JP6775967B2 - Toilet seat lifting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a toilet seat elevating device.

Conventionally, a toilet seat elevating device for raising and lowering the toilet seat device by an electric motor has been proposed for the purpose of making it possible to clean the space between the toilet seat device and the toilet bowl (see, for example, Patent Document 1). As a result, the gap between the toilet seat device and the toilet bowl is widened, and it becomes easier to put a hand in the gap, so that the upper surface of the toilet bowl and the like can be easily cleaned.

Further, in the toilet seat elevating device described in Patent Document 1, when the toilet seat device is lowered to the original position, the toilet seat device is provided in order to prevent a failure due to an obstacle such as a foreign substance being caught between the toilet seat device and the toilet bowl. It is equipped with obstacle detection that detects contact with an obstacle. For example, in Patent Document 1, a piezoelectric contact sensor is provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the toilet seat device, and the toilet seat elevating device is a static of the piezoelectric contact sensor caused by an obstacle contacting the piezoelectric contact sensor. Obstacle detection has been proposed to detect the pinching of obstacles by detecting changes in the electric capacity. Further, Patent Document 1 also proposes obstacle detection that detects an obstacle by detecting a change in a drive current of an electric motor that raises and lowers the toilet seat device.

Japanese Patent No. 4973458

However, in the method using the piezoelectric contact sensor described in Patent Document 1, the pinching of an obstacle at the position where the piezoelectric contact sensor is arranged is detected. Therefore, in order to detect pinching of the obstacle portion at all positions between the toilet seat device and the toilet bowl, it is necessary to provide piezoelectric contact sensors at all positions on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the toilet seat device, which increases the cost. .. Further, when a small obstacle is pinched at the end of the toilet seat device, the change in the drive current of the motor is small. Therefore, the method of detecting an obstacle by the change in the drive current of the electric motor described in Patent Document 1 is used. It is difficult to distinguish whether the change in the drive current is due to an obstacle being caught, or due to the influence of noise due to the ambient temperature or aging deterioration of the motor. Therefore, it is difficult to detect the pinching of a small obstacle at the end of the toilet seat device or the like by the method of detecting an obstacle by a change in the drive current of the electric motor.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat elevating device capable of improving the detection sensitivity of obstacles at a lower cost.

One aspect of the present invention includes an elevating control unit that raises and lowers the toilet seat device, an acquisition unit that acquires state information indicating the state of the toilet seat device, and a storage unit that stores reference information that is a reference value of the state information. Whether or not the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle based on the reference information stored in the storage unit and the state information at the time of descent acquired by the acquisition unit when the toilet seat device is lowered. The elevating control unit includes a determination unit for determining, and when it is determined that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle, the toilet seat device performs a first reversal operation for raising the toilet seat device, and the toilet seat device is placed in a fixed position. direction moving immediately after starting to move from a toilet seat lifting apparatus is the vertical direction.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and the reference information is generated based on the state information when the toilet seat device is raised.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and the elevating control unit lowers the toilet seat device when the toilet seat device reaches a preset position during the first reversing operation. The second reversal operation is performed.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, in which the determination unit exceeds a predetermined value at the rate of change of the state information acquired by the acquisition unit during the second reversal operation. It is determined that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and the elevating control unit lowers the descending speed of the toilet seat device during the second reversing operation.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and the determination unit is a moving average value of the state information acquired by the acquisition unit and the moving average value of the state information when the toilet seat device is lowered. The toilet seat device becomes an obstacle based on the comparison result of the first difference, which is the difference, and the second difference, which indicates the difference between the reference information stored in the storage unit and the moving average of the reference information. Judge whether or not there is contact.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, the difference value calculation unit for calculating the state difference value by subtracting the second difference from the first difference, and the state. Further, an integration unit for calculating a state evaluation value by integrating the difference value for each position of the toilet seat device is provided, and the determination unit is said to be said when the state evaluation value exceeds a preset first threshold value. It is determined that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and when the state evaluation value is equal to or less than the second threshold value lower than the first threshold value at the time of lowering in the toilet seat device, the storage A learning function unit that updates the reference information stored in the unit to the state information at the time of the descent is further provided.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and when the elevating control unit does not perform the elevating operation of the toilet seat device within a predetermined period, the elevating operation of the toilet seat device is performed. The learning function unit updates the reference information stored in the storage unit based on the state information of the elevating operation.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned toilet seat elevating device, and the determination unit determines the state evaluation value only when the position of the toilet seat device is in a predetermined region when the toilet seat device is lowered. Determines whether or not exceeds the first threshold.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toilet seat elevating device capable of improving the detection sensitivity of obstacles at a lower cost.

It is a figure which shows an example of the perspective view of the toilet apparatus 1 provided with the toilet seat elevating apparatus 10 in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the structural outline of the toilet apparatus 1 in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the ascending position and the fixed position in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the schematic structure of the toilet seat elevating device 10 in this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the operation of the moving average calculation unit 416 in this embodiment. Is a diagram showing a state difference value C _n calculated in the present embodiment. It is a figure explaining the operation of the integration unit 418 in this embodiment. Is a diagram showing a state integrated value D _n corresponding to the position information n that the moving average calculating section 416 in the present embodiment obtains. It is a flowchart of obstacle detection in the control device 53 of this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the obstacle detection of the conventional toilet seat elevating device when the obstacle is installed at the center of the toilet bowl 4 and the position of the height 10 mm. It is a figure explaining the obstacle detection of the conventional toilet seat elevating device when the obstacle is installed at the end of the toilet bowl 4 and the position of the height 10 mm. It is a figure which shows an example of the schematic structure which shows the control device 53 of the toilet seat elevating device 10 in the 1st modification.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the inventions claimed in the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means of solving the invention. In the drawings, the same or similar parts may be designated by the same reference numerals to omit duplicate explanations.

The toilet seat elevating device according to the embodiment acquires state information which is information on the state of the toilet seat device by the operation of at least one of raising and lowering the toilet seat device. Then, the toilet seat elevating device determines whether or not the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle based on the reference information which is the reference value of the state information and the state information acquired by the acquisition unit when the toilet seat device is lowered. To judge. The toilet seat elevating device raises the toilet seat device when it is determined that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle.
Hereinafter, the toilet seat elevating device of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a perspective view of a toilet device 1 provided with a toilet seat elevating device 10 according to the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the toilet device 1 according to the present embodiment.

The toilet device 1 includes a toilet seat device 8 and a toilet bowl 4.
The toilet seat device 8 is installed on the toilet bowl 4. The toilet seat device 8 includes a toilet seat 2, a toilet lid 3, a toilet bowl side cover member 41, and a functional unit 5 as an upper component.
The toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 3 are rotatably attached to the functional portion 5 above the toilet bowl 4. The toilet bowl side cover member 41 is arranged on the rear side portion below the toilet device 1. The toilet bowl side cover member 41 covers the rear portion of the toilet bowl 4, the piping, and the like from the side in the rear portion of the toilet device 1.

The functional unit 5 is arranged on the upper part of the rear part of the toilet bowl 4. The functional unit 5 includes a front base member 6, a rear base member 7, a movable member 20, a toilet seat elevating device 10, and an upper cover member 81.

The front base member 6 is arranged above the rear part of the toilet bowl 4. The front base member 6 is made of a resin material and is formed so as to extend in the left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y of the toilet device 1. The front base member 6 supports the functional member (part) of the functional unit 5.
The rear portion of the front base member 6 is fixed to the movable member 20 connected to the toilet seat elevating device 10. The front base member 6 can be moved to a fixed position before ascending or an ascending position after ascending (see FIG. 3) by elevating and lowering the movable member 20 of the toilet seat elevating device 10. As a result, the toilet seat elevating device 10 raises and lowers the toilet seat device 8.

The front base member 6 includes a bulging portion 64 and a lower surface portion 65.
The bulging portion 64 bulges below the lower surface portion 65 at substantially the center of the left-right direction X at the lower portion on the front Y1 side in the front-rear direction Y. The bulging portion 64 can be accommodated in the recess 42 formed in the center of the rear portion of the toilet bowl 4 in the left-right direction X by moving the front base member 6 up and down.
The lower surface portions 65 are formed on both end portions in the left-right direction X. The lower surface portion 65 is arranged on both end sides in the left-right direction X so as to face the upper surface 43 of the rear portion of the toilet bowl 4, and the front base member 6 moves up and down to move away from the upper surface 43 of the rear portion of the toilet bowl 4 or the toilet bowl. It is movable in the direction approaching the upper surface 43 of the rear part of 4.

The rear base member 7 is arranged on the rear Y2 side of the front base member 6. A toilet seat elevating device 10 is arranged on the rear base member 7. The toilet seat elevating device 10 raises and lowers the movable member 20 to raise and lower the front base member 6 fixed to the movable member 20 with respect to the rear base member 7.

The upper cover member 81 is arranged at the rear portion above the toilet device 1. The upper cover member 81 covers the functional member of the functional unit 5 from above at the rear portion of the toilet device 1. The upper cover member 81 is attached to the front base member 6. The toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 3 are attached to the upper cover member 81 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the toilet bowl 4. The upper cover member 81, the toilet seat 2, and the toilet lid 3 move in the vertical direction Z as the front base member 6 moves up and down in conjunction with the raising and lowering of the movable member 20.

Next, the toilet seat elevating device 10 in this embodiment will be described.
The toilet seat elevating device 10 raises and lowers the toilet seat device 8 for the purpose of assisting the user in standing and sitting on the toilet seat device 8 and enabling cleaning between the toilet seat device 8 and the toilet bowl 4. The toilet seat elevating device 10 detects that the toilet seat has come into contact with an obstacle in order to prevent a failure due to an obstacle such as a foreign substance being caught between the toilet seat device 8 and the toilet bowl 4 when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered. Equipped with obstacle detection.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the toilet seat elevating device 10 according to the present embodiment.
The toilet seat elevating device 10 includes a motor 50, an output unit 100, and a control device 53.
The motor 50 is a drive source for raising and lowering the movable member 20, and is, for example, a stepping motor. The motor 50 rotates forward, reverses, or stops rotating based on a drive signal from the control device 53. The method for raising and lowering the toilet seat device 8 by the toilet seat raising and lowering device 10 is not particularly limited, but for example, the toilet seat raising and lowering device 10 includes a rack extending in the vertical direction Z and a pinion that meshes with the rack. Then, the motor 50 moves the rack 31 that meshes with the pinion 32 in the vertical direction Z1 by rotating the pinion 32 in the forward direction based on the first drive signal output from the toilet seat elevating device 10. As a result, the movable member 20 connected to the rack 31 moves in the vertical direction Z1, and along with the movement, the front base member 6 fixed to the movable member 20 is arranged on the front base member 6 to function. It moves in the vertical direction Z1 together with the member. Therefore, the toilet seat elevating device 10 can raise the toilet seat device 8. On the other hand, the motor 50 moves the rack 31 that meshes with the pinion 32 in the vertical direction Z2 by rotating the pinion 32 in the reverse direction based on the second drive signal output from the toilet seat elevating device 10. As a result, the movable member 20 connected to the rack 31 moves in the vertical direction Z2, and along with the movement, the front base member 6 fixed to the movable member 20 is arranged on the front base member 6 to function. It moves in the vertical direction Z2 together with the member. Therefore, the toilet seat elevating device 10 can lower the toilet seat device 8.

The output unit 100 has a function of outputting the driving status of the motor 50. The output unit 100 is, for example, an encoder. The output unit 100 outputs a position pulse according to the rotation of the motor 50. The output unit 100 outputs one position pulse to the control device 53 when the motor 50 makes one rotation. The output unit 100 is not limited to the encoder, and can be arbitrarily selected as long as the winding shaft and the rotation amount of the motor 50 can be grasped, for example, by measuring the rotation angle amount of the motor 50.

The control device 53 receives an operation signal instructing the toilet seat device 8 to move up and down from an operation unit 200 such as a remote controller provided outside the toilet device 1. The control device 53 outputs a drive signal corresponding to the control of forward rotation, reverse rotation, or rotation stop to the motor 50 based on the operation signal to the motor 50. The control device 53 executes the following obstacle detection when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered. That is, the control device 53 outputs a second drive signal, which is a command corresponding to the reverse control, to the motor 50 to lower the toilet seat device 8. Then, the control device 53 operates the obstacle detection and acquires the state information which is the information about the state of the toilet seat device 8 based on the position pulse output from the output unit 100. Then, the control device 53 removes noise due to aged deterioration of the motor 50 and external force with respect to the acquired state information and the reference information which is the reference value of the state. The control device 53 amplifies the difference between the noise-removed state information and the reference information, and when the amplified value exceeds the first threshold value, determines that an obstacle has come into contact. The control device 53 raises the toilet seat device 8 when it is determined that an obstacle has come into contact with the toilet seat, that is, the obstacle has been pinched. The communication between the operation unit 200 and the control device 53 may be performed by wire or wirelessly.

The control device 53 includes a control unit 400 and a drive unit 401.
The control unit 400 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and the like, and controls the drive of the motor 50 in response to the operation of the switch of the operation unit 200.
The control unit 400 includes an elevating control unit 411, a detection unit 412, an acquisition unit 413, a learning function unit 414, a reference value storage unit 415, a moving average calculation unit 416, a difference value calculation unit 417, an integration unit 418, a determination unit 419, and a threshold value. It has a storage unit 420.

When an operation signal corresponding to the ascending operation of the toilet seat device 8 is supplied from the operating unit 200, the elevating control unit 411 outputs an ascending command for raising the movable member 20 by driving the motor 50 to the driving unit 401.
When the operation unit 200 supplies an operation signal corresponding to the lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8, the elevating control unit 411 issues a lowering command to the driving unit 401 to lower the movable member 20 by driving the motor 50. Output.
The elevating control unit 411 is a stop command for stopping the operation of the toilet seat device 8 by stopping the drive of the motor 50 when an operation signal corresponding to the operation of stopping the elevating operation of the toilet seat device 8 is supplied from the operation unit 200. Is output to the drive unit 401. Further, the elevating control unit 411 outputs an ascending command to the driving unit 401 when a control signal is supplied from the determination unit 419.

The detection unit 412 detects the position pulse supplied from the output unit 100 and increments the position information n by 1. Here, the position information n is the number of position pulses supplied from the output unit 100, and is a value indicating the current position of the toilet seat device 8 (hereinafter, referred to as “lift position”). That is, the number of times the motor 50 is rotated (hereinafter, referred to as "fixed position specified number of times") required for the toilet seat device 8 to descend from the ascending position to the fixed position is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). Therefore, the current lift position of the toilet seat device 8 can be specified from the number of position pulses indicating that the motor 50 has made one rotation. The detection unit 412 outputs the position pulse and the position information n to the acquisition unit 413.

The acquisition unit 413 acquires the load of the motor 50. For example, the acquisition unit 413 acquires the position pulse and the position information n from the detection unit 412. Then, the acquisition unit 413 measures the pulse width of the position pulse for each position information n. The pulse width of the position pulse increases as the rotation speed of the motor 50 decreases, while the pulse width decreases as the rotation speed of the motor 50 increases. That is, when the toilet seat device 8 comes into contact with an obstacle, a load is applied to the motor 50. Therefore, the rotation speed of the motor 50 becomes slow, and the pulse width of the position pulse becomes large. Therefore, the acquisition unit 413 measures the pulse width of the position pulse for each position pulse (count value) supplied from the detection unit 412, and calculates the pulse width of the motor 50 as a load. The load of the motor 50 corresponds to a change in the lift position per unit time. That is, the acquisition unit 413, a position information n, by measuring the pulse width A _n position pulses corresponding to the position information n, thereby acquiring the status information indicating the status of the toilet seat apparatus 8. Acquisition unit 413 outputs the position information n, and a pulse width A _n position pulses corresponding to the position information n in the moving average calculation section 416. The change in the position information n per unit time may be used as the state information.

The learning function unit 414 stores the reference information, which is the reference value of the state information, in the reference value storage unit 415. For example, the learning function unit 414 stores the position information n and the pulse width of the position pulse during the descending operation in which the toilet seat device 8 moves from the ascending position to the fixed position in the reference value storage unit 415 as reference information. That is, the reference value storage unit 415 stores the past position information n and the pulse width of the position pulse as reference information. However, the learning function unit 414 stores the state information in the reference value storage unit 415 when it is determined that the state information is normal, such as when an obstacle is not detected during the descending operation. Further, the reference information stored in the reference value storage unit 415 is, for example, the state information at the time of the previous descent operation with reference to the present. Therefore, when the learning function unit 414 determines that the state information is normal during the lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8 this time, the learning function unit 414 stores the reference information stored in the reference value storage unit 415 this time. Update to the state information at the time of descent operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the moving average calculation unit 416 in the present embodiment. 5 (a) is a diagram showing a pulse width A _n corresponding to the position information n that the moving average calculating unit 416 _acquires, and the reference information B _n. The vertical axis represents the pulse width, and the horizontal axis represents the position information n.

Moving average calculation unit 416 obtains the position information n from the acquisition unit 413, and a pulse width A _n position pulses corresponding to the position information n. The moving average calculation unit 416 acquires the reference information B _n corresponding to the acquired position information n from the reference value storage unit 415.

The moving average calculation unit 416 calculates the moving average values of the pulse width _An and the reference information B _n for each position information n. Incidentally, it represents the pulse width _A moving average value of moving average value for _n Ave_A _n, the moving average value with respect to the reference information _{B n} for position information n as a moving average value Ave_B _n for position information n. For the moving average, the load of the motor 50 corresponding to a predetermined interval of position information (for example, between position information n-300 and position information n) is used.

Next, the moving average calculation unit 416 corrects (normalizes) the pulse width _An and the reference information B _n using the following equation (1). This minimizes the difference Δd between the pulse width _An and the reference information B _n shown in FIG. 5 (a), and compares the pulse width _An and the reference information B _n with substantially the same reference (amplitude reference value). To align). Thus, the reference fluctuation of the amplitude of the pulse width A _n and the reference information B _n according to the surrounding environment and the measurement environment or the like to remove the so-called offset.
α _n = _An −ave_A _n
β _n = B _n −ave_B _n … (1)

The correction value alpha _{n (first} difference) is the correction value of the pulse width A _n corresponding to the position information n. The correction value β _n (second difference) is a correction value of the reference information B _n corresponding to the position information n. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a correction value α _n and a correction value β _n corresponding to the position information n calculated by the moving average calculation unit 416. As a result, the pulse width _An and the reference information _Bn are compared with respect to substantially the same reference, that is, 0. The moving average calculation unit 416 outputs the calculated correction value α _n and the correction value β _n to the difference value calculation unit 417.

The difference value calculation unit 417 acquires the correction value α _n and the correction value β _n from the moving average calculation unit 416. Difference value calculating unit 417 calculates the state difference value C _n using the following equation (2).
C _n = α _{n −} β _n … (2)

That is, the difference value calculation unit 417 calculates the state difference value C _n by subtracting the correction value β _n from the correction value α _n . Figure 6 is a diagram showing a state difference value C _n calculated in the present embodiment. The vertical axis represents the pulse width, and the horizontal axis represents the position information n. As shown in the region Y of FIG. 6, the difference value calculation unit 417 can remove noise having high reproducibility with respect to the load of the motor 50. That is, the state difference value C _n can be regarded as the load of the motor 50 to remove the highly reproducible noise. Difference value calculating unit 417 outputs the status difference value _{C n} of the calculated to the integrating section 418.

Integrating unit 418 obtains the status difference value _{C n} from the difference value calculation section 417. When the state difference value C _n exceeds the integration threshold value P, the integration unit 418 calculates the state integration value (state evaluation value) D _n using the following equation (3).
D _n = D _n-1 + C _n ... (3)

When the state difference value C _n is equal to or less than the integration threshold value P, the integration unit 418 sets the state integration value D _n to 0 as shown in the following equation (4).
D _n = 0 ... (4)

Incidentally, the integrated threshold P is the value set in advance, a threshold determines whether to integrate the state difference value C _n. Further, the state integrated value D _n-1 is a state integrated value corresponding to the position information n-1. As described above, when the state difference value C _n exceeds the integration threshold value P, the integration unit 418 performs the state integration value D _n-1 corresponding to n-1, which is the position information immediately before the current position information n. relative, calculate the state integrated value D _n by adding the state differential value C _n, is updated to a new state integrated value. On the other hand, when C _n is equal to or less than the integration threshold value P, the integration unit 418 does not add the state difference value C _n to the state integration value D _n-1 , and sets the state integration value D _n to 0.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the integrating unit 418 in the present embodiment. 7 (a) is a diagram showing a state difference value _{C n} of integrating unit 418 obtains from the difference value calculation section 417. 7 (b) is a diagram showing a state integrated value _{D n} the integrated unit 418 is calculated. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the state difference values C ₁ = 12 _, C ₂ = 12 _, C ₃ = -13 _, C ₄ = 6 _, C ₅ = 10, and the integration threshold P is 0. illustrating a state integrated value D _n of a case. When the position information n = 1, the integrating unit 418 sets 12 as the state integrated value D ₁ . Then, when the position information n = 2, the integrating unit 418, the 24 is a value obtained by adding the state difference value _{C 2} to _{D 1} and _{D 2.} When the position information n = 3, the integrating unit 418 sets D ₃ to 0 (zero) because C ₃ is 0 or less. If the position information n = 4, the integrating unit 418, a 6 is a value obtained by adding the state differential value _{C 4} to _{D 3} and _{D 4.} If the position information n = 5, the integrating unit 418, the 16 is a value obtained by adding the state differential value _{C 5} to _{D 4} and _{D 5.}

Next, the integration threshold value P will be described. As described above, when the toilet seat device 8 comes into contact with an obstacle, the load applied to the motor 50 increases. Therefore, the correction value α _n > the correction value β _n , and the state difference value C _n is a positive value. Therefore, when detecting that the seat device 8 is in contact with obstacle integrating unit 418, by integrating 0 or more state difference value C _n, which amplifies the S / N ratio of the acquired data, That is, the S / N ratio can be increased. Therefore, in general, the integration threshold value P is set to 0. However, if there is noise with respect to the state difference value C _n of 0 or more, the integration threshold value P is adjusted to a value larger than 0. Thus, integrating unit 418, by integrating more state differential value C _n noise, removing the noise state difference value C _n, it is possible to increase the S / N ratio. Integrating unit 418 outputs the accumulated state integrated value _{D n} to the determination unit 419.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state integrated value D _n corresponding to the position information n acquired by the moving average calculation unit 416 in the present embodiment. The vertical axis represents the pulse width, and the horizontal axis represents the position information n.
Determination unit 419 obtains the state integrated value _{D n} supplied from the integrating section 418. The determination unit 419 acquires the first threshold value Q from the threshold value storage unit 420. Then, the determination unit 419, as shown in FIG. 8, state integration value D _n that acquired is by determining whether more than a first threshold value Q, whether the toilet seat apparatus 8 is brought into contact with the obstacle Detect. The first threshold value Q is a value for determining that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle. Nx shown in FIG. 8 is position information when the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle.

The determination unit 419 determines that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle when the number of times the acquired state integrated value D _n exceeds the first threshold value Q (hereinafter, referred to as “determination number”) x reaches a predetermined number of times. judge. When the determination unit 419 determines that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle, the determination unit 419 outputs a control signal to the elevating control unit 411. The number of determinations x is a value used to reduce the influence of noise on the integrated state value D _n . Accordingly, the determination unit 419 determines if the state accumulated value D _n consecutive exceeds the predetermined number of times the first threshold value Q, the toilet seat device 8 is in contact with an obstacle and.

The drive unit 401 controls the motor 50 by generating a drive signal for the motor 50 and outputting it to the motor 50 based on a command from the control unit 400. When the determination unit 419 determines that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle, the drive unit 401 raises the toilet seat device 8 by outputting a second drive signal to the motor 50. In the following description, the operation of raising the toilet seat device 8 when the determination unit 419 determines that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle is referred to as a first reversal operation.

The obstacle detection in the control device 53 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of obstacle detection in the control device 53 of the present embodiment. Here, the state in which the toilet seat device 8 is in the raised position will be described as the initial state. The control device 53 executes the following obstacle detection at a predetermined cycle.

The elevating control unit 411 determines whether or not an operation signal corresponding to the descending operation of the toilet seat device 8 is supplied from the operation unit 200. When the operation unit 200 supplies an operation signal corresponding to the lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8, the elevating control unit 411 outputs a lowering command for lowering the movable member 20 by driving the motor 50 to the driving unit 401 ( Step S101). When the drive unit 401 receives a lowering command from the elevating control unit 411, the drive unit 401 outputs a second drive signal to the motor 50 to lower the movable member 20. On the other hand, the elevating control unit 411 does not execute obstacle detection when the operation signal corresponding to the descending operation is not supplied.

The detection unit 412 detects the position pulse supplied from the output unit 100, and increments the position information n by 1 each time the position pulse is acquired. The initial value of the position information n is 0 (zero). The detection unit 412 outputs the position pulse and the position information n to the acquisition unit 413 (step S102).

The acquisition unit 413 acquires the position pulse and the position information n from the detection unit 412. The acquisition unit 413 measures the pulse width A _n position pulse every location n. Acquisition unit 413 outputs the position information n, and a pulse width _{A n} position pulses corresponding to the position information n in the moving average calculation section 416 (step S103).

Moving average calculation unit 416 obtains the position information n from the acquisition unit 413, and a pulse width A _n position pulses corresponding to the position information n. The moving average calculation unit 416 acquires the reference information B _n corresponding to the position information n selected by the learning function unit 414 from the reference value storage unit 415 (step S104).

Moving average calculation unit 416 calculates a moving average value Ave_B _n of the moving average value Ave_A _n and reference information _{B n} of the pulse width _{A n.} Then, the moving average calculating section 416 calculates a correction value alpha _n by subtracting the moving average value Ave_A _n, the pulse width _{A n} using the equation (1). Further, the moving average calculation unit 416 calculates the correction value β _n by subtracting the moving average value ave_B _n from the reference information B _n using the equation (1). The moving average calculation unit 416 outputs the calculated correction value α _n and the correction value β _n to the difference value calculation unit 417 (step S105).

The difference value calculation unit 417 acquires the correction value α _n and the correction value β _n from the moving average calculation unit 416. The difference value calculation unit 417 calculates the state difference value C _n by subtracting the correction value β _n from the correction value α _n using the equation (2). Difference value calculating unit 417 outputs the status difference value _{C n} of the calculated to the integration unit 418 (step S106).

Integrating unit 418 obtains the status difference value _{C n} from the difference value calculation section 417. When the state difference value C _n exceeds the integration threshold value P, the integration unit 418 adds the state difference value C _n to the state integration value D _n-1 by using the equation (3) to obtain the state integration value D _n . calculate. On the other hand, the integrating unit 418 obtains the status difference value _{C n} from the difference value calculation section 417. When the state difference value C _n is equal to or less than the integration threshold value P, the integration unit 418 sets the state integration value D _n to 0. Integrating unit 418 outputs the calculated state integrated value _{D n} to the determination section 419 (step S107).

Determination unit 419 obtains the state integrated value _{D n} supplied from the integrating section 418. The determination unit 419 acquires the first threshold value Q from the threshold value storage unit 420. Determination unit 419 determines whether the acquired state integrated value _{D n} exceeds a first threshold value Q (step S108). Judging unit 419, if the state integrated value _{D n} the acquired exceeds a first threshold value Q, increments the decision count x (step S109). On the other hand, the determination unit 419, if the state integrated value D _n of the obtained does not exceed the first threshold value Q, and resets the number of determinations x to 0 (zero), and performs step S102.

The determination unit 419 determines whether or not the determination number x is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (step S110). When the number of determinations x is equal to or greater than the specified number of times, the determination unit 419 starts the first reversal operation. That is, the determination unit 419 determines that an obstacle such as a foreign object has been caught between the toilet seat device 8 and the toilet bowl 4 when the determination number x is equal to or greater than the specified number of times, and the elevating control unit 411 gives a control signal. Is output. When the control signal is supplied from the determination unit 419, the ascending / descending control unit 411 outputs an ascending command to the driving unit 401. As a result, the elevating control unit 411 raises the toilet bowl 4 and eliminates pinching (step S111). Then, the determination unit 419 resets the determination number x to 0 (zero) (step S112). On the other hand, when the number of determinations x is less than the specified number of times, the determination unit 419 determines whether or not the lift position of the toilet seat device 8 is a fixed position (step S114). For example, the determination unit 419 determines that the toilet seat device 8 is in the fixed position when the position information n reaches the fixed position specified number of times. When the control device 53 determines that the toilet seat device 8 is in a fixed position, the control device 53 stops the lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8 (step S115). On the other hand, when the position information n has not reached the fixed position specified number of times, the determination unit 419 determines that the toilet seat device 8 is not in the fixed position, and executes the process of step S102.

The effect of obstacle detection of the toilet seat elevating device 10 of the present embodiment will be described below. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating obstacle detection of a conventional toilet seat elevating device when an obstacle is installed at a position of 10 mm in height at the center of the toilet bowl 4. Further, FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating obstacle detection of a conventional toilet seat elevating device when an obstacle is installed at the end of the toilet bowl 4 and at a position of 10 mm in height.

The conventional toilet seat elevating device detects the pinching of an obstacle when the change in the drive current of the electric motor exceeds the threshold value. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the conventional toilet seat elevating device detects the pinching of an obstacle when the lift position does not change within a certain period of time.
However, when an obstacle is pinched at the end of the toilet bowl 4, the change in the drive current of the current motor is very small. That is, even if an obstacle is pinched at the end of the toilet bowl 4, the change in the drive current of the electric motor may not exceed the threshold value. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the conventional toilet seat elevating device cannot distinguish between the case where there is no pinching and the case where there is pinching based on the change in the lift position per unit time, and the toilet bowl 4 It was difficult to detect the pinching of obstacles at the edges.

The toilet seat elevating device 10 in the present embodiment has a small amount of state information (for example,, for example,) between the case where an obstacle is pinched at the end of the toilet bowl 4 and the case where no pinching occurs, as shown in F of FIG. Amplify the difference (change in lift position per unit time). Then, the toilet seat elevating device 10 detects the pinching of an obstacle by comparing the amplified value with the first threshold value Q. As a result, the toilet seat elevating device 10 can accurately amplify a slight difference in state information between the case where an obstacle is pinched at the end of the toilet bowl 4 and the case where no pinching occurs. , It becomes possible to detect the pinching of an obstacle at the end of the toilet bowl 4. As a result, the obstacle detection of the present embodiment has a higher obstacle detection sensitivity than the conventional obstacle detection.

As described above, the toilet seat elevating device 10 of the present embodiment is based on the reference information stored in the reference value storage unit 415 and the state information acquired by the acquisition unit 413 when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered. It is determined whether or not the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle. As a result, the obstacle detection sensitivity can be improved at a lower cost without disposing the piezoelectric contact sensor on the lower surface of the bottom plate of the toilet seat. Further, when it is determined that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle, the elevating control unit 411 performs the first reversing operation of raising the toilet seat device 8. As a result, the toilet bowl 4 can be raised and pinching can be eliminated.

Specifically, the toilet seat lifting apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the moving average value Ave_A _n pulses _{A n} and the reference information _{B n} corresponding to the position information n, the correction value based on ave_B _n α _n and the correction value beta _n Is calculated. Then, the control unit 53 calculates the state differential value C _n by subtracting the correction value beta _n from the correction value alpha _n, detects an obstacle (pinching) based on the state difference value C _n. As a result, the toilet seat elevating device 10 can detect that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle without using the rate of change of the load applied to the motor 50, so that the obstacle is pinched at the end of the toilet bowl 4. Can be detected.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the learning function unit 414 is stored in the reference value storage unit 415 when it is determined that the state information is normal during the lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8 this time. The reference information is updated to the state information at the time of this descent operation. As a result, the reference information can be updated to the latest information, so that stable obstacle detection sensitivity can be maintained even when the reference information changes due to aged deterioration or changes in the usage environment of the toilet device 1. it can.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the learning function unit 414 stores, for example, the state information at the time of the previous descent operation with reference to the present in the reference value storage unit 415 as the reference information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the learning function unit 414 may generate reference information based on the state information when the toilet seat device 8 is raised. As a result, not only the state information at the time of descent but also the state information at the time of the immediately preceding rise can be used as the reference information, so that the reference information can be updated to the latest information.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the learning function unit 414 outputs the state information when it is determined that the state information is normal, such as when an obstacle is not detected during the lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8. It is stored in the reference value storage unit 415. As a specific example, the learning function unit 414 at the time of this lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8, when the state integration value (state evaluation value) D _n is equal to or less than the lower second threshold value R than the first threshold value Q is The reference information stored in the reference value storage unit 415 is updated. The second threshold value R is a value for determining whether or not the state information at the time of the descending operation of the toilet seat device 8 can be used as the reference information. Here, the reference information is state information when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered and no pinching occurs. Then, in the present embodiment, the pinching of the obstacle is determined based on a slight difference between the reference information which is the state information when the pinching of the obstacle does not occur and the state information when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered. .. Therefore, it is desirable that the reference information is the state information when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered and no pinching occurs, and at the same time, the state information with further reduced noise. Therefore, the second threshold value R is a threshold value that excludes the use of state information that cannot be used as reference information due to the influence of noise or the like as reference information even when pinching does not occur. That is, the learning function unit 414 at the time of this lowering operation of the toilet seat device 8, state integration value (state evaluation value) when D _n is equal to or less than a lower second threshold value R than the first threshold value Q only, reference value The reference information stored in the storage unit 415 is updated to the state information at the time of the descending operation this time. Therefore, the state information in which the influence of noise is reduced can be stored in the reference value storage unit 415 as the reference information.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the elevating control unit 411 may perform the elevating operation of the toilet seat device 8 when the elevating operation of the toilet seat device 8 is not performed during the predetermined period. Then, the learning function unit 414 updates the reference information stored in the reference value storage unit 415 based on the ascending / descending operation. As a result, the reference information can be kept up-to-date even when the user does not raise and lower the toilet seat device 8 for a long period of time via the operation unit 200.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when at least one of the toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 3 of the toilet seat device 8 is in the closed state and in the open state, it is a part of the state information output from the output unit 100. Changes may occur. Therefore, depending on the lift position of the toilet seat device 8, the determination result of the presence / absence of pinching in the determination unit 419 is determined when at least one of the toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 3 of the toilet seat device 8 is in the closed state and in the open state. It may change. Therefore, the determination unit 419 determines the state integrated value (state evaluation value) D _n only when the lift position of the toilet seat device 8 is in a predetermined area excluding the area where the determination result changes when the toilet seat device 8 is lowered. May be determined whether or not exceeds the first threshold value Q.
As described above, the toilet seat elevating device 10 is in a region where the determination result of the presence / absence of pinching in the determination unit 419 changes depending on whether at least one of the toilet seat 2 and the toilet lid 3 is in the closed state and the open state. When there is 8, the obstacle detection may not be performed.

(First modification)
Next, a first modification of the toilet seat elevating device 10 in the present embodiment will be described. When it is determined that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle, the toilet seat elevating device 10 in the present embodiment eliminates the pinching by performing the first reversal operation of raising the toilet seat device 8. Further, in the modification of the above, when the toilet seat device 8 reaches a preset reverse lift position during the first reverse operation, the second reverse operation of lowering the toilet seat device 8 is performed.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration showing a control device 53 of the toilet seat elevating device 10 in the first modification. The control device 53 in the first modification further includes an upper limit determination unit 500 as compared with the present embodiment.

The upper limit determination unit 500 determines whether or not the toilet seat device 8 has reached a preset inversion lift position during the first inversion operation. For example, the upper limit determination unit 500 determines whether or not the toilet seat device 8 has reached the reverse lift position based on the position information n from the detection unit 412. The upper limit determination unit 500 outputs a lowering control signal to the elevating control unit 411 when it is determined that the toilet seat device 8 has reached a preset reversing lift position during the first reversing operation.

When the elevating control unit 411 acquires the descent control signal from the upper limit determination unit 500, the elevating control unit 411 lowers the toilet seat device 8 by outputting a lowering command to the drive unit 401. This saves the user the trouble of operating the operation unit 200 again to lower the toilet seat device 8.

Further, the elevating control unit 411 may set the descending speed of the toilet seat device 8 at the time of the second reversing operation to a low speed. As a result, the elevating control unit 411 retracts the foreign matter from between the toilet seat device 8 and the toilet bowl 4 when it is detected that the foreign matter is caught between the toilet seat device 8 and the toilet bowl 4. You can secure the time to let it.

(Second modification)
Next, a second modification of the toilet seat elevating device 10 in the present embodiment will be described. The toilet seat elevating device 10 in the first modification of the present embodiment performs a second reversing operation of lowering the toilet seat device 8 when the toilet seat device 8 reaches a preset reversing lift position during the first reversing operation. In the second modification, it is determined that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle when the rate of change of the state information acquired by the acquisition unit 413 exceeds a predetermined value during the second reversal operation. That is, when the determination unit 419 does not perform the obstacle detection in the present embodiment described above during the second reversal operation and the rate of change of the state information acquired by the acquisition unit 413 exceeds a predetermined value, the toilet seat. It is determined that the device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle. This is because, in case there are no obstructions between the toilet seat device 8 and toilet 4, state integrated value by noise (state evaluation value) when D _n exceeds the first threshold value Q predetermined period, the predetermined time period This is to prevent the pinching of obstacles from being constantly detected during the period.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the reference value storage unit 415 does not store the reference information due to a power failure, the first start-up, or the like, the toilet seat elevating device 10 performs the obstacle detection in the above-described embodiment. Instead, it may be determined that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with an obstacle when the rate of change of the state information acquired by the acquisition unit 413 exceeds a predetermined value.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as a method of detecting that the toilet seat device 8 has come into contact with a fixed position, the toilet seat elevating device 10 has been described to determine whether or not the position pulse of the encoder is equal to or greater than the fixed number of times. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a contact sensor or an optical sensor that detects contact with an object may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the toilet seat elevating device 10 measures the pulse width of the position pulse obtained from the encoder as the load of the motor 50, that is, the state information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the toilet seat elevating device 10 may use the rotation speed calculated from the pulse width of the position pulse from the encoder as the load of the motor 50. Further, the toilet seat elevating device 10 may calculate the load current flowing through the motor 50 as state information.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first threshold value Q may be determined based on the correction value α _n . For example, the toilet seat elevating device 10 integrates the absolute value of the correction value α _n for each position information n, and divides the integrated value of the correction value α _n by the position information n (number of data) to obtain an average absolute value. Calculate the deviation value. Then, the toilet seat elevating device 10 calculates the first threshold value Q by multiplying the average absolute deviation value by a coefficient such as a preset position of the toilet seat device 8 or an individual difference of the toilet device 1.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the toilet seat lifting apparatus 10, when the number x of state integrated value D _n exceeds a first threshold value Q has reached the predetermined number of times, but the toilet seat device 8 is determined to have contact with the obstacle , Not limited to this. For example, the toilet seat lifting apparatus 10, when the state integrated value D _n falls outside the first range, the toilet seat device 8 may be determined that the contact with the obstacle. Further, the toilet seat lifting apparatus 10, when the state integrated value D _n is within a narrow second range than the first range may store the state information in the reference value storage unit 415. That is, the toilet seat lifting apparatus 10, the state integrated value D _n is the case of the second range narrower than the first range does not update the reference information of the reference value storage unit 415.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the toilet seat elevating device 10 includes a rack extending in the vertical direction Z and a pinion that meshes with the rack, and by rotating the pinion in the forward direction by the motor 50, the rack that meshes with the pinion is vertically Zed. The toilet seat device 8 is moved up and down, but is not limited to this. For example, the failure detection process of the toilet seat elevating device 10 in the present embodiment may be applied to the toilet seat elevating device that elevates and elevates the toilet seat device 8 by rotating the toilet seat device 8 with respect to the toilet bowl 4. It may be applied to a toilet seat elevating device that assists the user in standing and sitting on the toilet bowl 4 by raising and lowering the toilet seat device 8 while sitting on the toilet seat device 8. That is, the failure detection process according to the present embodiment can be applied to all the toilet seat elevating devices provided with a mechanism for widening the gap between the toilet seat device 8 and the toilet bowl 4.

Further, the control unit 400 in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, the program for realizing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by the computer system and executed. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, or a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, a "computer-readable recording medium" is a communication line for transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and dynamically holds the program for a short period of time. It may also include a program that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or a client in that case. Further, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions, and may be further realized for realizing the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. It may be realized by using a programmable logic device such as FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the design and the like within a range not deviating from the gist of the present invention are also included.

1 Toilet device 2 Toilet seat 3 Toilet lid 4 Toilet bowl 5 Functional part 6 Front base member 7 Rear base member 8 Toilet seat device 10 Toilet seat elevating device 20 Movable member 53 Control device 100 Output unit 400 Control unit 411 Elevating control unit 412 Detection unit 413 Acquisition unit 414 Learning function unit 415 Reference value storage unit 416 Moving average calculation unit 417 Difference value calculation unit 418 Integration unit 419 Judgment unit 420 Threshold storage unit

Claims (10)

An elevating control unit that raises and lowers the toilet seat device,
An acquisition unit that acquires status information indicating the status of the toilet seat device, and
A storage unit that stores reference information, which is a reference value of the state information,
Whether or not the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle based on the reference information stored in the storage unit and the state information during descent acquired by the acquisition unit when the toilet seat device is lowered. Judgment unit and
With
When it is determined that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle, the elevating control unit performs a first reversing operation for raising the toilet seat device.
Direction in which the toilet seat apparatus is moving immediately after starting to move from the home position is a vertical direction,
Toilet seat lifting device. The toilet seat elevating device according to claim 1, wherein the reference information is generated based on the state information when the toilet seat device is raised. The toilet seat elevating / lowering according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the toilet seat device reaches a preset position during the first reversing operation, the elevating control unit performs a second reversing operation of lowering the toilet seat device. apparatus. The third aspect of claim 3, wherein the determination unit determines that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle when the rate of change of the state information acquired by the acquisition unit exceeds a predetermined value during the second reversal operation. Toilet seat lifting device. The toilet seat elevating device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the elevating control unit reduces the descending speed of the toilet seat device during the second reversing operation. When the toilet seat device is lowered, the determination unit has a first difference, which is a difference between the state information acquired by the acquisition unit and the moving average value of the current state information, and the reference stored in the storage unit. Claims 1 to 4 for determining whether or not the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle based on the comparison result of the second difference indicating the difference between the information and the moving average of the reference information. The toilet seat elevating device according to any one item. A difference value calculation unit that calculates a state difference value by subtracting the second difference from the first difference,
An integrating unit that calculates the status evaluation value by integrating the status difference value for each position of the toilet seat device, and
With more
The toilet seat elevating device according to claim 6, wherein the determination unit determines that the toilet seat device has come into contact with an obstacle when the state evaluation value exceeds a preset first threshold value. When the state evaluation value is equal to or less than the second threshold value lower than the first threshold value at the time of descending in the toilet seat device, the reference information stored in the storage unit is updated to the state information at the time of descending. The toilet seat elevating device according to claim 7, further comprising a learning function unit. If the toilet seat device is not lifted or lowered during a predetermined period, the lift control unit performs the lift operation of the toilet seat device.
The toilet seat elevating device according to claim 8, wherein the learning function unit updates the reference information stored in the storage unit based on the state information of the elevating operation. According to claim 7, the determination unit determines whether or not the state evaluation value exceeds the first threshold value only when the position of the toilet seat device is in a predetermined region when the toilet seat device is lowered. Item 9. The toilet seat elevating device according to any one of items 9.

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