JP7330431B2 - toilet seat device - Google Patents

Description

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

A toilet seat device is known in which a heater is provided inside a hollow toilet seat to heat the seating surface of the toilet seat. Such a toilet seat device is provided with a seating sensor that detects whether a user or the like is seated on the toilet seat. For example, when the seating sensor does not detect seating, the temperature of the toilet seat is kept lower than the set temperature, and when seating is detected, the toilet seat is warmed to the set temperature. Thereby, the power consumption of the toilet seat device can be suppressed.

Seating sensors include a switch type, a capacitance type, and the like. A switch-type seating sensor detects seating on the toilet seat by making the rotating shaft portion of the toilet seat vertically movable and detecting the downward movement of the rotating shaft portion due to seating with a switch. A capacitive seating sensor detects a person's sitting position by providing a conductive detection electrode on the toilet seat and using the fact that the capacitance of the detection electrode increases when a human body sits on the toilet seat. Therefore, the capacitive seating sensor does not need to move the toilet seat up and down, and the toilet seat device can be made thinner more easily than when a switch-type seating sensor is used.

In a capacitive seating sensor, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a thermal diffusion portion that diffuses heat from a heater is used as a detection electrode, and seating is detected by changes in capacitance between the detection electrode and the ground. there is a way to do it. In this method of using the heat diffusion portion as a detection electrode, the heat diffusion portion is widely arranged over the entire toilet seat. For this reason, compared to the case where a dedicated detection electrode smaller than the heat diffusion part is provided, the capacitance signal itself detected when the user is seated is large. There is a feature that it is less affected by variations such as Moreover, since the existing heat diffusion portion is used as the detection electrode, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to provide a new detection electrode for the seating detection.

In a general structure related to a heat diffusion part and a heater wire, a heater wire coated with a general-purpose resin such as vinyl chloride is adhered to a heat diffusion plate made of, for example, aluminum or copper foil. In order to improve the thermal connection between the heat diffusion part and the heater wire, the distance between the connecting parts is short and the contact area is large. Occur. As a result, in addition to the electrostatic capacitance between the heat diffusion part through the seated human body and the ground, the capacitance between the heat diffusion part and the heater wire is included in parallel. Capacitance is detected (see FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1).

The capacitance between the heat diffusion portion and the heater wire changes greatly due to heating by the heater, and there is a possibility that seating detection may be erroneously detected. Therefore, in Patent Document 1, an inductance is used to block the heater wire at a high frequency to suppress the influence of the capacitance between the heat diffusion part and the heater wire, thereby reducing the influence of the temperature change of the heater wire on seating detection. I try to suppress it.

However, in Patent Document 1, the inductance inserted into the heater has an inductance that becomes high impedance at a high frequency to the extent that it does not affect capacitance detection, and requires a relatively high current capacity. There is a possibility that the inductance will be large and the device will be expensive.

For this reason, in the toilet seat device, it is desirable to be able to suppress erroneous detection with a simpler configuration even when the heat diffusion portion is used as a detection electrode and seating is detected by changes in capacitance.

JP-A-6-138247

The present invention has been made based on the recognition of such a problem, and a toilet seat that can suppress erroneous detection with a simpler configuration even when the heat diffusion part is used as a detection electrode and the seating is detected by the change in capacitance. The purpose is to provide an apparatus.

A first invention includes a toilet seat having an internal space, a seating surface, and an inner surface facing the opposite side of the seating surface in the internal space; a heater for warming the seating surface from the inside; a conductive heat diffusion portion provided on the inner surface and having an area larger than that of the heater for diffusing heat from the heater to the inner surface; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the thermal diffusion portion, a detection circuit electrically connected to the thermal diffusion portion for detecting the capacitance of the thermal diffusion portion; a controller that detects seating on the toilet seat and controls energization of the heater based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor to heat the toilet seat to a predetermined temperature; corrects the capacitance detected by the detection circuit based on the electric power supplied to the heater, and detects seating on the toilet seat based on the corrected capacitance. It is a toilet seat device.

According to this toilet seat device, it is possible to suppress erroneous detection of seating by correcting the capacitance detected by the detection circuit based on the electric power supplied to the heater. In addition, there is no need to newly add a component such as an inductor in order to suppress erroneous detection of seating. Therefore, it is possible to provide a toilet seat device that can suppress erroneous detection with a simpler configuration even when the thermal diffusion portion is used as a detection electrode and seating is detected by a change in capacitance.

A second invention is the toilet seat device according to the first invention, wherein the controller corrects the capacitance based on an average value per unit time of electric power supplied to the heater. .

According to this toilet seat device, it is possible to correct the capacitance with higher accuracy, and to more reliably suppress erroneous detection of seating.

A third invention is the toilet seat device according to the second invention, wherein the unit time is 10 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less.

According to this toilet seat device, it is possible to correct the capacitance with higher accuracy, and to more reliably suppress erroneous detection of seating.

A fourth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third inventions, the controller further corrects the capacitance based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor. It is a toilet seat device.

According to this toilet seat device, it is possible to correct the capacitance with higher accuracy, and to more reliably suppress erroneous detection of seating.

According to the aspect of the present invention, there is provided a toilet seat device that can suppress erroneous detection with a simpler configuration even when the heat diffusion portion is used as a detection electrode and seating is detected by changes in capacitance.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a toilet device provided with a toilet seat device according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a sectional view showing typically some toilet seats concerning an embodiment. It is a top view which represents typically the heating part concerning embodiment. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing typically a part of heating part concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram showing typically the electrical composition of the toilet seat device concerning an embodiment. It is a block diagram which represents typically a part of control part concerning embodiment. 4 is a flowchart schematically showing an example of the operation of the control unit according to the embodiment; It is a block diagram which represents typically a part of control part concerning embodiment. 9A to 9G are graphs schematically showing an example of the operation of the control unit according to the embodiment; FIG.

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.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a toilet device provided with a toilet seat device according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet apparatus 2 includes a western-style seated toilet (hereinafter simply referred to as "toilet" for convenience of explanation) 4 and a toilet seat apparatus 10 provided thereon. The toilet seat device 10 has a body portion 12 , a toilet seat 14 and a toilet lid 16 .

In the following description of the embodiments, the terms "upper", "lower", "forward", "backward", "rightward" and "leftward" are used, and these directions, as represented in FIG. This is the direction viewed from the user sitting on the toilet seat 14 .

The toilet bowl 4 has a downwardly recessed bowl portion 4a. The toilet bowl 4 receives excretion such as urine and feces of the user in the bowl portion 4a. A body portion 12 of the toilet seat device 10 is provided in an upper part behind the bowl portion 4 a of the toilet bowl 4 . The body portion 12 pivotally supports the toilet seat 14 and the toilet lid 16 so that they can be opened and closed.

The toilet seat 14 has an opening 14a. The toilet seat 14 is provided on the toilet bowl 4 so as to surround the outer edge of the bowl portion 4a, and exposes the bowl portion 4a through the opening 14a. Thereby, the user can excrete into the bowl portion 4a while sitting on the toilet seat 14. - 特許庁This example shows a so-called O-shaped toilet seat 14 in which a through hole-shaped opening 14a is formed. The toilet seat 14 is not limited to an O-shape, and may be U-shaped or the like.

The toilet seat device 10 has a toilet seat 14 heating function for warming the seating surface of the toilet seat 14 . The toilet seat device 10 also has a sanitary washing function of washing the private parts of the user sitting on the toilet seat 14, such as the buttocks. The toilet seat device 10 is, in other words, a sanitary washing device. However, the toilet seat device 10 does not necessarily have a sanitary washing function. The toilet seat device 10 may have at least the function of heating the toilet seat 14 . In other words, the toilet seat device 10 may be a heated toilet seat device.

The toilet seat device 10 has a nozzle 20 for washing a human body part. The nozzle 20 is provided in the body portion 12 and moves back and forth between a position housed in the body portion 12 and a position extended from the body portion 12 into the bowl portion 4a. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state in which the nozzle 20 has advanced into the bowl portion 4a.

The main unit 12 is configured to be communicable with an operation unit 6 such as a remote controller. Communication between the main unit 12 and the operation unit 6 may be wired communication or wireless communication. The body portion 12 advances the nozzle 20 into the bowl portion 4a in response to an operation instruction input from the operation portion 6, for example.

The nozzle 20 discharges water toward the human body's private parts to wash the human body's private parts. At the tip of the nozzle 20, a bidet washing spout 20a and a buttocks washing spout 20b are provided. The nozzle 20 can jet water from a bidet washing spout 20a provided at its tip to wash the private parts of a woman sitting on the toilet seat 14. - 特許庁Alternatively, the nozzle 20 can jet water from the bottom washing spout 20b provided at the tip of the nozzle 20 to wash the "bottom" of the user sitting on the toilet seat 14. FIG. In the specification of the present application, "water" includes not only cold water but also heated hot water.

Modes for washing the "bottom" include, for example, "bottom washing" and "soft washing" for gently washing with a water stream that is softer than the "bottom washing". The nozzle 20 can perform, for example, "bidet washing", "bottom washing", and "soft washing".

In the nozzle 20 shown in FIG. 1, the bidet washing spout 20a is provided closer to the tip side of the nozzle 20 than the bottom washing spout 20b. is not limited to this. The bidet washing spout 20a may be provided closer to the rear end side of the nozzle 20 than the bottom washing spout 20b. Further, although the nozzle 20 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with two water outlets, it may be provided with three or more water outlets.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing part of the toilet seat according to the embodiment.
FIG. 2 schematically shows a cross section taken along line A1-A2 of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the toilet seat 14 has an internal space SP. In other words, the toilet seat 14 is hollow. The toilet seat 14 has, for example, an upper plate 30 and a lower plate 32 , and the inner space SP is formed between the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 32 by joining the upper plate 30 and the lower plate 32 . The upper plate 30 has a seating surface 30a on which the user sits, and an inner surface 30b facing the lower plate 32 . In other words, the inner surface 30b is a surface facing away from the seating surface 30a within the internal space SP. The upper plate 30 and the lower plate 32 may be joined by bonding using an adhesive, or by welding using vibration welding or the like. However, the configuration of the toilet seat 14 is not limited to the above, and may be any configuration having at least the internal space SP, the seating surface 30a, and the inner surface 30b.

The toilet seat 14 has a heating section 34 . The heating part 34 heats the seating surface 30a of the upper plate 30 . The heating part 34 is provided, for example, on the inner surface 30b within the internal space SP. The heating part 34 is attached to the inner surface 30b, for example. Thereby, the heating part 34 heats the seating surface 30a from the inside.

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a heating unit according to the embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing part of the heating unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross section taken along line B1-B2 of FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the heating section 34 has a thermal diffusion section 41 and a heater 43 . The heater 43 generates heat by applying current. The heater 43 has, for example, a heating wire 43a and a coating 43b that covers the heating wire 43a. The coating 43b is an insulator made of, for example, resin. The heater 43 is provided in the internal space SP, and heats the seating surface 30a from the inside via the inner surface 30b by application of an AC voltage from the outside.

The thermal diffusion part 41 is provided on the inner surface 30b. The thermal diffusion part 41 is, for example, sheet-shaped. The thermal diffusion part 41 is, in other words, a thermal diffusion sheet. The heater 43 is, for example, cord-shaped. The area of the thermal diffusion part 41 is larger than the area of the heater 43 . Thereby, the thermal diffusion part 41 diffuses the heat of the heater 43 to the inner surface 30b.

A first adhesive 44 is provided between the thermal diffusion part 41 and the heater 43 . The first adhesive 44 bonds the thermal diffusion part 41 and the heater 43 together.

A second adhesive 45 is provided between the heat diffusion portion 41 and the inner surface 30 b of the upper plate 30 . The second adhesive 45 bonds the heat diffusion part 41 and the inner surface 30 b of the upper plate 30 . Thereby, the heat diffusion part 41 is provided on the inner surface 30 b of the upper plate 30 .

The heat spreader 41 is a conductor. The thermal diffusion part 41 is, for example, metal foil. The thermal conductivity of the metal foil is higher than that of the top plate 30 . Examples of the thermal diffusion part 41 include aluminum foil and copper foil.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the heater 43 meanders in the thermal diffusion portion 41 and is arranged over substantially the entire thermal diffusion portion 41 . Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2, the heating portion 34 is provided over substantially the entire inner surface 30b of the upper plate 30. As shown in FIG. In other words, the thermal diffusion part 41 is provided on substantially the entire inner surface 30 b of the upper plate 30 . The heater 43 meanders under the inner surface 30b of the top plate 30 and is disposed over substantially the entire inner surface 30b. Thus, the cord-shaped heater 43 is provided on the inner surface 30b while being bent. Note that the heater 43 is not limited to a cord shape, and may be a sheet shape or the like. The configuration of the heater 43 may be any configuration that can warm the seating surface 30a from the inside.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toilet seat device 10 further comprises a temperature sensor 46. As shown in FIG. A temperature sensor 46 detects the temperature of the seating surface 30 a of the toilet seat 14 . A temperature sensor 46 is provided on the inner surface 30 b of the toilet seat 14 . The temperature sensor 46 detects the temperature of the seating surface 30a via the inner surface 30b by being attached to the inner surface 30b by, for example, adhesion or adhesion.

The thermal diffusion portion 41 has an opening 41a that exposes a portion of the inner surface 30b. The temperature sensor 46 is attached directly to the inner surface 30b through the portion of the opening 41a. In this way, the temperature sensor 46 is arranged in the vicinity of the thermal diffusion section 41 on the inner surface 30b, for example, without overlapping the thermal diffusion section 41 vertically (in a direction perpendicular to the inner surface 30b). However, the temperature sensor 46 may be provided, for example, above the thermal diffusion portion 41 or below the thermal diffusion portion 41 (between the inner surface 30b and the thermal diffusion portion 41).

A thermistor, for example, is used for the temperature sensor 46 . However, the temperature sensor 46 is not limited to a thermistor, and may be any temperature sensor capable of detecting the temperature of the seating surface 30a. The temperature sensor 46 may be, for example, a non-contact temperature sensor. In this case, the temperature sensor 46 may be provided on the main body 12 or the like. The position where the temperature sensor 46 is arranged is not limited to the inner surface 30b, and may be any position where the temperature of the seating surface 30a can be appropriately detected.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the electrical configuration of the toilet seat device according to the embodiment;
As shown in FIG. 5 , the toilet seat device 10 includes a power supply circuit 50 , a control section 52 , a detection circuit 54 and a control load 56 .

Power supply circuit 50 is electrically connected to AC power supply PS. The power supply circuit 50 converts the AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply PS into a DC voltage, and supplies the converted DC voltage to the control unit 52 , the detection circuit 54 and the control load 56 . The power supply circuit 50 is a so-called AC-DC converter. The control unit 52 , the detection circuit 54 and the control load 56 operate according to the DC voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 50 .

The control unit 52 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the toilet seat device 10 . The control unit 52 is electrically connected to the detection circuit 54 and the control load 56 and controls the operations of the detection circuit 54 and the control load 56 .

The toilet seat apparatus 10 has, for example, multiple control loads 56 . The control load 56 is, for example, a motor for moving the nozzle 20 back and forth, or an electromagnetic valve for switching between supplying water to the nozzle 20 (spraying water from the nozzle 20) and stopping the supply of water to the nozzle 20. be. The control load 56 includes, for example, a heat exchanger that heats the water supplied to the nozzle 20, a switching valve that switches the paths of the bidet washing spout 20a and the buttocks washing spout 20b, and sucks the air in the bowl portion 4a. It may further include a deodorizing device for deodorizing the air. The control load 56 may be any device that operates with a DC voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 50 and whose operation is controlled by the control section 52 .

The control unit 52 is communicably connected to the operation unit 6 via, for example, a communication circuit (not shown). Various operation instructions are input to the control unit 52 according to the operation of the operation unit 6 , such as execution of washing the private parts by the nozzle 20 and stopping washing of the private parts. The control unit 52 controls the operation of the control load 56 according to operation instructions input from the operation unit 6 . Thereby, the control unit 52 controls execution of washing the private parts by the nozzle 20 and stopping washing of the private parts according to the operation of the operation unit 6 .

The detection circuit 54 is electrically connected to the thermal diffusion part 41 of the heating part 34 provided in the internal space SP of the toilet seat 14 . A detection circuit 54 detects the capacitance of the heat diffusion portion 41 . More specifically, the detection circuit 54 uses the heat diffusion part 41 of the heating part 34 as a detection electrode, and detects the ground level of the heat diffusion part 41 when the user is seated on the toilet seat 14 and when the user is not seated on the toilet seat 14 . It is a self-capacitance type capacitance detection circuit that detects a change in capacitance between and.

The detection circuit 54 is connected to the control section 52 . The detection circuit 54 , for example, detects the capacitance of the thermal diffusion part 41 under the control of the control part 52 and inputs the detection result to the control part 52 .

The control unit 52 controls the detection of capacitance by the detection circuit 54 and detects seating on the toilet seat 14 based on the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54 . The control unit 52 controls operations of the plurality of control loads 56 based on, for example, operation instructions input from the operation unit 6 and detection results of the detection circuit 54 .

The control unit 52 operates a predetermined control load 56 according to an operation instruction from the operation unit 6 when it detects that the user is seated on the toilet seat 14 based on the detection result of the detection circuit 54 . On the other hand, when the seating on the toilet seat 14 is not detected, the control unit 52 does not operate the predetermined control load 56 even if an operation instruction is input from the operation unit 6 . For example, when the seating is not detected, the controller 52 prevents the nozzle 20 from washing the private parts. As a result, it is possible to prevent water from being discharged from the nozzle 20 when the user or the like is not seated on the toilet seat 14 .

Further, for example, when the deodorizing device is used as the control load 56 , the control unit 52 operates the control load 56 in response to detection of seating on the toilet seat 14 . In this manner, the control unit 52 changes the operation state of the control load 56 based on the detection result of the detection circuit 54 (the detection result of seating on the toilet seat 14 ) according to the type of the control load 56 . The control unit 52 operates the control load 56 or prohibits the operation of the control load 56 according to the detection result of the detection circuit 54 .

Execution of the capacitance detection operation by the detection circuit 54 may be performed based on the control of a control unit different from the control unit 52, or may be performed based on the independent control of the detection circuit 54. . The control unit 52 does not necessarily have to control the capacitance detection operation by the detection circuit 54 .

The power circuit 50 is electrically connected to, for example, a power terminal 58 . The power supply circuit 50 is electrically connected to an AC power supply PS via a power supply terminal 58 . The AC power supply PS is, for example, a commercial power supply of AC 100V (effective value). The power terminal 58 is, for example, an outlet plug.

The power supply circuit 50 has, for example, a rectifier circuit 60, a smoothing capacitor 62, and a conversion circuit 64. The rectifier circuit 60 rectifies the AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply PS and converts it into a rectified pulsating voltage. The rectifier circuit 60 is, for example, a full-wave rectifier using a diode bridge, and converts an AC voltage into a rectified voltage obtained by full-wave rectification. Rectifier circuit 60 may be, for example, a half-wave rectifier.

The smoothing capacitor 62 smoothes the rectified voltage rectified by the rectifier circuit 60 and converts the rectified voltage into a DC voltage.

The conversion circuit 64 converts the DC voltage converted by the smoothing capacitor 62 into a DC voltage corresponding to the control section 52 , the detection circuit 54 and the control load 56 . The conversion circuit 64 is a so-called DC-DC converter. The conversion circuit 64 converts, for example, a DC voltage of 100V into a DC voltage of approximately 5V to 24V. The conversion circuit 64 is, in other words, a step-down converter. The conversion circuit 64 supplies the DC voltage after conversion to each part of the toilet seat device 10 such as the control part 52 , the detection circuit 54 and the control load 56 . Thereby, each of the control unit 52, the detection circuit 54, and the control load 56 becomes operable according to the supply of the DC voltage from the conversion circuit 64 (power supply circuit 50).

The conversion circuit 64 has a transformer 66 that electrically insulates the primary side (AC power supply PS side) and the secondary side (load side). The conversion circuit 64 is, for example, an isolation type converter. Conversion circuit 64 is, for example, a flyback converter. As a result, for example, a worker working on the control load 56 can be prevented from being electrocuted by the relatively high power on the primary side. However, the conversion circuit 64 may not necessarily be an insulation type converter.

The power supply circuit 50 further includes, for example, capacitors 68 and 70 for suppressing common mode noise and a primary-secondary coupling capacitor 71 .

Capacitors 68 and 70 are provided between the power terminal 58 and the rectifier circuit 60 . One end of the capacitor 68 is electrically connected to one input terminal of the rectifier circuit 60 . The other end of capacitor 68 is set to common potential GND. One end of capacitor 70 is electrically connected to the other input terminal of rectifier circuit 60 . The other end of capacitor 70 is set to common potential GND. The common potential GND is, for example, the ground potential (so-called ground). The common potential GND may be, for example, the potential of the conductive frame or chassis of the toilet seat device 10 (so-called frame ground or chassis ground).

A primary-secondary coupling capacitor 71 connects the primary side and the secondary side of the transformer 66 . More specifically, the primary-secondary coupling capacitor 71 connects the common potential GND on the primary side of the transformer 66 and the common potential GND on the secondary side of the transformer 66 .

The heater 43 of the heating unit 34 is connected to the power terminal 58 (rectifier circuit 60). As a result, the AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply PS is applied to the heater 43 . A switching element 72 is provided between the heater 43 and the power supply terminal 58 for switching between application of AC voltage to the heater 43 and stoppage of the application. The switching element 72 is connected to the controller 52 . The control unit 52 controls ON/OFF switching of the switching element 72 . In other words, the controller 52 controls energization of the heater 43 (application of AC voltage and stop of application). The switching element 72 is, for example, a bidirectional optical thyristor. Thereby, the control unit 52 connected to the secondary side of the power supply circuit 50 can be electrically insulated appropriately from the AC power on the primary side.

The power supplied to the heater 43 is not limited to the AC power of the AC power supply PS, and may be, for example, the DC power after being smoothed by the smoothing capacitor 62 or the DC power after being converted by the conversion circuit 64. .

The controller 52 is connected with the temperature sensor 46 . The temperature sensor 46 inputs the detection result of the temperature of the seating surface 30 a to the controller 52 . The controller 52 heats the toilet seat 14 to a predetermined temperature by controlling power supply to the heater 43 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 . Thus, the control unit 52 detects seating on the toilet seat 14 based on the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54, and controls energization of the heater 43 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46. do.

The control unit 52 controls energization of the heater 43 so that the temperature of the seating surface 30a of the toilet seat 14 detected by the temperature sensor 46, for example, reaches a predetermined temperature set by operating the operation unit 6 or the like. do. At this time, the control unit 52 performs so-called PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control, which changes the on/off duty ratio of the switching element 72 according to, for example, the temperature difference between the set temperature and the detected temperature. Thereby, for example, the temperature of the seating surface 30a can be adjusted more accurately. The on/off control of the switching element 72 is not limited to PWM control, and may be, for example, so-called PFM (Pulse Frequency Modulation) control that changes the frequency of on/off pulses.

Further, for example, when the seating is not detected based on the detection result of the detection circuit 54, the control section 52 makes the temperature of the seating surface 30a of the toilet seat 14 lower than the set temperature. Then, when the seating is detected, the control unit 52 raises the temperature of the seating surface 30a of the toilet seat 14 to the set temperature. As a result, the power consumption of the toilet seat device 10 can be reduced by suppressing unnecessary power consumption when the toilet seat device 10 is not in use.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing part of a control unit according to the embodiment; It should be noted that this is a block diagram of the electrical configuration of FIG. 5, in which the parts related to the present invention are extracted, and the components in FIG. 5 that are not shown in FIG. 6 are simply omitted from the drawing.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 52 is functionally roughly divided into a microcomputer 52a and a correction unit 52b. The microcomputer 52a is the core of the control section 52, and the correction section 52b is a feature of the present invention. The control unit 52 has a subtractor 100 . The control unit 52 inputs to the subtracter 100 a capacitance signal S1 corresponding to the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54 and a correction value Vc1 based on the power supplied to the heater 43 . A subtractor 100 calculates a corrected capacitance signal S2 by subtracting a correction value Vc1 from the capacitance signal S1. The capacitance signal S1 is, for example, a voltage signal input from the detection circuit 54 . Thereby, the controller 52 corrects the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54 based on the electric power supplied to the heater 43 .

The control unit 52 has an averaging circuit 102 , a calculator 104 and a switching element 106 . The averaging circuit 102 has, for example, a resistive element 102a and a capacitor 102b. One end of the resistance element 102 a is connected to the switching element 106 . The other end of the resistance element 102a is connected to the capacitor 102b. One end of the capacitor 102b is connected to the connection point between the resistance element 102a and the arithmetic unit 104. FIG. The other end of the capacitor 102b is set to the reference potential GND. The averaging circuit 102 is, in other words, an integrating circuit.

The other end of the switching element 106 has two inputs, one of which is selected according to the state of the control terminal and connected to the resistance element 102a. A signal voltage Vfull corresponding to the power to be supplied is input, and the reference potential GND is input to the other. The signal voltage Vfull is a voltage signal that indicates the amount of power consumed by the heater 43 when the heater 43 is continuously energized (full energization in the case of PWM control). The power to be supplied to the heater 43 can be obtained by dividing the square of the effective value of the AC voltage of the AC power supply PS by the resistance value of the heater 43. Therefore, the signal voltage converted into a voltage value suitable for the circuit operation of the control unit 52 is Vfull as a signal representing the magnitude of power. An energization signal for the heater 43 is input to the control terminal of the switching element 106 . That is, the switching element 106 switches the connection state of the two signals in synchronization with the switching element 72 for energizing the heater 43 . Specifically, the signal voltage Vfull is connected to the resistance element 102a when the heater is energized, and the reference potential GND is connected to the resistance element 102a when the heater is not energized. As a result, the power corresponding to the power supplied to the heater 43 (the signal voltage corresponding to the power) can be input to the averaging circuit 102 .

The output signal of the averaging circuit 102, which is an integrating circuit, is an average value obtained by averaging the input signal based on the time constant of the resistance element 102a and the capacitor 102b. In this manner, the averaging circuit 102 calculates the average value Vh of the electric power applied to the heater 43 per unit time, and inputs the calculated average value Vh to the calculator 104 . Note that the configuration of the averaging circuit 102 is not limited to the integrating circuit, and may be any circuit capable of calculating the average value Vh.

A calculator 104 multiplies the input average value Vh by a predetermined coefficient K1 to calculate a correction value Vc1 and inputs the calculated correction value Vc1 to the subtractor 100 . The coefficient K1 may be appropriately set according to, for example, the degree of variation in the capacitance signal S1, the electric power supplied to the heater 43, and the like. The arithmetic unit 104 may be provided as necessary, and the average value Vh may be used as the correction value Vc1 as it is after adjusting the value of the signal voltage Vfull.

In this manner, the control unit 52 corrects the capacitance signal S1 corresponding to the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54 based on the average value Vh of the electric power applied to the heater 43 per unit time.

The unit time is, for example, 10 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less. In other words, the time constant between the resistance element 102a and the capacitor 102b is 10 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less.

For example, when power supply control to the heater 43 is performed by PWM control or the like, the ON/OFF cycle of the heater 43 (switching element 72) is about several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds. On the other hand, the time change of the capacitance signal, which is the problem to be solved by the present invention, is caused by the temperature change of the heating portion 34 of the toilet seat 14, and has a slow change rate of at least seconds. Therefore, if the electric power supplied to the heater 43 is used as the correction value Vc1 as it is, the correction value Vc1 may fluctuate in a short time due to the influence of the PWM control, and the correction of the capacitance signal S1 may become unstable. Concerned.

Therefore, when performing control for adjusting the amount of heat generated by the heater 43 by periodically switching the switching element 72 on and off, as described above, the average value Vh of the power supplied to the heater 43 per unit time and correcting the capacitance signal S1 based on the average value Vh. As a result, the influence of PWM control or the like can be suppressed, and the capacitance signal S1 can be corrected more appropriately.

The unit time (time constant) for calculating the average value Vh may be appropriately determined according to the time change of the capacitance signal S1, the cycle of PWM control, and the like. For example, when the ON/OFF period of the switching element 72 is several tens of milliseconds to several hundreds of milliseconds, the unit time is set to 10 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less. As a result, the influence of PWM control and the like can be suppressed more appropriately, and the capacitance signal S1 can be corrected more appropriately.

Note that, for example, when the ON/OFF cycle of the switching element 72 is relatively long, the correction value Vc1 may be obtained from the signal voltage Vfull without obtaining the average value Vh. That is, the averaging circuit 102 may be provided as required and can be omitted.

The control unit 52 further has a subtractor 110 . The control unit 52 inputs the corrected capacitance signal S2 calculated by the subtractor 100 and the correction value Vc2 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 to the subtractor 110 . Subtractor 110 calculates corrected capacitance signal S3 by subtracting correction value Vc2 from capacitance signal S2.

The control unit 52 has a subtractor 112 and a calculator 114 . The controller 52 inputs the toilet seat temperature signal V1 corresponding to the toilet seat temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 and the reference temperature signal Vref corresponding to room temperature to the subtracter 112 . Note that the reference temperature is a temperature that serves as a reference for temperature correction, in other words, a temperature that does not require temperature correction, that is, a temperature at which the amount of temperature correction is zero. Therefore, it is generally convenient to choose room temperature.

A subtractor 112 subtracts the reference temperature signal Vref from the toilet seat temperature signal V1 to calculate a temperature signal V2 corresponding to the change in the temperature of the toilet seat 14, that is, the temperature difference from the reference room temperature. A signal V2 is input to the calculator 114 .

Calculator 114 calculates correction value Vc2 by multiplying input temperature signal V2 by predetermined coefficient K2, and inputs calculated correction value Vc2 to subtractor 110 . The coefficient K2 may be appropriately set according to, for example, the variation of the capacitance signal S2 and the value of the temperature signal of the toilet seat 14 (output voltage of the temperature sensor 46). The computing unit 114 may be provided as necessary, and depending on the relationship with the variation amount of the capacity signal S2, the temperature signal V2 or the toilet seat temperature signal V1 may be used as the correction value Vc2 as it is.

Thus, the controller 52 further corrects the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 . Then, the control unit 52 detects seating on the toilet seat 14 based on the corrected capacitance signal S3. As a result, erroneous detection of seating on the toilet seat 14 can be appropriately suppressed.

7 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an example of the operation of the control unit according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of detection control of seating on the toilet seat 14 by the control unit 52 . FIG. 8, like FIG. 6, extracts the portion related to the present invention from the electrical configuration block diagram of FIG. 8 is different from FIG. 6 in that the elements of the correction section in the control section 52 are eliminated, the control section 52 is composed only of a microcomputer 52a, and the operations of FIG. 7 are executed in the microcomputer 52a.

As shown in FIG. 7, when detecting seating on the toilet seat 14, the control unit 52 operates the detection circuit 54 every time a predetermined time ΔT elapses, and acquires the capacitance signal S1 from the detection circuit 54. (Steps S101 and S102 in FIG. 7). The predetermined time ΔT is, for example, approximately 100 msec (eg, 10 msec or more and 200 msec or less). However, the predetermined time ΔT is not limited to the above, and may be any time during which it is possible to appropriately detect that the user or the like sits on the toilet seat 14 .

After acquiring the capacitance signal S1, the controller 52 acquires the toilet seat temperature signal V1 from the temperature sensor 46 (step S103 in FIG. 7).

By switching the switching element 72 on and off, the control unit 52 controls the energization of the heater 43 so that the temperature of the seating surface 30a of the toilet seat 14 detected by the temperature sensor 46 reaches a predetermined set temperature. are doing. Therefore, if the power consumption when the heater 43 is fully energized and the ON time and OFF time of the switching element 72 are known, the average value Vh of the power energized to the heater 43 per unit time can be calculated.

After acquiring the toilet seat temperature signal V1 from the temperature sensor 46, the control unit 52 calculates the average value Vh based on the energization signal to the heater 43 (step S104 in FIG. 7). For example, if the average unit time to be calculated is 10 seconds, the process of step S104 in FIG. 7 is performed 100 times in 10 seconds (because it is performed every 100 ms). Therefore, data indicating whether the signal to the switching element 72 was on or off is stored for the past 100 times including the latest data, and updated each time (the latest data is stored and the oldest data is discarded). . Since the total ON time of the heater 43 for the past 10 seconds can now be obtained, the average value Vh can be obtained by multiplying this by the power consumption of the heater 43 when the heater 43 is fully energized. This is obtained by replacing the circuit operation for obtaining Vh in FIG. 6 with software.

After obtaining the average value Vh, the control unit 52 multiplies the average value Vh by the correction coefficient K1 (this multiplication result corresponds to the correction value Vc1 in FIG. 6), and subtracts the value from the capacitance signal S1. Thus, the corrected capacitance signal S2 is calculated (step S105 in FIG. 7). This is obtained by replacing the circuit operations of the arithmetic unit 104 and the subtractor 100 in FIG. 6 with software.

After calculating the capacitance signal S2, the controller 52 calculates the temperature signal V2 by subtracting the reference temperature signal Vref from the toilet seat temperature signal V1 (step S106 in FIG. 7). This replaces the circuit operation of the subtractor 112 in FIG. 6 with software.

The control unit 52 multiplies the calculated temperature signal V2 by the correction coefficient K2 (the result of this multiplication corresponds to the correction value Vc2 in FIG. 6), and subtracts the value from the capacitance signal S2 to obtain the corrected static electricity. A capacitance signal S3 is calculated (step S107 in FIG. 7). This is obtained by replacing the circuit operations of the arithmetic unit 114 and the subtractor 110 in FIG. 6 with software.

The control unit 52 compares the calculated corrected capacitance signal S3 with the determination value (step S108 in FIG. 7). The control unit 52 determines that a user or the like is seated on the toilet seat 14 when the capacitance signal S3 is equal to or greater than the determination value, and determines that the toilet seat 14 is seated when the capacitance signal S3 is less than the determination value. It is determined that the user or the like is not seated.

The control unit 52 repeats the above steps S101 to S108. Accordingly, it is possible to detect the seating of the user or the like on the toilet seat 14 based on the change in the capacitance of the heat diffusion portion 41 provided in the internal space SP of the toilet seat 14 . It should be noted that the above steps S104 to S107 are obtained by executing the function of the correction section 52b in the control section 52 of FIG. 6 by software.

9A to 9G are graphs schematically showing an example of the operation of the control unit according to the embodiment; FIG.
In FIGS. 9(a) to 9(g), the horizontal axis is time.
The vertical axis in FIG. 9A represents the energization of the heater 43 . In other words, it represents the ON/OFF state of the switching element 72 .
The vertical axis in FIG. 9B is the capacitance signal S1.
The vertical axis of FIG. 9(c) is the correction value Vc1 based on the electric power applied to the heater 43. In FIG.
The vertical axis of FIG. 9(d) is the capacitance signal S2.
The vertical axis of FIG. 9(e) is the toilet seat temperature signal V1.
The vertical axis of FIG. 9( f ) is the correction value Vc2 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 .
The vertical axis of FIG. 9(g) is the capacitance signal S3.

FIGS. 9(a) to 9(g) schematically show an example of changes in the capacitance S1 and the like when the energization control of the heater 43 is performed while the person is not seated on the toilet seat 14. FIG.

In FIGS. 9A to 9G, time T1 represents the time when control of power supply to the heater 43 is started. This is the case, for example, when the user of the toilet seat device 10 operates the operation unit 6 to turn on the heating function of the toilet seat 14 . For example, when heating the seating surface 30a of the toilet seat 14 from room temperature to a predetermined target temperature, the control unit 52 initially sets the ON/OFF duty ratio of the switching element 72 to 100% and energizes the heater 43. I do. Then, the controller 52 reduces the on/off duty ratio of the switching element 72 as the temperature of the seating surface 30a approaches the target temperature.

Time T2 represents the point in time when the temperature of the seating surface 30a reaches the target temperature. Even if the temperature of the seating surface 30a is detected to reach the target temperature and the duty ratio is reduced, or the power supply to the heater 43 is stopped, the temperature of the seating surface 30a does not immediately fall, but tends to continue to rise slightly. have. So-called overshoot tends to occur. This is considered to be due to the time delay in the heat transfer from the heater 43 to the heat diffusion part 41 and further to the temperature sensor 46 via the upper plate 30 of the toilet seat 14 .

Time T3 represents the point in time when the temperature of the seating surface 30a overshoots, exceeds the target temperature, and then drops to the target temperature again. When the temperature of the seating surface 30a drops below the target temperature, the controller 52 increases the duty ratio again. By repeating this, the control unit 52 controls the energization of the heater 43 so that the temperature of the seating surface 30a is substantially constant near the target temperature. Further, time T4 represents the point in time when the energization control to the heater 43 is stopped, for example, the point in time when the heating function of the toilet seat 14 is turned off.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the inventors of the present application found that when the energization control to the heater 43 is started, the capacitance signal S1 increases even though the state of sitting on the toilet seat 14 does not change. found to do.

For this reason, when determining whether or not someone is seated based on the capacitance signal S1, as shown in the period Tover in FIG. There is a possibility that the determination value Vth will be exceeded and erroneous detection will occur.

For example, it is conceivable to correct the capacitance signal S1 based on the temperature of the seating surface 30a. However, the change in the capacitance signal S1 at the start of energization is more abrupt than the temperature rise of the seating surface 30a, and it is possible that the temperature of the seating surface 30a alone cannot be sufficiently corrected at the start of energization. have a nature.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventors of the present application have found that the change in the capacitance signal S1 during control of the energization of the heater 43 has a higher correlation with the energized power of the heater 43 than with the temperature of the seating surface 30a. . In particular, when PWM control or the like is performed, a change in the capacitance signal S1 during power supply control of the heater 43 has a high correlation with the average value Vh of the power supplied to the heater 43 per unit time.

Therefore, as described above, the average value Vh of the electric power supplied to the heater 43 per unit time and the correction value Vc1 are calculated, and the correction value Vc1 is subtracted from the capacitance signal S1. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9D, it is possible to appropriately suppress an increase in the capacitance signal due to the energization of the heater 43, thereby suppressing erroneous detection.

Then, a correction value Vc2 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 is calculated, and the correction value Vc2 is further subtracted from the capacitance signal S2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9G, it is possible to more appropriately suppress an increase in the capacitance signal due to the energization of the heater 43, and to more reliably suppress erroneous detection.

Whether the correction is performed based on the electric power supplied to the heater 43 and whether the correction is appropriate can be determined by changing the electrical configuration of the toilet seat device 10 from the normal state as follows. You can check this by running it. For example, it can be confirmed by interrupting (disconnecting) the energization signal from the control unit 52 to the heater 43 and turning on the heating of the toilet seat 14 to operate. The energization signal to the heater 43 is, for example, a control signal for the switching element 72 .

When the energization signal is interrupted as described above, even though the controller 52 intends to energize the heater 43, the heater 43 is not actually energized, so the capacitance signal S1 does not change. , the capacitance signal S1 is corrected to be negative based on the correction value Vc1. Even if the user sits on the toilet seat 14, the capacitance becomes positive, but since it is corrected to be negative, it does not exceed the judgment value and the sitting judgment is not made. Therefore, if the interruption of the energization signal affects the seating determination, it can be determined that the capacitance is corrected based on the power supplied to the heater 43 .

Further, for example, in a state where the heating of the toilet seat 14 is set to OFF, the heater 43 is forcibly energized by means other than the signal from the control section 52 . For example, the heater 43 is forcibly energized by forcibly turning on the switching element 72 or bypassing the switching element 72 with a conductor. In this case, since the controller 52 does not intend to energize the heater 43, the capacitance is not corrected, but the temperature of the heater 43 rises. Therefore, the capacitance increases, and there is a possibility that the seated state is determined to be seated even though the seated state is not seated, as in the example shown in FIG. 9(a). Therefore, even if the seating determination is affected by forcibly energizing the heater 43 , it can be determined that the capacitance is corrected based on the power supplied to the heater 43 .

As described above, the toilet seat device 10 according to the present embodiment corrects the capacitance detected by the detection circuit 54 based on the electric power supplied to the heater 43, thereby suppressing erroneous detection of seating. be able to. In addition, there is no need to newly add a component such as an inductor in order to suppress erroneous detection of seating. Therefore, it is possible to provide the toilet seat device 10 that can suppress erroneous detection with a simpler configuration even when the heat diffusion portion 41 is used as a detection electrode and seating is detected by a change in capacitance.

Further, in the toilet seat device 10, the control unit 52 corrects the capacitance based on the average value Vh of the electric power supplied to the heater 43 per unit time, thereby correcting the capacitance with higher accuracy. erroneous detection of seating can be suppressed more reliably.

Further, in the toilet seat device 10, by setting the unit time to 10 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less, it is possible to correct the capacitance with higher accuracy, and to more reliably suppress erroneous detection of seating.

In addition, in the toilet seat device 10, the control unit 52 further corrects the capacitance based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46, so that the capacitance can be corrected with higher accuracy. False detection can be suppressed more reliably.

In the above embodiment, the correction value Vc2 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 is subtracted after the correction value Vc1 based on the electric power supplied to the heater 43 is subtracted from the capacitance signal S1. On the contrary, the correction value Vc1 may be subtracted after the correction value Vc2 is subtracted from the capacitance signal S1.

Alternatively, one correction value may be calculated based on each of the power supplied to the heater 43 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46, and the one correction value may be collectively subtracted from the capacitance signal S1.

Further, in the above embodiment, the correction based on the electric power supplied to the heater 43 and the correction based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 are performed on the capacitance signal S1. As shown in d), when the erroneous detection can be appropriately suppressed only by the correction based on the power supplied to the heater 43, the correction based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 46 does not necessarily have to be performed. .

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 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, and the like of each element included in the toilet device 2 and the toilet seat device 10 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 of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

2 toilet device 4 toilet bowl 6 operation part 10 toilet seat device 12 body part 14 toilet seat 16 toilet lid 20 nozzle 30 upper plate 32 lower plate 34 heating part 41 heat diffusion part 43 heater 44 First adhesive 45 Second adhesive 46 Temperature sensor 50 Power supply circuit 52 Control unit 54 Detection circuit 56 Control load 58 Power supply terminal 60 Rectifier circuit 62 Smoothing capacitor 64 Conversion circuit 66 Transformer 68 capacitor, 70 capacitor, 71 primary-secondary coupling capacitor, 72 switching element, 100 subtractor, 102 average circuit, 102a resistance element, 102b capacitor, 104 calculator, 106 switching element, 110 subtractor, 112 subtractor, 114 calculator

Claims (3)

a toilet seat having an interior space and having a seating surface and an inner surface facing away from the seating surface in the interior space;
a heater provided in the internal space for warming the seating surface from the inside via the inner surface;
a conductive heat diffusion part provided on the inner surface, having an area larger than that of the heater, and diffusing the heat of the heater to the inner surface;
a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the seating surface;
a detection circuit electrically connected to the thermal diffusion part and configured to detect the capacitance of the thermal diffusion part;
Seating on the toilet seat is detected based on the capacitance detected by the detection circuit, and the energization of the heater is controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, thereby moving the toilet seat. a control unit that heats to a predetermined temperature;
with
The control unit corrects the capacitance based on an average value of power supplied to the heater per unit time, and detects seating on the toilet seat based on the corrected capacitance. A toilet seat device characterized by: The toilet seat device according to claim 1 , wherein the unit time is 10 seconds or more and 30 seconds or less. The toilet seat device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller further corrects the capacitance based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

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