JPH09228448A - Wireless remote control - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid obstructions of communication with various mechanisms by a hand pushing a switch, by providing a user's setting means of movement instruction to the mechanisms and a transmitting means of the instruction to the mechanisms. SOLUTION: A button 210K for washing a toilet stool is arranged on the top of a remote controller 200 and a transmitter 201 composed of light-emitting diodes to transmit the movement instructions set by various buttons to a sanitary cleaning device is arranged so as to surround the button 210K. When the button 210K is put off after it has been put on for a certain interval, after a light signal has been continuously transmitted from the light-emitting diodes immediately after the time when the button 210K was put on, the signal ceases to transmit after severalseconds after the button 210k was put on. If light signals are transmitted in such a timing, even if the communication is obstructed by the user's hand when the button 210K has been put on, since the light signals are transmitted even after the button has been released from the user's hand, the toilet stool is securely washed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an improvement of a wireless remote controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various mechanisms such as a local washing mechanism, a drying mechanism, a deodorizing mechanism, a heating mechanism, a toilet bowl automatic washing mechanism, and a toilet seat / toilet lid automatic opening / closing mechanism have been used in order to make excretion in a toilet comfortable. It is known that a remote control device (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) is provided so that it is easy to operate these various mechanisms from a sitting posture, a standing posture, a posture facing the toilet bowl, and a posture with the back facing the toilet bowl. Proposed. This remote control also has a wireless type and a wired type, both of which have advantages and disadvantages, but in a narrow space such as a toilet, a wireless type that does not require a communication line is often used.

There are various types of wireless remote controllers such as ultrasonic type and infrared type, all of which have advantages and disadvantages.
In either case, an operation command is transmitted in synchronization with the switch operation, diffusely reflected on the wall of the toilet, and transmitted to the receiving unit provided in various mechanisms. Therefore, communication with various mechanisms is always possible.

[0004]

However, since this wireless remote controller is easy to operate from any position, when the switch is operated, the transmitter is covered by the hand operating the switch, and various types of switches are used. Communication with the mechanism may be disturbed, and in that case, even if the switch is operated many times, various mechanisms do not operate.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless remote controller which retains the conventional merit that it can be easily operated from any position, and avoids the interference of communication with various mechanisms by the hand operating the switch. is there.

[0006]

The wireless remote controller of the first invention made to solve the above problems wirelessly issues an operation command to a mechanism for making excretion in a toilet comfortable. In a wireless remote controller for transmitting, setting means for setting an operation command to the mechanism by a user's hand, transmitting means for transmitting the operation command set by the setting means to the mechanism, and a user's hand Detecting means for detecting the completion of the setting of the operation command by means of, and causing the transmitting means to transmit the operation command after a lapse of time required for the user's hand to leave the remote control after the completion of the setting is detected by the detecting means. Transmission control means.

According to the wireless remote controller of the first invention,
Since the operation command set by the user is transmitted after the elapse of the time required for the user's hand to leave the remote controller, it is possible to prevent the user's hand from interfering with the communication.

Further, when this mechanism is a toilet bowl cleaning mechanism for cleaning the toilet bowl, the response time from the user setting the operation command to the start of toilet bowl cleaning is not required. , More effective. That is, the toilet flush is originally operated when the excretion operation is finished, and unlike other mechanisms (local cleaning mechanism, drying mechanism, deodorizing mechanism, heating mechanism), before or during the excretion operation. It doesn't work.

Further, when this mechanism is an automatic opening / closing mechanism for automatically opening and closing the toilet seat or the toilet lid, the user operates the remote controller in a standing state, so that not only the hand but also the arm of the user. Effective because it can be disturbed.

Further, when the setting means is arranged in the vicinity of the transmitting means, the transmitting means is likely to be covered by the user's hand and the communication is likely to be disturbed, which is more effective. .

Further, if the transmission control means causes the transmission means to transmit the operation command even while the operation command is being set by the user's hand, the user can be operated when there is no interference with the communication by the hand. It is possible to operate various mechanisms simultaneously with the setting of.

The wireless remote controller of the second invention made to solve the above problems is a wireless remote controller that wirelessly sends an operation command to a mechanism for making the excretion operation in the toilet comfortable. In the remote controller, the setting means for setting the operation command to the mechanism by the user's hand, the storage means for storing the content of the operation command set by the setting means, and the user's hand separated from the remote controller. And a transmitting unit that transmits the content of the operation command stored in the storage unit to the mechanism when the detecting unit detects that the user's hand is released.

According to the wireless remote controller of the second invention,
The contents of the operation command set by the user are stored, and the stored contents are transmitted to the mechanism when the user's hand is separated from the remote control, so that the user's hand may be an obstacle to communication. It can be avoided.

When this mechanism is a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the toilet bowl, the response time from the user's setting of the operation command to the start of toilet cleaning is not required. More effective. That is, the toilet cleaning is originally operated when the excretion operation is finished,
Unlike other mechanisms (local cleaning mechanism, drying mechanism, deodorizing mechanism, heating mechanism), it does not operate before or during excretion operation.

Further, when this mechanism is an automatic opening / closing mechanism for automatically opening / closing the toilet seat or the toilet lid, the user operates the remote control while standing upright, so that not only the hand but also the arm of the user. Effective because it can be disturbed.

Further, when the setting means is arranged in the vicinity of the transmitting means, the transmitting means is likely to be covered by the user's hand and the communication is disturbed, which is more effective. .

Further, if the detecting means is configured to detect that the user's hand is separated from the remote controller upon completion of setting the operation command to the mechanism by the user's hand, special detection Means are unnecessary and more effective.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in order to clarify the structure of the present invention described above. FIG. 1 shows a remote controller 2 of the present invention.
00 is a front view and FIG. 2 is a view in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the remote controller 200 is provided with various buttons for operating various mechanisms of the sanitary washing device 10. Of these various buttons, the toilet flush button 210k is provided on the top of the remote controller 200 so that when the remote controller 200 is mounted on the wall of the toilet, it is easy for a person to sit and stand. Has been done. Further, the transmitter 201 including the light emitting diode (FIG. 5) for transmitting the operation command set by the various buttons to the sanitary washing device 10 has the toilet flush button 21.
It is arranged so as to surround 0k.

FIG. 3 shows the remote controller 20.
It is the figure which showed the external view of the sanitary washing apparatus 10 which operates based on the operation command of 0. The sanitary washing device 10 is attached to the Western-style toilet 5, and accommodates a device for heating the wash water and blowing hot air, and rotatably supports the toilet seat 15 by a shaft (not shown). Case body 1 to hold
1, a cleaning nozzle 12 for spraying cleaning water to a local part of a person sitting on a toilet seat, and an operating part 13 for operating the cleaning nozzle 12
Etc. are provided.

When the sanitary washing device 10 is attached to the rear portion of the western style toilet 5, the toilet seat 15 opens and closes with respect to the western style toilet 5. The lid 16 of the toilet bowl is also detachably attached to the case body 11 similarly to the toilet seat 15, and can be opened and closed with respect to the western-style toilet bowl 5.

Next, the hot water / nozzle control device 14 of the sanitary washing device 10 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the external water source is connected to the heat exchanger 30 by piping, and is also connected to the sanitary washing device 10 from the branch metal fitting 20 on the way through the connecting pipe 21. We are supplying water.

The sanitary washing device 10 includes a water supply adapter 22, a pressure reducing valve 23, a solenoid valve 24, and a toilet flush valve 25 from the upstream side.
A valve unit 26, a heat exchanger 30 that heats the supplied water to an appropriate temperature with a wash water heater 29 while the temperature of the supplied water is detected by a hot water thermistor 28a, and a float switch 31 that detects the presence or absence of water in the heat exchanger. A heat exchanger unit 32 including a heat exchanger unit 32, a check valve 33, and a flow control valve 35 driven by a flow control motor 34.
And the opening / closing valve unit 37 having the first opening / closing valve 37a and the second opening / closing valve 37b, and the nozzle device 40 is connected to the tip thereof. The nozzle device 40 includes the cleaning nozzle 12 and a drive device 41 for axially driving the cleaning nozzle 12.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remote controller 200. The remote controller 200 includes, in addition to various operation buttons 210, a battery 220 for supplying electric power to each component in the remote controller 200, two light emitting diodes 222, 224 that output an optical signal, and a light emitting diode 222, The output circuit 226 for driving the 224 and the remote controller 200
To detect the voltage between the control circuit 228 that performs the overall control, the resistor R1 and the diode 230 that are connected in series between the battery 220 and the power supply input terminal of the control circuit 228, and the resistor R1 and the diode 230. Voltage detection circuit 2
32 and a light receiving element 242 that receives the light emitted from the light emitting element 130 of the sanitary washing device 10.

Electric power from the battery 220 is supplied to the power input terminal of the control circuit 228 via the resistor R1 and the diode 230. The battery detection circuit 232 detects the voltage V between the resistor R1 and the diode 230 and supplies the voltage level signal S232 indicating the voltage level to the control circuit 228.

The output circuit 226 includes the light emitting diode 22.
This is a drive circuit for causing the light emitting devices 2 and 224 to emit light. The output circuit 226 is composed of two transistors 244 and 245 and resistors R2, R3 and R4. Output circuit 22
6 output terminal (emitter of transistor 245)
Two light emitting diodes 222 and 224 are connected via resistors R5 and R6, respectively. Therefore, the light emitting diodes 222 and 224 emit an optical signal according to the signal Sp provided from the control circuit 228 to the output circuit 226.

The light signals emitted from the light emitting diodes 222 and 224 of the remote controller 200 are received by the light receiving element 120 provided in the electronic control unit 100 of the sanitary washing device 10. On the other hand, the light signal emitted from the light emitting element 130 in the electronic control unit 100 is received by the light receiving element 242 of the remote controller 200. In this way, the electronic control device 100 and the remote controller 200 of the sanitary washing device 10 perform control by performing bidirectional communication using optical signals. As the light emitting element and the light receiving element, a light emitting diode, a photodiode,
A phototransistor or the like is used.

FIG. 6 shows an electronic control unit 1 of the sanitary washing device 10.
00 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the device 00 and its peripheral devices. The electronic control unit 100 includes a CPU 102 that executes various kinds of arithmetic processing for controlling the temperature of washing water according to a preset control program, a control program necessary for the CPU 102 to execute various arithmetic processing, and abnormalities of various parts. ROM 104 in which the abnormality inspection processing program and control data necessary for inspecting
A RAM 106 in which various data necessary for executing various arithmetic processes in the PU 102 is temporarily read and written, and a backup RAM 10 that stores data even in a non-energized state.
7, an input processing circuit 108 for inputting signals from the sensors and switches of the respective poles attached to the sanitary washing device 10 and converting them into signals that can be processed by the CPU 102, the solenoid valve 24, and the like according to the calculation result in the CPU 102. The output processing circuit 109 and the like are provided.

The backup RAM 107 is
It is a device that is backed up by a built-in battery, is an electrically writable and readable device such as a flash memory, and can be applied to various devices whose data is not erased even when the power is turned off.

The toilet seat 15 is provided with a seating sensor 15a for detecting seating on the toilet seat 15. Seating sensor 1
As 5a, for example, a sensor that detects the presence or absence of seating by measuring a change in capacitance of the toilet seat heater 53 on the surface of the toilet seat 15, or a pressure sensor can be used.

As shown in FIG. 7, signals from various operation buttons of the remote controller 200 are input to the electronic control unit 100. The various operation buttons 210 include various buttons corresponding to various functions. That is, the butt washing button 210a and the bidet washing button 210
b, stop button 210c, dry button 210d for blowing hot air, massage setting button 210e for setting massage cleaning, move setting button 210f for performing move cleaning, spout temperature setting button 210g for adjusting spout temperature, water volume adjustment. Water amount adjusting button 210h, a nozzle position adjusting button 210i for moving the cleaning nozzle 12 in the front-rear direction, a toilet bowl cleaning button 210k for opening a toilet bowl cleaning valve, and a toilet seat heater 53 are set to OFF for a predetermined time. A timer reservation button 210 is provided for this purpose.

FIG. 8 shows that the CPU is set every 0.5 msec after the battery is set in the remote controller 200.
This is a routine executed by 102.

First, in step S10, it is determined whether or not various operation buttons 210 of the remote controller 200 are turned on. If the result of this judgment is negative, this routine is once terminated. On the other hand, when the determination is affirmative, the light emitting diodes 222 and 224 start transmitting optical signals corresponding to the turned-on buttons. Then, it progresses to step S14 and it is determined whether the button was turned off. If a negative determination is made in this determination, the process returns to step S14 again, and thereafter, the process is repeated until an affirmative determination is made. If an affirmative decision is made, the operation proceeds to step S16 and the t-second timer is set. Here, t seconds specifically means
About 2 to 3 seconds is possible, but it is not limited to this, and the point is that the user's hand is separated from the remote controller 200 and the communication with the sanitary washing device 10 is not disturbed. Good.

After the t second timer is set in step S16, it is determined again in step S18 whether the button is turned on. Here, this processing is necessary
This is because if the button is turned on again after the t-second timer is set and before t seconds have elapsed, the button is prioritized.

If the determination in step S16 is affirmative, it means that the button has been turned on again, and the process returns to step S12. On the other hand, when a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S20, and it is determined whether or not t seconds have elapsed. When a negative determination is made in this determination, the process returns to step S18. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made, the operation proceeds to step S22 to stop the transmission of the optical signal,
This routine is ended once.

FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing an example in which the routine executed in FIG. 8 is applied when the toilet flush button 210k is operated.

First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the toilet flush button 2
The timing when 10k is turned on after being turned on for a certain period of time is shown. At that time, from the light emitting diodes 222 and 224 of the remote controller 200, the toilet bowl cleaning button 2
FIG. 9B shows the timing at which the optical signal is continuously transmitted for a certain time at the same time as 10k is turned on, and then the transmission is stopped after t seconds have passed since the toilet flush button 210k was turned off. If the optical signal is transmitted at such a timing, even if the user's hand interferes with the communication when the toilet flush button 210k is pressed (the period of 2), after the user's hand is released, Also, since the optical signal is transmitted, the toilet bowl can be reliably cleaned in the period of 3 (FIG. 9 (c)). In addition,
When the user's hand is in a position that does not interfere with communication during the period of 2, the toilet bowl is washed at that time.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a modification of the optical signal transmission method executed in FIG.

The feature of this modification is that the optical signal is not transmitted for a fixed time after the button is turned off, and the optical signal is retransmitted after the elapse of the fixed time. This is to reliably transmit the optical signal to the sanitary washing device 10 even when the user's hand slowly moves away from the remote controller 200.

FIG. 11 shows a further modification of FIG.

The feature of this modification is that the transmission time of the optical signal during the period when the button is turned on is shortened. This is because, conversely, during the period when the button is turned on, there is a high possibility that the communication is disturbed by the user, and therefore no matter how many transmissions are continued, it is often wasted. Therefore, the power consumption of the battery can be reduced and the life of the battery can be extended.

FIG. 12 shows a remote controller 200.
This is a routine executed by the CPU 102 each time the various operation buttons 210 are operated after the battery is set in the.

First, in step S40, the setting contents of the sanitary washing device 10 by the user using the various operation buttons 210 are read. Then, in step S42, it is determined whether or not there is a change from the previously read setting content. If the result of this judgment is negative, this routine is once ended. On the other hand, if affirmative, in step S44, after storing the read setting contents in the RAM 106,
This routine is ended once.

In this routine, after the battery is set in the remote controller 200, the operation button is operated and the setting contents are stored in the RAM 106. And every time the setting contents change, RAM
The stored contents of 106 are also updated.

FIG. 13 shows a routine executed by the CPU 102 two seconds after the operation of the various operation buttons 210 is completed. Here, completion of the operation of the various operation buttons 210 may be detected by an OFF signal of the various operation buttons 210, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a well-known proximity sensor (photoelectric sensor or the like is separately provided to the remote controller 200. ), And may be detected by the degree of approach of the user's hand.

Now, in step S50, the RAM 106
The stored contents stored in is read, and then step S
At 52, the read stored content is transmitted by causing the output circuit 226 shown in FIG. 5 to cause the light emitting diodes 222 and 224 to emit light.

In the communication method in which this routine is executed, FIG.
The stored contents updated in the routine 2 are read 2 seconds after the operation is completed and the contents are transmitted to the sanitary washing device 10, so that the user's hand does not disturb the communication.

Although the time from the completion of the operation of the various operation buttons 210 to the start of execution of the routine of FIG. 13 is set to 2 seconds, this time may be eliminated or may be set to about 4 seconds. Good. In this case, in the former case, the time from the completion of the operation of the various operation buttons 210 to the transmission of the optical signal becomes extremely short, and the sanitary washing device 10 can operate with good response. In the latter case, the communication interference by the hand is disturbed. Can be reliably eliminated.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart showing an example in which the routines executed in FIGS. 12 and 13 are applied when the toilet flush button 210k is operated.

When the toilet wash button 210k is operated (FIG. 14 (a)), two seconds after the operation is completed,
The light emitting diode 222 of the remote controller 200,
An optical signal indicating the code CD corresponding to the stored operation content is transmitted from the 224 at a constant transmission cycle (FIG. 14).
(B)). Here, the transmission cycle of the code is 5 msec (FIG. 14 (c)), and one code CD is composed of a plurality of pulses that differ according to the type of button operated by the user (FIG. 14C). 14 (d)). That is, the code CD is a set of pulse groups indicating the type and degree of operation. Electronic control device 100 of sanitary washing device 10
Decodes this code CD and executes the control according to this. The optical signal transmitted in FIG. 14B is diffusely reflected in the toilet and received by the sanitary washing device 10.
The toilet bowl cleaning valve 25 is opened at the timing shown in 0 (e) to perform toilet bowl cleaning.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be carried out in various forms without departing from the scope of the invention, and the following modifications can be made.

(1) In the above embodiment, an optical signal is used as a control signal, but other types of signals that can be wirelessly communicated, such as radio waves and ultrasonic waves, may be used.

(2) In the above-mentioned embodiment, the toilet cleaning is described as an example of the mechanism. However, the mechanism is not limited to this, and an automatic opening / closing mechanism for automatically opening / closing the toilet seat or the toilet lid may be used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a remote controller 200 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view on arrow in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing a western-style toilet 5 having a sanitary washing toilet seat 10.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing hot water / nozzle control device 14 for a sanitary washing toilet seat.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a remote controller 200.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an electronic control device 100 of the sanitary washing device 10 and peripheral devices thereof.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing various operation buttons 210 of the remote controller 200.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a routine for controlling transmission of an optical signal.

9 is a timing chart when the routine of FIG. 8 is executed.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a modified example of FIG.

11 is a timing chart showing a modification of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a routine for updating the storage contents of RAM 106.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a routine for transmitting the storage contents of RAM 106.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating the routine shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 ... Western style toilet 10 ... Sanitary washing device 11 ... Case body 12 ... Washing nozzle 13 ... Operating part 14 ... Hot water / nozzle control device 15a ... Seating sensor 15 ... Toilet seat 16 ... Lid 20 ... Branch fitting 21 ... Connection pipe 22 ... Water supply Adapter 23 ... Pressure reducing valve 24 ... Solenoid valve 25 ... Toilet bowl cleaning valve 26 ... Valve unit 28a ... Hot water thermistor 29 ... Wash water heater 30 ... Heat exchanger 31 ... Float switch 32 ... Heat exchanger unit 33 ... Check valve 34 ... Flow control motor 35 ... Flow control valve 36 ... Flow control unit 37a ... First opening / closing valve 37b ... Second opening / closing valve 37 ... Opening / closing valve unit 40 ... Nozzle device 41 ... Drive device 53 ... Toilet seat heater 53 ... Toilet seat heater 100 ... electronic control device 102 ... CPU 104 ... ROM 106 ... RAM 107 ... Backup RAM 108 ... Input processing circuit 109 ... Output Processing circuit 120 ... Light receiving element 130 ... Light emitting element 200 ... Remote controller 201 ... Transmitting section 210 ... Various operation buttons 210a ... Bottom washing button 210b ... Bidet washing button 210c ... Stop button 210d ... Drying button 210e ... Massage setting button 210f ... Move Setting button 210g ... Water discharge temperature setting button 210h ... Water volume adjusting button 210i ... Nozzle position adjusting button 210k ... Toilet bowl cleaning button 210m ... Timer reservation button 220 ... Battery 222 ... Light emitting diode 226 ... Output circuit 228 ... Control circuit 230 ... Diode 232 ... Voltage Detection circuit 232 ... Battery detection circuit 242 ... Light receiving element 244 ... Transistor

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A wireless remote controller that wirelessly sends an operation command to a mechanism for facilitating excretion in a toilet, in which the operation command to the mechanism is set by the user's hand. Means, transmitting means for transmitting the operation command set by the setting means to the mechanism, detection means for detecting completion of setting of the operation command by a user's hand, and this detection means for detecting completion of the setting. And a transmission control unit for transmitting the operation command to the transmission unit after a lapse of time required for the user's hand to move away from the remote control. 2. The wireless remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism is a toilet cleaning mechanism for cleaning a toilet bowl. 3. The wireless remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism is an automatic opening / closing mechanism that automatically opens and closes a toilet seat or a toilet lid. 4. The wireless remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit is provided in the vicinity of the transmitting unit. 5. The wireless remote controller according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control unit causes the transmission unit to transmit the operation command even while the operation command is being set by a user's hand. Characteristic wireless remote control. 6. A wireless remote controller that wirelessly sends an operation command to a mechanism for making excretion in a toilet comfortable, in which a user's hand sets the operation command to the mechanism. Means, a storage means for storing the content of the operation command set by the setting means, a detection means for detecting that the user's hand is separated from the remote controller, and the detection means for separating the user's hand. A wireless remote controller, comprising: a transmission unit that transmits the content of the operation command stored in the storage unit to the mechanism when it is detected. 7. The wireless remote controller according to claim 6, wherein the mechanism is a toilet bowl cleaning mechanism for cleaning a toilet bowl. 8. The wireless remote controller according to claim 6, wherein the mechanism is an automatic opening / closing mechanism that automatically opens and closes a toilet seat or a toilet lid. 9. The wireless remote controller according to claim 6, wherein the setting unit is arranged in the vicinity of the transmitting unit. 10. The wireless remote controller according to claim 6, wherein the detection means releases the user's hand from the remote controller upon completion of setting of an operation command to the mechanism by the user's hand. A wireless remote controller characterized by detecting that.