JP7601190B2 - bathroom - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to bathrooms.

A disinfectant water ejection device that ejects disinfectant water toward the bathroom washing floor is known (Patent Document 1). It is also known that such disinfectant water ejection devices use electrolytic water, such as hypochlorous acid water, generated by electrolyzing flowing water (tap water), as the disinfectant water to be ejected. By using such electrolytic water as disinfectant water, it is not necessary to prepare or replace cartridges for storing detergent, etc., compared to using detergent, for example, and is very easy to use.

On the other hand, when electrolyzed water such as hypochlorous acid water is used as disinfectant water, the electrolyzed water has the property of killing bacteria when it comes into contact with them and then turning back into water. Therefore, in order to disinfect the surface of the floor of the washing area, it is essential to apply the electrolyzed water directly to the surface of the floor of the washing area.

JP 2009-178470 A Patent No. 5371337

However, the surface of the washing area floor is often covered with sebum dirt and other stains that have been washed off the bodies of bathroom users. The surface of the washing area floor with sebum dirt attached to it is covered with sebum dirt, so the discharged electrolyzed water cannot land directly on it. This creates an issue in that when a user cleans the bathroom with, for example, a sponge or brush to remove the sebum dirt, bacteria that grow using the sebum dirt as nutrients can cause blackening and other stains to appear on the surface of the washing area floor from which the sebum dirt has been removed. In other words, even if electrolyzed water is discharged toward the washing area floor, there is still a possibility that blackening will occur on part of the surface of the washing area floor.

The present invention aims to provide a bathroom that makes it easy to bring electrolyzed water into contact with the surface of the washing area floor, which is covered with sebum stains.

The bathroom of the first invention is a bathroom equipped with a washing area floor having an oil-repellent surface, and an electrolytic water discharge device capable of discharging electrolytic water having a disinfecting effect toward the washing area floor, wherein the oil-repellency is such that when the washing area floor is held horizontally at room temperature in the air and a 1 μL oil droplet made of oleic acid is placed on the surface, the oil contact angle is 40° or more, and the electrolytic water discharge device is capable of discharging electrolytic water obliquely toward the washing area floor.
According to the first invention, since the surface of the washing place floor is oil-repellent, the surface of the washing place floor and sebum dirt are not easily adhered to each other. By discharging electrolytic water obliquely toward the surface of such a washing place floor, the sebum dirt is easily floated on the surface of the washing place floor, and the electrolytic water discharged obliquely is easily inserted between the sebum dirt that is easily floated and the surface of the washing place floor.
Therefore, it becomes easier for the electrolytic water to come into contact with the parts of the surface of the washing area floor that are hidden by sebum stains, and as a result, the surface of the washing area floor can be thoroughly disinfected.
The electrolytic water that gets between the sebum dirt and the surface of the washing area floor disinfects the surface of the washing area floor, then turns back into water, and the sebum dirt is easily discharged into the drain along with the water. This has resulted in an unexpected effect, even for those skilled in the art, of making it difficult for sebum dirt to come into contact with the surface of the washing area floor that has been disinfected.
The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the device further includes an operating unit that is operated by a user to eject electrolyzed water, and when the operating unit is operated, first, tap water that is not electrolyzed water is ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor, and then, electrolyzed water is ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor.
According to the second invention, the action of separating sebum dirt from the surface of the washing place floor can be made to be tap water, and the action of penetrating between the sebum dirt and the surface of the washing place floor and disinfecting the surface of the washing place floor can be made to be electrolytic water. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the electrolytic water from coming into contact with the sebum dirt unnecessarily in order to separate the sebum dirt from the surface of the washing place floor, and the electrolytic water can be more effectively applied to the surface of the washing place floor.
The third invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, when the operating unit is operated, tap water that is not electrolyzed water is first ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor, and then electrolyzed water and tap water are not ejected until a predetermined time has elapsed, and after the predetermined time has elapsed, electrolyzed water is ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor.
According to the third invention, if electrolytic water is discharged onto the washing area floor immediately after tap water is landed on the washing area floor, the concentration of the disinfecting component of the electrolytic water will be diluted by the remaining tap water. Therefore, after the tap water is discharged onto the washing area floor, the electrolytic water and tap water are not discharged until a predetermined time has passed, and after the predetermined time has passed, the electrolytic water is discharged toward the washing area floor, so that the electrolytic water can be more effectively applied to the surface of the washing area floor.
The fourth invention is characterized in that, in the second or third invention, the tap water that is not electrolyzed water is ejected not only onto the washing area floor but also onto the inner walls of the bathroom that form the bathroom.
According to the fourth invention, tap water can be allowed to penetrate between the sebum stain and the surface of the washing area floor, so as to sandwich the sebum stain from both sides, thereby more effectively separating the sebum stain from the surface of the washing area floor.

The bathroom of the present invention provides a bathroom that makes it easy to bring electrolyzed water into contact with the surface of the washing area floor, which is covered with sebum stains.

1 is a system block diagram showing the overall configuration of a bathroom cleaning device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bathroom according to an embodiment. 1A is an oblique view of an electrolytic water discharge device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a washing area floor according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a schematic trajectory of the discharged electrolytic water until it lands in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the disinfecting and cleaning effect of the washing area floor in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the disinfecting and cleaning effect of the washing area floor in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the disinfecting and cleaning effect of the washing area floor in the embodiment. 4A is a time chart showing the discharge of electrolytic water in the embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a time chart showing the discharge of tap water and electrolytic water in the embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

Figure 1 is a system block diagram showing the overall configuration of a bathroom cleaning device 1 according to an embodiment.

The bathroom cleaning device 1 includes a power source 30, a control device 40, an operation unit 35, and an electrolytic water discharge device 100. The electrolytic water discharge device 100 is installed on the bathroom counter.

FIG. 2(a) is a schematic oblique view of a bathroom 500 according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2( b ) is an enlarged schematic perspective view of the vicinity of the counter 530 in the bathroom 500 .

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the bathroom 500 is surrounded by four walls 541-544 and a ceiling 545. Inside the bathroom 500, a bathtub 510, a washing area floor 520, and a counter 530 are provided. Furthermore, the bathroom 500 is appropriately provided with a mirror, a water faucet, a hand shower, etc.

A first wall 541 and a second wall 542 are provided facing each other on a pair of short sides of the bathtub 510. A fourth wall 544 is provided on one long side of the bathtub 510. A third wall 543 is provided facing the fourth wall 544 on the side of the washing area floor 520.

The washing area floor 520 is provided with a drain outlet 521. In the example shown in FIG. 2(a), the drain outlet 521 is located near the edge of the washing area floor 520 on the bathtub 510 side, approximately in the center of the washing area floor 520 in the longitudinal direction.

The surface (floor surface) of the washing area floor 520 has a gentle downward slope (drainage gradient) from the edge on the first wall 541 side, the edge on the second wall 542 side, and the edge on the third wall 543 side toward the drain outlet 521.

The counter 530 is attached to, for example, the second wall 542. The counter 530 is installed at a distance above the surface of the washing area floor 520. When viewed from above, the counter 530 has a roughly rectangular shape with its long side aligned with the short side of the washing area floor 520.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the counter 530 has a top plate 531 and a cover 532 that covers the bottom of the top plate 531. The electrolytic water discharge device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is housed inside the counter 530 surrounded by the top plate 531 and the cover 532, except for some elements (stop valve 50, water discharge unit 10).

The water discharge unit (nozzle unit) 10 is provided so as to protrude below the counter 530, as shown in FIG. 2(b). The water discharge unit 10 is spaced apart from the surface of the washing area floor 520. The water discharge unit 10 is also installed near the center of the width (short side) of the counter 530. In other words, the water discharge unit 10 is installed at one end side of the length of the washing area floor 520 and near the center in the short side direction. The rotational movement of the water discharge unit 10, which will be described later, in this position makes it easier to discharge tap water and electrolytic water over almost the entire washing area floor 520.

The stop valve 50 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a water supply pipe through which tap water is supplied. The stop valve 50 is connected to a strainer 51. The downstream side of the strainer 51 is connected to a constant flow valve 52, and the downstream side of the constant flow valve 52 branches into two pipes 61 and 62.

One of the pipes 61 is provided with a solenoid valve 53, and the downstream side of the solenoid valve 53 is connected to the first water outlet 11 of the water outlet 10. In addition, for example in cold regions, a water drain valve 54 is connected between the solenoid valve 53 and the water outlet 10 as necessary.

The other pipe 62 is connected, in order from the upstream side, to a strainer 55, a solenoid valve 56, a pressure adjusting valve 57, a check valve 59, the electrolytic water generating unit 20, the strainer 65, and the second water outlet 12 of the water outlet unit 10. In addition, a safety valve 58 is connected between the pressure adjusting valve 57 and the check valve 59.

The electrolytic water discharge device 100 also has a motor (e.g., a stepping motor) 66 that rotates (turns) the water discharge unit 10. This motor 66 is also housed inside the counter 530.

The control device 40 controls the operation of the solenoid valve 53, the solenoid valve 56, the electrolytic water generator 20, and the motor 66. The power source 30 supplies them with power. The power source 30 also supplies power to the operation unit 35. The power source 30 is installed, for example, behind the ceiling 545 of the bathroom 500 as shown in FIG. 2(a). The control device 40 is installed inside the counter 530 or behind the ceiling 545 of the bathroom 500.

The solenoid valve 53 is opened and closed under the control of the control device 40. When the solenoid valve 53 is open, tap water is discharged from the first water outlet 11. When the solenoid valve 53 is closed, tap water is not discharged from the first water outlet 11.

The solenoid valve 56 is opened and closed under the control of the control device 40. When the solenoid valve 56 is open, tap water is supplied to the electrolytic water generating unit 20, and the electrolytic water generated by the electrolytic water generating unit 20 is discharged from the second water outlet 12. When the solenoid valve 56 is closed, electrolytic water is not discharged from the second water outlet 12.

The flow rate of tap water supplied to the electrolytic water generating unit 20 is adjusted by controlling the pressure of the tap water using the pressure regulating valve 57. The flow rate of the electrolytic water discharged from the second water outlet 12 is adjusted by adjusting the flow rate of the tap water supplied to the electrolytic water generating unit 20.

In addition, the flow rate of tap water supplied downstream can be adjusted using solenoid valves 53 and 56.

The electrolytic water generating unit 20 generates electrolytic water. This electrolytic water is disinfecting water that has a disinfecting effect. The electrolytic water generating unit 20 is, for example, an electrolytic cell having an anode and a cathode. By applying a voltage between the anode and the cathode and electrolyzing the tap water flowing between the anode and the cathode, the tap water is transformed into electrolytic water. As tap water contains chloride ions, hypochlorous acid is generated by electrolyzing the chloride ions.

Hypochlorous acid has the ability to kill bacteria and further inhibit their growth. Therefore, electrolyzed water contains hypochlorous acid and is a disinfecting water with disinfecting properties.

Figure 3(a) is a perspective view of the water discharge unit 10.

The water outlet 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a first water outlet 11 and a second water outlet 12 are provided on the lower side. The first water outlet 11 and the second water outlet 12 are each formed in the shape of a vertically long slit.

The first water outlet 11 and the second water outlet 12 are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical water outlet portion 10. Alternatively, the first water outlet 11 and the second water outlet 12 may be arranged side by side in the height direction.

From the first water outlet 11, tap water that is not electrolyzed water is discharged onto the washing area floor 520. From the second water outlet 12, the aforementioned electrolyzed water (sterilized water) is discharged onto the washing area floor 520. Tap water or electrolyzed water can be temporarily stored inside the cylindrical water outlet section 10, and the water discharge pressure can be increased.

Tap water can be discharged from the first vertically elongated water outlet 11, spreading out like a fan in the vertical direction (up and down). Electrolyzed water can be discharged from the second vertically elongated water outlet 12, spreading out like a fan in the vertical direction (up and down).

By driving the motor 66 described above, the cylindrical water discharge part 10 can be rotated around its central axis (shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3(a)), thereby changing the direction in which tap water or electrolytic water is discharged.

Figure 3(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the washing area floor 520.

The washing area floor 520 comprises a substrate 521 and a coating 522 formed on the surface of the substrate 521. The substrate 521 may be made of FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic), PP (Polypropylene), etc. The coating 522 may have a matrix and a functional material having hydrophilic and oil-repellent properties dispersed in the matrix.

The matrix is made of a paint material that reacts with hydroxyl groups, and the functional material is preferably a hydroxyl-containing fluorine compound. The hydroxyl groups of the hydroxyl-containing fluorine compound are hydrophilic, and the fluorine is oil-repellent. That is, the surface of the washing area floor 520 has oil-repellent groups 81 and hydrophilic groups 82.

The surface of the washing area floor 520 is both hydrophilic and oil-repellent. The oil-repellency of the surface of the washing area floor 520 here can be defined as follows:

As shown in FIG. 5(a), when the washing area floor 520 is held horizontally in the air at room temperature and a 1 μL oil droplet 300 made of oleic acid is placed on its surface, the oil contact angle α of the oil droplet 300 is 40° or more.

Figure 4 is a side view that shows a schematic diagram of the trajectory of electrolytic water discharged from the water discharge unit 10 until it hits the water.

The water discharge unit 10 can discharge electrolytic water obliquely toward the washing area floor 520. As described above, the electrolytic water discharged in a vertical fan shape contains discharge components whose downward discharge angle with respect to the horizontal direction is 0° or more and 40° or less.

Figure 4 shows an example of the trajectories of three electrolytic water streams discharged at discharge angles θ1, θ2, and θ3, which are in the range of 0° or more and 40° or less. The discharge angle of electrolytic water discharged in the horizontal direction (the direction along the dashed line in Figure 4) is 0°.

Similar to electrolyzed water, the water discharge unit 10 can discharge non-electrolyzed tap water at an angle toward the washing area floor 520, and the tap water discharged in a vertical fan-like shape contains discharge components whose downward discharge angle with respect to the horizontal direction is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 40°.

Figure 8 (a) is a time chart showing the discharge of electrolyzed water in one embodiment.

When the user operates the operation unit 35 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2(a) (when the operation unit 35 is turned ON), the operation unit 35 transmits a command to execute electrolytic water discharge to the control device 40. After receiving the command to execute electrolytic water discharge from the operation unit 35, the control device 40 executes control so that electrolytic water is discharged from the water discharge unit 10 for a time T1.

According to the embodiment, the surface of the washing area floor 520 is oil-repellent, so sebum stains are unlikely to adhere strongly to the surface of the washing area floor 520. By discharging electrolytic water obliquely toward the surface of such a washing area floor 520, the sebum stains are made to float easily on the surface of the washing area floor 520, and the electrolytic water discharged obliquely is more likely to penetrate between the sebum stains that have become easily floated and the surface of the washing area floor 520.

This makes it easier for the electrolytic water to come into contact with areas of the surface of the washing area floor 520 that are hidden by sebum stains, resulting in the surface of the washing area floor 520 being thoroughly disinfected.

The electrolytic water that has penetrated between the sebum dirt and the surface of the washing area floor 520 disinfects the surface of the washing area floor 520 and then turns back into water, and the sebum dirt is easily discharged together with the water into the drain. This has resulted in an unexpected effect, even for those skilled in the art, of making it difficult for sebum dirt to come into contact again with the surface of the washing area floor 520 that has already been disinfected.

The water discharge unit 10 can also discharge electrolytic water at a discharge angle (greater than 0° and less than 40°) that is sharper (smaller) than the oil contact angle of the washing area floor 520. Electrolytic water discharged sharply at an angle in this way is more likely to penetrate between the sebum dirt that is more likely to float and the surface of the washing area floor 520.

A drainage gradient is formed on the surface of the washing area floor 520, and as shown in FIG. 5(b), the surface of the washing area floor 520 is inclined. The inclined surface of the washing area floor 520 is oil-repellent, so sebum dirt 200 adhering to the surface of the washing area floor 520 tends to become inclined in the direction of the incline due to gravity.

In this state, the electrolyzed water is discharged so that it penetrates from below onto the surface of the inclined washing area floor 520, and hits the surface of the washing area floor 520 at a water landing angle β (which has an angle-alternate relationship with the above-mentioned discharge angle) of 0° or more and 40° or less. This allows the electrolyzed water to more effectively penetrate between the sebum stains 200 and the surface of the washing area floor 520.

Figure 8 (b) is a time chart showing the discharge of tap water and electrolyzed water in an embodiment.

In this example, before electrolyzed water is ejected obliquely onto the washing area floor 520, tap water that is not electrolyzed water is ejected obliquely onto the washing area floor 520.

When the user operates the operation unit 35 (when the operation unit 35 is turned ON), tap water that is not electrolyzed water is first discharged at the above-mentioned discharge angle of 0° or more and 40° or less so that it penetrates from below onto the surface of the inclined washing area floor 520 as shown in FIG. 6(a). After operating the operation unit 35, tap water is first discharged from the water discharge unit 10 for a time t1.

After the tap water has been discharged and time t2 has elapsed, electrolyzed water is discharged at the above-mentioned discharge angle of 0° or more and 40° or less so that it penetrates from below onto the surface of the washing area floor 520, as shown in FIG. 6(b). The electrolyzed water is discharged for time t3 (= t1).

This allows tap water to act to separate the sebum stains 200 from the surface of the washing area floor 520, while electrolyzed water can penetrate between the sebum stains 200 and the surface of the washing area floor 520 to disinfect the surface of the washing area floor 520. This prevents the electrolyzed water from coming into contact with the sebum stains 200 unnecessarily in order to separate the sebum stains 200 from the surface of the washing area floor 520, allowing the electrolyzed water to act more effectively on the surface of the washing area floor 520.

The operating unit 35 is operated by the user, and tap water that is not electrolyzed water is first discharged at a discharge angle of 0° or more and 40° or less so that it penetrates from below onto the surface of the washing area floor 520, and then neither electrolyzed water nor tap water is discharged until a predetermined time t2 has elapsed. Then, after the predetermined time t2 has elapsed, electrolyzed water is discharged at a discharge angle of 0° or more and 40° or less so that it penetrates from below onto the surface of the washing area floor 520.

If electrolyzed water is discharged onto the washing area floor 520 immediately after tap water has landed on the washing area floor 520, the concentration of the antibacterial components of the electrolyzed water will be diluted by the remaining tap water. Therefore, after the tap water is discharged onto the washing area floor 520, the electrolyzed water and tap water are not discharged until a predetermined time t2 (e.g., 30 seconds or more and 1 minute or less) has elapsed, and after the predetermined time t2 has elapsed, the electrolyzed water is discharged toward the washing area floor 520, so that the electrolyzed water can act more effectively on the surface of the washing area floor 520.

In addition, tap water that is not electrolyzed water is sprayed not only onto the washing area floor 520 but also onto the bathroom interior walls that form the bathroom. Tap water for removing sebum stains from the surface of the washing area floor 520 is sprayed not only onto the surface of the washing area floor 520 but also onto the bathroom interior walls that form the bathroom.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the tap water discharged onto the bathroom interior wall flows along the downward slope of the surface of the inclined washing area floor 520, and the tap water can penetrate between the sebum stain 200 and the surface of the washing area floor 520 so as to sandwich the sebum stain 200 from both sides, allowing the sebum stain 200 to be more effectively removed from the surface of the washing area floor.

After the above-mentioned predetermined time has elapsed, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the electrolytic water is discharged at the above-mentioned discharge angle of 0° or more and 40° or less so that the electrolytic water penetrates from below onto the surface of the washing area floor 520, and penetrates between the sebum stains 200 and the surface of the washing area floor 520.

If the discharge flow rate of the electrolytic water or tap water from the water discharge unit 10 is slow, the electrolytic water or tap water will land in a parabolic arc, making it difficult to obtain a landing angle that allows the water to easily get between the sebum dirt and the surface of the washing area floor. Therefore, for example, if the discharge flow rate of the electrolytic water from the water discharge unit 10 is set to 9 (m/s) or more and 11 (m/s) or less, and the discharge flow rate of the tap water from the water discharge unit 10 is set to 5.6 (m/s), the electrolytic water or tap water will be discharged at a downward discharge angle of 0° or more and 40° or less relative to the horizontal direction, making it easier for the electrolytic water or tap water to get between the sebum dirt and the surface of the washing area floor.

The electrolyzed water and tap water are each discharged in the form of particles. For example, the particle size of the electrolyzed water is 800 (μm), and the particle size of the tap water is 0.3 (mm) to 3.5 (mm).

The above describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and various modifications are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

1...bathroom cleaning device, 10...water discharge unit, 20...electrolyzed water generating unit, 35...operation unit, 100...electrolyzed water discharge device, 520...washing area floor

Claims (4)

A bathroom comprising a washing area floor having an oil-repellent group and a hydrophilic group on its surface, and a water discharge device capable of discharging sterilizing water having a sterilizing effect toward the washing area floor and tap water,
The oil repellency of the surface is such that when the washing area floor is held horizontally at room temperature in the air and a 1 μL oil droplet made of oleic acid is placed on the surface, the contact angle of the oil droplet is 40° or more;
The water discharge device is capable of discharging sterilized water and tap water obliquely toward the washing area floor,
A bathroom characterized in that the downward discharge angle of the sterilizing water relative to the horizontal direction and the landing angle of the sterilizing water relative to the surface of the washing area floor are smaller than the oil contact angle of the washing area floor.
The device further includes an operating unit that is operated by a user to discharge the sterilized water and tap water,
The water discharge device is capable of discharging sterilized water having a sterilizing effect and tap water,
The bathroom according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the operating unit is operated, the tap water is first ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor, and then the disinfecting water is ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor. The bathroom of claim 2, characterized in that when the operating unit is operated, the tap water is first ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor, and then the sterilizing water and tap water are not ejected until a predetermined time has elapsed, and after the predetermined time has elapsed, the sterilizing water is ejected obliquely toward the washing area floor. The bathroom according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the tap water is discharged not only onto the floor of the washing area but also onto the bathroom interior walls that form the bathroom.