). Characteristic toilet seat device. A toilet seat base (11) fixed to the rear upper surface of the toilet body (1),
The toilet seat base (12) is supported up and down freely by a swing shaft (15) provided on the toilet seat base (11).
The toilet seat device according to claim 1, wherein a hydrogen storage part (23) is arranged inside the toilet seat base (11).   The toilet seat device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooling means for cooling the hydrogen storage alloy (41) is configured to perform cooling by using a wash water for cleaning the toilet body (1) as a cooling medium. Between the toilet seat base (12) and the toilet seat (14), the link mechanism (26) for restricting the toilet seat (14) from rising beyond the auxiliary position, and the expansion and contraction bag (21, 22) in such a direction that contracts. The toilet seat device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a spring (29) for biasing the toilet seat (14) .

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