toilet

Abstract

To provide a toilet that can effectively sterilize a floor surface region near a toilet basin using a sterilization light.SOLUTION: A toilet 1 includes: a toilet basin 10; and a sterilization unit 30 installed on an outside of the toilet basin 10 to irradiate a sterilization region 21 of a floor surface 20 located forward of the toilet basin 10 with UV light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, toilets have been known that are equipped with germicidal lamps that irradiate light including ultraviolet light and are capable of sterilizing the floor (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the toilet described in Patent Document 1, a germicidal lamp is provided on a side wall or a door, and irradiates light including ultraviolet rays onto an irradiation area that includes the floor where a person enters to use the toilet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-126939 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the toilet described in Patent Document 1, the germicidal lamp is installed on the side wall or door, and is away from the toilet bowl, so there is a risk that the germicidal effect will not be sufficient in the area of ​​the floor close to the toilet bowl.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a toilet that can effectively disinfect an area of ​​the floor near the toilet bowl using a disinfection lamp. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides the following toilet.

[0008] [1] A toilet comprising: a toilet bowl; and a sterilization unit that is installed outside the toilet bowl and irradiates a sterilization area on the floor surface in front of the toilet bowl with ultraviolet light. [2] The toilet described in [1] above, further comprising a human sensor, wherein the ultraviolet light source of the sterilization unit is turned on when the human sensor detects that a user has left the toilet, and the ultraviolet light source is turned off when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sterilization unit was turned on or when the human sensor detects that a user has entered the toilet. [3] The toilet described in [1] above, wherein the toilet bowl is installed above the floor surface and the sterilization unit is installed on the underside of the toilet bowl. [4] The toilet described in any one of [1] to [3] above, further comprising a lighting device that irradiates the floor surface with visible light to illuminate an illumination area, at least half of whose area overlaps with the sterilization area. [5] The toilet described in [4] above, wherein the lighting device projects a pattern or letter onto the lighting area. [6] The toilet described in [4] above, wherein the lighting device is included in the sterilization unit. [7] The toilet described in [2] above, further comprising a lighting device that irradiates the floor surface with visible light to illuminate an illumination area whose area at least half overlaps with the sterilization area, and wherein the human sensor and the lighting device are included in the sterilization unit. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a toilet can be provided that can effectively disinfect an area of ​​the floor surface near the toilet bowl using a disinfection lamp. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1(a) and (b) are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of a toilet according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which a plurality of sterilization regions to be irradiated with ultraviolet light are provided. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration example of a sterilization unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the toilet according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a sterilization unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an illumination device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a toilet according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] First Embodiment 1(a) and (b) are diagrams that show a schematic configuration of a toilet 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] The toilet 1 comprises a toilet bowl 10 and a sterilization unit 30 that is installed outside the toilet bowl 10 and irradiates ultraviolet light onto an area (hereinafter referred to as sterilization area 21) in front of the toilet bowl 10 on a floor surface 20. Figure 1(b) is a view of the toilet bowl 10 as seen from the front.

[0013] Here, the front of the toilet 10 in this specification means the front as seen by a user sitting on the toilet seat on the toilet 10, which will be described later, and is the leftward direction in Fig. 1(a) and the forward direction perpendicular to the paper surface in Fig. 1(b). Additionally, the width direction of the toilet 10 means the width direction when the toilet 10 is viewed from the front, and is the left-right direction in Fig. 1(b).

[0014] The sterilization area 21 is an area of ​​the floor surface 20 where bacteria are particularly likely to adhere, being close to the toilet bowl 10 and in a position that is likely to be stepped on by a user when using the toilet bowl 10. The sterilization area 21 is set, for example, within a range where the front-to-rear distance L1, taking the forward direction from the front end 101 of the toilet bowl 10 as a positive direction, is -300 to 300 mm, and the widthwise distance L2, taking either the left or right direction from the widthwise center 105 as a positive direction, is -300 to 300 mm.

[0015] For example, the distance L3 between the part of the sterilization area 21 farthest from the toilet 10 and the sterilization unit 30 is set to 461 mm, and the height H of the sterilization unit 30 from the floor surface 20 is set to 100 mm.

[0016] In the toilet 1, the sterilization unit 30 is installed in the toilet bowl 10, and is therefore close to the sterilization area 21, making it possible to effectively sterilize the sterilization area 21. Note that a plurality of sterilization areas 21 may be formed.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a case where multiple sterilization zones 21 to be irradiated with ultraviolet light are provided. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the sterilization unit 30 and the sterilization zones 21 as viewed from above the toilet 10, with the position of the toilet 10 indicated by a dotted line. In the example shown in Figure 2, the sterilization zone 21 is divided into two zones 21a and 21b.

[0018] Areas 21a, 21b are located diagonally to the right and left of the toilet 10, respectively, and are positioned within a range that is easy for a user to step on with their right and left feet when using the toilet 10. Areas 21a, 21b are set, for example, within a range where the front-to-back distance L4, with the front from the front end 101 of the toilet 10 taken as positive, is -300 to 300 mm, and the widthwise distance L5, with either the left or right direction from the widthwise center 105 taken as positive, is -300 to 300 mm.

[0019] For example, the distance L6 between areas 21a, 21b in the width direction of the toilet 10 is set to 200 mm.

[0020] The toilet bowl 10 is a Western-style seated toilet bowl. A toilet seat unit 11 equipped with a toilet seat and a toilet cover is installed above the toilet bowl 10.

[0021] The toilet 10 may be of a type that is installed floating above the floor surface 20, as exemplified in Figures 1(a) and (b), or it may be of a type that is installed in contact with the floor surface 20.

[0022] The sterilization unit 30 is installed outside the toilet 10 and irradiates ultraviolet light diagonally downward and forward to sterilize the sterilization area 21 on the floor surface 20.

[0023] The sterilization unit 30 is preferably installed below the upper end 102 of the toilet 10 and inside both widthwise ends 103a, 103b of the toilet 10. In this case, because the sterilization unit 30 does not protrude upwards or widthwise from the toilet 10, it is possible to prevent some of the ultraviolet light irradiated from the sterilization unit 30 to the sterilization area 21 in front of the toilet 10 from being blocked by the toilet 10.

[0024] It is also preferable that the sterilization unit 30 is installed behind the front end 101 of the toilet bowl 10. In this case, part of the toilet bowl 10 covers the upper side of the sterilization unit 30, making it difficult to see the sterilization unit 30 from above the toilet bowl 10, and therefore making it less noticeable to users in the toilet 1.

[0025] When the toilet 10 is installed so as to be raised above the floor surface 20, it is preferable that the sterilization unit 30 is installed on the underside 104 of the toilet 10, as exemplified in Figure 1. In this case, some of the ultraviolet light irradiated from the sterilization unit 30 to the sterilization area 21 is not blocked by the toilet 10, and the sterilization unit 30 becomes less noticeable.

[0026] The ultraviolet light emitted by the sterilization unit 30 is, for example, ultraviolet light in the wavelength range called UV-A (400 to 315 nm), ultraviolet light in the wavelength range called UV-B (315 to 280 nm), or ultraviolet light in the wavelength range called UV-C (less than 280 nm), and of these, ultraviolet light in the UV-C wavelength range is preferable, as it has the greatest sterilization effect.

[0027] 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration example of the sterilization unit 30. The sterilization unit 30 includes an ultraviolet light source 31 that emits ultraviolet light, a substrate 32 on which the ultraviolet light source 31 is mounted, and a housing 33 that accommodates the ultraviolet light source 31 and the substrate 32.

[0028] The ultraviolet light source 31 has a light emitting element such as an LED chip (Light Emitting Diode) or an LD chip (Laser Diode) that emits ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light source 31 may also include a lens for adjusting the light distribution of the light emitting element. The ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet light source 31 is irradiated to the outside of the sterilization unit 30 through, for example, a window 331 provided in the housing 33. When multiple sterilization zones 21 are formed as shown in FIG. 2, the sterilization unit 30 includes, for example, multiple ultraviolet light sources 31.

[0029] The toilet 1 is typically equipped with a human presence sensor using an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or the like, so that sterilization by the sterilization unit 30 is carried out only when no user is inside the toilet 1.

[0030] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the toilet 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The toilet 1 comprises an ultraviolet light source 31 included in a sterilization unit 30, a human presence sensor 40, and a control unit 34 that controls the operation of the ultraviolet light source 31 based on the detection result of the human presence sensor 40.

[0031] Typically, the sterilization unit 30 does not perform sterilization while a user is present in the toilet 1. For example, when the control unit 34 receives a detection signal from the human sensor 40 indicating that a user has entered the toilet 1, the control unit 34 sends a control signal including an instruction to switch the ultraviolet light source 31 to an off state (a state in which ultraviolet light is not being emitted) to the ultraviolet light source 31. If the ultraviolet light source 31 is in an on state (a state in which ultraviolet light is being emitted) at that time, it is switched to an off state.

[0032] Furthermore, when the control unit 34 receives a detection signal from the human presence sensor 40 indicating that the user has left the toilet 1, the control unit 34 transmits a control signal including an instruction to switch the ultraviolet light source 31 to an on state, whereby the state of the ultraviolet light source 31 is switched from an off state to an on state.

[0033] The control unit 34 may switch the ultraviolet light source 31 to the off state after a predetermined time has elapsed since the state of the ultraviolet light source 31 was switched to the on state. This prevents the ultraviolet light from being irradiated onto the floor surface 20 more than necessary, and suppresses deterioration of the floor surface 20. In this case, the ultraviolet light source 31 is switched to the off state when a predetermined time has elapsed since the ultraviolet light source 31 was switched to the on state, or when the human sensor 40 detects that a user has entered the toilet 1.

[0034] The control unit 34 is a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs calculations and processing on acquired data according to a stored program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a semiconductor memory, and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The ROM stores, for example, a program for operating the control unit 34. The RAM is used as a storage area that temporarily stores calculation results, for example. The control unit 34 is mounted on the board 32, for example.

[0035] The power source that supplies power to the substrate 32 on which the ultraviolet light source 31 and the control unit 34 are mounted, the motion sensor 40, etc. may be an external power source such as a commercial power source, or an internal power source such as a battery.

[0036] The installation position of the human sensor 40 is not particularly limited, and for example, it is installed alongside the sterilization unit 30 on the outside of the toilet bowl 10. When the human sensor 40 is installed within the housing 33 of the sterilization unit 30, i.e., when the human sensor 40 is included in the sterilization unit 30, installing the sterilization unit 30 also installs the human sensor 40 at the same time, making installation in the toilet 1 easy.

[0037] (Effects of the First Embodiment) According to the first embodiment of the present invention, by using a sterilization unit 30 that is installed outside the toilet 10 and irradiates ultraviolet light onto a sterilization area 21 on the floor 20 in front of the toilet 10, a toilet 1 can be provided that can effectively sterilize the area of ​​the floor 20 close to the toilet 10.

[0038] Second Embodiment The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the toilet is equipped with a lighting device for illuminating the floor surface. Note that the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified. Also, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment will be used for the parts having the same functions and configurations as those in the first embodiment.

[0039] The toilet 2 in the second embodiment comprises a toilet bowl 10, a sterilization unit 50 installed outside the toilet bowl 10 and irradiating ultraviolet light onto a sterilization area 21 on the floor surface 20 in front of the toilet bowl 10, and a lighting device 60 that irradiates visible light onto an illumination area 22 on the floor surface 20 in front of the toilet bowl 10.

[0040] 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a sterilization unit 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The sterilization unit 50 includes an ultraviolet light source 31 that emits ultraviolet light, a substrate 32 on which the ultraviolet light source 31 is mounted, an illumination device 60 that emits visible light, and a housing 33 that contains the ultraviolet light source 31, the substrate 32, and the illumination device 60.

[0041] The lighting device 60 emits visible light diagonally downward in front of the toilet bowl 10, illuminating the lighting area 22 on the floor surface 20. The lighting area 22 is an area where at least half of its area overlaps with the sterilization area 21, and by visually checking the lighting area 22, a user of the toilet 1 can know the position of the sterilization area 21, i.e., which area of ​​the floor surface 20 has been sterilized. The lighting area 22 is located in front of the toilet bowl 10, and is therefore easily visible to users. Furthermore, in order to more accurately know the position of the sterilization area 21 by visually checking the lighting area 22, it is preferable that at least 70% of the area of ​​the lighting area 22 overlaps with the sterilization area 21, and it is more preferable that at least 90% of the area of ​​the lighting area 22 overlaps with the sterilization area 21.

[0042] The lighting device 60 may be installed outside the sterilization unit 50, but is preferably included in the sterilization unit 50, as shown in Fig. 5. In this case, since the lighting device 60 is installed at the same time as the sterilization unit 50 is installed, installation in the toilet 2 becomes easier.

[0043] The lighting device 60 may be a projector. In this case, the lighting device 60 can project a pattern or characters onto the lighting area 22, as exemplified in Fig. 5. This makes it possible, for example, to project a pattern to create a spatial effect in the toilet 2, or to project characters to communicate information to users of the toilet 2.

[0044] Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of an illumination device 60. The illumination device 60 shown in Fig. 6 has a function as a projector. The illumination device 60 includes a visible light source 61, a plate 62 having a pattern or characters to be projected onto the illumination area 22, a condenser lens 63, and a projection lens 64. A substrate 65 on which the visible light source 61 is mounted, the plate 62, the condenser lens 63, and the projection lens 64 are housed in a housing 66 consisting of parts 66a, 66b, and 66c. The housing 66 has an opening 661 for extracting light from the projection lens 64, and an opening 662 for connecting a connector of an external device to the connector of the substrate 65.

[0045] In the illumination device 60, light-emitting elements such as LED chips included in the visible light source 61 are turned on based on a control signal output from a control unit 67 described later, and emit visible light. The visible light is collected by the collecting lens 63 and passes through the portion of the plate 62 on which the pattern or characters are provided, and is irradiated by the projection lens 64 onto the illumination area 22, whereby the pattern or characters on the plate 62 are projected.

[0046] Plate 62 has light-transmitting regions that transmit visible light emitted from visible light source 61, and light-shielding regions that do not transmit visible light or have a lower transmittance than the light-transmitting regions, and the patterns and characters on plate 62 are formed by the patterns of the light-transmitting regions and the light-shielding regions.

[0047] 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a toilet 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The toilet 2 comprises an ultraviolet light source 31 included in a sterilization unit 50, a human presence sensor 40, a control unit 34 that controls the operation of the ultraviolet light source 31 based on the detection result of the human presence sensor 40, a visible light source 61 included in a lighting device 60 in the sterilization unit 50, and a control unit 67 that controls the operation of the visible light source 61 based on the detection result of the human presence sensor 40.

[0048] The ultraviolet light source 31 and the control unit 34 included in the sterilization unit 50 operate in the same manner as the ultraviolet light source 31 and the control unit 34 included in the sterilization unit 30 according to the first embodiment.

[0049] The lighting device 60 typically provides illumination while a user is present in the toilet 2. For example, when the control unit 67 receives a detection signal from the motion sensor 40 indicating that a user has entered the toilet 2, the control unit 67 transmits a control signal to the visible light source 61 including an instruction to switch the visible light source 61 to an on state (a state in which visible light is emitted). If the visible light source 61 is in an off state (a state in which visible light is not emitted) at that time, it is switched to an on state.

[0050] Furthermore, when the control unit 67 receives a detection signal from the human presence sensor 40 indicating that the user has left the toilet 2, the control unit 67 transmits a control signal including an instruction to switch the visible light source 61 to an off state, and if the visible light source 61 is in an on state at that time, it switches to an off state.

[0051] The control unit 67 may switch the visible light source 61 to the off state after a predetermined time has elapsed since the visible light source 61 was switched to the on state. In this case, the visible light source 61 is switched to the off state when a predetermined time has elapsed since the visible light source 61 was switched to the on state or when the human presence sensor 40 detects that the user has left the toilet 2.

[0052] Like the control unit 34, the control unit 67 is a microcomputer including a CPU that performs calculations and processing on acquired data according to a stored program, a RAM that is a semiconductor memory, and a ROM. The control unit 67 is mounted on the substrate 65, for example. The microcomputer that functions as the control unit 34 mounted on the substrate 32 may also function as the control unit 67.

[0053] The control unit 67 may receive a signal from the ultraviolet light source 31 or the control unit 34 that controls the ultraviolet light source 31, and operate the visible light source 61 in conjunction with the ultraviolet light source 31. In this case, for example, after the sterilization area 21 is sterilized by the ultraviolet light source 31, the lighting device 60 can project, onto the illumination area 22, characters indicating that sterilization has been performed, such as "sterilization completed."

[0054] Furthermore, the control unit 67 may receive a signal including information regarding the temperature of the heated toilet seat or the warm water wash from a temperature control unit of the heated toilet seat or the warm water wash of the toilet seat unit 11, and operate the visible light source 61 in conjunction with the toilet seat unit 11. In this case, for example, depending on the temperature of the heated toilet seat or the warm water wash of the toilet seat unit 11, characters indicating information regarding the temperature of the heated toilet seat or the warm water wash, such as "It's cold, please wait a moment" or "The temperature has reached the appropriate level", can be projected onto the illumination area 22.

[0055] The lighting device 60 may project a plurality of types of patterns or characters in different colors onto the lighting area 22. In this case, for example, a lighting device 60 including a plurality of visible light sources 61 with different luminous colors and a plate 62 including a plurality of types of patterns or characters corresponding to the plurality of visible light sources 61 may be used, or a plurality of lighting devices 60 each projecting a different pattern or character in a different color may be used.

[0056] The power source that supplies power to the board 32 on which the ultraviolet light source 31 and the control unit 34 are mounted, the board 65 on which the visible light source 61 and the control unit 67 are mounted, and the human presence sensor 40, etc. may be an external power source such as a commercial power source, or an internal power source such as a battery.

[0057] When the human sensor 40 is installed within the housing 33 of the sterilization unit 50, i.e., when the human sensor 40 is included in the sterilization unit 50, installing the sterilization unit 50 also installs the human sensor 40 at the same time, making installation in the toilet 2 easy.

[0058] (Effects of the second embodiment) According to the second embodiment of the present invention, by using a sterilization unit 50 equipped with a lighting device 60, it is possible to allow a user to visually recognize the position of the sterilization area 21, to create a spatial presentation of the toilet 2, and to communicate information to the user.

[0059] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiment can be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0060] In addition, the above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Also, it should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1, 2 Toilet 10 Toilet bowl 101 Front end 102 Top 103a, 103b Both ends in the width direction 104 Bottom surface 11 Toilet seat unit 20, 20a, 20b Floor surface 21 Sterilization area 22 Lighting area 30, 50 Sterilization Unit 31 Ultraviolet light source 40 Human Sensor 60 Lighting Equipment

Claims

1. A toilet bowl, A sterilization unit that is installed outside the toilet and irradiates a sterilization area on a floor surface in front of the toilet with ultraviolet light; Equipped with toilet.

2. Equipped with a human sensor, When the human sensor detects that the user has left the toilet, the ultraviolet light source of the sterilization unit is turned on, The ultraviolet light source is turned off when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sterilization unit was turned on or when the human presence sensor detects that a user has entered the toilet.

2. The toilet of claim 1.

3. The toilet is installed so as to float above the floor surface, The sterilization unit is installed on the underside of the toilet bowl.

2. The toilet of claim 1.

4. A lighting device is provided which irradiates the floor surface with visible light to illuminate an illumination area having at least half of its area overlapping with the sterilization area. The toilet according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The lighting device projects a pattern or a character onto the lighting area.

5. The toilet of claim 4.

6. The lighting device is included in the sterilization unit.

5. The toilet of claim 4.

7. a lighting device that irradiates the floor surface with visible light to illuminate an illumination area, at least half of whose area overlaps with the sterilization area; The human sensor and the lighting device are included in the sterilization unit.

3. The toilet of claim 2.

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