Toilet device

Abstract

To prevent discomfort from being imparted to a user who does not want automatic imaging of a toilet bowl.SOLUTION: A toilet device 1, 1A includes a toilet seat arranged on upper side of a bedpan, an image sensor 44 for taking a picture of the toilet bowl of the bedpan, and a control part 311 for executing the automatic imaging mode for automatically taking a picture of the toilet bowl by controlling the image sensor 44. When acquiring user's imaging intention information for showing whether the user has an intention of taking a picture of the toilet bowl or not, the control part 311 switches the automatic imaging mode between execution and stop based on the acquired imaging intention information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toilet device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a toilet seat device equipped with an image sensor. This toilet seat device automatically captures an image of the inside of the toilet bowl using the image sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-55522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, a toilet is used by multiple users, and some of these users may not want to have the inside of the toilet bowl photographed. In such a case, if the inside of the toilet bowl is photographed automatically as in the toilet seat device described in Patent Document 1, the photographs will be taken of users who do not want to be photographed, which may cause discomfort to the users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to prevent discomfort to users who do not want the inside of a toilet bowl to be photographed automatically. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the toilet device of the first aspect of the present invention comprises a toilet seat disposed above a toilet bowl, an image sensor that photographs the inside of the toilet bowl, and a control unit that controls the image sensor to execute an automatic photography mode that automatically photographs the inside of the toilet bowl, and when the control unit acquires a user's photography intention information indicating whether or not the user intends to photograph the inside of the toilet bowl, it switches between executing and stopping the automatic photography mode based on the acquired photography intention information.

[0007] According to this configuration, for example, if the photographing intention information indicates that there is no intention to photograph the inside of the toilet bowl, the automatic photographing mode can be switched to be stopped, thereby preventing the inside of the toilet bowl from being photographed automatically, thereby preventing discomfort to users who do not want to be photographed.

[0008] The toilet device according to the second aspect of the present invention includes a stop instruction unit that receives a stop instruction from a user, and when the stop instruction unit receives the stop instruction while the automatic photography mode is being executed, the control unit switches the automatic photography mode from execution to stop.

[0009] According to this configuration, even when the automatic photography mode is being executed, the automatic photography mode can be switched to a stopped state by a stop instruction from the user, improving usability for users who wish to take pictures by not requiring them to take extra steps to take pictures, and respecting the privacy of users who do not wish to take pictures.

[0010] In the toilet device according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the control unit switches the automatic photography mode from execution to stop, it deletes images captured before the automatic photography mode is stopped.

[0011] According to this configuration, when the automatic photography mode is switched from execution to stop, images taken before the mode is stopped are deleted, so that the privacy of users who do not wish to have photos taken can be further respected.

[0012] A toilet device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is provided with a seating detection unit that detects when a user sits on the toilet seat, and a control unit starts photographing in automatic photography mode when a predetermined time has elapsed since the seating detection unit detects a user sitting on the toilet seat, and switches the automatic photography mode from execution to stop when the stop instruction unit receives a stop instruction within the predetermined time.

[0013] According to this configuration, even if a user sitting on the toilet seat suddenly does not want to take pictures, the automatic photography mode can be switched from execution to stop in response to a stop command from the user, thereby making the device even easier to use.

[0014] The toilet device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention includes a photography instruction unit that accepts a photography instruction from a user, and the control unit switches the automatic photography mode from stopped to executed when the photography instruction unit accepts the photography instruction.

[0015] According to this configuration, even if the automatic photography mode is stopped, when the photography instruction unit receives a photography instruction, the automatic photography mode is switched from stopped to executed, thereby improving usability for a user who suddenly wants to take a photograph. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent discomfort to users who do not want the inside of the toilet bowl to be photographed automatically. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet room in which a toilet device is installed. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along line II-II of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the toilet device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view showing an example of the operating device shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a process flow of the toilet device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view showing a modified example of the operating device shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a modified example of the process flow of the toilet apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components in each drawing as much as possible, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0019] [First embodiment] First, a toilet device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 5. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet room R in which the toilet device 1 is installed, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the II-II cross section in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the toilet device 1, Fig. 4 is a front view showing an example of an operating device 7 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow of the toilet device 1.

[0020] <Overall composition> As shown in Fig. 1, a toilet bowl 9 is installed on the floor surface F of the toilet room R. The toilet bowl 9 is a large toilet bowl, and has a toilet bowl 91 that receives the user's feces, and a rim 92 that stands around the toilet bowl 91. For example, when a flushing operation unit (not shown) provided in the toilet room R is operated by a user, flushing water is supplied to the toilet bowl 91, flushing the toilet bowl 91 and discharging feces from the toilet bowl 91. The flushing operation unit can take various forms, such as an operation lever provided in the toilet room R or a switch 70 provided on the operation device 7 described below.

[0021] The toilet device 1 is applied to this toilet bowl 9. The toilet device 1 includes a toilet seat device 2 and an operating device 7. In the following description, when viewed from a user seated on a toilet seat 41 (described later), the front is referred to as "front", the rear is referred to as "rear", the left is referred to as "left", and the right is referred to as "right". Additionally, the upper vertical direction is referred to as "up", and the lower vertical direction is referred to as "down".

[0022] The toilet seat device 2 is attached to the top of the toilet bowl 9, and includes a main body 3, a toilet seat 41, a nozzle 42, and a toilet lid 43. The toilet seat device 2 may be attached to the toilet bowl 9 in a detachable manner, or may be attached to the toilet bowl 9 so as to be integrated therewith.

[0023] The toilet seat 41 is an element on which a user sits when defecating, and its seating surface 41c supports the user's buttocks. The toilet seat 41 is annular, with an opening 41a formed in its center. The opening 41a opens the toilet bowl 91 when the toilet seat 41 is placed on the rim 92. The rear end of the toilet seat 41 is supported by a shaft, which allows the toilet seat 41 to rotate between a position in which it is placed on the rim 92 and a position in which it is separated from the rim 92 and widely opens the toilet bowl 91.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the toilet seat 41 has a bottom plate 5 and a top plate 6. Both the bottom plate 5 and the top plate 6 are made of a resin material. The inner peripheral edge 5a of the bottom plate 5 and the inner peripheral edge 6a of the top plate 6 are welded to each other, and the outer peripheral edge 5b of the bottom plate 5 and the outer peripheral edge 6b of the top plate 6 are welded to each other, thereby joining the bottom plate 5 and the top plate 6 to form the toilet seat 41. The centers of the bottom plate 5 and the top plate 6 are spaced apart from each other, thereby forming a gap 41b inside the toilet seat 41. The toilet seat 41 may adopt various other forms, such as one in which a rib erected on the upper surface of the bottom plate 5 and a rib erected on the lower surface of the top plate 6 are welded to each other to join them.

[0025] When the toilet seat 41 is placed on the rim 92 of the toilet bowl 9, as shown in Fig. 2, the bottom plate 5 is disposed so that a portion thereof faces the rim 92 in the up-down direction, and another portion thereof is located above the toilet bowl 91. An opening 5c ​​is provided in this other portion of the bottom plate 5. An image sensor 44 is provided as an imaging unit that images the inside of the toilet bowl 91 through this opening 5c, for example in gap 41b on the back side of the toilet seat 41. The image sensor 44 can image objects present within the range of the angle of view θ1 when viewed from the side as shown in Fig. 2. The configuration around the image sensor 44 will be described later.

[0026] The top plate 6 is disposed so that the curved seating surface 41c faces upward. A heater 411 is attached to the lower surface of the top plate 6. The heater 411 is an electric heating wire that generates Joule heat when supplied with electric power.

[0027] Nozzle 42 shown in Fig. 1 is used for washing the private parts of a user. Nozzle 42 is configured to be movable forward and backward from main body 3 into toilet bowl 91 by an electric motor (not shown). When nozzle 42 is positioned within toilet bowl 91, an electromagnetic valve (not shown) is opened, causing nozzle 42 to spray water toward the private parts of the user.

[0028] The toilet lid 43 has a rear end pivotally supported and is configured to be rotatable between a position that covers the toilet seat 41 and a position that opens the toilet seat 41.

[0029] The operating device 7 operates the toilet seat device 2, and is installed, for example, on a wall surface of the toilet room R. The operating device 7 has a plurality of switches 70 each corresponding to a plurality of operations of the toilet seat device 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the operating device 7 further has a communication unit 71 and a display unit 72. The communication unit 71 wirelessly transmits and receives signals to and from a communication unit 313 of the toilet seat device 2, which will be described later. The display unit 72 is a liquid crystal panel provided on the outer surface of the operating device 7, and displays various information.

[0030] Also, like the operating device 7, the toilet seat device 2 may be remotely operated by using a mobile information terminal C1 to wirelessly communicate with the toilet seat device 2. The mobile information terminal C1 is, for example, a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by the user. However, the mobile information terminal C1 is not limited to these and may be any terminal that the user can carry with him or her.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 3, a control device 31 is disposed within the main body 3 of the toilet seat device 2. The control device 31 is composed of a part or the whole of an analog circuit, or a digital processor or memory, and has a control unit 311, a storage unit 312, and a communication unit 313 as functional blocks. The control unit 311 performs various controls based on signals and the like received by the control device 31 from the outside. The storage unit 312 stores various setting information and parameters. The communication unit 313 transmits and receives signals to and from the outside of the toilet seat device 2, such as the user's mobile information terminal C1 or cloud service C2.

[0032] It should be noted that the software modules incorporated in the control device 31 do not necessarily need to be divided into the functional blocks shown in Fig. 3. In other words, actual analog circuits and modules may be configured to perform the functions of the multiple functional blocks shown in Fig. 3, or may be further subdivided. The configuration of the control device 31 can be appropriately modified by those skilled in the art as long as it is configured to execute the processes described below.

[0033] The control device 31 is connected to the heater 411, the nozzle 42, the human body detection sensor 412 as a human body detection unit, the seating detection sensor 413 as a seating detection unit, and the image sensor 44 so as to be able to transmit control signals. The human body detection sensor 412 detects a user (human body) entering the toilet room R. The seating detection sensor 413 detects whether the user is sitting on the toilet seat 41. The control device 31 can receive detection signals from the human body detection sensor 412 and the seating detection sensor 413, and can receive image signals from the image sensor 44.

[0034] <Example of operation> When the control unit 311 of the control device 31 determines that a user has sat on the toilet seat 41 based on a signal received from the seating detection sensor 413, it sends a control signal to the heater 411 (i.e., supplies power to the heater 411). As a result, the temperature of the top plate 6 rises due to Joule heat generated by the heater 411, and the toilet seat 41 is heated.

[0035] Furthermore, when the user presses switch 70 of operating device 7, which corresponds to the start of private parts washing, communication unit 71 of operating device 7 generates a signal corresponding to switch 70 and transmits it wirelessly to toilet seat device 2. The toilet seat device 2 receives this signal at communication unit 313 of control device 31, and control device 31 transmits a control signal, for example, to nozzle 42. Nozzle 42, which has received the control signal, advances from main body 3 into toilet bowl 91 and sprays water supplied from the opened electromagnetic valve toward the user's private parts.

[0036] In addition, the control unit 311 of the control device 31 controls the image sensor 44 after or during the user's defecation to execute an automatic photographing mode in which the inside of the toilet bowl 91 is automatically photographed (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as "automatic photographing") without the user's operation. In this automatic photographing, the inside of the toilet bowl 91 is photographed multiple times within a predetermined time. The image sensor 44 transmits an image signal corresponding to the photographed image of the inside of the toilet bowl 91 to the control device 31. The control device 31 that receives the image signal stores the image based on the image signal in the storage unit 312, and determines at least one of the presence or absence of feces of the user, the color, shape, and amount of feces from the image based on the image signal based on a predetermined program in the control unit 311. The communication unit 313 of the control device 31 generates a signal corresponding to this determination result and transmits it to an external cloud service C2. By accessing this cloud service C2 and obtaining the above-mentioned determination result, medical personnel and the like can grasp the health condition of the user and provide advice based on the health condition.

[0037] <Preventing discomfort> The toilet apparatus 1 is devised to prevent discomfort to users who do not want the inside of the toilet bowl 91 to be automatically photographed. This point will be described below.

[0038] When the control unit 311 of the control device 31 acquires the user's intention to shoot, which indicates whether or not the user intends to shoot the inside of the toilet bowl 91, the control unit 311 switches between the setting of the automatic shooting mode being active and the setting of the stop of the automatic shooting mode based on the acquired intention to shoot information. As shown in FIG. 4, the characters "on" or "off" may be displayed on the display unit 72 of the operation device 7 so that the user can know the status of the automatic shooting mode being active (on) or stopped (off). The intention to shoot information may be acquired (received) by the communication unit 313 from the mobile information terminal C1 or the cloud service C2, for example. The intention to shoot information may be acquired by the control unit 311 from the storage unit 312 provided in the main body 3 or the operation device 7.

[0039] 4, the switches 70 of the operation device 7 include a stop instruction switch 701 as a stop instruction unit that accepts a stop instruction from the user, and a shooting instruction switch 702 as a shooting instruction unit that accepts a shooting instruction from the user. When the stop instruction switch 701 accepts a stop instruction while the automatic shooting mode is being executed, that is, when the stop instruction switch 701 is pressed, the control unit 311 switches the automatic shooting mode from execution to stop. When the automatic shooting mode is switched from execution to stop, the control unit 311 deletes the image obtained by shooting before stopping from the storage unit 312 of the control device 31. When the shooting instruction switch 702 accepts a shooting instruction, that is, when the shooting instruction switch 702 is pressed, the control unit 311 switches the automatic shooting mode by the control unit 311 from stop to execution.

[0040] In addition, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the seat detection sensor 413 detected a person sitting, the control unit 311 starts shooting in the automatic shooting mode, and when the stop instruction switch 701 is pressed during the predetermined time, the control unit 311 switches the automatic shooting mode from execution to stop.

[0041] An example of a flow of a series of processes for preventing the user from feeling uncomfortable will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. Note that the series of processes shown in Fig. 5 is repeated, for example, every few seconds.

[0042] (Step SP10) The control unit 311 judges whether or not the communication unit 313 has acquired the user's photographing intention information from the user's mobile information terminal C1, for example. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP11, and if the judgment is negative, the process proceeds to step SP12.

[0043] (Step SP11) Control unit 311 switches to execute automatic photography mode when the acquired photography intention information indicates an intention to photograph the inside of toilet bowl 91. Control unit 311 switches to stop automatic photography mode when the acquired photography intention information indicates no intention to photograph the inside of toilet bowl 91. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP12.

[0044] (Step SP12) The control unit 311 determines whether or not the stop instruction switch 701 has been pressed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP13, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP14.

[0045] (Step SP13) The control unit 311 sets the stop flag set in the storage unit 312 to ON. Then, the process proceeds to step SP14.

[0046] (Step SP14) The control unit 311 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the stop flag was set to ON. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP15, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP16.

[0047] (Step SP15) The control unit 311 sets the stop flag to OFF, and the process proceeds to step SP16.

[0048] (Step SP16) The control unit 311 judges whether or not the seating detection sensor 413 has detected a user sitting on the toilet seat 41. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP17, and if the judgment is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 5 ends.

[0049] (Step SP17) The control unit 311 determines whether the automatic shooting mode is set to execution or not. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP18, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP19.

[0050] (Step SP18) The control unit 311 determines whether or not the stop flag is set to ON. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP19, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP20.

[0051] (Step SP19) The control unit 311 determines whether or not the photographing instruction switch 702 has been pressed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP20, and if the determination is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 5 ends.

[0052] (Step SP20) The control unit 311 starts measuring time, and the process proceeds to step SP21.

[0053] (Step SP21) The control unit 311 controls the image sensor 44 to turn on the illumination provided in the image sensor 44 in order to notify the user of the start of image capture. Then, the process proceeds to step SP22.

[0054] (Step SP22) The control unit 311 judges whether or not it has received a user's pressing operation of the stop instruction switch 701. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP26, and if the judgment is negative, the process proceeds to step SP22.

[0055] (Step SP23) The control unit 311 judges whether the measured time has elapsed a predetermined waiting time or not, and if the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP24, and if the judgment is negative, the process returns to step SP22.

[0056] (Step SP24) Control unit 311 controls image sensor 44 to start automatic photography for automatically photographing the inside of toilet bowl 91. Then, the process proceeds to step SP25.

[0057] (Step SP25) The control unit 311 judges whether or not it has received a press operation of the stop instruction switch 701. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP26, and if the judgment is negative, the process proceeds to step SP28.

[0058] (Step SP26) The control unit 311 switches the automatic shooting mode to a constant mode or to a temporary stop mode, and the process proceeds to step SP27.

[0059] (Step SP27) The control unit 311 deletes the images obtained by the automatic shooting before switching the automatic shooting mode to stop. In other words, the control unit 311 deletes the images obtained at the start of shooting in step SP24. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP29.

[0060] (Step SP28) If the determination in step SP25 is negative, the control unit 311 determines the presence or absence of the user's feces and the properties of the feces, such as the color, shape, amount, etc., from the image obtained by automatic photography. The communication unit 313 generates a signal corresponding to this determination result and transmits it to the external cloud service C2 or the mobile information terminal C1. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP29.

[0061] (Step SP29) The control unit 311 controls the image sensor 44 to turn off the illumination provided in the image sensor 44. Then, the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0062] <Action and effect> According to the above configuration, for example, when the photographing intention information indicates that there is no intention to photograph the inside of the toilet bowl 91, the automatic photographing mode can be switched to be stopped, thereby preventing the inside of the toilet bowl 91 from being photographed automatically, thereby preventing discomfort to users who do not want to be photographed.

[0063] Furthermore, when the stop instruction switch 701 receives a stop instruction while the automatic shooting mode is being executed, the control unit 311 switches the automatic shooting mode from execution to stop.

[0064] According to this configuration, even when the automatic photography mode is being executed, the automatic photography mode can be switched to a stopped state by a stop instruction from the user, improving usability for users who wish to take pictures by not requiring them to take extra steps to take pictures, and respecting the privacy of users who do not wish to take pictures.

[0065] Furthermore, when the control unit 311 switches the automatic shooting mode from execution to stop, it deletes the images captured before the automatic shooting mode was stopped.

[0066] According to this configuration, when the automatic photography mode is switched from execution to stop, images taken before the mode is stopped are deleted, so that the privacy of users who do not wish to have photos taken can be further respected.

[0067] In addition, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the seat detection sensor 413 detected a person sitting, the control unit 311 starts shooting in the automatic shooting mode, and when the stop instruction switch 701 receives a stop instruction within the predetermined time, switches the automatic shooting mode from execution to stop.

[0068] According to this configuration, even if a user sitting on the toilet seat 41 suddenly does not want to take pictures, the automatic photography mode can be switched from execution to stop by a stop command from the user, thereby making it easier to use.

[0069] Furthermore, when the photographing instruction switch 74 receives a photographing instruction, the control unit 311 switches the automatic photographing mode from stopped to executed.

[0070] According to this configuration, even if the automatic photography mode is stopped, when the photography instruction switch 74 receives a photography instruction, the automatic photography mode is switched from stopped to executed, which improves usability for a user who suddenly wants to take a photograph.

[0071] [Second embodiment] Next, a toilet device 1A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 3, 6, and 7. Fig. 6 is a front view showing a modified example of the operating device 7 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing a modified example of the processing flow of the toilet device 1A. In the toilet device 1A according to the second embodiment, a switch 70 provided on the operating device 7 and the processing flow of the toilet device 1A are different from those in the first embodiment. In the toilet device 1A according to the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 3, the toilet device 1A according to the second embodiment has a similar configuration to the toilet device 1 according to the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the switches 70 of the operating device 7 in the toilet device 1A include an automatic photography switch 703 and identification switches 704 to 707. The automatic photography switch 703 is a switch for switching between execution and stop of the automatic photography mode. The identification switches 704 to 707 are switches for identifying the user. For example, the identification switch 704 is a switch for identifying the "father", the identification switch 705 is a switch for identifying the "mother", the identification switch 705 is a switch for identifying the "boy", and the identification switch 706 is a switch for identifying the "girl".

[0073] An example of a flow of a series of processes for preventing the user from feeling uncomfortable will be described below with reference to Fig. 7. Note that the series of processes shown in Fig. 7 are repeated, for example, every few seconds.

[0074] (Step SP50) The control unit 311 determines whether or not the identification switches 704 to 707 have received a pressing operation. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP51, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP53.

[0075] (Step SP51) Control unit 311 obtains setting information corresponding to the pressed identification switch among identification switches 704 to 707 from storage unit 312. This setting information includes the user's intention to take a picture of the inside of toilet bowl 91. Then, the process proceeds to step SP52.

[0076] (Step SP52) The control unit 311 performs various settings based on the acquired setting information. At this time, the control unit 311 switches between execution and stop of the automatic shooting mode based on the shooting intention information included in the acquired setting information. For example, when the shooting intention information corresponding to the identification switch 704 indicates that there is an intention to shoot, and the identification switch 704 is pressed, the control unit 311 switches to execution of the automatic shooting mode according to the shooting intention information. Also, when the shooting intention information corresponding to the identification switch 705 indicates that there is no intention to shoot, and the identification switch 705 is pressed, the control unit 311 switches to stop of the automatic shooting mode according to the shooting intention information. Then, the process proceeds to the process of step SP53.

[0077] (Step SP53) The control unit 311 determines whether or not the automatic photography switch 703 has been pressed. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP54, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SP55.

[0078] (Step SP54) If the automatic photography mode is being executed, the control unit 311 switches the automatic photography mode to stopped, and if the automatic photography mode is being stopped, the control unit 311 switches the automatic photography mode to executed, and the process proceeds to step SP55.

[0079] (Step SP55) The control unit 311 judges whether or not the seating detection sensor 413 has detected a user sitting on the toilet seat 41. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP56, and if the judgment is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0080] (Step SP56) The control unit 311 determines whether the automatic shooting mode is set to execution or not. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP57, and if the determination is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 7 ends.

[0081] (Step SP57) Control section 311 controls image sensor 44 to start automatic photography for automatically photographing the inside of toilet bowl 91. Then, the process proceeds to step SP58.

[0082] (Step SP58) The communication unit 313 transmits the image obtained by automatic photography to an external cloud service C2. The cloud service C2 judges the presence or absence of the user's stool, the color, shape, amount, and other characteristics of the stool from the received image, and notifies the user of the judgment result.

[0083] <Action and effect> In the second embodiment, the control unit 311 can acquire shooting intention information via the identification switches 704 to 707, thereby reducing the user's efforts compared to acquiring the shooting intention information from an external source such as the mobile information terminal C1 or cloud service C2, and enabling the shooting intention information to be acquired even without an external communication environment.

[0084] [Variations] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In other words, even if a person skilled in the art appropriately modifies the above-described embodiment, the modification is included in the scope of the present invention as long as it has the features of the present invention.

[0085] For example, in the first embodiment, the operation device 7 includes the stop instruction switch 701 and the photographing instruction switch 702, but all or some of these switches may be omitted. The stop instruction switch 701 and the photographing instruction switch 702 may be applied to the toilet device 1A of the second embodiment. The stop instruction unit is the stop instruction switch 701, but it may be the display unit 72, the mobile information terminal C1, or the cloud service C2. Similarly, the photographing instruction unit is the photographing instruction switch 702, but it may be the display unit 72, the mobile information terminal C1, or the cloud service C2.

[0086] In the second embodiment, the case where the user is identified by the identification switches 704 to 707 has been described, but the user may be identified by the operation method or operation content of the user on the operation device 7. The operation device 7 may also function as a user identification device that identifies the user. For example, the operation device 7 identifies the user by personal authentication. The operation device 7 may identify the user based on biometric information such as the user's fingerprint, veins, weight, or iris. The mobile information terminal C1 and the toilet device 1 may communicate with each other, and the mobile information terminal C1 or the toilet device 1A may identify the user by performing personal authentication of the user. The toilet device 1A may also identify the user by reading an identification card held by the user.

[0087] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the control unit 312 turns off the illumination of the image sensor 44 when automatic photography is not performed. However, the control unit 312 may control a shielding member (not shown) provided on the toilet seat 41 to hide the lens portion of the image sensor 44 when automatic photography is not performed, and control unit 312 may control a shielding member (not shown) provided on the toilet seat 41 to expose the lens portion of the image sensor 44 when automatic photography is performed. This can further prevent discomfort from being caused to users who do not want the inside of the toilet bowl 91 to be photographed automatically.

[0088] In addition, in the first embodiment, the image sensor 44 is described as being provided on the back side of the toilet seat 41, but it may be provided at a position other than the back side of the toilet seat 41, such as on the side of the toilet seat 41, and may also be provided on the toilet bowl 9, the operating device 7, the toilet room R, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1, 1A... toilet device, 9... toilet bowl, 41... toilet seat, 44... image sensor, 91... toilet bowl, 311... control unit, 413... sitting detection sensor (sitting detection unit), 701... stop instruction switch (stop instruction unit), 702... shooting instruction switch (shooting instruction unit)

Claims

1. A toilet seat disposed above the toilet bowl; an image sensor for capturing an image of the inside of the toilet bowl; a control unit that controls the image sensor to execute an automatic photography mode for automatically photographing the inside of the toilet bowl; a storage unit that stores user's intention to take a photograph of the inside of the toilet bowl; Equipped with The control unit switches between execution and stop of the automatic photography mode based on the photography intention information acquired from the storage unit.

2. a stop instruction unit that receives a stop instruction from the user, The toilet device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit switches the automatic photography mode from execution to stop when the stop instruction unit receives the stop instruction while the automatic photography mode is being executed.

3. The toilet device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit, when switching the automatic photography mode from execution to stop, deletes the images obtained by the photography before the automatic photography mode is stopped.

4. A seating detection unit is provided to detect the user sitting on the toilet seat, The toilet device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the control unit starts photographing in the automatic photography mode when a predetermined time has elapsed since the seating detection unit detected the seating, and switches the automatic photography mode from execution to stop when the stop instruction unit accepts the stop instruction during the predetermined time.

5. a photography instruction unit that receives a photography instruction from the user, The toilet device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit switches the automatic photography mode from stopped to active when the photography instruction unit receives the photography instruction.

Images