JP6433840B2 - Remote control device for toilet - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device for a toilet that controls a toilet having a cleaning function.

  Conventionally, a remote control device that controls the operation of a toilet by transmitting an optical signal to a toilet body having a cleaning function has been put into practical use. As the toilet body becomes more sophisticated, the operation system of the remote control device is becoming more complex so that each function can be supported. In recent years, remote control devices having a display function capable of displaying various information in an easy-to-understand manner are increasing (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-194209 A

  When a display function is provided in the remote control device, power for display is required regardless of whether or not an operation is performed. A general display device that requires a light source such as a liquid crystal display continues to consume power even when a person is not in the toilet room. For this reason, for example, in the case of a battery-powered remote control device, it is conceivable that the battery will reach the end of its life without being noticed by the user, causing problems such as suddenly ineffective operation. In addition, the frequency of replacing the battery is increased, resulting in trouble for the user. There is a need for a remote control device that is not limited to a battery-powered type and that can suppress power consumption as much as possible and can easily display necessary information.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of easily presenting necessary information while suppressing power consumption in a toilet remote control device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a toilet remote control device according to an aspect of the present invention is a remote control device that controls the operation of a main body device by transmitting a wireless signal in response to an operation by a user. A non-volatile display unit that displays predetermined information and an absence determination unit that determines the absence of a person based on a predetermined determination criterion, and the display unit determines the absence of a person by the absence determination unit. During this period, a refresh operation for changing the color of the pixel is performed.

  A “non-volatile display unit” is a device having a display mechanism that can maintain display contents even when power is not supplied. According to this configuration, power consumption for display is generated only when the display content is updated, so that power consumption can be suppressed. In addition, since refresh operations are actively performed only when no one is present, even after a non-volatile display mechanism, afterimages are erased and visibility is ensured without giving the user a sense of discomfort or failure. it can.

  The absence determination unit may determine the absence of a person based on a determination criterion that an operation on the remote control device does not occur for a predetermined time. According to this configuration, since the absence of a person can be determined using the operation function of the remote control device itself, the timing of the refresh operation can be determined appropriately easily and at low cost.

  The absence determination unit may acquire the detection result by the human body detection sensor provided in the main body device by communication, and may determine the absence of a person based on a determination criterion that no human body is detected. According to this configuration, since the absence of a person can be determined using the human body detection function of the main device, the timing of the refresh operation can be determined appropriately easily and at low cost.

  The absence determination unit acquires a detection result by a human body detection sensor provided in the main body device by communication when an operation on the remote control device does not occur for a predetermined time, and determines that a human body is not detected as a determination criterion. Absence may be determined. According to this configuration, since the absence of a person is determined based on a double determination criterion that is the operation status of the remote control device and the human body detection status of the main body device, it is possible to determine the appropriate timing for the refresh operation with high accuracy. Further, the frequency of communication with the main device can be suppressed, and the power consumption can be further reduced.

  A display part is good also as non-displaying the present time displayed until then in the period when the absence determination part was determined by the absence determination part. According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to update the time display during a period that is estimated not to be seen by a person, it is possible to further reduce power consumption without giving the user a sense of discomfort or a fault.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in a remote control apparatus for toilets, required information can be shown easily while suppressing power consumption.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the toilet room provided with the remote control apparatus and toilet bowl body which concern on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance structural example of the remote control apparatus in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the functional block of the remote control apparatus and toilet bowl body in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a transition of the screen displayed on a display part in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of the transition of the screen displayed on a display part in this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process regarding the refresh operation | movement and time display which a remote control apparatus performs in this Embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the process sequence for determining absence of a person at the time of using the presence or absence of a user's operation as a criterion in this Embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the process sequence for determining absence of a person at the time of using the human body detection result in the toilet bowl body in this Embodiment as a criterion. It is a time chart which shows the process sequence for determining absence of a person when both the presence or absence of a user's operation in this Embodiment and the human body detection result in a toilet bowl body are used for a criterion.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a toilet room provided with a remote control device and a toilet body according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the remote control device 10 is provided on the right wall surface as viewed from the user seated on the toilet body 50. The toilet main body 50 is a flush toilet, and has a function of washing the inside of the toilet by flowing water manually or automatically. The toilet body 50 may further be provided with a nozzle or a deodorizing fan that ejects cleaning water toward the human body part.

  In order to automatically activate these functions of the toilet main body 50, a seating sensor 54 for detecting the seating and separation of the user is provided at the rear of the toilet seat. The remote control device 10 is an input device for manually operating various functions of the toilet body 50. In response to a user operation, the remote control device 10 transmits a wireless signal such as an infrared ray or a radio wave indicating the content of the operation from the transmission / reception unit 12 to the toilet body 50. A transmission / reception unit 56 for receiving the radio signal is provided on the rear upper surface of the toilet body 50.

  As will be described later, the remote control device 10 according to the present embodiment not only transmits a radio signal to the toilet body 50 but also receives a radio signal representing a detection result by the seating sensor 54 transmitted from the toilet body 50. To do. That is, the transmission / reception unit 12 of the remote control device 10 and the transmission / reception unit 56 of the toilet body 50 function as a bidirectional communication interface, and each includes a wireless signal transmission unit and a reception unit.

  A control mechanism that interprets the operation content based on the radio signal acquired by the transmission / reception unit 56 and activates the corresponding function is provided inside the toilet body 50. A main body switch 58 is provided on the left side surface of the toilet body 50 so that the toilet cleaning function can be activated without using the remote control device 10. The appearance shape of the toilet body 50, the positions of the sensors and switches, the appearance shape and the installation location of the remote control device 10 are examples, and are not intended to limit the present embodiment.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the external configuration of the remote control device 10, (A) is a front view, and (B) is a right side view. In this example, the remote control device 10 has a horizontally long casing, and the front surface is an operation surface as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in (B), a groove 19 is provided on the side surface of the remote control device 10, and a rail 21 provided on the inner side surface of the holder member 20 fixed to the wall surface 22 as shown on the right side of the figure. The remote control device 10 can be detachably attached to the wall surface 22 by being slid from the upper side and inserted.

  A battery box and a microcomputer (not shown) are provided in the casing of the remote control device 10. The microcomputer performs various processes using the battery stored in the battery box as a power source. The power from the battery is also consumed for switching the display on the display unit 16, which will be described later, transmitting and receiving wireless signals, playing music from a speaker (not shown), and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, operation button portions 14a and 14b, a display portion 16, and an allocation change button 18 are provided on the front of the remote control device. The operation button portions 14 a and 14 b are composed of a plurality of buttons for operating the operation of the toilet body 50 and the display on the display unit 16. Any of various functions is assigned in advance to the buttons provided in the operation button portions 14a and 14b. Therefore, the remote control device 10 specifies a function corresponding to the button pressed by the user, and transmits a radio signal from the transmission / reception unit 12 or switches the display of the display unit 16 accordingly.

  For example, the operation button portion 14a is provided with a toilet seat opening / closing button, a toilet cleaning button, a human body local cleaning button, and a button for stopping it. The operation button unit 14 b is provided with a power button of the remote control device 10 and an operation button for display contents of the display unit 16. The display unit 16 is a display device for providing necessary information to the user, and changes the display content according to the situation at that time and the operation of the user. In the present embodiment, the display unit 16 is a non-volatile display device that maintains display even when power is not supplied.

  Non-volatile display devices have been put into practical use in the form of electronic paper and electrophoretic displays, and various techniques such as electrophoresis and powder transfer have been proposed. For example, an electrophoretic method using microcapsules is a display method in which microcapsules in which white and black particles positively and negatively charged are encapsulated together with a fluid are used as pixels. The color of particles that migrate inside the capsule and collect on the surface is controlled to be white or black. Even if voltage application is stopped after collecting particles of a desired color on the surface, the state is maintained, so that non-volatile display can be performed.

  As described above, the non-volatile display device has a characteristic that power is consumed only when the display content is changed, and the display content is maintained even when the power supply is cut off, regardless of the method. In the present embodiment, by introducing a non-volatile display technique as the display unit 16, power consumed for display is suppressed. Note that the detailed configuration of the nonvolatile display device can be variously considered depending on the method as described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The allocation change button 18 is a button that can change the function allocation according to the operation content and the situation of the toilet body 50. On the screen of the display unit 16, the function assigned at that time is displayed immediately above each button so that the user can recognize the correspondence between the button and the function. The remote control device 10 identifies the function corresponding to the button pressed by the user based on the assignment at that time, and transmits a radio signal from the transmission / reception unit 12 or switches the display of the display unit 16 accordingly. .

  As described above, when the display unit 16 is realized by a non-volatile display device, the power consumption time is limited, and the power consumption of the display unit 16 is reduced compared to a remote control device having a general display function that requires power continuously. Consumption is reduced. In particular, since the remote control device 10 for a toilet room as in the present embodiment tends to have limited time and timing seen by a person, it is a special effect that power consumption can be suppressed during other periods. On the other hand, in a non-volatile display device, depending on the method, the content displayed immediately before the display may remain thin despite the display being updated.

  Therefore, in order to keep the display easy to see at all times, it is necessary to perform a refresh operation such as displaying a black filled image and a white filled image for a short time. In this embodiment, it is estimated based on a predetermined criterion that it is not seen by a person, and a refresh operation is actively performed during that period, so that a good display is always maintained during the period when the person is looking. It is possible to reduce power consumption and make the display easy to see.

  FIG. 3 shows functional block configurations of the remote control device 10 and the toilet body 50. Each block shown here can be realized in hardware by an element such as a CPU of a computer, a display device, and a mechanical device, and in software by a computer program or the like. Depicts functional blocks realized by. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The remote control device 10 includes an operation reception unit 24, a communication unit 26, an absence determination unit 28, a display control unit 32, and an image data storage unit 31. The operation accepting unit 24 is realized by the buttons constituting the operation button units 14a and 14b shown in FIG. 2, the allocation change button 18, an internal microcomputer, and the like, and the function corresponding to the button pressed by the user. After specifying the operation content, the communication unit 26, absence determination unit 28, and display control unit 32 are notified of the information.

  The communication unit 26 is realized by the microcomputer and the transmission / reception unit 12 shown in FIG. 1, etc., and generates a radio signal indicating the operation content of the user based on the notification from the operation reception unit 24 and transmits it to the toilet body 50. . Moreover, the radio signal which inquires about the detection result of a human body is transmitted to the toilet bowl main body 50 as needed, and the radio signal which shows the detection result transmitted from the toilet bowl main body 50 according to it is received.

  The absence determination unit 28 is realized by a microcomputer or the like, and determines the presence / absence of a person around the toilet body 50 based on a predetermined determination criterion. Although specific examples of the determination criteria will be described later, by utilizing the functions originally possessed by each user such as the presence / absence of the user's operation on the remote control device 10 itself and the detection / non-detection of the human body in the toilet body 50, Introduction at a low cost is possible. When determining from the presence / absence of an operation by the user, the absence determination unit 28 acquires the information from the operation reception unit 24. When the human body detection information from the toilet body 50 is used, the absence determination unit 28 makes an inquiry after inquiring the detection result via the communication unit 26 or obtaining the result from the communication unit 26. In any case, the absence determination unit 28 is appropriately provided with a timer for measuring the elapsed time.

  The display control unit 32 is realized by a microcomputer and the display unit 16 shown in FIG. 2 and the like, and changes the display content according to the operation content by the user notified from the operation reception unit 24. By configuring the display unit 16 with a non-volatile display device as described above, power consumption related to display occurs only when the contents are changed. Data such as an image to be displayed and a screen configuration are stored in the image data storage unit 31 in association with an assumed situation. The display control unit 32 also refreshes the display screen at a predetermined timing during the period in which the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence of a person around the toilet body 50.

  Further, the display control unit 32 hides at least the current time among the information displayed during the normal period during the period when the absence of the person is determined. When the current time is displayed, even if the display unit 16 is a non-volatile display device, power is consumed to update the number every minute, for example. Thus, by not displaying the current time in a period that is estimated not to be seen by a person, it is possible to further reduce power consumption without apparently affecting the user. Note that the refresh operation of the screen and the deletion of the current time display during the period in which the absence of the person is determined may be performed in combination, or only one of them may be performed.

  The toilet body 50 includes a communication unit 60, an operation control unit 62, and a human body detection unit 64. The communication unit 60 is realized by the transmission / reception unit 56 and the microcomputer built in the toilet main body 50 shown in FIG. 1, receives a radio signal transmitted from the remote control device 10, and receives the radio signal transmitted to the toilet main body 50 by the user. Identify the operation. In addition, a radio signal indicating the result of human body detection performed on the toilet body 50 side is generated and transmitted to the remote control device 10. The operation control unit 62 is realized by a microcomputer and a mechanical device that is under the control of the microcomputer and implements each function of the toilet body 50, and operates the mechanical device so as to correspond to the operation content specified by the communication unit 60. Note that the operation control unit 62 may appropriately operate the mechanical device also by an operation on the main body switch 58 shown in FIG.

  The human body detection unit 64 is realized by the seating sensor 54 or the microcomputer shown in FIG. 1, detects a state where the user is seated on the toilet seat, and notifies the operation control unit 62 of the result. The operation control unit 62 operates the corresponding mechanical device according to the detection result of the human body detection unit 64, for example, when the user is seated, activates the deodorizing fan, and when the user stands up, cleans the toilet bowl. The human body detection unit 64 causes the communication unit 60 to transmit a signal indicating the detection result when an inquiry about the detection result is made from the remote control device 10.

  The sensor that detects the human body in the toilet body 50 is not limited to the seating sensor 54. For example, in the case of a toilet equipped with a function that automatically opens the toilet lid according to the approach of the person or a function that automatically lowers the toilet seat when a person moves away, the upper surface of the lid or the lower surface of the toilet seat is used for these functions. The provided sensors can be used as well. Specific human body detection methods using these sensors can appropriately employ a technique that has been put to practical use, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  FIG. 4 shows a transition example of the screen displayed on the display unit 16. In the figure, for easy understanding, four allocation change buttons 18 provided on the lower side of the display unit 16 are also shown. First, the screen 70 is an example of a screen displayed in a normal state such as when the remote control device 10 is turned on. The screen 70 includes a “cleaning strength” display unit 100 indicating the strength (momentum) of the cleaning water ejected from the nozzle, a current time display unit 102, and an allocation display unit 104 of the allocation change button 18.

  The “cleaning strength” display unit 100 represents six levels of strength of the cleaning water with six circles, and represents the current setting with the number of filled circles. The number of filled circles is increased or decreased in response to pressing of a button for adjusting the cleaning strength in the operation button unit 14a shown in FIG. The current time display unit 102 displays the current time measured by a clock built in the remote control device 10. That is, the current time display unit 102 changes with time. The assignment display unit 104 displays the function currently assigned to each of the assignment change buttons 18 in the form of characters or symbols immediately above each button. In the case of the figure, it can be seen that “drying”, “deodorization”, “music”, and “care” are assigned in order from the left button.

  If any of the allocation change buttons 18 is pressed in this state, the operation screen specialized for only the corresponding function and the case where the toilet main body 50 is operated by transmitting a radio signal indicating the corresponding function by the button. When switching to the display. In the latter case, a new function is assigned to the allocation change button 18 as necessary to correspond to the operation screen, and as a result, the display of the allocation display unit 104 also changes. Note that the illustrated functions are merely examples, and various functions can be assigned according to the functions provided in the remote control device 10 or the toilet body 50.

  Here, when the home screen displayed when no operation is performed is the screen 70, the lower the frequency of use of the toilet, the longer it takes to display the screen 70. If the remote control device 10 is operated by the user after being left in such a state and the display is updated as described above, the updated screen may become unclear due to the afterimage of the screen 70. In addition, the setting status and button assignment may be difficult to understand.

  If the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence of a person, the display control unit 32 performs a refresh operation. Specifically, for example, a black filled image is displayed on the entire screen for a predetermined time like the screen 72, and then a white filled image is displayed on the whole screen for a predetermined time like the screen 74, for example. Then, the display is returned to the original screen 70. Here, the predetermined time may be, for example, a short time around 1 second. By performing this refresh operation at predetermined time intervals during a period in which the absence of a person is determined, the screen 70 is less likely to remain as an afterimage during the next operation. By performing the refresh operation only when the person is absent, a good display state is always maintained for the user. Note that the illustrated refresh operation is an example, and any of operations performed in an electronic book or the like may be employed.

  FIG. 5 shows another example of the transition of the screen displayed on the display unit 16. First, the screen 80 is the same as the screen 70 of FIG. 4, and is an example of a display screen in a normal state that includes the “cleaning strength” display unit 100, the current time display unit 102, and the allocation display unit 104 of the allocation change button 18. It is. If the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence of the person, the display control unit 32 hides at least the current time display unit 102 and switches the display to the screen 82, for example. In this example, the “cleaning strength” display unit 100 together with the current time display unit 102 is not displayed, and only the allocation display unit 104 is left. However, display / non-display of the configuration other than the current time display unit 102 may be arbitrarily set.

  On the screen 82 in which the current time display unit 102 is not displayed, there is no target for which the display is automatically updated, and thus it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of power even if a person is not watching. However, by continuing the display of the assignment display unit 104, it is possible to prepare for a case where a person at a position where the presence cannot be detected tries to operate the assignment change button 18. The display control unit 32 continues to display the screen 82 during the period in which the absence of the person is determined. When the absence period ends, that is, when the presence of the person is detected, the display control unit 32 returns the display to the original screen 80. When combined with the refresh operation shown in FIG. 4, processing such as reversing the entire screen to black / white using the screen 82 as an initial screen may be performed periodically.

  Next, the operation of the remote control device 10 realized by the configuration described so far will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing related to the refresh operation and time display performed by the remote control device 10 in the present embodiment. This flowchart starts when the remote control apparatus 10 is turned on and can accept operations. At this time, the absence determination unit 28 starts monitoring whether or not the person is absent (S10). Specifically, collection of information such as presence / absence of operation in the operation receiving unit 24 and human body detection result in the toilet body 50 is started.

  On the other hand, the display control unit 32 reads out the image data as shown on the screen 70 of FIG. 4 from the image data storage unit 31 and displays the data. As a result, the current time is also displayed (S12). As a result of the monitoring by the absence determination unit 28, while the absence of the person is not determined (N in S14), the operation reception unit 24 receives the operation of the user, and the communication unit 26 appropriately transfers to the toilet body 50 accordingly. A radio signal is transmitted, or the display control unit 32 updates the display. At the same time, the display control unit 32 continues to update the current time display (S12).

  When the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence of a person (Y in S14), the display control unit 32 that has received the notification hides the current time (S16) and performs a screen refresh operation (S18). During the period in which the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence of a person (N in S20), the display control unit 32 continues to monitor the passage of time (N in S22), and performs a refresh operation every time a predetermined time elapses. (Y of S22, S18). In addition, when periodically determining the absence of a person, the cycle and the refresh operation cycle may be set independently. When the absence determination unit 28 determines that the person's absence period has ended (Y in S20), the display control unit 32 restores the display and restores the display of the current time (S12). On the other hand, the absence determination unit 28 continues to monitor whether or not the person is absent (S14). While the absence of a person is not determined (N in S14), the refresh operation is not performed. As described above, one of the non-display processing at the current time in S16 and the refresh operation in S18 may be omitted.

  7 to 9 are time charts showing processing procedures for the absence determination unit 28 to determine the absence of a person in S14 of FIG. First, FIG. 7 shows a determination procedure when the presence / absence of a user operation on the remote control device 10 is used as a determination criterion. The upper part of the figure shows the timing when the user operates the remote control device 10, and the lower part shows the timing when the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence. In the illustrated example, the absence determination unit 28 holds either the presence / absence state of a person in an internal register or the like, and notifies the display control unit 32 when the person's absence period starts and ends. To do. Alternatively, the presence / absence is periodically notified to the display control unit 32. The same applies to the embodiments shown in FIGS.

  In this example, after the operation button is operated (S30), when there is no operation and a predetermined time t1 has elapsed, the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence of a person. If the operation button is not operated as it is, it is assumed that the absence state continues. Next, when the operation button is operated (S32), it is determined that the absence state has ended. The time t1 is determined in consideration of the time until the user leaves the toilet room after the user operates the remote control device 10 during normal use of the toilet. For example, the time t1 is set to 3 minutes with allowances. According to this aspect, since the process for determination is completed within the remote control apparatus 10, the power consumption required for signal transmission / reception is not required.

  FIG. 8 shows a determination procedure when the human body detection result in the toilet main body 50 is used as a determination criterion. The upper part of the figure shows the timing for transmitting a signal for inquiring the detection result from the remote control device 10 to the toilet body 50, the middle part shows the period during which the human body detection unit 64 of the toilet body 50 detects the human body, and the lower part shows the absence determination unit 28. Indicates the timing of determining absence. The remote control device 10 transmits an inquiry signal to the toilet main body 50 every predetermined time t2. However, once the refresh operation is performed, the time interval may not be constant, such as extending the time until the next inquiry.

  From the toilet body 50, the detection result at the time when the inquiry signal is received is returned to the remote control device 10. If the transmitted signal indicates that a human body has been detected, the absence determination unit 28 does not determine the absence of a person (S40). When a signal indicating that a person is not detected is transmitted next from that state, the absence determination unit 28 determines the start of the absence of a person (S42). Thereafter, it is assumed that the absence state continues while the signal indicating that the human body is not detected is transmitted (S44 to S48). Then, when a signal indicating that a human body has been detected is transmitted, it is determined that the absence state has ended (S50).

  Thus, by making an inquiry from the remote control device 10 and acquiring a detection result as a reply, the timing at which a signal is transmitted from the toilet body 50 can be controlled on the remote control device 10 side. Therefore, when the toilet main body 50 detects a human body, the time for waiting for a signal, that is, the operation time of the reception sensor, is remarkably shortened as compared with the case where a signal is received at any time, and the power consumption can be suppressed. The inquiry time interval t2 is determined in consideration of the balance between the time resolution for determining absence and the power consumption, for example, 1 minute.

  FIG. 9 shows a determination procedure when both the presence / absence of a user operation on the remote control device 10 and the human body detection result in the toilet body 50 are used as determination criteria. The top of the figure shows the timing when the user operates the remote control device 10, the second shows the timing at which the remote control device 10 sends a signal inquiring the detection result to the toilet body 50, and the third shows the timing of the toilet body 50. The period when the human body detection unit 64 is detecting the human body, and the lowest level indicate the timing when the absence determination unit 28 determines the absence.

  In this example, when there is no operation after the operation button is operated and a predetermined time t3 has elapsed, an inquiry about the human body detection result from the remote control device 10 to the toilet body 50 is started. The remote control device 10 transmits an inquiry signal every predetermined time t4. From the toilet body 50, the detection result at the time when the inquiry signal is received is returned to the remote control device 10. The time t3 may be equal to or different from the time t1 shown in FIG. Similarly, the time t4 may be equal to or different from the time t2 shown in FIG.

  The determination process based on the signal transmitted from the toilet main body 50 is the same as that shown in FIG. That is, if the transmitted signal indicates that a human body has been detected, the absence determination unit 28 does not determine the absence of a person (S60). Next, when a signal indicating that no person is detected is transmitted, the absence of the person is determined (S62), and while the signal indicating that no human body is detected is transmitted, the absence state continues. (S64). Next, when a signal indicating that a human body has been detected is transmitted, it is determined that the absence state has ended (S66).

  Note that even when the operation button of the remote control device 10 itself is operated before receiving a signal indicating that a person has been detected, the absence determination unit 28 determines that the absence state has ended. Further, when it is determined that the absence state has ended, the inquiry from the remote control device 10 is suspended. Then, the inquiry is resumed when the time t3 elapses without any operation after the operation button is operated. In this way, the frequency of communication with the toilet main body 50 is reduced as compared with the case of FIG. 8, and thus power consumption can be suppressed. Moreover, since the absence of a person is determined from a plurality of viewpoints, the accuracy of the determination is increased. For example, when the user sits on the toilet seat for a long time without operation, or performs operations for `` care '' without sitting on the toilet seat, the user is mistakenly determined to be absent. Can be avoided.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment described above, the non-volatile display device is provided in the remote control device. In addition, afterimages peculiar to the nonvolatile display device are erased by the refresh operation only during a period in which it is estimated that a person is not in the vicinity. As a result, a good screen display with little afterimage is always maintained for the user, and both reduction in power consumption and ease of viewing the screen can be achieved. In addition, a refresh operation is suddenly performed while watching, and it is possible to avoid the user from feeling uncomfortable or misunderstanding that the apparatus is out of order.

  Further, in order to determine the absence of a person, the presence / absence of an operation on the remote control device itself or the result of human body detection in the toilet body is used. Due to the characteristics of the toilet room, if the remote control device is not operated for several minutes or more, the estimation that there is no person in the toilet room is more accurate than the remote control device used in other rooms. Therefore, by determining the absence of a person based on whether or not there is an operation on the remote control device, it is possible to determine the absence of a person with high accuracy easily and at low cost. Moreover, since the human body detection means in the toilet bowl main body can be used as it is for the original function of the toilet bowl, this embodiment can be introduced at low cost.

  At this time, by transmitting the human body detection result from the toilet body in response to an inquiry from the remote control device, the time for waiting for signal reception is limited, and power consumption for communication can be minimized. . Further, the power for updating the time display can be saved by erasing the display of the current time in the absence period of the person. Similar to the refresh operation, the time is not displayed only during a period in which it is estimated that a person is not in the vicinity, so that there is no change in appearance and the power consumption can be further reduced.

  The remote control device according to the embodiment has been described above. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to combinations of the respective components, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Remote control apparatus, 12 Transmission / reception part, 16 Display part, 24 Operation reception part, 26 Communication part, 28 Absence determination part, 32 Display control part, 50 Toilet body, 56 Transmission / reception part, 60 Communication part, 64 Human body detection part.

Claims (4)

A remote control device that controls the operation of the main unit by transmitting a radio signal in response to an operation by a user,
A non-volatile display for displaying predetermined information related to the operation;
An absence determination unit that determines the absence of a person based on a predetermined determination criterion;
With
The display unit performs a refresh operation for changing the color of a pixel during a period when the absence determination unit determines the absence of a person ,
The absence control unit determines the absence of a person based on a determination criterion that no operation on the remote control device occurs for a predetermined time . The absence judging unit, said acquired by the communication detection result by the human body detection sensor 90 provided in the main apparatus, according to claim human body and judging the absence of the human as a criterion that are not detected 1 The remote control device for toilets described in 1. A remote control device that controls the operation of the main unit by transmitting a radio signal in response to an operation by a user,
A non-volatile display for displaying predetermined information related to the operation;
An absence determination unit that determines the absence of a person based on a predetermined determination criterion;
With
The display unit performs a refresh operation for changing the color of a pixel during a period when the absence determination unit determines the absence of a person,
The absence determination unit obtains a detection result by a human body detection sensor provided in the main body device by communication when an operation on the remote control device does not occur for a predetermined time, and determines that a human body is not detected. remote control device for a toilet, which comprises determining the absence of human as. Wherein the display unit, in a period in which the human absence by the absence determination unit determines, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the non-display the current time that has been displayed so far Remote control device for toilets.

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