Toilet equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a toilet device that can illuminate the floor surface without requiring a light source to be installed in the toilet bowl itself. [Solution] The toilet device 1 comprises a toilet body 2, a lower cover 4, and a light source device 5. The toilet body 2 has a bottom 26, which is supported so that the bottom 26 is positioned away from the floor surface S1. The lower cover 4 is attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet body 2. The light source device 5 is housed in the lower cover 4. The lower cover 4 includes a portion 42 that is positioned above the floor surface S1. The portion 42 of the lower cover 4 is provided with a light-passing section 44 that allows light emitted from the light source device 5 to pass towards the floor surface S1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a toilet device.

Background Art

[0002] There is conventionally known a toilet device including a toilet body supported at a position above the floor surface of a toilet room or the like (hereinafter referred to as a "floating state"). In this type of toilet device, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a light source device for illuminating the floor surface is provided in the toilet body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional toilet device, since it is necessary to provide a light source device in the toilet body, the structure of the toilet body is restricted. Further, in the above-described conventional toilet device, since a concavo-convex structure for installing the light source device is provided in the toilet body, the cleaning property of the toilet body is likely to have a problem.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a toilet device that can illuminate the floor surface without providing a light source device in the toilet body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A toilet device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a toilet body having a bottom and supported such that the bottom is positioned away from the floor surface; a lower cover attached to the bottom of the toilet body; and a light source device housed in the lower cover. The lower cover includes a portion that, when attached to the bottom of the toilet body, is positioned above the floor surface. The portion of the lower cover is provided with a light-transmitting section that allows light emitted from the light source device to pass towards the floor surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This disclosure has the effect of illuminating the floor surface without requiring a light source device to be installed in the toilet bowl itself. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a side view of a toilet device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a bottom view of the lower cover of the toilet assembly shown above. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 2. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along line BB in Figure 2. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a side view of a modified version of the toilet device shown above. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the lower cover of another modified version of the toilet device shown above. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] 1. One Embodiment A toilet device according to an embodiment of this disclosure will be described based on the attached drawings. However, the embodiments described below are only one of many embodiments of this disclosure, and various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the objectives of this disclosure are achieved. Furthermore, the figures showing the embodiments below are schematic diagrams, and the dimensions and shapes of each component in the figures do not necessarily reflect the actual dimensions and shapes.

[0010] Figure 1 shows a toilet device 1 according to one embodiment. The toilet device 1 comprises a toilet body 2, a support frame 3 that supports the toilet body 2, a lower cover 4 that is detachably attached to the toilet body 2, and a light source device 5 (see Figures 3 and 4) attached to the lower cover 4.

[0011] (Toilet bowl) The toilet bowl body 2 is also referred to as a seated toilet. The toilet bowl body 2 is made of resin. In this disclosure, the vertical, front-back, and left-right directions are defined relative to a user seated on the toilet bowl body 2. The vertical, front-back, and left-right directions are each orthogonal to the other two directions.

[0012] The toilet bowl body 2 comprises a bowl portion 21, a drain pipe 22, a movable trap 23, an attachment device 24, a skirt portion 25, and a bottom portion 26.

[0013] The bowl portion 21 has an opening 212 that opens upward and a bottom portion 215. The opening 212 is the uppermost part of the bowl portion 21. The bottom portion 215 is the lowermost part of the bowl portion 21.

[0014] The drain pipe 22 extends rearward from the bottom 215 of the bowl section 21. A movable trap 23 is connected to the drain pipe 22.

[0015] The movable trap 23 is mainly composed of a flexible bellows section. The movable trap 23 has an upstream end 231 and a downstream end 233. The upstream end 231 of the movable trap 23 is connected to the downstream end opening of the drain pipe 22. The downstream end 233 of the movable trap 23 is displaced up and down by a motor (not shown) attached to the toilet bowl body 2.

[0016] The position of the movable trap 23 when the downstream end 233 is positioned upward is the water-sealing position. The position of the movable trap 23 when the downstream end 233 is positioned downward is the drainage position. The movable trap 23 changes its position between the water-sealing position and the drainage position.

[0017] The accessory device 24 is provided at the upper rear part of the toilet device 1. In the upper cover 241 forming the outer shell of the accessory device 24, various devices (not shown) used in the toilet device 1 are accommodated. The various devices may include, for example, all or part of a discharge nozzle, a sanitary washing device, and a deodorizing device. The water discharge nozzle is a nozzle that discharges washing water toward the inside of the bowl portion 21. The sanitary washing device is a device that discharges washing water for washing the user's private parts. The deodorizing device is a device that deodorizes the inside of the bowl portion 21. It is also preferable that the various devices further include another device.

[0018] The skirt portion 25 constitutes the main part of the outer shell of the toilet body 2. The skirt portion 25 has a U-shaped horizontal cross section that opens to the rear and is positioned so as to surround the front and both sides of the bowl portion 21.

[0019] The bottom portion 26 constitutes the lowermost part of the outer shell of the toilet body 2. The bottom portion 26 is positioned below the skirt portion 25. The bottom portion 26 has a bottom surface facing vertically downward. In the toilet device 1 of one embodiment, the bottom surface of the bottom portion 26 is positioned at a distance above the floor surface S1. That is, in the toilet device 1 of one embodiment, the bottom portion 26 of the toilet body 2 is not installed on the floor surface S1, but the toilet body 2 is supported in a floating state where the bottom portion 26 is separated from the floor surface S1.

[0020] The toilet body 2 further includes a toilet seat 27 and a toilet lid 28.

[0021] The toilet seat 27 is rotatably mounted with respect to the upper cover 241 forming the outer shell of the accessory device 24. The toilet seat 27 is rotatable about an imaginary central axis extending in the left - right direction. Similarly, the toilet lid 28 is rotatably mounted with respect to the upper cover 241 forming the outer shell of the accessory device 24. The toilet lid 28 is rotatable about an imaginary central axis extending in the left - right direction.

[0022] (Support frame) The support frame 3 supports the toilet body 2 in the above - mentioned floating state. The support frame 3 is configured to support the bottom portion 26 of the toilet body 2 from below.

[0023] The support frame 3 includes a stand portion 31 fixed to the floor surface S1 and an extension portion 35 extending forward from the stand portion 31. The extension portion 35 is fixed to the bottom portion 26 of the toilet bowl body 2 and supports the bottom portion 26 from below.

[0024] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the stand portion 31 is covered by a lining 9 installed behind the toilet device 1. Preferably, the height of the lining 9 is set lower than that of the toilet device 1.

[0025] (Bottom cover) The lower cover 4 is detachably attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet bowl body 2. The lower cover 4 is fixed to the bottom 26, for example, using a screw (not shown), but it may also be detachably fixed to the bottom 26 by other means.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the lower cover 4 is attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet bowl body 2 and is positioned to protrude below the bottom 26 of the toilet bowl body 2. In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, a part of the support frame 3 is covered by the lower cover 4, and more specifically, the extended portion 35 of the support frame 3 is covered by the lower cover 4.

[0027] The lower cover 4, when attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet bowl body 2, includes a portion 42 that is positioned above the floor surface S1, leaving a space between them.

[0028] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the entire lower cover 4 constitutes part 42. That is, in one embodiment of the toilet device 1, with the lower cover 4 attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet body 2, the entire lower cover 4 is positioned above the floor surface S1 with a space between them.

[0029] The lower cover 4 portion 42 (or the entire lower cover 4 in one embodiment) includes a light-transmitting portion 44 and a light-blocking portion 46. In other words, a part of portion 42 is composed of the light-transmitting portion 44, and the portion of portion 42 excluding the light-transmitting portion 44 is composed of the light-blocking portion 46.

[0030] The light-transmitting section 44 is configured to allow light emitted from the light source device 5 to pass towards the floor surface S1. The light-transmitting section 44 is located on the front half of the lower cover 4, and more specifically, on the front end of the lower cover 4. The light-transmitting section 44 is located in the middle of the front end of the lower cover 4 in the left-right direction (see Figure 2).

[0031] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the light-transmitting section 44 includes a light-transmitting member 45 provided to transmit light. The light-transmitting member 45 is, for example, a transparent or translucent resin member.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the light-transmitting member 45 includes a first portion 451 having a first emission surface 451A and a second portion 452 having a second emission surface 452A. The first portion 451 and the second portion 452 are located adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The first emission surface 451A and the second emission surface 452A face different directions and are located adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. In detail, the first emission surface 451A faces diagonally downward and forward, and the second emission surface 452A faces downward.

[0033] The light-blocking section 46 is configured to prevent light emitted from the light source device 5 from passing towards the floor surface S1. The light-blocking section 46 is composed of a light-blocking member 47 that does not transmit light. The light-blocking member 47 is, for example, an opaque resin member that constitutes the main body of the lower cover 4. The light-blocking member 47 has an exit window 472 that penetrates vertically, and a light-transmitting member 45 is fitted into the exit window 472. The exit window 472 is provided in the front half of the lower cover 4, and more specifically, in the front end of the lower cover 4. The exit window 472 is provided in the middle of the front end of the lower cover 4 in the left-right direction.

[0034] (Light source device) The light source device 5 is housed in the lower cover 4 so as to emit light toward the light-transmitting section 44 (i.e., the light-transmitting member 45). With the lower cover 4 attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet bowl body 2, the light source device 5 is covered by the lower cover 4.

[0035] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the light source device 5 is attached to the lower cover 4 so as to be removable together with the lower cover 4. More specifically, the light source device 5 is integrally combined with a light-transmitting member 45. By attaching the light-transmitting member 45 to the lower cover 4 so as to fit into the light-emitting window 472, the light source device 5 is attached to the lower cover 4 together with the light-transmitting member 45.

[0036] The light source device 5 includes a first light source unit 51 and a second light source unit 52. The first light source unit 51 and the second light source unit 52 are positioned side by side in the left-right direction. The first light source unit 51 and the second light source unit 52 each include, for example, an LED element.

[0037] The first light source unit 51 is configured to emit light toward the first portion 451 of the light-transmitting member 45. The light emitted from the first light source unit 51 toward the first portion 451 is irradiated diagonally downward and forward through the first emission surface 451A. The second light source unit 52 is configured to emit light toward the second portion 452 of the light-transmitting member 45. The light emitted from the second light source unit 52 toward the second portion 452 is irradiated downward through the second emission surface 452A.

[0038] (Effects and Benefits) In the toilet device 1 of the above embodiment, the light source device 5 for illuminating the floor surface S1 is not provided on the toilet body 2 as in the conventional technology, but is provided on a separate lower cover 4. In the toilet device 1 of the above embodiment, the floor surface S1 can be illuminated without providing the light source device 5 on the toilet body 2 side, so there are no constraints on the structure of the toilet body 2 as in the conventional technology, and the design freedom of the toilet body 2 is increased. In addition, in the toilet device 1 of the above embodiment, since there is no uneven structure on the toilet body 2 side for installing the light source device 5, the cleanability of the toilet body 2 is improved.

[0039] In addition, in one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the light source device 5 can be removed from the toilet body 2 together with the lower cover 4 by removing the lower cover 4 from the toilet body 2. Therefore, if the light source device 5 malfunctions or otherwise fails, it can be easily replaced by removing the light source device 5 together with the lower cover 4 from the toilet body 2.

[0040] 2. Variations The embodiments described above are merely one of many embodiments of this disclosure. These embodiments can be modified in various ways depending on the design, etc., as long as they achieve the objectives of this disclosure.

[0041] The following describes modifications of the above embodiment. In the description of the modifications, components similar to those described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their detailed descriptions are omitted. The various modifications listed below can be combined and applied as appropriate.

[0042] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the entire lower cover 4 is composed of a portion 42 that is located above the floor surface S1, but it is also possible that only a part of the lower cover 4 constitutes the portion 42 that is located above the floor surface S1.

[0043] For example, in the modified example shown in Figure 5, only a portion of the lower cover 4 constitutes a part 42 that is positioned above the floor surface S1, leaving a space in between. In other words, with the lower cover 4 attached to the bottom 26 of the toilet bowl body 2, only a portion of the lower cover 4 is positioned above the floor surface S1, leaving a space in between.

[0044] In the modified example shown in Figure 5, the other portion 49 of the lower cover 4 protrudes downward from portion 42. The support frame 8 that supports the toilet bowl body 2 is covered by the other portion 49 of the lower cover 4. The light-transmitting portion 44 is provided in portion 42 of the lower cover 4.

[0045] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the light emitted from the light source device 5 is irradiated downward and diagonally downward through the light-transmitting section 44, but it may be irradiated in other directions.

[0046] For example, in the modified example shown in Figure 6, light emitted from the light source device 5 is irradiated diagonally downward and backward through the light-transmitting section 44. In this modified example, the light-transmitting member 45 constituting the light-transmitting section 44 includes a third portion 453 having a third emission surface 453A facing diagonally downward and backward. The light source device 5 includes a third light source unit 53 provided to irradiate light onto the third portion 453 of the light-transmitting member 45. The light irradiated diagonally downward and backward illuminates the floor surface S1, effectively creating the sensation that the toilet bowl body 2 is floating above the floor surface S1 (hereinafter referred to as "floating sensation").

[0047] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the light-transmitting portion 44 is made of a light-transmitting member 45, but the light-transmitting portion 44 may be made of a through hole. In this case, the light emitted from the light source device 5 is irradiated onto the floor surface S1 through the through hole formed in the lower cover 4. Alternatively, the light-transmitting portion 44 may be made of a thin portion of the lower cover 4. In this case, the lower cover 4 made of synthetic resin includes a thick portion and a thin portion, with the thick portion of the lower cover 4 forming a light-blocking portion 46 and the thin portion of the lower cover 4 forming the light-transmitting portion 44. The light emitted from the light source device 5 is irradiated onto the floor surface S1 through the thin portion of the lower cover 4.

[0048] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, the toilet body 2 is made of resin, but the material of the toilet body 2 is not particularly limited, and for example, the toilet body 2 may be made of ceramic.

[0049] In one embodiment of the toilet device 1, a method of draining water in conjunction with the operation of a movable trap 23 (a so-called turn-trap method) is employed, but a method of draining water through a fixed trap may also be employed.

[0050] 3. Summary As described based on the above embodiments and modifications, the toilet device (1) of the first embodiment comprises a toilet body (2) having a bottom (26) and supported such that the bottom (26) is located away from the floor surface (S1), a lower cover (4) attached to the bottom (26) of the toilet body (2), and a light source device (5) housed in the lower cover (4). The lower cover (4), when attached to the bottom (26) of the toilet body (2), includes a portion (42) that is located above the floor surface (S1). The portion (42) of the lower cover (4) is provided with a light-transmitting section (44) that allows light emitted from the light source device (5) to pass towards the floor surface (S1).

[0051] In this configuration, a light source device (5) capable of illuminating the floor surface (S1) to create the illusion of the toilet bowl (2) floating is provided on a separate lower cover (4) from the toilet bowl (2). Therefore, the structure of the toilet bowl (2) is not constrained by the installation of the light source device (5), increasing the design freedom of the toilet bowl (2). In addition, since no uneven structure for installing the light source device (5) is provided on the side of the toilet bowl (2), the ease of cleaning the toilet bowl (2) is improved.

[0052] In the toilet device (1) of the second embodiment, the light-transmitting portion (44) includes a light-transmitting member (45) provided to transmit light.

[0053] According to this embodiment, the light irradiated onto the floor surface (S1) through the light-transmitting member (45) can create the illusion of the toilet bowl body (2) floating.

[0054] In the toilet device (1) of the third embodiment, in the first or second embodiment, the portion (42) of the lower cover (4) includes a light-transmitting portion (44) as well as a light-blocking portion (46) provided to prevent light from passing through.

[0055] According to this embodiment, the structure covered by the lower cover (4) can be concealed in the portion excluding the light-transmitting portion (44).

[0056] In the toilet device (1) of the fourth embodiment, in any one of the first to third embodiments, the lower cover (4) is detachably attached to the bottom (26) of the toilet body (2). The light source device (5) is attached to the lower cover (4) so ​​as to be detachable together with the lower cover (4).

[0057] According to this embodiment, if a malfunction occurs in the light source device (5), the light source device (5) can be easily replaced by removing it from the toilet bowl body (2) together with the lower cover (4).

[0058] In the fifth embodiment of the toilet device (1), in any one of the first to fourth embodiments, the lower cover (4) is attached to the bottom (26) of the toilet body (2) and is positioned to protrude below the bottom (26) of the toilet body (2).

[0059] According to this embodiment, a light source device (5) for illuminating the floor surface (S1) can be installed by utilizing the space below the toilet bowl body (2). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 1 Toilet equipment 2 Toilet bowl 26 Bottom 4. Bottom cover 42 parts 44 Light passage section 45 Light-transmitting member 46 Light blocking part 5 Light source device S1 Floor surface

Claims

1. A toilet bowl body having a bottom, the bottom being supported so as to be positioned away from the floor surface, The lower cover attached to the bottom of the toilet bowl body, The system comprises a light source device housed in the lower cover, The lower cover, when attached to the bottom of the toilet bowl body, includes a portion that is positioned above the floor surface with a space between them. The aforementioned portion of the lower cover is provided with a light-transmitting section that allows light emitted from the light source device to pass towards the floor surface. Toilet equipment.

2. The light-transmitting portion includes a light-transmitting member provided to transmit light. Toilet device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned portion of the lower cover includes, in addition to the light-transmitting portion, a light-blocking portion provided to prevent light from passing through. A toilet device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The lower cover is detachably attached to the bottom of the toilet bowl body. The light source device is attached to the lower cover so as to be removable together with the lower cover. Toilet device according to claim 1.

5. The lower cover, when attached to the bottom of the toilet bowl body, is positioned to protrude below the bottom of the toilet bowl body. Toilet device according to claim 1.

Images