KR101260128B1 - toilet seat device - Google Patents

Abstract

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a toilet seat apparatus that automatically controls the confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker function so as to ensure proper implementation of the earth leakage blocking at the time of the earth leakage. The main control unit 10 of the toilet seat apparatus according to the present invention periodically determines whether the toilet seat apparatus is in a state of being used by using the detection result of the seating sensor 56 and the human body sensor 57, When it is determined that it is not in use, the relay contact 21 of the relay mechanism 20, which is the earth leakage breaker, is experimentally opened and closed by the relay drive unit 12 so that the relay abnormality detection unit 14 detects whether there is an abnormality. do. As a result, since the minimum and minimum required leakage-leakage function can be confirmed at the time of non-use, it is possible to use whether or not the leakage-leakage unit normally performs a blocking operation, thereby ensuring proper implementation of leakage-leakage.

Description

Toilet seat device {TOILET SEAT DEVICE}

This invention relates to toilet seat apparatuses, such as a heating toilet seat and a hot water washing | cleaning toilet seat, In particular, it is related with the toilet seat apparatus which has a function which checks the abnormality of the electrical leak interruption | blocking function and the said electrical leak interruption blocking function.

Although toilet seats, such as a heating toilet seat and a hot water washing toilet seat, are installed in an environment using water because they are sanitary products, they also have electrical leakage blocking functions because they are also electrical products and measures for leakage are necessary. Specifically, for example, a configuration in which an earth leakage breaker is integrated into a power plug for supplying power to the toilet seat device, or a structure in which a earth leakage breaker circuit is included in the toilet seat body is known. In general, an earth leakage breaker or an earth leakage breaker circuit (hereinafter collectively referred to as an earth leakage breaker) is provided with mechanical means represented by a relay mechanism in order to reliably cut off an electrical connection during operation.

By the way, in order to make sure the operation | movement which interrupts an electrical connection at the time of an electrical leak (henceforth a blocking operation | movement), it is necessary to perform the test which verifies whether a normal interruption | blocking operation can be performed normally. There is. As a typical abnormality in a relay mechanism, welding of a relay contact is mentioned. Therefore, usually, the toilet seat apparatus provided with the earth leakage breaker is provided with a test button (test switch) for confirming the breaking operation. When the user of the toilet seat apparatus presses the test button, a simulated short circuit state is generated in the ground fault interrupting unit. When the ground fault interrupting unit is normally operated, the relay contact of the relay mechanism of the ground fault interrupting unit is interrupted. do. Since the interruption of the relay contact is notified to the user by display means such as a lamp, the user can confirm that the interruption operation of the earth leakage breaker is normally performed.

As a toilet seat apparatus provided with such an earth leakage blocking part, the thing of various structures has been proposed conventionally. For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes a sanitary washing apparatus having a configuration in which a part where electric shock is likely to be cut off from a commercial power source while the earth leakage breaker is in operation, and continuously energizes only a part that ensures safety.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-082044

However, in the conventional toilet seat apparatus, the user is left with a test (hereinafter, simply abbreviated as "confirmation test") for confirming the earth leakage interrupting function. While there is a possibility of not knowing this, there is a possibility of dismissing the confirmatory test itself.

Therefore, if the confirmation test is automated by control, it is assumed that the confirmation test is automatically performed in accordance with an indicator such as the use period of the toilet seat apparatus or the frequency of use. If the service life of the toilet seat apparatus becomes long or the number of times of use increases, of course, the function of the toilet seat apparatus itself will gradually fall. As the relay mechanism, which is a representative earth leakage breaker, is known that, for example, a large inrush current occurs when the relay contact is closed, the possibility of welding increases. give.

However, the earth leakage breaker does not necessarily perform the breaking operation in accordance with the use of the toilet seat apparatus, but the reliability of the breaking operation must be ensured in the event of an earth leakage to the last. That is, the earth leakage breaker performs a blocking operation at the occurrence of a low frequency situation such as an earth leakage, and ideally, the earth leakage breaker should ensure its function independently of the period of use or frequency of use of the toilet seat apparatus. Therefore, the confirmation test is not simply automated, and the confirmation test is performed without using the period of use or the frequency of use as an index so that even if a short circuit occurs during use, it is possible to ensure that the blocking operation of the earth leakage breaker is appropriately performed. It is desirable to control so as to.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a circuit breaker having an earth leakage breaker, so that an earth leakage breaker can be properly blocked even if a low frequency situation occurs. It is automatic control of the confirmation test which confirms (a leakage prevention function).

As a result of earnestly examining in view of the said subject, this inventor etc. judges whether the toilet seat apparatus is in the state which the toilet seat apparatus is in use, and this is used as a trigger of confirmation of the interruption | blocking operation | movement of an earth leakage breaker part, and when a toilet seat apparatus is not used. By controlling to perform the above-mentioned confirmation test first, in use, it can be notified that the confirmation of the interruption operation is completed and the normal interruption operation is ensured, or when an abnormality occurs in the earth leakage breaker unit. It was expressed independently and came to complete this invention.

That is, the toilet seat apparatus which concerns on this invention is a toilet seat, the toilet seat heater which heats the toilet seat, the relay which cuts off and closes the main feed path which supplies electric power to at least the toilet seat heater, and the electric leakage through the said main feed path. A relay fault is provided with a relay driver for driving the relay to cut off the main feed path in response to the occurrence of?, And a state in which blocking or closing of the main feed path by the relay is not normally realized as a relay fault. A relay abnormality detector for detecting and a controller for controlling at least the relay driver, wherein the controller operates the relay to shut off the main feed path by the relay driver when the toilet seat is not in use. Determining the presence or absence of the relay error through the relay error detector. By this, it is configured to perform the confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker.

According to the above structure, the controller does not automatically perform the confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker automatically, but the controller controls the confirmation test at least when the toilet seat is not used. Therefore, based on the reliability of the interruption | blocking operation | movement of a ground fault interruption part, confirmation of the minimum blocking operation required can be performed when the toilet seat apparatus is not used. Therefore, at the time of using the toilet seat apparatus, it is basically confirmed whether or not the ground fault interrupting unit can normally perform the blocking operation, so that proper use of the ground fault interruption can be ensured when the toilet seat apparatus is used.

In addition, since the leakage test of the earth leakage breaker is performed when the toilet seat apparatus is not used, even when a relay fault has been detected in the earth leakage breaker, the next time use, it is notified that a relay error has occurred, In order to increase the overall operation of the toilet seat device can be stopped. In addition, it is possible to notify the expiration date, replacement time, etc. of the earth leakage breaker at the next use.

In the toilet seat apparatus, in addition to the above configuration, the controller is preferably configured to perform a confirmation test of the ground fault interrupting unit when the toilet seat apparatus is in an unused state where the toilet seat apparatus is not used.

According to the said structure, since the said confirmation test is performed when a toilet seat apparatus is in an unused state, it can be confirmed whether a ground fault interruption | blocking part normally operates normally at the time of using a toilet seat apparatus. In addition, since the confirmation test of the ground fault interrupting function is performed when not in use, the user does not hear the machine sound or the like generated during the confirmation test, so that a situation of misunderstanding or discomfort for the user can be avoided.

The toilet seat apparatus further includes a toilet use detector that detects whether the toilet in which the toilet seat is installed is used in addition to the above configuration, and the controller is in an unused state in which the toilet is not used through the toilet use detector. It is preferable that it is comprised so that the confirmation test of the said earth leakage cut-off part may be performed after detecting that it exists.

According to the said structure, since the presence or absence of the use of a toilet bowl is detected and it is determined whether it is in the unused state, it is also possible to judge the use state of a toilet even if a toilet seat is not used like a pediatric use. Therefore, the unused state to which the confirmation test should be performed can be determined more appropriately.

In addition to the said structure, the said toilet seat apparatus further includes a washing | cleaning part which has a hot water heater which heats the washing | cleaning thing which wash | cleans the local part of the user who seated on the toilet seat, and a drying heater which heats the wind which dries the local part of the user. It is preferable that it is a structure which further supplies electric power to the said hot water heater and the said drying heater.

According to the said structure, since the said toilet seat apparatus is equipped with the sanitary washing function, even when it is provided with the said function, the confirmation test of an electrical leakage cut-out part can be performed suitably.

The toilet seat apparatus further includes a test switch for inputting a command for conducting the confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker in addition to the configuration described above, wherein the controller is configured to include the earth leakage breaker when the command is input from the test switch. It is preferable that it is a structure which performs the said confirmation test.

According to the above configuration, not only the automatic confirmation test but also the user's judgment, the confirmation test is performed independently of the automatic confirmation test, so that the earth leakage blocking function can be confirmed more reliably.

In addition to the above configuration, the toilet seat apparatus further includes a controller abnormality processing unit that detects whether or not there is a control abnormality in the control of the controller, and blocks the main feed path in the relay when the control abnormality is detected. It is more preferable that it is a structure.

According to the above configuration, not only the relay abnormality but also the abnormality (control abnormality) of the control itself of the relay drive can be detected as an abnormality of the electric leakage interrupting function, so that it is possible to more reliably determine whether the electric leakage interrupting function is effective. have.

In addition to the above configuration, the toilet seat apparatus further includes a notifier for notifying information to the user, wherein the controller is further configured to shut off a short circuit to the notifier when the relay abnormality or the control abnormality is detected as a result of the confirmation test. Preferably, the controller is configured to notify that the function is abnormal. In the above configuration, the controller stops the entire operation of the toilet seat apparatus when the relay abnormality or the control abnormality is detected as a result of the confirmation test. It is more preferable that it is comprised so that it may be made.

According to the above configuration, by providing a notifier, the user can not only properly check the abnormality of the ground fault interruption function, but also if the fault occurs in the ground fault interruption function, the controller is configured to stop the entire operation. The user does not use the toilet seat apparatus when it is not ready in the state which arises, and can improve safety for a user further.

The above objects, other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As described above, according to the present invention, in a toilet seat having a ground fault blocking function, even if a low frequency situation such as a ground fault occurs, it is possible to automatically control the confirmation test of the ground fault blocking function so as to ensure proper implementation of the ground fault blocking function. I get the effect.

1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of a toilet seat apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
It is a typical perspective view which shows an example of the external appearance of the toilet seat apparatus shown in FIG.
3 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a specific circuit configuration of a relay driver and a relay abnormality detector included in the toilet seat apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the control of the confirmation test for the earth leakage breaking function, which is performed when the relay driver and the relay abnormality detection unit shown in FIG. 3 are used.
5 (a) and 5 (b) are charts for the case where a relay operates normally and an abnormality occurs with respect to the relay operation determination signal used for the control shown in FIG.
6 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of the toilet seat apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
It is a circuit diagram which shows an example of the specific circuit structure of the main control abnormality processing part with which the toilet seat apparatus shown in FIG. 6 is equipped.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the control of the confirmation test for the ground fault interrupting function performed when the main control abnormality processor shown in FIG. 7 is used.

Description of Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to description of the following embodiment, A various change is possible within the range shown by a claim, combining suitably the technical means respectively disclosed in another embodiment or some modified example. Embodiments obtained by the present invention are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or corresponding element through all the drawings, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Embodiment Mode 1)

(Basic configuration of the toilet seat)

First, the specific structure of the toilet seat apparatus which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of a toilet seat apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows an example of the external appearance of the toilet seat apparatus shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the toilet seat apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 51, a display / operation section 52, a toilet seat 53, a toilet seat cover 54, and a remote controller 55. And a seating sensor 56 and a human body sensor 57. The main body part 51, the toilet seat part 53, and the toilet seat cover part 54 of the toilet seat apparatus 50 are integrally attached to the upper surface of the toilet bowl 60. As shown in FIG. In the following, the user seated on the toilet seat 30 will be described as front to back, rear to back, left and right as left and right.

The rear part of the toilet seat part 53 is rotatably supported by the main body part 51 via the toilet seat and toilet seat driving opening-and-closing part, and the toilet seat cover part is similarly supported by the toilet seat 53 through the toilet seat and toilet seat opening and closing part. The rear part of 54 is rotatably supported.

The frame of the main body portion 51 is formed in a hollow box shape, and on the right side of the main body portion 51 for manipulating some of the main functions of the functions provided in the toilet seat apparatus 50 and displaying information to the user. A display and an operation part are provided, and the seating sensor 56 is provided in the front part of the main body part 51.

In addition, although not shown in the main body part 51, the washing | cleaning nozzle which sprays a washing | cleaning material to the local part of the user seated in the toilet seat 53, the washing | cleaning material supply mechanism which supplies a washing | cleaning material to a washing | cleaning nozzle, and washing | cleaning, A washing machine comprising a hot water heater for warming the cleaning material supplied to the nozzle, a drying heater for drying the user's local parts, etc. after washing, a display / operating unit 52, a seating sensor 56, a remote controller 55, and a human body sensor. The control unit which receives the signal from the 57 and controls the whole operation | movement of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is built-in. That is, the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment becomes a sanitary washing apparatus provided with the washing function of a local part etc. in addition to the heating function of a toilet seat. In addition, although not shown, the main body 51 also includes a relay mechanism as an earth leakage breaker, which relays electric power to a main circuit including at least a toilet seat heater, a hot water heater, and a dry heater, as described later. It is inserted into the main feeder supplying the

The seating sensor 56 detects that the user is seated in the toilet seat part 53, and is installed in the front part of the main body part 51. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the seating sensor 56 is comprised with the reflection type infrared sensor, and the seating sensor 56 projects infrared rays from the front surface of the main body part 51 toward the upper part of the toilet seat 53. As shown in FIG. At the same time, infrared rays reflected by the human body seated on the toilet seat 53 are detected, and the detection signal is transmitted to the control unit of the main body unit 51. The control unit receives a detection signal from the seating sensor 56 and detects that a user exists on the toilet seat 53.

The remote controller 55 is installed at a position operable by a user seated on the toilet seat 53 in the toilet. This remote controller 55 is provided with an operation unit for operating a function provided in the toilet seat apparatus 50. The remote control unit 55 is configured to enable wireless communication with the control unit of the main body unit 51, and operation signals input from the operation unit of the remote control unit 55 are transmitted to the control unit of the main body unit 51, and the operation received by the control unit. The whole operation of the toilet seat apparatus 50 according to a signal is controlled.

The human body sensor 57 detects that a user enters a toilet and is installed on a wall or the like of the toilet. In this embodiment, the human body sensor 57 is comprised with the reflection type infrared sensor, The human body sensor 57 irradiates infrared rays toward a predetermined position, and detects the infrared rays reflected from a human body, This detection signal is transmitted to the control unit of the main body unit 51. The control part of the main body part 51 receives a detection signal from the human body sensor 57, and detects that the user entered the toilet.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the main body 51 includes a main controller (controller) 10 that controls the overall operation of the toilet seat apparatus 50. As described later, the main control unit 10 performs a test (confirmation) of checking whether the earth leakage breaker normally performs an interruption operation (an operation of interrupting electrical connection at the time of an earth leakage) when at least the toilet seat is not used. Test). Although the specific structure of this main control part 10 is not specifically limited, What is necessary is just to be comprised by a calculator, For example, it can comprise suitably with a well-known microcomputer. Here, in the present invention, the controller means a controller group consisting of a plurality of controllers as well as a single controller. Therefore, the main control part 10 does not necessarily need to be comprised by an independent control part, but may be comprised by the control part group in which several control part is distributedly arrange | positioned and they control and operate | move together.

In the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the electric circuit of two systems, the main circuit comprised with the heater at least, and the control circuit comprised with the at least main control part is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet seat apparatus 50 is connected to an external AC power supply via a power plug 30. The output terminal of the power plug 30 is connected in parallel with the input terminal of the main feed path 81 and the power supply circuit part 11. The drying heater 41b, the hot water heater 41a, and the toilet seat 42 are connected to this main feed path 81, and although not shown, the fan drive part 33, the opening-closing drive part 34, and a nozzle are not shown. The drive part 35 is also connected to the main power feeding path 81. At least these components 33 to 35, 41a, 41b, and 42 constitute the main circuit. By this structure, AC power from the power plug 30 is supplied to the main circuit via the main feed path 81.

On the other hand, the main control unit 10 is connected to the output terminal of the power supply circuit unit 11, and although not shown in FIG. 1, the display / operation unit 52 is also connected to the output terminal of the power supply circuit unit 11. At least these components 10 and 52 form a control circuit. By this structure, the AC power from the power plug 30 is converted into the DC power of a predetermined voltage in the power supply circuit part 11, and this DC power is supplied to the control circuit. These main circuits and control circuits are electrically independent of each other, and the main power supply passage 81 is configured such that the earth leakage breaker is disconnected from the AC power supply by performing a blocking operation when a short circuit is detected through the main feed passage 81. It is.

(Configuration of earth leakage breaker and control system of toilet seat device)

Next, the specific structure of the earth leakage breaker with which the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment is equipped is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 with reference to the control system of a toilet seat apparatus.

In this invention, since the confirmation of the interruption | blocking operation | movement of a ground fault interruption part is performed automatically, the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment is the relay mechanism 20 which is a ground fault interruption part, and a relay drive part, as shown in FIG. (12), an earth leakage detector 13, and a relay abnormality detector 14 at least. That is, in this embodiment, the electrical leak interrupting part is comprised by the relay mechanism 20, the relay drive part 12, the electrical leak detection part 13, and the relay abnormality detection part 14. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the earth leakage breaker may include other components, and some components may be omitted from the earth leakage breaker by the specific configuration of the toilet seat apparatus 50.

As shown in FIG. 1, the relay mechanism 20 and the relay driver 12 supply electric power to the main circuit including the hot water heater 41a, the drying heater 41b, the toilet seat heater 42, and the like. When a short circuit occurs in the main feed path 81 to supply, it is provided in the toilet seat apparatus 50 as an earth leakage block part which interrupts a short circuit. The relay mechanism 20 includes a relay contact 21 which is a mechanical switching means, and a coil 22 for driving the relay contact 21. In addition, the coil 22 is configured to generate a magnetic field by energizing the relay driver 12. That is, the magnetic field is generated and extinguished in the coil 22 by energizing and stopping energizing the coil 22 by the relay drive unit 12, and the contact piece 21a causes the contact piece 21a to become contact terminal 21b by the generation and disappearance of the magnetic field. By contacting and isolating with respect to, the electrical contact (relay contact) 21 which consists of the contact piece 21a and the contact terminal 21b is opened and closed. In this way, the earth leakage breaker in the present embodiment conducts and interrupts the main power supply passage 81.

As described above, the relay contact 21 is configured to be opened and closed magnetically by the coil 22 and the relay driver 12. However, since the relay contact 21 and the coil 22 are electrically independent, the relay driver 12, the earth leakage detector 13, and the like, and the relay contact 21 and the relay abnormality detector 14 are interlocked in an electrically independent state. Although the specific structure of this relay mechanism 20 is not specifically limited, A well-known relay can be used suitably. The relay mechanism 20 is provided in the part as close to the power plug 30 as possible of each of the pair of electrical wirings 81a and 81b constituting the main feed path 81. In this case, the contact terminal 21b of each relay mechanism 20 is inserted in each electrical wiring 81a, 81b which comprises the main feed path 81. As shown in FIG.

The relay drive unit 12 controls the opening / closing operation of the relay contact 21 in the relay mechanism 20, and is based on the opening / closing operation control signal output from the main control unit 10. The relay contact 21 is opened and closed by switching the energization and the energization stop with respect to. The relay driver 12 is further connected to the ground fault detecting unit 13, and is configured to open and close the relay contact 21 even when a ground fault is detected by the ground fault detecting unit 13. The specific configuration of the relay driver 12 is not particularly limited and can be realized as a drive circuit using a known switching element such as a transistor. The circuit configuration employed in the present embodiment will be described later.

The ground fault detection unit 13 detects the presence or absence of a ground fault by the control of the main control unit 10 and outputs it to the relay drive unit 12. In the present embodiment, the video current transformer constructed by winding a detection coil is used. It contains a ZCT. According to this configuration, the current flows through the pair of electrical wirings 81a and 81b constituting the main power supply path 81 by the generation of a short circuit state, and a difference is generated between them, so that voltage is induced in the ZCT. As a result, the ground fault detection unit 13 detects a ground fault, generates a ground fault generation signal, and outputs it to the relay driver 12. The relay driver 12 receives this signal, stops energization of the coil 22, and opens the relay contact 21. As a result, the main power supply circuit 81 is cut off, and a short circuit is cut off. In addition, although the structure which uses ZCT is used suitably as the earth leakage detection part 13, you may use another well-known structure.

The relay abnormality detection part 14 is connected to the main power supply path 81, detects an abnormality in the opening-and-closing operation | movement of the relay contact 21, and outputs it to the main control part 10. FIG. Although the specific structure is not specifically limited, Since the main power supply path 81 needs to be electrically independent, the circuit structure which produces | generates the relay open / close operation determination signal using a photo coupler can be used suitably. The circuit configuration employed in the present embodiment will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment is a hot water heater 41a, the drying heater 41b, the toilet seat heater 42, the deodorization drying fan 43, the toilet seat and the toilet seat cover. The opening-closing part 44, the washing | cleaning nozzle 45, etc. are provided. The hot water heater 41a is for heating the water at room temperature to make hot water during the washing operation of the washing nozzle 45, and the drying heater 41b is for drying the user's local parts and the like after washing, and the toilet seat heater 42 ) Is used for heating the toilet seat. Since each of these heaters is in contact with the user's body but is likely, and the voltage value during the heating operation or the heating operation is relatively high, the main circuit including these heaters has a relay mechanism as shown in FIG. By the opening operation of the relay contact 21 (i.e., the breaking operation of the earth leakage breaker) by 20, it is configured to be electrically cut off (leakage breaking) when a short circuit occurs. On the other hand, according to the structure of the toilet seat apparatus 50, earth leakage may be interrupted also about structures other than these. Each said heater is based on the output signal from the main control part 10, and a heating operation and temperature control are performed by the hot water heater and the dry heater control part 31, or the toilet seat heater control part 32. FIG.

The deodorization / drying fan 43 is a fan which blows air in order to deodorize at the time of use of the toilet seat apparatus 50, or to dry the buttocks after washing | cleaning. The toilet seat and the toilet seat opening and closing part 44 are opening and closing mechanisms for automatically opening and closing the toilet seat 53 and the toilet seat cover part 54. Although the washing nozzle 55 is accommodated in the main body 51 when not in use, the washing nozzle 55 protrudes from the main body 51 at the time of use and sprays hot water toward the buttocks (see FIG. 2). These are driven by the deodorizing and drying fan drive part 33, the toilet seat and toilet seat opening / closing drive part 34, or the washing | cleaning nozzle drive part 35 based on the output signal from the main control part 10. As shown in FIG. In addition, the specific structure of these heaters, a fan, a washing nozzle, etc. is not specifically limited, The structure known in the technical field of this invention can be used suitably.

The toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment is equipped with the display / operation part 52, the seating sensor 56, and the human body sensor 57, as shown to FIG. 1 and FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, while the overall operation is controlled by the main control unit 10, the output from these can be input to the main control unit 10. That is, in the display / operation part 52, various operation signals are output (input) to the main control part 10 by user's operation, and in the main control part 10 of the toilet seat apparatus 50 based on these operation signals. Full control is performed. The seating sensor 56 is installed behind the toilet seat 53, for example, and detects the user's seating on the toilet seat. The human body sensor 57 is installed near the entrance of the toilet (toilet), for example, and detects the entrance of the user to the toilet. The detection signals of these sensors 56 and 57 are output to the main control part 10, and are used for the whole control of the toilet seat apparatus 50 including determination of the use state of the toilet seat apparatus 50. As shown in FIG.

The specific structure of the said display operation part 52 is not specifically limited, As a display part, well-known display apparatuses, such as a lamp using light emitting elements, such as LED, can be used, As a control part, various well-known buttons and switches can be used. have. Alternatively, a liquid crystal display of a touch panel type can be used. The configuration of the seating sensor 56 and the human body sensor 57 is not particularly limited, and any known configuration known as the human body detection technique in the technical field or the other technical field of the present invention can be suitably used. Here, a reflection type infrared sensor is used as the seating sensor 56 and the human body sensor 57. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the display / operation unit 52 is provided with a test button 58 and a power saving switch 59 for performing a confirmation test as to whether or not the ground fault interruption function is normally executed. This will be described later.

(Configuration example of relay drive unit and relay abnormality detection unit)

Although the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this invention is made to perform the confirmation test of the interruption | blocking operation | movement of an earth leakage interruption part automatically, the automation of this confirmation test is not simple automation but already at the time of using the toilet seat apparatus 50. It has been confirmed whether or not the earth leakage breaker normally performs a blocking operation. Therefore, the earth leakage breaking function can ensure proper execution. This automation control will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 by way of an example of the specific configuration of the relay drive unit 12 and the relay abnormality detection unit 14. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a specific circuit configuration of the relay driver 12 and the relay abnormality detector 14 included in the toilet seat apparatus 50.

First, in the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the relay drive part 12 and the relay abnormality detection part 14 include the main feed path 81 containing the relay mechanism 20. As shown in FIG. Is contained in an electrically independent control circuit. As described above, the relay contact 21 and the coil 22 of the relay mechanism 20 are magnetically connected but electrically independent of each other, and the coil 22 is connected to the main control unit through the relay driver 12. 10) is electrically connected. On the other hand, although the relay abnormality detection part 14 is connected with the main power supply path 81 through the photo coupler 72a, it is electrically independent.

As shown in FIG. 3, the relay mechanism 20 including the relay contact 21 is connected in series to the main feed path 81 according to the present embodiment, and a pair of electrical wirings 81a, 81b), the hot water heater 41a, the dry heater 41b, and the toilet seat heater 42 are connected in parallel. Although the toilet seat apparatus 50 which concerns on this embodiment has both a function as a heating toilet seat, and a function as a sanitary washing | cleaning apparatus, the toilet seat heater 42 is a component of a heating toilet seat, and a drying heater 41a and a hot water heater Since 41b is a component of the washing | cleaning machine for washing a buttocks and the like, in FIG. 3, the hot water heater 41a and the drying heater 41b which are related to a washing | cleaning function with respect to the toilet seat heater 42 are shown in FIG. It describes as a single circuit structure. In addition, an AC power supply 80 is connected to the main feed path 81 via a relay mechanism 20.

Triacs 71a and 71b are connected in series to the hot water heaters 41a and 41b and the toilet seat heater 42, respectively, and the timing at which an alternating current flows to each of the heaters 41a, 41b and 42 (current period). ) Is controlled. The series connection circuit of the diode 71c and the resistor 71d is connected in parallel with the heaters 41a, 41b, and 42, and the diode 71c forms a light emitting element of the photocoupler 72a. The light emitting diodes are connected in parallel to each other and the rectifying directions are reversed to each other. As a result, the light emitting diode emits light when it is energized in a predetermined direction among the alternating currents, and the light receiving element receives it, thereby outputting a binary signal that is inverted every half cycle of the alternating current.

In addition to the diode 71c, the resistor 71d, and the photo coupler 72a, the relay abnormality detection unit 14 according to the present embodiment includes a transistor 72c connected to the output side of the photo coupler 72a, The resistors 72b and 72d connected to the transistor 72c are provided. In the present embodiment, the light receiving element of the photo coupler 72a is formed of a photo transistor, and the emitter of this photo transistor is connected to the base of the transistor 72c through the resistor 72b. The emitter of the transistor 72c is earthed, and one terminal of the resistor 72d is connected to the collector. The voltage (potential) at one terminal of the resistor 72d and the node 72e of the collector of the transistor 72c is input to the main controller 10. The other terminal of the resistor 72d is connected to the constant voltage power supply VCC together with the collector of the photo transistor of the photo coupler 72a. The constant voltage power supply VCC is composed of an output terminal of the power supply circuit section 11 or connected to the output terminal.

By this configuration, when the phototransistor does not receive light from the light emitting element, the phototransistor is turned off (blocked), the transistor 72c is turned off, and the voltage of the node 72e becomes the electrostatic source voltage VCC. When the transistor receives the light from the light emitting element, the transistor is turned on (conducts) so that the transistor 72c is turned on and the voltage of the node 72e becomes the ground potential. As a result, the binary signal obtained by inverting the binary signal output from the photo transistor of the photo coupler 72a is output from the node 72e as a relay failure detection signal.

The relay driver 12 according to the present embodiment includes the resistor 73a, the transistor 73b, the resistor 73c, the transistor 73d, the transistor 73e, the resistor 73f, the diode 73g, and the diode ( 73h). The relay drive signal is input to the base of the transistor 73b from the main controller 10 through the resistor 73a, the diode 73h, and the transistor 73e. In addition, the emitter of the transistor 73b is earthed, and one terminal of the coil 22 of each relay mechanism 20 is connected to the collector. The base of the transistor 73b is further pulled up from the resistor 73f and connected to the collector of the transistor 73d. The emitter of the transistor 73d is earthed, and the downstream side of the rectifying direction of the diode 73d is connected to the base. The earth leakage detector 13 is connected to the upstream side of the diode 73d in the rectifying direction via a resistor 73c. The downstream side in the rectifying direction of the diode 73h is connected to the base of the transistor 73e, and the upstream side is connected to the main control unit 10 through the resistor 73a. The emitter of the transistor 73e is earthed, and the collector is connected to the resistor 73f, the base of the transistor 73b, and the collector of the transistor 73d. The other terminal of the coil 22 of each relay mechanism 20 is connected to the part closer to the power plug 30 than the place where the relay contact 21 of the main feed path 81 was inserted.

When a signal (hereinafter, referred to as a relay ON signal) for energizing the coil 22 and closing the relay contact 21 is output from the main controller 10, the transistor 73e is turned off, and the transistor 73b is turned off. Since it is turned on, the relay contact 21 is closed. On the other hand, when the relay OFF signal which opens the relay contact 21 is output from the main control part 10, since the transistor 73e will turn ON and transistor 73b will turn OFF, the relay contact 21 Is open.

In addition, when a short circuit occurs, the short circuit generation signal is input from the ground fault detection unit 13. When the earth leakage generating signal is input to the transistor 73d, the transistor 73d is turned off, so the transistor 73b is turned on and the relay contact 21 is closed. On the other hand, when the earth leakage generating signal is input to the transistor 73d, the transistor 73d is turned on, so the transistor 73b is turned off, the relay contact 21 is opened, and the earth leakage is cut off.

(Confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker function)

Next, a typical example of the confirmation test of the ground fault interrupting function in the present embodiment will be described based on FIG. 3 to FIG. 5. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the control of the confirmation test of the ground fault interrupting function performed by the main control unit. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are charts for the case where the relay contact 21 normally opens and closes with respect to the relay open / close operation determination signal used for the control shown in FIG. 4 and a case where a relay error occurs. .

In this embodiment, when the relay drive part 12 and the relay abnormality detection part 14 are set as the circuit structure mentioned above, the confirmation test (namely, the earth leakage interruption | blocking function confirmation test) of the relay contact 21 is performed. In this case, in addition to whether the relay contact 21 is normally opened and closed, when an abnormality occurs in the opening or closing of the relay contact 21, it is also possible to determine what the abnormality is.

In the following description, the opening and closing of the relay contact 21 are collectively referred to as "opening and closing of the relay contact 21", and the operation of opening and closing the relay contact 21 in the relay mechanism 20 is referred to as " Since the opening and closing of the relay contact 21 is not normal, it is called "opening / closing operation | movement", and the state in which interruption | blocking or closing of the main feed path 81 is not normally realized is called "relay abnormality."

In this embodiment, after determining whether the toilet seat apparatus 50 is in a use state at least, a confirmation test is performed when it determines with the toilet seat apparatus 50 being in an unused state. Here, in consideration of the reliability of the breaking operation of the earth leakage breaker, the confirmation test may be performed with the minimum number of times necessary, and since the confirmation test does not have to be performed each time when not in use, the power supply is periodically turned on while the toilet seat apparatus 50 is turned on. You may try to carry out the verification test. Therefore, the main control unit 101 first determines in step S101 whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the confirmation of the previous use state has been completed. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S101), the determination is repeated until the predetermined time has elapsed, and a series of control is waited.

When the predetermined time is reached or when the predetermined time has already passed (YES in step S101), it is determined in step S102 whether the toilet seat apparatus 50 is in an unused state. In this embodiment, as the toilet seat apparatus 50 is equipped with the seating sensor 56 and the human body sensor 57, as shown to FIG. 1 and FIG. If the existence is not detected for a certain period of time, it is determined that it is in an unused state. Here, in order to save energy, when it is possible to set the standby state to be suppressed by the minimum power consumption required as the use state of the toilet seat apparatus 50, you may determine that the case where a certain period has passed after entering the standby state is unused. . In the present invention, the results of the seating detection for detecting the seating on the toilet seat 53 and the user detection for detecting the presence of the user at the installation place of the toilet seat apparatus 50 may be used at least for the determination of the use state, The specific determination method may be any method.

On the other hand, when the heating operation of the toilet seat heater 42 of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is not performed, and the washing | cleaning operation of the cleaning nozzle 55 is not performed, it can be judged as an unused state, but the objective of this invention is a short circuit. In consideration of being in a more proper execution of the blocking function, it is preferable to determine that the state, even if it is part of the user's body, that it is not in contact with the toilet seat device 50 as an unused state. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is more preferable that the main control part 10 uses the detection result of at least one of seating detection and human body detection for determination of the use state of the toilet seat apparatus 50. FIG. When determining that the main control unit 10 is not in the unused state (it is in the used state), the main control unit 10 waits until the unused state (NO in step S102).

Then, when it is determined that it is in the unused state or when it is in the unused state (YES in step S102), in step S103, the main control unit 10 coils the relay drive unit 12 as a relay drive signal. The relay ON signal which energizes the 22 and closes the relay contact 21 is output.

Here, in step S103, when the relay ON signal is output, the transistor 73b of the relay driver 12 is turned ON. When the relay mechanism 20 normally closes, the coil 22 energizes, and the relay contact 21 closes. At this time, an AC current of a predetermined cycle is energized from the AC power supply 80 to the main feed path 81. However, as described above, this AC current is detected by the photo coupler 72a of the relay abnormality detection unit 14. Then, a binary signal corresponding to the cycle of this alternating current (inverted every half cycle) is input from the node 72e to the main control unit 10 as a relay open / close operation determination signal. As a result, when the relay mechanism 20 is normally closed, as shown in Fig. 5 (a), while the relay ON signal is output (middle end of the drawing), the period of the alternating current (upper part of the drawing) is adjusted. A binary signal is output (lower left figure), and is output to the main control unit 10.

By the way, when a relay abnormality arises in the closing operation | movement of the relay mechanism 20, it will be the situation that the binary signal according to the cycle of alternating current is not produced | generated. That is, even if the relay ON signal is output, if the relay contact 21 is not closed and remains open, the AC current is not energized in the main feed path 81, and the binary signal is either H level or L level ( Here, the signal is fixed at the H level (lower right in the drawing). This relay abnormality is hereinafter referred to as "OFF failure" of the relay contact 21.

Therefore, the main control unit 10 acquires the relay open / close operation determination signal from the relay abnormality detection unit 14 in step S104, and in step S105, whether the relay open / close operation determination signal corresponds to the period of the alternating current. If it is determined whether or not it does not correspond (NO in step S105), as described above, it is determined that an OFF failure has occurred in the relay contact 21 (step S106). On the other hand, if it corresponds (YES in step S105), the flow advances to step S107.

In step S107, the main control unit 10 outputs a relay OFF signal in place of the relay ON signal.

Thereafter, the main control unit 10 acquires the relay open / close operation determination signal (step S108), and determines whether the obtained relay open / close operation determination signal corresponds to the cycle of the alternating current (step S109).

Here, when the relay OFF signal is output in step S107, if the relay mechanism 20 is normally opened, since the relay contact 21 is opened, no AC current is supplied to the main feed path 81, As described above, the binary signal as the relay open / close operation determination signal becomes a signal fixed at the H level. On the other hand, if the relay contact 21 is closed by welding or the like, and the relay contact is not opened when the relay OFF signal is output, and is kept in the closed state, as shown in Fig. 5B, the OFF signal from the relay ON signal is shown. Even if it is switched to, the binary signal according to the cycle of the alternating current is continuously output. This relay abnormality is hereinafter referred to as "ON failure" of the relay contact 21.

Thus, if the main controller 10 determines that the relay open / close operation determination signal corresponds to the alternating current cycle (YES in step S109), the process proceeds to step S110, where ON failure occurs in the relay contact 21. It is determined that it has occurred. On the other hand, if it is determined that the relay open / close operation determination signal does not correspond to the alternating current cycle (NO in step S109), the relay contact 21 is closed in accordance with the relay ON signal and opened in accordance with the relay OFF signal. Therefore, the main control unit 10 determines that the relay mechanism 20 has normally opened and closed operation (step S 111). Thereafter, the main control unit 10 ends this control.

On the other hand, the main control unit 11 proceeds to step S112 after step S106 and step S110, and the display / operating unit 52 notifies that the ground fault interrupting function is abnormal. The specific method of making this notification is not specifically limited, For example, it is preferable to notify using LED, a liquid crystal display part, etc. as mentioned above. Specifically, it may be notified as an LED or the like which lights up when a relay abnormality occurs, or the character information or image information may be notified in the liquid crystal display unit that there is an abnormality in the ground fault interrupting function (a relay abnormality has occurred). In addition, a warning sound or a warning message may be generated as voice information. That is, when a relay error occurs, if the main control unit 10 can notify the user that there is an abnormality in the short-circuit breaking function by the notifier, the configuration of the notifier and the method of notification may be any known ones. It is available.

Next, the main control unit 10 stops the toilet seat apparatus 50. Thereafter, the main control unit 10 ends this control. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is determined that an abnormality occurs in the ground fault interrupting function, and control to stop the entire operation of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is performed. That is, when the abnormality is detected in the ground fault interruption function as a result of the confirmation test, the whole operation | movement of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is stopped. Therefore, the safety for the user can be further improved.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the test for confirming the electric leakage breaking function is performed automatically at regular intervals and when the toilet seat apparatus 50 is not in use. Therefore, at the time of using the toilet seat apparatus 50, it can be confirmed whether the earth leakage breaker normally cuts off normally. In addition, the non-use of the confirmation test of the ground fault interrupting function can also avoid a situation of causing misunderstanding or discomfort to the user. As described above, in the present embodiment, the earth leakage breaker includes a relay mechanism 20 that mechanically opens and closes the electrical contact (relay contact 21), and mechanical sounds are generated during the opening and closing operation. When the user is using the toilet seat apparatus 50 and the confirmation test of the electrical leak interruption | blocking function is performed, when a machine sound unearly generate | occur | produces, the user may be mistaken that the toilet seat apparatus 50 has failed. However, the confirmation test is performed when not in use, so that the possibility of the user hearing the machine sound can be almost eliminated, and as a result, misunderstanding and discomfort of the user can be avoided.

(Variant example)

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as the relay drive signal, the main control unit 10 first checks the open / close operation after outputting the relay ON signal, and then checks the open / close operation after outputting the relay OFF signal. The present invention is not limited to such a control sequence, and the type, output order, and the like of the relay drive signal may be appropriately set as long as it is possible to confirm whether or not there is an abnormality in the opening and closing operation of the relay mechanism 20.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the confirmation test of the electrical short circuit interruption | blocking function is performed automatically by the control of the main control part 10, you may provide the means which carries out manually. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the test button (test switch) 58 for forcing a confirmation test is provided in the display / operation part 52, and independent of the automatic confirmation test by the user's judgment. The confirmation test may be performed. In this case, since a command for performing the confirmation test is input to the main control unit 10 by the operation of the test button 58, the main control unit 10 controls to perform the above confirmation test when the command is input. Do it. This makes it possible to more surely confirm the ground fault interrupting function. Similarly, the power saving switch 59 may be provided in the display / operating unit 52 to perform the power saving operation at the discretion of the user.

In addition, when the relay mechanism 20 is unitized and replaceable, the main control unit 10 controls the display / operation unit 52 to notify the display / operation unit 52 of the expiration date or replacement time of the relay mechanism 20. It is possible. For example, in the control flow shown in FIG. 4, after the normal opening / closing operation of the relay mechanism 20 is confirmed, the period of use of the relay mechanism 20 is notified, or the replacement time of the relay mechanism 20 is notified. Control can be performed.

Here, in the above-described control, the confirmation test is performed by determining that the toilet seat apparatus is in the unused state, but can be appropriately selected as to what state is determined as the unused state. Basically, at least when the toilet seat is not being used, it can be determined that it is in an unused state. However, in the case of children, the toilet seat is used even if the toilet seat is not used. It is preferable to set so as to determine when the installed toilet is not in use. In this embodiment, the human body sensor is provided in the vicinity of the entrance of 57 toilets, and the user's entrance to the toilet is detected. Therefore, by configuring the main controller 10 to determine that the toilet bowl is not used when the human body sensor 57 is not detecting the human body, the unused state can be set to such a preferred embodiment. In addition, for example, in addition to the seating sensor 56, a toilet seat detector is additionally provided to detect whether a toilet seat with a toilet seat is used, and when it is detected that the toilet seat is not used through the toilet seat use detector, The control unit 10 may be configured to determine that the controller 10 is in an unused state and to perform a confirmation test.

On the other hand, the toilet seat apparatus to which the present invention can be applied should be a power supply from a power source, and various functions may be executed. As a representative example, a toilet seat apparatus having a function of heating a toilet seat or a washing function for cleaning a local part may be used. The sanitary washing apparatus provided is mentioned. Although the sanitary washing | cleaning apparatus should just be equipped with the washing | cleaning function, what is necessary is just to also provide the heating toilet seat function or the drying function which dries the local part after washing | cleaning.

Here, if a sanitary washing apparatus is a structure which warms a washing | cleaning material, it can classify largely into a low boiling type | mold and an instant type | mold. The low boiling type sanitary washing apparatus is a system in which the washings stored in the hot water tank are heated by a hot water heater. A large amount of hot water can be used as the washing water in accordance with the capacity of the hot water tank, while the power consumption of maintaining a large amount of the washing water at a constant temperature in the hot water tank increases. The sanitary washing apparatus of the instant type does not have a hot water tank, and it is a system which heats a washing | cleaning material at the time of use, and makes it hot water. Since the hot water tank is not provided, the annual power consumption can be made smaller than that of the "bathing type", while the power consumption when heating the washings rapidly increases, so an independent power supply may be required.

In any type of sanitary washing apparatus, the earth leakage blocking function is an important configuration, and therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above water storage type or instant type, and can be suitably used for the whole sanitary washing apparatus.

(Embodiment 2)

In the first embodiment, the main control unit 10 controls open / close operation of the relay mechanism 20 as a test for confirming the electric leakage breaking function, and detects the presence or absence of a relay abnormality by the relay abnormality detecting unit 14. In this embodiment, the main control unit 10 itself detects whether or not the control is appropriately performed. That is, in the present invention, as described in the first embodiment, it may be configured to detect a relay abnormality as an abnormality of the ground fault interrupting function, and further, overall control of the toilet seat apparatus 50 by the main control unit 10. If any abnormality occurs (including control of the relay drive unit 12 and the relay mechanism 20, of course), it may be configured to detect as an abnormality of the ground fault interrupting function.

(Basic configuration of the toilet seat)

First, the basic structure of the toilet seat apparatus concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention is demonstrated concretely with reference to FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of the toilet seat apparatus according to the present embodiment.

In the toilet seat apparatus according to the present embodiment, the basic components are the same as those of the toilet seat apparatus according to the first embodiment, but whether the control by the main control unit 10 has an abnormality (called a control abnormality for convenience of explanation). Is detected and a control abnormality is detected, the relay contact 21 is provided with a main control abnormality processing section (controller abnormality processing section) 15 which cuts off the main feeding path 81.

That is, in the first embodiment, the main control unit 10 test-opens and operates the relay mechanism 20 as a confirmation test of the electric leakage interrupting function, and the relay abnormality detecting unit 14 detects the presence or absence of a relay abnormality. Although control was performed, the present embodiment further detects whether the control of the main control unit 10 itself is properly performed. When a control abnormality is detected by the main control abnormality processing part 15, the control abnormality is notified and the whole operation | movement of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is preferably carried out while notifying a control abnormality like the structure which notified the relay abnormality in the said 1st Embodiment. Control to stop is performed.

The main control abnormality processor 15 is electrically connected between the main control unit 10 and the coil 22 of the relay mechanism 20, detects whether the control of the main control unit 10 is normal, When control abnormality arises in control of (10), the process which stops the opening / closing operation | movement of the relay mechanism 20 at least is performed. That is, by providing the main control abnormality processing part 15, the function of the main control part 10 which is the main of the control of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is confirmed, and at least the earth leakage blocking function which the relay mechanism 20 is in charge of. The situation where it becomes impossible to function due to this control problem can be avoided. On the other hand, although not shown in FIG. 6, the main control abnormality processor 14 and the display / operation unit 52 are connected to the output terminal of the power supply circuit unit 11 together with the main control unit 10. Although the specific structure of the main control abnormality processing part 15 is not specifically limited, If the signal output from the main control part 10 is normal, what is necessary is just to provide the circuit structure which can open and close the relay mechanism 20 normally.

In addition, when a control abnormality arises in the main control part 10, the main control abnormality processing part 15 may be made to perform the process which stops the operation also regarding structures other than the relay mechanism 20. FIG. For example, when it is judged that there is a problem in the control of the whole toilet seat apparatus 50, you may be comprised so that the process of stopping the whole operation | movement of the toilet seat apparatus 50 may be performed.

(Confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker function)

Next, a typical example of the confirmation test in this embodiment is demonstrated based on the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 7 and the flowchart shown in FIG.

As described above, the main control abnormality processing unit 15 detects whether or not a control error occurs in the main control unit 10, and when the abnormality is detected, processes the relay contact 21 to cut off the main feed path. The specific configuration is not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 7, the main control abnormality processor 15 according to the present embodiment has a circuit configuration using a capacitor and a diode.

Specifically, the resistor 74a, the capacitor 74b, the diode 74c, the resistor 74d and the transistor 74e are connected in series, and the diode 74f is connected between the capacitor 74b and the diode 74c. Is branched. The upstream side of the diode 74f is earthed in the rectifying direction, and the downstream side is connected between the capacitor 74b and the diode 74c. The capacitor 74g branches between the diode 74c and the resistor 74d, and one of them is earthed. The downstream side of the diode 74c in the rectifying direction is connected to the base of the transistor 74e via a resistor 74d. The emitter of the transistor 74e is earthed, the collector is connected to the resistor 74h, and the transistor 74i is branched. The base of the transistor 74i is connected to the collector of the transistor 74e, the emitter is earthed, and the collector is connected to the main control unit 10 through the resistor 74j and at the same time to the relay driver 12. That is, the transistor 74i is connected to the terminal which outputs the relay drive signal of the main control part 10. FIG. In addition, since the circuit structure of the relay drive part 12 is the same as that of FIG. 3, description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in Fig. 8, the control of the present embodiment is in a state of passage of a predetermined time and an unused state as in steps S101 and S102 shown in Fig. 4 in steps S121 and S122. Is determined. And if it progresses to step S123 and the main control part 10 is performing normal control, the pulse signal of a predetermined fixed period may be output to the main control abnormality processing part 15. FIG. At this time, when the pulse signal is at a high level, a charging current flows through the capacitor 74g through the resistor 74a, the capacitor 74b, and the diode 74c. In addition, since a current also flows in the transistor 74e through the resistor 74d, the transistor 74e is turned on. On the other hand, when the pulse signal is at a low level, the transistor 74e is turned ON through the resistor 74d by the capacitor 74b once charged. That is, when the pulse signal of predetermined period is output from the main control part 10, the transistor 74e will always be in an ON state. On the other hand, in order to always turn on the transistor 74e, it is necessary to set the period of the pulse signal based on the resistance value of the resistor 74a and the capacitance of the transistor 74b.

As described above, when the transistor 74e is in the ON state, since the current does not flow through the transistor 74i, the transistor 74e is always in the OFF state. Since the transistor 74i is connected to the terminal for outputting the relay drive signal of the main control unit 10, when the transistor 74i is OFF, the relay drive signal from the main control unit 10 is always output to the relay drive unit 12. . As a result, the transistor 73b is turned ON, the coil 22 of the relay mechanism 20 is energized, and the relay contact 21 is driven.

On the other hand, when control abnormality arises in the main control part 10, in order to stop a predetermined pulse signal (oscillation), it will always be low level, and transistor 74e will not turn ON. Therefore, the transistor 74i connected to the collector of this transistor 74e is turned on, and the transistor 73b of the relay driver 12 is not turned on. As a result, the relay mechanism 20 also opens and closes. Do not do it.

Therefore, in step S124, it is determined whether or not the pulse signal is a predetermined period by the circuit configuration of the main control abnormality processor 15. If it is a predetermined period (YES in step S123), the flow advances to step S125, and it is determined that the main control unit 10 performs control normally, but if it is not a predetermined period (NO in step S123), step S126. Since it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the main control unit 10, the process proceeds to step S127, and the opening / closing operation of the relay mechanism 20 is turned OFF. As described above, in the present embodiment, the main control abnormality processor 15 also detects the presence or absence of abnormality in the control itself of the relay drive as the confirmation test of the electric leakage interrupting function. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine whether the ground fault interruption function is valid.

Then, if a control error occurs in the main control unit 10, the abnormality of the ground fault interrupting function is notified as in step S112 and step S113 shown in FIG. 4, and the entire operation of the toilet seat apparatus 50 is stopped. Control is performed.

As described above, in this embodiment, even when the relay mechanism 20 can normally open and close, an abnormality occurs in the control by the main control unit 10 and the relay mechanism 20 cannot open and close. Can be avoided. Therefore, since the operation is confirmed by both the mechanical mechanism and the control, the reliability of the ground fault interrupting function can be further improved.

On the other hand, in the first and second embodiments described above, the relay mechanisms 20 are provided at both ends of the power supply line, respectively, and the case where the relay abnormality is detected in both of these relay mechanisms 20 has been described. It is not limited to this. For example, after detecting an operation abnormality of one relay mechanism 20, the user can notify the user or control to stop the entire operation of the toilet seat apparatus 50, whereby the earth leakage blocking function can be more appropriately confirmed.

In addition, since the toilet seat apparatus illustrated by the above-mentioned Embodiments 1 and 2 is equipped with the toilet seat heating function and the sanitary washing function, as a heater, the dry heater 41a, the hot water heater 41b, and the toilet seat heater 42 are shown. Although the present invention is provided, of course, this invention is not limited to this, The heating toilet seat apparatus provided only with the toilet seat heater 42 may be sufficient.

From the above description, many improvements and other embodiments of the present invention are apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description, therefore, is to be construed as illustrative only and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and / or the function can be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

(Industrial availability)

As described above, according to the present invention, the earth leakage blocking function of the toilet seat apparatus can be more appropriately confirmed. Therefore, this invention can be used suitably for the field of various toilet seat apparatuses, such as a heating toilet seat and a hot water washing toilet seat, and a sanitary washing apparatus.

10: main control unit (controller) 12: relay drive unit
14: relay error detector (relay error detector)
15: main control error processing unit (controller error processing unit)
20: relay mechanism 21: relay contact (relay)
41a: hot water heater 41b: drying heater
42: toilet seat heater 52: display and operation unit (notifier)
53: toilet seat (seat) 56: seating sensor (toilet use detector)
57: human body sensor (toilet use detector) 58: test button (test switch)
81: main feeder

Claims (8)

Toilet Seat,
A toilet seat heater for heating the toilet seat;
A relay for blocking and closing at least a main feed path for supplying power to the toilet seat heater, and a relay driver for driving the relay to block the main feed path in response to the occurrence of a short circuit through the main feed path. An earth leakage breaker,
A relay fault detector for detecting a state in which the interruption or closure of the main feed path by the relay is not normally realized as a relay fault;
A controller for controlling at least the relay driver
Provided with
The controller operates the relay to cut off the main feed path by the relay driving unit when the toilet seat is not in use, and determines whether the relay is abnormal through the relay error detector. Configured to perform an identification test
Toilet seat device.
The method of claim 1,
And the controller is configured to perform a confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker when the toilet seat apparatus is in an unused state where it is not used.
3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a toilet use detector for detecting whether the toilet is installed toilet seat,
The controller is configured to, through the toilet use detector, detect that the toilet is in an unused state where it is not used, and then perform a confirmation test of the earth leakage breaker.
Toilet seat device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further provided with a washing unit having a hot water heater for heating the cleaning material for cleaning the local of the user seated on the toilet seat and a drying heater for heating the wind for drying the local of the user,
The main feed path is to further supply power to the hot water heater and the drying heater.
Toilet seat device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further provided with a test switch for inputting a command for performing the verification test of the earth leakage breaker,
The controller performs the confirmation test of the ground fault interruption unit when the command is input from the test switch.
Toilet seat device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
And a controller abnormality processor configured to detect whether there is a control abnormality in the control of the controller, and to shut off the main feed path to the relay when the control abnormality is detected.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Further comprising a notifier for notifying the user of the information,
The controller is configured to notify the notifier that the short circuit interrupting function is abnormal when the relay abnormality or the control abnormality is detected as a result of the confirmation test.
Toilet seat device.
The method of claim 7, wherein
And the controller is configured to stop the entire operation of the toilet seat apparatus when the relay abnormality or the control abnormality is detected as a result of the confirmation test.

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