Toilet device

Abstract

To provide a toilet device for enabling an internal part of a toilet bowl to be imaged while reliably preventing the body of a user from being imaged.SOLUTION: A toilet device 1 includes a toilet seat 41 arranged above a toilet stool 9, an image sensor 44 provided on a back side of the toilet seat 41 for imaging an internal part of a toilet bowl 91 of the toilet stool 9, a shield part 8 arranged so as to shield a part of a range of an angular field θ1 of the image sensor 44 in view from the toilet bowl 91 for preventing at least a part of the body of a user seated on the toilet seat 41 from being imaged by the image sensor 44, and wall bodies 51, 52 for determining relative positions of the image sensor 44 and the shield part 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

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, which uses the image sensor to capture an image of the inside of the toilet bowl.

[0003] In such a toilet seat device, by using an image sensor with a wide angle of view, it is possible to more reliably capture an image of the stool in the toilet bowl. However, an image sensor with a wide angle of view may capture an image of the user's body, which may violate the user's privacy.

[0004] From this perspective, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a shielding portion is provided in a range of the image sensor's angle of view that corresponds to the user's body. With this configuration, it becomes possible to prevent the user's body from being photographed without adjusting the image sensor's angle of view itself. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-55522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the toilet seat device described in Patent Document 1, if the relative position between the image sensor and the shielding portion deviates from the appropriate position due to manufacturing errors or the like, there is a risk that it will not be possible to prevent the user's body from being photographed.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a toilet apparatus that is capable of photographing the inside of the toilet bowl while reliably preventing the user's body from being photographed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a toilet device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a toilet seat arranged above a toilet bowl, an image sensor provided on the underside of the toilet seat for photographing the inside of the toilet bowl, a shielding portion arranged to block part of the range of the angle of view of the image sensor when viewed from the toilet bowl and preventing at least part of the body of a user seated on the toilet seat from being photographed by the image sensor, and a relative position determination means for determining the relative position between the image sensor and the shielding portion.

[0009] According to this configuration, the relative position between the image sensor and the shielding portion is set to an appropriate position by the relative position determining means, so that the inside of the toilet bowl can be photographed while reliably preventing the user's body from being photographed.

[0010] In the meantime, toilet seats constructed by joining a bottom plate and a top plate are widely used. In toilet seats constructed of multiple parts like this, if assembly errors or dimensional errors occur and the relative position between the image sensor and the shielding part deviates from the appropriate position, there is a risk that the image sensor will capture an image of the user's body.

[0011] In a toilet device according to a second aspect of the present invention, the toilet seat is constructed by joining a bottom plate that faces the rim of the toilet bowl and a top plate having a surface on which a user sits, and the relative position determination means has a sensor position determination portion that determines the position of the image sensor, and both the shielding portion and the sensor position determination portion are formed integrally with the bottom plate.

[0012] According to this configuration, since the shielding portion and the sensor positioning portion are both formed integrally with the bottom plate, the influence of errors can be suppressed and the relative position of the image sensor and the shielding portion can be made appropriate, compared to a case in which the shielding portion and the sensor positioning portion are formed of different members. Also, although a heater for heating is sometimes provided on the top plate on which the user sits, the present configuration in which the sensor positioning portion is formed integrally with the bottom plate is advantageous in that the influence of heat from the heater on the image sensor can be reduced, compared to a configuration in which the sensor positioning portion is formed integrally with the top plate.

[0013] In a toilet device according to a third aspect of the present invention, the toilet seat is constructed by joining a bottom plate that faces the rim of the toilet bowl and a top plate having a surface on which a user sits, and the relative position determination means has a shielding portion position determination section that determines the position of the shielding portion and a sensor position determination section that determines the position of the image sensor, and both the shielding portion position determination section and the sensor position determination section are formed integrally with the bottom plate.

[0014] Even with this configuration, the influence of errors resulting from the toilet seat being made up of multiple parts can be suppressed, and the relative position between the image sensor and the shielding portion can be made appropriate.

[0015] However, because people's physiques and sitting postures vary widely, in conventional toilet seat devices, the relative position between the image sensor and the shielding part may not be suitable for the actual user. For example, if the user is relatively small, their buttocks may enter the toilet bowl through the opening of the toilet seat and may end up in a range of the image sensor's field of view that is not blocked by the shielding part.

[0016] In the toilet apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the shielding portion is configured so that the shielding range can be changed.

[0017] With this configuration, the area covered by the shielding section can be appropriately adjusted depending on the user's physique and sitting posture, making it possible to more reliably prevent the user's body from being photographed.

[0018] However, if a complex mechanism is used to change the shielding range, there is a risk that the user's urine that splashes onto the toilet bowl may get inside the mechanism, making cleaning difficult, or that calcium in the urine may precipitate and solidify.

[0019] In the toilet device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the shielding portion includes a light-transmitting transparent plate that is arranged within the range of the angle of view of the image sensor, and an opaque masking member that is detachably attached to the transparent plate.

[0020] According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately change the range covered by the shielding part by selecting a masking part corresponding to the physique of the user from a plurality of masking parts of different sizes prepared in advance and attaching the masking part to the transparent plate. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the user's body from being photographed while making the shielding part easy to clean and unlikely to stick.

[0021] In the toilet apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the shielding portion has a guide portion that indicates a plurality of mounting positions for the masking member.

[0022] According to this configuration, the masking member selected to correspond to the physique of the user can be reliably attached to a position suitable for the masking member, and as a result, the range shielded by the shielding portion can be changed appropriately.

[0023] The toilet device according to the seventh aspect of the present invention includes a determination means for determining whether or not at least a part of a user's body is included in an image of the toilet bowl captured by the image sensor, and an output means for outputting a signal corresponding to the determination when the determination means determines that at least a part of the user's body is included in the image.

[0024] According to this configuration, when the relative position of the image sensor and the shielding part is such that at least a part of the body of the user is photographed, it is possible to urge the user or the like to improve the situation based on the signal output by the output means. For example, based on the output signal, it is possible to notify the user or the like by voice or text that it is necessary to change the position of the shielding part. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toilet apparatus that can reliably prevent the body of a user from being photographed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet room in which a toilet device according to a first embodiment of the present invention 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 apparatus of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a toilet device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the transparent plate and masking member of the shielding portion of the toilet apparatus of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] 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.

[0028] [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. 3. 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, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the toilet device 1.

[0029] <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 provided on the operation device 7 described below.

[0030] 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".

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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 is located above the toilet bowl 91. An opening 5c ​​is formed in this other portion of the bottom plate 5. An image sensor 44 is provided in the gap 41b of the toilet seat 41, which captures an image of the inside of the toilet bowl 91 through this opening 5c. The image sensor 44 can capture an image of an object present within the range of an 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.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] The operating device 7 is installed, for example, on a wall surface of the toilet room R. The operating device 7 has a number of switches (not shown) respectively corresponding to a number of operations of the toilet seat device 2 (for example, starting and stopping private parts washing). 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 312 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.

[0039] 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 configured partially or entirely with an analog circuit or as a digital processor, and has a determination unit 311 and a communication unit 312 as functional blocks. The determination unit 311 makes various determinations based on signals received by the control device 31 from the outside. The communication unit 312 transmits and receives signals to and from devices external to the toilet seat device 2.

[0040] 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.

[0041] The control device 31 is connected to the heater 411, the nozzle 42, and the image sensor 44 so as to be able to transmit control signals to them. In addition, the control device 31 can receive an image signal from the image sensor 44.

[0042] <Example of operation> When the determination unit 311 determines that a user has sat on the toilet seat 41 based on a signal received by the control device 31 from a seating sensor (not shown), the control device 31 transmits 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.

[0043] Furthermore, when the user operates the switch of the operating device 7 corresponding to the start of private parts washing, the communication unit 71 of the operating device 7 generates a signal corresponding to this switch and transmits it wirelessly to the toilet seat device 2. The toilet seat device 2 receives this signal at the communication unit 312 of the control device 31, and the control device 31 transmits a control signal to the nozzle 42. Having received the control signal, the nozzle 42 advances from the main body 3 into the toilet bowl 91, and sprays water supplied from the open solenoid valve towards the user's private parts.

[0044] Furthermore, after or during the user's defecation, the control device 31 transmits a control signal to the image sensor 44 to capture an image of the inside of the toilet bowl 91. The image sensor 44 transmits an image signal corresponding to the captured image of the inside of the toilet bowl 91 to the control device 31. Having received the image signal, the control device 31 determines, in the determination unit 311, at least one of the presence or absence of the user's stool, and the color, shape, and amount of the stool, based on a predetermined program. The communication unit 312 of the control device 31 generates a signal corresponding to this determination result and transmits it to an external cloud service C. By accessing this cloud service C and obtaining the above determination result, medical personnel and the like are able to grasp the user's health condition and provide advice based on that.

[0045] <Prevention of photographing the user's body> The toilet device 1 is designed to prevent the image sensor 44 from capturing an image of the user's body. This point will be described below.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, walls 51 and 52 are provided in the gap 41b of the toilet seat 41. The walls 51 and 52 are both formed integrally with the bottom plate 5. The walls 51 and 52 extend from the lower end to the upper end so as to approach each other, and are connected to each other at the upper end. As a result, a recess 53 that communicates with the outside of the toilet seat 41 through the opening 5c ​​is defined and formed between the walls 51 and 52. The image sensor 44 is disposed in this recess 53 and is fixed so as to abut against both the walls 51 and 52. In other words, the walls 51 and 52 function as the "sensor position determining unit" of the present invention and determine the position of the image sensor 44.

[0047] In addition, a shielding portion 8 is disposed between image sensor 44 and toilet bowl 91. Shielding portion 8 is a protrusion that protrudes from wall body 51 toward recess 53, and is formed integrally with wall body 51. Shielding portion 8 is disposed so as to shield a range of angle θ2 that is a part of the range of angle of view θ1 of image sensor 44 when viewed from toilet bowl 91 (when viewed in the direction indicated by arrow A1 in FIG. 2). As described above, wall body 51 is formed integrally with bottom plate 5, and therefore the position of wall body 51 is determined in this manner, and thereby the position of shielding portion 8 is also determined. In other words, wall body 51 also functions as a "shielding portion position determining portion" of the present invention.

[0048] That is, walls 51 and 52 are an example of the "relative position determining means" of the present invention that determines the relative position between image sensor 44 and shielding portion 8. The relative positions between image sensor 44 and shielding portion 8 are determined so that the range of angle θ2 is shielded by shielding portion 8, thereby preventing image capture by image sensor 44 within this range. Angle θ2 corresponds to the body position of a user of average build sitting on toilet seat 41.

[0049] <Action and effect> According to this configuration, the relative position between the image sensor 44 and the shielding portion 8 is appropriately determined by the walls 51, 52 which function as a relative position determination means, so that the inside of the toilet bowl 91 can be photographed while reliably preventing the user's body from being photographed.

[0050] The toilet seat 41 is constructed by joining a bottom plate 5 that faces the rim 92 of the toilet bowl 9 and a top plate 6 that has a surface on which a user sits. The relative position determining means has a wall body 51 that functions as a shielding part position determining part that determines the position of the shielding part 8, and walls 51 and 52 that function as a sensor position determining part that determines the position of the image sensor 44. Both walls 51 and 52 are formed integrally with the bottom plate 5.

[0051] According to this configuration, since both the walls 51, 52 are formed integrally with the bottom plate 5, the influence of errors can be suppressed and the relative position of the image sensor 44 and the shielding portion 8 can be made appropriate, compared to a case in which the walls 51, 52 are formed of different materials. Also, the top plate 6 on which the user sits is provided with a heater 411 for heating, but this configuration in which the walls 51, 52, which are the sensor position determining portion, are formed integrally with the bottom plate 5 is advantageous in that the influence of heat from the heater 411 on the image sensor 44 can be reduced, compared to a configuration in which the sensor position determining portion is formed integrally with the top plate 6.

[0052] [Second embodiment] Next, a toilet device 1A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3 to Fig. 5. As in the first embodiment, this toilet device 1A is configured to capture an image of the inside of the toilet bowl 91 of the toilet 9 by the image sensor 44. The toilet device 1A differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the shielding part 8A, etc. In the toilet device 1A, the same configuration as in the first embodiment is given the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

[0053] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet device 1A, and Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a transparent plate 82 and a masking member 83 of the shielding portion 8A of the toilet device 1A. Fig. 4 shows a cross-section of the toilet device 1A corresponding to the cross-section II-II in Fig. 1. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the explanation, Fig. 4 shows the thickness of the masking member 83, which will be described later, in an exaggerated manner.

[0054] 4, a shielding portion 8A is disposed between image sensor 44 and toilet bowl 91. Shielding portion 8A has supporting portions 81, 81, a transparent plate 82, and a masking member 83.

[0055] The support portions 81, 81 are protrusions that protrude from the wall body 51 toward the inside of the recessed portion 53, and are formed integrally with the wall body 51. The support portions 81, 81 are disposed at intervals from each other in the direction in which the wall body 51 extends.

[0056] The transparent plate 82 is formed of a light-transmitting material (e.g., acrylic resin or glass) and has a plate shape. As shown in Fig. 5, guide lines 821 and 822 are provided at a predetermined interval on a surface 82a of the transparent plate 82. In detail, the guide line 822 is provided at a position farther away from the end 82b of the transparent plate 82 than the guide line 821. The guide lines 821 and 822 are an example of a "guide portion" in the present invention.

[0057] The masking member 83 is an opaque thin film. An adhesive layer is provided on one side surface 83a of the masking member 83. As the masking member 83, masking members 831 and 832 of different sizes are prepared in advance.

[0058] A selected one of the masking members 831, 832 is attached to the surface 82a of the transparent plate 82 by bonding its adhesive layer to the surface 82a of the transparent plate 82. When attaching the masking member 831, which is relatively small in size, the worker positions the masking member 831 so that the edge 831a coincides with the guide line 821. On the other hand, when attaching the masking member 832, which is relatively large in size, the worker positions the masking member 832 so that the edge 832a coincides with the guide line 822. The adhesive strength of the adhesive layer is set to such an extent that the masking members 831, 832 can be attached and detached from the transparent plate 82.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4, the transparent plate 82 to which the masking member 83 is attached is placed in the recess 53 by having the end portion 82b sandwiched between the support portions 81, 81. The transparent plate 82 is placed so as to be located within the range of the angle of view θ1 of the image sensor 44 when viewed from the toilet bowl 91 (when viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 in FIG. 4). The masking member 83 attached to the transparent plate 82 is also placed so as to block the range of the angle θ3, which is a part of the range of the angle of view θ1. This angle θ3 is determined according to the size of the attached masking member 83. When a masking member 832 having a relatively large size is attached to the transparent plate 82, the angle θ3 is also larger than when the masking member 831 is attached to the transparent plate 82.

[0060] The relative positions of image sensor 44 and shielding portion 8A are determined so that the range of angle θ3 is shielded by masking member 83, thereby preventing image sensor 44 from capturing images in this range. On the other hand, in the range not shielded by masking member 83, image sensor 44 can capture images of the inside of toilet bowl 91 through transparent plate 82, which has light-transmitting properties.

[0061] 3 processes the image captured by image sensor 44 and determines whether the image contains the user's body. For example, using a known method such as pattern matching, determination unit 311 determines whether an object is present in the image other than toilet bowl 91, and if such an object is present, determines that the user's body has been captured.

[0062] When the determination unit 311 determines that the image includes the user's body, the communication unit 312 wirelessly transmits a signal corresponding to this determination to the outside. The communication unit 312 in this embodiment is an example of the "output means" of the present invention. When the operation device 7 receives this signal via the communication unit 71, it displays text information on the display unit 72 to notify the user that there is a problem with the image and that the shielding portion 8A needs to be improved. The text information may be, for example, information that encourages the user to change the masking member 83 to a larger one or to change the user's posture.

[0063] [Effects] In the second embodiment, the shielding portion 8A is configured so that the shielding range can be changed.

[0064] With this configuration, the area covered by the shielding portion 8A can be appropriately adjusted depending on the user's physique and sitting posture, making it possible to more reliably prevent the user's body from being photographed.

[0065] The shielding portion 8A has a transparent plate 82 that is arranged within the range of the angle of view θ1 of the image sensor 44 and has light-transmitting properties, and an opaque masking member 83 that is attached to the transparent plate 82 so as to be detachable.

[0066] According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately change the range shielded by the shielding portion 8A by selecting one that corresponds to the physique of the user from a plurality of masking members 83 of different sizes prepared in advance and attaching the masking member 83 to the transparent plate 82. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the user's body from being photographed while making the shielding portion 8A easy to clean and unlikely to become stuck.

[0067] Moreover, the shielding portion 8A has guide lines 821 and 822 which indicate a plurality of mounting positions of the masking member 83.

[0068] According to this configuration, the masking member 83 selected to correspond to the physique of the user can be securely attached to a position suitable for the masking member 83. As a result, it becomes possible to change the range shielded by the shielding portion 8A to an appropriate one.

[0069] The toilet device 1A also includes a determination unit 311 that determines whether or not at least a part of the user's body is included in the image of the inside of the toilet bowl 91 captured by the image sensor 44. The toilet device 1A further includes a communication unit 312 that outputs a signal corresponding to this determination when the determination unit 311 determines that at least a part of the user's body is included in the image.

[0070] According to this configuration, when the relative position of the image sensor 44 and the shielding portion 8A is such that at least a part of the user's body is photographed, it is possible to urge the user or the like to improve the situation based on the signal output by the communication unit 312. Based on the output signal, it is possible to notify the user or the like by voice or text that the position of the shielding portion 8A needs to be changed.

[0071] 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1, 1A... toilet device, 311... determination unit (determination means), 312... communication unit (output means), 41... toilet seat, 44... image sensor, 5... bottom plate, 51... wall body (relative position determination means, shielding part position determination unit, sensor position determination unit), 52... wall body (relative position determination means, sensor position determination unit), 6... top plate, 8, 8A... shielding part, 82... transparent plate, 83... masking member, 821, 822... guide line (guide part), 9... toilet bowl, 91... toilet bowl, 92... rim

Claims

1. A toilet seat disposed above the toilet bowl; A heater for heating the front side of the toilet seat on which the toilet seat is seated; an image sensor provided on the back side of the toilet seat for capturing an image of the inside of the toilet bowl; a shielding portion disposed so as to shield a part of the range of the angle of view of the image sensor as viewed from the toilet bowl; a relative position determining means for determining a relative position between the image sensor and the shielding portion, A toilet apparatus, characterized in that the relative position determining means is provided on a back side of the toilet seat and is a means for determining the positions of the image sensor and the shielding portion relative to the toilet seat.

2. The toilet seat is constructed by joining a bottom plate that faces the rim of the toilet bowl and a top plate having a surface on which a user sits, the relative position determining means includes a sensor position determining unit that determines a position of the image sensor; 2. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding portion and the sensor position determining portion are both integrally formed with the bottom plate.

3. The toilet seat is constructed by joining a bottom plate that faces the rim of the toilet bowl and a top plate having a surface on which a user sits, the relative position determination means includes a shielding portion position determination unit that determines a position of the shielding portion, and a sensor position determination unit that determines a position of the image sensor, 2. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the shield position determining portion and the sensor position determining portion are both integrally formed with the bottom plate.

4. A toilet device as described in claim 1, characterized in that a gap is provided between the heater and the relative position determination means.

5. The toilet device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the shielding portion is configured to be able to change a shielding range.

6. The toilet device according to claim 5, characterized in that the shielding portion includes a transparent plate that is arranged within the range of the angle of view of the image sensor and has light-transmitting properties, and an opaque masking member that is removably attached to the transparent plate.

7. The toilet device according to claim 6, wherein the shielding portion has guide portions which indicate a plurality of mounting positions of the masking member.

8. a determining means for determining whether or not at least a part of a user's body is included in the image of the inside of the toilet bowl captured by the image sensor; 8. The toilet device according to claim 1, further comprising: an output means for outputting a signal corresponding to a determination made by the determination means that the image includes at least a part of the user's body.

Images