JP6847372B2 - Urinal cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a urinal cleaning device.

Conventionally, as a urinal cleaning device, there is known a device that detects a user of a urinal by a sensor that detects a human body and automatically discharges cleaning water to clean the urinal. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a urinal cleaning device in which a sensor is provided on a spreader that is attached to the space inside the pot of a urinal and discharges cleaning water radially toward the pot surface. By providing the sensor on the spreader in this way, the position of the sensor can be lowered, and even a short child can reliably detect this.

JP-A-2007-321543

However, Patent Document 1 discloses that a single element of the sensor is provided on the spreader, but does not disclose where and how the control board that processes the signal from the sensor is arranged. If the control board is arranged away from the sensor element, the signal of the weak sensor element is easily affected by noise, which may reduce the detection accuracy of the sensor.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of improving the detection accuracy of a sensor in a urinal cleaning device in which a sensor for detecting a human body is provided in or near a spreader. ..

In order to solve the above problems, the urinal cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensor that detects a human body, a control board of the sensor, and a spreader that discharges cleaning water into the urinal based on the detection result of the sensor. And. A control board is provided inside the spreader.

According to the present invention, in a urinal cleaning device in which a sensor for detecting a human body is provided in or near a spreader, the detection accuracy of the sensor can be improved.

It is a front view of the urinal provided with the urinal cleaning device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of a part of the urinal provided with the urinal cleaning device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the urinal cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view of the urinal cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the urinal cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the urinal cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the urinal cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the urinal cleaning device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of the urinal cleaning device shown in FIG. It is a front view in the state which the spreader cover of the urinal cleaning apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is removed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings shall be designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. Further, the embodiment is not limited to the invention but is an example, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a urinal 100 including the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross section of a part of the urinal 100 including the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The urinal 100 includes a pot portion 102 mounted on a wall surface. The pot portion 102 may be made of pottery, for example. A hanging portion 103 projecting forward is formed in the lower portion of the pot portion 102.

A urinal cleaning device 10 for automatically discharging cleaning water is attached to the upper portion of the pot surface 102a. The urinal cleaning device 10 includes a spreader 12 that radially discharges cleaning water toward the pot surface 102a. The spreader 12 has a substantially cylindrical spreader main body 12a and a flange portion 12b formed on the front side (front side of the urinal) of the spreader main body 12a as described later. The spreader main body 12a is inserted into the hole 104 formed in the upper part of the pot 102 from the front side, and is fixed from the back side by using the fixing member 105. In the fixed state, the flange portion 12b is located on the front side of the pot surface 102a. As shown in FIG. 2, the spreader 12 is attached diagonally downward so that the discharged wash water flows along the pot surface 102a, and an inclined portion 19 is formed in the vicinity of the spout. .. A water supply hose 106 for supplying washing water is connected to the back side of the spreader 12. A water supply valve (not shown) is connected to the water supply hose 106. The opening and closing of the water supply valve is controlled by a valve control unit (not shown).

Next, the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view of the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side view of the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the urinal cleaning device 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of the urinal cleaning device 10 shown in FIG.

The urinal cleaning device 10 includes a spreader 12, an ultrasonic sensor 14, a spreader cover 16, a control board 18, and a light guide body 20.

The spreader 12 includes a substantially cylindrical spreader main body 12a extending in the axial direction Ax, a flange portion 12b formed on the front side (front side of the urinal) of the spreader main body 12a, and a rear side (spreader main body 12a) of the spreader main body 12a. It is provided with a hose connection portion 12c formed on the back side of the urinal).

A male screw is formed on the outer surface of the spreader main body 12a. With the spreader 12 inserted into the hole 104 of the urinal 100, the male screw of the spreader body 12a and the female screw formed on the fixing member 105 (see FIG. 2) are fitted to fit the spreader 12 into the urinal 100. Can be fixed to.

A sensor support portion 12d for supporting the ultrasonic sensor 14 and a light guide body support portion 12e for supporting the light guide body 20 are formed in the flange portion 12b. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, a groove portion 12f for fixing the spreader cover 16 is formed on the outer surface of the flange portion 12b.

The ultrasonic sensor 14 is a device that detects the human body by transmitting ultrasonic waves from the sensor head 14a toward the human body and receiving the reflected waves by the sensor head 14a as well. The ultrasonic sensor 14 is watertightly fitted to a substantially cylindrical tubular body 15 made of an elastic body such as silicon rubber, and a ring shape made of an elastic body such as silicon rubber is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the tubular body 15. A vibration transmission suppressing body 17 which is a packing is arranged. The tubular body 15 and the vibration transmission suppressing body 17 have a function of blocking the transmission of the vibration of the ultrasonic sensor 14 and the vibration transmitted from the outside to the spreader. The ultrasonic sensor 14 fitted in the tubular body 15 is supported by the sensor support portion 12d of the spreader 12.

The spreader cover 16 is formed in a substantially covered cylinder shape, and is attached so as to cover the flange portion 12b of the spreader 12. As shown in FIG. 8, a convex portion 16c is formed on the inside of the side surface of the spreader cover 16, and the convex portion 16c fits into the groove portion 12f of the flange portion 12b so that the spreader cover 16 is fitted to the flange portion 12b. It is fixed.

An opening 16a is formed on the surface 16b of the spreader cover 16, and a sensor head 14a for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves of the ultrasonic sensor 14 is inserted into the opening 16a. Therefore, the sensor head 14a of the ultrasonic sensor 14 is exposed on the surface 16b of the spreader cover 16. That is, the sensor head 14a is not covered with the spreader cover 16, and is formed separately from the spreader.

As shown in FIG. 8, a substrate accommodating portion 12g for accommodating the control substrate 18 and a water passage portion 12h provided under the substrate accommodating portion 12g are formed in the spreader main body portion 12a. Since the substrate accommodating portion 12g and the water passing portion 12h are separated by the first partition wall 12i, the washing water flowing through the water passing portion 12h does not enter the substrate accommodating portion 12g. The first partition wall 12i extends to the hose connection portion 12c. At the tip of the water passage portion 12h, a spout port 12j for discharging wash water to the pot portion 102 of the urinal 100 is formed.

The control board 18 housed in the board housing part 12g of the spreader main body 12a is a board on which a control circuit for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic sensor 14 is formed. More specifically, the control board 18 includes a circuit that emits ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic sensor 14, a circuit that amplifies the signal from the ultrasonic sensor 14, and a circuit that processes the amplified signal to determine the presence or absence of a human body. A circuit or the like for transmitting the determination result of the presence or absence of a human body to the valve control unit is formed. On the back side of the control board 18, a connector 21 for connecting a signal line for communicating with the valve control unit is arranged.

The valve control unit opens and closes the water supply valve based on the determination result of the presence or absence of a human body. For example, when the state changes from the state with the human body to the state without the human body, the water supply valve is opened and the washing water is discharged from the spreader 12. As a result, the urinal can be washed by automatically discharging the washing water.

Further, a light emitting element 22 for indicating the operation mode of the urinal cleaning device 10 is arranged on the front side of the control board 18 (see FIGS. 4 and 9). The light emitting element 22 may be, for example, an LED. For example, the light emitting element 22 does not light in the normal operation mode, but lights only in the special operation mode. The special operation mode may be, for example, an operation mode in which the automatic discharge of the washing water is stopped when the urinal 100 is cleaned. The light emitted from the light emitting element 22 is incident on the light guide body 20 from one end surface 20a of the light guide body 20. Then, this light passes through the light guide body 20 and is emitted from the other end surface 20b of the light guide body 20. As shown in FIG. 9, the other end surface 20b of the light guide body 20 in the spreader cover 16 and the other end surface 20b of the light guide body 20 so that the light emitted from the other end surface 20b of the light guide body 20 passes through the spreader cover 16 and is emitted to the outside. The facing portion 16d is thinner than the other portions.

As shown in FIG. 6, two hole portions 18a are formed in the substantially central portion of the control board 18. A terminal 14b extending from the back surface of the ultrasonic sensor 14 is inserted into the hole 18a. The terminals 14b are soldered to the electrodes on the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 8, the spreader main body 12a includes a second partition wall 12k formed between the ultrasonic sensor 14 and the control board 18. The second partition wall 12k can prevent cleaning water, urine, cleaning chemicals, and the like from entering the control board 18, the connector 21, and the like, and can prevent malfunction, corrosion destruction, and the like. The second partition wall 12k is formed with a hole for passing the terminal 14b of the ultrasonic sensor 14. The hole and the control substrate 18 are sealed with a potting material (not shown).

In the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment, the control board 18 is arranged in the board accommodating portion 12g perpendicular to the axial direction Ax of the spreader 12. By arranging the control board 18 perpendicularly to the axial direction Ax in this way, the length of the axial direction Ax of the spreader 12 is longer than that in the case where the control board 18 is arranged parallel to the axial direction Ax. The width can be shortened, and a compact spreader 12 can be realized.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the urinal cleaning device 10 with the spreader cover removed. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the water passage lid portion 24 (see FIGS. 4, 8 and 9) located in front of the water passage portion 12h is removed in order to show the shape of the water passage portion 12h. As shown in FIG. 10, the water passage portion 12h is formed in a substantially half-moon shape in a cross section perpendicular to the axial direction Ax. That is, the upper surface 12p of the water passage portion 12h is flat, and the bottom surface 12m of the water passage portion 12h is arcuate.

The hose connecting portion 12c formed on the rear side of the spreader main body portion 12a is a portion for connecting the water supply hose 106 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 8, the flow path 12l inside the hose connection portion 12c communicates with the water passage portion 12h of the spreader main body portion 12a via the inclined flow path 12r.

In the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the height d1 of the water passage portion 12h is formed to be smaller than the diameter d2 of the flow path 12l of the hose connection portion 12c. The diameter d2 of the hose connecting portion 12c is determined in relation to the water supply hose, but if the height d1 of the water passing portion 12h is made the same size as the diameter d2, the size of the substrate accommodating portion 12g becomes smaller and controlled. The substrate 18 may not be accommodated. Therefore, by forming the height d1 of the water passage portion 12h smaller than the diameter d2 of the flow path 12l of the hose connecting portion 12c, a substrate accommodating portion 12g having a size sufficient to accommodate the control substrate 18 is secured. be able to. The height of the water passage portion 12h is the diameter in the lateral direction of the internal space of the water passage portion 12h.

In the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the width of the water passage portion 12h is formed to be larger than the diameter of the flow path 12l of the hose connection portion 12c. Further, the diameter of the inclined flow path 12r is formed to be slightly smaller than the diameter d2 of the flow path 12l. Therefore, the area of the flow path through which the washing water passes is slightly narrowed from the flow path 12l to the inclined flow path 12r, and greatly expands from the inclined flow path 12r to the water passage portion 12h. Further, the bottom surface 12s of the inclined flow path 12r has a curved shape. The washing water supplied from the water supply hose 106 into the flow path 12l of the hose connection portion 12c passes through the flow path 12l of the hose connection portion 12c and goes up the inclined flow path 12r. Then, when the washing water enters the water passage portion 12h from the inclined flow path 12r, it spreads laterally, passes through the water passage portion 12h, and is discharged from the water discharge port 12j to the pot surface 102a.

As described above, the flow path 12l inside the hose connection portion 12c communicates with the water passage portion 12h of the spreader main body portion 12a via the inclined flow path 12r. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom surface 12m of the water passage portion 12h is located above the bottom surface 12n of the flow path 12l of the hose connection portion 12c. If the bottom of the water passage is at the same height as the bottom of the hose connection, the wash water remaining in the water supply hose after closing the water supply valve can be discharged from the spout to the pot through the water passage. There is sex. This is not preferable because it causes the dripping water and the washing water to drip into the pot. On the other hand, in the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment, the bottom surface 12m of the water passage portion 12h is positioned above the bottom surface 12n of the hose connection portion 12c, so that the water supply valve remains in the water supply hose 106 after being closed. The flow of the water into the water passage portion 12h is prevented or at least suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent or at least suppress a situation in which the dripping water and the washing water drip on the pot portion.

The urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above. In the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment, not only the ultrasonic sensor 14 but also the control board 18 is arranged in the spreader 12. If only the ultrasonic sensor is placed in the spreader and the circuit for controlling the ultrasonic sensor is formed at a position away from the spreader 12 (for example, the same substrate as the valve control unit), the weak ultrasonic sensor signal is noisy. There is a risk that the detection accuracy of the human body will decrease. On the other hand, in the urinal cleaning device 10 according to the present embodiment, since the control board 18 is arranged in the vicinity of the ultrasonic sensor 14, it is not easily affected by noise and the detection accuracy of the human body can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate accommodating portion 12g is provided on the upper side and the water passage portion 12h is provided on the lower side in the spreader main body portion 12a. However, the positional relationship between the substrate accommodating portion 12g and the water passing portion 12h is not limited to this, and for example, the water passing portion 12h may be provided on the upper side and the substrate accommodating portion 12g may be provided on the lower side. Alternatively, the substrate accommodating portion 12g may be provided on the left side (or right side), and the water passage portion 12h may be provided on the right side (or left side).

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this embodiment is exemplary and that various modifications and modifications are possible within the claims of the invention, and that such modifications and modifications are also within the claims of the present invention. It is a place to be. Therefore, the descriptions and drawings herein should be treated as exemplary rather than limiting.
From the above description, the following inventions are recognized.
An aspect of the urinal cleaning device of the present invention includes a sensor for detecting a human body, a control board for the sensor, and a spreader for discharging cleaning water into the urinal based on the detection result of the sensor. A control board is provided inside the spreader.

According to this aspect, since the control board is provided in the spreader, the distance between the sensor and the control board can be shortened. As a result, the signal from the sensor is less susceptible to noise, so that the detection accuracy of the sensor can be improved.

The spreader may include an accommodating portion for accommodating the control board, a water passage portion through which the washing water flows, and a hose connection portion communicating with the water passage portion. The height of the water passage is smaller than the diameter of the hose connection. In this case, it is possible to secure a wide accommodating portion for accommodating the control board.

The bottom surface of the water passage portion may be located above the bottom surface of the hose connection portion. In this case, it is possible to prevent the water remaining in the water supply hose from dripping.

The spreader is formed so as to extend in a predetermined direction, and the control board may be arranged perpendicular to the predetermined direction. In this case, the length of the spreader in a predetermined direction can be shortened, and a compact spreader can be realized.

The sensor is provided on the spreader, and a partition wall may be provided between the sensor and the control board. In this case, it is possible to prevent a situation in which washing water, urine, or the like invades the control board.

A light emitting element for indicating the operation mode of the urinal cleaning device may be arranged on the control board. In this case, the operation mode of the urinal cleaning device can be presented to the user.

A light guide body for guiding the light from the light emitting element to the outside of the spreader may be further provided. In this case, the light of the light emitting element can be easily seen from the outside of the spreader.

10 Urinal cleaning device, 12 spreader, 12a spreader body, 12b flange, 12c hose connection, 12d sensor support, 12e light guide support, 12f groove, 12g board housing, 12h water flow, 12i 1 partition, 12j spout, 12k second partition, 14 ultrasonic sensor, 15 cylinder, 16 spreader cover, 17 vibration transmission suppressor, 18 control board, 18a hole, 20 light guide, 21 connector, 22 light emitting element , 100 urinals, 102 pots, 102a pots, 105 fixing members, 106 water supply hose.

Claims (5)

Sensors that detect the human body and
The control board of the sensor and
Based on the detection result of the sensor, a spreader that discharges wash water into the urinal,
With
The control board is provided in the spreader, and the control board is provided in the spreader.
The sensor is provided on the spreader and
A partition wall is provided between the sensor and the control board.
Urinal cleaning device. Sensors that detect the human body and
The control board of the sensor and
Based on the detection result of the sensor, a spreader that discharges wash water into the urinal,
With
The control board is provided in the spreader, and the control board is provided in the spreader.
The sensor is provided at or near the spreader.
The spreader includes a water passage portion through which washing water flows, a hose connection portion communicating with the water passage portion, and an accommodation portion located above the water passage portion for accommodating the control board.
The height of the water passage portion is smaller than the diameter of the hose connection portion.
The bottom surface of the water passage portion is located above the bottom surface of the hose connection portion.
The central axis of the hose connection portion is located below the central axis of the water passage portion.
Urinal cleaning device. The spreader is formed so as to extend in a predetermined direction.
The urinal cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the control board is arranged perpendicular to the predetermined direction. The urinal cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a light emitting element for indicating an operation mode of the urinal cleaning device is arranged on the control board. The urinal cleaning device according to claim 4 , further comprising a light guide body for guiding light from the light emitting element to the outside of the spreader.

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