Toilet cubicle usage status notification system

Abstract

To provide a toilet cubicle usage status notification system which, even when a care recipient enters a toilet cubicle together with an attendant and only the attendant goes in and out while the care recipient remains inside the toilet cubicle, can reliably detect the presence of the person in such a state and notify accordingly.SOLUTION: A toilet cubicle usage status notification system provides external notification of the usage status of a toilet cubicle 11 used by a care recipient who enters it together with an attendant. When the care recipient enters it together with the attendant, a display lamp 25 notifies that the toilet cubicle is in use on the basis of a detection signal from an infrared sensor 19 indicating that a person is present inside the toilet cubicle 11. Thereafter, even if the infrared sensor 19 no longer detects a person, this state is maintained, and when the door is subsequently opened and closed, if a toilet bowl 17 is used, then the display lamp 25 continues to notify that the toilet cubicle 11 is in use.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toilet private room usage status notification system that allows the usage status to be checked from outside in a toilet private room designed for use in a situation where a caregiver enters the room together with an assistant, and the assistant then leaves the room alone. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional toilet occupancy notification system has been proposed, for example, which installs a human body detection sensor consisting of an infrared sensor inside a toilet cubicle. When a user enters the toilet, the human body detection sensor detects the user and activates a notification device installed outside the toilet based on the detection signal, thereby notifying people outside the toilet that the toilet is in use. Patent Document 1 shows an example of a system that notifies the use status of this type of private toilet. In Patent Document 1, the basic control is as follows: when the human body detection sensor 18 detects the presence of a person in the room after the door is opened or closed, the indicator lamp 33 that notifies the use status is turned on to notify the outside that there is a person inside, and if the human body detection sensor 18 does not detect the presence of a person in the room after the door is opened or closed, it is determined that there is no person inside and the indicator lamp 33 is turned off. This type of private toilet is not limited to those that can be used by only one person, but also to so-called multi-purpose toilets that can accommodate multiple people. For example, a case where a caregiver enters the multi-purpose toilet with a caregiver. In such a case, the caregiver enters the room with the caregiver, who is, for example, in a wheelchair, and helps the caregiver sit on the toilet. After the caregiver has finished using the toilet, the caregiver waits outside the room. Once the caregiver has finished using the toilet, the caregiver opens the door, enters the room again, helps the caregiver sit in the wheelchair, and leaves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-305123 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because human body detection sensors made of infrared sensors detect temperature changes caused by human movement, they have the characteristic of not responding to a person who is still or moving slowly. Therefore, if, as mentioned above, the caregiver sits on the toilet and the caregiver leaves the room, and the caregiver who remains in the room does not move immediately but remains still or moves slowly for a while, the human body detection sensor may not detect the caregiver. Since the caregiver opened and closed the door, it may conclude that there is no one in the room, and turn off the indicator light, which serves as an alarm. To prevent this from happening, the caregiver must wait near the multi-purpose toilet door, and the caregiver cannot leave the multi-purpose toilet to do other things while the caregiver is using the toilet. Therefore, when a caregiver and an assistant enter a private toilet together, there is a need for a means that can reliably detect and alert the presence of a person in such a situation, even if only the assistant enters and exits, and only the caregiver remains in the private toilet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As means 1, a private toilet usage status notification system for notifying outside the private toilet of the usage status of a private toilet that a caregiver enters and uses with an assistant, the system comprises a notification means provided outside the private toilet, a door opening / closing detection means for detecting the opening / closing state of the door that opens and closes the entrance and exit to the private toilet, a first person detection means for detecting the presence of a person in the private toilet based on infrared rays emitted from the human body, a second photoelectric person detection means for detecting the presence of a person in the private toilet at a seating position on the toilet bowl, and a control means for causing the notification means to notify the usage status of the private toilet based on input of detection signals from the door opening / closing detection means, the first person detection means, and the second person detection means, and the control means executes the following control (1), and then executes either control (2) or (3) below. (1) When a caregiver enters the toilet with an assistant, the door opening / closing detection means outputs a first detection signal indicating that the door is closed, and the first person detection means outputs a detection signal indicating that a person is present in the toilet compartment. Based on this, the notification means issues a notification indicating that the toilet compartment is being used. After that, even if the first person detection means does not detect the presence of a person (hereinafter referred to as the first person presence detection), the first person presence detection state is maintained, and the notification means continues to issue a notification indicating that the toilet compartment is being used. (2) When a second detection signal indicating that the door is closed is detected from the door opening / closing detection means and a detection signal is subsequently output from the second person detection means, the first person presence detection state is maintained and the notification means continues to notify that the private toilet is being used. (3) When a second detection signal indicating that the door is closed is detected from the door open / close detection means, and thereafter no detection signal is output from the second person detection means, and the first person presence detection is not performed, the state of the first person presence detection is not maintained, and the notification means ends the notification that the private toilet is being used.

[0006] According to the above, even if the caregiver leaves the private toilet, the notification that the private toilet is in use continues, so a third party will not be able to enter the private toilet thinking that it is not in use. The control in (1) above is intended to detect the entry state of a caregiver and a caregiver who enters the toilet room and notify the user that the toilet room is occupied. In this control, the state detected by the first person detection means is maintained, so that the notification that the toilet room is occupied continues even if the first person detection means is unable to detect a person who is stationary or moving slowly and the detection signal is interrupted. The "first detection signal" refers to the detection of the door opening and closing when a caregiver and a caregiver enter the toilet room for the first time when the toilet room is not in use. The control of (2) above is intended to control the notification that the private toilet is occupied when a detection signal is output from the second person detection means. The notification of (1) is maintained at least until a second detection signal indicating that the door has closed is detected. This second detection signal is output, for example, assuming that the caregiver has temporarily left the room. If the caregiver remaining behind at that time is at the toilet seat (typically by sitting on the toilet seat) and the second person detection means detects the person, the notification that the private toilet is occupied continues. This means that even if the caregiver is no longer at the toilet seat for some reason when there is no caregiver in the room, the notification that the private toilet is occupied continues. Such a reason could be, for example, if the caregiver gets off the toilet seat and returns to their wheelchair to retrieve something they forgot, or if they suddenly fall off the toilet seat due to illness. The control in (3) above is intended to control notification that the private toilet is in use when there is no detection signal output from the second person detection means. This is intended for cases such as multi-purpose toilets where the toilet bowl is not used, or where the caregiver and assistant enter the toilet for some reason (for example, to retrieve something they forgot), close the door, and then immediately open it again, leaving both of them outside. In these cases, even if a second detection signal indicating the door is closed is detected, there is no detection signal output from the second person detection means (they are not at the toilet bowl). Therefore, if there is no first person presence detection, it is determined that no one is in the room, and the notification means terminates the notification that the private toilet is in use.

[0007] The "first person detection means for detecting based on infrared rays" is, for example, a human body detection sensor that detects infrared rays emitted by people. There are cooled and uncooled types, but the uncooled type is used as a human body detection sensor. Detection means for detecting based on infrared rays can detect a wide range, but their sensitivity and response speed are low. "Photoelectric second person detection means" is a type of sensor that detects people based on the light it emits, and includes, for example, a "reflective type" that detects light reflected off a detection target, a "transmissive type" that has a light emitter and a light receiver and detects when a detection target enters between the emitter and receiver, which are spaced apart, and blocks the light, and a "retro-reflective type" that has a main body with a light emitter element and a light receiver element, and a reflector (reflector) spaced apart from the main body, and detects when a detection target enters between the main body and the reflector and blocks the light when the light from the main body's light emitter element is reflected by the reflector and received by the light receiver. These types are highly directional and not suitable for wide-area detection, but are capable of relatively accurate detection.

[0008] As means 2, when the control means detects a third detection signal from the door opening / closing detection means indicating that the door is closed after the control (2) is executed, the first person presence detection state is maintained and the notification means continues to notify that the private toilet is in use. This means that when a caregiver leaves the private toilet room, opens and closes the door, and then returns to the private toilet room, the notification that the private toilet room is in use will continue to be sent in the same way as before the caregiver left the room. As means 3, when the control means detects a fourth detection signal from the door opening / closing detection means indicating that the door is closed, if there is no detection signal output from the second person detection means and the first person presence detection is not performed, the control means does not maintain the state of the first person presence detection and causes the notification means to terminate the notification that the private toilet is being used. This control is intended for when the caregiver opens and closes the door to exit together with the caregiver. Since there is no detection signal from the first person detection means or the second person detection means, it is determined that no one is in the toilet stall, and the notification that the toilet stall is in use is terminated. As a fourth means, a notifying means is provided for notifying of an abnormality when the time from when the door open / close detecting means outputs a detection signal indicating that the door is closed to when the next detection signal is output is longer than a predetermined time. This allows the caregiver to feel at ease when alone in the toilet, because even if an emergency occurs to the caregiver, the caregiver will be notified of the emergency after a predetermined time has passed. The notification method can be, for example, a visual flashing lamp or sound (music, warning sound, etc.). [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, even if the caregiver leaves the private toilet room, the notification that the private toilet room is in use continues, so a third party will not be able to enter the private toilet room thinking that it is not in use. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a toilet according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the embodiment. [Figure 3]3 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a first entry subroutine according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a first exit subroutine according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second entry subroutine according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a second exit subroutine according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a standby subroutine according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 , a multipurpose toilet 11 (hereinafter simply referred to as toilet 11) serving as a private toilet has a doorway 13 on the left side of its front wall 12. The doorway 13 is opened and closed by a door 14. A door switch 16 serving as a door open / close detector for detecting the open / close state of the door 14 is attached to the rear surface of the front wall 12 adjacent to the side of the door 14 on the knob 15 side. Although not shown in this embodiment, a locking mechanism is provided to prevent the door 14 from being opened from the outside inside the toilet 11. A toilet 17 is installed behind the right side of the front wall 12 inside the toilet 11. An infrared sensor 19 serving as a first person detection device is disposed in the horizontal center of a rear wall 18 inside the toilet 11 facing the doorway 13. A photoelectric sensor 21 serving as a second person detection device is disposed on a ceiling surface 20 directly above the toilet 17. In this embodiment, a reflective type photoelectric sensor 21 is used. An interior light 22 is installed in the center of the ceiling surface 20 inside the toilet 11. A display panel 23, which also serves as a control box, is provided at the upper outside position of the entrance 13. The words "In Use" are printed on the display panel 23. An indicator lamp 25 is housed within the display panel 23 as a notification means. A sink 27 and a mirror 28 are provided on the left wall 26 facing the toilet bowl 17 within the toilet 11.

[0012] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of this embodiment. As shown in the block diagram, a controller CA serving as control means having a central processing unit (CPU), memory, timer, etc. is built into the display panel 22, and the door switch 16, infrared sensor 19, photoelectric sensor 21, interior light 22, and indicator lamp 25 are connected to the controller CA. The door switch 16 is configured as a limit switch (a proximity switch, a pressure switch, etc. may be used instead of a limit switch), and when the door 14 is opened, the door switch 16 is turned off, and when the door 14 is closed, the door switch 16 is turned on and outputs an on signal to the controller CA. A state in which no on signal is sent is considered to be an off signal output state. When a user enters the toilet 11, the infrared sensor 19 detects the user's body temperature and outputs an ON signal to the controller CA. The photoelectric sensor 21 detects an object (here, a person) blocking the toilet bowl from directly above the toilet bowl, and outputs an ON signal to the controller CA. The controller CA turns on or off the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 based on the detection signals of the door switch 16, the infrared sensor 19, and the photoelectric sensor 21. The controller CA is equipped with a loop counter, and recognizes four stages based on the detection signal of the door switch 16 accompanying the opening and closing of the door, such as 0 → 1 → 2 → 3 → 0.

[0013] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the entry / exit processing routine of the controller CA. The controller CA waits for an ON signal input from the door switch 16. In step (hereinafter, S) 1, if an ON signal is input from the door switch 16, i.e., if the door 14 is opened and then closed again, the controller starts a 20-minute countdown using a built-in timer in step S2. Next, the controller proceeds to step S3, where it determines whether one second has elapsed since the signal input. If one second has not elapsed, it proceeds to step S4, where it determines whether an ON signal is input from the infrared sensor 19. If there is no ON signal input in step S4, it repeats the loop until one second has elapsed. If there is an ON signal input, it proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if one second has elapsed in step S3, it proceeds to step S5, where it determines whether there is an ON signal input from the infrared sensor 19. If there is no ON signal input, it is determined that the door 14 has opened and closed but no one has entered the room, and it returns to a standby state. The "one second" period takes into account the time it takes for the infrared sensor 19 to activate if someone enters the room. On the other hand, if an ON signal is input in step S5, the process proceeds to step S6, where the controller CA determines whether the flag F is "1." If the controller CA determines that the flag F is not "1" (the flag is not set), this means that the opening and closing of the door 14 is a completely new use with the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 turned off, and the process proceeds to the first room entry subroutine SR1 as a subroutine.

[0014] If the controller CA determines in step S6 that the flag F is "1" (the flag is set), the process proceeds to step S7. The flag F being "1" means that the door 14 is opened or closed (the door switch 16 is turned on) while the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 are on. In step S7, the controller CA determines whether the value of the loop counter is "1," and if so, proceeds to the first exit subroutine SR2 as a subroutine. On the other hand, if the value of the loop counter is not "1," the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the controller CA determines whether the value of the loop counter is "2," and if it is determined that it is "2," the process proceeds to a second room entry subroutine SR3 as a subroutine. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value of the loop counter is not "2," the process proceeds to a second room exit subroutine SR4 as a subroutine.

[0015] Next, the first entry subroutine SR1, the first exit subroutine SR2, the second entry subroutine SR3, and the second exit subroutine SR4 will be described. First, the first entry subroutine SR1, which assumes a new entry, will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, in the first entry subroutine SR1, the controller CA determines that a new entry has occurred due to the opening and closing of the door 14 this time, and in step S101, the controller CA turns on the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 based on the detection signal of the infrared sensor 19 and maintains this lighting state. In other words, even if the infrared sensor 19 does not constantly detect an ON signal based on the detection in steps S2 to S4, the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 remain lit, and after they are turned on, they are maintained in this state regardless of whether or not there is an input from the photoelectric sensor 21 (i.e., regardless of whether or not a person is seated on the toilet). Then, in the following step S102, the flag F is set to "1." Then, in step S103, the initial value of the loop counter for a new entry state, "0," is incremented by one to set the counter value to "1," and the process is temporarily terminated and the process enters a standby state.

[0016] Next, the first exit subroutine SR2 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In this routine, the determination in step S8 is that the value of the loop counter is "1", so this opening and closing of the door 14 is the second opening and closing of the door 14 after entering the room in the first entry subroutine SR1, and it is assumed that one or more people present in the room are exiting. In step S201, the controller CA determines whether an ON signal from the photoelectric sensor 21 has been detected. If it is determined that an ON signal has been detected, this means that a person (caregiver) is present at the toilet bowl, so in step S202 the room light 22 and indicator lamp 25 remain on. In step S203, the loop counter is incremented by one to set the counter value to "2", and the process is temporarily terminated and the system enters a standby state. This assumes that the caregiver has temporarily exited the toilet 11, leaving the caregiver behind. In the first exit subroutine SR2, the room light 22 and indicator lamp 25 remain on in step S102, so the ON signal from the infrared sensor 19 in steps S3 to S5 is ignored. On the other hand, if the controller CA determines in step S201 that it has not detected an ON signal from the photoelectric sensor 21, it means that no one is present at the toilet, so in step S204 the room light 22 and indicator lamp 25 are turned off, and in step S205 flag F is set to "0", the process ends temporarily, and the system goes into standby mode. The determinations in steps S204 and S205 are made assuming that, when a caregiver and a helper have entered the room, they use only the sink 27 without using the toilet and then leave together, or that one person enters the room alone and uses the toilet normally before leaving.

[0017] Next, the second entry subroutine SR3 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In this routine, the loop counter value is determined to be "2" in step S9. This assumes that the current opening and closing of the door 14 is the third time the caregiver re-enters the room after leaving the room in the first exit subroutine SR2. However, since the caregiver remains in the room even before the caregiver re-enters, the room light 22 and indicator lamp 25 remain on. Therefore, even when the caregiver opens the door 14 and enters the room, the room light 22 and indicator lamp 25 remain on. Therefore, in the second entry subroutine SR3, the controller CA increments the loop counter by one to "3" in step S301, temporarily terminating the process and entering a standby state. In the second entry subroutine SR3, the ON signal from the infrared sensor 19 in steps S3 to S5 is also ignored.

[0018] Next, the second exit subroutine SR4 will be described with reference to Figure 7. This routine is executed when the loop counter value is not "2" as determined in step S9, and assumes that the current opening and closing of door 14 is the fourth opening and closing of door 14, in which all of the people present in the room after entering in the second entry subroutine SR3 have exited. In step S401, the controller CA determines at a predetermined timing whether or not there is an ON signal from the photoelectric sensor 21, and if there is an ON signal input, it repeats the loop, and when the ON signal input disappears, it proceeds to step S402. In step S402, the controller CA determines at a predetermined timing whether or not there is an ON signal from the infrared sensor 19, and if there is an ON signal input, it repeats the loop, and when the ON signal input disappears, it proceeds to step S403. In step S403, the controller CA determines whether or not three seconds have elapsed, and when three seconds have elapsed, it turns off the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 in step S404, sets flag F to "0" in step S405, and in step S406 increments the loop counter by one to set the counter value to "0," temporarily terminating the processing and entering a standby state. The reason why the second exit subroutine SR4 waits for three seconds after the ON signal from the infrared sensor 19 disappears is to allow time for the air inside to stabilize in case the caregiver assists the caregiver, for example, in placing the caregiver in a wheelchair, and then closes the door 14, and outside air flows into the room when the door 14 is opened and closed (for example, when an air mass with a significantly different temperature enters).

[0019] In parallel with the main routine described above, a standby subroutine WR is executed as a subroutine shown in Fig. 8. The standby subroutine WR is a process for notifying the outside of an abnormal state when the standby time is too long, as this is not normal use. This process is executed at a predetermined timing (for example, every second). In step S501 (i.e., step S1), the controller CA determines whether the door 14 has been opened or closed and an ON signal has been input to the door switch 16. If it determines that an ON signal has been input, it determines in step S502 whether 20 minutes have elapsed since the start of counting. If the controller CA determines that 20 minutes have not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S503, where it is determined whether the door 14 has been opened or closed the next time and an input has been made to the door switch 16. If the door 14 has been opened or closed the next time, this means that the door 14 was opened within 20 minutes and someone entered or exited, and therefore it is not considered an abnormal state, and the routine is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S502 that 20 minutes have elapsed without any input to the door switch 16 the next time, it is determined that the dwell time is too long and the controller CA is in an abnormal standby state, and the controller CA causes the indicator lamp 25 to flash in step S504. The flashing of the indicator lamp 25 is stopped by an input from the door switch 16 (i.e., when the door 14 is opened or closed).

[0020] By configuring as described above, the present embodiment provides the following effects. (1) When a caregiver enters the toilet 11 together with an assistant, the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 (the display panel 23 housing them) will not go out even if the assistant leaves the room during the process. Because the indicator lamp 25 does not go out, it is possible to continue to visually check the display panel 23 from outside that there is someone in the toilet 11. Therefore, the assistant can leave the caregiver behind once the caregiver is ready to relieve themselves and temporarily exit the toilet 11. (2) A caregiver may not be able to move as quickly as a healthy person while sitting on the toilet seat, and if only the infrared sensor 19 is used, there is a possibility that the interior light 22 and the indicator lamp 25 will go out if the caregiver is left alone in the toilet 11. However, as described above, the caregiver will be detected by the photoelectric sensor 21 when sitting on the toilet seat, so even if the caregiver cannot move quickly, the photoelectric sensor 21 can detect the caregiver's presence. (3) Even if the caregiver is not sitting on the toilet seat and is alone inside the toilet, once infrared sensor 19 detects the presence of the caregiver, control is performed to keep interior light 22 and indicator lamp 25 on as long as the caregiver is in toilet 11. Therefore, even if the caregiver is alone in toilet 11 and moves slowly, interior light 22 and indicator lamp 25 will not be turned off. (4) If the caregiver is alone in the toilet 11 for a long period of time (when the caregiver has already left in the first exit subroutine described above), the interior light 22 and indicator lamp 25 remain lit. If an abnormality occurs to the caregiver during this time, the indicator lamp 25 will flash after a predetermined time (20 minutes in the above example) has elapsed, indicating that the caregiver has been there too long, providing peace of mind.

[0021] The above-described embodiment has been described merely as a specific embodiment for illustrating the principles and concepts of the present invention. In other words, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The present invention can also be embodied in the following modified forms, for example. The above-described configuration of the toilet 11 is an example, and the internal structure and layout can be freely changed as needed. For example, the entrance 13 was located on the left side of the front wall 12, but it can also be located on the right side or in the center. Also, for example, the door 14 in the above example was a swing door that opens and closes on a hinge, but sliding doors, folding doors, etc. can also be used. The above routine executed by the controller CA is an example. It may be executed by another routine. In the above example, the photoelectric sensor 21 is located directly above the toilet bowl 17, but this is not limited to this. The key point is that it is sufficient to detect a seated person, so the photoelectric sensor 21 may be located, for example, on the rear wall surface 18 to detect horizontal objects (human bodies). The various times set in the above control can be changed as needed. For example, the time period for which the standby subroutine WR determines that the system is in an abnormal standby state does not have to be 20 minutes.

[0022] The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiments. The components of the above-described embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Furthermore, any component of each embodiment or variation may be arbitrarily combined with any component described in the Summary of the Invention or any component embodying any component described in the Summary of the Invention. The present invention also intends to obtain rights to these by filing an amendment or divisional application of this application. Furthermore, the applicant intends to obtain rights to the overall design or partial design by filing a conversion application to a design application. The drawings depict the entire device in solid lines, but they also include partial designs claimed for parts of the device. For example, not only can a part of the device be a partial design, but the drawings also include a part of the device as a partial design regardless of the part. A part of the device may be a part of the device, or a part of that part. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 11...private toilet, 16...door switch as door open / close detection means, 19...infrared sensor as first person detection means, 21...photoelectric sensor as second person detection means, 25...indicator lamp as notification means, CA...controller as control means.

Claims

1. In a toilet occupancy notification system for notifying the outside of a toilet occupancy status when a caregiver enters the toilet occupancy status together with a caregiver, a notification means provided outside the private toilet; a door opening / closing detection means for detecting the opening / closing state of a door that opens and closes the entrance / exit of the private toilet; a first person detection means for detecting the presence of a person in the private toilet room based on infrared rays emitted from the human body; a second photoelectric person detection means for detecting the presence of a person in a seated position on the toilet bowl in the private toilet; A private toilet usage notification system comprising: a control means for causing the notification means to notify the usage status of the private toilet based on input of detection signals from the door opening / closing detection means, the first person detection means, and the second person detection means; wherein the control means executes the following control (1), and then executes either the following control (2) or (3). (1) When a caregiver enters the toilet with a caregiver, the door opening / closing detection means outputs a first detection signal indicating that the door is closed, and the first person detection means outputs a detection signal indicating that a person is present in the toilet compartment. Based on this, the notification means issues a notification indicating that the toilet compartment is being used. After this, even if the first person detection means does not detect the presence of a person (hereinafter referred to as the first person presence detection), the first person presence detection state is maintained, and the notification means continues to issue a notification indicating that the toilet compartment is being used. (2) When a second detection signal indicating that the door is closed is detected from the door open / close detection means and a detection signal is subsequently output from the second person detection means, the first person presence detection state is maintained and the notification means continues to notify that the private toilet is being used. (3) When a second detection signal indicating that the door is closed is detected from the door open / close detection means, and thereafter no detection signal is output from the second person detection means, and the first person presence detection is not performed, the state of the first person presence detection is not maintained, and the notification means ends the notification that the private toilet is being used.

2. The private toilet usage notification system described in claim 1, characterized in that when the control means detects a third detection signal from the door opening / closing detection means indicating that the door is closed after the control (2) is executed, the control means maintains the first person presence detection state and causes the notification means to continue to notify that the private toilet is in use.

3. The private toilet usage notification system described in claim 2, wherein when the control means detects a fourth detection signal from the door opening / closing detection means indicating that the door is closed, if there is no detection signal output from the second person detection means and the first person presence detection is not performed, the control means does not maintain the first person presence detection state and causes the notification means to terminate the notification that the private toilet is in use.

4. A private toilet usage status notification system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an alarm means is provided to alert of an abnormality if the time between the output of a detection signal indicating that the door is closed from the door opening / closing detection means and the output of the next detection signal is longer than a predetermined time.

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