JPH0220735A - Water saving method for flush toilet by prevention against wasteful flowing - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve a water saving effect by emitting only a pseudo-sound even if a lever is operated excepting a given period of time after the elapse of the specified time since a person has taken this seat, on the basis of a signal out of a body detecting sensor installed in a toilet stool. CONSTITUTION:A signal out of a body detecting sensor 30 installed in a toilet stool 2 is inputted into a controller 40, and a solenoid 41 is operated only within a given period of time after the elapse of the specified time since a person has taken his seat, having it related to a timer circuit. Next, the within of working time of this solenoid is set down to a water flushing period W, and all time before and after it is set to a pseudo-sound period S. At this water flushing period W, wash water is made to flow out by operation of a nozzle operating lever 15, but at the pseudo-sound period S, only such a pseudo-sound as closely approximating to a drain sound is emitted even if the lever 15 is operated.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention relates to a water-saving method for preventing flush toilets from flushing, and in particular, when there is no need to actually flush flushing water, it is possible to replace the actual flushing water with flushing. This invention relates to a water saving method for saving water by generating a simulated water flow sound.

(Prior Art) When defecating in a flush toilet, especially when women defecate, many people have the habit of using the flush sound to camouflage the sound of their own defecation.

The average number of times the tank nozzle control lever is operated to flush out the washing water in the tank wasted between 2 and 3 times.
It is said that some people empty their seats as many as five times. This practice is an issue that requires consideration in order to protect individual privacy, but it not only leads to higher water bills, but it is also a waste of water resources.

Traditional methods include displaying water-saving messages in toilet booths, operating switches installed in the booth, and emitting a suspicious sound similar to the sound of flushing water in a tank to camouflage the toilet. When it is detected that someone has entered the booth, the amount of cleaning water flowing out of the tank will be automatically regulated after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and a water sound generator will be activated to automatically generate a simulated sound. There are known methods for generating the front.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention!) However, none of the above-mentioned conventional methods has fully achieved the purpose of water conservation. For example, a person who enters a toilet booth does not necessarily start urinating immediately;
Depending on the condition of the body and the time required to arrange clothes, it is conceivable that the user may start using the toilet after the above-mentioned predetermined time has passed. In such a case, the sound of water flowing from the camouflage is required at the time the user starts using the toilet, and the nozzle operating lever is operated at this point. Also, if the imitation water flow is automatically uttered regardless of the person's intention, it may hurt their feelings. Furthermore, when generating a false sound by operating a switch, if the generated false sound is even slightly different from the real water sound, the user becomes anxious and tries to generate the real water sound. Become.

In this case, whether to operate the switch of the pseudo-sound generator or the nozzle control lever of the tank depends on the intention of the user, and it is not possible to save enough water if you go along with the intention of the user. No effect is obtained.

The present invention was made in view of such problems, and taking into consideration the need for camouflage to protect privacy,
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water-saving method for preventing flush toilets from flushing, which completely eliminates flushing of flushing water regardless of the user's will, thereby reducing costs related to water charges and eliminating waste of water resources. do.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the water saving method for preventing empty flushing of a flush toilet of the present invention, the flush nozzle that discharges flush water into the toilet bowl is opened according to manual operation. a nozzle operating means that selectively performs a valve opening operation and an empty operation that does not open the valve regardless of manual operation; A human body detection means is provided, and the valve is opened in the nozzle operation means only when the user operates the nozzle operation means within a predetermined period from the time when the human body detection means no longer detects a human body in the defecation state. When the user operates the nozzle operating means outside of the predetermined period when the user operates the nozzle operating means to cause the cleaning water to flow out;
The present invention is characterized in that the nozzle operating means is operated idly and a pseudo water flow sound is generated.

(Function) It can be estimated by the human body detection means that the person using the toilet is in a state where the wash water should actually flow out for a predetermined period from the time when the person is no longer in the state of defecating, and the wash water is only discharged during this period. This prevents the washing water from flowing out.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings.

First, the configuration of a water-saving device that implements a water-saving method for a flush toilet empty flush prevention 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

The water saving device for carrying out the method of the present invention is attached to the upper wall of the low tank 1, and the flushing nozzle la is installed in accordance with the user's operation.
A nozzle operating means 10 that selectively performs a valve opening operation that opens the valve and an empty operation that does not open the valve regardless of the user's operation, is attached to the toilet seat 2a of a Western-style toilet 2, and is attached to a human body in the state of defecating operation of the user. That is, a human body detection sensor (human body detection means) 30 detects the exposed human body of a user sitting on the toilet seat 2a.
For example, the control unit 40 is attached to the wall of the low tank 1 in the vicinity of the nozzle operating means 10.

The nozzle operating means 10 is fixed to the -L side wall of the tank 1 with a mounting bracket 11. The mounting bracket 11 includes a base body 11a having a substantially square cross section and slightly thinner than the side wall of the tank 1;
It consists of a flange 11b formed at one end and a cylindrical portion 11c formed at the other end. Cylindrical part 11c
On the outer circumferential wall of the tube, screws 1] and d are carved, and the cylindrical part 1
], along the central axis of c, the base 11a and the flange ll
A through hole 11c is bored through b. Further, the lower end of the cylindrical portion 11c is notched over a predetermined circumferential angle θ.

The mounting bracket 11 has rubber 13a, 13b as waterproof and cushioning material inserted into the mounting hole IC drilled in the upper wall of the tank 1.
The male screw li of the cylindrical portion 11c is inserted from the outside through the
It is fixed to the tank 1 by screwing the nut 10b onto the nut 10b.

The flange llb is provided with a solenoid 41 constituting an engagement means to be described later, and a proximity switch 42a constituting a switch means.
A hanging 43 is fixed therein. The lower half of the outer shape of the housing 43 has an arcuate cross section along the outer periphery of the lever shaft 14, which will be described later, and the upper half has a substantially triangular cross section, with a hole 43a coaxial with the through hole 11e.
is formed.

A drive shaft 12 is fitted into the through hole lie of the mounting bracket 11 from the inside of the tank 1, and a knock pin 12a and an embedded bolt 1 which also serves as a stopper are attached to the tank side end of the drive shaft 12.
One end of the arm 12c is fixed by 2b. The other end of the arm 12c is bent at a substantially right angle toward the washing nozzle 1a arranged on the bottom of the tank 1 in the installed state, and the bent end and the washing nozzle 1a are connected by a chain 1b. Embedded Pol)! 2b is in contact with the notch end surface 11f of the cylindrical portion 11c of the mounting bracket 11 described above to prevent the drive shaft 12 from being pulled out to the outside of the tank, and also to prevent the drive shaft 12 from coming out of the tank when the drive shaft 12 rotates. .

11h, and rotation in the left and right direction is restricted.

A bottomed bolt hole 12d is bored in the center of the other end surface of the drive shaft 12 (the end surface opposite to the tank side end), and a longitudinally simplified bolt hole 12d is formed on the outer peripheral surface at an axial position corresponding to the solenoid 41 described above. Grooves 12e are formed in a T-shape (FIG. 5) and have the same cross-sectional shape in the axial direction.

A lever shaft 14 is externally fitted onto this drive shaft 12.
4 is fitted into the hole 43a of the housing 43.

The bottomed hole 14a of the lever shaft 14 into which the drive shaft 12 is fitted has approximately the same depth as the length of the portion of the drive shaft 12 that protrudes outward from the tank 1 from the flange llb.
One end surface where the opening is in contact with the flange llb. A small diameter stepped portion 14b is integrally formed at the other end of the lever shaft 14, and serrations 14c are formed on the outer surface of the small diameter stepped portion 14b.
is engraved, and a nozzle operating lever 15 is engraved on the small diameter stepped portion 14b.
are combined with serrations. Further, the other end of the lever shaft 14 is provided with a through hole 14d, which has a smaller diameter than the hole 14a, and into which a bearing portion 16a of a locking collar 16, which will be described later, is rotatably inserted.

After the lever shaft 14 is fitted onto the drive shaft 12 and the lever 15 is connected to the small diameter stepped portion 14b through serrations, the locking screw 16 is
is screwed onto the drive shaft 12. The locking screw 16 has a screw head 16
The aforementioned bearing portion 16a having a larger diameter than the threaded portion 16c is formed between the threaded portion 16c and the bearing portion 16a.
has an axial length slightly longer than the hole depth of the through hole 14d of the lever shaft 14. Therefore, the locking screw 16 is
When the lever shaft 14 is attached to the drive shaft 12, the screw head 16b of the locking screw 16 prevents it from falling out.
Since the lever shaft 14 is interposed between the locking screw 16 and the mounting bracket 11, the puller will not fall into the tank 1.

On the inner peripheral wall of the lever shaft 14, when the lever 15 is in a position where it is not rotated (the position of the lever 15 shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 6, this position is hereinafter referred to as the "non-operating position of the lever"),
A circumferential groove 14e having a predetermined width is formed in the circumferential direction at a position corresponding to the solenoid 41 housed in the housing 43. On the other hand, a locking piece 18 having substantially the same shape as the groove is fitted into the groove 12e of the drive shaft 12. When the drive shaft 12 is not rotated, this locking piece 18 has a hanging wall 18a extending in the vertical direction as shown in FIG.
It consists of a curved plate-shaped locking part 18b that extends left and right along the outer circumferential wall of the lever shaft 14 with the solenoid 43 at its center, and retracts into the groove 12e by the spring force of a spring (not shown) when the solenoid 43 is deenergized, as will be described later. ing.

When the outer surface of the lever shaft 14 is at a predetermined position, that is, when the lever 15 is in the non-operating position as shown in FIG.
When the lever 15 is rotated to a predetermined position in the direction of the six arrows shown in the figure, the magnet l-4 is placed in a position close to the detection part 42a.
2b is buried. The proximity switch 42 is connected to the lever 1
5 is rotated by the user, and when the magnet 42b approaches the detection section 42a within a predetermined distance, it detects this and outputs an on signal, and the proximity switch 42 is connected to the control section 40 described later. electrically connected to.

The drive shaft 12 and the lever shaft 14 are preferably made of non-magnetic material, such as brass, hard plastic, stainless steel, etc. On the other hand, the locking piece 18 needs to be made of a magnetic material, and for example, iron or the like is preferably used.

The human body detection sensor 30 is attached to the toilet seat 2a of the toilet bowl 2, for example, and detects the radiant heat (body temperature) radiated from the user's exposed body when the user sits on the toilet seat 2a. The far-infrared element 30a is preferably used. Element 30a
The detected human body signal is amplified by the amplifier circuit 30b and supplied to the transmitting circuit 30c. This transmitting circuit 30c sends a predetermined signal to a receiving circuit 40 of a control unit 40, which will be described later, at the beginning and end of detection when the element 30a detects a human body.
Send a call to d.

The control unit 40 includes a control circuit 40a, a drainage operation circuit 40b,
Onomatopoeic circuit 40c, receiving circuit 40d and timer circuit 40e
Consists of etc. The control circuit 40a controls the nozzle operating means 10. by a procedure described later. Controls the operation of the onomatopoeia circuit 40c, etc. The above-mentioned proximity switch 42 is provided in the drainage operation circuit 40b.
and a solenoid 41 are connected, converting the rotation signal of the lever 15 detected by the proximity switch 42 into a predetermined signal and supplying it to the control circuit 40a, and a drive signal for driving the solenoid 41 by the control signal from the control circuit 40a. is generated to energize the solenoid 41. The receiving circuit 40d receives a predetermined signal transmitted from the transmitting circuit 40d of the sensor section 30, and supplies it to the control circuit 40a. The timer circuit 40e is a counter circuit that measures elapsed time such as a washing period W, which will be described later. The onomatopoeic circuit 40c is
It generates a pseudo sound over a predetermined period of time, and the pseudo sound only needs to be similar to the sound emitted by flushing water flowing from the tank 1 into the toilet bowl 2, and cannot be an artificially synthesized sound. Alternatively, the playback sound may be a recording of the actual outflow sound. These simulated water sounds are produced using magnetic tape, R
It is possible to play back what has been recorded on the OM board or the like.

Note that as a method of transmitting the signal from the human body detection sensor 30 to the control unit 40, the transmitting circuit 30c and the receiving circuit 40d may be provided as described above and the signal may be transmitted wirelessly, but it is preferable to transmit the signal by wire. You can.

Next, the water saving procedure according to the method of the present invention will be explained with reference to the timing chart of FIG.

First, the human body detection sensor 30 does not output an on signal unless the user is seated on the toilet bowl 2 and the defecation operation state is detected (
Before time t2 in FIG. 8(a)), the control unit 40 keeps the solenoid 41 in a de-energized state during this period.

When the solenoid 41 is not energized, the locking piece 18 remains retracted into the groove 12e of the drive shaft 12, and the lever shaft 14 and the drive shaft 12 are in a disengaged state.

In this state, even if the user turns the lever 15 in the direction of draining the wash water from the tank 1 (in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 6), the lever shaft 14 will only turn, and the drive shaft 12 will not turn. It doesn't move. Therefore, the washing nozzle la is not opened and the washing water does not flow out. At this time, when the proximity switch 42 detects the rotation of the lever shaft 14 due to the rotation of the lever 15 of the user, (
(1 point in time in FIG. 8(b)), the control circuit 40 of the control unit 40
Step a activates the imitation circuit 40c to generate the above-mentioned pseudo water flow sound for a predetermined period of time.

Next, when the human body detection sensor 30 detects the human body of the user and outputs an on signal (time point L2 in FIG. 8(a)), the control circuit 40a still maintains the solenoid 41 in the de-energized state, Even if the user operates the lever 15 (Fig. 8(b)
) at time t3) In the same manner as described above, only a pseudo sound is generated, and the cleaning water is not actually flowed out. This period (original sound period S) in which only the onomatopoeic sound is generated without actually causing the flushing water to flow out continues as long as the human body detection sensor 30 detects the defecation state of the user, and this defecation state is no longer detected. At the point in time (time t4 in FIG. 8(a)), the control circuit 40a determines that the period for water washing (water washing period W) has entered. At this time, the control circuit 40a operates the timer circuit 40e to set the above-mentioned predetermined washing period W (see FIG. 8).
e) The elapsed time (from time 4 to time t6) is counted, and the solenoid 41 is energized via the drain operation circuit 40b.

The locking piece 18 is activated by the solenoid 41.
1 side, and the locking portion 18b fits into the circumferential groove 14e of the lever shaft 14 to engage the lever shaft 14 and the drive shaft 12, making them rotatable together. In this state, when the user rotates the lever 15 (1 in Fig. 8(b)),
5), the lever shaft 14 and the drive shaft 12 rotated together, and the washing nozzle 1a connected to the arm 12c of the drive shaft 12 via the chain 1b opened and was stored in the tank l. The flushing water flows out (at time 5 in Fig. 8(d)), and the excrement in the toilet bowl 2 flows out. At this time, the proximity sensor 42 detects the rotation of the lever shaft 14, but the control circuit 4
0a does not operate the onomatopoeic circuit 40c during the washing period W.

When the timer circuit 40e detects the passage of the above-mentioned washing period W, the control circuit 40a determines that the onomatopoeic period S has entered again, and even though the lever 15 is operated, the washing water does not actually flow out, which is suspected (previously). (time t'7 in FIGS. 8(b) and (C)).

In the above-described embodiments, the water saving method for preventing empty flushing of a flush toilet of the present invention was applied to a low tank type flush toilet, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a high tank type, flush valve type, It can be applied to any method such as a push button method, and regardless of which method is used, the valve opening operation that opens the flushing nozzle according to human operation, and the empty operation that does not open the valve regardless of human operation, can be selectively performed. This can be achieved by attaching a nozzle operating means that can do this.

Furthermore, the toilet bowl 2 to which the human body detection sensor 30 is attached may be a Western-style toilet bowl 2 shown in FIG. 1, or it goes without saying that it may be attached to a Japanese-style toilet bowl 2'' as shown in FIG. At this time, the sensor 30 may be attached to the metal cover of the toilet 2 degrees as shown in the figure, but it should be attached to the wall of the toilet facing the exposed body of the user who is in the act of defecating. Good too.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the water saving method for preventing empty flushing of a flush toilet of the present invention, the flush nozzle for flushing water into the toilet bowl is opened in accordance with a manual operation, and A human body detection system is provided with a nozzle operation means that selectively performs an empty operation that does not open the valve regardless of the operation, and a human body detection means that detects the human body of a user who is straddling or sitting on the toilet bowl and is in the process of defecating. Only when the user operates the nozzle operating means within a predetermined period from the time when the means no longer detects a human body in the state of defecating, the nozzle operating means is operated to open the valve to cause the washing water to flow out, and the cleaning water flows out for the predetermined period. In addition, when the user operates the nozzle operating means, the nozzle operating means is operated idly and a suspicious sound of water is generated, so that the user can virtually dispense the cleaning water without depending on the user's will. To allow water to flow out only when it is necessary, to prevent washing water from being flushed, to reduce costs related to water charges and to eliminate waste of water resources, and to camouflage the sound of excretion as necessary.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a water-saving device for preventing empty flushing of a flush toilet to which the method of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state in which a nozzle operating means 1o is attached to the low tank 1 of FIG. 1. 3 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle operating means 1o shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle operating means 1o shown in FIG.
5 is a sectional view taken along the arrow V-■ in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the arrow Vl-Vl in FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 4o and the human body detection sensor 30 that control the operation of the water saving device for preventing flushing of a flush toilet that implements the method of the invention, for explaining the operation of the water saving device for preventing flushing of a flush toilet. The timing chart in Figure 9 shows the human body detection sensor 3 in the Japanese-style toilet.
(It is a perspective view showing a broken state.
... Toilet bowl, 10... Nozzle operating means, 15... Nozzle operating bar, 30... Human body detection sensor (human body detection means), 40... Control unit, 40a... Control circuit, 4
0c...1 alarm circuit, 40e...timer circuit, 41
... Solenoid, 42... Proximity switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] a nozzle operating means that selectively performs a valve opening operation in which a flushing nozzle that discharges flushing water into the toilet bowl is opened in accordance with a human operation, and an idle operation in which the valve is not opened regardless of the human operation; human body detection means for detecting the human body of a person who is seated and in the state of defecating; Only when the nozzle operating means is operated, the nozzle operating means is operated to open the valve to allow the wash water to flow out, and when the user operates the nozzle operating means other than the predetermined period, the nozzle operating means is operated to open the valve. A water-saving method for preventing flushing of a flush toilet, characterized by generating a pseudo water flow sound at the same time.