Toilet equipment

Abstract

To provide a toilet bowl device that can easily and reliably calculate an approximate size of excrement for determining the state of the excrement and also protect the privacy of a user.SOLUTION: A toilet bowl device comprises: a bowl 12; an ultrasonic sensor 22 that is provided so that ultrasonic waves pass through reservoir water 31 in the bowl; and a calculation unit that measures a passage time of the ultrasonic waves in the reservoir water 31 by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic sensor 22, and calculates an approximate size of excrement in the reservoir water 31 based on the passage time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a toilet apparatus capable of calculating an approximate size of excrement excreted in accumulated water in a bowl. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, many toilet devices have been proposed that allow health observation based on feces (stool) excreted into a bowl. The toilet device described in Patent Document 1 uses a camera to capture the feces as it falls and analyzes it. In addition, this documented technology masks the image area of ​​the camera image that corresponds to the user's body in order to protect the user's privacy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-137707 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned document, since the timing of the dropping of the feces in the bowl is a very short time interval and the space in which the feces falls is a very small area, it is difficult to correctly capture the entire feces. Also, even if the image area corresponding to the body is masked as described above, some users are reluctant to install a camera in the toilet room or on the toilet bowl.

[0005] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a toilet device that can easily and reliably calculate the approximate size of excrement in order to determine the condition of the excrement, and that can also protect the privacy of the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the toilet device of the present invention comprises a bowl, an ultrasonic sensor arranged so that ultrasonic waves pass through the accumulated water in the bowl, and a calculation unit that measures the transit time of the ultrasonic waves in the accumulated water by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic sensor, and calculates an approximate size of excrement in the accumulated water based on the transit time. the calculation unit is configured to measure, as the passing time, a time taken for a reflected wave generated when the ultrasonic wave passes through a boundary portion between a plurality of media including the excrement and the pooled water to return to the ultrasonic sensor, and to calculate the approximate size of the excrement using the measured passing time, the boundary portion including an end face of the excrement. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0007] Since the toilet device of the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to easily and reliably calculate the approximate size of the excrement in order to determine the state of the excrement, and also to protect the privacy of the user. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a basic block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a toilet apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of the toilet device, and FIG. 2(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of a toilet device of another example. [Diagram 3] 13(a) and (b) are schematic diagrams for explaining the principle of calculating the approximate size of stool by transmitting and receiving ultrasound in pooled water. [Figure 4] 13(a) and 13(b) are schematic diagrams showing two examples of calculation modes of approximate stool dimensions by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic sensor installed at the bottom. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the calculation mode of the approximate dimensions. [Figure 6] FIG. 1(a) is a schematic diagram showing one example of how the approximate dimensions of a stool are calculated by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves using an ultrasonic sensor installed on the side, and FIG. 1(b) and (c) are schematic diagrams showing other examples of how the same approximate dimensions are calculated. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a calculation mode of an approximate volume of stool by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves by an ultrasonic sensor. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a basic schematic configuration of a toilet device according to the embodiment will be described.

[0010] The toilet device 1 includes a bowl 12 and an ultrasonic sensor 22 that is provided so that ultrasonic waves pass through the accumulated water 31 in the bowl 12. The toilet device 1 further includes a calculation unit 23 that measures the transit time of the ultrasonic waves in the accumulated water 31 by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves using the ultrasonic sensor 22, and calculates the approximate size of the excrement in the accumulated water 31 based on the transit time. Next, the detailed configuration of this toilet device will be described.

[0011] Figures 1 to 7 are explanatory diagrams of a toilet apparatus 1. Note that Figures 2(a) and (b) are schematic cross-sectional views showing the interior of a toilet apparatus 1 in two forms with different flushing methods (structures), and either method may be used.

[0012] The toilet device 1 is a western-style toilet device that is seated and fixed to the floor or wall in the toilet space. The main body 10 of this toilet device 1 is built in such a way that the bowl 12 that opens upwards is surrounded by a skirt part 11, and above the bowl 12, a toilet seat 21 and a toilet lid 20 are provided, which are mutually on the same rotation axis and can be raised and lowered freely relative to the opening of the bowl 12. The material of the bowl 12 may be either resin or ceramic.

[0013] A toilet flushing unit 13 is disposed in the internal space of skirt portion 11, which drains wastewater from within bowl 12 and supplies flushing water from water supply port 14 into bowl 12 to clean the inside of bowl 12. This toilet flushing unit 13 has a water supply mechanism and a drainage mechanism.

[0014] The water supply mechanism includes a water supply port 14, a cleaning water supply passage 15 which supplies cleaning water supplied from a water pipe (not shown) into the bowl 12 through the water supply port 14, and a water supply valve 16 arranged midway along the cleaning water supply passage 15 which supplies or cuts off the water supply to the bowl 12.

[0015] The drainage mechanism shown in Figure 2(a) has a cylindrical, bent trap 17 that is connected to extend rearward from the bottom of bowl 12, and trap 17 extends further downward and is connected to drain port 18. This type of drainage mechanism includes the siphon type, siphon jet type, and siphon vortex type, and is a mechanism that creates a drainage state or a water-sealing state by the siphon action.

[0016] The drainage mechanism may also have a structure having a movable trap 17A as shown in Fig. 2(b). This trap 17A is rotated in the direction of the arrow by a drive unit (not shown) to form a drainage state or a water-sealing state. In the illustrated example, trap 17A is in a position for a water-sealing state, and in the drainage state, trap 17A rotates so that the open end of trap 17A faces drain outlet 18. Trap 17A is surrounded by a trap case (not shown) to prevent wastewater and odors from leaking to the outside.

[0017] Furthermore, a drainage mechanism that is neither a siphon type nor a movable type, such as a wash-down type drainage mechanism, can also be applied to the toilet bowl apparatus 1.

[0018] In addition, in the illustrated example, the toilet device 1 is shown as a tankless type that is directly connected to a water supply and does not have a flush tank (low tank), but it may be configured to have a flush tank.

[0019] As described above, the toilet device 1 is equipped with the ultrasonic sensor 22. This ultrasonic sensor 22 may be provided on the bottom 12a of the bowl 12 as shown in Figures 2(a) and (b), or may be provided on the side 12b as described below.

[0020] Also, it is preferable that ultrasonic sensor 22 is embedded on the outside of bowl 12. Whether bowl 12 is made of resin or ceramic, ultrasonic waves transmitted from the outside of bowl 12 pass through bowl 12 and accumulated water 31 in bowl 12, so ultrasonic sensor 22 can be provided on the outside of bowl 12 without any problems. However, ultrasonic sensor 22 may be provided on the inside of bowl 12. When installing ultrasonic sensor 22 on the outside of bowl 12, an acoustic matching layer may be provided to prevent air with low acoustic impedance from entering between ultrasonic sensor 22 and bowl 12 and reflecting ultrasonic waves.

[0021] The toilet device 1 further includes a seating sensor 24 that detects whether a person is sitting on or leaving the toilet seat 21, and a human presence sensor 25 that detects whether a person is present or absent. The seating sensor 24 may be, for example, a load sensor that is built into the toilet seat 21 and detects whether a person is sitting on or leaving the toilet, or an infrared sensor that detects whether a person is sitting on or leaving the toilet seat from near the rotation shaft of the toilet seat 21. The human presence sensor 25 may be, for example, an infrared sensor.

[0022] The toilet device 1 further comprises an operation unit 27. This operation unit 27 comprises a defecation flush button (not shown) and a urination flush button (not shown) which output flushing instructions to the toilet flushing unit 13 via the control unit 5, a toilet seat opening / closing operation unit (not shown), and a toilet lid opening / closing operation unit (not shown). It is preferable that the operation unit 27 is provided in both the main body operation unit (not shown) and the remote control (not shown). These are also provided with operation switches and operation buttons for various operations and settings. An infrared communication type is preferably used as the remote control.

[0023] The toilet device 1 is equipped with a control unit 5 which controls the above-mentioned controlled objects (such as the water supply valve 16 of the toilet flushing unit 13, the toilet lid drive unit (not shown), and the toilet seat drive unit (not shown)) while receiving output signals from the operation unit 27, the ultrasonic sensor 22, the seating sensor 24, the human presence sensor 25, etc. This control unit 5 is composed of a processor such as a CPU or MPU and various programs. The calculation unit 23 operates under the control of this control unit 5. The toilet device 1 further comprises a timing unit 29 and a power supply unit (not shown).

[0024] The toilet device 1 also includes a notification unit 28, which is configured with a speaker or the like that notifies the user of device abnormalities, status, and guidance by sound or voice synthesis. Note that the notification unit 28 may be configured with a display such as an LED instead of or in addition to a sound output device.

[0025] Next, specific operational aspects of the toilet device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 7. First, the principle of calculating the approximate size of excrement in collected water will be described with reference to Figures 3(a) and (b). Excrement includes feces 32 (feces) and urine (urination).

[0026] The method for calculating the approximate size of excrement in this toilet device 1 utilizes the fact that the speed of sound propagation differs depending on the medium. For this purpose, an ultrasonic sensor 22 is used. More specifically, since the acoustic impedance, which is an index of how easily sound propagates, differs depending on the medium or its density, different media will result in different propagation speeds for sound even if the propagation distance is the same.

[0027] Therefore, even if the distance traveled by the ultrasonic waves is the same in the collected water 31 in the bowl 12 that does not contain excrement (feces 32) and the collected water 31 that contains feces 32, the time it takes for the ultrasonic waves to pass through the water is different. By utilizing this principle, it is possible to determine whether or not feces 32 is present in the collected water 31.

[0028] In addition, when ultrasonic waves pass through multiple media, they are reflected at the boundaries between them. The time it takes for the reflected waves to return can be used to calculate various approximate sizes.

[0029] 3(a) is a diagram showing various aspects of ultrasonic waves transmitted and reflected by ultrasonic sensor 22 provided on bottom 12a. As shown in this figure, when there is a stool 32 in pooled water 31, the transmitted waves transmitted from ultrasonic sensor 22 are reflected by the bottom surface of stool 32, the transmitted waves that pass through the bottom surface of stool 32 are reflected by the top surface of stool 32, and the transmitted waves that pass through the top surface of stool 32 are reflected by the surface of pooled water 31. These reflected waves return to the bottom side 12a and are received by ultrasonic sensor 22 on bottom 12a. Also, part of the reflected waves reflected by the surface of pooled water 31 are reflected between the top surface of stool 32 and the top surface of pooled water 31.

[0030] As described above, the toilet device 1 calculates the approximate size of excrement based on the transit time (arrival time) of ultrasonic waves in the pooled water 31. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 to Fig. 6, the calculation target is the approximate dimensions of stool 32, while in the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, the calculation target is the approximate volume (amount) of at least one of urine and stool 32.

[0031] This type of calculation method calculates the approximate dimensions of the excrement (the feces 32 in Fig. 3) based on the time difference until two types of reflected waves of the transmitted wave (the reflected wave from the bottom surface of the feces 32 and the reflected wave from the top surface of the feces 32) are received, as shown in the received waveform in Fig. 3(b), for example. Here, it is desirable to calculate the approximate dimensions assuming that the density of the feces 32 as a medium is constant, and that the propagation speed is also constant.

[0032] The measurement of the arrival time may be performed by cooperation between the calculation unit 23 and the timer unit 29. Also, various approximate dimensions can be calculated based on the arrival time itself, not just the time difference between the arrival times.

[0033] The approximate size that can be calculated based on the ultrasonic wave arrival time includes the approximate dimensions of the stool 32, such as thickness, length, and shape, and also the approximate volume of the stool 32 and urine. When expressing the approximate size numerically, it may be expressed as "time" itself or "time x coefficient".

[0034] Various examples will be described below. Although Fig. 3 to Fig. 5 show an example in which the feces 32 floats with its longitudinal direction aligned with the horizontal direction, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible for the feces 32 to float with its longitudinal direction aligned with the vertical direction. As such, the feces 32 remains in the pooled water 31 in various states, and therefore, below, the thickness and length of the feces 32 will be expressed by adding an "X value" that indicates the size of the feces 32 in the horizontal direction and a "Y value" that indicates the size of the feces 32 in the vertical direction.

[0035] When an ultrasonic sensor 22 is provided on the bottom 12a as in Fig. 3(a) to calculate the thickness (Y value) of stool 32 floating laterally, one ultrasonic sensor 22 may be configured to both transmit and receive ultrasonic waves as shown in Fig. 4(a). Also, as shown in Fig. 4(b), separate ultrasonic sensors 22 may be provided for transmission and reception. Furthermore, two or more ultrasonic sensors 22 for reception may be provided.

[0036] With one ultrasonic sensor 22, the approximate size calculation system using ultrasonic waves can be realized with a simpler configuration and at a lower cost. With multiple ultrasonic sensors 22, the transmitting and receiving ultrasonic sensors 22 can be arranged so that the reflected waves can be received reliably, improving the reliability of measurement. With multiple receiving ultrasonic sensors 22, the failure to receive ultrasonic waves can be reduced as much as possible.

[0037] Moreover, by providing ultrasonic sensors 22 at three or more locations on the bottom 12a as shown in Fig. 5, it is possible to calculate various other approximate dimensions. In the example of Fig. 5, the thickness (Y value) and length (X value) of the stool 32 can be calculated.

[0038] Specifically, the ultrasonic sensor 22 on the left in Fig. 5 can measure the underwater transit time by receiving the reflected wave, as the emitted wave passes through a portion where there is no feces 32, and is reflected by the water surface. The arrival time of the ultrasonic wave reflected from the water surface when there is no feces 32 is stored as a water surface reference value, and by comparing the arrival time after excretion with the water surface reference value, it can be determined whether or not the arrival time is due to water surface reflection at a portion where there is no feces 32.

[0039] 5 receives the reflected wave because the transmitted wave is reflected by the stool 32. Since there is a time difference between the arrival time of the reflected wave and the water level reference value, it is determined that the ultrasonic wave has been reflected by the stool 32.

[0040] As in the example of Figure 5, when one of two adjacent ultrasonic sensors 22 reflects waves when no feces 32 is present and the other reflects waves when feces 32 is present, the calculation unit 23 can determine that the end of the feces 32 (the left end in the example) is located between them.

[0041] 5, the ultrasonic sensor 22 on the right is disposed at a position corresponding to the right end of the stool 32 in the illustrated example, so that the reflected waves from the water surface and the reflected waves from the stool 32 are mixed. The calculation unit 23 can determine the end of the stool 32 by analyzing these reflected waves. Specifically, the ultrasonic sensor 22 receives reflected waves that pass through a portion where there is no stool 32 and are reflected by the water surface, and reflected waves that pass through the stool 32 and are reflected by the water surface, but because these waves have different arrival times and sound pressure intensities, the end of the stool 32 can be determined based on these.

[0042] In this manner, in the example of FIG. 5, calculation unit 23 calculates the approximate longitudinal end positions of feces 32 floating sideways in pooled water 31, and is thereby able to calculate the length (Y value) of feces 32.

[0043] Furthermore, the two ultrasonic sensors 22 in the center of Fig. 5 can calculate the thickness (X value) of the stool 32 in any of them, similar to the one shown in Fig. 4(a). In other words, if ultrasonic sensors 22 that receive waves reflected by the stool 32 are arranged in multiple locations, the calculation unit 23 can calculate the thickness (X value) of the stool 32 at multiple locations.

[0044] Furthermore, if the thickness and length of each part in the longitudinal direction of the stool 32 are calculated, the general shape of the stool 32 can also be calculated. The more ultrasonic sensors 22 provided on the bottom 12a, the more precisely the length, thickness, and shape of the stool 32 can be calculated.

[0045] 5 shows an example in which the stool 32 floats sideways, but it is possible to calculate the approximate dimensions of the stool 32 even if it floats upright in the vertical direction. Note that the ultrasonic sensor 22 may be provided on the side portion 12b instead of or in addition to the bottom portion 12a. The ultrasonic sensor 22 provided on the side portion 12b does not easily reflect the emitted waves from the surface of the pooled water 31, but can reflect the waves from the opposite side portion 12b, so the approximate dimensions of the stool 32 can be calculated in a manner similar to the calculation methods exemplified in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0046] Moreover, FIG. 6(a) is a diagram for explaining one method for measuring the approximate dimensions of the stool 32 using an ultrasonic sensor 22 provided on the side portion 12b, and FIGS. 6(b) and (c) are diagrams for explaining other methods.

[0047] Fig. 6(a) shows a method for calculating the length of the stool (X value) from the time difference between the arrival time of the reflected wave reflected at one end (left surface) of the stool 32 and the arrival time of the reflected wave reflected at the other end (right surface). In principle, this method is the same as that shown in Fig. 4(a).

[0048] Also, Figure 6( 13B)(c) is an example diagram showing a method of calculating the approximate length of the stool 32 by placing a transmitting ultrasonic sensor 22 on one of the opposing side portions 12b and a receiving ultrasonic sensor 22 on the other side.

[0049] In this method, before excretion, when only water 31, without feces 32, is stored in the bowl 12, a pair of ultrasonic sensors 22 measure the arrival time (horizontal reference value) ( Figure 6( After defecation, the calculation unit 23 can calculate the length of the stool 32 by measuring the time difference between the measured arrival time and the lateral reference value.

[0050] As described above, the ultrasonic sensor 22 provided on the side portion 12b can also measure the thickness (Y value) of the floating feces 32 that stands up in the vertical direction. If multiple ultrasonic sensors 22 can be installed on the side portion 12b, the length (Y value) of the floating feces 32 that stands up in the vertical direction can also be calculated.

[0051] The above describes the cases where the ultrasonic sensor 22 is provided only on the bottom portion 12a and only on the side portion 12b, but it may also be provided on both the bottom portion 12a and the side portion 12b to calculate various approximate dimensions.

[0052] By using such a toilet apparatus 1, it is possible to calculate the approximate size (approximate dimensions such as thickness and length) of the feces 32 among the excrement in the above manner.

[0053] Next, a method for calculating an approximate volume of excrement will be described with reference to Figures 7(a) and (b). In Figure 7, an example in which ultrasonic sensor 22 is provided on bottom portion 12a of bowl 12 is shown.

[0054] This calculation method calculates the change in the water level of the pooled water 31 based on the time difference between the time taken for the wave to travel from the time the transmitted wave is sent to the time the reflected wave is received before and after excretion. Figure 7(a) shows the state where there is no urine or feces 32 in the pooled water 31, and Figure 7(b) shows the state after excretion. As urine and feces 32 remain in the pooled water 31 after excretion, the water level changes from L0 to L1.

[0055] In this method, prior to excretion, as shown in Fig. 7(a), the round trip time of ultrasonic waves (standard water level change value) is calculated when there is no urine or feces 32 in collected water 31. Calculation unit 23 calculates the time difference between the round trip time of ultrasonic waves after excretion (see Fig. 7(b)) and the standard water level change value before excretion, calculates the amount of change in bowl 12 based on this time difference, and calculates the approximate volume based on this amount of change.

[0056] Since ultrasonic waves pass through the feces 32, it is preferable to provide a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 22 and use the round trip time of the ultrasonic sensors 22 located in positions where feces 32 are less likely to remain.

[0057] When using this calculation method, it is assumed that the water level of the water 31 in the traps 17, 17A does not reach the upper limit before and after excretion, as shown in Figures 2(a) and (b). In this way, as long as the water in the bowl 12 and traps 17, 17A does not exceed the upper limit due to excretion of urine or feces 32 and flow out into the drain 18, the volume of urine and feces 32 can be calculated using this method.

[0058] By using this calculation method, when excretion is only defecation or only urination, urine and feces 32 are not mixed in the collected water 31, so the calculation unit 23 can calculate the approximate volume of each of the feces 32 and urine. If both feces 32 and urine remain, the calculation unit 23 can calculate the approximate volume of both.

[0059] The water level change reference value can be the same as the water level reference value used in the embodiment of Fig. 5. The water level change reference value and the water level reference value are numerical values ​​when there is no excrement in the collected water 31. These reference values ​​may be constants obtained in advance by measurement or the like, but assuming that the water level of the collected water 31 before excretion changes due to the environment, the calculation unit 23 may measure before excretion as described above.

[0060] Specifically, the calculation unit 23 may measure the reference value when the human detection means detects a person before excretion. Examples of the human detection means include the human sensor 25 or the seat sensor 24, and the measurement may be performed when the human sensor 25 detects a person entering the room or when the seat sensor 24 detects a person sitting down.

[0061] As described above, the toilet device 1 is configured to be able to calculate the approximate dimensions and volume of excrement, and therefore the calculation results calculated by the calculation unit 23 are notified by the notification unit 28 each time the user excretes, thereby making it possible to provide the user with health management information.

[0062] In addition, because the present toilet device 1 is configured to use the ultrasonic sensor 22, as long as the excrement remains in the accumulated water 31, the state of the excrement can be detected during that time, making it easier to calculate the approximate size. This provides higher detection accuracy and reliability than detection while the excrement is moving (falling).

[0063] Furthermore, since there is no need to use a sensor such as a camera other than the ultrasonic sensor 22, and the ultrasonic sensor 22 only needs to be attached to the bowl 12, the approximate size calculation system can be realized with a simple configuration. Furthermore, since there is no need to use a camera, images of human private parts and excrement are not stored, and the privacy of the user can be protected.

[0064] It is desirable to store the information calculated by the calculation unit 23 in the toilet device 1 or an external device, linked to each user. For example, aggregate information on the approximate size of excrement for a predetermined period (for example, one day) may be stored for each user.

[0065] By storing the aggregated information and other calculated data in this manner for each user, it is possible to perform long-term health management for each user. In order for the toilet device 1 to identify the user, an identification code that can identify the individual can be registered in the toilet device 1, and the user can enter the identification code when using the toilet device. In addition, data for a day can be summarized or added up and displayed on an external device such as a smartphone.

[0066] In a configuration capable of calculating both the approximate dimensions and the approximate volume, an error (numerical discrepancy) may occur between the calculated approximate dimensions and the approximate volume. Since the error may be caused by the density of the stool 32, the error may also be used to determine whether the stool 32 is in a hard or soft state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 Toilet equipment 5. Control section 11 Skirt Club 12. Bowl 12a bottom 12b Side 13 Toilet flushing section 14 Water inlet 15 Cleaning water supply line 16 Water supply valve 17, 17A Trap section 18 Drain 20 toilet lid 21 Toilet seat 22 Ultrasonic Sensor 23 Calculation section 24 Human Sensor 25 Seat Sensor 27 Control section 28. Notification Department 29 Timing section 31 Reservoir Flight 32

Claims

1. A bowl and an ultrasonic sensor arranged so that ultrasonic waves pass through the water in the bowl; a calculation unit that measures a transit time of the ultrasonic waves in the pooled water by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic sensor, and calculates an approximate size of the excrement in the pooled water based on the transit time; The calculation unit is configured to measure the time it takes for the reflected wave generated when the ultrasonic wave passes through the boundary between multiple media including the excrement and the accumulated water to return to the ultrasonic sensor as the transit time, and to calculate the approximate size of the excrement using the measured transit time, wherein the boundary includes an edge surface of the excrement.

2. In claim 1, the ultrasonic sensor is configured to receive reflected waves generated by a transmitted wave being reflected by both end faces of the feces in one direction of the excrement in the collected water, A toilet device characterized in that the calculation unit calculates the approximate dimensions of the toilet based on the time difference between the arrival time from the transmission of the transmitted wave to the reception of the reflected wave corresponding to each of both end faces in one direction of the toilet.

3. In claim 1 or 2, A toilet apparatus comprising a plurality of the ultrasonic sensors.

4. In claim 3, The toilet apparatus is characterized in that the calculation unit calculates approximate dimensions of a plurality of portions of the excrement along one direction of the stool.

5. In any one of claims 1 to 4, The ultrasonic sensor is configured to receive a reflected wave generated when a transmitted wave is reflected by a surface of the pooled water, The toilet device is characterized in that the calculation unit measures the round-trip time from sending the transmitted wave to receiving the reflected wave before and after excretion, calculates the change in water level of the accumulated water based on the time difference between the round-trip times, and calculates the approximate volume of the excrement in the accumulated water based on the water level change.

6. In claim 5, The seat further includes a person detection means for detecting a person before sitting down, A toilet device characterized in that, when the human detection means detects a human being, the reference value of the water level change is calculated based on the round-trip time from transmission of the transmitted wave to reception of the reflected wave.

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