JP7212860B2 - toilet seat device - Google Patents

Description

Aspects of the present invention generally relate to toilet seat devices.

A toilet seat device that suppresses the growth of bacteria and stains in the bowl by spouting cleaning water (disinfecting water) such as hypochlorous acid water, which has oxidative decomposition and bleaching effects, into the bowl. known (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, ozonated water, electrolytically sterilized water, and high-temperature water are made into a mist of about 0.1 to 50 μm, and this mist is delivered not only to the bowl but also to the toilet seat, toilet lid, and toilet rim by air currents. There is known a toilet seat device with mist cleaning that cleans every corner of the toilet seat (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 5029930 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-138605

By spraying the mist (cleansing water) onto the toilet bowl and the toilet seat, the cleanliness of the toilet seat device can be maintained. However, if residual water is left in the spraying device for a long time after the mist is sprayed, there is a risk that scale will be generated. Such scale disturbs the flow direction of the mist, causing the mist to be ejected in an unintended direction. As a result, the mist may be sprayed out of the toilet bowl or splashed on the human body, preventing the mist from being normally sprayed to every corner of the toilet bowl.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet seat device capable of suppressing mist from being sprayed in an unintended direction by a scale.

A first invention comprises a spraying device for spraying mist toward at least one of the inside of a toilet bowl and a toilet seat, and a control device for controlling the spraying device, wherein the spraying device is formed in a plate shape. and a water supply unit for supplying water to the upper surface of the spray unit, and the control device controls the spray in a state in which water is supplied from the water supply unit to the upper surface of the spray unit. a mist mode in which the mist is sprayed by driving the mist mode, and a residual water discharge mode in which residual water in the spray section is discharged by driving the spray section after the mist mode. It is a toilet seat device.

According to this toilet seat device, by executing the residual water discharge mode, it is possible to discharge the residual water in the spray section after execution of the mist mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of scale in the spray section. As a result, it is possible to prevent mist from being sprayed in an unintended direction due to the scale.

In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the control device executes a drain mode for draining residual water from the water supply section after the mist mode and before the residual water discharge mode ends. This toilet seat device is characterized by:

According to this toilet seat device, the remaining water discharge mode ends after the water drain mode, so the residual water in the spray section can be more reliably discharged, and the generation of scale in the spray section can be more reliably suppressed.

A third invention is the toilet seat device according to the second invention, characterized in that the residual water discharge mode is also executed during the water removal mode.

When the draining mode is executed for a long time, residual water may remain in the spraying part for a long time and scale may be generated. Therefore, according to this toilet seat device, by executing the residual water discharge mode even during the drain mode, the residual water in the spray section can be efficiently discharged, and the generation of scale can be more reliably suppressed.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the toilet seat apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the residual water discharge mode executed during the drain mode is intermittently executed during the drain mode.

When the drain mode is executed for a long time, if the spraying device is constantly driven, the driving time of the spraying device becomes longer, and the life of the spraying device may be shortened. Therefore, according to this toilet seat device, by intermittently driving the execution of the residual water discharge mode during the drain mode, the residual water is suppressed from remaining in the spray device for a long time, and the driving time of the spray device is reduced. can be shortened, the life of the spray device can be improved.

A fifth invention is the toilet seat device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the remaining water discharge mode discharges the residual water in the spraying part from the spraying part without turning it into mist. is.

According to this toilet seat device, residual water in the spray section is not vigorously sprayed toward the inside of the toilet bowl. Therefore, the mist sprayed inside the toilet seat and toilet bowl in the residual water discharge mode lands on top of the mist (for example, sterilized water mist) that has been retained inside the toilet seat and toilet bowl in the mist mode. It is possible to suppress the dripping of the attached mist depending on the mode.

A sixth invention is the toilet seat device according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the residual water discharge mode causes the residual water in the spray section to drop into a water storage section in the toilet bowl. is.

According to this toilet seat device, the remaining water in the spray part can be dropped into the pooled water in the toilet, so the mist (for example, disinfectant water mist) that has been retained inside the toilet seat and toilet in the mist mode It is possible to prevent the sprayed mist from landing on the toilet seat or the inside of the toilet bowl in the residual water discharge mode, and the dripping of the attached mist in the mist mode.

According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress mist from being sprayed in an unintended direction by the scale.

1 is a perspective view showing a toilet device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet apparatus in FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrows AA when the mist mode is being executed; 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet apparatus in FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrows AA when the residual water discharge mode is being executed; FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the essential configuration of the toilet seat device; 5(a) to 5(e) are a plan view and a perspective view showing the main body of the toilet seat device. FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of the main body and the spray device in FIG. FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c) are schematic diagrams schematically showing states of the spray device when the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode are executed. It is a flowchart which shows the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode by a control apparatus. 5 is a time chart showing an example of the execution state of the drain mode and residual water discharge mode; FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a mist mode, a drain mode, and a residual water discharge mode by the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a time chart showing an example of the execution state of the drain mode and residual water discharge mode; FIGS. 12(a) to 12(c) are schematic diagrams schematically showing the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode executed by the spray device according to the modified example of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same reference numerals are given to the same constituent elements, and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. 1 to 9 show a first embodiment of the toilet seat device of the present invention.
1 is a perspective view showing a toilet apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet apparatus in FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrows AA when the mist mode is being executed.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet apparatus in FIG. 1 as seen from the direction of arrows AA when the residual water discharge mode is being executed.

A toilet device 1 shown in FIG. Toilet bowl 100 has a concave bowl portion 101 that receives waste. The toilet seat device 10 is installed on the upper part of the toilet bowl 100 .

A body portion 12 is arranged behind the toilet bowl 100 . The toilet seat portion 14 is rotatably supported by the body portion 12 . The toilet seat device 10 includes a spray device 60 that sprays mist M onto at least one of the interior of the toilet bowl 100 and the toilet seat portion 14 , and a control device 70 that controls the spray device 60 . A toilet lid 16 rotatably supported on the main body 12 is provided on the rear side of the toilet seat 14 . The state of FIG. 1 is a state in which the toilet seat 14 is closed (lowered state) and the toilet lid 16 is open (raised state). The toilet lid 16 covers the seat surface 14a of the toilet seat portion 14 from above in the closed state.

The body portion 12 is provided with a seating detection sensor 20 for detecting that the user has sat on the toilet seat portion 14 . Further, body washing function part 58 and the like are built in body part 12 to realize washing of the human body parts (such as "buttocks") of the user sitting on toilet seat part 14 . When the seat detection sensor 20 detects the user sitting on the toilet seat 14, when the user operates the manual operation unit 24 such as a remote controller, the washing nozzle of the body washing function unit 58 (hereinafter for convenience of explanation, simply referred to as “nozzle 58 a ”) can extend into bowl portion 101 of toilet 100 . Note that the toilet seat device 10 shown in FIG.

One or a plurality of water outlets are provided at the tip of the nozzle 58a. The nozzle 58a can jet water from a spout provided at the tip of the nozzle 58a to wash the "buttocks" of the user sitting on the toilet seat 14 and the like. In the specification of the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "forward", "backward", "left side", and "right side" respectively refer to the toilet seat portion 14 with the back facing the open toilet lid 16. This is the direction viewed from the user sitting on the

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, toilet bowl 100 has rim portion 102 provided on bowl portion 101 . Rim portion 102 is an annular portion that forms the upper edge of toilet bowl 100 . Rim portion 102 has an upper surface 103 and an inner wall surface 104 . The upper surface 103 faces the back surface 14b of the closed toilet seat 14. As shown in FIG. A water storage portion 101a is provided in the bowl portion 101 . The pooled water W1 is stored in the pooled water portion 101a. As shown in FIG. 3, the pooled water portion 101a is a portion of the bowl portion 101 below the maximum water level WL of the pooled water W1. Then, for example, when the user performs a toilet cleaning operation using a switch provided on the manual operation unit 24 (remote controller), or when the user stands up from the toilet seat 14, the toilet is cleaned (the waste in the bowl 101 is discharged). and the operation of cleaning the surface of the bowl portion 101) is executed. Washing water is supplied into the bowl portion 101 in washing the toilet bowl.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the control device 70 is executing the mist mode, a mist M of tap water or sterilized water is sprayed from the spray device 60 toward the inside of the toilet bowl 100 and the toilet seat portion 14. . On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the control device 70 is executing the residual water discharge mode, the residual water P falls from the spray device 60 toward the pooled water W1 stored in the pooled water portion 101a of the toilet bowl 100. do. The mist mode and residual water discharge mode will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the essential configuration of the toilet seat device.
Note that FIG. 4 also shows the configuration of main parts of the waterway system and the electrical system.
The seating detection sensor 20 can detect whether or not the user is seated on the toilet seat 14 . The seating detection sensor 20 detects seating and leaving of the user. The seating detection sensor 20 may be a microwave sensor, a ranging sensor (infrared projection sensor), an ultrasonic sensor, a tact switch, a capacitance switch (touch sensor), or a strain sensor.

When using contact sensors such as a tact switch, an electrostatic sensor, and a strain sensor, these contact sensors are provided on the toilet seat 14 . When the user sits on the toilet seat 14, the tact switch is pressed by the user's weight. Alternatively, the user touches the electrostatic sensor. Alternatively, pressure is applied to the strain sensor by the weight of the user. The seating of the user can be detected by electrical signals from these sensors.

The human body detection sensor 22 can detect a user in front of the toilet bowl 100 , that is, a user in a position spaced forward from the toilet seat 14 . That is, the human body detection sensor 22 can detect a user who has entered the toilet room and approaches the toilet seat 14 . As such a human body detection sensor, for example, a pyroelectric sensor, a microwave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or a ranging sensor (infrared projection type sensor) can be used. The human body detection sensor 22 detects a user who has just opened the door of the toilet room and entered the room, or a user who has just entered the toilet room, that is, a user who is about to enter the toilet room and is present in front of the door. good too. For example, when a microwave sensor is used, it is possible to detect the presence of the user through the door of the toilet room.

The manual operation unit 24 is an operation unit for the user to spray the sterilizing water at any timing, for example. The manual operation unit 24 is a remote controller having switches, buttons, or the like. When the user operates the manual operation unit 24, operation information (signal) instructing spraying of the sterilizing water is sent to the control device 70. The control device 70 controls the sterilization device 54 and the spray device 60 based on the operation information. Thereby, the user can spray the sterilized water by operating the manual operation unit 24 . In addition, the manual operation unit 24 may have switches, buttons, and the like for the user to operate each function of the toilet seat device 10 in addition to spraying the sterilized water. When an operation corresponding to each function is performed, the operation information is sent to the control device 70, and the control device 70 controls the operation of each part of the toilet seat device 10 based on the operation information.

In addition, a toilet seat motor 26 , a toilet lid motor 28 , a toilet seat heater 30 , an air blower 32 , a hot air heater 34 , and an air direction changing portion 36 are provided inside the body portion 12 . The toilet seat motor 26 electrically rotates and opens/closes the toilet seat 14 based on a command from the control device 70 . The toilet lid motor 28 electrically rotates and opens and closes the toilet lid 16 based on a command from the control device 70 .

The toilet seat heater 30 (drying device) is provided inside the toilet seat 14, for example. The toilet seat heater 30 has, for example, an annular metal member provided around an opening formed in the center of the toilet seat portion 14 . The toilet seat heater 30 warms the toilet seat portion 14 by being energized based on a command from the control device 70 . As the toilet seat heater 30, for example, a tubing heater, a sheathed heater, a halogen heater, a carbon heater, or the like may be used. The metal member is made of, for example, aluminum or copper. Moreover, various shapes such as a sheet shape, a wire shape, and a mesh shape can be adopted as the shape of the metal member.

The blower device 32 is, for example, a fan provided inside the main body 12 . The blower device 32 operates based on commands from the control device 70 . The air blower 32 can blow air into the toilet bowl 100 (inside the bowl portion 101) by, for example, rotating the blades as the motor rotates. The blower device 32 carries the mist M ejected from the spray device 60 on the wind and sends the mist M to the toilet bowl 100 and the toilet seat portion 14 . The air blower 32 is an air volume changer that can change the air volume by controlling the rotation of a motor, for example. The air blower 32 may also blow air to the private parts of the user sitting on the toilet seat 14 .

The warm air heater 34 warms the air that is sent to the outside of the main body 12 by the air blower 32 . As a result, warm air can be sent toward the user's private parts to dry the private parts. Further, the wind direction changing portion 36 changes the direction of the wind sent from the main body portion 12 toward the inside of the toilet bowl 100 . The wind direction changing unit 36 changes the direction of the wind blown into the toilet bowl 100 by changing the direction of dampers, louvers, etc., using a motor, for example. Further, the wind direction changing unit 36 may variably control the direction of the wind using the Coanda effect. The wind direction changing unit 36 changes the direction of the wind inside the toilet bowl 100 to efficiently spread the mist M ejected from the spray device 60 over the toilet bowl 100 and the toilet seat portion 14 .

In the water channel system, the toilet seat device 10 has pipes 40 to 43, an electromagnetic valve 50, a vacuum breaker 52, a sterilization device 54, a switching valve 56, a nozzle 58a, a nozzle cleaning chamber 58c, and a spray device 60. These are arranged within the body portion 12 .

The conduit 40 is for guiding water supplied from a water supply source (not shown) such as a tap or a water storage tank to the spray device 60, the nozzle 58a, and the like. A solenoid valve 50 is provided upstream of the pipeline 40 . The electromagnetic valve 50 is an electromagnetic valve that can be opened and closed, and controls water supply based on commands from a control device 70 provided inside the main body 12 .

A vacuum breaker 52 is provided downstream of the solenoid valve 50 on the pipeline 40 . The vacuum breaker 52 has, for example, a channel for flowing water, an intake port for taking air into the channel, and a valve mechanism for opening and closing the intake port. For example, the valve mechanism closes the intake port when water is flowing through the channel, and opens the intake port to take air into the channel when the flow of water stops. That is, vacuum breaker 52 draws in air when there is no water flow in line 40 . A float valve, for example, is used for the valve mechanism. The vacuum breaker 52 draws air into the pipeline 40 as described above, thereby facilitating draining of the downstream portion of the pipeline 40 from the vacuum breaker 52 , for example. Vacuum breaker 52 facilitates draining water from nozzle 58a and spray device 60, for example.

A sterilization device 54 that generates sterilized water is provided downstream of the vacuum breaker 52 on the pipeline 40 . The sterilization device 54 generates sterilized water containing, for example, hypochlorous acid. An example of the sterilization device 54 is an electrolytic cell unit. The electrolytic cell unit electrolyzes tap water flowing through a space (flow path) between an anode plate (not shown) and a cathode plate (not shown) under the control of energization from the control device 70 . Note that the sterilized water is not limited to one containing hypochlorous acid. The sterilized water may be, for example, a solution containing metal ions such as silver ions or copper ions, a solution containing electrolytic chlorine or ozone, acid water or alkaline water. The sterilization device 54 is not limited to an electrolytic cell, and may be of any configuration capable of generating sterilized water.

A switching valve 56 is provided downstream of the sterilization device 54 on the pipeline 40 . Downstream of the switching valve 56, the nozzle 58a of the body washing function unit 58, the nozzle washing chamber 58c, and the spray device 60 are provided. The pipeline 40 is branched by a switching valve 56 into a pipeline 41 that guides water to the nozzle 58 a , a pipeline 42 that guides water to the nozzle cleaning chamber 58 c , and a pipeline 43 that guides water to the spray device 60 . The switching valve 56 controls opening and closing of each of the pipelines 41 , 42 and 43 based on commands from the control device 70 . That is, the switching valve 56 controls the water supply to the nozzle 58a, the nozzle cleaning chamber 58c, and the spray device 60. FIG. Moreover, the switching valve 56 changes the flow rate of the water supplied downstream. The pipe line 43 serves as a water supply portion of the spray device 60 .

The body washing function part 58 has a nozzle 58a, a nozzle motor 58b, a nozzle washing chamber 58c, and a nozzle damper 58d. The nozzle 58a is housed in the main body 12 behind the nozzle damper 58d when not in use. When washing the human body private parts or the like, the nozzle 58a receives a driving force from the nozzle motor 58b, presses the nozzle damper 58d that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 12, and advances into the bowl portion 101 of the toilet bowl 100. . The nozzle motor 58b is driven based on a command from the control device 70. FIG. The nozzle 58a is extended forward from the main body 12 and discharges water from the spout to cleanse the human body. The nozzle cleaning chamber 58c cleans the outer peripheral surface (body) of the nozzle 58a by injecting sterilized water or tap water from a spout provided therein.

The spray device 60 sprays the mist M onto at least one of the inside of the toilet bowl 100 (the bowl portion 101 ) and the toilet seat portion 14 . The spraying device 60 mists tap water or the sterilized water generated by the sterilizing device 54 , and sprays the mist M from the spraying portion 62 onto the bowl portion 101 , the rim portion 102 , and the toilet seat portion 14 . In other words, the spray device 60 causes the sterile water mist M or tap water mist M to land on the bowl portion 101 , the rim portion 102 , and the toilet seat portion 14 . A specific configuration of the spray device 60 will be described later. In the specification of the present application, "landing on water" means that water (disinfected water or tap water) adheres to the surface of an object. In particular, the term "direct water landing" means that water (fine particles of sterilized water or tap water) reaches the surface of an object from the air.

A circuit to which power is supplied from a power supply circuit (not shown) is used for the control device 70 . The control device 70 includes an integrated circuit such as a microcomputer. The control device 70 controls the toilet seat motor 26, the toilet lid motor 28, the toilet seat heater 30, and the air blower 30 based on detection information from the human body detection sensor 22 for detecting the user or the seating detection sensor 20 and operation information from the manual operation unit 24. It controls the device 32, the hot air heater 34, the air direction changer 36, the electromagnetic valve 50, the vacuum breaker 52, the sterilization device 54, the switching valve 56, the nozzle motor 58b, and the spray device 60.

The control device 70 receives detection information from the human body detection sensor 22 (signal indicating whether or not the user is present) and detection information from the seating detection sensor 20 (signal indicating whether or not the user is seated), and performs the received detection. Based on the information, the operation of each part of the toilet seat device 10 is controlled.

A control device 70 controls the spray device 60 . In this case, the control device 70 has a mist mode for spraying the mist M from the spray device 60, a drain mode for removing residual water in the pipe 43, and a residual water discharge mode for discharging residual water from the spray device 60. Run. The mist mode has a plurality of modes such as a pre-mist mode, an after-mist mode, a regular mist mode, and a manual mist mode. The drain mode and residual water discharge mode are executed after these mist modes. The drain mode is executed after the mist mode and before the residual water discharge mode ends.

The pre-mist mode is an operation mode in which the mist M of sterilized water or tap water is automatically sprayed based on the detection information of the human body detection sensor 22 before the user uses the toilet device 1 . The after-mist mode is an operation mode in which mist M of sterilized water is automatically sprayed based on the detection information of the human body detection sensor 22 after the user uses the toilet device 1 . The regular mist mode is an operation mode in which, for example, the toilet seat device 10 learns and controls the non-use time zone of the toilet device 1 and automatically sprays the mist M of sterilized water. The manual mist mode is an operation mode for spraying mist M of sterile water based on the operation information of the manual operation unit 24 .

5(a) to 5(e) are a plan view and a perspective view showing the main body of the toilet seat device.
As shown in FIG. 5(a), the spray device 60, the nozzle damper 58d, and the blower damper 36a are positioned in the upper rear portion of the bowl portion 101 when the toilet seat device 10 is installed on the upper portion of the toilet bowl 100. As shown in FIG. FIG.5(b) expands and shows a part of Fig.5 (a). In addition, in FIG. 5B, the front wall portion 122 of the main body portion 12 positioned in front of the spray device 60 is broken to show the storage chamber 121 in which the spray device 60 and the spray section 62 are accommodated. 5(c) to 5(e) are enlarged perspective views showing the surroundings of the spray device 60, the nozzle damper 58d and the blower damper 36a.

The nozzle damper 58d is rotatably supported on the front wall 12a of the main body 12. As shown in FIG. The nozzle 58a is positioned behind the nozzle damper 58d in a state of being retracted inside the main body 12 . During washing of the human body private parts, the nozzle 58a abuts on the nozzle damper 58d, rotates the nozzle damper 58d to open, and advances from the inside of the main body 12. As shown in FIG.

The air blow damper 36a is located on the left side of the nozzle damper 58d and is rotatably supported on the front wall 12a of the main body 12. As shown in FIG. The blower damper 36 a constitutes a part of the wind direction changing section 36 . Behind the air blow damper 36a, the air blower 32, the hot air heater 34, the louvers of the air direction changing section 36, and the like are arranged. The air blow damper 36 a covers the opening 120 of the main body 12 . The air sent from the blower 32 is sent into the toilet bowl 100 through the opening 120 while the air direction is controlled by the air direction changer 36 .

5(c) shows a state in which the blower device 32 has stopped operating, and in FIGS. 5(d) and 5(e), the blower device 32 operates and blows air into the bowl portion 101. Indicates status. As shown in FIG. 5(c), the air blow damper 36a is closed when the air blow is stopped. As shown in FIG. 5D, when the blower 32 operates, the blower damper 36a is rotated and opened by the pressure of the air (wind pressure) sent from the blower 32. As shown in FIG. As a result, the blower 32 blows air from the upper rear portion of the bowl portion 101 toward the lower front portion of the bowl portion 101 as indicated by arrow C, for example.

In the state of FIG. 5(e), compared to the state of FIG. 5(d), the amount of air blown by the blower 32 is large (or the wind speed is high). In this case, the blower damper 36a is further rotated and opened compared to the state of FIG. 5(d). As a result, the air blower 32 blows air from the upper rear portion of the bowl portion 101 toward the upper front portion of the bowl portion 101 as indicated by an arrow D, for example. A louver or the like that constitutes the wind direction changing portion 36 may be provided behind the air blow damper 36a to change the direction of the louver, thereby changing the wind direction in the horizontal direction.

Thus, the direction of the air blown from the air blower 32 is changed by the air direction changer 36 (air blow damper 36a). The air blower 32 can control the air blowing direction by the air volume (air velocity). By placing the mist M sprayed from the spray device 60 on the airflow generated by the air blow from the blower device 32, the range where the mist M lands and the amount of water landing of the mist M in each range (disinfection that lands on each range water or tap water) can be controlled.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main body and the spray device in FIG. 5(c) as viewed in the direction of arrows BB.
FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c) are schematic diagrams schematically showing states of the spray device when the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode are executed. FIG. 7(a) is a schematic diagram when the mist mode is being executed. FIG. 7(b) is a schematic diagram when the drain mode is being executed. FIG. 7(c) is a schematic diagram when the residual water discharge mode is being executed.

The body portion 12 is provided with a storage chamber 121 in which the spray portion 62 of the spray device 60 is stored. The storage chamber 121 includes a front wall portion 122 covering the front of the spray portion 62, a bottom wall portion 123 covering the lower side of the spray portion 62, and an opening portion 124 provided between the front wall portion 122 and the bottom wall portion 123. and have The storage chamber 121 is a space surrounded in the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction except for the opening 124, and water W2 (tap water or sterilized water generated by the sterilizer 54) is filled inside. supplied.

The front wall portion 122 forms part of the front wall 12 a of the body portion 12 . The bottom wall portion 123 forms part of the front wall 12b of the body portion 12 . The front wall portion 122 and the bottom wall portion 123 may be provided integrally with the body portion 12 or may be provided separately from the body portion 12 .

The opening 124 is provided between the front wall 122 and the bottom wall 123 . The opening 124 is located between the lower end 122a of the front wall portion 122 and the front end 123a of the bottom wall portion 123, and communicates the interior of the bowl portion 101 and the storage chamber 121 with each other.

The opening 124 is for passing the mist M sprayed from the spraying part 62 of the spraying device 60 to the inside of the toilet bowl 100 (the bowl part 101). The opening 124 is located above the pooled water W1 stored in the pooled water portion 101a of the toilet bowl 100. As shown in FIG. As a result, when the residual water P in the spray section 62 of the spray device 60 is discharged from the storage chamber 121, the residual water P can be dropped from the opening 124 into the pooled water W1.

The opening 124 is open even when the mist M is not sprayed. That is, the opening 124 always communicates between the inside of the toilet bowl 100 and the storage chamber 121 without being blocked by an openable/closable cover or the like. As a result, the air permeability of the storage chamber 121 is improved, so that residual water in the storage chamber 121 can be dried efficiently, and scale generation in the storage chamber 121 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the opening 124 is formed on the lower end side of the body portion 12 . In this case, since the front wall portion 122 covers the entire front side of the spray device 60, even if urine or sewage splashed from the bowl portion 101 enters the storage chamber 121 through the opening 124, the spray device 60 is can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the opening 124 has a horizontally elongated slit shape that is longer in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) than in the vertical direction (vertical direction). As a result, it is possible to make it difficult for urine and sewage that travel from the upper side to the lower side (the opening 124 side) of the front surface 122 b of the front wall portion 122 to enter the storage chamber 121 through the opening 124 .

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6 , the bottom wall portion 123 has an upper surface 123b that slopes downward toward the opening portion 124 . As a result, the water W2 supplied into the storage chamber 121 can be discharged into the bowl portion 101 through the opening 124 along the upper surface 123b of the bottom wall portion 123. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of residual water on the upper surface 123b of the bottom wall portion 123, so that it is possible to suppress the growth of scales and bacteria in the storage chamber 121.

The spray device 60 is provided inside the main body 12 . The spray device 60 is arranged below the toilet seat portion 14 in a state where the toilet seat device 10 is installed on the upper portion of the toilet bowl 100 , and sprays the mist M toward the inside of the toilet bowl 100 . Here, the state in which the spray device 60 is arranged below the toilet seat 14 means that at least part of the spray device 60 (the spray section 62 in this example) is below the toilet seat 14 . As a result, mist M of tap water or sterilized water is sprayed into the toilet bowl 100 from below the toilet seat 14 .

The spray device 60 has a motor 61, a plate-shaped spray section 62 connected to the lower side of the motor 61, and a water supply section (pipe line 43) for supplying water W2 to the upper surface 62a of the spray section 62. . Rotation of the motor 61 is controlled by the controller 70 . The spray part 62 is formed as a disc-shaped disk and arranged in the storage chamber 121 . In other words, the spray section 62 is surrounded.

Above the spraying section 62, a water supply port 43a of the pipe line 43 constituting the water supply section is provided. Water W2 (tap water or sterilized water generated by the sterilizer 54) is supplied from the water supply port 43a to the upper surface 62a of the spray unit 62. As shown in FIG. When the motor 61 rotates, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the spray section 62, and the spray section 62 rotates. Water W2 is supplied to the spraying section 62 while it is rotating, so that the spraying section 62 sprays the water W2 in the form of mist. That is, the spray device 60 is of a rotary atomization type in which the mist M is generated by the rotation of the spray section 62 .

In addition, the water supply port 43a of the pipe line 43 is not limited to one, and a plurality of water supply ports 43a may be provided. FIG. 7 shows a case where two water supply ports 43a are provided. For example, by arranging a plurality of water supply ports 43a at approximately equal intervals along the outer periphery of the spraying unit 62, the grain size and flow rate of the mist M around the spraying device 60 can be suppressed, and uniform spraying can be performed. can be done.

As shown in FIG. 6, the spray section 62 has, for example, a conical shape, and has an inclined surface 62b that slopes downward from the upper end side toward the lower end side (outside in the radial direction) on which the water W2 is dropped. ing. The inclined surface 62b of the spray section 62 is inclined toward the opening 124 on the front wall section 122 side. Then, the spray part 62 sprays the mist M from the radial outer end 62c of the inclined surface 62b.

As a result, the water W2 dropped onto the upper surface 62a of the rotating spray section 62 spreads in a film on the spray section 62 due to the centrifugal force, and is emitted from the end portion 62c. That is, the spray section 62 is formed so that the mist M spreads more in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction) than in the vertical direction (vertical direction). Moreover, the spray part 62 sprays the mist M downward with respect to the horizontal direction by having the inclined surface 62b. That is, the water W2 dropped onto the upper surface 62a of the spray section 62 is sprayed horizontally from the end 62c toward the opening 124. As shown in FIG.

Here, the water W2 splits from the end 62c of the spray portion 62 toward the opening 124 while remaining in the form of a film, or splits after becoming filamentous, and then becomes fine particles (mist M). The particle size of the mist M can be controlled by the rotation speed of the spray section 62 , that is, the rotation speed of the motor 61 . In this case, the higher the rotation speed, the smaller the particle size of the mist M. Further, by adjusting the flow rate of the water W2 supplied to the spray device 60 from the water supply port 43a of the pipe line 43, the particle size of the mist M can be controlled.

The particle size is the particle size of fine particles existing in the air before landing on the bowl portion 101 and the toilet seat portion 14, for example, the Sauter mean particle size (total volume/total surface area). Further, the mist M refers to particles having a particle size in the range of 10 micrometers (μm) or more and 300 μm or less. If the particle size of the mist M is less than 10 μm, it takes a long time to wet the target portions such as the bowl portion 101, the rim portion 102, and the toilet seat portion 14 with the mist. In addition, when using sterilized water containing hypochlorous acid, if the particle size of the mist M is less than 10 μm, the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the mist M tends to decrease, and the sterilization performance tends to decrease. . On the other hand, if the particle size of the mist M is larger than 300 μm, the mist M is difficult to diffuse, making it difficult to spray the mist M over a wide area.

In the mist mode, the rotation speed of the motor 61 of the spray device 60 is controlled so that the particle size of the mist M is 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less. On the other hand, in the residual water discharge mode, the rotation speed of the motor 61 of the spray device 60 is controlled so that the particle size becomes 300 μm or more. That is, the rotation speed of the motor 61 in the residual water discharge mode is controlled to be slower (lower speed) than the rotation speed of the motor 61 in the mist mode. In the residual water discharge mode, the rotational speed of the motor 61 is controlled so that the residual water P on the spray section 62 is not misted and is not sprayed from the opening 124 . The rotation speed of the motor 61 is set by experiments, simulations, etc. based on the shape, size, etc. of the spray section 62 .

The toilet seat device 10 according to this embodiment has the configuration as described above, and the operation of the spray device 60 will now be described.

The control device 70 drives the spray unit 62 in a state in which water W2 is supplied to the upper surface 62a of the spray unit 62 from the pipe line 43 (water supply unit), thereby performing a mist mode for spraying the mist M and a mist mode for spraying the mist M after the mist mode. and a residual water discharge mode in which the residual water P in the spray section 62 is discharged by driving the spray section 62 in . In the mist mode, a mist M of sterile water or tap water is sprayed from the spray device 60 toward the bowl portion 101 and the toilet seat portion 14 to disinfect the bowl portion 101 and the toilet seat portion 14 and prevent the attachment of dirt. suppress.

In this case, the controller 70 executes, for example, a pre-mist mode, an after-mist mode, a regular mist mode, and a manual mist mode. In the pre-mist mode, the mist M of sterilized water or tap water is automatically sprayed based on the detection information of the human body detection sensor 22 before the user uses the toilet device 1 . In the after-mist mode, the mist M of sterilized water is automatically sprayed based on the detection information of the human body detection sensor 22 after the user uses the toilet device 1 . In the periodic mist mode, for example, the toilet seat device 10 learns and controls the non-use time zone of the toilet device 1 and automatically sprays the mist M of sterilized water. In the manual mist mode, mist M of sterilized water is sprayed based on the operation information of the manual operation unit 24 .

Here, for example, if residual water on the spray section 62 dries after the mist mode ends, there is a possibility that scale will adhere to the spray section 62 . Since this scale changes the direction of the water W2 flowing on the upper surface 62a of the spray section 62, the radial shape of the mist M may be disturbed and the mist M may not be effectively sprayed into the toilet bowl 100 and the toilet seat section 14. be.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the drain mode and the residual water discharge mode are executed after the mist mode ends.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode by the controller. The control processing shown in FIG. 8 is stored (memorized) in advance in the memory of the control device 70 . The control process shown in FIG. 8 is executed based on detection information from the human body detection sensor 22, operation information from the manual operation unit 24, and at a predetermined time.

First, in S1, the residual water discharge mode is executed. That is, the control device 70 drives the motor 61 of the spray device 60 to rotate the spray section 62 at a low speed before executing the mist mode. In this residual water discharge mode, the spray section 62 is preliminarily rotated to discharge residual water (dirty water) in the spray section 62 . As a result, for example, even if urine or sewage adheres to the spraying section 62, it is possible to prevent mist containing the urine or sewage from being sprayed in the mist mode. Note that the residual water discharge mode in S1 may not be performed.

In next S2, the mist mode is started. That is, the control device 70 switches the switching valve 56 to the pipe line 43 side, and supplies water W2 made of sterilized water or tap water from the water supply port 43a of the pipe line 43 to the upper surface 62a of the spray unit 62 based on each mist mode. supply. Then, the control device 70 drives the motor 61 of the spray device 60 to rotate the spray section 62 at high speed. As a result, the mist M is sprayed from the end 62c of the spray section 62, as shown in FIG. 7(a). This mist M lands on the inside of the toilet bowl 100 (bowl portion 101 ) and the toilet seat portion 14 through the opening portion 124 .

Next, in S3, the mist mode is stopped. That is, the control device 70 closes the solenoid valve 50 to stop the supply of the water W2 from the water supply port 43a of the pipe line 43 to the spray section 62 after a preset time has elapsed. Further, the control device 70 stops driving the motor 61 of the spray device 60 to stop the rotation of the spray section 62 .

In the next S4, residual water in the water supply section (pipe line 43) is discharged. That is, the control device 70 starts a drain mode for draining the water from the pipeline 43 . In this case, the control device 70 operates the vacuum breaker 52 to discharge the sterilized water or tap water remaining in the pipe 43 from the water supply port 43 a of the pipe 43 to the upper surface 62 a of the spray section 62 . A portion of the residual water discharged from the pipe 43 falls from the spray portion 62 onto the bottom wall portion 123 and falls along the inclined surface of the bottom wall portion 123 through the opening 124 into the pooled water W1 of the bowl portion 101 . Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, part of the residual water discharged from the pipe line 43 remains on the upper surface 62a of the spray section 62. As shown in FIG.

In S5, it is determined whether or not the remaining water in the water supply section (pipe line 43) has been discharged. That is, the control device 70 determines whether or not to complete (end) the drain mode. Completion of the drainage mode may be determined, for example, by the elapsed time at which the residual water in the pipeline 43 is completely discharged, or a sensor or the like is provided at the water supply port 43a so that the residual water in the pipeline 43 is discharged. You can decide whether or not If "YES" in S5, that is, if it is determined that the remaining water in the water supply unit has been discharged, the process proceeds to S6. On the other hand, if "NO" in S5, that is, if it is determined that the residual water discharge in the water supply section is not completed, the process returns to S4 to monitor the residual water discharge in the pipe line 43.

At S6, a residual water discharge mode is executed. That is, the control device 70 drives the motor 61 of the spray device 60 to rotate the spray section 62 at a lower speed than in the mist mode. As a result, the remaining water P on the spraying section 62 is discharged from the spraying section 62 without becoming mist M, as shown in FIG. 7(c). That is, the residual water P is discharged from the spray section 62 with a particle size larger than that of the mist M. In this case, since the centrifugal force of the spray portion 62 is small, the remaining water P contacts the front wall portion 122 of the storage chamber 121, for example, without being discharged from the opening portion 124. As shown in FIG. Then, the residual water P drops from the front wall portion 122 through the opening 124 into the pooled water W1 stored in the toilet bowl 100 . When a preset time has elapsed since the start of the residual water discharge mode, the control device 70 stops driving the motor 61 to end the residual water discharge mode, ending the mode.

FIG. 9 is a time chart showing an example of the execution state of the drain mode and residual water discharge mode. FIG. 9 shows a time chart after S3 (stop of mist mode) in FIG.

First, at time t1, the mist mode ends (OFF) and the drain mode starts (ON). Between time t1 and time t2, the vacuum breaker 52 is operated to drain water from the pipeline 43 in order to execute the drain mode. At time t2, the drain mode ends (OFF) and the residual water discharge mode starts (ON). Between time t2 and time t3, the motor 61 of the spray device 60 is rotated at a low speed in order to execute the residual water discharge mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of residual water in the spraying section 62 of the spraying device 60 , thereby suppressing the generation of scale in the spraying section 62 . Then, at time t3, the residual water discharge mode ends (OFF).

Thus, the toilet seat device 10 according to the first embodiment can discharge residual water in the spray section 62 after execution of the mist mode by executing the residual water discharge mode. As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of scale in the spray section 62 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the mist M from being sprayed in an unintended direction due to the scale. In addition, since the residual water discharge mode ends after the drain mode, the residual water in the spray section 62 can be discharged more reliably, and the generation of scale in the spray section 62 can be more reliably suppressed. Furthermore, the remaining water in the spray part 62 is not vigorously sprayed toward the inside of the toilet bowl 100 . Therefore, the mist sprayed inside the toilet seat 14 and the toilet bowl 100 in the residual water discharge mode adheres to the mist M (for example, sterilized water mist) that has been retained inside the toilet seat 14 and the toilet bowl 100 in the mist mode. It is possible to prevent the mist M adhered by the mist mode from flowing down.

10 and 11 show a second embodiment of the toilet seat device according to the present invention. A feature of the second embodiment is that the residual water discharge mode is executed even during the drain mode. In addition, in 2nd Embodiment, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the component same as 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the description is abbreviate|omitted.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode by the control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In S11 to S13, control processes similar to those in S1 to S3 shown in FIG. 8 are performed.

In the next S14, residual water in the water supply section (pipe line 43) is discharged. Also, the residual water discharge mode is started. That is, the control device 70 executes the residual water discharge mode during the drain mode. In the drain mode, control processing similar to that of S4 in FIG. 8 is performed. In the residual water discharge mode, control processing similar to that of S6 in FIG. 8 is performed. In this case, the residual water discharge mode is configured not to end during the drain mode. In other words, the water drain mode is configured to end in the middle of the residual water discharge mode.

In the next step S15, it is determined whether or not the remaining water in the water supply section (pipe line 43) has been discharged. At S15, control processing similar to that at S5 in FIG. 8 is performed. Then, if it is determined "YES" in S15, that is, if it is determined that the remaining water in the water supply section has been discharged, the process proceeds to S16. On the other hand, if "NO" in S15, that is, if it is determined that the residual water discharge in the water supply unit is not completed, the process returns to S14 to monitor the residual water discharge in the pipe line 43.

At S16, the residual water discharge mode is terminated. That is, the control device 70 stops driving the motor 61 of the spray device 60 after draining the water from the pipe 43 is completed, and ends. As a result, residual water in the conduit 43 discharged to the upper surface 62 a of the spray section 62 in the drain mode can be prevented from remaining in the spray section 62 .

FIG. 11 is a time chart showing an example of the execution state of the drain mode and residual water discharge mode. FIG. 11 shows a time chart after S13 (stop of mist mode) in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the residual water discharge mode executed during the drain mode is intermittently executed during the drain mode.

First, at time t11, the mist mode ends (OFF) and the drain mode starts (ON). At time t12, the residual water discharge mode is started (ON). At time t13, the residual water discharge mode is interrupted (OFF). That is, the control device 70 temporarily stops driving the motor 61 at time t13. As a result, the remaining water when the mist mode ends and the remaining water discharged from the pipe line 43 between times t11 and t13 can be discharged. At time t14, the motor 61 is driven to restart the residual water discharge mode. At time t15, the driving of the motor 61 is stopped to interrupt the residual water discharge mode. At time t16, the residual water discharge mode is resumed. Then, at time t17, the drain mode is terminated (OFF). In this case, the controller 70 continues the residual water discharge mode, so the driving of the motor 61 is not stopped. After that, at time t18, the driving of the motor 61 is stopped, and the residual water discharge mode is terminated (OFF).

Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the residual water discharge mode is repeatedly interrupted and resumed during the period from time t11 when the water drain mode starts to time t17 when the water drain mode ends. The remaining water discharge mode ends at time t18 after time t17 when the water removal mode ends.

Thus, the second embodiment configured in this manner can also obtain the same functions and effects as those of the above-described first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the residual water in the spray section 62 is discharged during the drain mode, so the residual water in the spray section 62 can be efficiently discharged from the storage chamber 121 . Further, since the motor 61 of the spray device 60 is driven intermittently, the driving time of the spray device 60 (motor 61) can be shortened, and the life of the spray device 60 can be improved.

FIGS. 12(a) to 12(c) are schematic diagrams schematically showing the mist mode, drain mode, and residual water discharge mode executed by the spray device according to the modified example of the present invention. A spraying device 600 shown in FIG. 12 is an ultrasonic atomizing device that mists water W2 by irradiating water W2 with ultrasonic waves from a plate-shaped spraying unit 601 . FIG. 12(a) is a schematic diagram when the mist mode is being executed. FIG. 12(b) is a schematic diagram when the drain mode is being executed. FIG. 12(c) is a schematic diagram when the residual water discharge mode is being executed.

The spraying device 600 can discharge the residual water P from the spraying part 601 by reducing the amplitude of the spraying part 601, for example, thereby suppressing the misting of the water W2. Thus, even if the rotary atomization type spray device 60 used in the first embodiment is replaced with the ultrasonic spray device 600, the same functions and effects as those of the above-described first and second embodiments can be obtained. be able to.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the case where the driving of the motor 61 of the spray device 60 is stopped and the drain mode is executed when the mist mode ends has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the mist mode ends, the rotation speed of the motor 61 may be changed from high speed to low speed. That is, the residual water discharge mode may continue from the mist mode. Also, the residual water discharge mode may be performed between the mist mode and the drain mode. That is, the residual water discharge mode should be ended at least after the water removal mode is ended, and the start timing of the mist mode can be set arbitrarily.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the invention is not limited to these descriptions. Appropriate design changes made by those skilled in the art with respect to the above-described embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the features of the present invention. For example, the shape, size, material, arrangement, installation form, etc. of each element included in the toilet bowl, toilet seat device, etc. are not limited to those illustrated and can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, each element provided in each of the above-described embodiments can be combined as long as it is technically possible, and a combination thereof is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

1 toilet device 10 toilet seat device 12 main body 12a front wall 12b bottom wall 14 toilet seat 14a seat surface 14b rear surface 16 toilet lid 20 seating detection sensor 22 human body detection sensor 24 manual operation unit 26 toilet seat motor 28 toilet lid motor 30 toilet seat heater 32 air blower 34 hot air heater 36 air direction changing unit 36a air blow damper 40, 41, 42, 43 pipeline 43a water inlet 50 solenoid valve , 52 vacuum breaker, 54 sterilization device, 56 switching valve, 58 body washing function unit, 58a nozzle, 58b nozzle motor, 58c nozzle washing chamber, 58d nozzle damper, 60 spray device, 61 motor, 62 spray section, 62a upper surface, 62b Inclined surface 62c end 65 support 70 control device 100 toilet bowl 101 bowl 101a pooled water 102 rim 103 upper surface 104 inner wall surface 120 opening 121 storage chamber 122 front wall 122a lower end 122b front surface 123 bottom wall portion 123a front end 123b upper surface 124 opening 600 spraying device 601 spraying portion M mist P residual water W1 pooled water W2 water

Claims (6)

A spray device that sprays mist toward at least one of the interior of the toilet bowl and the toilet seat, and a control device that controls the spray device,
The spraying device has a plate-shaped spraying part and a water supply part that supplies water to the upper surface of the spraying part,
The control device is
a mist mode in which the mist is sprayed by driving the spray unit while water is supplied from the water supply unit to the upper surface of the spray unit;
a residual water discharge mode for discharging residual water in the spray section by driving the spray section after the mist mode;
A toilet seat device characterized by performing 2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the mist mode and before the residual water discharge mode ends, the water removal mode is executed to remove the residual water inside the water supply unit. Toilet seat device. 3. The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said residual water discharge mode is also executed during said water removal mode. 4. The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said residual water discharge mode executed during said drain mode is intermittently executed during said drain mode. The toilet seat device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, in the residual water discharge mode, the residual water in the spray section is discharged from the spray section without becoming mist. The toilet seat device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the residual water discharge mode causes the residual water in the spray section to drop into a water storage section within the toilet bowl.

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