JPWO2019224999A1 - Toilet booth long stay prevention device - Google Patents

Abstract

The toilet booth long stay suppression device 1 includes a detection unit 2 for detecting the presence of a user, a audible sound output unit 3 capable of outputting a reminder sound, and an audible sound output unit 3 based on a detection signal from the detection unit 2. And a control unit 4 for controlling. The detection unit 2 includes a frequency modulation continuous wave radar type sensor 2a that measures the distance to the object to be detected. The control unit 4 determines the time when the user enters the toilet booth based on the distance measured by the sensor 2a.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toilet booth long stay restraining device that restrains a user who uses a toilet booth from staying longer.

In recent years, in public toilets, office toilets, etc., it has become a problem that the user who uses the toilet booth occupies the toilet booth for a long time, that is, the user who uses the toilet booth stays in the toilet booth for a long time. ing. For example, due to the fact that a toilet booth is used as a place where a smartphone or a portable game machine is used, the time for occupying the toilet booth is becoming longer. Therefore, even if there are multiple toilet booths installed in the toilet, it is easy for all the toilet booths to be in use, and there are situations where people who want to complete a urinal can't use the toilet booth and wait. ..

As a measure against such a situation, while detecting whether or not the user is present in the toilet booth, attention to the exclusive use is directed to the inside of the toilet booth by, for example, outputting an alarm sound. There is a toilet booth deterrent device that is done by doing.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-159033 (Patent Document 1) is capable of outputting a detection means for detecting a human body in the toilet booth and a sound evoking sound into the toilet booth in a ceiling hiding concealed type toilet booth long stay suppressing device. There is disclosed a technology having an arousing means composed of a sound generator and a control section for controlling an arousal output of the arousing means based on detection of a human body by the detecting means.

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the detection unit radiates a microwave that passes through the ceiling material toward the inside of the toilet booth to detect the biological information of the human body in the toilet booth by the Topler effect. Consists of. Further, the control means has a timer for counting the time in the toilet booth based on the detection of the biological information by the detection means, and when the time in the toilet booth by the timer exceeds a predetermined time, the control means Output is done.
Further, the following techniques have been disclosed as techniques for detecting an object to be detected in a toilet or the like by using the Doppler effect or the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-142221 (Patent Document 2) describes a toilet seat, a Doppler sensor that obtains information about a detected object by a reflected wave of an emitted radio wave, and a detection signal output from the Doppler sensor. There is disclosed a technique including a control unit that determines whether the user is away from the toilet seat based on the output and outputs a control signal.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-72270 (Patent Document 3) is a technique in which a toilet device includes a Doppler sensor that transmits and receives radio waves and a control unit that executes predetermined control based on an output signal of the Doppler sensor. Is disclosed.

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-196069 (Patent Document 4), in a toilet device, a transmitter transmits a microwave serving as a transmitted wave in a predetermined direction, and a receiver receives a reflected wave for the transmitted wave, A technique including a Doppler sensor unit that generates a Doppler signal that has a difference frequency from a reflected wave is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-194357 (Patent Document 5) discloses that a detection device transmits a radio wave, receives a reflected wave of the radio wave reflected by an object, and outputs a sensor signal having frequency characteristics corresponding to the movement of the object. A sensor that outputs, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the object is a person based on the frequency characteristic of the sensor signal, and a state of movement of the object based on the frequency characteristic of the sensor signal when the object is a person. And a second determination unit for determining.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-134795 (Patent Document 6) describes a reflected wave obtained by emitting a transmission wave of an electromagnetic wave and reflecting the transmission wave on an object in a watching device that detects the physical condition of a cared person. A radio wave sensor that generates a Doppler signal by synthesizing a transmitted wave and a reflected wave, and a signal processing unit that determines the physical condition of the care recipient based on the Doppler signal generated by the radio wave sensor. Techniques for providing are disclosed.

JP, 2017-159033, A JP, 2013-142221, A JP, 2013-72270, A JP, 2011-196069, A JP, 2017-194357, A JP, 2017-134795, A

In the sensor using the Doppler effect described above, when the detection accuracy for detecting whether the user is in the toilet booth is high, the door opened when the user leaves the toilet booth is opened. It also detects the movement of the door until it bounces against the stopper on the wall and stands still. Depending on the strength with which the user pulls and opens the door, the door of the toilet booth may bounce about 4 to 6 times with respect to the stopper and then stop, and in such a case, for example, in Patent Document 1 above. The described timer for counting the time in the toilet booth does not turn off immediately until the door is stationary, even though no user is already in the toilet booth. Therefore, if the former user leaves the toilet booth and then the latter user enters the toilet booth while the door is bouncing, the timer count will be inherited, and for example, the latter user will Immediately after sitting on the toilet seat, there is a problem that the occupancy time in the toilet booth exceeds a predetermined time and an alarm sound is output. That is, there is a problem in that it is not possible to accurately detect that the user has stayed in the toilet booth for a long time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for accurately detecting that a user is staying in the toilet booth with high accuracy in a toilet booth long residence suppressing device that suppresses the user staying in the toilet booth for a long time.

The following is a brief description of the outline of the typical inventions among the inventions disclosed in the present application.

A toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a toilet booth long stay suppressing device that suppresses the long stay of a user who uses the toilet booth. The toilet booth long stay restraint device is provided in the housing, a housing provided in the back of the ceiling of the toilet booth, a detection unit that is provided in the housing, and that detects a user's presence in the toilet booth, In addition, the audible sound output unit capable of outputting the first audible alert sound toward the inside of the toilet booth and the first audible alert sound by the audible sound output unit provided on the housing and based on the detection signal from the detection unit. And a control unit that controls the output. The detection unit transmits the first radio wave toward the inside of the toilet booth, and the first frequency of the first radio wave and the second frequency of the reflected wave at the moment when the first radio wave receives the reflected wave reflected by the object to be detected. It includes a first sensor of a frequency modulation continuous wave radar system that measures a first distance from an object to be detected based on a frequency difference that is a difference between the two. The control unit determines the first time point when the user enters the toilet booth based on the first distance measured by the first sensor, and the user determines the toilet time based on the determined first time point and the detection signal. When the usage time of using the booth is measured and when the measured usage time exceeds the preset upper limit value, the audible sound output unit outputs the first attention audible sound, so that the audible sound output unit To control.

The effects obtained by the typical ones of the inventions disclosed in the present application will be briefly described as follows.

According to a representative embodiment of the present invention, in a toilet booth long stay restraint device that restrains a user who uses a toilet booth from staying long, it is possible to accurately detect that the user is staying long in the toilet booth. it can.

It is a figure which shows typically an example of the installation state of the toilet booth long stay restraint apparatus of embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of a toilet booth long stay suppressing device of an embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the toilet booth long stay inhibiting device of embodiment. It is a graph which shows the strength of the detection signal for every distance measured with the sensor of a FMCW radar system. It is a graph which shows typically the time change of the distance measured by the sensor of a FMCW radar system.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same parts are denoted by the same reference symbols in principle and the repeated description thereof will be omitted.
(Embodiment)

Hereinafter, a toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to an embodiment, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described. The toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the present embodiment is a toilet booth long stay suppressing device that suppresses the long stay of a user who uses the toilet booth. The toilet booth long stay restraint device of the present embodiment is an overhead ceiling concealed type toilet booth long stay restrainer installed behind the ceiling of the toilet booth so as not to be seen by the user.
<Installation state of toilet booth deterrent device>

First, the installation state of the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an installed state of the toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, above the toilet booth B in the toilet room (rest room) A, the ceiling material C of the toilet room A is extended.

The ceiling material C is made of a material having a low microwave transmission loss, and is made of, for example, a single gypsum board used as a usual ceiling finishing material. Further, in the toilet booth long stay inhibiting device of the present embodiment, the radiated and reflected waves of the microwave from the device are transmitted without any problem even if the ceiling material is made of two plaster boards and has a thickness of 18 mm. It has been verified that the device works properly.

In public toilets, office toilets, etc., as the ceiling material C of the toilet room A, the above-mentioned plaster board is often used, and the ceiling of the toilet room A is covered with a ceiling finishing material with a low microwave transmission loss. It is common to be. Although one toilet booth B is shown in the toilet room A of FIG. 1, a plurality of toilet booths are provided side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1, and one toilet booth is shown for ease of explanation. A toilet booth B is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet booth long stay restraining apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a ceiling back surface of a ceiling material C so as to be located above a human body E as a user sitting on a toilet seat D of a Western-style toilet. Is installed in. Further, one toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 is installed for each toilet booth B.
<Toilet booth long stay prevention device>

Next, the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the toilet booth long stay restraint device when viewed obliquely from above, and FIG. 3B is a bottom view of the toilet booth long stay restraint device when viewed from below.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 includes a detection unit 2, an audible sound output unit 3, a control unit 4, and a housing 5. The housing 5 is provided behind the ceiling of the toilet booth B, and is provided by incorporating the detection unit 2, the audible sound output unit 3, and the control unit 4 inside the housing 5. Note that, for example, when the housing 5 does not have a box shape, the detection unit 2, the audible sound output unit 3, and the control unit 4 may not be provided inside the housing 5. For example, it may be provided above or on the side of the housing 5. The housing 5 has a semi-cylindrical shape (a shape obtained by vertically cutting a cylinder), and has elliptical side surfaces 5a and 5b, a front surface 5c, a rear surface (not shown), and a top surface 5d. , Mounting surface 7.
[Detector]

The detection unit 2 detects the presence of the user in the toilet booth. The detection unit 2 includes a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar type sensor 2a.

The sensor 2a radiates a radio wave that passes through the ceiling material C toward the inside of the toilet booth B located below the location where the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 is installed, and the user as a detected object in the toilet booth B. The distance between the human body E and the sensor 2a is measured. In other words, the sensor 2a transmits an electric wave toward the inside of the toilet booth B, receives the reflected wave reflected by the human body E of the user as the detected object, and transmits the electric wave at the moment when the reflected wave is received. The distance between the object to be detected and the sensor 2a is measured based on the frequency difference that is the difference between the frequency of the radio wave and the frequency of the received reflected wave. The FMCW radar is a type of continuous wave radar, which employs frequency modulation (FM) as a modulation method, and changes the frequency so that the time dependence of the frequency becomes, for example, a sawtooth wave, while reflecting waves. It is a radar that obtains the distance from the frequency difference (beat frequency) between the transmitted wave and the reflected wave at the moment of receiving.
The sensor 2a has a detection range in the entire area of the toilet booth B including the position of the door F of the toilet booth B, and detects the human body E of the user who enters and leaves the toilet booth B.

Here, as the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the comparative example, for example, in the same manner as the technique described in Patent Document 1, the detection unit 2 includes a Doppler radar type sensor, but does not include an FMCW radar type sensor. That is, consider the case where the detection unit 2 uses only the Doppler effect. In such a comparative example, the detection unit 2 detects an object to be detected only by the Doppler effect. Further, since the sensor utilizing the Doppler effect detects the movement of the object itself, it detects, for example, the movement of the body, heartbeat, and lung respiration, but does not detect the distance from the transmission source to the object.

Therefore, with a sensor that uses the Doppler effect, if the detection accuracy for detecting whether or not the user is in the toilet booth is high, the door that is pulled open when the user leaves the toilet booth is opened. It also detects the movement of the door until it bounces against the stopper on the wall and stands still. Depending on the strength with which the user pulls and opens the door, the door of the toilet booth may bounce about 4 to 6 times with respect to the stopper and then stop, and in such a case, for example, in Patent Document 1 above. The described timer for counting the time in the toilet booth does not turn off immediately until the door is stationary, even though no user is already in the toilet booth. Therefore, if the former user leaves the toilet booth and then the latter user enters the toilet booth while the door is bouncing, the timer count will be inherited, and for example, the latter user will Immediately after sitting on the toilet seat, there is a problem that the occupancy time in the toilet booth exceeds a predetermined time and an alarm sound is output.

That is, the sensor using the Doppler effect has a problem that the time when the user enters the toilet booth cannot be accurately detected. Then, in the sensor utilizing the Doppler effect, when the previous user's leaving the room and the subsequent user's entering the room are continuous, the usage time of the later user is calculated from the time when the previous user enters the toilet booth. There is a problem that an error occurs that the number is taken over and counted.
On the other hand, in the toilet booth long stay prevention device 1 of the present embodiment, the detection unit 2 includes at least the FMCW radar type sensor 2a.

The FMCW radar type sensor 2a detects an object to be detected based on the time until the reflected wave returns. For example, when an object to be detected including an object of a certain size, such as the human body of the user, is not present in the toilet booth, normally the radiated radio waves are reflected on the toilet bowl or floor surface. Return. On the other hand, when the detected object is present in the toilet booth, the radiated radio waves are reflected back to the human body of the user or the bag or the like brought into the toilet booth by the user. Therefore, there is a time difference between the time when the user is in the room and the time when the user is not in the room, so that the change in distance can be detected from the time difference. It is possible to detect whether or not the user is in the toilet booth. Also, when the change in the distance is detected, by switching the timer that counts the time in the toilet booth as the use time, which is the time the user is in the toilet booth, to ON or OFF, As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the movement of the door when it is opened and closed can be excluded from the detection target.

That is, in the toilet booth long stay prevention device 1 of the present embodiment, even when the door bounces and moves when the user enters or leaves the toilet booth, the movement of the door does not affect the user's toilet booth. It is possible to switch the timer to OFF, that is, to reset the timer by detecting a change in the distance due to leaving the room. Therefore, according to the toilet booth long stay inhibiting device of the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect the time when the user enters the toilet booth. Therefore, even if the previous user leaves the room and the subsequent user enters the room, the usage time of the later user is counted from the time when the previous user entered the toilet booth. Can be prevented.

Further, in the toilet booth long stay prevention device 1 of the present embodiment, even after the user enters the toilet booth, the frequency of the radio wave transmitted at the moment when the sensor 2a receives the reflected wave and the frequency of the received reflected wave. It is possible to easily detect whether or not the user is present in the toilet booth by measuring the distance between the object to be detected and the sensor 2a based on the frequency difference that is the difference between it can. Therefore, the user can easily measure the usage time of using the toilet booth.

In the toilet booth long stay suppression device of the comparative example, the detection unit 2 includes a Doppler radar type sensor, but does not include an FMCW radar type sensor. Therefore, when the user remains stationary in the toilet booth for a long time, the toilet Recognize that there are no users in the booth. On the other hand, in the toilet booth long distance restraint device 1 of the present embodiment, since the detection unit 2 includes at least the FMCW radar type sensor 2a, even if the user remains stationary for a long time in the toilet booth, It is possible to prevent the user from recognizing that he is not in the room.

Further, in the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the comparative example, for example, when the user is lying down in the toilet booth in a cardiopulmonary arrest state, the lying user cannot be detected. On the other hand, with the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the user falls down in the toilet booth in a cardiopulmonary arrest state, it is possible to detect the fallen user. For example, when a user uses the toilet in a station yard late at night, where it is used less frequently, it is detected that the user is lying down in a cardiopulmonary arrest state, an alarm sound is output, and attention is given to passersby around the toilet booth. This will help the fallen user to be rescued as soon as possible.
In addition, in order to prevent erroneous detection due to reception of vibration from the space side of the ceiling, it is desirable to provide a shock absorber or the like around the detection unit 2.
[Sound output section]

The arousal sound output unit 3 includes a sound generator capable of outputting an arousal sound based on audio information toward the inside of the toilet booth B located below the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1. That is, the alerting sound output by the alerting sound output unit 3 includes the alerting sound based on the audio information. The alerting sound based on the voice information is composed of a human voice, a synthetic sound, or the like, and is recorded in the alerting sound output unit 3 so as to be output as needed. If the content of the voice information is something that encourages you to leave the room, for example, "It will be one minute left and you will be ready to leave the booth for the next person to wait." Good.

The alert sound produced by the alert sound output unit 3 by the voice information is for prompting the user who has occupied the toilet booth B for a predetermined period of time, which will be described later, to leave the room. Is a volume that can be heard by the user. However, when it is assumed that there is a waiting person in the toilet room waiting for the toilet booth to be empty, the volume of the alerting sound is preferably a volume that can be heard by the waiting person. When the waiting person hears the alerting sound by the voice information, the waiting person can know the next available toilet booth together with the temporal information, and reduce the physiological distress of the waiting person. You can

As the reminder sound for prompting the user to leave the toilet booth, the reminder sound including the voice information is mentioned, but the reminder sound is not limited to the one including the voice information, and the chime sound or Various alert sounds such as alarm sounds may be included. That is, various sound effects can be adopted as the reminder sound in order to prompt the user to leave the toilet booth.
[Control part]

The detection unit 2 is connected to the control unit 4. When the detection unit 2 includes the FMCW radar type sensor 2a, the control unit 4 can acquire information as to whether or not the user is present in the toilet booth as a detection signal. The control unit 4 also includes a timer 6 that counts (measures) the time in the toilet booth, that is, the timer 6 that measures the time in the toilet booth, based on the detection signal from the detection unit 2.

Further, the audible sound output unit 3 is connected to the control unit 4. When the toilet booth in-room time as the usage time measured by the timer 6 exceeds the predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) as the preset upper limit value, the control unit 4 causes the audible sound output unit 3 to The alert sound output unit 3 is controlled so as to output the alert sound based on the audio information included in the alert sound.

That is, the control unit 4 controls the output of the alert sound by the alert sound output unit 3 based on the detection signal from the detection unit 2. Specifically, the control unit 4 detects from the distance measured by the sensor 2a that the user is sitting in the toilet booth, determines the sitting time by this, and the determined time point and the detection unit. Based on the detection signal by 2, the user measures the usage time of using the toilet booth, and when the measured usage time exceeds a preset upper limit, the audible alarm output unit 3 calls attention. The arousal sound output unit 3 is controlled so as to output a sound.

Further, the control unit 4 detects from the distance measured by the sensor 2a that the luggage is placed in the toilet booth, determines the time when the luggage is placed, and the determined time and the detection unit. Based on the detection signal from 2, the time during which the luggage is kept in the toilet booth is measured, and when the measured time exceeds a preset upper limit value, the audible alarm output unit 3 calls attention. The arousal sound output unit 3 is controlled so as to output a sound. When the measured time exceeds the preset upper limit value, the control unit 4 causes the communication unit (not shown) to display information indicating that the luggage is continuously placed in the external management room or center. You may make it transmit.

The control unit 4 determines the time when the user enters the toilet booth based on the distance measured by the sensor 2a, and the user determines the time when the user enters the toilet booth based on the determined time and the detection signal from the detection unit 2. The usage time during which the booth is used is measured, and when the measured usage time exceeds the preset upper limit value, the sound output unit 3 outputs the sound alert so that the sound output unit 3 outputs the sound. May be controlled.

Further, the control unit 4 detects from the distance measured by the sensor 2a that the user is crouching in the toilet booth or falling down, and determines the time point when the user detects the user, and the determined time point. Based on the detection signal from the detection unit 2 and the detection signal from the detection unit 2, the time when the user falls down in the toilet booth is measured, and when the measured time exceeds the preset upper limit value, the audible sound output unit 3 warns. The alert sound output unit 3 is controlled so as to output the alert sound.
<Toilet booth long stay control method>

Next, a toilet booth long stay suppressing method using the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the present embodiment will be described. Specifically, a control method by the control unit 4 when the detection unit 2 detects the user will be described. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the intensity of the detection signal for each distance measured by the FMCW radar type sensor. FIG. 5 is a graph schematically showing the time change of the distance measured by the FMCW radar type sensor. FIG. 6 is a graph schematically showing the time change of the level of the Doppler effect detected by the Doppler radar type sensor. The vertical axis of FIG. 4 represents the intensity of the detection signal, and the horizontal axis of FIG. 4 represents the distance from the sensor to the detected object. The vertical axis of FIG. 5 indicates the measured distance, and the horizontal axis of FIG. 5 indicates time. The vertical axis of FIG. 6 shows the level of the detected Doppler effect, and the horizontal axis of FIG. 6 shows time.
[Record initial data]

In the toilet booth long stay suppressing method of the present embodiment, first, the control unit 4 detects the object to be detected and the sensor by the FMCW radar type sensor 2a in a state where no user is present in the toilet booth. The distance DS1 with 2a is measured.

Specifically, since the size of the interior, the shape of the toilet bowl, and the like are different for each toilet booth, after the toilet booth long stay restraint apparatus 1 is installed, the detection of the user's presence in the toilet booth long stay restraint apparatus 1 is started. Previously, the control unit 4 determines the distance DS2 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a by the FMCW radar type sensor 2a in a state where no user is present in the toilet booth. The measured distance DS2 is recorded as initial data.
[Proper entry and exit]

After recording the initial data in this way, the control unit 4 allows the user to stay in the toilet booth when the user enters the toilet booth B and when the user leaves the toilet booth B. Whether or not it is detected is detected by the detection unit 2. Hereinafter, a case where the user appropriately enters and leaves the room will be described. Here, proper entry and exit means that the previous user's exit and the subsequent user's entry are not continuous, and in the following, appropriate entry and exit by the previous user and subsequent use The case where a person appropriately enters the room will be described. Further, an example will be described below in which the control unit 4 measures the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a by the sensor 2a.

As shown in FIG. 5, for example, as the initial data, the distance DS2 between the detected object and the sensor 2a is recorded to be 2.0 m, for example (“vacant room” in FIG. 5). Consider a case in which the user opens the door F and enters the toilet booth B. In such a case, when the user enters the toilet booth in a standing state, the microwave radiated from the sensor 2a is reflected on the entire human body of the user, and there is a time difference in returning time. By the microwave reflected on the head and shoulders of the user, the sensor 2a measures that the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a is 0.8 m, for example (see "in FIG. 5"). Entering the room while sitting"). As a result, the control unit 4 determines that the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 is significantly smaller than the distance DS2 and a change has occurred, that is, the user is present in the toilet booth, and the timer 6 is turned on. Becomes At this time, the time when the user enters the toilet booth is determined as the time when the measured distance DS3 becomes shorter than the distance DS2.

Preferably, the control unit 4 determines that the user is present in the toilet booth when the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 becomes shorter than the distance DS2 by a difference exceeding a preset upper limit value. By appropriately setting such an upper limit value, it is possible to reliably detect the presence of the user while preventing erroneous detection.

Next, consider a case where a user who has entered the room lowers his trousers, skirt or underwear and sits down on the toilet seat D of a Western-style toilet. In such a case, the sensor 2a measures that the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a is shorter than the distance DS2 and longer than 0.8 m, for example, 1.0 m. (“At the time of sitting posture maintaining operation” in FIG. 5). Then, information on the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 measured by the sensor 2a is sent to the control unit 4.

Next, consider a case where the user who has entered the room is sitting on the toilet seat D to perform a toilet or operating the portable terminal device while sitting on the toilet seat D. Even in such a case, in the sensor 2a, the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a is shorter than the distance DS2 and longer than 0.8 m, for example, 1.0 m. Measure (“when sitting posture maintaining operation” in FIG. 5). Then, information on the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 measured by the sensor 2a is sent to the control unit 4.

In this way, the fact that the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 measured by the sensor 2a has changed so as to be greatly reduced than the distance DS2 which is the initial data is sent from the detection unit 2 to the control unit 4 as information. The control unit 4 performs a sitting posture maintaining operation in which the user is present in the toilet booth based on the change in the measured distance DS1 as the distance DS1 and the user sits down from the sitting room to sit on the toilet seat. I judge that it was broken. When this determination is made, the control unit 4 causes the timer 6 to start counting the time in the toilet booth, as described above.

That is, the control unit 4 measures the distance DS2 as the distance DS1 by the sensor 2a in a state where no user is present in the toilet booth, measures the distance DS2, and then determines the distance DS1 by the sensor 2a. The distance DS3 is measured, and the time when the user enters the toilet booth is determined as the time when the measured distance DS3 becomes shorter than the distance DS2. In other words, the control unit 4 determines the time when the user enters the toilet booth based on the distance DS1 measured by the sensor 2a. Then, the control unit 4 controls so as to measure the usage time in which the user is using the toilet booth based on the determined time point and the detection signal from the sensor 2a. In addition, the control unit 4 compares the counted time in the toilet booth in the toilet booth with a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) as a preset upper limit value. When the measured usage time exceeds a preset upper limit value, the control unit 4 controls the audible sound output unit 3 so that the audible sound output unit 3 outputs an alert sound.

Here, if the user finishes the toilet and enters the preparatory operation for leaving the toilet booth B within a predetermined time as the preset upper limit value, does the user raise his/her waist from the toilet seat? Alternatively, in order to arrange clothes, the sensor 2a measures that the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a is, for example, 0.8 m (“when leaving the room” in FIG. 5). Then, after the user leaves the toilet booth B, the microwave radiated from the sensor 2a does not reflect to the human body, and the sensor 2a uses the distance DS3 as the distance DS1 between the detected object and the sensor 2a. Will be detected as, for example, 2.0 m (“vacant room” in FIG. 5). As a result, the control unit 4 determines that the distance DS3 approaches the distance DS2 as the initial data and changes, that is, the exit operation is performed and the user is not present in the toilet booth.

As described above, when the control unit 4 measures the usage time based on the time when the determined user enters the toilet booth and the detection signal from the sensor 2a, the detection unit 2 does not use the Doppler radar type sensor together. Therefore, the structure of the detection unit 2 can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the toilet booth long stay suppressing device can be reduced.
[Reset Count]

As described above, when the control unit 4 determines that the leaving operation is performed within the predetermined time as the preset upper limit value and the user is not present in the toilet booth, the timer 6 is turned off. Become. That is, the control unit 4 causes the timer 6 to reset the count of the in-room time in the toilet booth (sets the in-room time in the toilet booth to zero), and returns the timer 6 to the state of waiting for count activation. In this case, since the user has left the room within the predetermined time, the evoking sound output unit 3 does not operate.
[Entering after leaving the room]

When the former user leaves the toilet booth B and then the latter user enters the toilet booth B, the control unit 4 is based on the change in the measured distance DS1 as in the case of the former user. Then, it is determined that the later user is present in the toilet booth, and the sitting posture maintaining operation of sitting on the toilet seat is performed from the later user's entry stool movement. As described above, the timer 6 is returned to the waiting state for the count activation due to the previous user leaving the room. Therefore, if the control unit 4 determines that the sitting posture maintaining operation of sitting on the toilet seat has been performed from the later user's sitting stool operation, the timer 6 is activated as described above to count the in-room time in the toilet booth. Be started.
[Continuation of leaving and entering]
Next, a case where the previous user's leaving the room and the subsequent user's entering the room continue will be described.

As described above, the case where the detection unit 2 includes the Doppler radar type sensor but does not include the FMCW radar type sensor as the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the comparative example. In such a comparative example, depending on the strength with which the user pulls and opens the door, the door of the toilet booth sometimes bounces about 4 to 6 times against the stopper and then stands still. In this case, the timer that counts the time in the toilet booth does not turn off immediately until the door is stationary, even though no user is already in the toilet booth.

That is, in the comparative example, when the previous user leaves the toilet booth and then the subsequent user enters the toilet booth continuously, the level of the Doppler effect based on the leaving motion of the previous user is high. And a state in which the level of the Doppler effect based on the subsequent sitting motion of the user is high, and the detection signal may be sent from the detection unit 2 to the control unit 4 continuously in time. There is. In such a case, when the previous user leaves the toilet booth, the timer may not be turned off, the count of the timer 6 may not be reset, and the timer 6 may not be returned to the count start waiting state. .. This state in which the level of the Doppler effect based on the previous user's exiting motion is high and the state of the subsequent level of the Doppler effect based on the sitting motion of the user is high is continuous in time, for example, as shown in FIG. This corresponds to the case where the regions with large amplitude on the left and right sides overlap in the region RG1 surrounded by the two-dot chain line.

As described above, in the comparative example, when the previous user leaves the toilet booth and the subsequent user enters the toilet booth continuously, the time when the user enters the toilet booth cannot be accurately detected. There is a problem. Then, in the comparative example, when the previous user's exit and the subsequent user's entry were consecutive, the subsequent user's usage time was taken over from the time when the previous user entered the toilet booth. There is a problem that an error occurs.

On the other hand, in the toilet booth long distance restraint device 1 of the present embodiment, for example, only the data of the distance (for example, 0.8 m) between the ceiling surface (the position of the sensor) and the upper portion of the door (the surface corresponding to the thickness) is detected in advance. Just set it as outside. This makes it possible to prevent the movement of the door from being detected even if the door is bouncing and moving, and it becomes possible to eliminate the movement of the door that could not be eliminated by the Doppler effect up to now from the detection target. .. Therefore, it is possible to simply determine whether or not the user is present in the toilet booth, and to switch the timer to ON or OFF so as to follow the actual entry or exit of the user. it can.

That is, according to the toilet booth long stay suppressing method by the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the present embodiment, the FMCW radar type sensor 2a detects whether or not the user is present in the toilet booth. As a result, when the user leaves the toilet booth, even if the door bounces and moves, the change in the distance due to the user leaving the toilet booth is detected without being affected by the movement of the door, and the timer 6 can be switched off, ie the timer 6 can be reset. Therefore, according to the toilet booth long stay suppressing method by the toilet booth long stay suppressing device of the present embodiment, it is possible to accurately detect the time when the user enters the toilet booth. Therefore, even if the previous user leaves the room and the subsequent user enters the room, the usage time of the later user is counted from the time when the previous user entered the toilet booth. Can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the intensity of the detection signal for each distance from the sensor to the detected object is input to the control unit 4 at predetermined intervals. Thereby, the control unit 4 detects that the user is seated in the toilet booth when the detected distance is the first distance (1 m to 4 m). Further, when the detected distance is the second distance (1.5 m to 4.5 m) longer than the first distance, it is detected that the user is crouching in the toilet booth. Further, when the detected distance is the third distance (1.5 to 5 m), it is detected that the luggage is placed in the toilet booth.
<Case and mounting surface>
Next, the housing and the mounting surface will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
[Case]

FIG. 2 schematically shows a state in which the housing 5, the detection unit 2, the audible sound output unit 3, and the control unit 4 are housed. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface of the housing 5 (lower surface of the housing) is a mounting surface 7 that comes into close contact with the ceiling back surface of the ceiling material C. That is, the housing 5 has the mounting surface 7 that is overlapped with the back surface of the ceiling material C of the toilet booth.

The mounting surface 7 is provided with a microwave passage surface 8. The through hole 9 may be provided. The microwave passage surface 8 and the plurality of through holes 9 are covered with the ceiling material C when the mounting surface 7 of the housing 5 is superposed on the ceiling back surface of the ceiling material C.

The microwave passage surface 8 is a part of the bottom plate of the housing and is a passage portion through which the radio wave transmitted by the sensor 2a and the reflected wave obtained by reflecting the radio wave transmitted by the sensor 2a by the object to be detected pass. is there. On the upper surface of the housing lower surface plate in which the through holes 9 are arranged, a sounding device (for example, a speaker) included in the arousal sound output unit 3 is arranged. A person in the toilet booth B below can hear it while passing through the through hole 9 and further through the ceiling material C. That is, the plurality of through holes 9 are through holes arranged so as to be adjacent to each other and through which the alerting sounds respectively pass.
[About incorporating the audible sound output section and covering the through holes with ceiling material]

The audible sound output unit 3 is incorporated in the housing 5 together with the detection unit 2 and the control unit 4 for the following reason. First, if the audible sound output unit 3 is installed alone in a position visible to the occupants such as the inner wall surface in the toilet booth, the user who has the audible sound output unit 3 in the toilet booth. Since it urges the user to leave the room, it is easy to upset the user. Then, it is expected that the audible sound output unit 3 will be tampered with or destroyed by the user.

In order to prevent the audible sound output unit 3 from being tampered with or destroyed, it is possible to place the audible sound output unit 3 above the ceiling above the toilet booth B and hide it. However, if the audible sound output unit 3 is placed alone so as to be hidden behind the ceiling, the audible sound output by the audible sound output unit 3 will be trapped inside the ceiling, and will reach the toilet booth below through the ceiling material. The sound quality of the arousal sound gets worse.

When the sound quality of the alerting sound deteriorates in this way, the content of the alerting sound cannot be transmitted to the user in the toilet booth. For example, even if an announcement is made in a foreign language such as English or Chinese to prompt the user to leave the room as voice information, the content of the announcement becomes unclear, or the announcement is made in Japanese, or , It may not be able to be identified even if it is announced in a foreign language.

It may be possible to increase the volume of the alerting sound in order to reliably convey the content of the alerting sound. However, if the volume of the alerting sound is increased, the ceiling surface of the toilet room vibrates in a wide range, and it becomes unclear which toilet booth the alerting sound is output to. Therefore, if the user who is in the toilet booth that is the target of the alert sound is being urged to leave the room, or if the user is in the adjacent toilet booth It cannot be identified whether the person is urged to leave the room. In addition, the user who is not in the target of the alert sound and who is in the adjacent toilet booth cannot identify who is prompted to leave the room. Therefore, there is a problem that a user who is present in any of the toilet booths is likely to make a mistake.

Furthermore, it is difficult for a person waiting outside the toilet booth to wait for an empty toilet booth to identify which user in the toilet booth is prompted to leave the room. Therefore, there is a problem that you can only hear the fact that you are eagerly leaving the room, and you cannot expect the toilet booth to be available soon.

On the other hand, in the toilet booth long stay inhibiting device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the audible sound output unit 3 is incorporated in the housing 5 together with the detection unit 2 and the control unit 4. Therefore, by installing the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 on the back side of the ceiling of the ceiling material C, the audible sound output unit 3 can be easily installed without the work of installing the audible sound output unit 3 alone on the back of the ceiling. Can be hidden behind the ceiling. Further, since the microwave passage surface 8 and the through hole 9 are covered in contact with the ceiling material C, after the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 is installed behind the ceiling, the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 and the ceiling material C are It is possible to prevent small animals or the like from getting in between and to prevent dust or small foreign matter in the ceiling from entering the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1.

From the audible sound output unit 3, the audible attention sound based on the audio information is output with the directivity directed downward, and is emitted toward the inside of the toilet booth B through the through hole 9. At this time, since the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 is installed on the ceiling back surface side of the ceiling material C and is covered with the through holes 9 in contact with the ceiling material C, the reminder sound by the voice information is generated in the space above the ceiling. The space can be properly reached from the through hole 9 directly through the ceiling material C to the space in the toilet booth B located below the installation location of the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1. Therefore, the alerting sound based on the voice information is clearly transmitted to the user in the toilet booth B.

Therefore, even if the audio information of the alerting sound is in a form in which the announcement is played in a foreign language such as English or Chinese, the user who is in the toilet booth, which is the target of the alerting sound, does not hear the alerting sound. The contents can be immediately understood, and the user in the adjacent toilet booth can easily identify who is prompted to leave the room. The same is true even if the alerting sound output by the alerting sound output unit 3 is an alarm sound or a sound effect.

In addition, since the audible alert by voice information is clear, which of the toilet booths is waiting for the user waiting in the toilet booth? Can be easily identified. Therefore, the waiting person can be given a sense of security that the toilet booth will soon be available.
[Fixed part]

Around the attachment surface 7, a fixing portion 9 for stably fixing the housing 5 to the back surface of the ceiling material C is provided. The fixing portion 9 is formed by disposing a plurality of tack members so as to be movable in the circumferential direction of the mounting surface 7, and the tack members are pierced into the ceiling back surface of the ceiling material C to surround the housing 5 at a predetermined angle. The casing 5 is fixed to the ceiling material C by rotating the casing 5 in the direction.

The configuration of the fixed portion 9 is not particularly limited. For example, a metal plate having a plurality of locking blades raised upright may be used as the fixing portion 9, and the housing 5 arranged around the mounting surface 7 or the like may be placed on the back surface of the ceiling material C to slightly surround it. The fixing portion 9 may be fixed in a state where the locking blade bites into the ceiling material C by rotating the fixing member 9 in the direction. Further, the fixing portion 9 may be an adhesive tape, and an adhesive tape may be provided on the mounting surface 7 of the housing 5 to fix the ceiling material C with the adhesive tape.

As described above, in the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 of the present embodiment, since the fixing portion 9 is provided on the mounting surface 7 of the housing 5, the toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 is stably fixed, and It can be installed on the back surface of the ceiling material C easily (one-touch). The fixing portion 9 prevents the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 from being displaced due to an earthquake or the like, and maintains the microwave passage surface 8 and the through hole 9 in close contact with the ceiling back surface of the ceiling material C. To do.

When the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 of the present embodiment is installed on the back surface of the ceiling material C, for example, from the lighting equipment mounting hole opened by removing the lighting equipment arranged on the ceiling material C above the toilet booth B. The toilet booth long stay suppressing device 1 can be inserted from the side surface side and placed on the back surface of the ceiling of the ceiling material C. Then, a power line (not shown) in the toilet booth long-distance restraint device 1 of the present embodiment can be connected to the ceiling electrical wiring that supplies power to the lighting fixture, and the lighting fixture can be attached again as before. Here, the width and height of the side surfaces 5a and 5b of the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 are both 1 cm and less than 9 cm. Where the diameter of the lighting fixture mounting hole to which an LED or the like is attached is 9 cm, the width and height of the side surface portions 5a and 5b of the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 are set to 9 cm or less, so that the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 is prevented. It can be placed on the back surface of the ceiling material C by inserting it from the side surface side through the lighting fixture mounting hole.

As described above, since the detection unit 2, the audible sound output unit 3, and the control unit 4 are integrated in the toilet booth long stay suppression device 1 of the present embodiment, the toilet booth long stay suppression device 1 is installed in the ceiling material C. By installing it on the back of the ceiling, it is possible to easily construct a mechanism for prompting users in the toilet booth to leave the room when necessary.

Since the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 of the present embodiment is arranged so that the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 is located above the respective toilet booths on the back surface of the ceiling material C, it is possible to prevent the long stay restraint device 1 from an external dedicated device. An interface unit (not shown) is provided to perform various settings and the like by wireless communication. Thus, after the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 is installed in the ceiling, setting of each of the plurality of toilet booth longue restraint devices 1 is performed without using the ceiling ceiling and using a dedicated device via the interface unit ( It is possible to easily set the time until the alerting sound output unit 3 operates and the type or volume of the alerting sound output by the alerting sound output unit 3). In addition, various kinds of information for confirming the operation of each of the plurality of toilet booth long stay suppressing devices 1 can be acquired by a dedicated device.

Further, since radio waves are transmitted from each of the plurality of toilet booth long stay suppressing devices 1 and the detected radio waves are used to detect the object to be detected, it is possible to prevent radio wave interference between adjacent devices. Changing the channel is necessary to eliminate false detections. Therefore, the dedicated device may be configured to change the channel to prevent interference.
<Display device>

The toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 of the present embodiment is an output device (not shown) that can send the operation information of each toilet booth long stay restraint device 1 to the display device provided in the toilet room A by wireless communication. ) May be included. As shown in an example in FIG. 1, the display device 10 is installed on the wall surface near the row of toilet booths in the toilet room A, and the output device (not shown) is directed toward the display device 10 to use each toilet booth. Send information such as status. The display device 10 is attached, for example, to a place where people waiting for an empty toilet booth are lined up.

The display device 10 includes a display body such as a liquid crystal display panel, and a known human body proximity detection sensor, etc. When a person waiting for a vacant toilet booth is lined up, the human body proximity sensor detects the lined up person, Perform display operation.

Further, the display device 10 serves to inform the person waiting for the toilet booth to be informed of the usage status of the toilet booth on the basis of the information output from the toilet booth long stay restraint device 1, and the awakening sound output unit 3 is provided. When the display operation is being performed, it is possible to additionally display that the evoking sound output unit 3 may prompt the user to leave the room by outputting the audible warning sound.

In addition, the toilet booth long stay prevention device 1 of the present embodiment is a wireless type installed to transmit information such as a detection signal by the detection unit 2 or to receive instruction information to the control unit 4, It may have a wired transceiver. In such a case, for example, information such as the usage status of each toilet booth can be sent to the building management department or the like for collective management. In addition, since the toilet booth long stay inhibiting device 1 of the present embodiment integrally includes the detection unit 2, the audible sound output unit 3, and the control unit 4, it is remote from the management department located in a place away from the toilet room. It is possible to easily build a system that monitors the usage status of each toilet booth to prevent crime.

Furthermore, the management department transmits the instruction information to each of the plurality of toilet booth long stay restraint devices, sets the time until the audible sound output unit 3 operates, and alerts the audible sound output unit 3 to output. It is possible to easily construct a system capable of remotely setting the type of sound or the volume.

Although the invention made by the inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

Further, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. For example, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. .. Further, part of the configuration of each embodiment may be added, deleted, or replaced with another configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Toilet booth long stay suppressing device, 2... Detection part, 2a... Sensor, 3... Evoking sound output part, 4... Control part, 5... Housing, 6... Timer, 7... Mounting surface, 8... Microwave passage surface, 9... Fixed part, 10... Display device, A... Toilet room, B... Toilet booth, C... Ceiling material, D... Toilet seat, E... Human body, F... Door, RG1... Area.

Claims (8)

In the toilet booth long stay suppression device that suppresses the long stay of users who use the toilet booth,
A housing provided behind the ceiling of the toilet booth,
A detection unit provided in the housing and configured to detect the presence of the user in the toilet booth.
An arousal sound output unit provided in the housing and capable of outputting a first attention awakening sound toward the inside of the toilet booth;
A control unit that is provided in the housing and that controls the output of the first alert sound by the alert sound output unit based on a detection signal from the detection unit;
Have
The detection unit transmits the first radio wave toward the inside of the toilet booth, and the first frequency of the first radio wave and the reflected wave at the moment when the first radio wave receives the reflected wave reflected by the object to be detected. A first sensor of a frequency-modulated continuous wave radar system that measures a first distance from the detected object based on a frequency difference that is a difference from the second frequency of
The control unit determines a first time point when the user enters the toilet booth based on the first distance measured by the first sensor, and determines the first time point and the detection signal that have been determined. On the basis of the above, the user measures the usage time during which the user is using the toilet booth, and when the measured usage time exceeds a preset upper limit value, the voicing sound output unit causes the first caution. A toilet booth long stay suppressing device that controls the arousal sound output unit to output an arousal sound. In the toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to claim 1,
The control unit measures a second distance as the first distance by the first sensor in a state where no user is present in the toilet booth, and after measuring the second distance, Toilet booth Nagai, which measures a third distance as the first distance with a first sensor and determines the first time point as a second time point when the measured third distance is shorter than the second distance. Deterrent device. The toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The said control part is a toilet booth long stay inhibiting device which measures the said usage time based on the said 1st time and the detection signal by the said 1st sensor which were determined. The toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to claim 1 or 2,
The detection unit includes a second Doppler radar type sensor that transmits a second radio wave toward the inside of the toilet booth and detects the movement of the detected object inside the toilet booth by a Doppler effect,
The said control part is a toilet booth long stay inhibiting device which measures the said usage time based on the said 1st time and the detection signal by the said 2nd sensor which were determined. The toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The first booth sound is a toilet booth long stay deterrent device that includes a second sound alert by voice information. The toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The toilet booth long stay suppressing device, wherein the housing has a mounting surface that is superposed on the back surface of the ceiling material of the toilet booth. In the toilet booth long stay suppressing device according to claim 6,
The attachment surface is provided with a passage portion through which the first radio wave and the reflected wave can pass, and a through hole through which the first attention sound is transmitted.
A toilet booth long stay suppressing device, wherein the passage portion and the through hole are covered with the ceiling material when the mounting surface is superposed on the ceiling back surface of the ceiling material. In the toilet booth long stay prevention device according to claim 6 or 7,
The toilet booth long stay suppressing device, wherein the attachment surface is provided with a fixing portion for fixing the housing to the ceiling back surface of the ceiling material.

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