JP7561581B2 - Toilet equipment - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a toilet device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a toilet device that includes a toilet body having a toilet bowl, a drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl, a pipe opening/closing means for opening and closing part of the drainage pipe, and a blowing means for blowing air into the drainage pipe. In order to prevent waste from adhering to the toilet bowl, this toilet device raises the water level in the toilet bowl by driving the blowing means with part of the drainage pipe closed by the pipe opening/closing means.

JP 2018-159202 A

As a result of further investigation into the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the present inventor has come to the following new realization. The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 focuses on the water level in the toilet bowl, but does not consider the water level of the seal water stored in the drain pipe. In relation to the water level of this seal water, there is room for improvement in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 in terms of adjusting the flow rate of water discharged through the drain pipe during toilet flushing (hereinafter referred to as the drain flow rate).

One of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide technology that can adjust the drainage flow rate during toilet flushing.

The toilet device disclosed herein comprises a toilet body having a toilet bowl, a drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and storing seal water therein, and a water level setting mechanism that can change the allowable water level, which is the maximum water level at which the seal water can be stored in the drainage pipe, while the seal water remains stored in the drainage pipe.

Another toilet device disclosed herein includes a toilet body having a toilet bowl, a drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and storing seal water therein, a jet discharge section that ejects water downstream of the drainage pipe and is located below the top of the drainage pipe, and a water level setting mechanism that can change the allowable water level, which is the maximum water level at which the seal water can be stored in the drainage pipe.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of a toilet apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is another side cross-sectional view of the toilet apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the valve member of FIG. 3 . 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the VI-VI cross section of FIG. 4. 1 is a configuration diagram of a toilet device according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is another configuration diagram of the toilet device of the first embodiment. 4 is a flow chart showing operations related to toilet flushing in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a first operation diagram related to the toilet flushing of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a second operation diagram related to the toilet flushing of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a third operation diagram related to the toilet flushing of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a fourth operation diagram related to the toilet flushing of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a fifth operational diagram related to the toilet flushing of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a toilet apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is another side cross-sectional view of the toilet apparatus of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a toilet device according to a third embodiment. 13 is a flow chart showing operations related to toilet flushing in the third embodiment. 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating operations related to toilet flushing in the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a toilet device according to a fourth embodiment. 13 is a flow chart showing operations related to toilet flushing in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of a toilet apparatus according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a toilet apparatus according to a modified embodiment.

The following describes the embodiments. Identical components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted. In each drawing, components are omitted, enlarged, or reduced as appropriate for ease of explanation. The drawings should be viewed according to the orientation of the reference numerals. In this specification, "attachment" and "connection" include cases where the conditions mentioned are met directly by two parties, as well as cases where the conditions are met via other members, unless otherwise specified.

The positional relationships of the components will be explained below using three mutually perpendicular directions. These directions are the front-rear direction X, the left-right direction (not shown), and the up-down direction Z. The front-rear direction X and the left-right direction are horizontal directions, and correspond to the front-rear, left-right, and front-rear directions of a person sitting in a normal position on the toilet seat 11 mounted on the toilet body 14. The up-down direction Z is a vertical direction.

(First embodiment) Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows a state in which a valve member 44, described later, is in an open position Pa1, and Figure 2 shows a state in which the valve member 44 is in a closed position Pa2. The toilet device 10 mainly comprises a toilet body 14 having a toilet bowl 12 for receiving waste, a drainage pipe 16 connected to the toilet bowl 12, and a water level setting mechanism 18 capable of setting the allowable water level (described later) of the sealing water Wa stored in the drainage pipe 16.

The toilet body 14 of this embodiment is made of ceramic. There are no particular limitations on the material of the toilet body 14, and it may be made of, for example, resin, metal, etc. The toilet body 14 is a Western-style toilet. The toilet body 14 of this embodiment is a wash-down type that flushes away waste using the difference in height caused by the rise in the water level of the accumulated water Wb in the toilet bowl 12. The toilet body 14 includes a rim portion 20 that constitutes the upper end portion of the toilet bowl 12. The inner circumferential surface of the rim portion 20 constitutes a portion of the range extending downward from the upper end opening 12a of the toilet bowl 12.

The toilet device 10 is equipped with discharge sections 22A, 22B that discharge water into the toilet body 14. The discharge sections 22A, 22B include a rim discharge section 22A provided in the rim section 20 and a jet discharge section 22B that discharges water toward the downstream side of the drainage pipe 16.

The rim discharge portion 22A in this embodiment is provided as part of the toilet body 14 and is a rim discharge hole that opens into the inner circumferential surface of the rim portion 20. Alternatively, the rim discharge portion 22A may be a nozzle or the like that is separate from the toilet body 14. The rim discharge portion 22A discharges water supplied through a water supply device 72 (described later). The rim discharge portion 22A forms a cleaning water flow that cleans the inside of the toilet bowl 12 by discharging water into the toilet bowl 12.

The jet discharge section 22B in this embodiment is provided as part of the toilet body 14 and is a jet discharge hole that opens into the inner wall surface of the drain pipe 16. Alternatively, the jet discharge section 22B may be a nozzle or the like that is separate from the toilet body 14. The jet discharge section 22B is provided below the lowest position (described later) of the water channel top 42 of the drain pipe 16. The jet discharge section 22B discharges water supplied through a water supply device 72 (described later). The jet discharge section 22B forms a jet water flow that promotes the discharge of waste by discharging water toward the downstream side of the drain pipe 16.

The drainage pipeline 16 is connected to a drain pipe 24 installed in the building. The drain pipe 24 in this embodiment is a floor drain specification installed on the floor F of the toilet room. The inlet 16a of the drainage pipeline 16 opens to the bottom of the toilet bowl 12. The drainage pipeline 16 includes a toilet drainage channel 26 that is provided in the toilet body 14 as part of the toilet body 14. The drainage pipeline 16 in this embodiment further includes a drain socket 28 that connects the toilet drainage channel 26 to the drain pipe 24, and a connection pipe 30 that connects the toilet drainage channel 26 to the drain socket 28. The toilet drainage channel 26 in this embodiment is made of ceramic throughout the entire range from the downstream end of the toilet drainage channel 26 toward the upstream side.

The drain pipe 16 includes an internal waterway 32 that is formed inside the drain pipe 16 and serves as a passageway for waste and the like. The internal waterway 32 includes an ascending waterway 34 that rises toward the downstream side, and a descending waterway 36 that is provided downstream of the ascending waterway 34 and descends toward the downstream side. In addition, the internal waterway 32 of this embodiment includes a straight waterway 38 that connects the ascending waterway 34 and the descending waterway 36. In this embodiment, the ascending waterway 34 is provided in the toilet drain pipe 26, and the descending waterway 36 is provided in the drain socket 28. The straight waterway 38 of this embodiment extends linearly backward toward the downstream side, and is provided inside the downstream end of the toilet drain pipe 26 and the connecting pipe 30.

The drain pipe 16 is provided in the toilet drainage channel 26 and has a water seal reservoir 40 capable of storing water seal Wa therein. The water seal reservoir 40 is provided from the inlet 16a of the drain pipe 16 toward the back of the drain pipe 16, in an area including the rising water channel 34. The water seal Wa blocks the flow of gas in the flow direction within the drain pipe 16. A portion of the water seal Wa is stored in the toilet bowl 12 as stored water Wb.

3 and 4. The internal waterway 32 has a waterway apex 42 provided between the ascending waterway 34 and the descending waterway 36. The waterway apex 42 forms at least the upper edge of the inner lower surface of the ascending waterway 34. In this embodiment, the waterway apex 42 is formed by the inner lower surface of the straight waterway 38 in addition to the ascending waterway 34. In this embodiment, the waterway apex 42 has a toilet portion 42a formed by the toilet drainage channel 26, and a valve portion 42b provided downstream of the toilet portion 42a and formed by a valve member 44 described later. The waterway apex 42 is the point that the water in the ascending waterway 34 must cross when flowing into the descending waterway 36 when the allowable water level of the seal water Wa is at the lower limit water level WL1 (described later). When water enters the drainage pipe 16 and exceeds the lowest point of the waterway top 42, the water overflows downstream from the waterway top 42, setting the allowable water level of the water seal Wa to the lower limit water level WL1 (described later).

The water level setting mechanism 18 can variably set the allowable water level, which is the maximum water level of the seal water Wa that can be stored in the drainage pipe 16. The "allowable water level" here refers to the maximum water level of the seal water Wa that can be stored in the drainage pipe 16 in an area including the seal water storage section 40 when the seal water Wa is in a stationary state. The "water level of the seal water Wa" here refers to the height position of the water surface Wc of the seal water Wa in the drainage pipe 16, and does not take into account the height position of the water surface Wd of the stored water Wb in the toilet bowl section 12 (see also Figures 1 and 2). The height position here refers to the position in the vertical direction Z.

Refer to Figures 3 to 5. The water level setting mechanism 18 of this embodiment includes a valve member 44 that can adjust the opening of the internal water passage 32 of the drain pipe 16. The valve member 44 can adjust the opening of a location other than the rising water passage 34, specifically, the opening of the straight water passage 38 downstream of the rising water passage 34. It can also be said that the valve member 44 can adjust the opening of a location of the water passage top 42 in the internal water passage 32. The valve member 44 is positioned downstream of the toilet portion 42a of the water passage top 42 in the internal water passage 32.

The valve member 44 of this embodiment is a bag body with a variable volume chamber 46. The valve member 44 of this embodiment is a bag body with a double-cylinder structure with an outer cylinder portion 48 and an inner cylinder portion 50. The variable volume chamber 46 is formed between the outer cylinder portion 48 and the inner cylinder portion 50. The outer cylinder portion 48 has an annular opening 52 for introducing and urging a pressure transmission medium into and out of the variable volume chamber 46, a pair of mounting portions 54 that form the periphery of the annular opening 52 and are attached to the drain pipe 16, and a bellows portion 56 that can expand and contract as the volume of the variable volume chamber 46 increases and decreases.

The valve member 44 has valve body portions 58A, 58B that can close at least a portion of the internal water passage 32. In this embodiment, the valve body portions 58A, 58B include a first valve body portion 58A (hereinafter referred to as the lower valve body portion 58A) provided on the lower side and a second valve body portion 58B (hereinafter referred to as the upper valve body portion 58B) provided on the upper side. The lower valve body portion 58A is formed by the lower portion of the inner cylinder portion 50, and the upper valve body portion 58B is formed by the upper portion of the inner cylinder portion 50.

The valve member 44 can adjust the opening of the internal water passage 32 by changing the volume of the variable volume chamber 46. More specifically, the valve member 44 increases the opening of the internal water passage 32 by contracting the variable volume chamber 46 (see FIG. 3). The valve member 44 decreases the opening of the internal water passage 32 by expanding the variable volume chamber 46 (see FIG. 4). Hereinafter, regarding the position of the valve member 44, within the range adjustable by the valve member 44, the position that maximizes the opening of the internal water passage 32 is referred to as the open position Pa1, and the position that minimizes the opening of the internal water passage 32 is referred to as the closed position Pa2. When the valve member 44 is in the open position Pa1, the flow rate of the fluid (e.g., water, etc.) that can flow through the internal water passage 32 is maximum. When the valve member 44 is in the closed position Pa2, the flow rate of the fluid that can flow through the internal water passage 32 is minimum.

The valve member 44 has an annular end surface 44a provided at the downstream end of the valve member 44. When the valve member 44 is in the open position Pa1, the annular end surface 44a has a recess 44b that is recessed toward the upstream side in a side view. The downstream end of the lower valve body 58A forms the portion of the recess 44b above the bottom 44c of the recess 44b. The downstream end of the upper valve body 58B forms the portion of the recess 44b below the bottom 44c of the recess 44b.

The valve member 44 of this embodiment forms a part of the internal water channel 32 therein. This condition is met at least when the valve member 44 is in the open position Pa1, and in this embodiment, it is also met when it is in the closed position Pa2. The valve member 44 of this embodiment forms at least a part of the inner lower surface of the internal water channel 32 by the lower valve body portion 58A in a cross section perpendicular to the center line CL1. This is met at least when the valve member 44 is in the open position Pa1, and in this embodiment, it is also met when the valve member 44 is in the closed position Pa2. In addition, the valve member 44 of this embodiment forms at least a part of the inner upper surface of the internal water channel 32 by the upper valve body portion 58 in a cross section perpendicular to the center line CL1. Here, the "inner lower surface" refers to, for example, the surface below the center line CL1 in the internal water channel 32, and the "inner upper surface" refers to the surface above the center line CL1 in the internal water channel 32. In this embodiment, the valve member 44 forms a straight water passage 38 as part of the internal water passage 32.

The valve member 44 in this embodiment forms an internal water channel 32 in a range that extends around the entire circumference of the center line CL1, upstream of the bottom 44c of the recess 44b. In this embodiment, this condition is met in the range in the center line direction Dd from the bottom 44c of the recess 44b to the upstream end of the valve member 44. The center line direction Dd here refers to the direction along the center line CL1 of the internal water channel 32. This condition is met regardless of the opening of the internal water channel 32 adjusted by the valve member 44.

See Figures 3, 4, and 6. The water level setting mechanism 18 can variably set the allowable water level of the water seal Wa by adjusting the opening degree of the internal water passage 32 with the valve member 44. In detail, when the lower valve body portion 58A is in the open position Pa1, it is arranged to extend along the center line CL1 of the internal water passage 32 and becomes a part of the inner circumferential surface around the center line CL1 of the internal water passage 32 (see Figure 3). At this time, the lower valve body portion 58A cannot dam the water seal Wa in the drain pipe 16 and forms the water passage top 42. At this time, the upper valve body portion 58B is also arranged to extend along the center line CL1 of the internal water passage 32 and becomes a part of the inner circumferential surface around the center line CL1 of the internal water passage 32. At this time, the allowable water level of the water seal Wa set by the water level setting mechanism 18 becomes the lower limit water level WL1 at a height position aligned with the lowest position 42c of the water passage top 42. Here, the lowest position 42c (see FIG. 6) refers to the lowest position in the water channel top 42 in a cross section perpendicular to the center line CL1 of the internal water channel 32. When at the lower limit water level WL1, the valve member 44 cannot dam the seal water Wa. When at the lower limit water level WL1, the portion of the valve member 44 that forms the internal water channel 32 can also be said to be shaped such that it does not form a step that protrudes upward in the internal water channel 32 on the way downstream.

When the lower valve body 58A is in the closed position Pa2, it protrudes upward from the inner lower surface of the internal waterway 32 and is arranged so that it becomes continuously higher toward the downstream side (see FIG. 4). At this time, the lower valve body 58A is capable of damming the sealing water Wa in the drainage pipe 16. At this time, the upper valve body 58B protrudes downward from the inner upper surface of the internal waterway 32 and is arranged so that it becomes continuously lower toward the downstream side. At this time, the allowable water level of the sealing water Wa set by the water level setting mechanism 18 is the upper limit water level WL2 at a height position aligned with the lowest position 58b of the upper end edge 58a of the lower valve body 58A. It can also be said that the water level setting mechanism 18 is capable of setting the allowable water level above the lowest position 42c of the waterway top 42.

In this way, the water level setting mechanism 18 can change the allowable water level of the seal water Wa within a water level range from the lower limit water level WL1 to the upper limit water level WL2. The water level setting mechanism 18 of this embodiment can set the allowable water level in stages within this water level range, specifically in two stages: the lower limit water level WL1 and the upper limit water level WL2. The water level setting mechanism 18 may also be able to set the allowable water level in three or more stages within this water level range, or may be able to set the allowable water level continuously within this water level range. The water level setting mechanism 18 of this embodiment can change the allowable water level without moving the toilet drainage channel 26.

The water level setting mechanism 18 can variably set the storage capacity of the seal water Wa in the drainage pipe 16 by changing the allowable water level of the seal water Wa. Here, "storage capacity of the seal water Wa" refers to the maximum amount of seal water Wa that can be stored in the drainage pipe 16 in an area including the seal water storage section 40 when the seal water Wa is in a stationary state. When the allowable water level of the seal water Wa is set to the lower limit water level WL1, the storage capacity of the seal water Wa is small. When the allowable water level of the seal water Wa is set to the upper limit water level WL2, the storage capacity of the seal water Wa is large.

The water level setting mechanism 18 of this embodiment can change the allowable water level of the seal water Wa while the seal water Wa is stored in the drainage pipe 16. For example, while the seal water Wa is stored in the drainage pipe 16, the water level setting mechanism 18 can raise the allowable water level of the seal water Wa from the lower limit water level WL1 to the upper limit water level WL2. The same is true for the process of lowering the allowable water level of the seal water Wa from the upper limit water level WL2 to the lower limit water level WL1. In order to satisfy the condition here of "seal water Wa being stored," the drainage pipe 16 does not have to be blocked by the seal water Wa. For example, when the allowable water level of the seal water Wa is at the lower limit water level WL1, the drainage pipe 16 does not have to be blocked by the seal water Wa.

The water level setting mechanism 18 of this embodiment can change the allowable water level of the water seal Wa within a water level range from a lower limit water level WL1 to an upper limit water level WL2 while the drainage pipe 16 remains blocked by the water seal Wa (see also Figures 1 and 2). This means that the water seal Wa can block the flow of gas in the drainage pipe 16 regardless of the allowable water level of the water seal Wa set by the water level setting mechanism 18. The allowable water level of the water seal Wa set by the water level setting mechanism 18 is set above the deepest point 40a of the inner upper surface of the water seal reservoir 40, regardless of where it is within the water level range.

The lower valve body portion 58A of the valve member 44 moves upward in the process of moving from the open position Pa1 to the closed position Pa2, and moves downward in the process of moving from the closed position Pa2 to the open position Pa1. The valve member 44 moves from the open position Pa1 to the closed position Pa2 by at least partially rising, and moves from the closed position Pa2 to the open position Pa1 by at least partially descending. From another perspective, the water level setting mechanism 18 raises the allowable water level by raising at least a portion of the valve member 44, and lowers the allowable water level by descending at least a portion of the valve member 44.

Refer to Figures 1 and 2. The toilet device 10 has an in-pipe space 60 provided in the drain pipe 16 downstream of the seal water Wa that blocks the drain pipe 16. The in-pipe space 60 is provided in the range from above the water surface Wc of the seal water Wa to the downstream end of the drain pipe 16. The in-pipe space 60 is connected to an escape space 64 provided separately from the atmospheric space 63 around the toilet device 10. The atmospheric space 63 here refers to a space filled with atmospheric air. The escape space 64 is used to release air from the in-pipe space 60 when the actual water level of the seal water Wa is raised while the drain pipe 16 is in a blocked state. The escape space 64 in this embodiment is formed by the internal space of the drain pipe 24. By providing the escape space 64 separately from the atmospheric space 63, it is possible to prevent odors from leaking into the atmospheric space 63 from the drain pipe 24 when the actual water level of the seal water Wa is raised.

The pipe space 60 has an upstream space 62 provided upstream of the valve member 44 in the closed position Pa2, a downstream space 64 provided downstream of the valve member 44 in the closed position Pa2, and an air vent path 66 connecting the upstream space 62 and the downstream space 64.

The upstream space 62 is provided in the drain pipe 16 in the range from the water surface Wc of the seal water Wa to the valve member 44 in the closed position Pa2. The downstream space 64 is provided in the range from the valve member 44 in the closed position Pa2 to the downstream end of the drain pipe 16. The upstream space 62 can also be considered to be provided upstream of the opening adjustment point by the valve member 44 in the drain pipe 16, and the downstream space 64 can be considered to be provided downstream of that opening adjustment point. The downstream space 64 is connected to the relief space 64 mentioned above.

In this embodiment, the air vent path 66 is formed between the lower valve body portion 58A and the upper valve body portion 58B of the valve member 44 (see also FIG. 6). The air vent path 66 is used to vent air from the upstream space 62 to the downstream space 64 when the actual water level of the seal water Wa is raised while the valve member 44 is placed in the closed position Pa2.

The effects of the above innovations will be explained below.

(A) The water level setting mechanism 18 can change the allowable water level of the seal water Wa. This allows the actual water level of the seal water Wa to be raised by using the water level setting mechanism 18 to raise the allowable water level of the seal water Wa and then performing a water addition operation (described later) (see FIG. 10B). As a result, the volume of air remaining in the pipe space 60 (hereinafter, "residual air") can be reduced compared to when the actual water level of the seal water Wa remains low. The more the volume of the remaining air in the pipe space 60 is reduced, the smaller the resistance caused by the remaining air to water attempting to pass through the drain pipe 16 can be. Therefore, it is easier to increase the drain flow rate during toilet flushing compared to when the allowable water level of the seal water Wa remains low. As a result, it is easier to adjust the drain flow rate during toilet flushing.

The water level setting mechanism 18 can change the allowable water level of the seal water Wa while the seal water Wa is stored in the drainage pipe 16. Therefore, compared to changing the allowable water level without storing the seal water Wa in the drainage pipe 16, the amount of water to be added to the toilet body 14 can be reduced when the allowable water level of the seal water Wa is raised and then the actual water level of the seal water Wa is raised by adding water, which is different from the case where the allowable water level is changed without storing the seal water Wa in the drainage pipe 16.

(B) The water level setting mechanism 18 can change the allowable water level of the water seal Wa within the range of the lower limit water level WL1 to the upper limit water level WL2 while the drainage pipe 16 remains blocked by the water seal Wa. Therefore, even if the water level setting mechanism 18 becomes inoperable due to the ingestion of a foreign object or the like, the water seal Wa can stably prevent backflow of odors. In particular, when the water level setting mechanism 18 operates in conjunction with the motor unit 100 (described later) that requires an external power source, the water level setting mechanism 18 becomes inoperable due to a power outage in the external power source. Even in this case, there is an advantage in that the effects described here can be obtained.

(C) By providing the escape space 64, the actual water level of the sealing water Wa can be easily raised while suppressing the resistance of the air remaining in the pipe space 60.

(D) By forming the air vent path 66, the actual water level of the sealing water Wa can be easily raised while suppressing the resistance of the air remaining in the downstream space 64.

Other features of the toilet device 10 will be described. Refer to FIG. 3. The drainage pipe 16 includes a pipe component 68 made of a pipe body that constitutes the drainage pipe 16. In this embodiment, the pipe component 68 is a connection pipe 30. The toilet drainage channel 26 includes a cylindrical connected portion 26a provided at the downstream end of the toilet drainage channel 26. The upstream end of the pipe component 68 is connected to the toilet drainage channel 26 with the connected portion 26a of the toilet drainage channel 26 inserted inside. The upstream end of the pipe component 68 is watertightly connected to the connected portion 26a of the toilet drainage channel 26 via a first seal member 70. The first seal member 70 is an annular elastic body and is disposed between the upstream end of the pipe component 68 and the connected portion 26a of the toilet drainage channel 26.

The conduit component 68 is detachably connected to the connected portion 26a of the toilet drainage channel 26. The conduit component 68 and the toilet drainage channel 26 can be attached and detached from each other by moving them relative to each other in the axial direction of the connected portion 26a of the toilet drainage channel 26. In this embodiment, the connected portion 36a extends rearward. This makes it possible to attach and detach the conduit component 68 to the toilet drainage channel 26 by moving the toilet body 14 relative to the conduit component 68 in the front-to-rear direction X.

(E) The water level setting mechanism 18 is disposed inside the pipeline component 68 and is attached to the pipeline component 68. In this embodiment, the water level setting mechanism 18 is attached to the pipeline component 68 by attaching a pair of mounting portions 54 of the valve member 44 to the pipeline component 68. This makes it possible to retrofit the water level setting mechanism 18 to the existing toilet device 10 by connecting a new pipeline component 68 to the existing toilet drainage path 26.

Refer to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows the valve member 44 in the open position Pa1, and Figure 8 shows the valve member 44 in the closed position Pa2. The toilet device 10 includes a water supply device 72 capable of supplying water to the toilet body 14, and a drive source 74 capable of driving the water level setting mechanism 18.

The water supply device 72 includes water supply passages 76A and 76B that serve as paths for water supplied from a water source 75 to the discharge portions 22A and 22B, on-off valves 78A and 78B that can open and close the water supply passages 76A and 76B, and a control unit 80 that can control the on-off valves 78A and 78B.

The water source is, for example, a water supply, a tank with a pump, etc. In this embodiment, the water supply passages 76A and 76B include a first water supply passage 76A for supplying water to the rim discharge portion 22A, and a second water supply passage 76B for supplying water to the jet discharge portion 22B.

The on-off valves 78A and 78B of this embodiment include a first on-off valve 78A capable of opening and closing the first water supply passage 76A, and a second on-off valve 78B capable of opening and closing the second water supply passage 76B. The on-off valves 78A and 78B of this embodiment are solenoid valves, that is, electrically driven valves. The on-off valves 78A and 78B may be motor-operated valves, which are another example of electrically driven valves. Alternatively, the on-off valves 78A and 78B may be three-way valves that are used in common for the first water supply passage 76A and the second water supply passage 76B. In this case, the first on-off valve 78A also serves as the second on-off valve 78B.

When the on-off valves 78A, 78B are open, water is supplied to the discharge ports 22A, 22B through the water supply passages 76A, 76B corresponding to the on-off valves 78A, 78B. As a result, water is discharged from the discharge ports 22A, 22B, and water is supplied to the toilet body 14. When the on-off valves 78A, 78B are closed, water supply to the toilet body 14 through the water supply passages 76A, 76B corresponding to the on-off valves 78A, 78B stops. As a result, water discharge from the discharge ports 22A, 22B stops, and water supply to the toilet body 14 stops.

The control unit 80 is, for example, a computer that combines hardware such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM with software. The control unit 80 is installed, for example, in a casing 82 (see FIG. 1) that is mounted on the rear of the toilet body 14.

The water supply device 72 can perform toilet flushing by supplying water to the toilet body 14. The toilet flushing is performed when a predetermined flushing start condition is met. An example of the flushing start condition here is that a flushing start command is obtained by the control unit 80. The flushing start command is input to the control unit 80 through an operation on an operating device such as a remote controller or smartphone. Another flushing start condition is, for example, that a flushing start operation is performed on an operating member such as a lever.

When flushing the toilet, the water supply device 72 of this embodiment can sequentially perform a rim flush, which supplies water only to the rim discharge portion 22A, and a jet flush, which supplies water to at least the jet discharge portion 22B. In addition, the water supply device 72 can perform a water collection operation, which supplies water to be used as sealing water to the toilet body 14 after the jet flush.

Rim flushing is performed by keeping the first opening/closing valve 78A open for a predetermined time t1. With rim flushing, a flushing water flow is formed inside the toilet bowl 12 by the water discharged from the rim discharge portion 22A. When performing the rim flush, the second opening/closing valve 78B is kept closed and water is not discharged from the jet discharge portion 22B. By performing the rim flushing, waste matter inside the toilet bowl 12 can be washed away.

Jet flushing is performed by keeping the second on-off valve 78B open for a predetermined time t2. Jet flushing creates a jet water flow in the drain pipe 16 by water discharged from the jet discharge portion 22B. When performing jet flushing, flushing water may or may not be discharged from the rim discharge portion 22A. By performing jet flushing, waste washed off by the rim flush can be expelled through the drain pipe 16. The above rim flushing and jet flushing allow for efficient toilet flushing with a small amount of flushing water.

Jet cleaning discharges much of the seal water Wa in the seal water storage section 40 of the drainage pipe 16, significantly lowering the actual water level. The water collecting operation is performed to raise the actual water level of the seal water Wa that was lowered by jet cleaning. The water collecting operation is performed by keeping the first opening/closing valve 78A open for a predetermined time t3. By the water collecting operation, the water discharged from the rim discharge section 22A is collected in the seal water storage section 40 of the drainage pipe 16 as part of the seal water Wa.

As described above, when water is supplied to the toilet body 14 by the toilet flushing, the inside of the toilet bowl 12 of the toilet body 14 is cleaned by the flushing water flow. When water is supplied to the toilet body 14 by the toilet flushing, waste matter in the toilet bowl 12 is discharged through the drainage pipe 16.

The drive source 74 is connected to the second water supply passage 76B via a branch passage 84, and is a pressure accumulator 86 capable of storing water passing through the second water supply passage 76B. In a side view, the pressure accumulator 86 is disposed below the connecting pipe 30 and overlaps with the connecting pipe 30 in the vertical direction Z (see FIG. 1). The pressure accumulator 86 is fixed to the toilet body 14 using bolts or the like. The branch passage 84 branches off from the second water supply passage 76B upstream of the second opening/closing valve 78B, and a check valve 88 is installed upstream of the branch passage 84 in the second water supply passage 76B.

The accumulator 86 includes a long tank 90 and a partition member 92 arranged inside the tank 90 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the tank 90. The partition member 92 is, for example, an elastic membrane such as a diaphragm. The partition member 92 divides the internal space of the tank 90 in the longitudinal direction, thereby partitioning the tank 90 into a main chamber 94 and an auxiliary chamber 96. The main chamber 94 is connected to the second water supply passage 76B and is filled with water flowing in from the second water supply passage 76B. The auxiliary chamber 96 is connected to the variable volume chamber 46 of the valve member 44 via a piping member 97 such as a hose (see also FIG. 1), and is filled with a pressure transmission medium. The pressure transmission medium is a fluid. The pressure transmission medium is, for example, a gas such as air, or a liquid such as water or oil.

The pressure accumulator 86 includes a first biasing member 98 that biases the partition member 92 in a direction Da1 that reduces the volume of the main chamber 94. The first biasing member 98 is, for example, an elastic member such as a coil spring.

Refer to FIG. 8. When the second opening/closing valve 78B is switched to a closed state, water is introduced into the main chamber 94 from the second water supply passage 76B. The hydrostatic pressure of the water introduced into the main chamber 94 causes the partition member 92 to move in a direction Da2 that increases the volume of the main chamber 94, against the biasing force of the first biasing member 98. As a result, the pressure accumulator 86 stores water that is pressurized by the hydrostatic pressure of the water in the second water supply passage 76B.

During the water introduction operation in which water is introduced from the second water supply passage 76B, the partition member 92 moves in a direction Da2 that reduces the volume of the auxiliary chamber 96 due to the hydrostatic pressure of the water in the main chamber 94. As a result, the partition member 92 pressurizes the pressure transmission medium in the variable volume chamber 46 together with the pressure transmission medium in the auxiliary chamber 96, causing the variable volume chamber 46 to expand. As a result, the valve member 44 is moved from the open position Pa1 to the closed position Pa2, and the water level setting mechanism 18 is driven to raise the allowable water level in the direction Dc1 from the lower limit water level WL1 to the upper limit water level WL2. In conjunction with the water introduction operation, the drive source 74 (here, the pressure accumulator 86) executes a raising drive that drives the water level setting mechanism 18 to raise the allowable water level.

Refer to FIG. 7. When the second opening/closing valve 78B switches to an open state, the partition member 92 moves in a direction Da1 that reduces the volume of the main chamber 94 due to the biasing force of the first biasing member 98. This movement of the partition member 92 causes the pressure accumulator 86 to release pressurized water from the main chamber 94 to the second water supply passage 76B. This causes the pressurized water in the pressure accumulator 86 to merge with the water in the second water supply passage 76B, and high-pressure water can be supplied to the toilet body 14 through the second water supply passage 76B.

During the water discharge operation in which pressurized water is released into the second water supply passage 76B, the partition member 92 is moved by the biasing force of the first biasing member 98 in the direction Da1 to increase the volume of the auxiliary chamber 96. As a result, the partition member 92 reduces the pressure of the pressure transmission medium in the auxiliary chamber 96 as well as the pressure transmission medium in the variable volume chamber 46, causing the variable volume chamber 46 to contract. As a result, the valve member 44 is moved from the closed position Pa2 to the open position Pa1, and the water level setting mechanism 18 is driven to lower the allowable water level in the direction Dc2 from the upper limit water level WL2 to the lower limit water level WL1. In conjunction with the water discharge operation, the drive source 74 (here, the pressure accumulator 86) executes a height-lowering drive that drives the water level setting mechanism 18 to lower the allowable water level.

Next, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of operations related to toilet flushing in the toilet device 10 of this embodiment will be described. Also see FIG. 10A. Sealed water Wa with an actual water level below the lower limit water level WL1 is stored in the drainage pipe 16 due to the previous toilet flush. Prior to the toilet flush, the water level setting mechanism 18 sets the allowable water level to a standby water level WL3 that is higher than the lower limit water level WL1 (S10). In this embodiment, the standby water level WL3 is the upper limit water level WL2. This condition is met, for example, by performing a raising drive by the drive source 74 after the previous toilet flush.

When the flush start condition is met, the control unit 80 of the water supply device 72 starts toilet flushing. When the water supply device 72 starts toilet flushing, it executes the following operations in order: rim flush (S12) → jet flush (S14) → water collection operation (S16).

See also FIG. 10B. The water supply device 72 can perform a water addition operation to add water to the toilet body 14 in the direction Dc1 to raise the actual water level of the sealing water Wa by performing a rim flush that discharges water We from the rim discharge portion 22A (S12). By performing the water addition operation, the actual water level of the sealing water Wa can be raised to at least the standby water level WL3. The water supply device 72 performs the water addition operation after the height-raising drive by the drive source 74 that is performed prior to the toilet flush and before the height-lowering drive that will be described next. At this time, in a wash-down type toilet body 14, the actual water level of the stored water Wb in the toilet bowl 12 can also be raised from an actual water level below the lower limit water level WL1 to at least the standby water level WL3.

See also FIG. 10C. When the water supply device 72 executes a jet flush in which water We is discharged from the jet discharge portion 22B (S14), the pressure accumulator 86 executes a water discharge operation during the jet flush. As described above, the pressure accumulator 86 executes a height-lowering drive that drives the water level setting mechanism 18 to lower the allowable water level in the direction Dc2 to the lower limit water level WL1 in conjunction with the water discharge operation. The drive source 74 executes the height-lowering drive during the jet flush, that is, during the toilet flush. Here, "during toilet flushing" particularly refers to the time when a water flow (jet water flow in this embodiment) that discharges waste is formed through the sealed water storage portion 40 of the drain pipe 16.

See also FIG. 10D. Most of the seal water Wa in the drainage pipe 16 is discharged by jet cleaning, and the actual water level is lowered. When the water supply device 72 executes a water storage operation in which water We is discharged from the rim discharge portion 22A (S16), the actual water level of the seal water Wa that was lowered by jet cleaning can be raised. The water storage operation raises the actual water level of the seal water Wa to the allowable water level (here, the lower limit water level WL1) set by the water level setting mechanism 18 during the water storage operation.

See also FIG. 10E. When the toilet flush by the water supply device 72 is completed, the pressure accumulator 86 executes a water introduction operation. As described above, in conjunction with the water introduction operation, the pressure accumulator 86 executes a raising drive that drives the water level setting mechanism 18 to raise the allowable water level in the direction Dc1 to the standby water level WL3 (S18). This causes the water level setting mechanism 18 to set the allowable water level back to the standby water level WL3. The drive source 74 executes the raising drive before the next toilet flush.

The effects of the above innovations will be explained below.

(F) The drive source 74 executes a height-lowering drive that drives the water level setting mechanism 18 to lower the allowable water level during toilet flushing. This allows the actual water level of the seal water Wa to be lowered by an amount corresponding to the lowering width Wx (see FIG. 10C) of the allowable water level by the water level setting mechanism 18 during toilet flushing. In this embodiment, the lowering width Wx is the difference in height from the standby water level WL3 to the lower limit water level WL1. As a result, it becomes easier to apply a pushing force to the water in the drain pipe 16 that is equal to the lowering width of the actual water level of the seal water Wa during toilet flushing. This pushing force in turn allows the water in the drain pipe 16 to be discharged early together with the waste.

In addition, in the wash-down toilet body 14, by executing the height-lowering drive, the actual water level of the stored water Wb can be lowered by an amount corresponding to the allowable water level lowering width Wx by the water level setting mechanism 18 during toilet flushing. As a result, while applying a pushing force of the drop difference of the sealing water Wa to the water in the drainage pipe 16 during toilet flushing, it becomes easier to apply a pushing force of a drop difference equal to the drop width of the actual water level of the stored water Wb to the water in the toilet bowl 12. In turn, this pushing force allows the water in the toilet bowl 12 to be discharged early together with the waste. In the toilet body 14 of this embodiment, the drop difference of the stored water Wb caused by the rim flush is used to flush the waste. In the toilet body 14 of this embodiment, the discharge of the waste can be promoted by the jet flush during the process of flushing the waste in this way.

(G) The water supply device 72 can perform a water addition operation after the toilet level-raising drive that is performed before the toilet is flushed and before the toilet level-lowering drive that is performed during the toilet flush. This allows the actual water level of the sealing water to be automatically raised before the toilet level-lowering drive that is performed during the toilet flush.

(H) The drive source 74 performs a height-lowering drive during jet cleaning. This allows the force of the jet water flow from the jet cleaning to promote the discharge of waste, while also allowing the waste to be discharged quickly using the pushing force of the water head described above.

(I) The water supply device 72 performs a water addition operation by performing a rim flush. This allows the actual water level of the sealing water to be raised while cleaning the inside of the toilet bowl 12.

(J) The pressure accumulator 86 that constitutes the drive source 74 can perform height-lowering and height-raising operations in conjunction with the water discharge and water introduction operations. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced compared to when the drive source 74 is provided separately from the pressure accumulator 86.

The water level setting mechanism 18 can set the allowable water level higher than the lower limit water level WL1 determined by the water channel top 42 of the drainage pipe 16. Therefore, the height of the water channel top 42 of the drainage pipe 16 can be lowered while maintaining a required allowable water level (e.g., standby water level WL3) higher than the lower limit water level WL1. At the same time, when the allowable water level is at the lower limit water level WL1, the amount of sealing water Wa stored in the sealing water storage section 40 can be reduced. As a result, while maintaining a required allowable water level higher than the lower limit water level WL1, dirt, wastewater, etc. can be discharged from the sealing water storage section 40 by jet washing with a small amount of washing water.

In addition, by lowering the height of the water channel top 42 of the drainage pipe 16 as described above, the amount of water stored in the seal water storage section 40 when in a seal-breaking state (see FIG. 10C) can be reduced. As a result, when in a seal-breaking state, the flow rate of water to be discharged from the jet discharge section 22B when discharging the water from the seal water storage section 40 by jet cleaning can be reduced. This in turn reduces noise during jet cleaning.

Other features of the toilet device 10 will now be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. The water supply device 72 includes an electric unit 100 that can be operated by power supplied from a power source (not shown). In this embodiment, the electric unit 100 is an electromagnetic valve that constitutes the second opening/closing valve 78B. The power source in this embodiment is an external power source such as a commercial power source. Alternatively, the power source may be a battery or the like mounted in the toilet body 14.

The second opening/closing valve 78B includes an internal passage 102 that is part of the second water supply passage 76B, a valve body 104 that can open and close the internal passage 102, a solenoid coil 106 that drives the valve body 104 in the valve opening direction Db1, and a second biasing member 108 that biases the valve body 104 in the valve closing direction Db2.

Refer to FIG. 7. When the solenoid coil 106 of the second on-off valve 78B is energized, the solenoid coil 106 drives the valve body 104 in the valve opening direction Db1, and the valve body 104 opens the internal passage 102. When the second on-off valve 78B is in the open state, the motorized unit 100 is in a state in which it is operated using electric power (hereinafter referred to as the operating state Sa1).

When the motorized unit 100 switches from the inoperative state Sa2 (described later) to the operational state Sa1, the drive source 74 (here, the pressure accumulator 86) executes the height-lowering drive in conjunction with the water discharge operation, as described above. As a result, the drive source 74 lowers the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 in the direction Dc2 to the lower limit water level WL1. After this, the drive source 74 maintains the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 at the lower limit water level WL1 while the motorized unit 100 is maintained in the operational state Sa1.

Refer to FIG. 8. When the solenoid coil 106 is de-energized, the second opening/closing valve 78B drives the valve body 104 in the valve closing direction Db2 by the second biasing member 108, and the valve body 104 closes the internal water passage 32, resulting in a closed valve state. When the second opening/closing valve 78B is in the closed valve state, the motorized unit 100 is in a state in which operation using electric power is deactivated (hereinafter referred to as the deactivated state Sa2).

When the motorized unit 100 switches from the operating state Sa1 to the inoperative state Sa2, the driving source 74 (here, the pressure accumulator 86) executes the raising drive in conjunction with the water introduction operation as described above. As a result, the driving source 74 raises the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 in the direction Dc1 to the standby water level WL3. After this, the driving source 74 maintains the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 at the standby water level WL3 while the motorized unit 100 is maintained in the inoperative state Sa2.

(K) In this way, the water level setting mechanism 18 can change the allowable water level in conjunction with the operation of the motorized unit 100. In addition, when the motorized unit 100 is in the deactivated state Sa2, the allowable water level is maintained at the standby water level WL3, which is higher than the lower limit water level WL1. This makes it easier to maintain the actual water level of the sealing water Wa at a high level when the power supply is interrupted, compared to when the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 becomes the lower limit water level WL1. This in turn makes it easier to prevent the backflow of odors when the power supply is interrupted.

(Second embodiment) See Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11 shows the valve member 44 in the open position Pa1, and Figure 12 shows the valve member 44 in the closed position Pa2.

The toilet device 10 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the valve member 44 of the water level setting mechanism 18, the air vent path 66, and the drain pipe 16.

The valve member 44 of this embodiment includes a bellows 110 and a plate-shaped valve body portion 58C fixed to the bellows 110. The bellows 110 is a cylindrical body with a bellows structure formed on the outer circumferential surface. The valve body portion 58C is fixed to one axial end of the bellows 110, and the other end is fixed to the drain pipe 16. The valve body portion 58C is rotatably connected to the drain pipe 16 via a support shaft 112. The valve member 44 can adjust the opening degree of the internal water passage 32 with the rotation of the valve body portion 58C. The variable volume chamber 46 is formed inside the bellows 110 at a location surrounded by the bellows 110 and the valve body portion 58C. The bellows 110 can expand and contract as the volume of the variable volume chamber 46 increases or decreases.

The valve member 44 of this embodiment can adjust the opening of the internal waterway 32 by opening and closing an opening 45 provided in the internal waterway 32 downstream of the rising waterway 34. The opening 45 of this embodiment is composed of a downstream end opening 26b provided at the downstream end of the toilet drainage channel 26. The downstream end opening 26b is provided at the downstream end of the straight waterway 38. When the valve member 44 is in the closed position, the entire opening 45 is blocked by the valve body portion 58C. At this time, the valve body portion 58C of the valve member 44 abuts against the opening periphery of the opening 45, thereby blocking the opening 45. At this time, the valve member 44 is in a fully closed state in which a portion of the internal waterway 32 is completely closed.

The toilet drainage channel 26 has a through hole 118 provided at a location separate from the downstream end opening 26b of the toilet drainage channel 26. The through hole 118 is provided above the channel top 42. More specifically, the through hole 118 is provided above the center line CL1 of the toilet drainage channel 26 and is provided on the inner upper surface of the internal channel 32. In this embodiment, the through hole 118 radially penetrates the connected portion 26a of the toilet drainage channel 26.

The upstream space 62 in this embodiment is provided upstream of the downstream end opening 26b of the toilet drainage channel 26. The downstream space 64 in this embodiment is formed inside the drain socket 28. A portion of this downstream space 64 is formed between the upstream end portion of the drain socket 28 and the outer peripheral portion of the toilet drainage channel 26. The through hole 118 constitutes at least a portion of the air vent path 66. The through hole 118 in this embodiment constitutes the entire air vent path 66. This embodiment also provides the above-mentioned effect (D).

The lower limit water level WL1 set by the water level setting mechanism 18 is at a height position that is aligned with the water channel top 42 (see FIG. 11). The upper limit water level WL2 set by the water level setting mechanism 18 is at a height position that overlaps with the through hole 118 that constitutes the air bleed path 66 (see FIG. 12). In this embodiment, the upper limit water level WL2 is at a height position that is aligned with the upper end opening of the through hole 118. Therefore, the upper limit water level WL2 set by the water level setting mechanism 18 can be made higher than when it opens to the inner underside of the toilet drainage channel 26.

The drainage pipeline 16 of this embodiment does not include a connecting pipe 30. The pipeline component 68 of this embodiment is a drainage socket 28. The water level setting mechanism 18 is disposed inside the drainage socket 28 constituting the pipeline component 68, and is attached to the pipeline component 68. This embodiment also provides the effect (E) described above.

In addition, the toilet device 10 of this embodiment includes the components (not shown) described above in (A)-(C) and (F)-(K), and provides the effects corresponding to those descriptions.

(Third embodiment) See FIG. 13. The toilet device 10 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the drive source 74. More specifically, the toilet device 10 of this embodiment does not have a pressure accumulator 86 that serves as the drive source 74. The drive source 74 of this embodiment is a pump mechanism 114 that can pressurize and depressurize the variable volume chamber 46 of the valve member 44. The pump mechanism 114 is, for example, a combination of an air supply pump and a pressure reducing valve. In this case, the variable volume chamber 46 is pressurized by driving the air supply pump while maintaining the pressure reducing valve in a closed state. The variable volume chamber 46 is depressurized by stopping the drive of the air supply pump and maintaining the pressure reducing valve in an open state. The specific example of the pump mechanism 114 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a combination of an air supply pump and an exhaust pump.

When the variable volume chamber 46 is pressurized by the pump mechanism 114, the variable volume chamber 46 expands, the valve member 44 is moved to the closed position Pa2 (similar to FIG. 4), and the water level setting mechanism 18 is driven to raise the allowable water level to the upper limit water level WL2. When the variable volume chamber 46 is depressurized by the pump mechanism 114, the variable volume chamber 46 contracts, the valve member 44 is moved to the open position Pa1 (similar to FIG. 3), and the water level setting mechanism 18 is driven to lower the allowable water level to the lower limit water level WL1. The pump mechanism 114 is electrically connected to the control unit 80. The variable volume chamber 46 can be pressurized and depressurized by the pump mechanism 114 under the control of the control unit 80.

Refer to Figure 14. An example of the operation related to toilet flushing in the toilet device 10 of this embodiment will be described. S10 and S12 are the same as in the first embodiment. In S14, this embodiment differs in that the height-lowering drive is performed by controlling the pump mechanism 114, which serves as the drive source 74, by the control unit 80.

In addition, compared to the operation of the first embodiment, there is a difference in the operation during the water storage operation in S16. This will be described in detail. See FIG. 15. When the actual water level of the seal water Wa is lowered by the jet cleaning of the water supply device 72 (S14), a seal-breaking state is achieved in which the blockage by the seal water Wa is released. When the water supply device 72 executes a water storage operation to discharge water We from the rim discharge portion 22A (S16), the actual water level of the seal water Wa is raised when in the seal-breaking state. When the actual water level of the seal water Wa is raised above the deepest point 40a on the inner upper surface of the seal water storage portion 40, the seal-breaking state is released.

The control unit 80 of this embodiment executes a raising drive by the drive source 74 during such a water collecting operation. The drive source 74 can also be regarded as executing a raising drive when the drainage pipe 16 is in an open state. This is realized, for example, by having the control unit 80 execute a raising drive using the drive source 74 (here, the pump mechanism 114) while the first opening/closing valve 78A is maintained in an open state by the control unit 80. By executing a raising drive during the water collecting operation, the opening of the internal water passage 32 of the drainage pipe 16 is reduced by the valve member 44. This makes it possible to suppress the backflow of odors until the open state is released.

(Fourth embodiment) See FIG. 16. The toilet device 10 is equipped with a sensor 116 capable of detecting a specific action of the user. The sensor 116 is capable of detecting the action of sitting on the toilet seat 11 as the specific action of the user. The sitting action here refers to the action of sitting on the toilet seat 11 itself. The sensor 116 is, for example, a photoelectric sensor, a touch sensor, a pressure sensor, etc. The photoelectric sensor is, for example, an infrared sensor, etc. The sensor 116 is installed, for example, in the casing 82 (see FIG. 1).

The control unit 80 of the water supply device 72 is electrically connected to the sensor 116. The control unit 80 executes the water refilling operation based on the detection result by the sensor 116. In detail, the control unit 80 executes the water refilling operation when the sensor 116 detects a specific action of the user (a sitting action in this embodiment).

Refer to FIG. 17. An example of the operation related to toilet flushing in the toilet device 10 of this embodiment will be described. As in the first embodiment, the drain pipe 16 stores sealed water Wa, whose actual water level is the lower limit water level WL1, due to the previous toilet flush. The water level setting mechanism 18 sets the allowable water level to the standby water level WL3 prior to the toilet flush (S10).

The control unit 80 of the water supply device 72 monitors the output of the sensor 116 until the flush start condition is met. If the sensor 116 detects a specific action of the user (here, sitting down) before the flush start condition is met (Y in S20), the control unit 80 executes a water addition operation (S22). By executing the water addition operation, the water surface size of the accumulated water Wb in the toilet bowl 12 can be increased compared to before the water addition operation was executed. When the user performs a sitting action, the user relieves himself/herself in a seated position. When the user urinates in a seated position, the urine is more likely to hit the front part of the toilet bowl 12. In this case, by increasing the water surface size of the accumulated water Wb, it becomes easier for the urine to hit the accumulated water Wb directly. In turn, it becomes less likely for the urine to adhere to the toilet bowl 12.

If the sensor 116 does not detect a specific action (here, sitting action) before the flush start condition is met (N in S20), the control unit 80 of the water supply device 72 does not perform the water refill action (S24). This allows the water surface size of the stored water Wb in the toilet bowl 12 to be maintained without increasing. When the user does not perform the sitting action, the user urinates in a standing position. In this case, compared to when the user urinates in a sitting position, the urination is more likely to hit a part closer to the rear of the toilet bowl 12. Therefore, even if the water surface size of the stored water Wb is not increased, it is easier for the urination to hit the stored water Wb directly. Ultimately, compared to when the water refill action is performed, a water-saving effect can be expected.

The other steps S12, S14, S16, and S18 are the same as in the first embodiment. However, if the water addition operation is performed in S22, the water addition operation will not be performed by rim cleaning in S12. Similarly, if the water addition operation is not performed in S24, the water addition operation will be performed by rim cleaning in S12.

As described above, the water supply device 72 performs a water addition operation based on the detection result of the sensor 116. Therefore, the water supply device 72 can raise the actual water level of the sealing water Wa in conjunction with the specific action of the user. In particular, by adding water to the toilet body 14 at the timing when the specific action of the user is detected, it is possible to realize a state in which the toilet bowl portion 12 is wet just before the user uses the toilet. Therefore, compared to the case where the actual water level of the sealing water Wa is always kept raised, there is an advantage in that the adhesion of waste can be suppressed.

From the viewpoint of achieving a similar effect, the sensor 116 may be capable of detecting a predetermined pre-sitting action performed before attempting to sit on the toilet seat 11 as a specific action of the user. Pre-sitting actions include, for example, the action of entering the toilet room, the action of approaching the toilet seat 11, etc.

(Fifth embodiment) See FIG. 18. The toilet device 10 of this embodiment differs from the second embodiment in the type of toilet body 14. In detail, in the first and second embodiments, a floor-standing toilet body 14 that is placed on the floor F of the toilet room has been described as the toilet body 14. The toilet body 14 of this embodiment is a wall-mounted toilet body that is spaced apart from the floor F of the toilet room. The wall-mounted toilet body 14 is fixed to a toilet receiving member (not shown) in a state where it is abutted against the wall W of the toilet room. The toilet receiving member is, for example, a support frame or the like that is placed on the back side of the wall of the toilet room. In this way, the toilet body 14 may be either a wall-mounted type or a floor-standing type.

In addition, the drain pipe 24 (not shown) of this embodiment is a wall drain specification that is installed in the wall portion W of the toilet room. In this way, the type of the drain pipe 24 may be either a floor drain specification or a wall drain specification.

The pipe component 68 of this embodiment is also a drain socket 28, as in the second embodiment. The upstream end of the pipe component 68 is watertightly connected to the connected part 26a of the toilet body 14 via the first seal member 70, as in the first embodiment. The first seal member 70 is cylindrical and has a through hole 120 that penetrates in the radial direction. The pipe component 68 has a communication passage 122 that connects the through hole 120 of the first seal member 70 to the downstream space 64 in the drain pipe 16. The air bleed path 66 of this embodiment is composed of the through hole 118 of the toilet body 14, the through hole 120 of the first seal member 70, and the communication passage 122.

The opening/closing opening 45 in this embodiment is provided in the drain socket 28 downstream of the downstream end opening 26b of the toilet drainage channel 26. The valve body portion 58C of the valve member 44 can close the opening/closing opening 45 by abutting against the opening peripheral portion of the opening/closing opening 45. The valve body portion 58C includes an elastic portion 58D provided at the abutment point against the opening peripheral portion of the opening/closing opening 45, and a hard portion 58E provided on the opposite side of the opening/closing opening 45 with the elastic portion 58D in between. The elastic portion 58D is sheet-shaped and made of an elastic body. The elastic body is, for example, a rubber-based resin, a sponge, etc. The hard portion 58E is, for example, a non-rubber-based resin, a metal, etc. As a result, when the valve body portion 58C abuts against the opening peripheral portion of the opening/closing opening 45, the elastic portion 58D deforms, making it easier to bring the valve body portion 58C into close contact with the opening/closing opening 45.

Other variations of each component are described.

The drain pipe 16 may not have a drain socket 28. The drain pipe 16 may not have a descending water passage 36 downstream of the ascending water passage 34. The drain pipe 16 may not have a straight water passage 38. It can also be said that the water passage top 42 of the drain pipe 16 may be composed of only the ascending water passage 34.

The drain pipe 24 has been described as a floor drainage type. The drain pipe 24 may also be a wall drainage type.

The water level setting mechanism 18 may be configured to variably set the allowable water level of the water seal Wa, and there are no particular limitations on the specific example. The blockage of the drainage pipe 16 by the water seal Wa may be released in a portion of the water level range of the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18.

The water level setting mechanism 18 may be attached to the toilet drain 26 in addition to the pipe component 68. The pipe component 68 to which the water level setting mechanism 18 is attached is not limited to the connection pipe 30 and the drain socket 28.

The location in the internal water passage 32 of the drainage pipe 16 where the opening is adjusted by the valve member 44 is not particularly limited. For example, it may be the rising water passage 34 of the internal water passage 32. The specific structure of the valve member 44 is not particularly limited, and the valve member 44 does not need to have a variable volume chamber 46. The valve member 44 may be able to adjust the opening of the internal water passage 32, for example, by moving forward and backward linearly.

Unlike the embodiment, the escape space 64 may be provided separately from the internal space of the drain pipe 24. For example, the escape space 64 may be constituted by the internal space of an expandable/contractable bag provided separately from the drain pipe 16.

The pipe space 60 does not have to have an air vent path 66. The air vent path 66 only needs to connect the upstream space 62 and the downstream space 64 when the actual water level of the sealed water Wa is raised, in other words, when the water addition operation is performed. If the timing satisfies this condition, the upstream space 62 and the downstream space 64 may be connected continuously or temporarily.

In addition to the solenoid valve, the electric unit 100 may be a linear actuator such as a solenoid actuator that also serves as the driving source 74. In this case, when the driving source 74 is in a deactivated state, the biasing force of a biasing member (e.g., a spring) is used to maintain the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 at the standby water level WL3. When the driving source 74 is in an activated state, it applies a driving force to the water level setting mechanism 18 against the biasing force to maintain the allowable water level set by the water level setting mechanism 18 at the lower limit water level WL1.

The standby water level WL3 may be higher than the lower limit water level WL1, and may be lower than the upper limit water level WL2. For example, the allowable water levels may be set to increase in the order of lower limit water level WL1 → standby water level WL3 → upper limit water level WL2. In this case, the set water level may be maintained at the allowable water level WL3 before flushing the toilet, and the set water level may be raised from the allowable water level WL3 to the upper limit water level WL2 during the toilet flush. Such changes in the allowable water level may be performed using control by the control unit 80.

The driving source 74 is not limited to the pressure accumulator 86 and the pump mechanism 114. The driving source 74 may be, for example, a motor, etc.

An example has been described in which the water supply device 72 performs the water addition operation by performing rim washing using the water supply channel 76A that supplies water to the discharge portions 22A and 22B. Specific examples of the water supply channel used to perform the water addition operation are not particularly limited. For example, the water addition operation may be performed using a water supply channel that supplies water to the washing nozzle of the sanitary washing device. In this case, the water addition operation may be performed during the execution of the rim washing, or may be performed before the execution of the rim washing.

An example has been described in which the water-adding operation is performed by the water supply device 72. Alternatively, the water-adding operation may be performed manually. For example, the water-adding operation may be performed by manually putting water from a plastic bottle or the like into the toilet bowl 12 after the driving source 74 has driven the toilet bowl 12 to raise the height and before the driving source 74 has driven the toilet bowl 12 to lower the height.

The water supply device 72 may perform the water addition operation by rim flushing during toilet flushing (first embodiment) or before toilet flushing (fourth embodiment). In addition, the water addition operation may be performed before toilet flushing based on the detection result of the sensor 116, and then the water addition operation may be performed by rim flushing during toilet flushing. In other words, by performing multiple water addition operations, the actual water level of the seal water Wa may be raised to a predetermined allowable water level (for example, standby water level WL3). In any case, it is sufficient for the water supply device 72 to perform the water addition operation after the height-raising drive and before the height-lowering drive.

The raising operation may be performed during the toilet flush. For example, the following order may be performed: jet flush by the water supply device 72 (S14) → raising operation by the water level setting mechanism 18 (S10) → water storage operation by the water supply device 72 (S16).

The toilet device 10 may be provided with a cleaning medium supplying device that supplies a cleaning medium other than water to the toilet bowl 12 of the toilet body 14. The cleaning medium here refers to, for example, cleaning foam, alkaline liquid, or acidic liquid. The "water" as a cleaning medium here refers to a single-phase flow of water with a hydrogen ion exponent (hereinafter referred to as pH) of 6 or more and less than 8. The "cleaning foam" refers to a multiphase flow of liquid and air. The pH of the liquid here is not particularly limited. The alkaline liquid is used to remove limescale. The alkaline liquid is, for example, a solution of baking soda, oxygen-based bleach (e.g., sodium percarbonate), chlorine-based bleach, etc. Other alkaline liquids are, for example, liquids containing alkaline enzymes. The acidic liquid is used to remove black mold. The acidic liquid is, for example, a solution of citric acid, urinary stone remover, etc. Other acidic liquids are, for example, liquids containing hydrochloric acid, organic acids, acidic enzymes, etc.

When using cleaning foam, cleaning foam may be supplied by the cleaning medium supply device when the actual water level of the sealing water Wa is raised from the lower limit water level WL1 to the standby water level WL3 prior to flushing the toilet. This allows cleaning foam to be supplied when the water surface size of the pooled water Wb is large, covering a wide area within the toilet bowl 12 with cleaning foam.

In addition, when cleaning foam is used, cleaning foam may be supplied by the cleaning medium supply device with the actual water level of the sealing water Wa maintained below the lower limit water level WL1 prior to toilet flushing. In other words, cleaning foam may be supplied by the cleaning medium supply device and then the toilet flushing may be performed without raising the actual water level of the sealing water Wa to the standby water level WL3. This results in cleaning foam being supplied when the water surface size of the pooled water Wb has been reduced. Therefore, the amount of cleaning foam that needs to be supplied to cover the entire pooled water Wb with cleaning foam can be reduced compared to when the actual water level of the sealing water Wa is raised to the standby water level WL3.

Refer to FIG. 19. In this modified toilet device 10, a cleaning medium supply device (not shown) is incorporated into the toilet device 10 of the second embodiment. The toilet bowl 12 includes an upright portion 130 that extends upward from the water surface of the stored water Wb (see also FIG. 11) in front of the stored water Wb at the lower limit water level WL1, and a gently sloping portion 132 that is connected to the upper edge of the upright portion 130 and is more gently sloping than the upright portion 130. The upright portion 130 and the gently sloping portion 132 are provided in the front of the toilet bowl 12. A convex curved portion 134 that is upwardly convex is formed at the boundary between the upper edge of the upright portion 130 and the inner peripheral edge of the gently sloping portion 132.

The cleaning foam B may be supplied by the cleaning medium supply device while the water level setting mechanism 18 maintains the actual water level of the sealing water Wa at a standby water level WL3 (e.g., upper water level WL2) higher than the lower water level WL1. This standby water level WL3 is, for example, a water level at which the water level of the stored water Wb reaches above the convex curved surface portion 134 at the front of the toilet bowl 12. In this way, by storing cleaning foam B above the stored water Wb, the generation of splashes can be effectively suppressed by the cleaning foam when urine or the like is about to land on the front of the toilet bowl 12.

The above embodiments and variations are merely examples. The technical ideas that abstract these should not be interpreted as being limited to the contents of the embodiments and variations. Many design changes are possible in the contents of the embodiments and variations, such as changing, adding, or deleting components. In the above embodiments, the contents in which such design changes are possible are emphasized by adding the notation "embodiment". However, design changes are also permitted even in contents without such notation. The hatching on the cross sections in the drawings does not limit the material of the hatched object. The structures referred to in the embodiments and variations naturally include structures that are shifted by the amount of error that can be considered to be the same when manufacturing errors, etc. are taken into account.

Any combination of the above components is also valid. For example, an embodiment may be combined with any of the description items of other embodiments, and a variant may be combined with any of the description items of an embodiment and another variant.

10...toilet device, 12...toilet bowl, 14...toilet body, 16...drainage pipe, 18...water level setting mechanism, 20...rim, 22A...rim discharge, 22B...jet discharge, 24...drainage pipe, 26...toilet drainage channel, 32...internal water channel, 44...valve member, 60...internal space, 62...upstream space, 63...atmospheric space, 64...downstream space, 64...escape space, 66...air bleed path, 68...pipe component, 72...water supply device, 74...drive source, 76A, 76B...water supply channel, 86...pressure accumulator, 100...electrical unit, 116...sensor.

Claims (15)

A toilet body having a toilet bowl portion;
A drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and storing sealing water therein , the drainage pipe having an ascending water passage that rises toward the downstream side and a water passage top portion that constitutes at least the upper end edge portion of the inner lower surface of the ascending water passage ;
A jet discharge section that discharges water toward the downstream side of the drainage pipe and is provided below the top of the water passage;
A toilet device comprising: a water level setting mechanism that can variably set the storage capacity of the seal water in the drainage pipeline by changing the allowable water level, which is the maximum water level that can be stored in the drainage pipeline, while the seal water remains stored in the drainage pipeline . The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the water level setting mechanism is capable of changing the allowable water level within a range from a lower limit water level to an upper limit water level while the drainage pipe is blocked by the water seal. A toilet body having a toilet bowl portion;
A drain pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and configured to store sealing water therein;
a water level setting mechanism capable of changing an allowable water level , which is a maximum water level of the seal water that can be stored in the drainage pipeline, while the seal water is stored in the drainage pipeline;
An electric motor unit operable by electric power ;
The water level setting mechanism is capable of changing the allowable water level within a water level range from a lower limit water level to an upper limit water level while the drainage pipeline is kept blocked by the water seal ,
The water level setting mechanism is capable of changing the permissible water level in conjunction with the operation of the motorized unit,
The permissible water level is maintained at a water level higher than the lower limit water level when the motorized unit is in a deactivated state. A pipe space is provided in the drainage pipeline downstream of the seal water that blocks the drainage pipeline,
4. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the space inside the pipe is provided separately from the atmospheric space surrounding the toilet device and is connected to an escape space for releasing air from the space inside the pipe. A toilet body having a toilet bowl portion;
A drain pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and configured to store sealing water therein;
a water level setting mechanism capable of changing an allowable water level, which is a maximum water level of the seal water that can be stored in the drainage pipe, while the seal water is stored in the drainage pipe ;
The water level setting mechanism is a toilet device equipped with a valve member that can change the allowable water level by adjusting the opening of an internal water channel of the drain pipe. A pipe space is provided in the drainage pipeline downstream of the seal water that blocks the drainage pipeline,
The space inside the pipe is
an upstream space provided upstream of the valve member in a closed position;
a downstream space provided downstream of the valve member in the closed position;
The toilet apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising an air vent path that connects the upstream space and the downstream space. A toilet body having a toilet bowl portion;
A drain pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and configured to store sealing water therein;
a water level setting mechanism capable of changing an allowable water level, which is a maximum water level of the seal water that can be stored in the drainage pipe, while the seal water is stored in the drainage pipe ;
The drainage pipeline includes a toilet drainage channel provided in the toilet body as a part of the toilet body, and a pipeline component that is detachably connected to the toilet drainage channel;
The water level setting mechanism is attached to the pipeline component. A drive source capable of driving the water level setting mechanism;
a water supply device capable of flushing the toilet by supplying water to the toilet body,
The driving source is
before the toilet flushing, performing a raising drive for driving the water level setting mechanism to raise the allowable water level;
3. The toilet apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a height-lowering drive is executed to drive the water level setting mechanism so as to lower the permissible water level during the toilet flush. The toilet device according to claim 8, wherein the water supply device is capable of performing a water-adding operation to add water to the toilet body to raise the actual water level of the sealing water after the height-raising drive and before the height-lowering drive. The toilet body includes a rim portion that constitutes an upper end portion of the toilet bowl,
The toilet device includes a rim discharge portion that is provided on the rim portion and discharges water into the toilet bowl portion,
10. The toilet apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when performing the toilet flush, the water supply device is capable of sequentially performing a rim flush in which water is supplied only to the rim discharge portion, and a jet flush in which water is supplied to at least the jet discharge portion, and the drive source performs the height-lowering drive during the jet flush. the water supply device is capable of executing a water addition operation of adding water to the toilet body to raise an actual water level of the seal water after the height-raising drive and before the height-lowering drive ,
The toilet body includes a rim portion that constitutes an upper end portion of the toilet bowl,
The toilet device includes a rim discharge portion that is provided on the rim portion and discharges water into the toilet bowl portion,
When performing the toilet flush, the water supply device is capable of sequentially performing a rim flush in which water is supplied only to the rim discharge portion and a jet flush in which water is supplied at least to the jet discharge portion, the drive source performs the height-lowering drive during the jet flush ,
The toilet apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the water supply apparatus performs the water refilling operation by executing the rim flush. A toilet body having a toilet bowl and a rim portion constituting an upper end portion of the toilet bowl ;
A drain pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and configured to store sealing water therein;
a water level setting mechanism capable of changing an allowable water level , which is a maximum water level of the seal water that can be stored in the drainage pipeline, while the seal water is stored in the drainage pipeline;
A drive source capable of driving the water level setting mechanism;
a water supply device capable of flushing the toilet by supplying water to the toilet body ;
a rim discharge portion provided on the rim portion and configured to discharge water into the toilet bowl;
A jet discharge section that discharges water toward the downstream side of the drainage pipe ,
The driving source is
before the toilet flushing, performing a raising drive for driving the water level setting mechanism to raise the allowable water level;
During the toilet flushing, a height-lowering drive is performed to drive the water level setting mechanism so as to lower the permissible water level ;
When performing the toilet flush, the water supply device is capable of sequentially performing a rim flush in which water is supplied only to the rim discharge portion and a jet flush in which water is supplied at least to the jet discharge portion, the drive source performs the height-lowering drive during the jet flush ,
the water level setting mechanism includes a valve member capable of changing the allowable water level by adjusting an opening degree of an internal water channel of the drainage pipe;
When performing the toilet flush, the water supply device is capable of performing a water storing operation to supply water to the toilet body to be used as the sealing water after the jet flush,
The drive source executes the height-raising drive during the water filling operation. A sensor capable of detecting a specific action of a user is provided,
The toilet apparatus according to claim 9 or 11 , wherein the water supply apparatus executes the water refilling operation based on a detection result of the sensor. A toilet body having a toilet bowl portion;
A drain pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and configured to store sealing water therein;
a water level setting mechanism capable of changing an allowable water level , which is a maximum water level of the seal water that can be stored in the drainage pipeline, while the seal water is stored in the drainage pipeline;
A drive source capable of driving the water level setting mechanism;
a water supply device capable of flushing the toilet by supplying water to the toilet body,
The driving source is
before the toilet flushing, performing a raising drive for driving the water level setting mechanism to raise the allowable water level;
During the toilet flushing, a height-lowering drive is performed to drive the water level setting mechanism so as to lower the permissible water level ;
The driving source is a pressure accumulator connected to a water supply passage of the water supply device,
The pressure accumulator is
The height-lowering drive is performed in conjunction with an operation of releasing pressurized water into the water supply passage;
The toilet apparatus performs the height-raising drive in conjunction with the operation of introducing water from the water supply passage. A toilet body having a toilet bowl portion;
A drainage pipe connected to the bottom of the toilet bowl and storing sealing water therein , the drainage pipe having an ascending water passage that rises toward the downstream side and a water passage top portion that constitutes at least the upper end edge portion of the inner lower surface of the ascending water passage ;
A jet discharge section that discharges water toward the downstream side of the drainage pipe and is provided below the top of the water passage ;
A toilet device comprising: a water level setting mechanism that can variably set the storage capacity of the sealing water in the drainage pipeline by changing the allowable water level, which is the maximum water level that can be stored in the drainage pipeline.

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