JP7767508B2 - Toilet equipment - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a toilet device.

Conventionally, various mechanisms installed in toilet systems, such as the warm water flushing mechanism, require electrical components to be grounded via an earth wire. Therefore, a technology has been disclosed in which an earth fitting for attaching an earth wire is attached to the side of the base located at the rear of the toilet body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-260588

Because the earth wire is a wire that extends outward from the toilet device, it is preferable that it be located in a position that is as difficult to see as possible, while at the same time making it easy to connect the earth wire.

The present disclosure relates to a toilet apparatus comprising a base portion to which functional components are attached, and a grounding fitting provided in an opening formed in the rear wall portion of the base portion and for securing a grounding wire.

1 is a perspective view showing a toilet device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a rear base portion of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grounding fitting of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the recess of the grounding fitting and the base portion of the embodiment.

An embodiment of the toilet apparatus 1 of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front-to-rear direction is defined as the front-to-rear direction when viewed from a person sitting on the toilet seat 21 of the toilet apparatus 1. The direction connecting the left and right that intersects the front-to-rear direction is defined as the width direction. The up-down direction along the vertical direction is defined as the vertical direction. In the drawings, F indicates the front of the toilet apparatus 1, and R indicates the rear.

As shown in Figure 1, the toilet apparatus 1 comprises a toilet body 10, a toilet seat 21, a toilet lid 22, a base 3, and a grounding fitting 4. The toilet apparatus 1 is a flush-type apparatus that is placed, for example, in a toilet room (not shown) and flushes waste down the drain. The toilet body 10 is a container with a recess that is open at the top, and a drain outlet is formed at the bottom. The toilet seat 21 is a roughly annular, flat member with an opening in the center that communicates with the opening of the toilet body 10, and is placed on the top surface of the toilet body 10 and attached so that it can be opened and closed. The toilet lid 22 is placed on top of the toilet seat 21 and is attached so that it can be opened and closed like the toilet seat 21, covering the recesses of the toilet seat 21 and the toilet body 10.

The base 3 is located behind the toilet body 10. Attached to the base 3 are functional components 9 such as a hose, flushing nozzle, power supply unit, control circuit board, electric opening/closing unit that electrically opens and closes the toilet seat 21 and toilet lid 22, valve unit, various piping, etc. (all not shown). The functional components 9 may include one or more of the illustrated mechanisms.

The base portion 3 has a front base portion 31, a rear base portion 32, and a cover portion 33. The cover portion 33 is a cover that continuously covers the front base portion 31 and the rear base portion 32. The cover portion 33 connects to the hinge portion of the toilet seat 21. The rear portion of the cover portion 33 covers the periphery of the side wall portion 322 of the rear base portion 32.

The front base portion 31 is made of a resin plate, and various mechanisms are attached to it. The front base portion 31 is located at the rear of the toilet body 10.

The rear base portion 32 is disposed behind the front base portion 31. The rear base portion 32 is molded from resin and has a predetermined height. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear base portion 32 has a rear base main body portion 321, a side wall portion 322, and a rear wall portion 323.

The rear base main body 321 is located in the space behind the front base 31. The rear base main body 321 has concave and convex portions formed to match the external shapes of the components that make up each mechanism, with each functional component 9 housed in a concave portion or supported by a convex portion. For example, the rear base main body 321 has an upper surface 321a formed at one upper end in the width direction that extends parallel to the installation surface of the base 3, and a detergent tank 91 containing detergent to be supplied to the flush water of the toilet is fitted into a recess 321b formed in the upper surface 321a. The rear base main body 321 has an earth fitting placement recess 34 for placing an earth fitting 4, which will be described later.

The grounding fitting placement recess 34 is formed on the top surface 321a near the recess 321b in which the detergent tank 91 is placed, and is a partially recessed portion that matches the shape of the grounding fitting 4. The grounding fitting placement recess 34 has a T-shaped recess 34a, an opening communication portion 34b (see Figure 4), and a receiving surface 34c (see Figure 4).

The T-shaped recess 34a is a generally T-shaped depression formed at a shallow position on the upper surface 321a. The opening communication portion 34b is a hole that extends downward in the thickness direction of the rear base main body portion 321 from one end of the width direction of the T of the T-shaped recess 34a. The receiving surface 34c is a flat surface that extends vertically along the opening communication portion 34b, which extends vertically. The receiving surface 34c is the inner wall of a hole located forward of the opening communication portion 34b.

The side wall portion 322 is a surface of the outer edge of the rear base main body portion 321 that extends in the front-to-rear direction on one side and the other side of the width of the toilet apparatus 1. The side wall portion 322 stands upright in the height direction of the rear base main body portion 321. The side wall portion 322 forms the outer wall of the rear base portion 32.

The rear wall portion 323 stands upright in the height direction of the rear base main body portion 321 at the rear of the toilet apparatus 1 in the front-to-rear direction of the outer edge of the rear base main body portion 321. The rear wall portion 323 extends continuously with the side wall portion 322 and forms the outer wall of the rear base portion 32.

The rear wall 323 is formed with a predetermined thickness and gently slopes inward toward the rear base main body 321 from the bottom to the top. The thickness of the rear wall 323 decreases from the bottom to the top. As shown in FIG. 2, a portion of the top end of the rear wall 323 is continuous with the top surface 321a of the rear base main body 321. The rear wall 323 extends rearward and outward from the opening communication portion 34b of the grounding metal mounting recess 34 and is positioned opposite the receiving surface 34c. An opening 325 is formed at the bottom end of the rear wall 323, exposing a portion of the grounding metal 4 (described below).

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the opening 325 is formed by cutting out a roughly U-shaped notch from the lower end of the rear wall 323.

The grounding fitting 4 is a fitting that connects the wiring of the functional component 9 arranged inside the base portion 3 to the ground wire 5 (see Figure 4) and secures the ground wire 5. The grounding fitting 4 is a thin metal member that connects a flat T-shaped portion to a vertically elongated surface that extends in a direction intersecting the T-shaped surface. As shown in Figure 3, the grounding fitting 4 has a fixed portion 41, an extension portion 42, and an attachment portion 43.

The fixing portion 41 is a flat, T-shaped portion of the grounding metal fitting 4. The fixing portion 41 is positioned so that it fits into the T-shaped recess 34a of the grounding metal fitting placement recess 34, and is fixed to the top surface 321a of the rear base main body 321 with screws. In addition to screw holes for fixing, the fixing portion 41 has multiple through-holes 411 formed therein, allowing wiring within the base portion 3 to be connected via terminals.

The extension portion 42 is a flat, vertically elongated portion that bends and extends from one widthwise end of the T-shaped fixing portion 41. The extension portion 42 is inserted into the opening communication portion 34b and is positioned so as to extend along the inner surface of the rear wall portion 323. The extension portion 42 faces the receiving surface 34c. The extension portion 42 and the fixing portion 41 extend in directions that are substantially perpendicular to each other.

The mounting portion 43 is the end of the grounding fitting 4 that is located at the lower end of the extension portion 42. The mounting portion 43 has a bent portion 431, a mounting surface 432, and a through hole 433. The bent portion 431 bends from the lower end of the extension portion 42 and extends toward the opening 325 in the rear wall portion 323. The mounting surface 432 bends from the end of the bent portion 431 that is not connected to the extension portion 42 and extends in a direction approximately parallel to the extension portion 42. The mounting surface 432 is positioned facing the opening 325 in the rear wall portion 323 and is exposed inside the opening 325. The through hole 433 is a hole formed in the mounting surface 432, and allows for the attachment of the ground wire 5 and a terminal 51 for attaching the ground wire 5.

As shown in Figure 4, the grounding fitting 4 is easily installed by fitting the fixing portion 41 into the T-shaped recess 34a formed on the upper surface 321a of the rear base main body 321. At the same time, the extension portion 42 passes through the opening communication portion 34b, and the mounting portion 43 is exposed from the opening 325. Furthermore, even if the extension portion 42 is pushed and bent toward the front of the toilet apparatus 1 while securing the grounding wire from the opening 325 to the mounting portion 43, it is supported by the receiving surface 34c, preventing the mounting portion 43 from moving further back from the opening 325.

This embodiment provides the following advantages. The toilet apparatus 1 is configured to include a base 3 to which the functional components 9 are attached, and an earth fitting 4 that is provided in an opening 325 formed in the rear wall 323 of the base 3 and that secures the earth wire 5. Because the earth fitting 4 is provided in the opening 325 formed in the rear wall 323 of the base 3, the earth wire attached to the earth fitting 4 can be drawn to the rear of the toilet apparatus 1. This makes the earth wire 5 unsightly, improving the appearance of the toilet apparatus 1. Because the earth wire can be attached through the opening 325, the installation of the earth wire 5 can be simplified. Furthermore, neatening up wiring such as the power cord from an external power source also makes it easier to clean the toilet room in which the toilet apparatus 1 is installed.

According to this embodiment, the opening 325 is formed at the lower end of the rear wall 323. The grounding fitting 4 includes a fixed portion 41 that is fixed to the upper surface 321a of the base 3 and to which wiring within the base 3 is connected; an extension portion 42 that extends from the fixed portion 41 and is arranged to extend along the inner surface of the rear wall 323; and a mounting portion 43 for the ground wire 5 that is arranged at the lower end of the extension portion 42 and exposed inside the opening 325. The grounding fitting 4 has the extension portion 42 that extends from the fixed portion 41 that is arranged on the upper surface 321a of the base 3, and the mounting portion 43 for the ground wire 5 is arranged at the lower end of the extension portion 42. Therefore, simply by fixing the grounding fitting 4 to the upper surface 321a of the base 3, the mounting portion 43 that is arranged at the lower end of the extension portion 42 can be exposed inside the opening 325. This makes it easy to install the grounding fitting 4. By positioning the grounding fitting 4 on the top surface 321a of the base 3, wiring from the functional components 9 inside the base 3 can be easily connected to the grounding fitting 4, making grounding itself easier.

In this embodiment, the base portion 3 is configured to include a receiving surface 34c that extends opposite the extending portion 42. Because the receiving surface 34c faces the extending portion 42 of the grounding fixture 4, even if the extending portion 42 bends, the receiving surface 34c can support the extending portion 42. As a result, the grounding wire 5 can be attached to the mounting portion 43 exposed from the opening 325 formed at the lower end of the rear wall portion 323 without having to worry about the extending portion 42 bending. This achieves the same effect as above.

This disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes modifications and improvements that achieve the objectives of this disclosure. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the base portion 3 is divided into a front base portion 31 and a rear base portion 32, and an opening is formed in the rear base portion 32. However, the base portion 3 may not be divided into a front and a rear portion. The shape of the grounding fixture and the shape of the grounding fixture placement recess for attaching the grounding fixture 4 are not limited to the shapes described above.

1. Toilet device, 3. Base, 4. Grounding fixture, 5. Grounding wire, 9. Functional component, 34. Grounding fixture placement recess, 34c. Receiving surface, 41. Fixed portion, 42. Extension portion, 43. Mounting portion, 323. Rear wall portion, 325. Opening.

Claims (16)

A base portion disposed on the upper surface of the rear of the toilet body,
a base body portion to which a functional component is attached;
the base body supports a grounding metal fitting that connects the wiring of the functional component to either or both of a ground wire and a terminal connected to the ground wire;
an opening formed on the outer surface of the base body ;
A base portion in which the mounting surface of the earth fitting for attaching either or both of the earth wire and the terminal to the earth fitting is located at a position spaced from the opening inside the base main body portion . The base portion according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of the ground wire and the terminal are attached to the ground fitting through the opening. The outer surface of the base main body has a wall portion that stands in a height direction of the base main body ,
The base portion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mounting surface is disposed on an inner side of the wall portion. The base portion according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the mounting surface is exposed inside the opening. The base portion according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a space is provided between the mounting surface and the opening for arranging either or both of the earth wire and the terminal. The grounding fitting includes a fixing portion provided with a plurality of through holes;
a mounting portion disposed below the fixing portion and having the mounting surface ;
The base portion according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an extension portion connecting the fixing portion and the mounting portion. The base portion according to claim 6 , wherein wiring of the functional component is connected to the through-hole. The base portion according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein the extension portion is bent and extends from one end portion in the width direction of the fixing portion. The through holes are arranged in a plurality in one direction in the fixing portion,
The base portion according to claim 6 , wherein the extension portion extends downward from an end portion of the fixing portion along a direction in which the through holes are arranged. The base portion according to any one of claims 6 to 9 , wherein the base main body portion has a receiving surface extending opposite to the extension portion. The opening is formed by cutting out the lower end side of the rear end of the base main body portion so that it opens toward the upper surface of the toilet body, and is arranged to be able to communicate with the upper surface side.A base portion described in any one of claims 1 to 10. A toilet seat apparatus comprising the base portion according to any one of claims 1 to 11 . A toilet apparatus comprising the base portion according to any one of claims 1 to 11 . A base portion that is disposed on the toilet bowl and to which functional components are attached,
a base body portion having an opening formed on an outer surface thereof;
a fixing portion provided with a plurality of through holes;
an attachment portion disposed below the fixing portion;
a grounding fixture including an extension portion that connects the fixed portion and the mounting portion;
The mounting portion has a mounting surface at a position spaced from the opening inside the base main body portion for mounting either an earth wire or a terminal or both to the earth fitting . A toilet seat assembly including the base portion of claim 14 . A toilet apparatus comprising the base portion of claim 14 .