JP7516775B2 - Toilet management method, toilet management system, toilet management device, and toilet management program - Google Patents

Description

Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a toilet management method, a toilet management system, a toilet management device, and a toilet management program.

For example, in toilet rooms where multiple toilets are installed, such as toilet rooms in public facilities, it has been proposed to detect toilet blockages and sound an alarm if a blockage occurs. This allows toilet maintenance to be carried out immediately in response to the occurrence of a blockage, minimizing the time the toilet is unavailable.

However, depending on the situation, toilet managers and maintenance personnel may not want to perform maintenance immediately due to various reasons, such as having to balance other work. For this reason, it is desirable to be able to give flexibility to the decision of when to perform maintenance, for example, not performing maintenance immediately if the impact of the clogging is small, but performing maintenance immediately if the impact of the clogging is large.

JP 2000-282538 A

The present invention was made based on the recognition of such problems, and aims to provide a toilet management method, toilet management system, toilet management device, and toilet management program that allow flexibility in determining when to perform maintenance on clogged toilets in a toilet room where multiple toilets are installed.

The present invention is a toilet management method for managing the state of a toilet room in which multiple toilets are installed, and is characterized by having a usage information acquisition process for acquiring usage information regarding the usage status of the multiple toilets, a clogging information acquisition process for acquiring clogging information regarding the clogging status of the multiple toilets, a congestion situation prediction process for predicting the future congestion situation of the toilet room based on the acquired usage information of the multiple toilets, and a maintenance timing determination process for determining the recommended maintenance timing of the clogged toilet based on the future congestion situation of the toilet room when it is determined that any of the multiple toilets is clogged based on the clogging information.

This toilet management method takes into account the future congestion status of the toilet room and makes it possible to more appropriately determine the timing of toilet maintenance for a toilet room with multiple toilets installed. This makes it possible to prevent the timing of toilet maintenance overlapping with the busy times of the toilet room, which would otherwise cause the toilet room to become even more crowded due to the effects of maintenance work.

According to the aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a toilet management method, a toilet management system, a toilet management device, and a toilet management program that allow flexibility in determining when to perform maintenance on clogged toilets in a toilet room where multiple toilets are installed.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a toilet management system according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a toilet management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a control unit. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a control unit. FIG. 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams each showing a schematic example of an output of the urgency level. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a toilet management method by a toilet management system and a toilet management device according to an embodiment. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic example of another operation of the control unit. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modified example of the toilet management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modified example of the toilet management system according to the embodiment. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a toilet management method by a toilet management system and a toilet management device according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, like components are designated by like reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram that illustrates a toilet management system according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the restroom management system 10 includes a restroom management device 12 , a plurality of restroom devices 14 , 16 , a network device 18 , and a maintenance staff terminal 20 .

The toilet management system 10 and the toilet management device 12 manage the state of a toilet room TR in which multiple toilets are installed. The toilet room TR is a toilet room in a public facility such as a station, airport, commercial facility, or office building. More specifically, the toilet management system 10 and the toilet management device 12 manage the maintenance of the toilet room TR.

The toilet management system 10 and toilet management device 12 acquire information related to the maintenance of the toilet room TR and information related to the congestion status of the toilet room TR. Based on the acquired information, the toilet management system 10 and toilet management device 12 then manage the maintenance of the multiple toilets installed in the toilet room TR.

The toilet room TR has, for example, a plurality of toilet bowls 2 and a plurality of urinals 4. The toilet room TR has, for example, a plurality of toilet booths TB. The plurality of toilet booths TB are provided, for example, by dividing the internal space of the toilet room TR with a partition or the like. The plurality of toilet booths TB have opening and closing doors DR. The plurality of toilet bowls 2 are installed within the plurality of toilet booths TB. The plurality of urinals 4 are installed, for example, lined up along the wall surface of the toilet room TR.

In this way, the multiple toilet bowls installed in the toilet room TR may be either toilet bowls 2 or urinals 4. In this example, both a toilet bowl 2 and a urinal 4 are provided in the toilet room TR, but the multiple toilet bowls installed in the toilet room TR may be only toilet bowls 2 or only urinals 4. Also, in this example, a total of six toilet bowls are shown: three toilet bowls 2 and three urinals 4. The number of multiple toilet bowls installed in the toilet room TR is not limited to six and may be any number.

The toilet 2 has a bowl portion that is recessed downward. A toilet seat is provided on top of the toilet 2. The toilet 2 receives in the bowl portion excrement such as urine and feces excreted by a user seated on the toilet seat. More specifically, the toilet 2 is a Western-style seated toilet.

The multiple toilet devices 14 are provided on each of the multiple toilet bowls 2. The toilet devices 14 are provided, for example, on top of the toilet bowl 2. The toilet device 14 has, for example, a toilet seat and a body washing function unit that washes the bottom and other parts of a user seated on the toilet seat. The toilet device 14 is, for example, a sanitary washing device. The toilet device 14 may also be a heated toilet seat device that has a heating function that warms the seating surface of the toilet seat. However, the toilet device 14 is not limited to these and may be any device that is attached to the toilet bowl 2 for use.

The multiple toilet devices 16 are provided for each of the multiple urinals 4. The toilet devices 16 are, for example, automatic flushing devices that detect a user standing in front of the urinal 4 and detect the user's movement away from the urinal 4, and automatically flush the bowl surface in response to the detection of the movement away. However, the toilet devices 16 are not limited to this, and may be any device that is attached to the urinal 4 for use.

The toilet management device 12 is connected to the network device 18 via the network 6, and communicates with the network device 18 via the network 6. The network 6 is, for example, the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). The network 6 may connect the toilet management device 12 and the network device 18 via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of a wired connection and a wireless connection. The network 6 may be any network that enables communication between the toilet management device 12 and the network device 18.

The network device 18 communicates with the toilet management device 12 via the network 6, and also communicates wirelessly with the multiple toilet devices 14 and 16. The network device 18 is, for example, a gateway device that converts between the protocol of the network 6 on the toilet management device 12 side and the protocol of the wireless communication on the toilet devices 14 and 16 side.

The multiple toilet devices 14, 16 transmit information regarding the maintenance of the toilet room TR and information regarding the congestion status of the toilet room TR to the toilet management device 12 via the network device 18 and the network 6. In this way, the toilet management device 12 obtains information regarding the maintenance of the toilet room TR and information regarding the congestion status of the toilet room TR from the multiple toilet devices 14, 16.

The toilet management device 12 is installed, for example, in a management room of a public facility. The network device 18 is installed, for example, in the toilet room TR. In this way, even if the toilet management device 12 is installed in a location away from the toilet room TR, it can appropriately obtain information regarding the maintenance of the toilet room TR and information regarding the congestion status of the toilet room TR from the multiple toilet devices 14, 16 by communicating via the network 6, the network device 18, etc.

The communication between the multiple toilet devices 14, 16 and the network device 18 is not limited to wireless communication, but may be wired communication. Also, for example, in cases where the multiple toilet devices 14, 16 and the toilet management device 12 can communicate directly with each other, the network device 18 may be omitted. The network device 18 is provided as necessary and may be omitted.

The maintenance staff terminal 20 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by the maintenance staff. However, the maintenance staff terminal 20 may also be, for example, a personal computer installed in the maintenance staff's room. The maintenance staff terminal 20 is connected to the toilet management device 12 via the network 6. The maintenance staff terminal 20 communicates with the toilet management device 12 via the network 6.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a toilet management system according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the toilet device 14 provided in the toilet bowl 2 has a clogging detection sensor 30, a usage detection sensor 32, and a transmission unit 34.

The clogging detection sensor 30 detects the clogging state of the toilet 2 and outputs clogging information. The clogging detection sensor 30 detects, for example, the water level in the bowl of the toilet 2. The clogging detection sensor 30 detects that the toilet 2 is clogged when, for example, the water level in the bowl after the toilet 2 has been flushed is equal to or higher than a predetermined water level. In other words, the clogging detection sensor 30 detects whether the water level in the bowl after the toilet 2 has been flushed is equal to or higher than a predetermined water level. As such a clogging detection sensor 30, for example, a radio wave sensor, a capacitance sensor, a pressure sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, an optical distance sensor, and the like can be used. However, the configuration of the clogging detection sensor 30 is not limited to the above, and any configuration that can appropriately detect a clogging of the toilet 2 may be used.

The use detection sensor 32 detects the usage status of the toilet bowl 2 and outputs usage information. The use detection sensor 32 is, for example, a seating detection sensor that detects the user's seating state on the toilet seat as the usage status of the toilet bowl 2. The seating detection sensor detects a human body present above the toilet seat just before the user sits on the toilet bowl 2, or a user sitting on the toilet seat. For example, an infrared light emitting/receiving distance measuring sensor can be used as such a seating detection sensor. Note that the seating detection sensor may also be, for example, a microwave sensor or a pyroelectric sensor. The seating detection sensor may also be, for example, a mechanical switch, optical sensor, or magnetic sensor that detects the movement of the toilet seat, a capacitance sensor that detects the change in capacitance associated with sitting, or a piezoelectric sensor that detects the change in pressure associated with sitting.

The use detection sensor 32 may be, for example, a human body detection sensor that detects the state where a user approaches the toilet bowl 2 as the state where the toilet bowl 2 is in use. The human body detection sensor detects a human body approaching the toilet bowl 2. The human body detection sensor may be, for example, a microwave sensor, an infrared light emitting/receiving distance measuring sensor, or a pyroelectric sensor.

The use detection sensor 32 may be, for example, a door detection sensor that detects the state in which the toilet booth TB door DR is closed as the use state of the toilet bowl 2 (toilet booth TB). The door detection sensor detects the open and closed states of the door DR. The door detection sensor may be, for example, a mechanical switch, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, or the like.

For example, some users may change clothes inside the toilet booth TB. In this case, even if the toilet bowl 2 itself is not in use, if the door DR is closed, the toilet bowl 2 in the toilet booth TB cannot be used. In such a case, a seating detection sensor or a human body detection sensor may not be able to detect the toilet bowl 2 as being in use. In contrast, if the door detection sensor is used as the use detection sensor 32, it can more reliably detect an unavailable toilet bowl 2 compared to a seating detection sensor or a human body detection sensor.

On the other hand, because the door detection sensor is installed away from the toilet 2 and the toilet device 14, it may be more difficult to install than a seating detection sensor or a human body detection sensor. In this way, when a seating detection sensor or a human body detection sensor is used as the usage detection sensor 32, it is possible to detect an unavailable toilet 2 with a simpler configuration than a door detection sensor.

The transmission unit 34 transmits the clogging information and the usage information. The transmission unit 34 transmits the clogging information and the usage information to the toilet management device 12 via the network device 18 and the network 6.

The toilet device 16 provided in the urinal 4 has a clogging detection sensor 40, a usage detection sensor 42, and a transmitter 44.

The clogging detection sensor 40 detects the clogging state of the urinal 4 and outputs clogging information. The clogging detection sensor 40 may be the same as the clogging detection sensor 30. The usage detection sensor 42 detects the usage status of the urinal 4 and outputs usage information. The usage detection sensor 42 may be, for example, a human body detection sensor that detects the state where a user approaches the urinal 4 as the usage status of the urinal 4. The human body detection sensor may be one as described above. The transmission unit 44 transmits the clogging information and usage information in the same manner as the transmission unit 34.

The toilet management device 12 has a communication unit 50, a control unit 52, and a memory unit 54. The communication unit 50 communicates with the multiple toilet devices 14, 16 via the network 6 and the network device 18, thereby acquiring usage information and clogging information transmitted from the transmission units 34, 44 of the multiple toilet devices 14, 16. In this example, the communication unit 50 functions as an information acquisition unit. This allows the toilet management device 12 to grasp the usage and clogging status of the multiple toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4.

The memory unit 54 stores a toilet management program 56 for managing the state of the toilet room TR in which multiple toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 are installed. The control unit 52 reads the toilet management program 56 from the memory unit 54 and controls the operation of the toilet management device 12 by sequentially processing the toilet management program 56.

The control unit 52, for example, periodically acquires usage information and clogging information from multiple toilet devices 14, 16. In such a configuration, the control unit 52 acquires usage information and clogging information simultaneously.

For example, if the clogging state of the toilet bowl 2 or urinal 4 changes, the toilet devices 14, 16 may send clogging information to the control unit 52, and if the usage status of the toilet bowl 2 or urinal 4 changes, the toilet devices 14, 16 may send usage information to the control unit 52. In such a configuration, the control unit 52 obtains the clogging information and usage information at independent times.

The control unit 52 stores the acquired usage information and clogging information in the memory unit 54. This enables the control unit 52 to grasp the past congestion status of the toilet room TR (the usage status of the multiple toilet bowls 2 and the multiple urinals 4) based on the usage information stored in the memory unit 54.

The control unit 52 predicts the future congestion state of the toilet room TR based on the acquired usage information of multiple toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4. For example, the control unit 52 determines the past congestion state of the toilet room TR based on the usage information stored in the memory unit 54, and predicts the future congestion state of the toilet room TR based on this past congestion state of the toilet room TR. Thus, in this example, the control unit 52 functions as a congestion state prediction unit.

3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of the operation of the control unit.
When predicting the future congestion state of the toilet room TR, the control unit 52 obtains an hourly usage rate of the plurality of toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 installed in the toilet room TR based on the usage information stored in the memory unit 54, for example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The usage rate is expressed, for example, as a fraction with the number of the plurality of toilet bowls (toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4) as the denominator and the number of toilet bowls in use among the plurality of toilet bowls as the numerator, or a percentage corresponding thereto.

The control unit 52 sets a predetermined threshold value for the usage rate of multiple toilets. The control unit 52 then determines a time period when the usage rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value as a crowded time period, and determines a time period when the usage rate is less than the predetermined threshold value as a non-crowded time period. This makes it possible to determine the past congestion status of the toilet room TR based on the usage information stored in the memory unit 54.

The control unit 52, for example, predicts that time periods determined to be congested in the past will also be congested in the future, and predicts that time periods determined to be non-congested in the past will not be congested in the future. This makes it possible to predict the future congestion status of the toilet room TR based on the acquired usage information of multiple toilets.

The usage information for calculating the hourly usage rate of multiple toilets may use usage information for a specific day, such as data from the previous day or data from the same day of the week last week, or may use usage information for multiple days, such as data for a week. In other words, the usage rate may be the average hourly usage rate of multiple toilets calculated from usage information for multiple days.

The congestion status is not limited to the usage rate, but may be determined, for example, from the number of times multiple toilets are used. For example, a time period in which the number of times multiple toilets are used per unit time is equal to or exceeds a predetermined number may be determined as a crowded time period. The congestion status is not limited to the congestion status per hour, but may be, for example, the congestion status per day. The method of predicting the congestion status is not limited to the above, but may be any method that can appropriately predict the congestion status from the usage information.

When the control unit 52 determines that any of the multiple toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 is clogged based on the clogging information, it determines the urgency of maintenance for the clogged toilet bowl. That is, in this example, the control unit 52 also functions as an urgency determination unit. The control unit 52 determines the urgency of maintenance for the clogged toilet bowl based on, for example, the future congestion status of the toilet room TR.

When the control unit 52 determines that any of the multiple toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 is clogged, it predicts the future congestion status of the toilet room TR based on the usage information. As shown in FIG. 3, if a clog occurs during a non-crowded time period, the control unit 52 calculates the time TI1 from the time the clog occurred until the next predicted crowded time period based on the future congestion status of the toilet room TR. After calculating the time TI1, the control unit 52 then determines whether the time TI1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time TP1.

If a clog occurs in one of the multiple toilets during a peak time period, it may cause the toilet room TR to become even more crowded. For this reason, if a clog occurs during a non-peak time period, it is preferable to perform maintenance on the clog as early as possible before the next peak time period. Therefore, for example, as shown in the lunch time period in FIG. 3, when time TI1 is less than the predetermined time TP1, the control unit 52 determines that the urgency of the maintenance is high. On the other hand, for example, as shown in the homecoming and dinner time periods in FIG. 3, when time TI1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined time TP1, the control unit 52 determines that the urgency of the maintenance is low. In other words, if there is sufficient time until the next peak time period, the urgency is lowered, and if there is not sufficient time until the next peak time period, the urgency is increased.

As shown in FIG. 4, if a clog occurs during a crowded time period, the control unit 52 calculates the time TI2 from the time the clog occurred until the next predicted non-crowded time period based on the future congestion status of the toilet room TR. After calculating the time TI2, the control unit 52 determines whether the time TI2 is equal to or longer than a predetermined time TP2. Note that the predetermined time TP2 when a clog occurs during a crowded time period may be the same as or different from the predetermined time TP1 when a clog occurs during a non-crowded time period.

If clogging maintenance is performed during a peak period, the maintenance may cause the toilet room TR to become even more crowded. For this reason, if the time required for clogging maintenance is longer than the time remaining until the peak period switches to a non-peak period, performing maintenance after the peak period is over is more likely to alleviate congestion in the toilet room TR. The specified time TP2 is, for example, the average time required for clogging maintenance.

On the other hand, if the crowded period continues for a long time, performing maintenance as soon as possible to clear the blockage is likely to alleviate congestion in the toilet room TR. For this reason, if the time required for maintenance of the blockage is shorter than the remaining time until the period switches from the crowded period to the non-congested period, it is preferable to perform maintenance as soon as possible.

Therefore, for example, as shown in the working time period of FIG. 4, when time TI2 is less than predetermined time TP2, the control unit 52 determines that the urgency of the maintenance is low. On the other hand, for example, as shown in the dinner time period of FIG. 4, when time TI2 is equal to or greater than predetermined time TP2, the control unit 52 determines that the urgency of the maintenance is high. In other words, if the maintenance can be completed by the next non-peak time period, the urgency is increased, and if the maintenance cannot be completed by the next non-peak time period, the urgency is decreased.

In this way, the control unit 52 determines the impact that the clogged toilet will have on the future congestion situation in the toilet room TR, and lowers the urgency level if the impact is small, and increases the urgency level if the impact is large. In other words, the control unit 52 increases the urgency level if there is a high possibility that congestion in the toilet room TR can be further alleviated by performing maintenance.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, if a clog occurs during a non-peak time period and time TI1 is less than a predetermined time TP1, the control unit 52 determines that the clogged toilet will have a large impact on the congestion situation in the toilet room TR during the next peak time period, and increases the level of urgency.

Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, if a clog occurs during a peak time period and time TI2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined time TP2, the control unit 52 determines that the clogged toilet has a large impact on the congestion situation in the toilet room TR during the current peak time period, and determines that the urgency of maintenance is high.

The urgency level is not limited to two values, high and low, but may be set in stages at three or more levels. For example, it may be set at three or more levels depending on the extent of times TI1 and TI2.

The control unit 52 determines whether any of the multiple toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 is clogged based on the clogging information, determines the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet bowl, and then outputs urgency information indicating the determined urgency. The control unit 52 outputs the urgency information to the maintenance staff terminal 20, for example.

5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams each showing a schematic example of an output of the urgency level.
The maintenance staff terminal 20 has, for example, a display unit (not shown). The display unit is, for example, a well-known display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. Figs. 5(a) to 5(c) are schematic examples of screens displayed on the display unit of the maintenance staff terminal 20. Fig. 5(a) is a schematic example of a display when no clogging has occurred. Fig. 5(b) is a schematic example of a display when a clogging with a low level of urgency has occurred. Fig. 5(c) is a schematic example of a display when a clogging with a high level of urgency has occurred.

The control unit 52 of the toilet management device 12 outputs urgency information to the maintenance staff terminal 20 and also outputs usage information of multiple toilets to the maintenance staff terminal 20.

As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), the maintenance staff terminal 20 displays the usage status of multiple toilets based on usage information acquired from the toilet management device 12. For convenience, Figures 5(a) to 5(c) show an example in which six toilets 2 are installed in the toilet room TR.

As shown in Figures 5(b) and 5(c), when the maintenance staff terminal 20 acquires the urgency information, it displays the toilet in which the clog has occurred and the urgency of the maintenance of the clogged toilet based on the urgency information. As a result, the maintenance staff terminal 20 outputs the urgency of the maintenance. In other words, the maintenance staff terminal 20 notifies the maintenance staff of the urgency of the maintenance.

In this way, the maintenance staff terminal 20 displays the current usage status and current clog state of multiple toilets in real time, for example, by switching the display on the display unit depending on the acquisition of usage information and urgency information.

When the maintenance staff terminal 20 acquires the urgency information and the occurrence of a clog and the urgency are displayed on the display unit, the maintenance staff heads to perform maintenance on the relevant toilet. At this time, the maintenance staff determines whether to head to the relevant toilet immediately or to prioritize another task, etc., depending on the urgency indicated by the urgency information. In this way, the toilet management system 10 and the toilet management device 12 can prompt the maintenance staff to carry out maintenance early, without causing trouble to the manager of the toilet room TR, etc. Furthermore, by outputting the urgency information, the toilet management system 10 and the toilet management device 12 can provide flexibility in the timing of maintenance when determining when to actually perform maintenance.

The output of the urgency level is not limited to the display unit of the maintenance staff terminal 20. For example, the urgency level may be notified to the manager of the toilet management device 12 by displaying the urgency level on the display unit (not shown) of the toilet management device 12. For example, by notifying the manager of the toilet management device 12 of the urgency level, the manager of the toilet management device 12 may contact the maintenance staff by telephone or email at a timing according to the urgency level to perform maintenance on the clog.

Figures 5(a) to 5(c) show an example of displaying the current usage status and current clog state of multiple toilets in real time, but the manner in which the urgency is displayed on the display unit is not limited to this. For example, the manner in which the urgency is displayed may be such that a window showing the urgency is popped up on the display unit only when a clog has occurred. If no clog has occurred, no display is required on the display unit.

The manner in which the urgency level is output is not limited to displaying it on the display unit. The urgency level may be output, for example, by voice or by turning on a dedicated lamp or the like.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a toilet management method by the toilet management system and the toilet management device according to the embodiment.
The control unit 52 (computer) of the toilet management device 12 of the toilet management system 10 executes each process of the toilet management method described below, for example, based on a toilet management program 56. However, some or all of the processes of the toilet management method described below may be executed based on the operation of hardware that does not require a program.

The control unit 52 executes a usage information acquisition process to acquire usage information related to the usage status of the plurality of toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 (step S101 in FIG. 6). The control unit 52 also executes a clogging information acquisition process to acquire clogging information related to the clogging status of the plurality of toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 (step S102 in FIG. 6).

The usage information acquisition process and the clogging information acquisition process may be performed in any order. Conversely, the usage information acquisition process may be performed after the clogging information acquisition process. Furthermore, the clogging information acquisition process and the usage information acquisition process may be performed substantially simultaneously. In other words, the clogging information acquisition process and the usage information acquisition process may be a single process for acquiring clogging information and usage information.

The control unit 52 communicates with the multiple toilet devices 14, 16 via the network 6 and the network device 18 to acquire clogging information and usage information from each of the multiple toilet devices 14, 16. As described above, the control unit 52 may acquire the clogging information and usage information simultaneously, or may acquire the clogging information and usage information at independent times.

When the control unit 52 acquires the usage information, it stores the acquired usage information in the memory unit 54. When the control unit 52 acquires the clogging information, it determines whether or not a clogging has occurred in any of the plurality of toilets 2 and urinals 4 based on the clogging information (step S103 in FIG. 6).

When the control unit 52 determines that a blockage has occurred in any of the plurality of toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4, it executes a congestion prediction process to predict the future congestion state of the toilet room TR based on the acquired usage information of the plurality of toilet bowls 2 and urinals 4 (step S104 in FIG. 6).

As described in Figures 3 and 4, the control unit 52, for example, determines the past congestion state of the toilet room TR based on the usage information stored in the memory unit 54, and predicts the future congestion state of the toilet room TR from the past congestion state of the toilet room TR.

After predicting the future congestion status of the toilet room TR, the control unit 52 executes an urgency determination process to determine the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet (step S105 in FIG. 6). This allows for flexibility in determining when to perform maintenance, such as not performing maintenance immediately if the urgency is low, and performing maintenance immediately if the urgency is high. When determining when to perform maintenance, the manager or maintenance staff of the toilet room TR can prioritize their own convenience if the urgency of the maintenance is low.

The control unit 52 determines the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet based on, for example, the future congestion status of the toilet room TR. This makes it possible to prevent the clogged toilet from affecting the congestion status of the toilet room TR. When determining when to perform maintenance, the manager or maintenance staff of the toilet room TR can make a flexible decision that takes into account the congestion status of the toilet room TR.

As described in Figures 3 and 4, the urgency determination process includes determining the impact that the clogged toilet will have on the future congestion status of the toilet room TR, and lowering the urgency if the impact is small, and raising the urgency if the impact is large. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the toilet clog from affecting the congestion status of the toilet room TR.

After executing the urgency determination process, the control unit 52 executes an output process of outputting urgency information representing the determined urgency (step S106 in FIG. 6). This allows personnel involved in the toilet room TR to easily check the urgency. This can further improve the convenience of the toilet management system 10 and the toilet management device 12.

The control unit 52, for example, outputs the urgency information to the maintenance staff terminal 20. The maintenance staff terminal 20, for example, displays the urgency represented by the urgency information on the display unit. This makes it possible to inform the maintenance staff of the occurrence of a blockage and its urgency. This allows the maintenance staff to have flexibility in deciding when to perform maintenance.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic example of another operation of the control unit.
As shown in FIG. 7, in this example, the control unit 52 determines the urgency of maintenance for clogged toilets based on the number of clogged toilets.

When the number of clogged toilets is less than a predetermined number, the control unit 52 determines that the impact on the congestion of the toilet room TR is small, and determines that the urgency of maintenance is low. When the number of clogged toilets is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the control unit 52 determines that the impact on the congestion of the toilet room TR is large, and determines that the urgency of maintenance is high. In this way, the urgency may be determined based on the number of clogged toilets, without being limited to the future congestion of the toilet room TR. Note that while FIG. 7 shows an example in which the predetermined number is four, the predetermined number is not limited to four and may be any number.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram that illustrates a modified example of the restroom management system according to the embodiment.
8, the restroom management system 10a is installed in a two-story public facility RF. Note that the same reference numerals are used for components that are substantially the same in function and configuration as those in the above embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

The public facility RF has four toilet rooms TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, and TR2b. Each of the toilet rooms TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, and TR2b has multiple toilet bowls. As mentioned above, the multiple toilet bowls may be toilet bowls 2, urinal bowls 4, or both toilet bowls 2 and urinal bowls 4.

The toilet management system 10a has two network devices 18 provided on each floor of the public facility RF. The network device 18 provided on the first floor communicates with multiple toilet devices 14, 16 provided in each of the toilet rooms TR1a, TR1b on the first floor. Similarly, the network device 18 provided on the second floor communicates with multiple toilet devices 14, 16 provided in each of the toilet rooms TR2a, TR2b on the second floor. A network device 18 may be provided for each of the toilet rooms TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, TR2b, or one network device 18 may communicate with the toilet devices 14, 16 in each of the toilet rooms TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, TR2b.

In this way, when there are multiple toilet rooms TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, and TR2b in the public facility RF, the average congestion rate (average usage rate) of each toilet room TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, and TR2b may differ for each toilet room TR1a, TR1b, TR2a, and TR2b depending on the location where they are installed.

In this case, the control unit 52 determines the urgency of maintenance for the clogged toilet based on the location of the clogged toilet.

For example, assume that the average congestion rate of toilet rooms TR1a and TR1b on the first floor is higher than the average congestion rate of toilet rooms TR2a and TR2b on the second floor. In this case, if the clogged toilet is in toilet rooms TR1a and TR1b on the first floor, the control unit 52 determines that the impact on the congestion status of toilet rooms TR1a and TR1b is large and determines that the urgency of maintenance is high. If the clogged toilet is in toilet rooms TR2a and TR2b on the second floor, the control unit 52 determines that the impact on the congestion status of toilet rooms TR2a and TR2b is small and determines that the urgency of maintenance is low.

In this way, the urgency level may be determined based on the location of the clogged toilet, not limited to the future congestion status of the toilet room TR or the number of clogged toilets. The urgency level may be determined, for example, based on the degree of clogging of the toilet. If the toilet is completely clogged, the clog detection state is maintained after the clog detection sensor 30, 40 detects the clog. On the other hand, if the toilet is only slightly clogged and the flow is poor, the clog detection state is released as time passes after the clog detection sensor 30, 40 detects the clog. Therefore, if the clogged state is maintained even after a predetermined time has passed after the clog detection sensor 30, 40 detects the clog, the urgency level may be increased, and if the clogged state is cleared after a predetermined time has passed after the clog detection sensor 30, 40 detects the clog, the urgency level may be decreased. The urgency level may also be determined by combining, for example, multiple conditions described above.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram that illustrates a modified example of the restroom management system according to the embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 9, in the toilet management system 10b, the maintenance staff terminal 20 has an input unit 22. The input unit 22 is used to input conditions related to the determination of the urgency. Examples of conditions related to the determination of the urgency include the above-mentioned predetermined times TP1 and TP2, the number of clogged toilets, and the locations of the clogged toilets. The input unit 22 may be a well-known input device such as a touch panel, a keyboard, or a mouse.

In the restroom management system 10b, a maintenance person can operate the input unit 22 of the maintenance person terminal 20 to input conditions related to the determination of the urgency level, thereby allowing the person in charge to set any conditions that he or she desires. When conditions are input via the input unit 22, the maintenance person terminal 20 transmits condition information representing the input conditions to the restroom management device 12.

When the control unit 52 of the toilet management device 12 receives condition information from the maintenance staff terminal 20, it stores the received condition information in the memory unit 54. When determining the level of urgency, the control unit 52 determines the level of urgency based on the conditions represented by the condition information stored in the memory unit 54. This allows the toilet management system 10b to determine the level of urgency based on the conditions preferred by the maintenance staff.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart that illustrates an example of a toilet management method by the toilet management system and the toilet management device according to the embodiment.
10, in this example, the control unit 52 executes a condition information acquisition step of acquiring condition information representing conditions related to the determination of the urgency level (step S201 in FIG. 10). As described above, the control unit 52 receives the condition information from the maintenance staff terminal 20, and stores the received condition information in the storage unit 54.

In the urgency determination process of step S206, the control unit 52 determines the urgency based on the conditions of the condition information stored in the storage unit 54. Note that the operations of steps S202 to S207 are substantially the same as the operations of steps S101 to S106 described with reference to FIG. 6, except for the fact that the urgency is determined based on the conditions of the condition information, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, in the restroom management system 10b, the maintenance staff can input condition information to arbitrarily set conditions for determining the urgency of maintenance. This makes it possible to determine the urgency of maintenance in accordance with the diverse needs of maintenance staff and others.

The timing for executing the condition information acquisition process is not limited to the above and may be any timing. For example, the condition information acquisition process may be performed after the usage information acquisition process.

In addition, in this example, the condition information is input from the maintenance staff terminal 20, but this is not limited thereto. For example, an input unit may be provided in the toilet management device 12, and the condition information may be input from the toilet management device 12. This allows the manager of the toilet room TR to input the condition information and arbitrarily set conditions for determining the urgency of maintenance. It becomes possible to determine the urgency of maintenance in accordance with the diverse needs of the manager of the toilet room TR and others.

In each of the above embodiments, the communication unit 50 provided in the toilet management device 12 is shown as the information acquisition unit. The information acquisition unit may be, for example, a data server that acquires clogging information and usage information from multiple toilet devices 14, 16. The toilet management device 12 may acquire the clogging information and usage information from the data server. Also, for example, when the toilet management device 12 is installed in the toilet room TR or near the toilet room TR, the clogging detection sensors 30, 40 and the usage detection sensors 32, 42 may be the information acquisition unit. In other words, the toilet management device 12 may acquire the clogging information and usage information directly without going through the network 6 or the like.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the communication unit 50 provided in the toilet management device 12 is shown as an information acquisition unit, and the control unit 52 provided in the toilet management device 12 is shown as an urgency determination unit. The information acquisition unit and the urgency determination unit do not necessarily have to be provided in the same device. For example, as described above, the information acquisition unit may be provided in a data server, and the urgency determination unit may be provided in the toilet management device 12. The information acquisition unit and the urgency determination unit may be distributed and arranged in multiple devices that are connected to be able to communicate via a network 6 or the like. The configurations of the information acquisition unit and the urgency determination unit are not limited to those described above, and may be any configuration that can satisfy these functions.

The toilet management method, toilet management system, toilet management device, and toilet management program based on the above-described embodiment may take the following forms, for example.

The first aspect is a toilet management method for managing the state of a toilet room in which multiple toilets are installed, and is characterized by having a clogging information acquisition process for acquiring clogging information related to the clogging state of the multiple toilets, and an urgency determination process for determining the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet when it is determined that any of the multiple toilets is clogged based on the clogging information.

This toilet management method allows for flexibility in deciding when to perform maintenance, such as not performing maintenance immediately if the urgency is low, and performing maintenance immediately if the urgency is high. When deciding when to perform maintenance, toilet managers and maintenance personnel can prioritize their own convenience if the urgency of the maintenance is low.

The second aspect is a toilet management method according to the first aspect, further comprising a usage information acquisition step of acquiring usage information related to the usage status of the plurality of toilets, and a congestion situation prediction step of predicting the future congestion status of the toilet room based on the acquired usage information of the plurality of toilets, and the urgency determination step is characterized in that it determines the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet based on the future congestion status of the toilet room.

This toilet management method determines the urgency of maintenance for a clogged toilet based on the future congestion status of the toilet, thereby preventing the clogged toilet from affecting the congestion status of the toilet. When deciding when to perform maintenance, toilet managers and maintenance staff can make flexible decisions that take into account the congestion status of the toilet.

A third aspect is a toilet management method according to the second aspect, characterized in that the urgency determination step determines the impact that the clogged toilet bowl will have on the future congestion status of the toilet room, and reduces the urgency if the impact is small, and increases the urgency if the impact is large.

This toilet management method reduces the urgency level when the impact on future congestion in the toilet room is small, and increases the urgency level when the impact is large, thereby more reliably preventing a clogged toilet from affecting congestion in the toilet room.

A fourth aspect is a toilet management method according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising a condition information acquisition step of acquiring condition information representing conditions related to the determination of the urgency, and the urgency determination step is characterized in that the urgency is determined based on the conditions of the condition information.

According to this restroom management method, restroom managers, maintenance personnel, etc. can input condition information to arbitrarily set conditions for determining the urgency of maintenance. This makes it possible to determine the urgency of maintenance in accordance with the diverse needs of restroom managers, maintenance personnel, etc.

The fifth aspect is a toilet management system that manages the state of a toilet room in which multiple toilets are installed, and is characterized by having an information acquisition unit that acquires clogging information related to the clogging state of the multiple toilets, and an urgency determination unit that, when it determines that any of the multiple toilets is clogged based on the clogging information, determines the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet.

This restroom management system allows for flexibility in decisions when performing maintenance; for example, if the urgency is low, maintenance will not be performed immediately, but if the urgency is high, maintenance will be performed immediately. This allows restroom managers and maintenance personnel to prioritize their own convenience when performing maintenance if the urgency of the maintenance is low.

The sixth aspect is a toilet management device that manages the state of a toilet room in which multiple toilets are installed, and is characterized by having an information acquisition unit that acquires clogging information related to the clogging state of the multiple toilets, and an urgency determination unit that, when it determines that any of the multiple toilets is clogged based on the clogging information, determines the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet.

This restroom management device allows for flexibility in the decisions made when performing maintenance, such as not performing maintenance immediately if the urgency is low, and performing maintenance immediately if the urgency is high. This allows restroom managers and maintenance personnel to prioritize their own convenience when performing maintenance if the urgency of the maintenance is low.

The seventh aspect is a toilet management program for managing the state of a toilet room in which multiple toilets are installed, characterized in that the toilet management program causes a computer to execute a clogging information acquisition process for acquiring clogging information related to the clogging state of the multiple toilets, and an urgency determination process for determining the urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet when it is determined that any of the multiple toilets is clogged based on the clogging information.

This restroom management program allows for flexibility in the decision-making process for performing maintenance; for example, if the urgency is low, maintenance will not be performed immediately, but if the urgency is high, maintenance will be performed immediately. This allows restroom managers and maintenance personnel to prioritize their own convenience when performing maintenance if the urgency of the maintenance is low.

The toilet management program is not limited to the form of a program for causing a computer to execute the above-mentioned method (a form installed in a computer), but may also be in the form of a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of recording media that can be used include CD-ROM (-R/-RW), optical magnetic disk, HD (hard disk), DVD-ROM (-R/-RW/-RAM), FD (flexible disk), flash memory, memory card, memory stick, and various other ROMs, RAMs, etc.

The above describes the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. Any design changes made by a person skilled in the art to the above-mentioned embodiments are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention. For example, the shape, dimensions, materials, arrangement, installation form, etc. of each element of the toilet management system 10 and the toilet management device 12 are not limited to those exemplified, and can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, each element of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined to the extent technically possible, and such combinations are also included within the scope of the present invention as long as they include the features of the present invention.

2 Toilet bowl, 4 Urinal bowl, 6 Network, 10, 10a, 10b Toilet management system, 12 Toilet management device, 14, 16 Toilet device, 18 Network device, 20 Maintenance staff terminal, 22 Input unit, 30 Clogging detection sensor, 32 Usage detection sensor, 34 Transmission unit, 40 Clogging detection sensor, 42 Usage detection sensor, 44 Transmission unit, 50 Communication unit, 52 Control unit, 54 Memory unit, 56 Toilet management program

Claims (6)

A toilet management method for managing the state of a toilet room in which a plurality of toilets are installed, comprising:
a clogging information acquisition step of acquiring clogging information related to the clogging state of the plurality of toilets by an information acquisition unit;
a usage information acquisition step of acquiring usage information related to usage status of the plurality of toilets by the information acquisition unit ;
a congestion status prediction step of predicting a future congestion status of the toilet room by the control unit based on the acquired usage information of the plurality of toilets when the control unit determines that any of the plurality of toilets is clogged based on the clogging information;
an urgency determination step of determining, by the control unit , an urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet based on the future congestion state of the toilet after the control unit predicts the future congestion state of the toilet;
A toilet management method comprising the steps of: The toilet management method described in claim 1, characterized in that the urgency determination process comprises determining , by the control unit , the impact that the clogged toilet bowl will have on the future congestion situation of the toilet room, lowering the urgency if the impact is small, and raising the urgency if the impact is large. The method further includes a condition information acquisition step of acquiring, by the control unit, condition information indicating a condition related to the determination of the urgency level,
The toilet management method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the urgency determination step determines the urgency based on the condition of the condition information by the control unit . A toilet management system for managing the state of a toilet room in which a plurality of toilets are installed,
an information acquisition unit that acquires clogging information related to the clogging state of the plurality of toilets and usage information related to the usage status of the plurality of toilets;
a congestion status prediction unit that predicts a future congestion status of the toilet room based on the usage information of the plurality of toilets when determining that any of the plurality of toilets is clogged based on the clogging information;
an urgency determination unit that predicts a future congestion state of the toilet room and then determines an urgency of maintenance of the toilet bowl where a clog has occurred based on the future congestion state of the toilet room;
A toilet management system comprising: A toilet management device for managing the state of a toilet room in which a plurality of toilets are installed,
an information acquisition unit that acquires clogging information related to the clogging state of the plurality of toilets and usage information related to the usage status of the plurality of toilets;
a congestion status prediction unit that predicts a future congestion status of the toilet room based on the usage information of the plurality of toilets when determining that any of the plurality of toilets is clogged based on the clogging information;
an urgency determination unit that predicts a future congestion state of the toilet room and then determines an urgency of maintenance of the toilet bowl where a clog has occurred based on the future congestion state of the toilet room;
A toilet management device comprising: A toilet management program for managing a state of a toilet room in which a plurality of toilets are installed, comprising:
a clogging information acquisition step of acquiring clogging information regarding the clogging state of the plurality of toilets;
a usage information acquisition step of acquiring usage information relating to usage conditions of the plurality of toilets;
a congestion status prediction step of predicting a future congestion status of the toilet room based on the usage information of the plurality of toilets obtained when determining that any of the plurality of toilets is clogged based on the clogging information;
an urgency determination step of determining an urgency of maintenance of the clogged toilet based on the future congestion state of the toilet after predicting the future congestion state of the toilet;
A toilet management program that causes a computer to execute the above steps.

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