Toilet bowl apparatus

Abstract

To provide a toilet bowl apparatus that suppresses generation of noise.SOLUTION: A toilet bowl apparatus 1 comprises a functional part 3 disposed at a rear portion of a toilet bowl body 2 and having a sanitary washing device 4, and a controller 6 that controls operation of the sanitary washing device 4, wherein the sanitary washing device 4 has a nozzle washing part 43 that washes a nozzle 41 that discharges washing water for washing a human body, and a shutter washing part 44 that washes a shutter part 42 that opens and closes an open part 33a of the functional part 3 where the nozzle 41 advances and retracts, and wherein the controller 6 executes air bleeding control for bleeding air from a nozzle washing water circuit 131 that supplies water to the nozzle washing part 43 and a shutter washing water circuit 132 that supplies water to the shutter washing part 44 by simultaneously conducting water to both the nozzle washing part 43 and the shutter washing part 44.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, toilet apparatuses equipped with sanitary washing devices for washing private parts of the human body have been known. The sanitary washing devices have a nozzle for washing the human body and a nozzle washing section for washing the nozzle itself, and the nozzle washing section is provided with multiple water discharge holes so that washing water is discharged into the nozzle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-117900 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When not in use, air remains trapped inside the nozzle cleaning section, etc. When water is discharged during use, this trapped air is pushed by the supplied cleaning water, which puts pressure on the air, generating noise as it passes through the water discharge hole, which can sometimes result in abnormal noise. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention relates to a toilet apparatus that is arranged at the rear of a toilet body and includes a functional unit having a sanitary washing device, and a control unit that controls the operation of the sanitary washing device, wherein the sanitary washing device has a nozzle washing unit that washes a nozzle that ejects washing water to wash the human body, and a shutter washing unit that washes a shutter unit that opens and closes an open part of the functional unit through which the nozzle moves back and forth, and the control unit executes air bleeding control to bleed air from a nozzle washing water circuit that supplies water to the nozzle washing unit and a shutter washing water circuit that supplies water to the shutter washing unit by passing water through both the nozzle washing unit and the shutter washing unit simultaneously.

[0006] The present invention relates to a toilet apparatus that is arranged at the rear of a toilet body and includes a functional unit having a sanitary washing device, and a control unit that controls the operation of the sanitary washing device, wherein the sanitary washing device has a nozzle washing unit that washes a nozzle that ejects washing water to wash the human body, and a shutter washing unit that washes a shutter unit that opens and closes an open part of the functional unit through which the nozzle moves back and forth, and the control unit performs air bleeding control to bleed air from the nozzle washing water circuit and the shutter washing water circuit by passing water through a shutter washing water circuit that supplies water to the shutter washing unit, and then passing water through a nozzle washing water circuit that supplies water to the nozzle washing unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a toilet device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a functional section of the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a nozzle unit, a shutter unit, and a shutter cleaning unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the tip of the cleaning nozzle of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the front side of the functional unit of the present embodiment, seen from the back side. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a water circuit in the toilet apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a switching valve, a vacuum breaker, and a hose according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a development view of the switching valve of the present embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a front view of the case of the switching valve of the present embodiment as seen from the inside. [Figure 10] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the disk is rotated from the state shown in FIG. 10. [Figure 12A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which water is flowing through the nozzle cleaning water circuit of the present embodiment. [Figure 12B] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating air bleeding control according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13A] 10 is a diagram showing the state in which water is flowing through the shutter cleaning water circuit of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13B] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating water drainage control in the shutter cleaning water circuit of the present embodiment. [Figure 13C] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating water drainage control in the nozzle cleaning water circuit of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front-to-back direction as seen by a user seated on the toilet seat 21 is referred to as the front-to-back direction Y. The left-to-right direction as seen by a user seated on the toilet seat 21 is referred to as the left-to-right direction X. The up-to-down direction along the vertical direction relative to the floor surface on which the toilet device 1 is installed is referred to as the up-to-down direction Z.

[0009] As shown in Figure 1, the toilet device 1 of this embodiment comprises a toilet body 2, a toilet seat 21, a toilet lid 22, a functional unit 3, a sanitary washing device 4 (see Figures 2 and 3), and a control unit 6 (see Figure 2).

[0010] The toilet body 2 has a bowl portion 20a that is open at the top on the front side. A toilet flush tank 111 that stores toilet flush water for cleaning the toilet body 2 is arranged inside the lower rear part of the toilet body 2.

[0011] The toilet seat 21 is placed on the upper surface of the periphery of the bowl portion 20a. The toilet lid 22 is placed to cover the toilet seat 21 and the upper surface of the bowl portion 20a. The toilet seat 21 and the toilet lid 22 are each rotatably connected to the functional portion 3 described below, and are opened and closed.

[0012] The functional section 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the rear part of the toilet body 2. The functional section 3 has functional components that enable the toilet device 1 to perform its functions, such as the sanitary washing device 4 and the warm air drying device 5, and these are disposed on the functional section 3. The functional section 3 has a base section 30 and a cover section 35.

[0013] 2, the base portion 30 forms the bottom surface on which functional components are arranged and has a predetermined area. The base portion 30 has a front base portion 31 arranged in front of the toilet body 2 and a rear base portion 32 arranged in the rear.

[0014] The front base portion 31 is disposed in front of the functional unit 3. The front base portion 31 includes a front frame portion 33 and a base back convex portion 34 (see FIG. 5). The front frame portion 33 is a peripheral edge extending in the up-down direction at the front end side of the front base portion 31. The central portion of the front frame portion 33 in the left-right direction X accommodates the front end side of a cleaning nozzle 41 (described later) and a shutter portion 42, so the peripheral edge is recessed upward to form an open portion 33a (see FIG. 5). The cleaning nozzle 41 (described later) moves forward and backward through this open portion 33a. The base back convex portion 34 is disposed at a position recessed from the central portion of the front frame portion 33 in the left-right direction X, and the back surface of the front base portion 31 is formed by bulging downward. If the functional unit 3 is provided with a so-called lift-up function and configured to be able to move up and down, the front base portion 31 may move up and down.

[0015] The rear base part 32 is disposed behind the front base part 31. The rear base part 32 is fixed to the upper rear surface of the toilet body 2 by inserting a pair of shaft members 321 extending from the underside into mounting holes (not shown) in the toilet body 2.

[0016] The cover portion 35 is a member that covers the base portion 30, and has a side cover 351 that covers the sides of the base portion 30, and an upper cover 352 that covers the upper rear portion.

[0017] 2, the control unit 6 is a computing device mounted on an electronic board 60 arranged in the functional unit 3. The control unit 6 is connected to each device in the functional unit 3, and controls the operation of the functional components of the various devices, such as operating the sanitary washing device 4 described below.

[0018] The sanitary washing device 4 has a body washing function and is a device for washing the private parts of a user. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sanitary washing device 4 is arranged as one device constituting the functional section 3, and has a washing nozzle 41, a nozzle unit 410, a shutter section 42, a nozzle washing section 43, a shutter washing section 44, and a functional section washing water circuit 130.

[0019] 3, the nozzle unit 410 has a support frame 411 that stores a pair of cleaning nozzles 41 therein so that they can be advanced and retreated, and supports the hose 121 and a nozzle drive mechanism (not shown). The support frame 411 has its front end located below the front base part 31 and its rear end located above, and is inclined downward from the rear side to the front side.

[0020] The pair of cleansing nozzles 41 are arranged on the support frame 411 at the center in the left-right direction X at the front of the functional part 3, spaced apart in the left-right direction X. Each of the pair of cleansing nozzles 41 ejects cleansing water for washing the human body, and is used for anal cleansing and bidet cleansing. The cleansing nozzles 41 eject cleansing water toward the human body from nozzle water ejection ports 41a provided at the top of the tip side.

[0021] Each of the pair of cleaning nozzles 41 can be advanced and retreated between a stored position shown in Figures 3 and 4 and an advanced position in which it protrudes forward from that position in the front-to-rear direction Y beyond the shutter section 42. The stored position of the cleaning nozzle 41 is a position in which the cleaning nozzle 41 is stored inside the shutter section 42. The advanced position of the cleaning nozzle 41 is a position in which it is advanced forward to clean the private parts of the user.

[0022] A rack of a nozzle drive mechanism (not shown) is provided on the back side of the cleaning nozzle 41. The nozzle drive mechanism (not shown) includes a long rack, a pinion, and a motor. The pinion meshes with the rack and is rotated by the motor. The cleaning nozzle 41 advances obliquely downward by the nozzle drive mechanism (not shown) relative to a support frame 412 (see FIG. 4) that is united with the cleaning nozzle 41 to form a nozzle unit 410. As a result, the tip of the cleaning nozzle 41 pushes the back surface (inner surface) of the shutter section 42 from rear to front.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle cleaning unit 43 is provided as a unit with the cleaning nozzle 41 and cleans the cleaning nozzle 41. As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle cleaning unit 43 is formed with a discharge port 431 as a through-hole that constitutes a water discharge hole. The discharge port 431 discharges cleaning water onto the upper surface of the cleaning nozzle 41. A plurality of such discharge ports 431 (for example, seven) are formed. This makes it possible to clean the front side (upper side) of the cleaning nozzle 41 over the width of the cleaning nozzle 41. The nozzle cleaning unit 43 is supplied with cleaning water from a hose 131a of a nozzle cleaning water circuit 131, which will be described later. The nozzle cleaning unit 43 discharges cleaning water at, for example, 2.0 L / ml or more to powerfully clean the cleaning nozzle 41.

[0024] The shutter section 42 is connected to the nozzle unit 410 and is disposed at the center in the left-right direction X in front of the front base section 31. The shutter section 42 opens and closes an opening section 33a formed on the front end side of the front base section 31. The shutter section 42 has a shutter base 424, a shutter main body 421, a shutter arm 422, and a rotation shaft 423.

[0025] 3, the shutter base 424 is a plate-shaped member provided to cover the support frame 411 of the nozzle unit 410 and the upper part of the pair of cleaning nozzles 41. The shutter main body 421 is rotatably connected to the front end side of the shutter base 424.

[0026] The shutter arm 422 is disposed in front of the shutter base 424 and supports the shutter main body 421. The shutter arm 422 holds a rotation shaft 423 extending in the longitudinal direction of the shutter main body 421, and supports the shutter main body 421 so that it can rotate freely.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, the shutter body 421 is formed in a plate shape extending in the left-right direction X of the toilet body 2. The shutter body 421 is located in the center in the left-right direction X, in front of the base back convex portion 34. As shown in FIG. 4, when the shutter section 42 is located in the closed position, the shutter section 42 is formed in a flat shape that slopes downward from the front side to the rear side. The shutter body 421 is supported rotatably. When the cleaning nozzle 41 advances or retreats, the back surface of the shutter body 421 is pressed by the cleaning nozzle 41, thereby opening and closing the opening portion 33a of the front frame portion 33 formed on the front end side of the front base portion 31. When located in the closed position, the shutter body 421 is located in the opening portion 33a of the front frame portion 33. The upper end of the shutter body 421 is formed to have a curved surface that is C-shaped in cross section. Since the upper end of the shutter body 421 has a C-shaped curved surface, water discharged from the water discharge port 4412 of the shutter cleaning section 44 described later hits the surface of the upper end of the shutter body 421 and spreads easily.

[0028] The shutter cleaning unit 44 is connected above the shutter unit 42 and cleans the shutter unit 42. The shutter cleaning unit 44 has a water discharge unit 441 (see FIG. 5), a receiving unit 442 (see FIG. 3), and a cleaning unit fixed unit 443.

[0029] The water discharger 441 has a flush water circulating section 4411 and multiple water discharge ports 4412. The flush water circulating section 4411 is a cylindrical member that extends in the left-right direction X at the top of the front side of the functional section 3, and has a hollow section inside through which flush water circulates.

[0030] The multiple water outlets 4412 discharge flush water onto the front surface of the shutter section 42. Water may splash onto the rear surface of the shutter section 42, but water is not discharged towards the rear surface. The water outlets 4412 are arranged in a row, and for example, 37 water outlets 4412 are arranged on the underside of the flush water circulation section 4411 at intervals along the longitudinal direction.

[0031] The receiving portion 442 is a member that connects the shutter portion 42 and the shutter cleaning portion 44. The receiving portion 442 engages with the rotation shaft 423 of the shutter portion 42, and the shutter main body 421 and the shutter arm 422 are rotatably supported by the receiving portion 442. The back side of the receiving portion 442 abuts against the support frame 412 that constitutes the nozzle unit 410.

[0032] The cleaning unit fixed part 443 is provided integrally with the shutter cleaning unit 44 at a position closer to the center in the longitudinal direction of the shutter cleaning unit 44 than the inflow parts 4411a and 4411b of the cleaning water circulation part 4411 of the shutter cleaning unit 44. The cleaning unit fixed part 443 is fixed to the front base part 31 with screws, and thereby the shutter cleaning unit 44 is fixed to the front base part 31.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the warm air dryer 5 is disposed on one outer side in the left-right direction X, behind the shutter unit 42 when it is in the closed position. The warm air dryer 5 has a warm air fan 51 and a warm air duct 52. The warm air fan 51 is disposed on the left side of the shutter unit 42 in the left-right direction X, and rotates to blow air heated by the heater toward the toilet body 2. The warm air duct 52 extends from the warm air fan 51 toward the front of the functional unit 3 and has an air outlet 51a at its front end. For example, at a predetermined timing after the cleaning operation of the sanitary washing device 4, the warm air dryer 5 can blow warm air toward the human body from the air outlet 51a when the shutter unit 42 is open, or can blow warm air toward the back surface of the shutter unit 42 after cleaning when the shutter unit 42 is closed, thereby blowing away water droplets.

[0034] In the above-described toilet apparatus 1, the functional unit 3 has a water circuit 100 that supplies flush water to each unit of the toilet apparatus, as shown in Figure 6. The water circuit 100 has a toilet flush water circuit 110, a body flush water circuit 120, and a functional unit flush water circuit 130.

[0035] The toilet flush water circuit 110 is a circuit that stores flush water supplied from the water supply source 9 in a toilet flush tank 111 and supplies it into the bowl portion 20a of the toilet body 2 by a pump (not shown).

[0036] The body cleansing water circuit 120 is a flow path that supplies cleansing water from the water supply source 9 to the cleansing nozzle 41, and causes the water to be discharged from the cleansing nozzle 41 toward the human body and into the bowl portion 20a of the toilet body 2. The body cleansing water circuit 120 is made up of, for example, a rubber hose 121. As shown in Figure 2, the hose 121 is routed from the rear of the shutter arm 422 along the outer periphery of the front base portion 31 and is connected to the cleansing nozzle 41 located in the center of the front base portion 31 in the left-right direction X.

[0037] The functional unit cleaning water circuit 130 is disposed on the base part 30 of the functional unit 3, and is a flow path for cleaning the cleaning nozzle 41 and the shutter part 42 of the sanitary cleaning device 4. As shown in Fig. 6, the functional unit cleaning water circuit 130 has a cleaning water supply path 133, a nozzle cleaning water circuit 131, a shutter cleaning water circuit 132 (a left shutter cleaning water circuit 132L and a right shutter cleaning water circuit 132R), and a drainage path 138.

[0038] The functional unit cleaning water circuit 130 includes a nozzle cleaning unit 43, a shutter cleaning unit 44, an electromagnetic valve 134, a pressure reducing valve 135, a vacuum breaker 136, and a switching valve 137, and performs each cleaning operation of the sanitary cleaning device 4.

[0039] The flow rate of cleansing water in the cleansing water supply path 133 is greater than the flow rate of cleansing water in the body cleansing water circuit 120. This makes it possible to clean the cleansing nozzle 41 and the shutter section 42 with a sufficient flow rate of cleansing water. The flow rates of the cleansing water discharged from the nozzle cleaning section 43 and the shutter cleaning section 44 are each greater than the flow rate of the cleansing water discharged from the cleansing nozzle 41. This makes it possible to clean the cleansing nozzle 41 with a sufficient flow rate of discharged water. The above-mentioned "flow rate" in all cases means the instantaneous flow rate (flow rate per unit time).

[0040] That is, in the water circuit 100, the body cleansing water circuit 120, toilet flushing water circuit 110, and functional section flushing water circuit 130 are not opened and closed by a common water supply valve, but each water circuit has its own water supply valve that can be opened and closed independently. The functional section flushing water circuit 130 is configured to include a solenoid valve 134, but the body cleansing water circuit 120 is provided with another water supply valve (a water supply valve for the flushing nozzle 41) that can be opened and closed independently of the solenoid valve 134.

[0041] The cleaning water supply path 133, which serves as a water supply path, is connected to the water supply source 9 and is a flow path upstream of the functional portion cleaning water circuit 130 before branching into the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, and supplies cleaning water to the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. The cleaning water supply path 133 has a hose 133a with a larger diameter than the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, and is connected to a solenoid valve 134, a pressure reducing valve 135, a vacuum breaker 136, and a switching valve 137 in this order from upstream to downstream. The hose 133a of the cleaning water supply path 133 is arranged along the bottom surface of the rear base portion 32. The cleaning water supply path 133 terminates in the switching valve 137.

[0042] The solenoid valve 134 opens and closes the flow path that supplies cleaning water from the water supply source 9 to the functional unit cleaning water circuit 130. The pressure reducing valve 135 reduces the pressure to the required level in the flow path that provides the supplied cleaning water. The pressure reducing valve 135 adjusts the pressure in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, thereby adjusting the flow rate.

[0043] The vacuum breaker 136 has a check valve and a float diaphragm (not shown), and an intake hole 136a, and prevents backflow of cleaning water in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 when negative pressure occurs in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. The vacuum breaker 136 is open to the atmosphere via the intake hole 136a, which is connected to a drain hose 138a of a drain path 138 (described later). By making the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 dedicated water circuits separate from the body cleaning water circuit 120, the flow rate of cleaning water used in nozzle cleaning and shutter cleaning can be increased to improve cleaning power. In this case, the diameter of the hoses constituting each water circuit becomes larger, and the vacuum breaker 136 also needs to be made larger. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, the vacuum breaker 136 of the functional part cleaning water circuit 130 is positioned on the rear base part 32 behind the rear end of the cleaning nozzle 41, at a higher position than the other components that make up the functional part cleaning water circuit 130.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 6, the switching valve 137 is a valve that switches the flow path for supplying cleaning water from the cleaning water supply path 133 to the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 (left shutter cleaning water circuit 132L, right shutter cleaning water circuit 132R). As shown in Fig. 7, the switching valve 137 is connected to a vacuum breaker 136. The configuration of the switching valve 137 and flow path switching control will be described in detail later.

[0045] The drain channel 138 is connected to the vacuum breaker 136. The drain channel 138 is a drain hose 138a that drains backflowing water when backflow occurs in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and / or the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, and the drain hose 138a is connected to the intake hole 136a of the vacuum breaker 136. As shown in FIG. 2, the drain channel 138 passes over the hose 133a of the flush water supply channel 133, and its downstream end is located on the back surface of the rear base part 32. The drain hose 138a is connected to the toilet flush tank 111 that is located below the base part 30. As a result, when backflow occurs in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, water that has backflowed from the vacuum breaker 136 to the toilet flush tank 111 is drained.

[0046] The nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 are formed, for example, from rubber hoses, and constitute a water circuit different from the human body cleaning water circuit 120, which sprays water toward the human body from the nozzle water outlet 41a of the cleaning nozzle 41. The nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 constitutes a dedicated water circuit that supplies cleaning water only to the nozzle cleaning unit 43. The shutter cleaning water circuit 132 constitutes a dedicated water circuit that supplies cleaning water only to the shutter cleaning unit 44. This allows cleaning by the nozzle cleaning unit 43 to be performed simultaneously with the cleaning operation of the cleaning nozzle 41 without reducing the flow rate of each. This allows the order of nozzle cleaning and shutter cleaning to be changed depending on the situation. For example, while the user is seated, nozzle cleaning can be performed first and shutter cleaning can be performed later, so that dirt generated during nozzle cleaning can be washed away to the outside of the functional unit 3 by the shutter cleaning. Furthermore, when cleaning while the user is not seated, shutter cleaning can be performed first to wet the shutter unit 42 and the area around the cleaning nozzle 41 before cleaning.

[0047] The nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 supplies water to the nozzle cleaning unit 43. The nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 has a hose 131a extending from the switching valve 137 of the rear base part 32, and after being routed to the right side in FIG. 2, extends forward of the front base part 31 and is connected to the nozzle cleaning unit 43 arranged at the front end of the cleaning nozzle 41.

[0048] The shutter cleaning water circuit 132 supplies water to the shutter cleaning section 44. The shutter cleaning water circuit 132 has a right shutter cleaning water circuit 132R that supplies cleaning water from the right side of the shutter cleaning section 44, and a left shutter cleaning water circuit 132L that supplies cleaning water from the left side of the shutter cleaning section 44.

[0049] The shutter cleaning right water circuit 132R has a hose 132aR. The hose 132aR extends from the switching valve 137 of the rear base portion 32, is routed to the right side in FIG. 2, then extends adjacent to the hose 131a toward the front of the front base portion 31, and is connected to the inlet portion 4411a of the shutter cleaning portion 44.

[0050] The shutter cleaning left water circuit 132L has a hose 132aL. The hose 132aL extends from the switching valve 137 of the rear base portion 32, passes over the nozzle unit 410, is routed to the left side in FIG. 2, extends forward of the front base portion 31, and is connected to the inlet portion 4411b of the shutter cleaning portion 44.

[0051] The switching valve 137 will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. As shown in Figure 8, the switching valve 137 has a case 14, a disk 15, a shaft 16, a cover portion 17, a spring 18, and a motor 19.

[0052] The case 14 has a recess capable of accommodating the main components of the switching valve 137 and is a component that forms the outer shape of the switching valve 137. As shown in FIG. 7, the case 14 is connected at its top to the vacuum breaker 136 and at its downstream side to the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. The case 14 has a main body 140, a bottom 141, a nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142, and shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b. The main body 140 is hollow and formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape with the downstream end being the bottom 141, and the outer diameter gradually decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side. As shown in FIG. 9, the bottom 141 has a bottom surface 141a, a partition wall 141b, a nozzle chamber 144, and a shutter chamber 145.

[0053] The bottom surface 141a is a surface that closes the cylindrical lower end of the case 14, and has a flat, generally circular shape on the outside. The bottom surface 141a is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the rear base portion 32 and is disposed in an upright direction.

[0054] The nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 and the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b are formed in the bottom surface 141a. The nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 and the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b are each holes that penetrate the bottom surface 141a. Two shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b are arranged with the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 sandwiched between them. The nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 is connected to a hose 131a of the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and communicates with the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131. The shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b are connected to a hose 132aR and a hose 132aL of the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 and communicate with the shutter cleaning water circuit 132.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 9, when the case 14 is viewed from the inside, the bottom 141 is divided into a nozzle chamber 144 and a shutter chamber 145 by a partition wall 141b that rises from the bottom surface 141a. The partition wall 141b is a wall-like portion that protrudes from the bottom surface 141a toward the upstream side of the inside of the case 14. The nozzle chamber 144 is disposed so as to surround the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142. More specifically, the nozzle chamber 144 is surrounded by an arc-shaped edge on the upper side of the bottom surface 141a formed by the partition wall 141b, an arc-shaped edge that follows the periphery of a center circle 141c surrounded by the partition wall 141b, and a side portion that linearly connects these edges. The shutter chamber 145 is formed so as to be at least partially connected to the left and right shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b. In detail, the entire surface is formed in an arc shape by a lower edge along the circumferential direction on the lower side of the bottom surface 141a, an arc-shaped edge along the periphery of the center circle 141c, and a curved portion connecting these edges.

[0056] Disk 15 is a disk-shaped component rotatably disposed within case 14. Disk 15 has a disk bottom surface 15a, an outer periphery 15b, a flange 15c, and a notch 15d.

[0057] The disk bottom surface 15a is a flat surface having an outer diameter that allows it to be placed inside the case 14. The disk bottom surface 15a is placed upstream from the bottom surface 141a of the case 14 with a space therebetween, and a nozzle chamber 144 and a shutter chamber 145 are placed between the disk bottom surface 15a and the bottom surface 141a, separated by a partition wall 141b.

[0058] The outer peripheral portion 15b extends from the disk bottom surface 15a toward the upstream side in the thickness direction of the disk 15. The outer peripheral portion 15b forms the outer wall of the disk 15.

[0059] The flange portion 15c extends from the upstream end of the outer circumferential portion 15b outward in the circumferential direction beyond the outer circumferential portion 15b.

[0060] The cutout 15d is formed by cutting out a portion of the outer periphery of the disk bottom surface 15a from the disk bottom surface 15a to the outer periphery 15b. As the disk 15 rotates, the cutout 15d forms part of a flow path for cleaning water flowing from the upstream side to the downstream side of the case 14. More specifically, when the cutout 15d overlaps with the nozzle chamber 144, the flow path communicates with the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142, and when the cutout 15d partially overlaps with the shutter chamber 145, the flow path communicates with the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b. As the disk 15 rotates, the cutout 15d switches the flow path of the cleaning water supply path 133, which communicates with the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 and the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b.

[0061] The shaft 16 is a long member that passes through the center of the switching valve 137. The shaft 16 is disposed so that its upstream end engages with the lid portion 17 (described later) and its downstream end engages with the upstream side of the disk 15. The shaft 16 rotates to rotate the disk 15 within the case 14.

[0062] The lid portion 17 is a substantially cylindrical member that closes the upstream opening of the case 14. The lid portion 17 has a lid surface portion 171, a central cylindrical portion 172, and a thread groove 173. The lid surface portion 171 has a substantially circular surface that closes the opening of the case 14. The central cylindrical portion 172 is a cylindrical portion that extends downstream from the approximately center of the lid surface portion 171. The central cylindrical portion 172 houses the upstream end of the shaft 16, and the shaft 16 is rotatably engaged inside the central cylindrical portion 172. The thread groove 173 is formed on the outside of a short cylindrical portion that extends downstream from the periphery of the lid surface portion 171. The thread groove 173 screws into a thread formed on the inner circumference of the upstream side of the main body portion 140 of the case 14, engaging the case 14 and the lid portion 17.

[0063] The spring 18 is a coiled compression spring, and is engaged with the downstream side of the central cylindrical portion 172 of the lid portion 17. The spring 18 is disposed on the outside of the shaft 16, and its downstream end is connected to the slip washer 12. The spring 18 biases the disk 15 against the main body portion 140 of the case 14.

[0064] The motor 19 is a stepping motor disposed on the outside of the cover surface portion 171 of the cover portion 17. The motor 19 rotates the disk 15 via the shaft 16.

[0065] Next, the operation of the switching valve 137 will be described. By operating the switching valve 137, the control unit 6 can perform air removal control to remove air from the water circuit 100 and water removal control to remove water. Figures 10 to 12B are diagrams for explaining the air removal control. Figures 13A to 13C are diagrams for explaining the water removal control.

[0066] First, the air bleeding control will be described. The control unit 6 can perform air bleeding control after the toilet apparatus 1 has not been used for a certain period of time, before use, during cleaning, etc. In FIGS. 10 and 11, for the sake of explanation, the disk bottom surface 15a of the disk 15 is shown in gray, different from the other parts. FIGS. 10 and 11 show a cross-sectional view of the bottom 141 of the case 14 from the opposite side of FIG. 9. FIG. 10 shows the home position of the switching valve 137, and FIG. 11 shows the air bleeding position. As shown in FIG. 10, in the home position, the control unit 6 positions the cutout portion 15d of the disk 15 so that it communicates with the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 in the nozzle chamber 144. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12A, flush water supplied from the water supply source 9 is supplied to the nozzle cleaning unit 43. The home position is the position during nozzle cleaning, and nozzle cleaning is performed in this position.

[0067] When shutter cleaning is performed, the control unit 6 positions the disk 15 so that the cutout 15d communicates with the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b in the shutter chamber 145. When the cutout 15d communicates with the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b, cleaning water supplied from the water supply source 9 is supplied to the shutter cleaning unit 44. As shown in FIG. 9 , the shutter chamber 145 is a continuous space that communicates with both the left and right shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b. When the cutout 15d is positioned so that it overlaps with the shutter chamber 145, cleaning water is supplied from the shutter chamber 145 to both the left shutter cleaning water circuit 132L and the right shutter cleaning water circuit 132R.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 11 , in the air-bleeding position, the control unit 6 simultaneously passes water through both the nozzle cleaning unit 43 and the shutter cleaning unit 44, thereby executing air-bleeding control to bleed air from the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 that supplies water to the nozzle cleaning unit 43 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 that supplies water to the shutter cleaning unit 44. Specifically, the control unit 6 drives the motor 19 to operate the switching valve 137, and positions the disk 15 so that it straddles the cutout portion 15 d and both the nozzle chamber 144 and the shutter chamber 145. That is, the control unit 6 positions the cutout portion 15 d so that water can pass through both the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 and the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143 a, 143 b. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12B , cleaning water is passed through both the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 (the left shutter cleaning water circuit 132L and the right shutter cleaning water circuit 132R). Note that "simultaneously" means that the timing is the same, and that water flows in parallel through both the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, and this also includes cases where there is a slight error in the time when water starts flowing.

[0069] Note that the nozzle chamber 144 is formed with the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142, and the shutter chamber 145 is formed with left and right shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b. Therefore, the cutout portion 15d of the disk 15 can pass water even if it is not directly connected to the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 or the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b. In other words, it is sufficient for the cutout portion 15d to partially overlap the nozzle chamber 144 or the shutter chamber 145. By partially overlapping, the cleaning water supply path 133 extending to the switching valve 137 is connected, via the space of the nozzle chamber 144 or the shutter chamber 145, to the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142, which communicates with the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131, or the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b, which communicate with the shutter cleaning water circuit 132.

[0070] When cleaning water flows through both the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 (left shutter cleaning water circuit 132L, right shutter cleaning water circuit 132R), the number of water channels through which the cleaning water flows increases, and the flow rate of the cleaning water flowing through the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 becomes slower than when it flows during cleaning.

[0071] When the sanitary washing device 4 is not used for a certain period of time, air accumulates in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. If, for example, the nozzle cleaning unit 43 or the shutter cleaning unit 44 is operated alone during cleaning while air is accumulating, the accumulated air may be compressed as it tries to escape from the small nozzle outlet 41a of the washing nozzle 41, potentially generating noise. In the air release position, water is passed through both the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 more slowly than when cleaning the washing nozzle 41 or the shutter unit 42. This allows the cleaning water to slowly push the air out, and the air escapes from the nozzle outlet 41a of the washing nozzle 41 and the outlet 4412 of the shutter cleaning unit 44. The flow rate decreases and the area of ​​the hole through which the air escapes increases, thereby suppressing noise generation.

[0072] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating water draining control. The control unit 6 controls the switching valve 137 to drain water from the functional unit flush water circuit 130 at a timing separate from that of air bleeding. Water draining control is performed after the toilet apparatus 1 has been used, and after flushing either the flush nozzle 41 or the shutter unit 42, the switching valve 137 is controlled to drain water from either the nozzle flushing water circuit 131 or the shutter flushing water circuit 132 that has been flushed. Air bleeding control may be performed before the toilet apparatus 1 is used, and water draining control may be performed after use, or may be performed appropriately at a desired timing. In the example below, a case where water draining control is performed after shutter flushing is performed is described, but the same applies to nozzle flushing.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 13A, during normal use, the solenoid valve 134 is turned on, and water passes from the water supply source 9 through a cleaning water supply path 133 and, for example, through a shutter cleaning water circuit 132, thereby performing shutter cleaning.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 13B, when shutter cleaning is completed and the solenoid valve 134 is turned OFF, cleaning water that was not discharged from the water discharge port 4412 remains in the cleaning water supply path 133 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. At this time, the control unit 6 controls the disk 15 of the switching valve 137 to rotate and connect the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 (i.e., the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a and 143b of the shutter chamber 145) to the vacuum breaker 136 via the switching valve 137. This time may be, for example, about 8 seconds after the shutter cleaning is completed, but is not particularly limited. The vacuum breaker 136 is open to the atmosphere to break the negative pressure and is connected to the drainage path 138 to prevent backflow. Therefore, the water remaining in the cleaning water supply path 133 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 is drained via the vacuum breaker 136.

[0075] The control unit 6 prohibits the operation of the hot air dryer 5 during the water draining control so that the hot air dryer 5 is not operated. This is because if the hot air dryer 5 is operated during the water draining control, the hot air generated by the hot air fan 51 may blow up and splash water near the water outlet 4412 of the shutter cleaning unit 44. Specifically, even if the control unit 6 receives a signal to start hot air drying while performing the water draining control, it does not accept and ignores the signal.

[0076] 13C, after performing water draining control after shutter cleaning, the control unit 6 may perform control to drain water from the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131. Specifically, the control unit 6 controls to rotate the disk 15 of the switching valve 137 to connect the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 (i.e., the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 of the nozzle chamber 144) and the vacuum breaker 136 via the switching valve 137.

[0077] When performing water draining control after nozzle cleaning, the water in the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 can be drained by connecting the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 to the vacuum breaker 136. After that, by connecting the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 to the vacuum breaker 136, the water in both circuits can be drained.

[0078] This embodiment provides the following advantages. The toilet apparatus 1 is arranged at the rear of the toilet body 2 and includes a functional unit 3 having a sanitary washing device 4, and a control unit 6 that controls the operation of the sanitary washing device 4. The sanitary washing device 4 includes a nozzle cleaning unit 43 that cleans a washing nozzle 41 that discharges wash water to wash the human body, and a shutter cleaning unit 44 that cleans a shutter unit 42 that opens and closes an open portion 33a of the functional unit 3 through which the washing nozzle 41 advances and retreats. The control unit 6 is configured to execute air bleeding control that bleeds air from a nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 that supplies water to the nozzle cleaning unit 43 and a shutter cleaning water circuit 132 that supplies water to the shutter cleaning unit 44 by simultaneously passing water through both the nozzle cleaning unit 43 and the shutter cleaning unit 44. By passing water through both the nozzle cleaning section 43 and the shutter cleaning section 44, the flow rate of cleaning water flowing through the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, which extend from the flow path (cleaning water supply path 133) on the water supply source 9 side to the outlets of the nozzle cleaning section 43 and the shutter cleaning section 44, increases, resulting in a decrease in the flow rate of the cleaning water flowing through the flow paths. By decreasing the flow rate of the cleaning water, air present in the nozzle cleaning section 43 and the shutter cleaning section 44 is slowly discharged, suppressing the generation of noise.

[0079] According to this embodiment, the device further includes a switching valve 137 that switches the flow path of the cleaning water supply path 133 connected to the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 that communicates with the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b that communicate with the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. The control unit 6 is configured to perform air bleeding control that operates the switching valve 137 to allow water to pass through both the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole 142 and the shutter cleaning unit communication holes 143a, 143b. Controlling the switching valve 137 makes it possible to bleed air from the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132. This allows air bleeding without adding any new components.

[0080] According to this embodiment, the apparatus further includes a vacuum breaker 136 that is open to the atmosphere, and the control unit 6 is configured to perform water drainage control by connecting the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 to the vacuum breaker 136 via the switching valve 137 after cleaning the cleaning nozzle 41, or by connecting the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 to the vacuum breaker via the switching valve 137 after cleaning the shutter unit 42. By connecting the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 or the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 to the vacuum breaker 136 using the switching valve 137, it is possible to drain water that has accumulated in the cleaning water supply path 133, the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131, or the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 using existing components without changing their layout. This makes it possible to prevent the accumulated water from freezing or causing mold to grow.

[0081] According to this embodiment, the toilet is further configured to include a warm air dryer 5 that is disposed in the functional unit 3 and is capable of blowing warm air toward the toilet body 2. The control unit 6 is configured to prohibit operation of the warm air dryer 5 during water drainage control. This prevents the warm air dryer 5 from operating during the water drainage operation, causing the warm air fan 51 to stir up water present in the vicinity and discharging water droplets from the outlet 51a.

[0082] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope of achieving the object of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. For example, in the above-described embodiment, air is removed by simultaneously passing water through both the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 in the air removal control. However, the control unit 6 may sequentially pass water through either the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 or the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 one by one. For example, the control unit 6 may execute air removal control to remove air in stages by first passing water through only the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, removing air from the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, and then passing water through the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131.

[0083] When water is passed through the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 and air is removed from the water outlet 4412 of the shutter cleaning unit 44, at least the air that had previously accumulated between the cleaning water supply path 133 and the shutter cleaning water circuit 132 is removed. After water is passed through the shutter cleaning water circuit 132, it is only necessary to remove air from the nozzle cleaning water circuit 131 from the switching valve 137 to the nozzle water outlet 41a, thereby reducing the amount of air that needs to be discharged. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the shutter cleaning unit 44 has a large number of water outlets 4412, and therefore its area is larger than that of the nozzle cleaning unit 43. Therefore, passing water through only the shutter cleaning unit 44 first is less likely to generate noise than when water is passed through the nozzle cleaning unit. This method also prevents noise from being generated from the nozzle cleaning unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1 toilet device, 2 toilet body, 3 functional part, 4 sanitary washing device, 5 warm air drying device, 6 control part, 9 water supply source, 33a opening part, 41 washing nozzle (nozzle), 42 shutter part, 43 nozzle washing part, 44 shutter washing part, 131 nozzle washing water circuit, 132 shutter washing water circuit, 133 washing water supply path (water supply path), 136 vacuum breaker, 137 switching valve, 142 nozzle washing part communication hole, 143a, 143b shutter washing part communication hole

Claims

1. a functional part disposed at the rear of the toilet body and having a sanitary washing device; a control unit that controls the operation of the sanitary washing device, The sanitary washing device is a nozzle cleaning unit that cleans a nozzle that discharges cleansing water for cleaning the human body; a shutter cleaning unit that cleans a shutter unit that opens and closes an opening portion of the functional unit through which the nozzle advances and retreats, The control unit performs air bleeding control to bleed air from the nozzle cleaning water circuit that supplies water to the nozzle cleaning unit and the shutter cleaning water circuit that supplies water to the shutter cleaning unit by passing water through both the nozzle cleaning unit and the shutter cleaning unit simultaneously.

2. a switching valve for switching a flow path of a water supply passage connected to a nozzle cleaning section communication hole that communicates with the nozzle cleaning water circuit and a shutter cleaning section communication hole that communicates with the shutter cleaning water circuit, The toilet apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit executes the air bleeding control to operate the switching valve to allow water to pass through both the nozzle cleaning unit communication hole and the shutter cleaning unit communication hole.

3. a functional part disposed at the rear of the toilet body and having a sanitary washing device; a control unit that controls the operation of the sanitary washing device, The sanitary washing device is a nozzle cleaning unit that cleans a nozzle that discharges cleansing water for cleaning the human body; a shutter cleaning unit that cleans a shutter unit that opens and closes an opening portion of the functional unit through which the nozzle advances and retreats, The control unit performs air bleeding control to bleed air from the nozzle cleaning water circuit and the shutter cleaning water circuit by passing water through a shutter cleaning water circuit that supplies water to the shutter cleaning unit, and then passing water through a nozzle cleaning water circuit that supplies water to the nozzle cleaning unit.

4. Further, a vacuum breaker is provided which is open to the atmosphere. the control unit connects the nozzle cleaning water circuit to the vacuum breaker via the switching valve after cleaning the nozzle, or The toilet apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the shutter portion has been flushed, a draining control is executed to connect the shutter flush water circuit and the vacuum breaker via the switching valve.

5. The toilet further includes a warm air drying device disposed in the functional section and capable of blowing warm air toward the toilet body, The toilet apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit prohibits operation of the warm air drying device during the water draining control.

Images