JP7435646B2 - toilet equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to toilet devices.

Patent Document 1 discloses that in a toilet seat device equipped with an image sensor on the back side of the toilet seat, in order to prevent the imaging range of the image sensor from shifting or being damaged due to the image sensor coming into contact with the top surface of the toilet bowl due to the toilet seat being bent by sitting on the toilet seat, A toilet seat device is disclosed in which a holding structure is provided on the back surface of the toilet seat device.

JP 2021-101783 Publication

However, providing a new holding structure on the back surface of the toilet seat increases the unevenness on the back surface of the toilet seat, which may reduce design and cleanability.

The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to provide a toilet device that can prevent the imaging range of the image sensor from shifting and damage while suppressing the deterioration in design and cleaning performance. provide.

In order to solve the above problems, a toilet device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a toilet seat placed above the toilet bowl, a plurality of legs protruding downward from the back surface of the toilet seat, and inside the toilet seat, An image sensor is provided at a position overlapping at least one of the plurality of legs when the toilet seat is viewed from the back side, and captures an image of the interior of the toilet bowl of the toilet bowl.

According to this configuration, when the user sits on the toilet seat and the toilet seat flexes, the image sensor located at the position overlapping the legs is more sensitive to the flexure than when the image sensor is located at a position other than the position overlapping the legs. This makes it possible to prevent deviations in the imaging range of the image sensor and damage. Further, compared to the case where the image sensor is provided only inside the leg, the vertical dimension of the leg does not need to be increased in order to provide the image sensor. Moreover, since the stress applied to the toilet seat can be kept to a minimum by sitting, it is possible to suppress the displacement and detachment of the sensor element and lens of the image sensor. Furthermore, according to this configuration, since the image sensor is provided inside the toilet seat and there is no holding structure for the image sensor on the back side of the toilet seat, it is possible to suppress the increase in unevenness on the back side of the toilet seat, thereby improving the design. It is possible to suppress deterioration in performance and cleanability.

In the toilet device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the front side as seen from the user sitting on the toilet seat is the front side and the rear side as seen from the user sitting on the toilet seat is the rear side, the plurality of legs are The image sensor includes two front legs located in front of the toilet seat and protruding downward from the back surface of the toilet seat, and two rear legs located at the rear of the toilet seat and protruding below from the back surface of the toilet seat. , the seat is provided at a position overlapping with at least one of the two front leg parts when the toilet seat is viewed from the back side.

According to this configuration, compared to the case where the toilet is provided at a position overlapping the rear leg, it is possible to photograph the stool that has entered the back of the toilet bowl's drainage channel. It is possible to accurately determine the properties and size of Further, according to this configuration, the image sensor is provided inside the toilet seat at a position that overlaps one of the two front legs when the toilet seat is viewed from the back side. Compared to the case where the front leg is provided inside the front leg, the front leg can be made smaller and has an excellent design.

The toilet device according to the third aspect of the present invention is configured such that when the toilet seat is closed toward the top surface of the toilet bowl, the front legs come into contact with the top surface of the toilet bowl after the rear legs come into contact with the top surface of the toilet bowl. .

According to this configuration, even if there is force when closing the toilet seat toward the top of the toilet, the front legs contact the top of the toilet after the rear legs and the top of the toilet come into contact and absorb the impact. Therefore, even if the image sensor is provided inside the toilet seat located above the front legs, it is possible to prevent the imaging range of the image sensor from shifting due to impact.

In the toilet device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the toilet seat is closed, the inner surface of the front leg portion is flush with the inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the toilet bowl or is located inside the toilet bowl than the inner peripheral surface. .

According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the toilet bowl from being reflected in the field of view of the image sensor.

In the toilet device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the image sensor is provided at the rear of the front leg.

According to this configuration, compared to the case where the image sensor is provided in front of the front legs, for example, even if the bottom surface of the toilet bowl has an uneven shape, it is possible to prevent the formation of a blind spot in the imaging area of the image sensor. It can be suppressed.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toilet device that can prevent a shift in the imaging range of an image sensor and damage while suppressing deterioration in design and cleaning performance.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet room in which a toilet device is installed. FIG. 2 is a front view of the toilet device with the toilet seat open. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the toilet bowl and the toilet seat of the toilet device. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

A toilet device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. 1 is a perspective view showing the toilet room R in which the toilet device 1 is installed, FIG. 2 is a front view of the toilet device 1 with the toilet seat 44 open, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toilet room R in which the toilet device 1 is installed. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the toilet bowl 2 and the toilet seat 44 of the toilet device 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 2. It is.

<Overall configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, a toilet bowl 2 is installed on a floor F of a toilet room R. The toilet bowl 2 is a large toilet bowl, and has a toilet bowl 21 for receiving the user's feces, and a rim 22 that stands around the toilet bowl 21. For example, when a user operates a washing operation unit (not shown) provided in the toilet room R, washing water is supplied to the toilet bowl 21, and the toilet bowl 21 is cleaned and feces are discharged from the toilet bowl 21. It will be done. The cleaning operation section may take various forms, such as an operation lever or a switch provided in the toilet room R.

The toilet device 1 is applied to this toilet bowl 2. The toilet device 1 includes an operating device 3 and a toilet seat device 4. In the following description, the front side as seen from the user seated on the toilet seat 44 (described later) will be referred to as "front", the rear as "rear", the left side as "left", and the right side as "right". Further, the upper side in the vertical direction is referred to as "upper", and the lower side in the vertical direction is referred to as "lower".

The operating device 3 is installed, for example, on the wall of the toilet room R. The operating device 3 has a plurality of switches (not shown) each corresponding to a plurality of operations of the toilet seat device 4 (for example, starting and stopping private part washing).

The toilet seat device 4 is attached to the upper part of the toilet bowl 2 and includes a toilet lid 41, a main body 42, a nozzle 43, and a toilet seat 44. The toilet seat device 4 may be detachably attached to the toilet bowl 2, or may be attached so as to be integrated with the toilet bowl 2.

The rear end of the toilet lid 41 is pivotally supported, and is configured to be rotatable between a posture that covers the toilet seat 44 and a posture that opens the toilet seat 44.

The main body 42 is placed behind and above the toilet bowl 2, and pivotally supports the toilet lid 41 and the toilet seat. A control device 42 a that controls various configurations of the toilet seat device 4 is provided inside the main body 42 . This control device 42a transmits a control signal to an image sensor 46 (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, to photograph the inside of the toilet bowl 21 after or during defecation of the user. The image sensor 46 transmits an image signal corresponding to the photographed image inside the toilet bowl 21 to the control device 42a. Upon receiving the image signal, the control device 42a determines the nature of the user's stool, ie, the presence or absence of stool, and at least one of the color, shape, size, and amount of the stool, based on a predetermined program. The control device 42a generates a signal corresponding to this determination result and transmits it to an external cloud service (not shown). By accessing this cloud service and obtaining the above-mentioned determination results, medical personnel and the like can grasp the user's health condition and provide advice based on the health condition.

The nozzle 43 is used for cleaning the user's private parts. The nozzle 43 is configured to be movable back and forth from the main body 42 into the toilet bowl 21 by an electric motor (not shown). When the electromagnetic valve (not shown) is opened when the nozzle 43 is located in the toilet bowl 21, the nozzle 43 discharges water toward the user's private parts.

The toilet seat 44 is placed in front of and above the toilet bowl 2. The toilet seat 44 is an element on which the user sits when defecating, and supports the user's buttocks with its seating surface 44a. The toilet seat 44 has an annular shape, and an opening 44b is formed in the center thereof. The opening 44b opens the toilet bowl 21 when the toilet seat 44 is placed on the rim 22. The rear end of the toilet seat 44 is pivoted, so that the toilet seat 44 can rotate between a position where it is placed on the rim 22 and a position where it is separated from the rim 22 and opens the toilet bowl 21 widely. It is considered possible.

As shown in FIG. 2, the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44 is provided with a plurality of legs 45 that protrude downward from the back surface 44c when the toilet seat 44 is closed. The plurality of leg parts 45 include two front leg parts 45a located in front of the toilet seat 44 and protruding downward from the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44, and two front leg parts 45a located at the rear of the toilet seat 44 and protruding downward from the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44. It includes two rear leg portions 45b.

Here, the toilet device 1 is configured such that when the toilet seat 44 is closed toward the top surface of the toilet bowl 2, the front leg portion 45a contacts the top surface of the toilet bowl 2 after the rear leg portion 45b contacts the top surface of the toilet bowl 2. ing. For example, when closing the toilet seat 44 toward the top surface of the toilet bowl 2, the plurality of legs 45 are arranged such that the front legs 45a contact the top surface of the toilet bowl 2 after the rear legs 45b contact the top surface of the toilet bowl 2. ing. Specifically, the two front leg portions 45a are arranged forward of the center point O1 of the opening 44b when the toilet seat 44 is closed. On the other hand, the two rear leg portions 45b are arranged behind the center point O1 of the opening 44b when the toilet seat 44 is closed. In addition, the length of the two rear legs 45b in the protruding direction is set to be longer than the length of the two front legs 45a in the protruding direction so that the rear legs 45b contact the top surface of the toilet bowl 2 before the front legs 45a. You can make it longer.

Further, an elastic member or a cushion member may be provided at the tip of the front leg portion 45a and/or the rear leg portion 45b in the protruding direction as a shock absorbing material for absorbing the shock when the toilet seat 44 is closed. Note that from the viewpoint of absorbing the initial impact, it is preferable to provide a shock absorbing material at the tip of the rear leg portion 45b in the protruding direction. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the influence on the image sensor 46, which will be described later, it is preferable to provide a shock absorbing material at the tip of the leg 45 in the protruding direction closest to the image sensor 46.

Further, an image is provided inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping with at least one of the plurality of legs 45 when the toilet seat 44 is viewed from the back surface 44c side, and an image of the inside of the toilet bowl 21 of the toilet bowl 2 is provided. A sensor 46 is provided. In this embodiment, the image sensor 46 is provided at a position overlapping with at least one of the two front leg sections 45a. That is, one or more image sensors 46 may be provided inside the toilet seat 44. If only one is provided inside the toilet seat 44, it is preferably provided at a position overlapping one of the two front leg portions 45a.

As shown in FIG. 3, an internal space V1 is formed in the toilet seat 44, and an internal space V2 is formed in the front leg portion 45a. The image sensor 46 is fixedly provided to the toilet seat 44 in an inclined state spanning the interior space V1 and the interior space V2. The image sensor 46 photographs an object existing within the field angle θ. Therefore, an opening 452 is formed in the inner wall 451 of the front leg portion 45a and/or the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44 so as not to block the angle of view θ. Note that a transparent member such as transparent glass or plastic may be provided in place of the aperture 452 so as not to block the angle of view θ. By providing this transparent member, it is possible to prevent mechanical elements inside the toilet seat 44, such as the image sensor 46 and a heater (not shown), from becoming dirty or damaged due to scattering of urine from the user.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the toilet seat 44 is closed, the inner surface 451a of the front leg portion 45a is flush with the inner circumferential surface 22a at the upper end of the toilet bowl 2, or is closer to the inner side of the toilet bowl 2 than the inner circumferential surface 22a. Preferably located. In other words, it is preferable that the imaginary line L2 passing through the inner surface 451a of the front leg portion 45a coincide with the imaginary line L1 passing through the inner circumferential surface 22a of the upper end of the toilet bowl 2, or be located inside the toilet bowl 2. .

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, it is preferable that the image sensor 46 is provided behind the front leg part 45a rather than the center line O2 of the front leg part 45a. In addition, when providing a lighting device 47 for illuminating the range of the viewing angle θ of the image sensor 46 together with the image sensor 46, it is possible to properly illuminate the toilet bowl 21 without creating a shadow area, and to It is more preferable that the image sensor 46 is provided at the rear of the illumination device 47 from the viewpoint of illuminating the depths with light.

<Effect>
According to the above configuration, when the user sits on the toilet seat 44 and the toilet seat 44 is bent, the leg portion overlaps with the leg portion 45 without increasing the vertical dimension of the leg portion in order to accommodate the image sensor 46. The image sensor 46 located at this position is less susceptible to the effects of deflection than when the image sensor 46 is located at a position other than the position overlapping the leg portion 45, and it is possible to prevent the imaging range of the image sensor 46 from shifting or being damaged. Further, compared to the case where the image sensor 46 is provided only inside the leg portion 45, the vertical dimension of the leg portion 45 does not need to be increased in order to provide the image sensor 46. Moreover, since the stress applied to the toilet seat 44 can be kept to a minimum by sitting, it is possible to suppress the displacement and detachment of the sensor element and lens of the image sensor 46. Furthermore, since the image sensor 46 is provided inside the toilet seat 44 and there is no holding structure for the image sensor 46 on the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44, it is possible to suppress the increase in unevenness on the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44, and thereby It is possible to suppress deterioration in design quality and cleaning performance. Furthermore, if the image sensor 46 is provided across the interior space V1 of the toilet seat 44 and the interior space V2 of the leg portion 45 as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to enlarge the interior space V1 for the image sensor 46. Therefore, the toilet seat 44 can be made smaller.

The plurality of leg parts 45 include two front leg parts 45a that are located in front of the toilet seat 44 and protrude downward from the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44, and two front leg parts 45a that are located in the rear of the toilet seat 44 and protrude below from the back surface 44c of the toilet seat 44. The image sensor 46 is provided inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping one of the two front legs 45a when the toilet seat 44 is viewed from the back surface 44c side. It is being

According to this configuration, compared to the case where the toilet bowl 2 is provided at a position overlapping with the rear leg portion 45b, it is possible to photograph the stool that has entered deeper than the entrance of the drainage channel of the toilet bowl 2, and based on the photographed image. , it is possible to accurately determine the properties and size of stool. Furthermore, since the image sensor 46 is provided inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping the front leg portion 45a, the front leg portion 45a can be made smaller compared to the case where the image sensor 46 is provided inside the front leg portion 45a. It has excellent design.

Further, when closing the toilet seat 44 toward the top surface of the toilet bowl 2, the front leg portion 45a is configured to contact the top surface of the toilet bowl 2 after the rear leg portion 45b comes into contact with the top surface of the toilet bowl 2.

According to this configuration, even if there is force when closing the toilet seat 44 toward the top surface of the toilet bowl 2, after the rear legs 45b and the top surface of the toilet bowl 2 come into contact and absorb the impact, the front legs 45a move toward the top of the toilet bowl 2. Even if the image sensor 46 is provided inside the toilet seat 44 located above the front leg portion 45a, it is possible to prevent the imaging range of the image sensor 46 from shifting due to impact.

Furthermore, when the toilet seat 44 is closed, the inner surface 451a of the front leg portion 45a is flush with the inner circumferential surface 22a at the upper end of the toilet bowl 2, or is located on the inner side of the toilet bowl 2 than the inner circumferential surface 22a.

According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the toilet bowl 2 from being reflected in the viewing angle θ of the image sensor 46.

Further, the image sensor 46 is provided at the rear of the front leg portion 45a.

According to this configuration, compared to the case where the image sensor 46 is provided in front of the front leg portion 45a, even if the bottom surface shape of the toilet bowl 21 has an uneven shape, the imaging area of the image sensor 46 is The formation of blind spots can be suppressed.

<Modified example>
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In other words, the scope of the present invention includes modifications to the above-described embodiments made by those skilled in the art as long as they have the characteristics of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the image sensor 46 is provided inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping the front leg portion 45a, but it may also be provided inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping the rear leg portion 45b. good. In this case, from the viewpoint of photographing the stool that has entered deeper than the entrance of the drainage channel of the toilet bowl 2, it is preferable to arrange the rear leg portion 45b in front of the center point O1 of the opening 44b.

Further, although the case has been described in which the image sensor 46 is provided inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping the front leg 45a, the image sensor 46 may be provided only inside the toilet seat 44 at a position overlapping the front leg 45a. good.

Furthermore, although the plurality of legs 45 includes two front legs 45a and two rear legs 45b, it also includes a leg newly provided between the front legs 45a and the rear legs 45b. But that's fine. However, if a new leg section is provided, the design may deteriorate, so it is preferable that the plurality of leg sections 45 include only two front leg sections 45a and two rear leg sections 45b.

1: Toilet device, 2: Toilet bowl, 21: Toilet bowl, 22a: Inner peripheral surface, 44: Toilet seat, 44c: Back surface, 45: Legs, 45a: Front legs, 45b: Back legs, 46: Image sensor, 451a :Inner surface

Claims (4)

A toilet seat placed above the toilet bowl;
a plurality of legs protruding downward from the back surface of the toilet seat;
an image sensor that is provided inside the toilet seat at a position overlapping with at least one of the plurality of legs when the toilet seat is viewed from the back side, and that images the inside of the toilet bowl of the toilet bowl;
Equipped with
When viewed from the user sitting on the toilet seat, the front side is the front, and when viewed from the user sitting on the toilet seat, the rear side is the rear,
The plurality of legs include a front leg section located in front of the toilet seat and protruding downward from the back surface of the toilet seat, and a rear leg section located at the rear of the toilet seat and protruding below from the back surface of the toilet seat. ,
The toilet device is characterized in that the image sensor is provided inside the toilet seat at a position that overlaps with the front leg when the toilet seat is viewed from the back side . When the toilet seat is closed toward the top surface of the toilet bowl, the front legs are configured to come into contact with the top surface of the toilet bowl after the rear legs come into contact with the top surface of the toilet bowl. The toilet device according to item 1 . When the toilet seat is closed, the inner surface of the front leg portion is flush with the inner peripheral surface of the upper end of the toilet bowl, or is located inside the toilet bowl than the inner peripheral surface. The toilet device according to item 1 or 2 . The toilet device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the image sensor is provided behind the front leg.

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