Toilet equipment

Abstract

To reduce the influence of dust and mist in a toilet bowl on determination accuracy in toilet equipment that determines the condition of excrement by irradiating the inside of the toilet bowl with light dispersed by a prism.SOLUTION: Toilet equipment 1 comprises: a human detection sensor 44 that transmits a human detection signal when a person is present in the vicinity of an emitted toilet bowl 2; a seating detection sensor 45 that transmits a seating detection signal when a user is seated on a toilet seat 6; an ion supply device 47 that supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into a toilet bowl 21; a light-emitting unit 481 that emits light; a prism 483 that disperses the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 481 and irradiates the inside of the toilet bowl 21 with the emitted light; a light-receiving unit 482 that receives light reflected by excreta in toilet bowl 21 and transmits a light-reception signal corresponding to the received light; and a control device 41 that performs condition-determination control. The control device 41 controls the ion supply device 47, the light-emitting unit 481 and the light-receiving unit 482 on the basis of the human detection signal and the seating detection signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to toilet devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Various devices for determining the state of excrement have been proposed for the purpose of managing the health of users. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a urine sugar meter that determines the level of sugar in urine. This urine sugar meter utilizes the property that the refractive index of light passing through urine changes depending on the concentration of sugar in the urine. Specifically, this urine sugar meter is configured so that urine is attached to the surface of a prism, and light dispersed by the prism passes through the urine. This urine sugar meter requires cleaning of the prism after each measurement.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a toilet seat device that photographs the inside of a toilet bowl and determines the state of excrement inside the bowl based on the acquired image. Because the toilet seat device itself does not come into contact with excrement, there is no need to clean the toilet seat device each time a determination is made. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-13419 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-55522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] It is preferable that the device described in Patent Document 1 is configured so as not to come into contact with excrement and not to require cleaning after each determination, as with the device described in Patent Document 2. One possible configuration that meets this requirement is one in which, instead of a configuration in which excrement adheres to the surface of a prism, light dispersed by a prism is irradiated onto the excrement in the toilet bowl.

[0006] However, there may be chemical fibers from the user's clothing or pulp fibers from toilet paper floating in the toilet bowl, and such foreign matter (hereinafter referred to as "dust") in the toilet bowl may scatter light and reduce the accuracy of the judgment.

[0007] Toilet systems are also known that are equipped with a device that supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into the toilet bowl for the purpose of disinfecting and deodorizing the toilet bowl. The hydrogen ions and oxygen ions react with the bacteria and combine to form water. This water vapor and water particles (hereinafter referred to as "mist") can also float in the toilet bowl and scatter light, potentially reducing the accuracy of the detection.

[0008] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure aims to reduce the impact of dust and mist inside a toilet bowl on the accuracy of judgment in a toilet device that judges the state of excrement by irradiating light dispersed by a prism into the toilet bowl. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, a toilet device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure comprises a toilet bowl having a toilet bowl, a toilet seat positioned above the toilet bowl, a toilet lid that is rotatable between a closed position that covers the toilet seat and an open position that opens the toilet seat, a human body detection sensor that transmits a human body detection signal when a human body is present near the toilet bowl, a seat detection sensor that transmits a seat detection signal when a user is seated on the toilet seat, an ion supply device that supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into the toilet bowl, a light-emitting unit that emits light, a prism that disperses the light emitted from the light-emitting unit and irradiates it into the toilet bowl, a light-receiving unit that receives light reflected by excrement in the toilet bowl and transmits a light-receiving signal corresponding to the light, and a control device that executes state determination control that determines the state of the excrement based on the light-receiving signal received from the light-receiving unit, and the control device controls the ion supply device, the light-emitting unit, and the light-receiving unit based on the human body detection signal and the seat detection signal.

[0010] With this configuration, the control device supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions to the toilet bowl using the ion supply device and controls the state determination using the light-emitting unit and light-receiving unit, both based on the human body detection signal and the seated person detection signal. This makes it possible to control the ion supply device at an appropriate timing depending on the user's condition, so as to reduce the impact of dust and mist on the determination accuracy.

[0011] In the toilet device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the control device causes the ion supply device to start operating after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the human body detection signal was no longer received, or after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the seating detection signal was no longer received, and then stops the ion supply device based on the start of reception of the human body detection signal.

[0012] With this configuration, hydrogen ions and oxygen ions are supplied to the toilet bowl while no human body is detected, causing the surface of the toilet bowl to become wet with water. As a result, when a user subsequently uses the toilet device, the amount of dust floating in the toilet bowl is reduced, making it possible to mitigate the impact of dust on detection accuracy.

[0013] In a toilet device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the ion supply device includes an ion generation unit that generates hydrogen ions and oxygen ions, and an air blowing unit that blows air into the toilet bowl to move the hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into the toilet bowl, and the control device stops the ion generation unit when it starts receiving a human body detection signal, and stops the air blowing unit after a second predetermined time has elapsed since the ion generation unit stopped.

[0014] With this configuration, the air containing hydrogen ions and oxygen ions remaining in the toilet bowl even after the ion generator is stopped is pushed out by the air blown into the toilet bowl by the air blower, and the mist contained in that air can be removed, thereby reducing the impact of the mist on the accuracy of the determination.

[0015] In the toilet device according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the control device operates the blower unit so that the flow rate per unit time of air blown out by the blower unit during a second predetermined time from the time the ion generation unit stops is greater than the flow rate per unit time of air blown out by the blower unit before starting to receive the human body detection signal.

[0016] According to this configuration, the blower blows air into the toilet bowl at a relatively large flow rate, which encourages the air inside the toilet bowl to be pushed out, thereby enabling the mist to be removed efficiently.

[0017] A toilet device according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure includes a deodorizing device having an intake fan that draws in air from within a toilet bowl and deodorizes the air, and a control device that operates the intake fan based on the start of reception of a human body detection signal.

[0018] With this configuration, when a user approaches the toilet bowl to defecate, the mist floating in the toilet bowl can be sucked in and removed by the deodorizing device's intake fan. This reduces the amount of mist floating in the toilet bowl after the user sits on the toilet seat, and mitigates the impact of the mist on the state determination control.

[0019] In a toilet device according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the control device operates the intake fan so that the flow rate per unit time of air drawn in by the intake fan after starting to receive a human body detection signal but before starting to receive a seating detection signal is greater than the flow rate per unit time of air drawn in by the intake fan after starting to receive a seating detection signal.

[0020] With this configuration, when a user approaches the toilet to defecate, the air inside the toilet bowl is sucked in at a relatively high flow rate before the user sits on the toilet seat, removing the mist floating inside the bowl. This makes it possible to remove the mist efficiently.

[0021] A toilet device according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure includes a toilet lid opening / closing device that rotates the toilet lid, and the control device controls the toilet lid opening / closing device so that the toilet lid is positioned in a closed position based on the start of reception of a human body detection signal, and also starts operating the intake fan, and controls the toilet lid opening / closing device so that the toilet lid is positioned in an open position after a third predetermined time has elapsed from the time the intake fan starts operating.

[0022] With this configuration, when a user approaches the toilet to defecate, the intake fan draws air from inside the toilet bowl while the toilet lid is covering the toilet seat. This allows the intake fan to efficiently draw air from inside the toilet bowl and remove mist from inside the toilet bowl. The toilet lid can then be placed in the open position, allowing the user to wait for the toilet seat to be seated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the present disclosure, in a toilet device that determines the state of excrement by irradiating light dispersed by a prism into the toilet bowl, it is possible to reduce the impact of dust and mist in the toilet bowl on the accuracy of the determination. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet room in which a toilet device according to an embodiment is installed. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing elements of a toilet device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] 4 is a timing chart showing the operation of elements of the toilet device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of state determination control. [Figure 5] 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of elements of the toilet device according to the first modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a timing chart showing the operation of elements of a toilet device according to a second modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a timing chart showing the operation of elements of a toilet device according to a third modified example of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same elements in the drawings will be denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0026] [Embodiment] First, an outline of the configuration of a toilet device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet room R in which the toilet device 1 is installed.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, the toilet device 1 includes a toilet bowl 2, a toilet seat device 3, and an operating device 8.

[0028] The toilet bowl 2 is installed on the floor F of the toilet room R. The toilet bowl 2 has a toilet bowl 21 and a rim 22. The toilet bowl 21 is a recess that receives the user's excrement. The rim 22 stands upright around the periphery of the toilet bowl 21. A water supply channel (not shown) is formed within the toilet bowl 2 to guide tap water to the toilet bowl 21.

[0029] The toilet seat device 3 is applied to this toilet bowl 2. In the following explanation, when viewed from the perspective of a user seated on the toilet seat 6 (described later), the front will be referred to as "front," the rear will be referred to as "rear," the left will be referred to as "left," and the right will be referred to as "right." Additionally, the vertically upward direction will be referred to as "up," and the vertically downward direction will be referred to as "down."

[0030] The toilet seat device 3 is attached to the top of the toilet bowl 2 and comprises a main body 4, a toilet seat 6, and a toilet lid 7. The toilet seat device 3 may be detachably attached to the toilet bowl 2, or may be configured integrally with the toilet bowl 2.

[0031] The main body 4 has a casing 40 and a private parts washing nozzle 42. The casing 40 is a member that forms the outer shell of the main body 4, and houses various elements described below inside. The casing 40 is located on the upper surface of the rear part of the toilet bowl 2.

[0032] The private parts washing nozzle 42 is located in the center of the casing 40 in the left-right direction, and is used to wash the private parts of the user. The private parts washing nozzle 42 is movable in the front-to-rear direction by being driven by an electric motor (not shown), and is configured to be able to move forward and backward within the toilet bowl 21. When the private parts washing nozzle 42 is positioned within the toilet bowl 21, a solenoid valve (not shown) is opened, causing the private parts washing nozzle 42 to spray water toward the private parts of the user.

[0033] The toilet seat 6 is disposed in front of the main body 4. The rear end of the toilet seat 6 is pivotally supported by the casing 40 of the main body 4. This allows the toilet seat 6 to rotate between a position where it is placed on the rim 22 and a position where it is separated from the rim 22 and opens the toilet bowl 21 widely. An opening 61 is formed in the center of the toilet seat 6. The opening 61 penetrates the toilet seat 6 in its thickness direction, and opens the toilet bowl 21 when the toilet seat 6 is placed on the rim 22.

[0034] The toilet lid 7 is pivotally supported at the rear end of the main body 4. This allows the toilet lid 7 to rotate between a closed position in which it covers the top of the toilet seat 6 and an open position in which it opens the toilet seat 6.

[0035] The operating device 8 is installed, for example, on the wall of the toilet room R. The operating device 8 includes a liquid crystal panel 81 and a plurality of switches 82. The liquid crystal panel 81 displays various information such as the operating status of the toilet seat device 3. The plurality of switches 82 respectively correspond to a plurality of operations of the toilet seat device 3 (for example, starting and stopping private parts washing).

[0036] In the toilet device 1 having such a configuration, when a user seated on the toilet seat 6 operates the switch 82 corresponding to the start of private parts washing, the operating device 8 generates a signal corresponding to this switch 82 and transmits it wirelessly to the main body 4. When the main body 4 receives this signal, the private parts washing nozzle 42 advances from the casing 40 into the toilet bowl 21, and sprays water supplied from the opened solenoid valve toward the user's private parts.

[0037] The toilet seat device 3 operates the excrement state detection unit 48, which will be described later, during or after the excretion of a user seated on the toilet seat 6, to determine the state of the excrement. The toilet seat device 3 generates a signal corresponding to this determination result and transmits it to the operation device 8. Based on this signal, the operation device 8 displays the determination result on the liquid crystal panel 81. By gazing at the liquid crystal panel 81, the user can understand the state of their excrement and health condition.

[0038] Next, the toilet seat device 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing elements of the toilet device 1. Each element is provided in a main body 4 of the toilet seat device 3, and is shown as a functional block in Fig. 2.

[0039] The main body 4 of the toilet seat device 3 includes, in addition to the casing 40 and the private parts cleaning nozzle 42 described above, a control device 41, a deodorizing device 43, a human body detection sensor 44, a seating detection sensor 45, a personal authentication means 46, an ion supply device 47, an excrement state detection unit 48, a toilet seat opening / closing device 49, a toilet lid opening / closing device 50, and a toilet bowl cleaning device 51.

[0040] The control device 41 is configured as a part or whole of an analog circuit or as a digital processor, and is configured to transmit signals to external devices to control the devices, and to make various decisions based on signals received from external devices.

[0041] Deodorizing device 43 is provided to deodorize the air within toilet bowl 21, and includes an intake fan (not shown) and a filter (not shown). The intake fan is configured to draw air through an opening (not shown) that faces the inside of toilet bowl 21. The filter is positioned to allow the air drawn in by the intake fan to pass through, and removes odorous components from the air.

[0042] The human body detection sensor 44 is, for example, a pyroelectric infrared sensor, and is configured to transmit a signal at a predetermined cycle and to change the signal when it receives infrared light of a specific wavelength emitted by a human body. Based on this signal, the control device 41 determines whether or not a human body is present in the toilet room R. In this specification, the signal transmitted by the human body detection sensor 44, based on which the control device 41 can determine that a human body is present in the toilet room R, is referred to as a "human body detection signal."

[0043] The seating detection sensor 45 is provided to detect that a user is seated on the toilet seat 6. The seating detection sensor 45 is, for example, a distance measuring sensor that uses infrared rays, and is configured to transmit a signal at a predetermined cycle and to cause the signal to change in response to a change in the distance between an object and the seating detection sensor 45. The control device 41 determines whether or not a user is seated on the toilet seat 6 based on this signal. In this specification, of the signals transmitted by the seating detection sensor 45, those that allow the control device 41 to determine that a user is seated on the toilet seat 6 are referred to as "seating detection signals."

[0044] The personal authentication means 46 is provided to authenticate a user who desires to have the state of excrement determined. The personal authentication means 46 may be configured, for example, by a transceiver (not shown) that is provided in the main body 4 and transmits and receives signals wirelessly, and a portable device (not shown) that is carried by the user who desires to have the state of excrement determined. In this configuration, when the portable device receives a signal transmitted from the transceiver, it transmits a response signal. Then, when the transceiver receives the response signal, it becomes possible to authenticate the user who desires to have the state of excrement determined.

[0045] Ion supply device 47 is provided to supply ions into toilet bowl 21, and includes an ion generation unit (not shown) and an air blower (not shown). The ion generation unit ionizes water vapor and oxygen in the air through plasma discharge to generate hydrogen ions and oxygen ions. The air blower blows air into toilet bowl 21, thereby transferring the hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into toilet bowl 21. The supply of hydrogen ions and oxygen ions is expected to sterilize and deodorize the inside of toilet bowl 21.

[0046] The hydrogen ions and oxygen ions supplied from ion supply device 47 that act on bacteria in toilet bowl 21 combine to form water. Therefore, when ion supply device 47 operates, the surface of toilet bowl 21 becomes wet with water.

[0047] The excrement state detection unit 48 is a functional unit that is operated when the control device 41 executes state determination control. The excrement state detection unit 48 has a light-emitting unit 481 and a light-receiving unit 482. The light-emitting unit 481 is, for example, a light-emitting diode, and emits laser light. The light-receiving unit 482 is, for example, a photodiode, and receives light, converts it into a signal, and transmits the signal to the control device 41. The light-receiving unit 482 and the opening of the deodorizing device 43 described above are arranged spaced apart from each other. Specifically, the two are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0048] The toilet seat opening / closing device 49 and the toilet lid opening / closing device 50 are devices that respectively open and close the toilet seat 6 and the toilet lid 7. The toilet seat opening / closing device 49 and the toilet lid opening / closing device 50 are, for example, electric motors (not shown), and operate based on control signals received from the control device 41 to rotate the toilet seat 6 and the toilet lid 7, thereby opening and closing them.

[0049] The toilet flushing device 51 is provided to supply flush water into the toilet bowl 21. The toilet flushing device 51 consists of, for example, a flush operation unit (not shown) provided in the toilet room R, and a solenoid valve (not shown). The flush operation unit can take various forms, such as a switch provided on the operating device 8. In this configuration, when the flush operation unit is operated by the user, the solenoid valve opens and flush water is supplied to the water supply channel in the toilet bowl 2. This flush water is supplied to the surface of the toilet bowl 21 via the water supply channel, and flushes excrement in the toilet bowl 21 into the sewer.

[0050] Next, the control executed by the control device 41 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the elements of the toilet device 1. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the state determination control.

[0051] At time t0 shown in Figure 3, there is no user in toilet room R, and therefore human body detection sensor 44 does not detect the presence of a human body. In this case, control device 41 sends a control signal to ion supply device 47 to operate it continuously. This causes hydrogen ions and oxygen ions to be supplied into toilet bowl 21 in preparation for use by a user, thereby sterilizing and deodorizing the interior of toilet bowl 21. In addition, the surface of toilet bowl 21 becomes wet with water.

[0052] At time t1, when a user enters toilet room R, human body detection sensor 44 detects the presence of a human body and begins transmitting a human body detection signal. Having started receiving the human body detection signal, control device 41 begins transmitting a control signal to deodorizing device 43 and stops transmitting a control signal to ion supplying device 47. This causes the air intake fan of deodorizing device 43 to start operating and suck in air from within toilet bowl 21, and ion supplying device 47 to stop supplying hydrogen ions and oxygen ions to toilet bowl 21. At this time, the air intake fan of deodorizing device 43 operates so that the flow rate of sucked air per unit time is Qa.

[0053] Also, at time t1, the control device 41 starts receiving the human body detection signal and activates the personal authentication means 46, causing a transceiver (not shown) provided in the main body 4 to wirelessly transmit a signal. If a user in the toilet room R is carrying a portable device (not shown), the transceiver receives a response signal from the portable device. The control device 41 executes state determination control only when the transceiver receives this response signal.

[0054] At time t2, when the user sits on the toilet seat 6, the seat detection sensor 45 starts transmitting a seat detection signal. Having started receiving the seat detection signal, the control device 41 changes the control signal to be sent to the deodorizing device 43 and starts transmitting a control signal to the excrement state detection unit 48. This causes the intake fan of the deodorizing device 43 to operate so that the flow rate of the sucked air per unit time is Qc. The flow rate Qc is smaller than the flow rate Qa. Note that, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3, the deodorizing device 43 may be stopped so that the flow rate of the sucked air per unit time is zero.

[0055] When excrement state detection unit 48 receives a control signal, light-emitting unit 481 emits a laser beam, as shown in Figure 4. This laser beam passes through prism 483, which is made of a transparent material such as acrylic resin, and is dispersed. Prism 483 is disposed between light-emitting unit 481 and toilet bowl 21 so that the dispersed light is directed into toilet bowl 21, irradiating the entire interior of toilet bowl 21 or irradiating only the area of ​​toilet bowl 21 where excrement E may be present.

[0056] A portion of the light reflected by excrement E in toilet bowl 21 reaches light receiving unit 482. Light receiving unit 482 generates a light receiving signal corresponding to the wavelength and amplitude of the received light, and transmits this light receiving signal to control unit 41. Control unit 41 executes state determination control to determine the state of the excrement based on the characteristics of the light receiving signal received from light receiving unit 482.

[0057] At time t3, when the user finishes using the toilet and gets up from the toilet seat 6, the seat detection sensor 45 stops sending the seat detection signal. The control device 41, which no longer receives the seat detection signal, changes the control signal it sends to the deodorizing device 43 and stops sending the control signal to the excrement state detection unit 48. As a result, the intake fan of the deodorizing device 43 operates so that the flow rate per unit time of the sucked air returns to Qa. In addition, the light-emitting unit 481 of the excrement state detection unit 48 stops emitting the laser light, and the state determination control ends.

[0058] At time t4, when the user leaves toilet room R, human body detection sensor 44 no longer detects the presence of a human body and stops transmitting the human body detection signal. Now that control device 41 no longer receives the human body detection signal, it stops transmitting the control signal to deodorizing device 43. This causes deodorizing device 43 to stop operating.

[0059] At time t5, when time T11 has elapsed since time t4, control device 41 begins sending a control signal to ion supply device 47. Time T11 is a predetermined length (e.g., 10 seconds) and is an example of the "first predetermined time." This causes ion supply device 47 to begin operating, and the supply of hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into toilet bowl 21 is resumed. Thereafter, control device 41 operates ion supply device 47 continuously or intermittently until control device 41 begins receiving a human body detection signal.

[0060] <Effects based on the embodiment> According to the above configuration, control device 41 supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into toilet bowl 21 using ion supply device 47, and performs state determination control using light-emitting unit 481 and light-receiving unit 482, both based on the human body detection signal and the seating detection signal. This makes it possible to control ion supply device 47 at an appropriate timing depending on the user's condition, so as to reduce the impact of dust and mist on determination accuracy.

[0061] Furthermore, control device 41 starts ion supply device 47 after time T11 has elapsed since time t4, when the human body detection signal is no longer received, and then stops ion supply device 47 based on the start of reception of the human body detection signal. With this configuration, hydrogen ions and oxygen ions are supplied into toilet bowl 21 while no human body is detected, so the surface of toilet bowl 21 becomes wet with water. Therefore, when a user subsequently uses toilet device 1, the amount of dust floating in toilet bowl 21 can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the impact of dust on determination accuracy.

[0062] Furthermore, the control device 41 operates the intake fan of the deodorizing device 43 based on the start of reception of the human body detection signal. With this configuration, when a user approaches the toilet bowl 2 to defecate, the intake fan can suck in and remove the mist floating in the toilet bowl 21. This reduces the amount of mist floating in the toilet bowl 21 after the user sits on the toilet seat 6, making it possible to reduce the impact of the mist on the state determination control.

[0063] Furthermore, the control device 41 operates the intake fan so that the flow rate Qa of air drawn in by the intake fan after it has started receiving the human body detection signal but before it has started receiving the seating detection signal is greater than the flow rate Qc of air drawn in by the intake fan after it has started receiving the seating detection signal. With this configuration, when a user approaches the toilet 2 to defecate, air inside the toilet bowl 21 can be drawn in at a relatively large flow rate before the user sits on the toilet seat 6, thereby removing mist floating inside the toilet bowl 21. This makes it possible to remove the mist efficiently.

[0064] [First Modification] Next, a toilet device according to a first modified example of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The toilet device is configured to determine the state of a user's excrement, similar to the embodiment. In the toilet device according to the first modified example, the same elements and operations as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0065] FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the operation of elements of the toilet device according to the first modified example of the embodiment.

[0066] In the toilet apparatus according to the first modification, at time t31, when time T12 has elapsed since time t3, control device 41 stops transmitting a control signal to deodorizing device 43 and starts transmitting a control signal to ion supplying device 47. Time T12 is a predetermined length (e.g., 10 seconds) and is an example of a "first predetermined time." As a result, deodorizing device 43 stops, and ion supplying device 47 starts operating, resuming the supply of hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into toilet bowl 21. Control device 41 then operates ion supplying device 47 continuously or intermittently until it starts receiving a human body detection signal.

[0067] At time t41, when the user leaves the toilet room R, the human body detection sensor 44 no longer detects the presence of a human body and stops transmitting the human body detection signal.

[0068] <Effects of the First Modification> In this way, control device 41 starts ion supply device 47 after time T12 has elapsed since time t3, when the seating detection signal is no longer received, and then stops ion supply device 47 when the human body detection signal is received. With this configuration, hydrogen ions and oxygen ions are supplied into toilet bowl 21 while no human body is detected, so the surface of toilet bowl 21 becomes wet with water. Therefore, when a user subsequently uses the toilet device, the amount of dust floating in toilet bowl 21 can be reduced, making it possible to mitigate the impact of dust on determination accuracy.

[0069] [Second Modification] Next, a toilet device according to a second modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The toilet device is configured to determine the state of a user's excrement, similar to the embodiment and its first modification. Of the toilet device according to this second modification, the same elements and operations as those of the embodiment and its first modification are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0070] FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of elements of a toilet device according to a second modified example of the embodiment, and shows the operation of the ion generating section and the blower section of the ion supplying device 47 separately.

[0071] In the toilet device according to the second modification, at time t02, there is no user in toilet room R, and therefore human body detection sensor 44 does not detect the presence of a human body. In this case, control device 41 sends control signals to the ion generation unit and the air blower unit to operate them continuously. At this time, the air blower unit operates so that the flow rate per unit time of air blown into toilet bowl 21 is Q2. This supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into toilet bowl 21 in preparation for use by a user, and sterilizes and deodorizes the interior of toilet bowl 21. In addition, the surface of toilet bowl 21 becomes wet with water.

[0072] At time t121, when a user enters toilet room R, human body detection sensor 44 detects the presence of a human body and begins transmitting a human body detection signal. Having started receiving the human body detection signal, control device 41 stops transmitting a control signal to the ion generation unit of ion supply device 47, changes the control signal transmitted to the air blower, and transmits a control signal to toilet lid opening / closing device 50 so that the toilet lid 7 is positioned in the open position. This terminates the generation of hydrogen ions and oxygen ions in the ion generation unit, and with the toilet lid 7 holding the toilet seat 6 open, the air blower operates so that the flow rate per unit time of air blown into toilet bowl 21 is Q1. Flow rate Q1 is greater than flow rate Q2.

[0073] At time t122, when time T21 has elapsed since time t121, control device 41 starts sending a control signal to deodorizing device 43 and stops sending the control signal to the air blower. Time T21 is a predetermined length (e.g., 10 seconds) and is an example of a "second predetermined time." As a result, the air intake fan of deodorizing device 43 starts operating to suck in air from within toilet bowl 21, and the air blower stops, stopping the blowing of air into toilet bowl 21.

[0074] At time t32, when time T22 has elapsed since time t3, control device 41 stops sending control signals to deodorizing device 43. Time T22 is a predetermined length (for example, 10 seconds), and deodorizing device 43 is thereby stopped.

[0075] At time t42, when the user leaves toilet room R, human body detection sensor 44 no longer detects the presence of a human body and stops transmitting the human body detection signal. Now that control device 41 no longer receives the human body detection signal, it begins transmitting control signals to the ion generation unit and the air blower. This causes hydrogen ions and oxygen ions to be supplied into toilet bowl 21, sterilizing and deodorizing the interior of toilet bowl 21. The surface of toilet bowl 21 also becomes wet with water.

[0076] At time t52, when time T23 has elapsed since time t42, the control device 41 sends a control signal to the toilet lid opening / closing device 50 to place the toilet lid 7 in the closed position. Time T23 is a predetermined length (e.g., 7 seconds). This causes the toilet lid 7 to cover the toilet seat 6.

[0077] <Effects of the second modified example> Control device 41 stops the ion generator upon starting to receive the human body detection signal, and stops the air blower after time T21 has elapsed since time t121, when the ion generator was stopped. With this configuration, air containing hydrogen ions and oxygen ions remaining in toilet bowl 21 even after the ion generator was stopped is pushed out by the air blown into toilet bowl 21 by the air blower, thereby removing mist contained in the air. This makes it possible to reduce the impact of mist on determination accuracy.

[0078] Furthermore, control device 41 operates the blower unit so that the flow rate Q1 per unit time of air blown out from the blower unit between time t121, when the ion generator unit stops, and time T21 is greater than the flow rate Q2 per unit time of air blown out from the blower unit before reception of the human body detection signal begins. With this configuration, the blower unit blows air into toilet bowl 21 at a relatively large flow rate, which helps to push out the air within toilet bowl 21 and enables efficient removal of mist.

[0079] [Third Modification] Next, a toilet device according to a third modified example of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. This toilet device is configured to determine the state of a user's excrement, similar to the embodiment and its first and second modified examples. Of the toilet device according to this third modified example, the same elements and operations as those of the embodiment and its first and second modified examples are assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0080] In the toilet device according to the third modification, when a user enters toilet room R at time t131, human body detection sensor 44 detects the presence of a human body and begins transmitting a human body detection signal. Having begun receiving the human body detection signal, control device 41 begins transmitting a control signal to deodorizing device 43 and stops transmitting a control signal to ion supply device 47. This causes the air intake fan of deodorizing device 43 to begin operating and suck in air from within toilet bowl 21, while ion supply device 47 stops, halting the supply of hydrogen ions and oxygen ions to toilet bowl 21. At this time, the air intake fan of deodorizing device 43 operates so that the flow rate of sucked air per unit time is Qa. Furthermore, toilet lid 7 is positioned in the closed position.

[0081] At time t132, when time T3 has elapsed since time t131, control device 41 sends a control signal to toilet lid opening / closing device 50 to position toilet lid 7 in the open position. Time T3 is a predetermined length (e.g., 10 seconds) and is an example of the "third predetermined time." As a result, with toilet lid 7 keeping toilet seat 6 open, the intake fan of deodorizing device 43 draws air from within toilet bowl 21.

[0082] At time t231, when the user sits on the toilet seat 6, the seat detection sensor 45 starts transmitting a seat detection signal. Having started receiving the seat detection signal, the control device 41 changes the control signal to be sent to the deodorizing device 43 and starts transmitting a control signal to the excrement state detection unit 48. This causes the intake fan of the deodorizing device 43 to operate so that the flow rate of the sucked air per unit time is Qc. The flow rate Qc is smaller than the flow rate Qa. Note that, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 7, the deodorizing device 43 may be stopped so that the flow rate of the sucked air per unit time is zero.

[0083] At time t232, the user operates switch 82 of operating device 8, which corresponds to the start of local washing, and based on this, control device 41 starts sending a control signal to local washing nozzle 42. As a result, local washing nozzle 42 starts spraying water toward the user's local areas.

[0084] At time t233, when the user operates switch 82 on operating device 8 corresponding to the end of local washing, control device 41 changes the control signal sent to deodorizing device 43 and stops sending the control signal to local washing nozzle 42. As a result, the intake fan of deodorizing device 43 operates so that the flow rate per unit time of sucked air is Qb. Flow rate Qb is smaller than flow rate Qa and larger than flow rate Qc. In addition, local washing nozzle 42 stops spraying water toward the user's local areas.

[0085] At time t33, when the user finishes using the toilet and leaves the toilet seat 6, the seat detection sensor 45 stops transmitting the seat detection signal. The control device 41, which no longer receives the seat detection signal, changes the control signal to be sent to the deodorizing device 43 and stops transmitting the control signal to the excrement state detection unit 48. As a result, the intake fan of the deodorizing device 43 operates so that the flow rate per unit time of the sucked air becomes Qa again. In addition, the light-emitting unit 481 of the excrement state detection unit 48 stops emitting the laser light, and the state determination control ends.

[0086] At time t43, when the user leaves toilet room R, human body detection sensor 44 no longer detects the presence of a human body and stops transmitting the human body detection signal. Now that control device 41 no longer receives the human body detection signal, it stops transmitting control signals to deodorizing device 43 and starts transmitting control signals to ion supplying device 47, while also transmitting a control signal to toilet lid opening / closing device 50 so that toilet lid 7 is placed in the closed position. This causes deodorizing device 43 to stop, ion supplying device 47 to start operating and resumes the supply of hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into toilet bowl 21, and the toilet lid 7 is placed in the closed position.

[0087] <Effects of the Third Modification> Upon starting to receive the human body detection signal, the control device 41 controls the toilet lid opening / closing device 50 to place the toilet lid 7 in the closed position and starts the intake fan, and controls the toilet lid opening / closing device 50 so that the toilet lid 7 is placed in the open position after time T3 has elapsed from time t131, when the intake fan started operating. With this configuration, when a user approaches the toilet bowl 2 to defecate, the intake fan draws air from inside the toilet bowl 21 with the toilet lid 7 covering the toilet seat 6. This allows the intake fan to efficiently draw air from inside the toilet bowl 21 and remove mist from inside the toilet bowl 21. The toilet lid 7 can then be placed in the open position, waiting for the user to sit on the toilet seat 6.

[0088] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, designs obtained by appropriately modifying the above-described specific examples by a person skilled in the art are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they include the features of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the elements of the above-described embodiments and the following modifications can be combined to the extent technically possible, and combinations of these can also be included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they include the features of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1 Toilet equipment 2 Toilet bowl 21 Toilet Bowl 41 Control device 43 Deodorizing device 44 Human body detection sensor 45 Seating detection sensor 47 Ion supply device 481 Light-emitting part 482 Light receiving part 483 Prism 50 Toilet lid opening / closing device 6 Toilet seats 7 Toilet lid

Claims

1. a toilet bowl having a toilet bowl; a toilet seat disposed above the toilet bowl; a toilet lid that is rotatable between a closed position that covers the toilet seat and an open position that opens the toilet seat; a human body detection sensor that transmits a human body detection signal when a human body is present near the toilet bowl; a seat detection sensor that transmits a seat detection signal when a user is seated on the toilet seat; an ion supply device that supplies hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into the toilet bowl; a light emitting unit that emits light; a prism that disperses the light emitted from the light emitting unit and irradiates the light into the toilet bowl; a light receiving unit that receives light reflected by excrement in the toilet bowl and transmits a light receiving signal corresponding to the light; a control device that executes state determination control to determine the state of excrement based on the light receiving signal received from the light receiving unit, The toilet device is characterized in that the control device controls the ion supply device, the light-emitting unit, and the light-receiving unit based on the human body detection signal and the seating detection signal.

2. 2. The toilet device according to claim 1, wherein the control device starts the ion supply device after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the human body detection signal was no longer received, or after a first predetermined time has elapsed since the seating detection signal was no longer received, and then stops the ion supply device when reception of the human body detection signal starts.

3. the ion supply device includes an ion generation unit that generates hydrogen ions and oxygen ions, and an air blower that blows air into the toilet bowl to move the hydrogen ions and oxygen ions into the toilet bowl, 3. The toilet device according to claim 2, wherein the control device stops the ion generating unit when reception of the human body detection signal starts, and stops the air blowing unit after a second predetermined time has elapsed since the ion generating unit stopped.

4. 4. The toilet device according to claim 3, wherein the control device operates the blower unit so that the flow rate per unit time of the air blown out by the blower unit during the second predetermined time from the timing when the ion generation unit stops is greater than the flow rate per unit time of the air blown out by the blower unit before starting to receive the human body detection signal.

5. a deodorizing device having an intake fan that draws in air from within the toilet bowl and deodorizes the air; The toilet apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control device operates the intake fan based on the start of reception of the human body detection signal.

6. 6. The toilet device according to claim 5, wherein the control device operates the intake fan so that the flow rate per unit time of air drawn in by the intake fan after starting to receive the human body detection signal but before starting to receive the seating detection signal is greater than the flow rate per unit time of air drawn in by the intake fan after starting to receive the seating detection signal.

7. A toilet lid opening and closing device is provided to rotate the toilet lid, The toilet device described in claim 5, characterized in that the control device controls the toilet lid opening / closing device so that the toilet lid is positioned in the closed position and starts operating the intake fan based on the start of reception of the human body detection signal, and controls the toilet lid opening / closing device so that the toilet lid is positioned in the open position after a third predetermined time has elapsed from the time the intake fan starts operating.

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