Urinal device

Abstract

To provide a urinal device capable of accurately evaluating the degree of urine contamination on a floor surface and prompting cleaning at an appropriate timing.SOLUTION: A urinal device according to an embodiment comprises a urinal body, a detection device, a calculation part, and a notification part. The urinal body has a bowl part for receiving urine. The detection device detects urine contamination on a floor surface including at least one of below and around the urinal body. The calculation part calculates a cumulative evaluation value by accumulating evaluation values indicating the degree of contamination detected by the detection device. The notification part notifies cleaning request information requesting cleaning of the floor surface based on the cumulative evaluation value calculated by the calculation part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a urinal system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Various techniques have been proposed for detecting stains on the floor surface of a urinal caused by splashing or dripping urine from a user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-019055 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the conventional technology has room for improvement in terms of accurately evaluating the degree of dirt on the floor surface and prompting cleaning at an appropriate time according to the evaluation result. Specifically, urine on the floor surface dries over time, and the dried urine generates an odor. Since the conventional technology does not take this dried urine into consideration, it is difficult to accurately evaluate the degree of dirt on the floor surface, and as a result, there is a risk that cleaning cannot be prompted at an appropriate time.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the embodiment is to provide a urinal device that can accurately evaluate the degree of urine staining on a floor surface and can prompt cleaning at an appropriate time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A urinal device according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a urinal body having a bowl portion for receiving urine, a detection device for detecting urine stains on a floor surface including at least one of below and around the urinal body, a calculation unit for calculating a cumulative evaluation value by accumulating evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of staining detected by the detection device, and a notification unit for notifying cleaning request information requesting cleaning of the floor surface based on the cumulative evaluation value calculated by the calculation unit.

[0007] In this way, the urinal device can accurately evaluate the degree of urine stains on the floor surface by accumulating the evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of staining to calculate a cumulative evaluation value. That is, in the urinal device, even if the urine of the previous user dries and the size of the stains becomes smaller, the evaluation value indicating the dried urine stains is included in the cumulative evaluation value after use by the previous user. In addition, in the urinal device, the cumulative evaluation value after use by the current user is added to the cumulative evaluation value after use by the previous user and accumulated, so that the cumulative evaluation value after use by the current user includes the dried urine stains. Therefore, in the urinal device, for example, a cumulative evaluation value that takes dried urine into consideration can be calculated, and the degree of urine stains on the floor surface can be accurately evaluated by the cumulative evaluation value. In addition, the notification unit is configured to notify cleaning request information that requests cleaning of the floor surface based on the cumulative evaluation value, so cleaning can be promoted at an appropriate timing.

[0008] Moreover, the detection device detects urine stains both before and after a user uses the urinal body.

[0009] This makes it possible to calculate a cumulative evaluation value using the detection values ​​obtained by the detection device before use and the detection values ​​obtained by the detection device after use, thereby making it possible to more accurately evaluate the degree of urine staining.

[0010] Furthermore, the calculation unit resets the cumulative evaluation value after the cleaning request information is notified.

[0011] This allows the urinal device to recognize the user after cleaning request information is notified, for example, as the first user, and can calculate a cumulative evaluation value by accumulating evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of dirt caused by such users after the first one.

[0012] The urinal further includes a communication unit capable of communicating with a management device that manages a toilet room in which the urinal body is installed, and the notification unit notifies the management device of the cleaning request information via the communication unit.

[0013] As a result, the management device that has been notified of the cleaning request information can execute a process such as requesting a cleaner to clean the floor, thereby ensuring that the floor is cleaned.

[0014] The detection device divides the floor surface into a plurality of squares and detects urine stains for each of the plurality of squares.

[0015] This allows the urinal device to easily calculate an evaluation value that indicates the degree of urine staining on the detected floor surface based on the number of squares, etc.

[0016] The notification unit notifies the cleaning request information when the number of the squares whose cumulative evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value among the plurality of squares reaches or exceeds a predetermined number.

[0017] In this way, the urinal device can notify cleaning request information using the cumulative evaluation value of the partitioned spaces, thereby encouraging cleaning at a more appropriate timing depending on the degree of dirt in the space.

[0018] The detection device includes an infrared sensor that detects urine stains by receiving infrared rays emitted from the urine stains.

[0019] This allows the detection device to detect urine stains on the floor surface while having a simple configuration. Effect of the Invention

[0020] According to one aspect of the embodiment, the degree of urine staining on a floor surface can be evaluated with high accuracy, and cleaning can be promoted at an appropriate timing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a urinal apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the urinal apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a urinal device or the like. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the evaluation information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the control unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure executed by the control device of the urinal apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the control unit according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a urinal 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.

[0023] (First embodiment) First, a urinal device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a side view of the urinal device 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view of the urinal device 1 according to the first embodiment. Both Figs. 1 and 2 are schematic views.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a urinal device 1 according to the first embodiment is installed in a toilet room. The urinal device 1 is a wall-mounted type that is installed on a wall surface, but is not limited to this, and may be a floor-standing type that is installed on a floor surface A.

[0025] The urinal device 1 includes a urinal body 10, a detection device 20, and a control device 30. The urinal body 10 is made of, for example, ceramic. The urinal body 10 has a bowl portion 10a (see FIG. 2) and a water discharge portion 10b.

[0026] The bowl portion 10a is formed on the surface (front surface) facing the user of the urinal body 10. The bowl portion 10a is formed with a bowl surface 10a1 which is a concave surface, and receives urine from the user.

[0027] The water discharger 10b is provided above the bowl surface 10a1. The water discharger 10b discharges wash water toward the bowl surface 10a1 to wash the bowl surface 10a1. The wash water that has washed the bowl surface 10a1 is discharged to an external drainage pipe (not shown) via a drainage unit (not shown).

[0028] The detection device 20 is provided, for example, at the bottom of the urinal device 1, at a position facing the floor surface A. The detection device 20 detects urine stains on the floor surface A. In detail, the floor surface A is easily soiled, for example, by the splashing or dripping of urine by the user. The detection device 20 detects urine stains on the floor surface A including the area below and around the urinal body 10 in a non-contact manner. In Figs. 1 and 2, the detection range of the floor surface A including the area below and around the urinal body 10, where stains can be detected by the detection device 20, is indicated by symbol B.

[0029] Here, an example has been shown in which the detection device 20 detects dirt on the floor surface A including the area below and around the urinal body 10, but this is not limiting, and the detection device 20 may detect dirt on the floor surface A including either the area below or around the urinal body 10. That is, it is sufficient for the detection device 20 to detect dirt on the floor surface A including at least the area below or around the urinal body 10. Also, in Figs. 1 and 2, an example has been shown in which the detection device 20 is installed on the lower part of the urinal body 10, but this is not limiting. That is, the detection device 20 may be installed, for example, on the side of the urinal body 10 or on the wall surface to which the urinal body 10 is attached, and in short, it is sufficient for the detection device 20 to be installed in a position where urine dirt on the floor surface A can be detected.

[0030] The detection device 20 includes, for example, an infrared sensor. In other words, the detection device 20 includes, for example, a thermopile sensor. The detection device 20 detects urine stains by receiving infrared rays emitted from urine stains. In detail, since the temperature of a urine-adhered position on the floor surface A differs from the temperature of a non-urine-adhered position on the floor surface A, the amount of infrared rays emitted from the urine-adhered position and the non-urine-adhered position also differs from each other. Therefore, the detection device 20 first detects the amount of infrared rays emitted from the floor surface A and outputs a voltage value corresponding to the detected amount of infrared rays. The detection device 20 detects a position where a voltage value corresponding to a temperature (in other words, the temperature of the urine-adhered position) different from the temperature of the floor surface A (specifically, the temperature of the entire (or most) part of the floor surface A) is output as a position where urine is attached, in other words, a position stained with urine. In this way, the detection device 20 detects the amount of infrared rays emitted from urine stains, outputs a voltage value corresponding to the detected amount of infrared rays, and detects urine stains on the floor surface A based on the voltage value.

[0031] The detection device 20 outputs urine stain information regarding the detected urine stain to the control device 30. The urine stain information includes, for example, information indicating the size (area) and position of the detected urine stain, but is not limited thereto.

[0032] The control device 30 executes various processes, such as a process for evaluating the degree of urine staining on the floor surface A and a process for prompting cleaning of the floor surface A, based on the urine stain information output from the detection device 20. Note that the control device 30 may also have a flushing function for flushing the toilet by activating the water discharger 10b, for example.

[0033] Next, a configuration example of the urinal device 1 including the control device 30 will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the urinal device 1. Note that in the block diagram of Fig. 3, only components necessary for explaining the features of this embodiment are shown as functional blocks, and descriptions of general components are omitted.

[0034] In other words, each component shown in the block diagram of Figure 3 is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. For example, the specific form of distribution and integration of each functional block is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of it can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3, a management device 100 is connected to the urinal device 1. More specifically, the urinal device 1 and the management device 100 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via wire or wirelessly.

[0036] The management device 100 is a device that manages a toilet room in which the urinal body 10 is installed. The management device 100 may be, for example, a server device used by an administrator who manages the toilet rooms. The management device 100 may also be a cloud server configured by cloud computing consisting of one or more information processing devices. The management device 100 is not limited to a server device, and may also be another type of device, such as a mobile terminal owned by the administrator.

[0037] When cleaning request information requesting cleaning of the floor surface is notified from the urinal device 1, the management device 100 executes a process of requesting a cleaner to clean the floor surface, which will be described later.

[0038] The urinal device 1 includes the above-mentioned detection device 20, control device 30, and human body detection sensor 60. The human body detection sensor 60 is a sensor that detects a user of the urinal device 1. When the human body detection sensor 60 detects a user in front of the urinal device 1 (more precisely, in front of the urinal main body 10), it outputs a human body detection signal indicating that a user (human body) has been detected to the control device 30. Note that the human body detection sensor 60 may be, for example, a microwave sensor, but is not limited to this, and other types of sensors such as a photoelectric sensor may also be used.

[0039] The control device 30 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 40, and a storage unit 50. The communication unit 31 is configured to be able to communicate with the management device 100. For example, the communication unit 31 is a communication interface that is connected to the management device 100 etc. so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally, and transmits and receives information to and from the management device 100 etc.

[0040] The control unit 40 includes an acquisition unit 41, a calculation unit 42, and a notification unit 43. Here, the control unit 40 is realized by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU) executing a program stored in the storage unit 50 using a random access memory (RAM) as a working area. Note that the control unit 40 can also be realized by hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0041] The storage unit 50 has a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, and is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 50 stores evaluation information 51, various programs, etc.

[0042] The evaluation information 51 is information regarding an evaluation of urine stains on a floor surface. The evaluation information 51 will now be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the evaluation information 51.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 4, the evaluation information 51 includes items such as "evaluation value before use", "detection value after use", "evaluation value after use", and "accumulated evaluation value", and information on each of these items is associated with each other. Note that, for ease of understanding, Fig. 4 shows examples of each value for the first user, and shows examples of each value for the second user in parentheses.

[0044] The "evaluation value before use" is information indicating an evaluation value that indicates the degree of urine staining on the floor surface before a user uses the urinal body 10. It can also be said that before a user uses the urinal body 10 is before the user urinates in the urinal body 10. In addition, since the evaluation value before use is the same as the detection value detected by the detection device 20 before use, the "evaluation value before use" can also be said to be the "detection value before use".

[0045] Here, the "evaluation value before use" is a value that increases as the size (area) of, for example, a urine stain increases on the floor surface before use. Conversely, the "evaluation value before use" is a value that decreases as the size of, for example, a urine stain decreases on the floor surface before use. Note that an evaluation value of 0 (zero) means that no urine was detected adhering to the floor surface before use.

[0046] "Detection value after use" is information indicating the detection value detected by the detection device 20 on the floor surface after a user has used the urinal body 10. The detection value is a value indicating the degree of urine staining on the floor surface after use. Note that after a user has used the urinal body 10, it can also be said that the user has urinated in the urinal body 10.

[0047] Here, the "detection value after use" is a value that increases as the size (area) of, for example, urine stains increases on the floor surface after use. Conversely, the "detection value after use" is a value that decreases as the size of, for example, urine stains decreases on the floor surface after use. Note that the "detection value after use" may include urine stains from previous users.

[0048] The "evaluation value after use" is information indicating an evaluation value indicating the degree of urine staining caused by the current user on the floor surface after the user has used the urinal body 10. In other words, the "evaluation value after use" is information indicating an evaluation value indicating the degree of urine staining caused by the current user. Specifically, the "evaluation value after use" is a value obtained by subtracting the "evaluation value before use" from the "detection value after use", or in other words, a value indicating the difference between the "evaluation value before use" and the "detection value after use".

[0049] Here, the "evaluation value after use" is a value that increases as the size (area) of a urine stain, for example, caused by the current user, increases on the floor surface after use. Conversely, the "evaluation value after use" is a value that decreases as the size of a urine stain, for example, caused by the current user, decreases on the floor surface after use. Although not shown in the figure, an evaluation value of 0 (zero) means that no urine was detected on the floor surface after use by the current user.

[0050] The "cumulative evaluation value" is information indicating the accumulated value of evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of dirt on the floor surface. Specifically, the "cumulative evaluation value" is the "cumulative evaluation value" calculated after use by the previous user plus the "post-use evaluation value" calculated after use by the current user. Note that if the current user is the first user (or, more precisely, if the current user is the first user after resetting the "cumulative evaluation value" described below), the "cumulative evaluation value" before use is 0 (zero), so the "post-use evaluation value" calculated after use by the first user becomes the "cumulative evaluation value" as is.

[0051] The "evaluation value before use", "detection value after use" and "evaluation value after use" are reset after the "accumulated evaluation value" is calculated. The calculation of the above-mentioned evaluation values ​​and detection values ​​will be described in detail later with reference to Figs. 3 and 5.

[0052] 4, evaluation information 51 for a first user indicates that if the evaluation value before use is "0" and the detection value after use is "10," the evaluation value after use is "10" and the cumulative evaluation value is "10." Additionally, evaluation information 51 for a second user indicates, as shown in parentheses, that if the evaluation value before use is "10" and the detection value after use is "13," the evaluation value after use is "3" and the cumulative evaluation value is "13."

[0053] In the example of FIG. 4, the detection value after use by the first user is "10", and the evaluation value before use by the second user is "10", which are the same value. This means that the interval between use by the first user and the second user is relatively short, and the second user used the toilet before the urine on the floor surface dries and the size (area) of the stain becomes smaller. Note that urine on the floor surface dries over time, and the size of the stain becomes smaller. In such a case, the evaluation value before use by the second user will be a smaller value than the detection value after use by the first user, "10", which will be described later.

[0054] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, the acquisition unit 41 of the control unit 40 acquires a human body detection signal indicating that a user has been detected from the human body detection sensor 60. When the acquisition unit 41 acquires the human body detection signal, the urinal body 10 is in a state prior to use by a user, and in this state, the acquisition unit 41 activates the detection device 20. As a result, the detection device 20 is activated to detect urine stains on the floor surface, and outputs urine stain information (e.g., a stain detection value) relating to the detected urine stains to the control unit 40. The acquisition unit 41 stores the stain detection value included in the acquired urine stain information as a "pre-use evaluation value" in the evaluation information 51 of the storage unit 50.

[0055] When the human body detection signal is no longer acquired from the human body detection sensor 60, the acquisition unit 41 determines that the urinal body 10 is in a state where the user has finished urinating and has left the urinal body 10, i.e., in a state after use, and activates the detection device 20. This causes the detection device 20 to operate and detect urine stains on the floor surface, and output urine stain information (e.g., stain detection value) related to the detected urine stains to the control unit 40. The acquisition unit 41 stores the stain detection value included in the acquired urine stain information as the "detection value after use" in the evaluation information 51 in the storage unit 50.

[0056] In this way, the detection device 20 detects urine stains both before and after use of the urinal body 10 by the user.

[0057] The calculation unit 42 reads out the evaluation information 51 and calculates the evaluation value after use. For example, the calculation unit 42 stores a value obtained by subtracting the “evaluation value before use” from the “detection value after use” in the evaluation information 51 as the “evaluation value after use” in the evaluation information 51.

[0058] Then, the calculation unit 42 reads out the evaluation information 51 and accumulates the calculated evaluation values ​​to calculate a cumulative evaluation value. Specifically, the calculation unit 42 adds the "accumulated evaluation value" calculated after use by the previous user to the "post-use evaluation value" calculated after use by the current user, and stores (updates) the value obtained as the "cumulative evaluation value" of the evaluation information 51 after use by the current user.

[0059] Here, the processing of the control unit 40 including the above-mentioned acquisition unit 41 and calculation unit 42 will be described with specific examples. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the control unit 40. Note that Fig. 5 shows three specific examples, with "Example 1" in the upper row, "Example 2" in the middle row, and "Example 3" in the lower row.

[0060] In "Example 1" shown in FIG. 5, in the detection process before use by the first person, the detection value of the detection device 20 is 0, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 0. In the detection process after use by the first person, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 10, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (0) from the detection value after use (10) to set the "evaluation value after use" to 10. In other words, the control unit 40 sets the evaluation value indicating the degree of urine stains caused by the first user to 10. Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "accumulation evaluation value." Here, since the current user is the first person, as described above, the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value after use" calculated after use by the first person as the "accumulation evaluation value" as it is, that is, sets the cumulative evaluation value to 10.

[0061] Next, in the detection process before the second user's use, the detection value of the detection device 20 is 10, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 10. In "Example 1", the detection value after the first user's use and the evaluation value before the second user's use are the same value, which indicates that the usage interval between the first user and the second user is relatively short, and more specifically, indicates that the second user used the toilet before the urine on the floor surface dried and the size (area) of the stain became smaller. In the detection process after the second user's use, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 13, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (10) from the detection value after use (13) and sets the "evaluation value after use" to 3. In other words, the control unit 40 sets the evaluation value indicating the degree of urine staining by the second user to 3. Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "accumulation evaluation value" after the second user's use. Specifically, the control unit 40 adds the cumulative evaluation value of 10 calculated after use by the first person to the post-use evaluation value of 3 calculated after use by the second person, resulting in a cumulative evaluation value of 13.

[0062] In "Example 2" and "Example 3", the process up to the first person's use is the same as "Example 1", so the description here is omitted. In "Example 2", in the detection process before the second person's use, the detection value of the detection device 20 is 8, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 8. In "Example 2", the evaluation value before use by the second person is reduced by 2 compared to the detection value (10) after use by the first person, which indicates that the interval between the first user and the second user is relatively long, and the urine on the floor has dried (more specifically, dried by the evaluation value (detection value) 2) and the size of the stain has become smaller when the second user uses the toilet. In the detection process after the second user's use, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 11, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (8) from the detection value after use (11) and sets the "evaluation value after use" to 3. In other words, the control unit 40 sets the evaluation value indicating the degree of urine staining by the second user to 3. Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "cumulative evaluation value" after use by the second person. Specifically, the control unit 40 adds the cumulative evaluation value calculated after use by the second person (3) to the cumulative evaluation value calculated after use by the first person (10), resulting in a cumulative evaluation value of 13.

[0063] In "Example 3", in the detection process before use by the second person, the detection value of the detection device 20 is 6, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 6. In "Example 3", the evaluation value before use by the second person is reduced by 4 compared to the detection value (10) after use by the first person, which indicates that the interval between the use by the first user and the second user is relatively long, and the urine on the floor has dried (more specifically, dried by the amount of evaluation value (detection value) 4) and the size of the stain has become smaller when the second user uses the toilet. In the detection process after use by the second person, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 9, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (6) from the detection value after use (9) and sets the "evaluation value after use" to 3. In other words, the control unit 40 sets the evaluation value indicating the degree of urine staining by the second user to 3. Note that "Example 3" shows an example in which stains from a second user are superimposed on stains from a first user, and even in such a case, an evaluation value indicating the degree of urine stains caused by the current user (here, the second user) can be calculated by subtracting the evaluation value before use from the detection value after use. Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "cumulative evaluation value" after use by the second user. Specifically, the control unit 40 adds the evaluation value after use calculated after use by the second user, 3, to the cumulative evaluation value calculated after use by the first user, 10, to arrive at a cumulative evaluation value of 13.

[0064] In this embodiment, the degree of urine staining on the floor surface can be accurately evaluated by accumulating the evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of staining to calculate a cumulative evaluation value. That is, as shown in "Example 2" or "Example 3", in this embodiment, even if the urine of the previous user dries and the size of the stain becomes smaller, the evaluation value indicating the dried urine stain is included in the cumulative evaluation value after use by the previous user. In this embodiment, the cumulative evaluation value after use by the current user is added to the cumulative evaluation value after use by the previous user and accumulated, so that the cumulative evaluation value after use by the current user includes the dried urine stain. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, a cumulative evaluation value considering dried urine can be calculated, and the degree of urine staining on the floor surface can be accurately evaluated by this cumulative evaluation value.

[0065] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 3, the notification unit 43 notifies cleaning request information requesting cleaning of the floor surface based on the accumulated evaluation value. For example, the notification unit 43 notifies cleaning request information when the accumulated evaluation value becomes equal to or exceeds a preset predetermined value and a notification condition is established. Note that the predetermined value is set to a value indicating that the floor surface is soiled with urine and should be cleaned, but is not limited to this and can be set to any value.

[0066] Specifically, the notification unit 43 notifies the management device 100 of the cleaning request information via the communication unit 31. When the management device 100 receives the cleaning request information, it executes, for example, a process of requesting a cleaner to clean the floor surface. As a result, the urine-stained floor surface is cleaned by the requested cleaner.

[0067] In this way, the notification unit 43 notifies cleaning request information for requesting cleaning of the floor surface based on the accumulated evaluation value, so that cleaning can be promoted at an appropriate timing.

[0068] In the above, the notification unit 43 notifies the management device 100 of the cleaning request information, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, as shown by imaginary lines in Fig. 3, the urinal device 1 may be provided with a notification device 70 such as a lamp or alarm, and the notification unit 43 may notify the cleaning request information via the notification device 70. In this way, by confirming that the notification device 70 such as a lamp or alarm is operating, the cleaner or manager can recognize (understand) that it is time to clean the floor surface, and therefore it becomes possible to clean the floor surface at an appropriate time.

[0069] Furthermore, the calculation unit 42 executes a reset process to reset the cumulative evaluation value after the cleaning request information is notified by the notification unit 43. The timing at which the reset process is executed may be immediately after the cleaning request information is notified, may be after the management device 100 that has notified the cleaning request information requests cleaning, or may be after the floor surface is actually cleaned, and may be set to any timing.

[0070] Next, a specific processing procedure in the control device 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure executed by the control device 30 of the urinal device 1.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 6, the control device 30 of the urinal device 1 judges whether or not a user has been detected (step S10). If the control device 30 judges that a user has not been detected (step S10, No), it repeats the process of step S10. On the other hand, if the control device 30 judges that a user has been detected (step S10, Yes), it detects pre-use soiling and calculates a pre-use evaluation value (step S11).

[0072] Next, the control device 30 judges whether or not a user has been detected (step S12). If the control device 30 judges that a user has been detected (step S12, Yes), this means that the user is urinating, and the process of step S12 is repeated. On the other hand, if the control device 30 judges that a user has not been detected (step S12, No), this means that the user has finished urinating and has left the urinal body 10. In such a case, the control device 30 detects post-use soiling (detects the post-use detection value) and calculates the post-use evaluation value (step S13).

[0073] Next, the control device 30 calculates a cumulative evaluation value (step S14). For example, the control device 30 calculates a value obtained by adding the "post-use evaluation value" calculated after use by the current user to the "cumulative evaluation value" calculated after use by the previous user, as the cumulative evaluation value after use by the current user.

[0074] Next, the control device 30 judges whether or not the notification condition is satisfied (step S15). One example of the notification condition is that the "accumulated evaluation value is equal to or greater than a preset value." If the control device 30 judges that the notification condition is not satisfied (step S15, No), the control device 30 returns to the process of step S10. On the other hand, if the control device 30 judges that the notification condition is satisfied (step S15, Yes), the control device 30 notifies the management device 100 of the cleaning request information (step S16).

[0075] Next, after the cleaning request information is notified, the control device 30 executes a reset process to reset the cumulative evaluation value (step S17).

[0076] As described above, the urinal device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a urinal body 10, a detection device 20, a calculation unit 42, and a notification unit 43. The urinal body 10 has a bowl portion 10a for receiving urine. The detection device 20 detects urine stains on the floor surface including at least one of the area below and around the urinal body 10. The calculation unit 42 accumulates evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of stains detected by the detection device 20 to calculate a cumulative evaluation value. The notification unit 43 issues cleaning request information requesting cleaning of the floor surface based on the cumulative evaluation value calculated by the calculation unit 42. This allows the degree of urine stains on the floor surface to be accurately evaluated, and cleaning can be promoted at an appropriate time.

[0077] Furthermore, the detection device 20 detects urine stains both before and after a user uses the urinal body 10. This makes it possible to calculate a cumulative evaluation value using the detection value by the detection device 20 before use and the detection value by the detection device 20 after use, thereby making it possible to more accurately evaluate the degree of urine stains.

[0078] Furthermore, the calculation unit 42 resets the cumulative evaluation value after the cleaning request information is notified. This allows the user after the cleaning request information is notified to be recognized as the first user, and the cumulative evaluation value can be calculated by accumulating the evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of dirt caused by the first and subsequent users.

[0079] Furthermore, the notification unit 43 notifies the management device 100 of the cleaning request information via the communication unit 31. As a result, the management device 100 that has been notified of the cleaning request information can execute, for example, a process of requesting a cleaner to clean the floor surface, and therefore the floor surface can be reliably cleaned.

[0080] The detection device 20 also includes an infrared sensor that detects urine stains by receiving infrared rays emitted from the urine stains. This allows the detection device 20 to detect urine stains on the floor surface while having a simple configuration.

[0081] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the following description, parts similar to those already described will be given the same reference numerals as those already described, and duplicated description may be omitted.

[0082] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the control unit 40 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 shows three specific examples, with "Example 4" in the upper row, "Example 5" in the middle row, and "Example 6" in the lower row. "Example 4" corresponds to "Example 1" in Fig. 5, "Example 6" corresponds to "Example 2" in Fig. 5, and "Example 6" corresponds to "Example 3" in Fig. 5.

[0083] 7, the detection device 20 divides the floor surface into a plurality of squares C and detects urine stains in each of the divided squares C. In other words, the detection device 20 divides the floor surface into a matrix shape and detects stains in each of the divided squares C. Then, the detection device 20 outputs the number of squares in which urine stains are detected as a detection value.

[0084] The number written in the cell C indicates the number of times urine stains were detected. In other words, the number in the cell C indicates the number of times stains were detected again after the urine-stained floor surface had dried. In addition, in FIG. 7, the cell C corresponding to the floor surface stained with the urine of the first person is indicated by diagonal lines, and the cell C corresponding to the floor surface stained with the urine of the second person is indicated by dots.

[0085] In "Example 4" shown in FIG. 7, in the detection process before use by the first person, the detection value by the detection device 20 is 0, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 0. In the detection process after use by the first person, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 10 (see symbol C1), the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (0) from the detection value after use (10) to set the "evaluation value after use" to 10. Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "cumulative evaluation value." Here, since the current user is the first person, the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value after use" calculated after use by the first person as the "cumulative evaluation value" as it is, that is, sets the cumulative evaluation value to 10.

[0086] Next, in the detection process before use by the second person, the detection value of the detection device 20 is 10, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 10. In the detection process after use by the second person, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 13, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (10) from the detection value after use (13) to set the "evaluation value after use" to 3 (see symbol C2). Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "accumulated evaluation value" after use by the second person. Specifically, the control unit 40 adds the evaluation value after use calculated after use by the second person, 3, to the accumulated evaluation value calculated after use by the first person, 10, to set the accumulated evaluation value to 13.

[0087] In "Example 5" and "Example 6", the process up to the first person's use is the same as "Example 4", so the description here is omitted. In "Example 5", in the detection process before the second person's use, the detection value of the detection device 20 is 8, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 8. In "Example 5", the evaluation value before use by the second person is reduced by 2 compared to the detection value (10) after the first person's use (see symbol C3), which indicates that the interval between the first user and the second user's use is relatively long, and the urine on the floor has dried and the size of the stain has become smaller when the second user used the toilet. In the detection process after the second person's use, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 11, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (8) from the detection value after use (11) and sets the "evaluation value after use" to 3 (see symbol C4). Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "accumulated evaluation value" after the second person's use. Specifically, the control unit 40 adds the cumulative evaluation value of 10 calculated after use by the first person to the post-use evaluation value of 3 calculated after use by the second person, resulting in a cumulative evaluation value of 13.

[0088] In "Example 6", the detection value of the detection device 20 in the detection process before use by the second person is 6, and therefore the control unit 40 sets the "evaluation value before use" to 6. In "Example 6", the evaluation value before use by the second person is reduced by 4 compared to the detection value (10) after use by the first person (see symbol C5), which indicates that the interval between the use by the first user and the second user is relatively long, and the urine on the floor has dried and the size of the stain has become smaller when the second user uses the toilet. In the detection process after use by the second person, if the detection value by the detection device 20 is 9, the control unit 40 subtracts the evaluation value before use (6) from the detection value after use (9) to set the "evaluation value after use" to 3 (see symbol C6). Note that "Example 6" shows an example in which the stain by the first person has dried and the stain by the second person has been overlapped thereon, and the number of times that urine stains have been detected, which is written in the overlapping cell C6, is "2". Next, the control unit 40 calculates the "accumulated evaluation value" after use by the second person. Specifically, the control unit 40 adds the cumulative evaluation value of 10 calculated after use by the first person to the post-use evaluation value of 3 calculated after use by the second person, resulting in a cumulative evaluation value of 13.

[0089] In this way, the detection device 20 according to the second embodiment divides the floor surface into a plurality of cells C and detects urine stains for each of the divided cells C. This makes it possible to easily calculate an evaluation value indicating the degree of urine stains on the detected floor surface based on the number of cells C or the like.

[0090] In the second embodiment, the cumulative evaluation value can be the number of times dirt overlaps in the cells C. In this case, the notification unit 43 notifies cleaning request information when the number of cells among the multiple cells C whose cumulative evaluation values ​​(number of times dirt overlaps) are equal to or greater than a predetermined value that has been set in advance is equal to or greater than a predetermined number that has been set in advance. Note that the predetermined value and the predetermined number are set to values ​​indicating that the floor surface is soiled with urine and that cleaning of the floor surface is recommended, for example, but are not limited to this and can be set to any value.

[0091] In this way, in the second embodiment, by notifying cleaning request information using the cumulative evaluation value of the partitioned square C, cleaning can be prompted at a more appropriate timing depending on the dirtiness of the square C.

[0092] In the above, an example in which the detection device 20 includes an infrared sensor has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the detection device 20 may include a pyroelectric infrared sensor or the like. The detection device 20 may also be configured to include, for example, a black light and a camera. When the detection device 20 includes a black light and a camera, the detection device 20 may, for example, irradiate ultraviolet light from a black light, and detect dirt that emits light in response to the ultraviolet light using a camera or the like. When the detection device 20 includes a camera, the detection device 20 may, for example, analyze an image of the floor surface captured by the camera, and extract and detect dirt on the floor surface.

[0093] In addition, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, an example has been shown in which the control device 30 provided in the urinal body 10 executes each process such as calculating the cumulative evaluation value, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the urinal device 1 may be configured to include the management device 100, and the management device 100 may execute some or all of the processes executed by the control device 30 described above.

[0094] <Additional Notes> (1) a urinal body having a bowl portion for receiving urine; A detection device that detects urine stains on a floor surface including at least one of the lower part and the periphery of the urinal body; a calculation unit that calculates a cumulative evaluation value by accumulating evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of dirt detected by the detection device; a notification unit that notifies cleaning request information that requests cleaning of the floor surface based on the cumulative evaluation value calculated by the calculation unit; A urinal device comprising: (2) The detection device includes: Detecting urine stains before and after use of the urinal body by a user. A urinal device as described in (1). (3) The calculation unit is After the cleaning request information is notified, the cumulative evaluation value is reset. A urinal device as described in (1) or (2). (4) a communication section capable of communicating with a management device that manages a toilet room in which the urinal body is installed; Further equipped with The notification unit is notifying the management device of the cleaning request information via the communication unit; A urinal apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3). (5) The detection device includes: Dividing the floor surface into a plurality of squares, and detecting urine stains for each of the plurality of squares. A urinal apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4). (6) The notification unit is when the number of the cells whose cumulative evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value among the plurality of cells is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the cleaning request information is notified. (5) A urinal device as described in (5). (7) The detection device includes: An infrared sensor that detects urine stains by receiving infrared rays emitted from the urine stains. A urinal apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6).

[0095] 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]

[0096] 1 urinal device 10 Urinal body 20 Detection device 42 Calculation section 43 Notification Department 100 Management device

Claims

1. A urinal body having a bowl portion for receiving urine; A detection device that detects urine stains on a floor surface including at least one of the lower part and the periphery of the urinal body; a calculation unit that calculates a cumulative evaluation value by accumulating evaluation values ​​indicating the degree of dirt detected by the detection device; a notification unit that notifies cleaning request information that requests cleaning of the floor surface based on the cumulative evaluation value calculated by the calculation unit; A urinal device comprising:

2. The detection device includes: Detecting urine stains before and after use of the urinal body by a user.

2. A urinal apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The calculation unit is After the cleaning request information is notified, the cumulative evaluation value is reset.

2. A urinal apparatus according to claim 1.

4. a communication section capable of communicating with a management device that manages a toilet room in which the urinal body is installed; Further equipped with The notification unit is notifying the management device of the cleaning request information via the communication unit; 2. A urinal apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The detection device includes: Dividing the floor surface into a plurality of squares, and detecting urine stains for each of the plurality of squares.

2. A urinal apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The notification unit is when the number of the cells whose cumulative evaluation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value among the plurality of cells is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the cleaning request information is notified.

6. A urinal apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The detection device includes: An infrared sensor that detects urine stains by receiving infrared rays emitted from the urine stains.

2. A urinal apparatus according to claim 1.

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