JPH0432898B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a toilet device, and more particularly, to an improvement of a toilet device equipped with a so-called non-contact type operating section that performs private part cleaning by sensing the human body.

(Prior art) Conventionally, this type of toilet device has
A non-contact operation in which when you place your hand over a speaker that emits ultrasonic waves and a microphone that receives ultrasonic waves as described in the publication, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the speaker are reflected on your hand and received by the microphone. Some toilets were equipped with toilets, which were considered sanitary.

However, even if the above-mentioned conventional toilet devices were equipped with a non-contact operating section, they were installed at the rear of the toilet bowl, so when you sit on the toilet and place your hand over the operating section, your hand cannot operate the operating section. If you want to check whether something is hidden in your body, you have to twist your body to check, which not only makes it difficult to operate, but also shows the operating status of private parts washing, bidet washing, drying, etc., and switches to each part. There was no means to indicate that the switch had been activated, and since it was a non-contact type, there was a strong possibility that the user would feel uneasy because they would not be able to tell if the switch had been properly switched.

In addition, the conventional operating unit is located in a position where the user's hands are hidden behind the operating unit when the user is sitting on the toilet in a relaxed state (left and right hands lowered), resulting in false detection of flushing water and hot water. There was a risk of wind blowing out.

(Technical Problems) The technical problems of the present invention are to provide non-contact operation with means for improving operability, preventing false detection, and clarifying the current operating status and switching status of private parts cleaning devices, private parts drying devices, etc. An object of the present invention is to provide a toilet device having a toilet section.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The technical means taken by the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems are a toilet bowl, a private parts cleaning device for cleaning the user's private parts, and a private parts drying device for drying the private parts. a non-contact operation section that operates the private parts cleaning device and the private part drying device, and a control section that is in communication with the operation section and controls the operation of the private parts cleaning device and the private part drying device, the control section is connected to a human body sensing unit that detects the user of the toilet, and the operation unit has a display on the panel surface that indicates each operating state from private cleaning to stop, and a light emitting light near each display that indicates the execution of each switching operation. and a photoelectric sensor that detects the user's hand, and is provided on the side wall of the unit room at the side of the toilet bowl, and the private part cleaning device and the private part drying device are installed only when the human body sensing unit detects the user. It communicated with the control unit to output a signal to activate the.

(Function) With the above means, when the user sits on the seat of the toilet, the operation part is located on the side wall of the unit room on the side of the toilet,
The user can easily check the operating section by simply tilting his or her head, and the private parts cleaning device is activated only when the human body sensing section, which is installed separately from the operating section, detects the user's sitting position. The system communicates with the control unit to output a signal to activate the local drying device, so unless the user is sitting on the toilet seat,
The photoelectric sensor in the control unit does not detect the human body.

Also, when the user switches between local washing, local drying, etc., the state of operation changes.
Each display and light emitting means indicates which state the device is currently in.

(Effects) In the present invention, since the operating unit is provided on the side wall of the unit room on the side of the toilet, the user can sit on the seat of the toilet and raise his/her hand slightly upwards to easily hold it up. This can be confirmed by simply tilting the toilet lightly to the side, which improves operability for the toilet user, and the operation section is only activated when the human body sensing section that detects the toilet user, which is connected to the control section, detects a human body. Since the control unit was designed to communicate with the control unit to output a signal to activate the private parts cleaning device and the private part drying device, this combined with the installation on the side wall of the unit room on the side of the toilet bowl caused the operation unit to incorrectly sense the user of the toilet. This eliminates the inconvenience of doing so, making it extremely easy to use.

In addition, when the user switches between operations such as private part washing and private part drying, the operating state can be confirmed at a glance by the display and light emitting means on the operation panel, so it is possible to check at a glance which operating state has changed to, such as private part washing or private part drying. This is very preferable because it eliminates the sense of uneasiness that is likely to be felt in the user when using a toilet device equipped with a contact-type operating section.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The toilet device of this embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, for example.
As shown in the figure, it is installed in a unit room A installed in a clean room, and includes a toilet bowl a, a toilet cleaning device that cleans the toilet bowl a, a private parts cleaning device 2 that cleans the private parts of the user, and a private part that dries the private parts. A controller that controls the operation of the drying device 3, an exhaust device that discharges odor in the toilet bowl a, and a detection signal from the human body sensing section 5 that detects the user of the toilet and a signal from the operating section 9. 6.

Unit room A has floor _A1 from the inside to the side wall.
An air passage 25 is formed that connects the interior of A ₂ and the interior of the ceiling A ₃ , and a grating 26 with a large number of ventilation holes is installed on the entire floor surface, while an air filter 27 is provided on the entire ceiling wall. The inside air is forcedly circulated by the circulation blower 28 provided in the middle of the air passage 25, so that the air filter 27
Through this system, clean air is constantly supplied to maintain a clean atmosphere. The air filter 27 is a high-performance filter capable of collecting extremely fine particles of dirt and dust, and its collection efficiency is 99.97.
% or more.

The toilet bowl cleaning device includes a water passage 1a formed on the outer periphery of the toilet bowl a, a water supply pipe 1b connected to the water supply pipe 1a, and a solenoid valve 1c provided in the water supply pipe 1b. The solenoid valve 1c is opened for a predetermined period of time in response to a command from the control unit 6, and cleaning water is supplied from the water supply pipe 1b to the water passage 1a. Cleaning water flows along the inner wall of the toilet bowl A from the water flow hole 1d to clean the toilet bowl A.

The water supply pipe 1b and the solenoid valve 1c are led out of the unit room A so as not to obstruct the flow of clean air within the unit room A, and are connected to a water supply source.

The washing water from the above-mentioned washing device and the filth in the toilet bowl a are transferred to a drain trap 7a and a drain pipe 7 connected thereto.
It is designed to be discharged out of unit room A via b.

The private parts washing device 2 includes a washing water injection nozzle 2a provided in the toilet seat a1, and the nozzle 2a is connected to a water supply source of hot washing water via a water supply pipe 2b and an electromagnetic valve 2c, and the electromagnetic valve 2c is It is electrically connected to the control unit 6, and the solenoid valve 2 is activated by a command from the control unit 6.
c is opened and cleaning water at a predetermined temperature is supplied to the cleaning water injection nozzle 2a via the water supply pipe 2b, and the nozzle 2
A sprays cleansing water toward the user's private parts to cleanse the private parts.

The cleansing water jet nozzle 2a is capable of moving in and out of the opening 8 of the toilet seat a1, and the amount of protrusion into the opening 8 is set to be different between when cleaning the anus and when cleaning the bidet. Further, the water supply pipe 2b and the solenoid valve 2c are led out of the unit room A for the same reason as in the case of the toilet bowl cleaning device.

The local drying device 3 defines a hot air passage 3a inside the toilet seat a1, and connects the hot air generator 3 through an air pipe 3b leading the passage 3a out of the unit room A.
c, and the hot air generator 3c is connected to the control unit 6.
The hot air generator 3c is activated by a command from the control unit 6 to supply hot air to the hot air passage 3a, and is used from the outlet 3d opened in the front end wall of the passage 3a. Warm air blows out towards the person's private parts,
It dries the user's private parts.

The warm air generator 3c is located outside the unit room A, and is provided with a blower fan 33, an air filter 34c with high collection efficiency, and an oxide filter in order from the upstream side of the case 32c to which the intake pipe 31c is connected. A ceramic heater 35c that does not generate
It is designed to supply clean warm air to avoid contaminating the inside.

The exhaust system defines an exhaust passage 4a on the outer periphery of the toilet seat a1, and connects the forced exhaust fan 4 through an exhaust pipe 4b that leads the passage 4a out of the unit room A.
c, and the fan 4c is electrically connected to the control unit 6, and the forced exhaust fan 4c is driven by a command from the control unit 6, and the suction port 4d opens in the bottom wall of the exhaust passage 4a. This system sucks the odor inside the toilet bowl A and discharges it to the outside of the unit room A.

The human body sensing section 5 consists of a photoelectric sensor, is attached to the rear wall _A4 of the unit room A at a position above the rear of the toilet bowl a, and is electrically connected to the control section 6. The system senses the user who is in the toilet and sends the sensing signal to the control unit 6, thereby causing the control unit 6 to recognize the start of the toilet. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the sensing part 5 is provided with a light emitting and receiving element 5a facing forward and slanting downward, and the sensing area is limited to the vicinity of the toilet bowl a, and the sensing part 5 is provided with a light emitting and receiving element 5a facing forward and slanting downward. It is designed so that it does not detect a human body, such as when someone just passes in front of toilet bowl a, to prevent malfunctions.

The operation section 9 is configured to manually switch the operation of the private part cleaning device 2 and the private part drying device 3, and to perform this operation without the user's hand touching the part 9. This is intended to prevent the generation of dust caused by hand grime, and as shown in Fig. 6, there is a photoelectric sensor 9a on the operation panel 9b that detects the user's hand, and a sensor that detects the presence or absence of power input and stops cleaning the private parts. Display 9d showing the operating status up to
..., and near the display 9d... there is a light emitting means, for example a light emitting diode 9c, indicating the execution of each operation.
... is installed on the side wall _A2 of the unit room A at a position above the side of the toilet bowl a, and is electrically connected to the control section 6, and the photoelectric sensor 9a detects the user's hand during the switching operation. , and sends the sensing signal to the control section 6.

That is, each time the user places his hand in front of the photoelectric sensor 9a, the operations of the private part cleaning device 2 and the private part drying device 3 are switched from private part cleaning, bidet cleaning, drying, and stop.

Further, the operation of this operation section 9 is controlled by the human body sensing section 5.
It is allowed to operate only when the sensing part 5 is sensing a human body, and is prohibited from operating when the sensor 5 is sensing a human body other than when urinating. It is designed to prevent the inside of unit room A from getting dirty by spraying cleaning water.

Further, reception of a signal from the operation unit 9 to the control unit 6 is canceled if the signal output time is within a predetermined time, for example, 0.5 seconds, and is also postponed if the signal output interval is within a predetermined time, for example, 1 second. The signal is canceled so that the operations of the private part cleaning device 2 and the private part drying device 3 are not switched unnecessarily.

Therefore, when operating the private part cleaning device 2 and the private part drying device 3 in sequence, the operating part 9 is not touched by the hands, so naturally, no dirt from the hands is attached to the operating part 9.
Therefore, no dust is generated due to dirt from hands.

Note that a water force adjustment operation panel 10 for adjusting the water force from the cleansing water jet nozzle 2a in the private part cleaning device 2 is provided near the operation panel 9b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the water force adjustment operation panel 10 is equipped with switches 10a and 10b for adjusting the strength of the water force. The switches 10a and 10b are so-called touch switches that are operated by touching them with the hands, but since they are used relatively infrequently and are touched only with the tips of the fingers, there is no problem with the adhesion of dirt from the hands or the like.

Note that this operation panel 10 may be provided with a photoelectric sensor to adjust the signal strength from the sensor.

The operation of the toilet apparatus in this embodiment as described above is as shown in the time charts and flow charts of FIGS. 8 to 10.

That is, when the user sits on the toilet seat a1, the human body sensing section 5 senses the human body and sends the sensing signal to the control section 6. This sensing signal is canceled if the output is within a predetermined period of time, for example, 3 seconds, thereby preventing unnecessary operation of the toilet bowl cleaning device, private part cleaning device 2, and private part drying device 3.

When the sensing signal is input to the control section 6 for 3 seconds or more, the solenoid valve 1c of the toilet bowl cleaning device opens in response to a command from the control section 6 to perform preliminary cleaning of the toilet bowl a, and the power to the operating section 9 is turned on.

In addition, at the same time when the sensing part 5 senses a human body, the forced exhaust fan 4c of the exhaust system is operated to operate the suction port 4.
Exhaust of odor is started by the suction action from d.

The reason for performing the above-mentioned preliminary washing is to form a water film on the inner wall surface of the toilet bowl a before using the toilet, so that the dirt after using the toilet can be easily removed.

In addition, so that the exhaust gas can be discharged without leaving behind any odor, the sensor 5 is installed not only during the use of the toilet, but also when the user moves away from the toilet bowl a after cleaning and drying the toilet and private parts.
Even if the output of the sensing signal stops, the detection continues for a predetermined period of time, for example, 15 seconds after the output of the signal stops.

After the user has finished using the toilet, the user reaches out to the side (to the side wall of the unit room) while in the toilet position and holds the hand in front of the photoelectric sensor 9a of the operation section 9, causing the sensor 9a to detect this. When the first sensing signal is output, the private area cleaning device 2 starts operating, and the private area is cleaned with the cleaning water sprayed from the cleaning water injection nozzle 2a.

At this time, the light emitting diode 9c at the display 9d position indicating private washing (butt washing) on the operation panel 9b emits light.

After washing the private parts, bidet washing is performed by manually outputting a second sensing signal to the photoelectric sensor 9a of the operation unit 9, and when the second sensing signal is detected, the light emitting diode 9c at the display 9d indicating bidet washing is made to emit light. Displays that the operation has changed.

After bidet cleaning or when bidet cleaning is not necessary, the photoelectric sensor 9a of the operation unit 9 outputs a third sensing signal, and the local drying device 3 starts operating and warm air is blown from the air outlet 3d. This will dry the local area.

Also at this time, similarly to the above, the light emitting diode 9c at the position of the display 9d indicating drying is made to emit light to indicate that the operation has been switched.

Ceramic heater 35 of the local drying device 3
Heating is started when the sensor 5a outputs a sensing signal, and hot air can be immediately sent by the blower fan 33c at the start of drying.

After the drying is completed, the photoelectric sensor 9a of the operating section 9
By outputting the second sensing signal, the operation of the local drying device 3 is stopped, and the light emitting diode 9c indicating a stop on the operation panel 9b is lit for about 1 second.

However, when the user leaves the toilet bowl a after finishing washing and drying after using the toilet as described above, the input of the sensing signal from the sensing section 5 to the control section 6 is stopped and the power supply to the operating section 9 is turned off. is turned off, and after a predetermined period of time, for example, 2 seconds, after the input of the signal is stopped, the solenoid valve 1c of the toilet flushing device is activated by a command from the control unit 6.
is opened again for a predetermined period of time, the main cleaning of the inside of the toilet bowl a is performed, and the filth is discharged outside of the toilet bowl a. Then, for a predetermined period of time after the input of the signal from the human body sensing section 5 is stopped, for example,
After 15 seconds have elapsed, the exhaust system stops operating and all operations cease.

In this state, when all operations are stopped, that is, when the user is not using the toilet, the operating unit 9 is powered off, so unless the human body sensing unit 5 outputs a sensing signal, the operating unit 9 will sense the human body and send a signal. This prevents the private part washing device 2 and the private part drying device 3 from malfunctioning.

In addition, during operation, the private part cleaning device 2 and the private part drying device 3 continue to operate within the set time set in the control unit 6 until the operating unit 9 outputs a new sensing signal, and after the set time has elapsed, It is starting to stop working. The set time is set to, for example, 5 minutes in the case of private part washing and bidet cleaning, and is set to 10 minutes in the case of private part drying.

After the set time has elapsed, the alarm device is activated after the private part cleaning device 2 and the private part drying device 3 have stopped.
It is starting to sound an alarm.

Further, in this embodiment, the case where the present invention is used in a clean room has been described in detail, but this is merely an example and is not intended to be limiting in any way.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing one embodiment of the toilet device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the inside of a sanitary equipment unit room equipped with the toilet device, and Fig. 4 is a side view showing an embodiment of the toilet device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway side view showing an enlarged view of the sensing section; FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the operation section; FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of the water pressure adjustment panel; FIG. 8 is a time chart for toilet bowl cleaning, FIG. 9 is a time chart for private part cleaning and drying, and FIG. 10 is a flow chart for toilet bowl cleaning, private part cleaning, and drying. In the figure, a: toilet bowl, 2: private parts washing device, 3: private part drying device, 5: sensing part, 6: control part, 9: operation part, 9b: operation panel, 9c: light emitting diode (light emitting means), 9d: Display, A: Unit room.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toilet bowl, a private parts cleaning device that cleans the user's private parts, a private parts drying device that dries the private parts, a non-contact operation part that operates the private parts cleaning device and the private part drying device, and communication with the operation part. and a control unit for controlling the operation of the private parts cleaning device and the private part drying device, the control unit is connected to a human body sensing unit that detects the user of the toilet, and the operation unit has a control unit on the panel surface that controls the operation from private cleaning to stop. Provided on the side wall of the unit room at the side of the toilet, it is equipped with a display indicating each operating state, a light emitting means near each display indicating execution of each switching operation, and a photoelectric sensor that detects the user's hand, A toilet device, characterized in that the toilet device is connected to a control unit so as to output a signal for operating the private part cleaning device and the private part drying device only when the human body sensing unit is sensing a user.