Toilet seat device

Abstract

To provide a toilet seat device capable of reducing the load applied to a sensor substrate even when a toilet seat is deformed due to sitting of a user.SOLUTION: A toilet seat device according to an embodiment includes a hollow toilet seat and a sensor part. The sensor part includes a sensor case that is fixed so as to be exposed through an opening formed in the toilet seat and houses a sensor substrate inside. The sensor case includes a fitting part that fits into the toilet seat to fix the sensor case to the toilet seat. The fitting part is located on the inner side relative to the outer end of the sensor case.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a toilet seat apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technique has been proposed in which an electrostatic sensor is provided on the inner surface of a toilet seat, and the presence or absence of a user sitting on the seat is detected based on the output of the electrostatic sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-024933 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, some sensor units including a sensor installed on a toilet seat are fixed so that a part of the sensor unit is exposed through an opening in the toilet seat. In such a case, when the toilet seat is deformed due to the weight of a user sitting on the toilet seat, the deformation of the toilet seat may cause a load to act on the sensor board in the sensor unit. Thus, the conventional technology has room for improvement in terms of reducing the load acting on the sensor board when the toilet seat is deformed.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the embodiment is to provide a toilet seat device that can reduce the load acting on a sensor board even when the toilet seat is deformed by a user sitting on it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A toilet seat device in one embodiment comprises a hollow toilet seat and a sensor section including a sensor case fixed so as to be exposed through an opening formed in the toilet seat and housing a sensor substrate therein, the sensor case including an engagement portion that engages with the toilet seat to secure the sensor case to the toilet seat, the engagement portion being located inside the outer end of the sensor case.

[0007] This makes it possible to reduce the load acting on the sensor board even if the toilet seat is deformed by the user sitting on it. In other words, even if the toilet seat is deformed, the fitting portion follows the deformation of the toilet seat and receives the deforming force, making it possible to make the sensor case itself less likely to deform. In addition, by positioning the fitting portion more inward than the outer end of the sensor case, it is possible to prevent the deformation caused by the fitting portion from being applied to the entire sensor case, thereby reducing the load acting on the sensor board. Furthermore, since the sensor case is fixed to the toilet seat by the fitting portion, it is possible to prevent the sensor case from coming off the toilet seat even if, for example, a user accidentally presses an exposed part of the sensor case.

[0008] In addition, the sensor case is exposed from the opening formed in the seating surface of the toilet seat, and the fitting portion is located above the sensor board.

[0009] In this way, since the fitting portion and the sensor are arranged so as to be separated in the height direction, the load acting on the sensor board due to deformation of the fitting portion can be further reduced.

[0010] The sensor case also includes a main body and a protrusion that protrudes from the main body and is exposed through the opening of the toilet seat, and an elastic member is disposed between the protrusion and the toilet seat.

[0011] This allows the load acting on the sensor board to be further reduced even if the toilet seat is deformed. That is, there is a risk that the fitting portion will become loose due to dimensional errors, and the effect of the load from the toilet seat will be concentrated on a part of the fitting portion. Therefore, by disposing an elastic member between the protruding portion of the sensor case and the toilet seat, it is possible to restrict the movement of the sensor case in the height direction relative to the toilet seat while suppressing the looseness caused by dimensional errors, etc. Therefore, the effect of the load from the toilet seat is less likely to be concentrated on a part of the fitting portion, and as a result, the load acting on the sensor board can be further reduced. In addition, the elastic member can prevent water from entering the toilet seat and absorb impacts on the sensor board caused by opening and closing the toilet seat or sitting on it.

[0012] The elastic member is disposed so that its vertical height is the same as that of the fitting portion.

[0013] As a result, even if the toilet seat is deformed by a user sitting on it, both the fitting portion and the elastic member can follow the deformation of the toilet seat and receive the deformation, thereby further reducing the load acting on the sensor board. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to one aspect of the embodiment, even if the toilet seat is deformed by a user sitting on it, the load acting on the sensor board can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flush toilet apparatus equipped with a toilet seat apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the measurement system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sensor unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toilet seat as viewed from below. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the toilet seat is deformed by a user sitting on it. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a toilet seat device disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0017] (Embodiment) A toilet seat device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a flush toilet device equipped with a toilet seat device according to an embodiment. Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 onwards are all schematic diagrams.

[0018] For ease of explanation, FIG. 1 and other figures show a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system in which mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are defined, and the positive Z-axis direction is the vertically upward direction. In the following explanation, the positive X-axis direction may be referred to as the "left", the negative X-axis direction as the "right", the positive Y-axis direction as the "rear", and the negative Y-axis direction as the "front". In other words, the directions as seen by a user sitting on the toilet seat 30 described later may be referred to as the "left", "right", "rear", and "front". For this reason, in the following explanation, the X-axis direction may be referred to as the left-right direction, the Y-axis direction as the front-rear direction, and the Z-axis direction as the up-down direction (vertical direction).

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the flush toilet device 1 comprises a flush toilet 10 and a toilet seat device 20. The flush toilet 10 comprises a bowl portion 11. The bowl portion 11 is formed in a bowl shape capable of receiving waste. The bowl portion 11 is flushed by discharging flush water, and the flush water that has cleaned the bowl portion 11 is discharged through a drainage pipe (not shown). The flush toilet 10 is made of ceramic, for example. However, the flush toilet 10 is not limited to being made of ceramic, and could be made of resin, for example, or a combination of ceramic and resin.

[0020] The toilet seat device 20 is attached to the top of the flush toilet 10, and comprises a toilet seat 30, a toilet lid 36, a functional section 38, and a sensor unit 40. The toilet seat device 20 may be attached to the flush toilet 10 in a detachable manner, or may be attached so as to be integrated with the flush toilet 10.

[0021] The toilet seat 30 is formed in an annular shape with an opening in the center, and is positioned along the rim portion 12 in a position that overlaps with the opening of the flush toilet 10. The toilet seat 30 is made of, for example, resin, and has a seating surface 31 on which a user sits. The seating surface 31 supports the buttocks, thighs, etc. of a seated user. The toilet seat 30 is also formed hollow, and a sensor unit 40 and the like are provided inside.

[0022] The toilet lid 36 is attached to the toilet seat 30 so as to be openable and closable. The functional part 38 houses, for example, a nozzle device and sprays wash water from the nozzle device onto the user's body to wash the private parts. The toilet seat device 20 may be configured without the toilet lid 36 or functional part 38 described above.

[0023] The sensor unit 40 includes a sensor 51 (see FIG. 2) capable of measuring various conditions related to a user who uses the flush toilet device 1. For example, the sensor 51 is a sensor capable of measuring the state of blood flow of a user seated on the toilet seat 30. An optical biosensor can be used as this sensor 51. Here, a measurement system including the sensor 51 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the measurement system.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the measurement system 100 includes the above-mentioned sensor 51, a control device 110, and a display device 120. The sensor 51 irradiates, for example, infrared light, visible light, or a laser to a user seated on the toilet seat 30. In detail, the sensor 51 irradiates infrared light or the like toward a measurement site on the user's buttocks or thighs when the user is seated on the toilet seat 30. The sensor 51 reflects the irradiated light on the user's blood vessels (blood flow) and receives the reflected light (scattered light). The sensor 51 outputs a signal related to the irradiated light or reflected light, such as the frequency of the irradiated light or reflected light, to the control device 110.

[0025] The control device 110 includes a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, and a communication unit 113. The control device 110 is housed in, for example, the functional unit 38 (see FIG. 1) of the toilet seat device 20, but is not limited to this.

[0026] The control unit 111 is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 112 using a random access memory (RAM) as a working area. The control unit 111 can also be realized by hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The storage unit 112 has a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, and is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory.

[0027] The control unit 111 measures the blood flow state, such as the pulse rate, pulse variability, and blood flow rate of the user, based on the signal output from the sensor 51. For example, the control unit 111 performs a process of detecting a change in the flow rate of red blood cells flowing through a blood vessel using infrared rays. The control unit 111 performs a process of detecting a frequency at which a Doppler shift occurs due to red blood cells flowing through a blood vessel. That is, the control unit 111 performs a process of analyzing signals related to the irradiated light and reflected light to measure the blood flow state. Note that the blood flow state to be measured is not limited to the above-mentioned pulse rate, pulse variability, blood flow rate, etc. of the user, and may be any state related to the user's blood flow.

[0028] The communication unit 113 transmits and receives information to and from the display device 120. The control device 110 and the display device 120 may be connected by wireless communication or by wired communication. The control unit 111 outputs information indicating the measured blood flow state to the display device 120 via the communication unit 113.

[0029] The display device 120 displays information indicating the measured blood flow state. This allows the user to confirm (understand) their own blood flow state. Note that the display device 120 may be the display section of a remote control that outputs operation instructions for the toilet seat device 20 and flush instructions for the flush toilet 10, or it may be the display section of a mobile terminal used by the user, but these are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0030] In addition, the sensor 51 is not limited to the sensor that measures the blood flow condition of the user described above, but may be other types of sensors, such as a load sensor that measures the user's weight, or a body fat sensor that measures the user's body fat percentage.

[0031] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 1, an opening 32 is formed in the seating surface 31 of the toilet seat 30. The sensor unit 40 according to the embodiment is fixed to the toilet seat 30 so that a portion of it is exposed from the opening 32. When a user sits on the toilet seat 30 to which the sensor unit 40 is fixed as described above, the toilet seat 30 may be deformed due to the user's weight. Since a sensor board on which a sensor 51 is mounted is housed within the sensor unit 40 as described below, when the toilet seat 30 deforms, there is a risk that a load (weight) will act on the sensor board due to the deformation.

[0032] Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the toilet seat 30 is deformed by the user sitting on it, it is possible to reduce the load acting on the sensor board.

[0033] The sensor unit 40 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the sensor unit 40, and Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor unit 40.

[0034] The sensor unit 40 includes a sensor board 52 (not visible in FIG. 3), a sensor case 60, a first elastic member 70 (not visible in FIG. 3), and a second elastic member 80. The sensor unit 40 is an example of a sensor section.

[0035] 4, a sensor 51 is mounted on a sensor substrate 52. For example, the sensor substrate 52 is made of resin, and an upper surface of the sensor substrate 52 is a main surface 52a. The sensor 51 is mounted near the center of the main surface 52a of the sensor substrate 52. Although not shown in the figure, the sensor 51 includes an irradiating unit that irradiates irradiation light, a light receiving unit that receives reflected light, and the like.

[0036] The sensor case 60 accommodates the sensor board 52, the first elastic member 70, etc. The sensor case 60 is made of resin, but is not limited to this.

[0037] The sensor case 60 includes a main body 61, a protruding portion 62, and a pressing portion 63. The main body 61 is formed, for example, in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape. The lower surface side of the main body 61 is opened and open.

[0038] The protruding portion 62 is formed so as to protrude upward from the upper portion of the main body portion 61. The protruding portion 62 is formed, for example, so as to have a hollow cylindrical shape. A sensor window 62a that transmits the irradiated light and the reflected light is provided at the upper portion of the protruding portion 62. That is, the sensor 51 irradiates the irradiated light to the user through the sensor window 62a and receives the reflected light reflected by the user's blood vessels through the sensor window 62a.

[0039] Further, the protruding portion 62 is formed with a fitting portion 64 for fitting and fixing the sensor case 60 to the toilet seat 30. The fitting portion 64 includes an insertion hole 64a that is open at the top, and a groove portion 64b that extends from the insertion hole 64a along the circumferential direction of the protruding portion 62.

[0040] Before continuing with the description of the fitting portion 64, the configuration of the toilet seat 30 side corresponding to the fitting portion 64 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the toilet seat 30 as viewed from below. Note that in Fig. 5, for ease of understanding, the bottom surface (lower surface) of the toilet seat 30 on the opposite side to the seating surface 31 is omitted from illustration.

[0041] 5, the toilet seat 30 has a mating portion 33 that matings with the mating portion 64 of the sensor case 60. The mating portion 33 is formed on the inner surface 30a side of the hollow toilet seat 30, near the opening 32 of the toilet seat 30. The mating portion 33 has a cylindrical portion 33a and a claw portion 33b.

[0042] The cylindrical portion 33a is formed to surround the opening 32 and protrude downward. The claw portion 33b is formed to protrude radially outward from the lower end 33a1 side of the cylindrical portion 33a. A plurality of claw portions 33b (for example, two) are formed on the cylindrical portion 33a. Note that the positions and number of the claw portions 33b are merely examples and are not limited thereto.

[0043] The fitting portion 64 shown in FIG. 4 and the like is fitted into the fitted portion 33 configured as described above, whereby the sensor case 60 is fixed to the toilet seat 30. Specifically, first, the claw portion 33b of the fitted portion 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 64a of the fitting portion 64. Then, when the sensor case 60 is rotated in the circumferential direction of the protruding portion 62, the claw portion 33b of the fitted portion 33 slides into and is locked in the groove portion 64b of the fitting portion 64. As a result, the fitting portion 64 fits into the fitted portion 33, and the sensor case 60 is fixed to the toilet seat 30. In other words, the main body 61, the protruding portion 62, and the like of the sensor case 60 are fixed to the toilet seat 30.

[0044] The state in which this sensor case 60 is fixed to the toilet seat 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 1. In Fig. 6, user A seated on the seating surface 31 of the toilet seat 30 is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and the measurement site of user A is indicated by the symbol "A1".

[0045] 6, when the sensor case 60 is fixed to the toilet seat 30, the sensor window 62a of the protrusion 62 is positioned so as to be exposed from the opening 32 of the toilet seat 30. Details of the position of the fitting portion 64 in the sensor case 60 will be described later.

[0046] 4 and 6, the pressing portion 63 is formed in a flat plate shape. The pressing portion 63 is attached to the main body portion 61 from the opening side of the lower surface of the main body portion 61, and is fixed to the main body portion 61. At this time, the sensor board 52 and the first elastic member 70 are interposed between the main body portion 61 and the pressing portion 63.

[0047] Specifically, a plurality of (for example, two) screw insertion holes 63b are formed in the holding portion 63. Furthermore, screw holes (not visible in FIG. 4 and the like) are formed in the main body portion 61 at positions corresponding to the screw insertion holes 63b. Then, for example, with the sensor board 52 and the first elastic member 70 disposed between the upper surface of the holding portion 63 and the main body portion 61, a screw 90 is inserted into the screw insertion hole 63b and fastened into the screw hole of the main body portion 61, thereby fixing the holding portion 63 to the main body portion 61.

[0048] Further, in the pressing portion 63 fixed to the main body portion 61, the sensor board 52 is inserted and fixed between the pressing portion 63 and the main body portion 61. That is, the sensor board 52 is fixed to the pressing portion 63.

[0049] Further, the pressing portion 63 is formed with a non-contact portion 63a that does not contact the sensor board 52. The non-contact portion 63a is an opening portion (notch portion) formed near the center of the pressing portion 63 that is in the shape of a flat plate.

[0050] The first elastic member 70 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber. A packing or the like can be used as the first elastic member 70. The first elastic member 70 is disposed (inserted) between the sensor board 52 and the main body portion 61 when the pressing portion 63 is fixed to the main body portion 61.

[0051] The first elastic member 70 is formed in a flat plate shape with an opening 70a formed near the center. The opening 70a is formed at a position corresponding to the sensor 51 of the sensor board 52. More specifically, the opening 70a is formed at a position through which the sensor 51 passes when the first elastic member 70 is disposed between the sensor board 52 and the main body 61. The first elastic member 70 is formed so as to cover a portion 52b of the sensor board 52 other than the sensor 51 by the opening 70a.

[0052] The second elastic member 80 is formed of an elastic material such as rubber. An O-ring or the like can be used as the second elastic member 80. As shown in FIG. 6, the second elastic member 80 is disposed (inserted) between the protruding portion 62 of the sensor case 60 and the toilet seat 30 (more precisely, the cylindrical portion 33a of the fitted portion 33). The second elastic member 80 is an example of an elastic member.

[0053] The sensor unit 40 according to this embodiment is configured as described above, and is therefore capable of reducing the load acting on the sensor board 52 even when the toilet seat 30 is deformed by the user sitting on it. This will be explained with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 6, showing the toilet seat 30 deformed by the user sitting on it.

[0054] 7, when a user sits on the toilet seat 30 and a load F is applied, the toilet seat 30 is deformed. Due to this deformation, the load acts on the protruding portion 62 and the main body portion 61 of the sensor case 60 from the fitted portion 33 through the fitting portion 64, and the main body portion 61 may also be deformed.

[0055] In this way, even if the toilet seat 30 or the main body 61 is deformed by the user sitting on it, the sensor board 52 is fixed to the retaining portion 63, so the load acting on the sensor board 52 can be reduced. That is, the sensor case 60 includes the main body 61 that is fixed to the toilet seat 30 and the retaining portion 63 that is not directly fixed to the toilet seat 30, and the sensor board 52 is fixed to this retaining portion 63. Therefore, even if the toilet seat 30 or the like is deformed, the load acting on the sensor board 52 can be reduced.

[0056] Moreover, the pressing portion 63 includes a non-contact portion 63a that does not come into contact with the sensor board 52. That is, the pressing portion 63 and the sensor board 52 are configured to be in partial contact with each other. As a result, even if the pressing portion 63 is deformed so as to be significantly bent due to deformation of the toilet seat 30, for example, the load acting on the sensor board 52 can be reduced by the amount of non-contact with the sensor board 52.

[0057] 6, a main body side length C1 where the main body 61 contacts the sensor board 52 in a side view and a pressing part side length C2 where the pressing part 63 contacts the sensor board 52 will be described. Note that a first elastic member 70 is disposed between the main body 61 and the sensor board 52. Therefore, the main body side length C1 is the length where the main body 61 contacts the sensor board 52 via the first elastic member 70.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 6, the length C1 on the main body part side is set to be shorter than the length C2 on the pressing part side (C1 < C2). Conversely, the length C2 on the pressing part side is set to be longer than the length C1 on the main body part side.

[0059] In this way, by setting the length C1 on the main body part side to be shorter than the length C2 on the pressing part side, the load acting on the sensor substrate 52 from the main body part 61 when the toilet seat 30 is deformed can be reduced compared to the case where the length C1 on the main body part side is longer than the length C2 on the pressing part side. That is, when the length C1 on the main body part side is longer than the length C2 on the pressing part side, according to the lever principle, the load acting on the sensor substrate 52 from the main body part 61 increases. However, as described above, by making the length C1 on the main body part side shorter than the length C2 on the pressing part side, the load acting on the sensor substrate 52 can be reduced.

[0060] Also, a first elastic member 70 is disposed between the sensor substrate 52 and the main body part 61. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, even when, for example, the toilet seat 30 is deformed and the main body part 61 is also deformed, since the first elastic member 70 receives and absorbs the deformation of the main body part 61, the load acting on the sensor substrate 52 can be reduced.

[0061] Further, the first elastic member 70 is formed so as to cover a portion 52b other than the sensor 51 mounted on the sensor substrate 52. Since the first elastic member 70 has the above-described opening 70a, it is formed so as to cover the portion 52b of the main surface 52a of the sensor substrate 52 other than the portion where the sensor 51 is mounted. Thereby, even when, for example, the toilet seat 30 and the main body part 61 are deformed by the user's seating and the first elastic member 70 that has received the deformation of the main body part 61 is deformed, the influence on the sensor 51 can be suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, the detection accuracy by the sensor 51 can be prevented from being impaired.

[0062] Next, the position where the fitting portion 64 for fixing the above-described sensor case 60 to the toilet seat 30 is provided will be described in detail.

[0063] 6 and 7, the fitting portion 64 is located inside the outer end 60a of the sensor case 60. More specifically, the fitting portion 64 is located inside an imaginary line 60x (see FIG. 6) that extends upward from the outer end 60a of the sensor case 60 along the outer end 60a.

[0064] This can reduce the load acting on the sensor board 52 even if the toilet seat 30 is deformed by the user sitting on it. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, even if the toilet seat 30 is deformed, the fitting portion 64 follows the deformation of the toilet seat 30 and receives the deforming force, so that the sensor case 60 itself is less likely to deform. In addition, since the fitting portion 64 is located inside the outer end 60a of the sensor case 60, the deformation due to the following of the fitting portion 64 can be suppressed from being applied to the entire sensor case 60, and therefore the load acting on the sensor board 52 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the sensor case 60 is fixed to the toilet seat 30 by the fitting portion 64, it is possible to prevent the sensor case 60 from coming off the toilet seat 30 even if, for example, a user accidentally presses an exposed part of the sensor case 60.

[0065] The sensor case 60 is exposed from an opening 32 formed in the seating surface 31 of the toilet seat 30. The fitting portion 64 is located above the sensor board 52, preferably above the sensor 51 mounted on the sensor board 52. In detail, the fitting portion 64 is provided so that its vertical center position is above the upper main surface (i.e., the top surface) 52a of the sensor board 52, preferably above the top surface 51a of the sensor 51 by a distance (height) B. The distance B can be set to any value.

[0066] In this way, since the fitting portion 64 and the sensor 51 are arranged so as to be separated from each other in the height direction (up and down direction), the load acting on the sensor board 52 due to the deformation of the fitting portion 64 can be further reduced.

[0067] In addition, a second elastic member 80 is disposed between the protruding portion 62 and the toilet seat 30. This allows the load acting on the sensor board 52 to be further reduced even if the toilet seat 30 is deformed. That is, in the fitting portion 64, rattling may occur due to dimensional errors, etc., and the effect of the load from the toilet seat 30 may be concentrated on a part of the fitting portion 64. Therefore, by disposing the second elastic member 80 between the protruding portion 62 of the sensor case 60 and the toilet seat 30, rattling due to dimensional errors, etc. can be suppressed while restricting the movement of the sensor case 60 in the height direction relative to the toilet seat 30. Therefore, the effect of the load from the toilet seat 30 is less likely to be concentrated on a part of the fitting portion 64, and as a result, the load acting on the sensor board 52 can be further reduced. In addition, the second elastic member 80 can prevent water from entering the toilet seat 30 and absorb impacts on the sensor board 52 caused by opening and closing the toilet seat 30 or sitting on it.

[0068] Moreover, the second elastic member 80 is disposed so that its height in the vertical direction is the same as that of the fitting portion 64. Note that the "same height" does not necessarily mean that they are exactly the same height, but rather that they may be approximately the same height within a certain tolerance range.

[0069] As a result, even if the toilet seat 30 is deformed by a user sitting on it, both the fitting portion 64 and the second elastic member 80 can receive the deformation by following the deformation of the toilet seat 30. Therefore, the load acting on the sensor board 52 can be further reduced.

[0070] <Additional Notes> (1) A hollow toilet seat, a sensor unit including a sensor case that is fixed so as to be exposed from an opening formed in the toilet seat and that houses a sensor substrate therein; Equipped with The sensor case includes: a fitting portion that fits into the toilet seat to fix the sensor case to the toilet seat, The fitting portion is Located inside the outer end of the sensor case, Toilet seat device. (2) The sensor case includes: exposed from the opening formed on the seating surface of the toilet seat, The fitting portion is Located above the sensor substrate, A toilet seat device as described in (1). (3) The sensor case includes: A main body portion, a protrusion protruding from the main body and exposed through the opening of the toilet seat; Equipped with An elastic member is disposed between the protrusion and the toilet seat. A toilet seat device as described in (1) or (2). (4) The elastic member is The vertical height is arranged to be the same as that of the fitting portion. (3) A toilet seat device as described above.

[0071] Further advantages and modifications may readily occur to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 20 Toilet seat device 30 Toilet Seat 32 Opening 40 Sensor unit 52 Sensor board 60 Sensor case 61 Main body 62 Protrusion 63 Clamp 64 Fitting part

Claims

1. A hollow toilet seat, a sensor unit including a sensor case that is fixed so as to be exposed from an opening formed in the toilet seat and that houses a sensor substrate therein; Equipped with The sensor case includes: a fitting portion that fits into the toilet seat to fix the sensor case to the toilet seat, The fitting portion is Located inside the outer end of the sensor case, Toilet seat device.

2. The sensor case includes: exposed from the opening formed on the seating surface of the toilet seat, The fitting portion is Located above the sensor substrate, 2. A toilet seat apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

3. The sensor case includes: A main body portion, a protrusion protruding from the main body and exposed through the opening of the toilet seat; Equipped with An elastic member is disposed between the protrusion and the toilet seat.

2. A toilet seat apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

4. The elastic member is The vertical height is arranged to be the same as that of the fitting portion.

4. A toilet seat apparatus as claimed in claim 3.

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