JP7567485B2 - Washing facilities - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a washbasin device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vanity unit that includes a washbasin, a faucet, a mirror erected at the rear of the washbasin, a lighting fixture attached to the mirror, and a lifting means that can move the lighting fixture in the vertical direction of the mirror. The lighting fixture can be moved up and down by the user in front of the mirror.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-51170

Conventionally, some washbasins are equipped with a mirror and lighting equipment. When a user brushes their teeth in front of the washbasin, for example, the user may see the inside of their mouth reflected in the mirror installed on the washbasin. For example, the lighting equipment is attached to the top edge of the mirror, and there are cases where the light does not reach the inside of the mouth.

On the other hand, the bathroom vanity described in Patent Document 1 allows light to reach the back of the mouth by adjusting the vertical position of the lighting device so that it is in front of the face. However, this is difficult to use because the user needs to operate the lighting device while holding a toothbrush or other object. Also, if the position or angle of the user's face changes, the lighting device needs to be re-operated.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an easy-to-use washbasin device that can shine light on a person's mouth.

(1) The washbasin device according to the present invention includes a half mirror that transmits a portion of light incident from the front side and reflects a portion of it, a light disposed behind the half mirror, a movable device including at least one of a moving device that moves the light along the rear surface of the half mirror and a changing device that changes the direction of irradiation of the light, a sensing device that has a detection area in front of the half mirror and outputs detection information, and a controller to which the detection information is input and that controls the driving of the movable device. The controller executes an acquisition process that acquires position information indicating the position of a person's mouth based on the detection information, and a drive process that drives the movable device based on the position information so that the light can irradiate light onto the person's mouth.

The controller drives the movable device so that the light can shine light on a person's mouth based on the position information, so that the washbasin can shine light on the user's mouth.

(2) Preferably, the movable device includes the moving device and the change device. In the acquisition process, the controller acquires contour information indicating the position of the contour of the person's face based on the detection information, acquires angle information indicating the irradiation angle at which the light can irradiate the person's mouth based on the contour information, and in the drive process, drives the movable device based on the position information and angle information.

The controller drives the movable device so that the light can irradiate the person's mouth with light that corresponds to the orientation of the person's mouth, so that light can be irradiated into the user's mouth even if the user tilts their face relative to the half mirror.

(3) Preferably, the sensing device has a first camera that captures an image of the detection area and outputs first imaging information. In the acquisition process, the controller acquires the position information based on the first imaging information.

(4) Preferably, the device further includes a memory for storing length information indicating the length of the head. In the acquisition process, the controller acquires first contour information indicating the position of the contour of the person's face based on the first imaging information, acquires the distance in the left-right direction between the position of the bottom end of the contour of the face and the center position of the contour in the left-right direction based on the first contour information, acquires angle information indicating the irradiation angle at which the light can irradiate the person's mouth from the length information and the distance method, and drives the change device based on the angle information in the drive process.

(5) Preferably, the sensing device has a distance measuring device disposed behind the half mirror, irradiating laser light, measuring distance based on reflected light of the laser light, and outputting distance information. The washbasin device further includes a moving mechanism for moving the distance measuring device in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the acquisition process, the controller acquires second contour information indicating the contour of the mouth based on the first imaging information, acquires the position information indicating the coordinates of the center in the vertical direction of two points located at the top and bottom of the mouth and the center in the horizontal direction of two points located at the left and right of the mouth based on the second contour information, moves the distance measuring device to a position on the moving mechanism opposite the position indicated by the position information, and acquires the distance information.

(6) Preferably, the washbasin further includes a second camera disposed behind the half mirror and outputting second imaging information, and a display. The movable device includes at least one of the moving device that moves the light and the second camera along the rear surface of the half mirror and a device that changes the imaging direction of the second camera. In the drive process, the controller executes a process of driving the movable device based on the position information so that the second camera can capture an image of the person's mouth, and a display process of acquiring the second imaging information from the second camera and displaying an image indicated by the second imaging information on the display.

The image of the mouth illuminated by the light can be seen on the display.

(7) Preferably, the half mirror has a rectangular flat plate shape whose rear surface extends in the up-down and left-right directions. The moving device moves the light in the up-down and left-right directions.

The present invention provides an easy-to-use washbasin device that can shine light onto a person's mouth.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a washbasin apparatus 10 according to an embodiment, in which FIG. 1(A) is a schematic side view of the washbasin apparatus 10 and FIG. 1(B) is a schematic front view of the washbasin apparatus 10. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the washbasin apparatus 10 according to the embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view that shows a model of the moving mechanism 34 to which the irradiation device 33 is fixed, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view that shows a model of the brush case 15. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4A is a perspective view that typically shows the illumination device 35, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view that typically shows the moving device 36 to which the illumination device 35 is fixed. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the controller 21 in accordance with the control program 25 . FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the first calculation process executed by the controller 21. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the second calculation process executed by the controller 21. FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram showing an example of first image data in which a person including a face is captured, and FIG. 8B is a schematic top view showing the positional relationship between the person's head and the lighting device 35.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the embodiment described below is merely one example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be modified as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, the order of execution of each process described below can be modified as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. Alternatively, some of the processes described below can be omitted as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the state in which the washbasin device 10 is used (the state in FIG. 1), the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the maximum surface where the half mirror 31 is exposed as the front surface 38, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the washbasin device 10 is viewed from behind. The up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 are perpendicular to each other.

[Washbasin device 10]
The washbasin apparatus 10 is used, for example, as a washbasin in a house, etc. As shown in FIG 1, the washbasin apparatus 10 has a support base 11, a washbasin bowl 12, a faucet 13, a housing 14, and a brush case 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support base 11 supports the washbasin 12 and the housing 14. The support base 11 is placed, for example, on the floor of a washroom in a house. The support base 11 has a box-shaped storage section 11A on the front side. The storage section 11A has, for example, two doors at the front end and has an internal space that can be stored. The support base 11 has a box-shaped storage section 11B on the rear side. The controller 21 is stored inside the storage section 11B.

A publicly known faucet can be used for the washbasin 12. The washbasin 12 is disposed with a portion of it embedded in the upper end of the storage section 11A. A faucet 13 is attached to the washbasin 12. A publicly known faucet can be used for the faucet 13. The faucet 13 is disposed, for example, on the upper surface of the rear end side of the washbasin 12.

The housing 14 is fixed on top of the storage section 11B. The housing 14 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, the length dimension of the housing 14 along the up-down direction 7 is longer than the length dimensions along the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9. For example, the length dimension of the housing 14 along the front-rear direction 8 is shorter than the length dimension along the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 14 has a half mirror 31, a camera 32, an irradiation device 33, a moving mechanism 34, an illumination device 35, a moving device 36, and a display 37. The camera 32 and the irradiation device 33 are examples of sensing devices.

[Half mirror 31]
1, the half mirror 31 is provided on the front surface of the housing 14. The half mirror 31 has a flat plate shape. The half mirror 31 has a maximum surface extending along the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9. The half mirror 31 has, for example, a rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the length dimension along the up-down direction 7 is longer than the length dimension along the left-right direction 9. The half mirror 31 transmits a portion of light incident on the front surface backward and reflects a portion of the light forward.

[Camera 32]
The camera 32 is disposed at the lower end of the front surface of the housing 14. The lens of the camera 32 is located at the same position as the half mirror 31 in the front-rear direction 8, and is exposed facing forward. The body of the camera 32 is located inside the housing 14. The camera 32 has a lens and an image sensor, and captures light collected by the lens with the image sensor. The camera 32 outputs the captured still image as first image data. The camera 32 captures an image of an area 39 in front of the washbasin device 10 and above the camera 32. The camera 32 is an example of a first camera. The first image data is an example of detection information and first imaging information. The area 39 is an example of a detection area.

[Irradiation device 33]
The irradiation device 33 is used as a laser pointer and a distance measuring device. The irradiation device 33 is, for example, a distance measuring device called LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). As shown in FIG. 2, the irradiation device 33 has, for example, an emission unit 41 and a measurement unit 42. The irradiation device 33 irradiates a measurement object with laser light and converts the intensity of the reflected light reflected by the measurement object into a time-series luminance signal based on the sensor output. The irradiation device 33 measures the distance to the measurement object based on the time difference between the time of emission of the laser light and the time corresponding to the peak of the luminance signal value.

When the irradiation device 33 is used as a laser pointer, it continuously emits laser light from the emission unit 41. When the irradiation device 33 is used as a distance measuring device, it intermittently emits laser light from the emission unit 41. At this time, the irradiation device 33 outputs distance information indicating the distance from the irradiation device 33 to the measurement object. The emission unit 41 emits laser light forward from the irradiation device 33 along the front-rear direction 8. The measurement unit 42 measures the distance to the measurement object based on the received reflected light.

[Moving mechanism 34]
1 and 3A, the movement mechanism 34 moves the irradiation device 33 along the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9 behind the half mirror 31. The movement mechanism 34 has, for example, two rails 45 extending along the up-down direction 7, a rail 46 extending along the left-right direction 9, and a holder 47 to which the irradiation device 33 is fixed.

The upper end of the rail 45 is joined to the underside of the top plate of the housing 14, and the lower end is joined to the upper surface of the bottom plate of the housing 14 with screws or the like. The rails 45 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the center in the left-right direction 9 of the internal space of the housing 14. The left and right ends of the rail 46 are each connected to the rail 45. The rail 46 has a roller between it and the rail 45. For example, the roller at the left end of the rail 46 is driven by a motor (not shown) and slides against the rail 45. That is, the rail 46 can move in the up-down direction 7 along the rail 45.

The holder 47 is formed, for example, in a U-shape when viewed from the side. The irradiation device 33 is fixed to the upper surface of the holder 47. The irradiation device 33 is disposed behind the half mirror 31.

The holder 47 has a roller (not shown) between it and the rail 46. For example, the roller of the holder 47 is driven by a motor (not shown) and slides against the rail 46. That is, the holder 47 can move in the left-right direction 9 along the rail 46. Note that the motor for the rail 46 and the holder 47 can be a DC motor, an AC motor, or any other type of motor, and is, for example, a stepping motor. The amount of rotation of the motor for the rail 46 and the holder 47 is controlled by the controller 21.

[Lighting device 35]
As shown in FIG. 4A , the lighting device 35 has a base 51 , a rotating part 52 , a support part 53 , a spotlight 54 , and a camera 55 .

The base 51 rotatably supports the rotating part 52. In the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the base 51 is disk-shaped with its largest surface extending along the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9. For example, a rod-shaped rotating shaft (not shown) that is inserted into the rotating part 52 protrudes along the front-rear direction 8 from the center of the front-rear direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9 on the front side of the base 51. The base 51 has a pan motor (not shown) for rotating the rotating part 52 around the axis of the rotating shaft of the base 51.

The rotating section 52 has a pan chassis 52A and two tilt chassis 52B that support the support section 53. The pan chassis 52A is disk-shaped with its largest surface extending along the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9. The pan chassis 52A has an insertion hole into which the rotation shaft of the base 51 is inserted, and a gear to which the driving force of the pan motor of the base 51 is transmitted. The pan chassis 52A rotates around the axis of the rotation shaft of the base 51 when the pan motor of the base 51 is driven.

The tilt chassis 52B rotatably supports the support portion 53. In the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the tilt chassis 52B protrudes in the front-rear direction 8 from the upper and lower ends of the front surface of the pan chassis 52A. The tilt chassis 52B has an insertion hole in the front end along the up-down direction 7. A shaft 53B extending along the up-down direction 7 of the support portion 53 is inserted into the insertion hole of the tilt chassis 52B. The tilt chassis 52B at the upper end has a tilt motor for rotating the support portion 53 around the axis of the shaft 53B.

The support unit 53 has a disk-shaped main body 53A to which the spotlight 54 and the camera 55 are fixed, and a shaft 53B that connects to the arm of the rotating unit 52. A gear is provided on the shaft 53B to which the rotational force of the tilt motor of the tilt chassis 52B is transmitted. The shaft 53B is fixed to the main body 53A. The shaft 53B is rotated by the tilt motor, and the main body 53A rotates around the axis of the shaft 53B.

By rotating the rotating part 52 and the support part 53, the irradiation direction of the spotlight 54 and the imaging direction of the camera 55 are changed. Note that the pan motor of the base 51 and the tilt motor of the rotating part 52 can be various motors such as DC motors and AC motors, for example, a stepping motor. The rotation angle and amount of the pan motor of the base 51 and the tilt motor of the rotating part 52 are controlled by the controller 21. The base 51, the rotating part 52, and the support part 53 are examples of a changing device and a movable device.

The spotlight 54 emits linear light. A known spotlight 54 may be used, for example a combination of an LED and a reflector. In the spotlight 54, the light emitted from the LED is collimated by the reflector. The spotlight 54 is turned on and off by the controller 21. The spotlight 54 may be a combination of an LED and a lens, and the light emitted from the LED may be collimated by the lens. Also, instead of the spotlight 54, a light that emits diffused light may be used.

The camera 55 has a lens and an image sensor, and captures the light collected by the lens with the image sensor. The camera 55 outputs the captured image as second image data. The camera 55 captures an image of an area in front of the washbasin device 10 that includes an area hit by the linear light emitted by the spotlight 54. The camera 55 is an example of a second camera, and the second image data is an example of second imaging information.

[Mobile device 36]
1 and 4B, the moving device 36 moves the illumination device 35 in the up-down direction 7 and the left-right direction 9 behind the half mirror 31. The moving device 36 is disposed, for example, behind the moving mechanism 34 and within the housing 14. The moving device 36 has, for example, rod-shaped shafts 61A, 61B, motors 62A, 62B, rod-shaped pulleys 63A, 63B, 63C, 63D arranged in a rectangular frame shape, and a belt 64.

The shaft 61A supports the pulley 63A. The shaft 61B supports the pulley 63C. The shaft 61A is fixed to the underside of the top plate of the housing 14 with a screw or the like. The shaft 61A is disposed, for example, to the right of the center in the left-right direction 9 of the internal space of the housing 14. The shaft 61A extends downward from the underside of the top plate of the housing 14 along the up-down direction 7. The shaft 61B is fixed to the inner surface of the right side wall of the housing 14 with a screw or the like. The shaft 61B is disposed, for example, below the center in the up-down direction 7 of the internal space of the housing 14. The shaft 61B extends leftward from the inner surface of the right side wall of the housing 14 along the left-right direction 9.

The motors 62A and 62B support and rotate the pulleys 63B and 63D. The motor 62A is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate of the housing 14 with a screw or the like, with the rotation shaft aligned along the up-down direction 7. The motor 62A is fixed, for example, to the left end side of the bottom plate of the housing 14. The motor 62B is fixed to the inner surface of the left side wall of the housing 14 with a screw or the like, with the rotation shaft aligned along the left-right direction 9. The motor 62B is fixed, for example, to the upper end side of the side wall of the housing 14. Note that the motors 62A and 62B may be various motors such as DC motors and AC motors, but are, for example, servo motors. The rotation amount of the motors 62A and 62B is controlled by the controller 21.

Pulleys 63A and 63B are oriented along the vertical direction 7. Pulley 63A is disposed to the right of the center in the horizontal direction 9 of the internal space of housing 14, and pulley 63B is disposed to the left of the center. Pulley 63A is connected to shaft 61A. Specifically, shaft 61A is inserted into pulley 63A. Pulley 63A has bearing mechanisms at the upper and lower ends and is rotatable around the axis of shaft 61A. Pulley 63B is connected to motor 62A. Specifically, the lower end of pulley 63B is fixed to the rotating shaft of motor 62A.

Pulleys 63C and 63D are oriented along the left-right direction 9. Pulley 63C is disposed below the center of the internal space of housing 14 in the up-down direction 7, and pulley 63D is disposed above the center. Pulley 63C is connected to shaft 61B. Specifically, shaft 61B is inserted into pulley 63C. Pulley 63C has bearing mechanisms at the upper and lower ends and is rotatable around the axis of shaft 61B. Pulley 63D is connected to motor 62B. Specifically, the left end of pulley 63D is fixed to the rotating shaft of motor 62B.

The belt 64 supports the lighting device 35. The belt 64 has a first portion 64A wound around pulleys 63A and 63B, and a second portion 64B wound around pulleys 63C and 63D. The first portion 64A and the second portion 64B are flat belt-shaped. The length dimension of the first portion 64A along the left-right direction 9 is longer than the length dimension along the up-down direction 7. The length dimension of the second portion 64B along the up-down direction 7 is longer than the length dimension along the left-right direction 9.

The first part 64A and the second part 64B cross each other at the front and rear of the moving device 36. The first part 64A and the second part 64B are connected at an intersection 64C where they cross at the front. The first part 64A and the second part 64B are not connected at the rear, and have a point where they overlap at the front and rear. The lighting device 35 is fixed to the front of the intersection 64C. In other words, the lighting device 35 is disposed behind the half mirror 31.

The first part 64A rotates in accordance with the rotation of the pulley 63B. The second part 64B rotates in accordance with the rotation of the pulley 63D. That is, the intersection part 64C moves in the left-right direction 9 due to the rotation of the first part 64A, and moves in the up-down direction 7 due to the rotation of the second part 64B. As the intersection part 64C moves, the lighting device 35 moves. Note that the first part 64A moves up and down along the pulleys 63A and 63B in accordance with the rotation of the second part 64B. The second part 64B moves left and right along the pulleys 63C and 63D in accordance with the rotation of the first part 64A.

[Display 37]
The display 37 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and has a display screen that displays various information. As shown in Fig. 1, the display 37 is disposed in close contact with, for example, the rear surface of the half mirror 31. The outer frame of the display screen of the display 37 is fixed to the rear surface of the half mirror 31 by bonding with an adhesive or the like. The display 37 is disposed, for example, near the center of the half mirror 31 in the up-down direction 7 and to the left of the center in the left-right direction 9. A user can view the various information displayed on the display 37 from in front of the half mirror 31 through the half mirror 31.

[Brush case 15]
The brush case 15 is used as a case for a toothbrush. As shown in Fig. 1, the brush case 15 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. For example, the length dimension of the brush case 15 along the left-right direction 9 is longer than the length dimensions along the up-down direction 7 and the front-rear direction 8. The length dimension of the brush case 15 along the front-rear direction 8 is shorter than the length dimension along the up-down direction 7.

As shown in Figures 3(B) and 3(C), the brush case 15 has a case body 71, a reflective photosensor 72, and a reflecting portion 73 that reflects light. The case body 71 is composed of, for example, an inner wall that divides the internal space of the brush case 15 and forms four spaces aligned in the left-right direction 9, and an outer wall that forms the outer contour of the brush case 15. In the following, an example will be described in which one toothbrush is placed in each of two of the four divided spaces of the brush case 15.

The reflective photosensor 72 is disposed, for example, at the rear end of the brush case 15. The reflective photosensor 72 has a light-emitting unit 72A and a light-receiving unit 72B. The light-emitting unit 72A emits light toward the reflecting unit 73. The light-receiving unit 72B receives the light reflected by the reflecting unit 73. For example, when the power supply of the light (not shown) above the half mirror 31 provided in the washbasin device 10 is turned on, the light-emitting unit 72A of the reflective photosensor 72 continues to emit light intermittently.

The reflector 73 is located at the front end of the brush case 15, facing the reflective photosensor 72. The reflective photosensor 72 and reflector 73 are provided in each space partitioned by the inner wall of the case body 71.

The reflective photosensor 72 outputs ON information when the light receiving unit 72B receives the light emitted by the light emitting unit 72A. The reflective photosensor 72 outputs OFF information when the light receiving unit 72B cannot receive the light emitted by the light emitting unit 72A. The reflective photosensor 72 can output ON information, for example, when there is no toothbrush between the reflective photosensor 72 and the reflector 73. On the other hand, when there is a toothbrush between the reflective photosensor 72 and the reflector 73, the light receiving unit 72B cannot receive the light reflected by the reflector 73, so the reflective photosensor 72 outputs OFF information. The reflective photosensor 72 may output OFF information or ON information depending on the intensity of light received by the light receiving unit 72B.

[Controller 21]
As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 21 includes a CPU 22 , a memory 23 , and a communication bus 24 .

The memory 23 is, for example, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, or a portable storage medium or buffer such as a USB memory attached to an attachment portion (not shown). The memory 23 stores the control program 25, first origin information of coordinates indicating the center in the vertical and horizontal directions of the first image data, second origin information indicating the reference of the coordinates in the vertical direction 7 and horizontal direction 9 of the irradiation device 33 fixed to the moving mechanism 34 corresponding to the first origin information, third origin information indicating the reference of the coordinates in the vertical direction 7 and horizontal direction 9 of the lighting device 35 fixed to the moving device 36, first dimensional information indicating the dimension H described in detail below, and second dimensional information indicating the distance D in the front-rear direction 8 between the irradiation device 33 and the spotlight 54.

The coordinates of the second origin information and the coordinates of the third origin information overlap in the front-rear direction 8. As a result, the coordinates of the illumination device 33 in the moving mechanism 34 in the up-down direction 7 and left-right direction 9 can be used as the coordinates of the illumination device 35 in the moving device 36 in the up-down direction 7 and left-right direction 9.

The first dimension information indicates a length dimension H (see FIG. 8(B)) along a direction intersecting with the front of the face from the axis of rotation of the head to the tip of the face excluding the nose when the person's head is viewed from above. The dimension H is a predetermined fixed value. The dimension H is, for example, half the length of the head. The head length is, for example, the maximum length dimension along a direction intersecting with the front of the face in the outline of the person including the face and the back of the head excluding the nose when the person's head is viewed from above. The head length is derived, for example, by averaging the average head length of men aged 18 to 30, the average head length of women aged 18 to 30, and the average head length of men and women aged 60 or older. It goes without saying that the head length may be determined by another definition or calculation method.

The second dimension information indicates, for example, the distance D (see FIG. 8B) along the front-rear direction 8 from the front end of the emission portion 41 of the lighting device 33 to the front end of the base portion 51 of the lighting device 35.

The control program 25 is a program executed by the CPU 22, and is a program that mainly executes the process of irradiating light onto a person's mouth. The process executed by the control program 25 will be described in detail later.

The communication bus 24 is connected to the CPU 22, memory 23, camera 32, irradiation device 33, movement mechanism 34, lighting device 35, movement device 36, display 37, and switch mechanism 72. That is, the control program 25 executed by the CPU 22 can read information and data from the memory 23 through the communication bus 24, store information and data in the memory 23, obtain information output by each device, and output signals to each device to operate each device.

[Operation of Controller 21]
Hereinafter, the operation of the controller 21 according to the present embodiment in accordance with the commands written in the controller 21 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 21 acquires OFF information from, for example, two reflective photosensors 72 (S11). At this time, the controller 21 acquires ON information from the other two reflective photosensors 72. Specifically, when the user turns on the power of the light (not shown) above the half mirror 31 provided in the washbasin device 10, each light-emitting unit 72A emits light, the reflective photosensor 72 with a toothbrush between it and the reflector 73 outputs OFF information, and the other reflective photosensors 72 without a toothbrush output ON information.

The controller 21 determines whether any of the OFF information has changed to ON information (S12). This is because when the user removes the toothbrush from the brush case 15, any of the OFF information changes to ON information. By determining whether any of the OFF information has changed to ON information, the controller 21 can determine whether the toothbrush has been removed from the brush case 15.

When the controller 21 determines that any of the OFF information has changed to ON information (S12: Yes), it supplies driving power to the camera 32 and performs calibration of the irradiation device 33 (S13). In the calibration, the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate in the moving mechanism 34 of the irradiation device 33 corresponding to the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate in the first image data output by the camera 32 are acquired. The controller 21 executes a process in which the irradiation device 33 irradiates the laser light to the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate in the first image data that are determined in advance. At this time, the irradiation device 33 is used as a laser pointer. The controller 21 corrects the error between the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate in the first image data of the laser light irradiated by the irradiation device 33 and the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate in the first image data that are determined in advance. The controller 21 corrects the error between the second origin information and the third origin information and the first origin information.

The controller 21 determines whether any of the OFF information has changed to ON information (S12: No) until any of the OFF information has changed to ON information or until neither ON information nor OFF information can be obtained.

In response to having performed the calibration, the controller 21 acquires first image data from the camera 32 (S14). The controller 21 performs face tracking processing on the first image data (S15). Because the person who removed the toothbrush is in front of the washbasin device 10, the first image data includes the face of that person. Therefore, the contour of the person's face is detected by face tracking (S15). As shown in FIG. 7(B) , in detecting the contour of a person's face, multiple points represented by X-axis coordinates and Y-axis coordinates are arranged on the contour of the face.

5, the controller 21 determines whether or not the contour of the face has been detected (S16). When the controller 21 determines that the contour of the face has been detected (S16: Yes), it executes face tracking processing to detect the contour of the mouth (S17). As shown in FIG. 7B, in detecting the contour of a person's mouth, a plurality of points represented by X-axis coordinates and Y-axis coordinates are arranged on the contour of the face and mouth. The controller 21 stores in the memory 23 first contour information indicating the contour of the detected person's face and second contour information indicating the contour of the person's mouth. The first contour information and the second contour information can be composed of, for example, the X-axis coordinates and Y-axis coordinates of points on each contour and the order of points in which the contours are connected. The first contour information is an example of contour information.

If the controller 21 determines that the contour of a face has not been detected (S16: No), it again acquires the first image data from the camera 32 (S14).

In response to detecting the mouth contour, the controller 21 calculates a first coordinate of the center of the mouth on the X axis along the left-right direction and the Y axis along the up-down direction of the first image data (S18). Specifically, the controller 21 acquires first origin information from the memory 23. As shown in FIG. 7B, the controller 21 calculates the Y axis coordinate of the center between the uppermost point A1 and the lowermost point A2 of the mouth contour based on the first origin information, and calculates the X axis coordinate of the center between the leftmost point B1 and the rightmost point B2 of the mouth contour. The controller 21 sets the coordinate of point C1 represented by the calculated X axis coordinate and Y axis coordinate as the first coordinate. The controller 21 stores the first coordinate in the memory 23.

5, the controller 21 moves the irradiation device 33 in response to the calculation of the first coordinate (S19). Specifically, the controller 21 acquires the first coordinate from the memory 23. The controller 21 converts the first coordinate to calculate the second coordinate in the moving mechanism 34 corresponding to the first coordinate. The controller 21 stores the second coordinate in the memory 23. The controller 21 drives the motors of the rail 46 and the holder 47 based on the second coordinate. The irradiation device 33 fixed to the moving mechanism 34 moves to the position indicated by the second coordinate. Note that the first coordinate is a coordinate indicating the center position of the mouth in the first image data, whereas the second coordinate is a coordinate of a position corresponding to the first coordinate in the moving range of the irradiation device 33. Therefore, when the irradiation device 33 moves to the second coordinate, the center of the mouth indicated by the first coordinate is located in front of the irradiation device 33. The first coordinate and the second coordinate are examples of position information.

In response to the movement of the irradiation device 33 to the second coordinates, the controller 21 causes the emission unit 41 of the irradiation device 33 to irradiate laser light as a laser pointer (S20). In response to the irradiation of the laser light, the controller 21 acquires distance information (dimension N: see FIG. 8(B)) from the irradiation device 33 (S21). The controller 21 stores the distance information (dimension N: see FIG. 8(B)) in the memory 23. Note that steps S14 to S21 are an example of the acquisition process.

In response to acquiring the distance information (dimension N), the controller 21 executes a first calculation process to calculate the illumination angle of the spotlight 54 (S22).

As shown in FIG. 6, in the first calculation process, the controller 21 acquires first contour information from the memory 23 (S41). In response to acquiring the first contour information, the controller 21 calculates a third coordinate indicating the center of the width along the left-right direction of the face (S42). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the controller 21 calculates the X-axis coordinate of the center between point E1 located at the leftmost position of the facial contour and point E2 located at the rightmost position from the first contour information, and sets this as the third coordinate. The controller 21 stores the third coordinate in the memory 23.

As shown in Figure 6, in response to calculating the third coordinate, the controller 21 acquires a fourth coordinate, which is the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate, of point F1 (see Figure 8 (A)) located at the bottom end of the face from the first contour information (S43). In response to calculating the fourth coordinate, the controller 21 calculates the difference between the third coordinate and the X-axis coordinate of the fourth coordinate (S44). The controller 21 stores the difference calculated in step S44 in the memory 23 as the dimension L (see Figure 8 (A)) (S45).

The controller 21 acquires the first dimension information indicating the dimension H from the memory 23 (S46). Based on the dimensions L and H, the controller 21 calculates the angle α of a right triangle in which the line consisting of the dimension H is the hypotenuse and the angle α is the interior angle between the line consisting of the absolute value of the dimension L and the hypotenuse (S47). Specifically, the controller 21 calculates cosα = dimension L / dimension H. The angle α is the same as the angle at which a virtual line P1 (see FIG. 8B) along the left-right direction 9 intersects with a virtual line P2 (see FIG. 8B) along the direction in which the spotlight 54 of the lighting device 35 irradiates light, on a virtual plane extending along the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9.

In response to calculating the angle α, the controller 21 stores the angle α in the memory 23 as angle information indicating the irradiation angle of the spotlight 54 (S48). In response to executing step S48, the controller 21 ends the first calculation process.

As shown in FIG. 1, in response to executing the first calculation process, the controller 21 executes a second calculation process to calculate a fifth coordinate indicating the irradiation position of the spotlight 54 (S23). Note that the fifth coordinate is an example of irradiation position information.

7, in the second calculation process, the controller 21 acquires from the memory 23 the first dimension information indicating the dimension H, the distance information indicating the dimension N, the second dimension information indicating the distance D, and the dimension L (S51). Based on the dimension H, the dimension N, the distance D, and the dimension L, the controller 21 calculates the dimension Lo (see FIG. 8B) indicating the difference between the X-axis coordinate of the second coordinate and the X-axis coordinate of the irradiation position of the spotlight 54 (S52). Specifically, the controller 21 calculates the dimension M of the remaining side of a right triangle in which the straight line consisting of the dimension H is the hypotenuse and the interior angle between the straight line consisting of the absolute value of the dimension L and the hypotenuse is angle α, using Pythagoras' theorem. In response to calculating the dimension M, the controller 21 calculates the dimension Lo: dimension L = (dimension M + dimension N + distance D): dimension M.

In response to calculating the dimension Lo, the controller 21 subtracts the value obtained by subtracting the dimension Lo from the dimension L from the X-axis coordinate of the second coordinate to calculate the fifth coordinate (S53). The controller 21 stores the fifth coordinate in the memory 23 (S54). In response to storing the fifth coordinate in the memory 23, the controller 21 ends the second calculation process. Note that steps S14 to S23 are an example of the acquisition process.

In response to execution of the second calculation process, the controller 21 drives the moving device 36 to move the lighting device 35 (S24). Specifically, the controller 21 acquires the fifth coordinate from the memory 23. The controller 21 drives the motors 62A and 62B based on the fifth coordinate. The lighting device 35 fixed to the moving device 36 moves to the position indicated by the fifth coordinate. Note that if the X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate of the fifth coordinate exceed the coordinate range in which the lighting device 35 can move, the controller 21 overwrites them with the closest X-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate within that coordinate range to update the memory 23. Step S24 is an example of a driving process.

In response to the lighting device 35 moving to the fifth coordinate, the controller 21 changes the illumination angle of the spotlight 54 based on the angle α (S25). Specifically, the controller 21 drives the pan motor of the base 51 so that the axis 53B of the support 53 is oriented along the vertical direction 7. The controller 21 drives the tilt motor of the rotation unit 52 so that the angle α is formed between the imaginary line P2, which is parallel to an axis perpendicular to the maximum surface of the main body 53A of the support 53, and the imaginary line P1.

The controller 21 turns on the spotlight 54 in response to changing the illumination angle of the spotlight 54 (S26). The controller 21 acquires second image data from the camera 55 in response to turning on the spotlight 54 (S27). The controller 21 displays the acquired second image data on the display 37 (S28). Note that the controller 21 executes step S27 when the spotlight 54 is already on in step S26. Step S31 is an example of a display process.

In response to executing step S28, the controller 21 determines whether any of the ON information acquired from the reflective photosensor 72 has changed to OFF information (S12). This is because when the user places the toothbrush in the brush case 15, any of the ON information changes to OFF information. By determining whether any of the ON information has changed to OFF information, the controller 21 can determine whether the toothbrush has been placed in the brush case 15.

When the controller 21 determines that any of the ON information has changed to OFF information (S29: Yes), it ends the process. When the controller 21 determines that any of the ON information has not changed to OFF (S29: No), it acquires the first image data again (S14) and executes the subsequent processes.

[Effects of the embodiment]
In this embodiment, the controller 21 moves the spotlight 54 and emits light from the spotlight 54 based on the fifth coordinate and angle α calculated from the position information and distance information indicating the position of the person's mouth, so that the washbasin device 10 can illuminate the back of the user's mouth.

Light can be projected into the user's mouth even if the user tilts their face left or right relative to the half mirror 31.

In addition, the washbasin device 10 uses the spotlight 54 to shine light on the user's mouth, preventing the light from hitting the user's eyes. This prevents the user from feeling dazzled, and makes it easier for the user to check the illuminated inside of their mouth through the half mirror 31.

In addition, the reflective photosensor 72 can output ON information when the toothbrush is removed from the brush case 15, so that the spotlight 54 can shine light into the mouth when the user brushes their teeth with their mouth open.

In addition, the controller 21 displays the second image data acquired from the camera 55 on the display 37, so that the user can check the image of the mouth illuminated by the spotlight via the display 37.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the irradiation device 33 and the moving mechanism 34 are provided, but the irradiation device 33 and the moving mechanism 34 may not be provided. In addition, a three-dimensional camera or a three-dimensional laser sensor is used as the camera 32. At this time, the controller 21 may acquire the first image data from the camera 32 and calculate the position information, distance information, and the angle between the direction of the face of the person facing the half mirror 31 and the direction of the face of the person in the image data, as well as the angle in the up and down directions, by a known technique. For example, the angle in the up and down directions may be calculated by a technique described in JP 2019-165851 A.

For example, the controller 21 may calculate an angle β, which is angle information corresponding to the top and bottom, from the first image data. In the first calculation process, the controller 21 acquires the nose contour from the first image data and calculates the center coordinate of the nose in the same way as the center of the mouth. In step S42, the controller 21 calculates a Y-axis coordinate indicating the center of the vertical width along the top and bottom directions of the face from the Y-axis coordinates of the most central point and the lowest point of the face contour. The controller 21 calculates the difference between the Y-axis coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate of the center coordinate of the nose, and stores it in the memory 23 as the dimension L'. Based on the dimension L' and the dimension H, the controller 21 calculates the angle β of a right triangle in which the straight line consisting of the dimension H is the hypotenuse and the interior angle between the straight line consisting of the absolute value of the dimension L' and the hypotenuse is angle β. Specifically, the controller 21 calculates cos β = dimension L' / dimension H.

In the second calculation process, the controller 21 obtains the dimension Lo' between the Y-axis coordinate of the second coordinate and the Y-axis coordinate of the irradiation position of the spotlight 54 in the same manner as the dimension Lo. The controller 21 calculates the dimension M' of the remaining side of a right triangle in which the hypotenuse is a straight line consisting of the dimension H and the interior angle between the straight line consisting of the absolute value of the dimension L' and the hypotenuse is angle β, using Pythagoras' theorem. In response to calculating the dimension M', the controller 21 calculates the dimension Lo': dimension L' = (dimension M' + dimension indicated by the distance information + distance D): dimension M'. In step S25, the controller 21 drives the pan motor of the base 51 and the tilt motor of the rotating unit 52 based on the angles α and β. Even if the user tilts his/her face up, down, left, or right with respect to the half mirror 31, light can be irradiated to the back of the user's mouth.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a reflective photosensor 72 is used, but the reflective photosensor 72 does not have to be used. In this case, an infrared sensor connected to the communication bus 17 or a known operation switch may be provided. The infrared sensor outputs ON information in response to detecting infrared rays.

An operating switch for the spotlight 54 may also be provided. When the controller 21 receives information indicating ON from the operating switch, it turns on the spotlight 54 in step S26, and when it does not receive information indicating ON from the operating switch, it does not execute step S26 but executes step S27.

Moreover, like the moving mechanism 34, the moving device 36 may be composed of two rails extending along the up-down direction 7, a rail extending along the left-right direction 9, and a holder to which the lighting device 35 is fixed.

In addition, the lighting device 35 is fixed to the holder 47 of the moving device 36, but it may be fixed to the inner surface of the rear wall of the housing 14 without being fixed to the holder 47.

The spotlight 54 and the camera 55 may also be fixed to the base 51.

The display 37 does not have to be provided. The controller 21 may also have a communication I/F and display the second image data on a display of a mobile terminal device or the like.

The controller 21 may also be provided in the housing 14, rather than in the support base 11. In this case, the housing 14 may be separated from the support base 11 and used as a washbasin device.

In addition, instead of the camera 32, an imaging device having a camera, a CPU, and a memory may be used. The CPU may perform face tracking processing. The CPU, memory, and controller 21 are an example of a controller.

10: Washing device 21: Controller 31: Half mirror 32: Camera (sensing device, first camera)
33... Irradiation device 33 (sensing device)
36...Movement device (movable device)
37: Display 38: Front surface 39: Area (detection area)
52...Rotating unit (changing device, movable device)
53...Support part (changing device, movable device)
54...Spotlight (light)
55...Camera (second camera)

Claims (6)

A half mirror that transmits part of the light incident from the front side and reflects part of it;
A light located behind the half mirror;
A movable device including at least one of a moving device that moves the light along the rear surface of the half mirror and a changing device that changes the irradiation direction of the light;
a sensing device that detects an area in front of the half mirror and outputs detected information;
a controller to which the detection information is input and which controls the driving of the movable device;
the movable device includes the movement device and the change device,
The above controller is
an acquisition process for acquiring position information indicating a position of a person's mouth based on the detection information;
A driving process is executed to drive the movable device so that the light can irradiate the person's mouth based on the position information,
In the acquisition process, first contour information indicating a position of a contour of a person's face is acquired based on the detection information, and angle information indicating an irradiation angle at which the light can irradiate the person's mouth is acquired based on the first contour information.
The washbasin device drives the movable device based on the position information and angle information in the driving process. A half mirror that transmits part of the light incident from the front side and reflects part of it;
A light located behind the half mirror;
A movable device including at least one of a moving device that moves the light along the rear surface of the half mirror and a changing device that changes the irradiation direction of the light;
a sensing device that detects an area in front of the half mirror and outputs detected information;
a controller to which the detection information is input and which controls the driving of the movable device;
A memory for storing length information indicating a head length,
The sensing device is
a first camera that captures an image of the detection area and outputs first image information;
The above controller is
an acquisition process for acquiring position information indicating a position of a person's mouth based on the detection information;
A driving process is executed to drive the movable device so that the light can irradiate the person's mouth based on the position information,
In the acquisition process, the position information is acquired based on the first imaging information;
In the acquisition process, first contour information indicating a position of a contour of a person's face is acquired based on the first imaging information, a distance in a left-right direction between a position of a bottom end of the contour of the face and a position of a center of the contour of the face in the left-right direction is acquired based on the first contour information, and angle information indicating an irradiation angle at which the light can irradiate the person's mouth with light is acquired from the length information and the distance.
The washbasin apparatus drives the change device based on the angle information in the drive process. A half mirror that transmits part of the light incident from the front side and reflects part of it;
A light located behind the half mirror;
A movable device including at least one of a moving device that moves the light along the rear surface of the half mirror and a changing device that changes the irradiation direction of the light;
a sensing device that detects an area in front of the half mirror and outputs detected information;
a controller to which the detection information is input and which controls the driving of the movable device;
The sensing device is
a first camera that captures an image of the detection area and outputs first imaging information;
a distance measuring device disposed behind the half mirror, irradiating a laser beam, measuring a distance based on a reflected light of the laser beam, and outputting distance information ;
A moving mechanism for moving the distance measuring device in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction is further provided,
The above controller is
an acquisition process for acquiring position information indicating a position of a person's mouth based on the detection information;
A driving process is executed to drive the movable device so that the light can irradiate the person's mouth based on the position information,
In the acquisition process, the position information is acquired based on the first imaging information;
In the acquisition process, a washbasin device acquires second contour information indicating the contour of the mouth based on the first imaging information, acquires position information indicating the coordinates of the center in the vertical direction of the two points located at the top and bottom of the mouth, and the center in the horizontal direction of the two points located at the left and right of the mouth based on the second contour information, moves the distance measuring device to a position on the moving mechanism opposite the position indicated by the position information, and acquires the distance information. A half mirror that transmits part of the light incident from the front side and reflects part of it;
A light located behind the half mirror;
A movable device including at least one of a moving device that moves the light along the rear surface of the half mirror and a changing device that changes the irradiation direction of the light;
a sensing device that detects an area in front of the half mirror and outputs detected information;
a controller to which the detection information is input and which controls the driving of the movable device;
a second camera disposed behind the half mirror and configured to output second imaging information;
A display;
the movable device includes at least one of the moving device that moves the light and the second camera along the rear surface of the half mirror and a device that changes the imaging direction of the second camera,
The above controller is
an acquisition process for acquiring position information indicating a position of a person's mouth based on the detection information;
a driving process for driving the movable device so that the light can irradiate the person's mouth with light based on the position information;
a process of driving the movable device so that the second camera can capture an image of a person's mouth based on the position information in the driving process;
The washbasin device executes a display process of acquiring the second imaging information from the second camera and displaying an image represented by the second imaging information on the display. A half mirror that transmits part of the light incident from the front side and reflects part of it;
A light located behind the half mirror;
A movable device including at least one of a moving device that moves the light along the rear surface of the half mirror and a changing device that changes the irradiation direction of the light;
a sensing device that detects an area in front of the half mirror and outputs detected information;
a controller to which the detection information is input and which controls the driving of the movable device;
The above controller is
an acquisition process for acquiring position information indicating a position of a person's mouth based on the detection information;
A driving process is executed to drive the movable device so that the light can irradiate the person's mouth based on the position information,
The half mirror has a rectangular flat plate shape whose rear surface extends along the up-down and left-right directions,
The moving device is a washbasin device that moves the light along the up-down direction and the left-right direction. The sensing device is
a first camera that captures an image of the detection area and outputs first image information;
The above controller is
The washbasin apparatus according to claim 1 , 4 or 5 , wherein, in the acquisition process, the position information is acquired based on the first imaging information.

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