Detection Device

Abstract

To provide a detection device capable of suppressing the amount of power to be used.SOLUTION: A detection device in a drainage part of sanitary facility equipment comprises: a detection unit that detects a flow of water; and a control unit that performs control to set a non-notification state in which notification of water detection is not performed based on a state of the water detection by the detection unit. The control unit performs control to set the non-notification state in which the notification of the water detection is not performed when the amount of the water detected by the detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sensing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technology that monitors whether an abnormality occurs in a resident by detecting when the toilet is used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a communication device that is installed at the toilet's water outlet, generates electricity using the water discharged from the outlet, and transmits data to a server using the generated electricity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-121971 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a battery such as a dry cell is used as the power source for a communication device, if the user uses the toilet frequently, the battery will be depleted in a short period of time.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a detection device that can reduce the amount of power used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a detection device in a drainage section of a sanitary equipment, the detection device including a detection unit that detects the flow of water and a control unit that performs control to switch to a non-detection state in which water is not detected based on the detection of water by the detection unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing the detection device of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view showing the detection device of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the detection device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 11 is a timing chart showing control of detection of toilet use. [Diagram 5] 11 is a timing chart showing control when the flow rate of water from the upper water outlet of the toilet flushing water tank is low. [Figure 6] 11 is a timing chart showing control of detection of toilet use at night. [Figure 7] 10 is a timing chart showing control when the remaining battery charge of the detection device becomes low. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Detection device 1 is a device that is detachably placed on the top surface of a hand-washing basin at the top of a toilet flushing water tank, which is a sanitary equipment, and detects the flow of water from a water outlet provided above the top surface of the toilet flushing water tank. Detection device 1 comprises a main body 2 and a control board 50.

[0009] The main body 2 has a cylindrical outer shape and is composed of a lower housing 10 and an upper housing 30. The lower housing 10 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, and has a bottom wall 11 and a side wall 13. The upper part of the lower housing 10 has an opening that opens toward the upper side. The upper housing 30 covers the opening of the lower housing 10 and is formed in a disk shape.

[0010] The outer surface 111 of the bottom wall 11 of the lower housing 10 is configured with a curved surface that is convex downward. The radius of curvature of the curved surface is smaller than the radius of curvature of the upper surface of the hand-washing basin of the toilet flushing water tank on which the detection device 1 is placed. As shown in Fig. 2, the outer surface 111 is provided with protrusions 113 that protrude downward from the outer surface. There are four protrusions 113, which are arranged at predetermined intervals around the center of the bottom wall 11.

[0011] Thus, the radius of curvature of outer surface 111 is smaller than the radius of curvature of the top surface of the hand wash basin of the toilet flush water tank on which detection device 1 is placed. Furthermore, because protrusion 113 is provided, outer surface 111 does not abut on the top surface of the hand wash basin of the toilet flush water tank. As a result, a predetermined gap is formed between outer surface 111 and the top surface of the hand wash basin of the toilet flush water tank. This allows water to flow between outer surface 111 and the top surface of the hand wash basin of the toilet flush water tank.

[0012] A pair of upwardly protruding convex portions 115, 116 are provided at a diametric position on the bottom wall 11 of the lower housing 10. The entire upper end of one of the convex portions 116 has a cylindrically recessed opening. As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of electrodes 118, 119 are provided as a detection unit in a portion of the one of the convex portions 116 below the opening. The pair of electrodes 118, 119 are provided by insert molding in the one of the convex portions 116. The pair of electrodes 118, 119 are provided downstream of the water flow from an inlet portion 35 (described later) of the upper housing 30, and are provided in an annular shape on the inner peripheral surface of the one of the convex portions 116 coaxially with the opening of the one of the convex portions 116, and are arranged at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction.

[0013] That is, the inner circumferential surface of the upper end of one of the convex parts 116 is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the lowermost end of the inlet part 35 of the upper housing 30 described later to form a flow path through which water flows, and the pair of electrodes 118, 119 are arranged at a predetermined interval on the upstream side and downstream side of the flow direction of the water in the flow path. Therefore, when water flows through the flow path and contacts both of the pair of electrodes 118, 119 at the same time, they are conductive, so that electricity flows and it is possible to detect the flow of water. The lower end of one of the convex parts 116 opens downward and forms an outlet part through which the water that has flowed through the flow path flows out. Therefore, the pair of electrodes 118, 119 are arranged at an intermediate position between the inlet part 35 and the outlet part arranged downstream of the inlet part 35 in the flow of water. This intermediate position is configured such that the distance from inflow section 35 is longer than the distance from the outflow section formed by convex section 116 so that when a user of detection device 1 places a finger or the like in inflow section 35 with detection device 1 placed on the top surface of the hand-washing basin of the toilet flushing water tank, the finger or the like is not easily brought into contact with electrodes 118, 119 and it is possible to protect electrodes 118, 119.

[0014] The opening area of ​​the lowermost end of the inflow section 35 is smaller than the opening area of ​​the water outlet in the toilet flushing water tank. That is, the opening of the lowermost end of the inflow section 35 has a shape that is on a horizontal plane that is parallel to the horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the inflow section 35. The area of ​​this opening is smaller than the opening area of ​​the water outlet in the toilet flushing water tank.

[0015] The other protrusion 115 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the upper end of the other protrusion 115 is opened with a reduced diameter. A screw 117 as a fixing tool penetrating a washer 302 and an O-ring 3011 as a sealing member penetrates the upper end of the other protrusion 115. The screw 117 is screwed into a hole formed in a fixed part 303 (described later) of the upper housing 30. The head of the screw 117 presses the O-ring 3011 as a sealing member against the upper end of the other protrusion 115 via the washer 302, and the upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 10 while being sealed watertight via the O-ring 3011 by the screw 117 so that water does not enter the inside of the lower housing 10 through the hole through which the screw 117 penetrates.

[0016] A control board 50 is provided inside the lower housing 10. The control board 50 is provided with a control device 55 and a transmission device (not shown), and the control board 50 has a detection circuit for detecting the flow of water by a pair of electrodes 118, 119. The control device 55 is electrically connected to the pair of electrodes 118, 119. When the flow of water is detected by the pair of electrodes 118, 119, the control device 55 controls the transmission device to notify the aggregation server of the detection of the water flow, for example, via a repeater and a communication network (not shown).

[0017] The control board 50 is provided with two AAA batteries. One of the two AAA batteries, AAA battery 54, is housed in an AAA battery case 53. The other of the two AAA batteries is housed in a case 52 whose outer shape is formed to the outer shape of an AA battery. The two AAA batteries supply electricity to a control device 55 on the control board 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the control board 50 is separated from the bottom surface 112 of the bottom wall 11 of the lower housing 10 by a predetermined space and is disposed above the bottom surface 112 of the bottom wall 11 of the lower housing 10.

[0018] The upper housing 30 has an upper wall 31 formed in a disk shape. Therefore, the upper housing 30 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view. The peripheral portion of the upper wall 31 has a downward extension portion 304 extending in an annular shape in the downward direction, and the outer circumferential surface of the downward extension portion 304 is covered by the upper end portion of the peripheral portion of the lower housing 10 extending upward via an O-ring 3012 as a seal member. As a result, the upper housing 30 is connected to the lower housing 10 in a watertight manner at this portion so that water does not enter the inside of the lower housing 10 from between the peripheral surface of the upper housing 30 and the peripheral surface of the lower housing 10.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the upper surface 311 of the upper wall 31 includes a guide portion 33, an inflow portion 35, and a peripheral convex portion 37. Specifically, the peripheral portion of the upper surface 311 of the upper housing 30 includes a peripheral convex portion 37 that protrudes upward from the upper surface 311 and is formed to go around the peripheral portion. Since it protrudes upward in this manner, it is possible to prevent water on the upper surface 311 from overflowing from the upper surface 311. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the upper surface 311 of the upper housing 30 includes an inflow portion 35 that is recessed so as to protrude downward at a position that is closer to the periphery than the center of the upper surface 311 and is out of the center of the upper surface 311 in a plan view, and a guide portion 33 that gradually becomes lower from the periphery toward the inflow portion 35 is provided between the peripheral portion of the upper housing 30 and the inflow portion 35. The lowest end of the guide portion 33 is integrally molded and connected to the upper end of the inflow portion 35.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom end of the inflow section 35 is inserted and connected to a cylindrical recess at the top end of one of the convex parts 116 of the lower housing 10. As a result, as described above, the inner circumferential surface of the top end of one of the convex parts 116 is connected to the inner circumferential surface of the bottom end of the inflow section 35 of the upper housing 30 described later to form a flow path through which water flows. An O-ring 3013 is provided as a seal member between the outer circumferential surface of the inserted part and the inner circumferential surface of the top end of the convex part 116. In this part, the inner circumferential surface of the top end of the convex part 116 and the outer circumferential surface of the inflow section 35 are connected in a watertight manner so that water does not enter the inside of the lower housing 10 from between the inner circumferential surface of the top end of one of the convex parts 116 and the outer circumferential surface of the inflow section 35. For this reason, the upper housing 30 is fixed in a watertight manner to the lower housing 10 via these O-rings 3011, 3012, and 3013.

[0021] The upper housing 30 is formed in a circular shape in a plan view. An inlet 35 is opened in the upper housing 30. A fixed portion 303 that protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the upper housing 30 toward the inside of the upper housing 30 is provided at a diameter position of the inlet 35. The fixed portion 303 has a positional relationship facing the upper end portion of the other protrusion 115 of the lower housing 10, and as described above, the screw 117 is screwed into the upper housing 30, and the upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 10 by the screw 117 as a fixing device.

[0022] Next, the control by the control device 55 of the detection device 1 configured as above will be described. The basic control when water flows from the toilet flushing water tank's water outlet will be described. As shown by "water discharge" in Fig. 4, when water starts to flow from the toilet flushing water tank's water outlet at time t1, the water flows into the inflow section 35, and as shown by "water sensor" in Fig. 4, it flows to electrodes 118, 119 at time t2, and the control device 55 detects the water flow.

[0023] As shown by "water discharge" in Fig. 4, when the flow of water from the toilet flushing water tank outlet stops at time t3, the water flowing through the electrodes 118, 119 disappears at the subsequent time t4, as shown by "water sensor" in Fig. 4. As shown by "water detection timer" in Fig. 4, the control device 55 starts the water detection timer at t4. Thereafter, as shown by "water detection timer" in Fig. 4, the control device 55 stops the water detection timer at time t5, as shown by "water detection timer" in Fig. 4, and outputs a transmission control signal to the transmission device to transmit a monitoring notification that the water flow has been detected from the transmission device to the aggregation server, as shown by "watching detection" in Fig. 4. Then, as shown by "watching detection" in Fig. 4, the control device 55 performs control to stop the output of the transmission control signal at the subsequent time t6.

[0024] Next, we will explain the control when the flow rate of water from the water outlet at the top of the toilet flushing water tank is low and the amount of water detected by detection device 55 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. As shown by "water discharge" in Fig. 5, when water starts to flow from the water outlet of the toilet flushing water tank at time t11, the water flows into inflow section 35, and as shown by "water sensor" in Fig. 5, it flows to electrodes 118, 119 at time t12, and control device 55 detects the water flow. As shown by "water discharge" in Fig. 5, when the flow of water from the water outlet of the toilet flushing water tank stops at time t13, the water that had been flowing to electrodes 118, 119 disappears at the subsequent time t14, as shown by "water sensor" in Fig. 5.

[0025] At this time, in the case of the basic control described above, the control device 55 starts the water detection timer as shown by "water detection timer" in FIG. 5, then stops the water detection timer at time t15, and outputs a transmission control signal to the transmitting device to transmit a monitoring notification that the water flow has been detected from the transmitting device to the aggregation server as shown by "watching detection" in FIG. 5. The control device 55 controls to stop the output of the transmission control signal at time t16 thereafter as shown by "watching detection" in FIG. 5. However, in the case of this control, since the time from time t12 to time t13 is shorter than the predetermined time set in advance, the control device 55 does not control to start the water detection timer at time t14 as shown by "water detection timer" in FIG. For this reason, as shown by "watching detection" in FIG. 5, a non-notification state is established in which no monitoring notification is sent from the transmitting device to the aggregation server to inform that the water flow has been detected.

[0026] Next, the control of detection of toilet use during a specific time period, for example, during the night, will be described. When water starts to flow from the water outlet of the toilet flushing water tank at time t21, as shown by "water discharge" in FIG. 6, the water flows into the inflow section 35, and as shown by "water sensor" in FIG. 6, the water flows to the electrodes 118 and 119 at time t22, and the control device 55 detects the water flow. After that, as shown by "detection timer" in FIG. 6, the control device 55 starts the detection timer at time t23. After that, the control device 55 stops the detection timer at time t24, and outputs a transmission control signal to the transmission device to transmit a monitoring notification that the water flow has been detected from the transmission device to the aggregation server, as shown by "watching detection" in FIG. 6. Then, the control device 55 controls to stop the output of the transmission control signal at the following time t25.

[0027] Thereafter, as shown by "Water Discharge" in FIG. 6, the flow of water from the toilet flushing water tank outlet stops at time t26, and then, as shown by "Water Sensor" in FIG. 6, the water that had been flowing to electrodes 118, 119 disappears at subsequent time t27, as shown by "Water Sensor" in FIG. 6, and control device 55 starts a night timer, as shown by "Night Timer" in FIG. 6.

[0028] Then, as shown by "water discharge" in FIG. 6, when water starts to flow from the water outlet of the toilet flushing water tank at time t28, water flows into the inflow section 35, and as shown by "water sensor" in FIG. 6, it flows to the electrodes 118, 119 at time t29, and the control device 55 detects the water flow. Then, as shown by "detection timer" in FIG. 6, the control device 55 starts the detection timer at time t30. Then, the control device 55 stops the detection timer at time t31. The night timer that started at time t27 has not yet stopped. Therefore, the control device 55 does not output to the transmitting device a signal for controlling transmission to transmit a monitoring notification that the water flow has been detected from the transmitting device to the aggregation server. Therefore, a non-notification state is set in which no monitoring notification is sent from the transmitting device to the aggregation server that the water flow has been detected. Then, the control device 55 stops the night timer at time t32, as shown by "night timer" in FIG. 6.

[0029] Next, a control when the remaining battery charge of the detection device 1 becomes low will be described. As shown in Fig. 7, when the battery charge sensor provided on the control board 50 detects that the remaining battery charge of the detection device 1 becomes less than a predetermined amount at time t41 as shown by "battery charge sensor" in Fig. 7, the control device 55 outputs a signal for controlling transmission to the transmission device to transmit a notification that the remaining battery charge of the detection device 1 is low from the transmission device to the aggregation server at time t42 as shown by "battery exhaustion notification" in Fig. 7, and outputs a signal for displaying the fact that the remaining battery charge of the detection device 1 is low to the remote control device (not shown) which is an operation unit for performing various operations in the toilet device, to the remote control device, and causes the remote control device to display the message.

[0030] According to this embodiment, the following effects are achieved. This embodiment includes a main body 2, an inflow section 35 that is provided on an upper surface 331 of the main body 2 and into which water that has flowed onto the upper surface 331 flows, and electrodes 118, 119 that are provided downstream of the water flow of the inflow section 35 in the main body 2 and serve as detectors that detect the water flow. As a result, water flows down from the spout of the toilet flushing water tank onto the upper surface 331 of the main body 2, causing the water to flow into the inflow section 35 and then reliably flow to the electrodes 118, 119, making it possible to reliably detect the water flow.

[0031] In this embodiment, the upper surface 331 has a guide portion 33 that guides water to the inflow portion 35. This makes it possible to reliably guide water from the spout of the toilet flushing water tank, which has flowed down onto the upper surface 331 of the main body portion 2, to the inflow portion 35.

[0032] In this embodiment, the inflow section 35 is disposed at a position that is offset from the center of the upper surface 331 in a plan view. This makes it possible for water to flow into the inflow section 35 even if the water from the toilet flushing water tank outlet does not flow down to the center of the upper surface 331.

[0033] In this embodiment, the electrodes 118, 119 as the detection unit are disposed at an intermediate position between the inflow section 35 and the outflow section that is provided in the main body section 2 and disposed downstream of the flow of water relative to the inflow section 35. As a result, the electrodes 118, 119 are disposed at positions inside the main body section 2 away from the inflow section 35 and the outflow section, respectively, and even if a finger or the like is inserted into either the inflow section 35 or the outflow section, it is not easy to come into contact with the electrodes 118, 119, making it possible to protect the electrodes 118, 119.

[0034] In this embodiment, the opening area of ​​the inflow section 35 is smaller than the opening area of ​​the water outlet of the sanitary equipment. This makes it possible to make the amount of water flowing into the inflow section 35 smaller than the amount of water flowing out from the outlet, and makes it possible to temporarily store the water entering the inflow section 35 upstream of the inflow section 35. This makes it possible for a predetermined amount of water to pass through the electrodes 118, 119, and makes it possible for the electrodes 118, 119 to reliably detect water.

[0035] In this embodiment, the device includes a main body 2 having an upper housing 30 and a lower housing 10 that can be separated in the vertical direction, and a control board 50 that is disposed inside the main body 2 and has a detection circuit for detecting the flow of water into the main body 2. This allows the upper housing 30 to be configured to cover the upper part of the lower housing 10, making it possible to provide a detection device 1 having a structure that makes it difficult for water to enter the inside of the main body 2 of the detection device 1. In this embodiment, the upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 10 in a watertight manner via O-rings 3011, 3012, and 3013 as sealing members. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent water from entering the inside of the main body 2.

[0036] In this embodiment, the upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 10 by screws 117 as fasteners. This makes it possible to reliably maintain the state in which the upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 10.

[0037] In this embodiment, the control board 50 is separated from the bottom surface 112 of the bottom wall 11 of the lower housing 10 by a predetermined space and is disposed above the bottom surface 112 of the bottom wall 11 of the lower housing 10. This makes it possible to prevent the control board 50 from being immersed in water even in the unlikely event that water infiltrates into the main body 2.

[0038] In this embodiment, the toilet includes a main body 2, electrodes 118, 119 provided on the main body 2 as a detector that detects water flow, and a control device 55 as a controller that performs control to switch to a non-detection state in which water is not detected based on the state of water detection by the electrodes 118, 119. This makes it possible to avoid issuing an alert when the electrodes 118, 119 detect a slight water flow that is not the case when the toilet is normally in use, so that it is possible to conserve battery power and reduce the amount of power used by the detection device 1.

[0039] In this embodiment, the control device 55 performs control to switch to a non-alert state in which no notification is given of the detection of water when the amount of water detected by the electrodes 118, 119 is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. This makes it possible to avoid giving a notification in cases such as when a small amount of water adhering to the water outlet at the top of the toilet flushing water tank flows down and is detected by the electrodes 118, 119. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of power used by the detection device 1.

[0040] In this embodiment, the control device 55 performs control to set the detection device 1 to a non-alert state during the nighttime hours, in which no notification is made regarding the detection of water by the electrodes 118, 119. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of power used by the detection device 1 during hours when the toilet is not normally used.

[0041] In this embodiment, the main body 2 is provided with a battery 54 that supplies electricity to the control device 55, and the control device 55 performs control to notify the user when the remaining charge of the battery 54 is equal to or less than a predetermined level. This makes it easy to recognize that the remaining charge of the battery 54 in the detection device 1 is equal to or less than the predetermined level.

[0042] The sanitary equipment is constituted by a toilet flush water tank, and the detection device 1 detects the discharge of water from the toilet flush water tank. This makes it possible to reduce consumption of the battery 54 of the detection device 1 used in the tray.

[0043] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope that can achieve the object of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure.

[0044] The configurations of the main body, the detection unit, the seal member, etc. are not limited to the configurations of the main body 2, the electrodes 118, 119, the O-rings 3011, 3012, 3013, etc. in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the sanitary equipment is constituted by a toilet flush water tank. However, it is not limited to this.

[0045] In this embodiment, the control device 55 performs control not to issue a notification during the nighttime hours. This is not limited to the configuration. For example, after performing control to transmit a monitoring notification that a water flow has been detected once from the transmitting device to the aggregation server, control not to issue a notification until a predetermined time has elapsed. This is because, for example, when monitoring an elderly person living alone using the detection device 1, if the water flow can be detected once, it is possible to recognize that the elderly person has gone to the toilet, and there is no need to frequently detect it immediately after that. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1. Detection device 2 Main unit 50 Control Board 55 Control device (control unit) 118, 119 Pair of electrodes (detection unit)

Claims

1. A detection device for a drainage section of a sanitary equipment, comprising: A detection unit that detects the flow of water; A control unit that performs control to set the device to a non-notification state in which no notification of the detection of the water flow is made based on the state of the detection of the water flow by the detection unit, The control unit of the detection device issues an alarm when the amount of water detected by the detection unit exceeds a predetermined amount and the detection unit detects a water flow during a time period other than a predetermined time period, and controls the detection device to enter a non-alarm state when the amount of water detected by the detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, or when the detection unit detects a water flow during a predetermined time period.

2. A battery is provided to power the control unit, The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit performs control to notify the user that the remaining battery charge is low when the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

3. The sanitary equipment comprises a toilet flush water tank; The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, which detects the discharge of water from the toilet flush water tank.

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