Toilet system

Abstract

To provide a technique about a process execution method in a situation for managing states of toilet bowls of a plurality of toilet bowl devices.SOLUTION: A toilet bowl system includes a plurality of toilet bowl devices, and a management terminal. Each of the plurality of toilet bowl devices includes a toilet bowl, a detection part for detecting a state of the toilet bowl in order to specify that the toilet bowl is clogged, and a toilet bowl side control part for acquiring a detection result from the detection part. The management terminal is provided with a management side control part for executing at least one process among processes of: specifying that the toilet bowl is clogged by using a detection result; specifying a clogged state; determining whether to notify a user of a clogged state related to a clogging occurrence; notifying of clogging information in the case of determining that the clogging information should be notified of; and updating a computer program.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a toilet system including a plurality of toilet devices and a management terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a toilet device that detects the water level in a toilet bowl using a detection unit, which may be a radio wave sensor, a capacitance sensor, a pressure sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, an optical distance sensor, or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-66890 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, when the state of the toilet bowl, such as the water level in the toilet bowl, is detected, information corresponding to the detection result is notified to the user. In the above-mentioned technology, in a situation where the states of the toilet bowls in multiple toilet devices are managed, how to execute the processing necessary to detect the state of the toilet bowl and notify the user of information corresponding to the detection result has not been considered.

[0005] Techniques are provided herein regarding how to perform processes in the context of managing the state of toilet bowls in multiple toilet systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a toilet system. The toilet system includes a plurality of toilet devices and a management terminal communicably connected to each of the plurality of toilet devices. Each of the plurality of toilet devices includes a toilet, a detection unit that detects the state of the toilet to determine whether a clog has occurred in the toilet, and a toilet-side control unit that acquires the detection result from the detection unit. The management terminal may also include a management-side control unit that executes at least one of the following processes: an occurrence identification process that uses the detection result to determine whether a clog has occurred in the toilet, a state identification process that, if a clog has been determined to have occurred in the toilet, determines whether clog information related to the clog should be notified to a user; a notification process that, if it is determined that a clog should be notified, notifies the user of the clog information; and an update process that updates a computer program for at least one of the occurrence identification process, the state identification process, the notification determination process, and the notification process.

[0007] Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in this specification are described in the following "Description of Embodiments of the Invention." [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows a side view of a flush toilet according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 shows a rear perspective view of a flush toilet according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of the toilet device of the embodiment taken at the center in the left-right direction. [Figure 4] 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a water level detection device. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a toilet system. [Figure 7] 10 shows a flowchart of a clogging detection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Toilet system configuration) As shown in Figure 6, the toilet system 1 includes a plurality of toilet devices 100, a management terminal 60, and a server 90. In the toilet system 1, the management terminal 60 is used to manage the plurality of toilet devices 100.

[0010] (Outline of the structure of a flush toilet) The toilet apparatus 100 is a so-called wall-hung flush toilet that is fixed to a wall 9. The toilet apparatus 100 comprises a toilet bowl 6, a tank 2, a water level detection device 10, a control device 40, and an operating device 80. The toilet bowl 6 comprises a toilet body 6m, a toilet seat 6s, a toilet lid 6c, a flush pipe 4, and a drain pipe 8.

[0011] Hereinafter, the direction in which the tank 2 and toilet bowl 6 are lined up will be referred to as the front-to-rear direction. In the front-to-rear direction, the side on which the toilet bowl 6 is arranged relative to the tank 2 will be referred to as the front side in the front-to-rear direction, and the side on which the tank 2 is arranged relative to the wall 9 will be referred to as the rear side in the front-to-rear direction. The horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction will be referred to as the left-to-right direction. In the left-to-right direction, the back side of the paper in Figure 1 will be referred to as the right side, and the front side of the paper in Figure 1 will be referred to as the left side. The vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction will be referred to as the up-to-down direction. In the up-to-down direction, the side on which the tank 2 is arranged relative to the flush pipe 4 will be referred to as the upper side, and the side on which the flush pipe 4 is arranged relative to the tank 2 will be referred to as the lower side.

[0012] The toilet body 6m is made of ceramic. The toilet body 6m is equipped with a bowl 6b that receives waste. The tank 2 stores flush water for flushing the bowl 6b. The toilet seat 6s and toilet lid 6c are each openably and closably connected to the toilet body 6m. A drain pipe 8 connects the bowl 6b to a sewer pipe (not shown). The flush water in the bowl 6b is drained into the sewer pipe via the drain pipe 8. Note that the toilet seat 6s and toilet lid 6c are not shown in Figure 2. The tank 2, flush pipe 4, and water level detection device 10 are isolated by a wall 9 from the space in which the toilet 6 is placed.

[0013] The flush pipe 4 extends downward from the underside of the tank 2, bends, and extends forward to connect with the toilet body 6m. Flush water stored in the tank 2 is supplied to the toilet body 6m via the flush pipe 4. A water supply pipe 3s is connected to the upper back surface of the tank 2. The water supply pipe 3s extends downward from the tank 2, bends, and extends upward. A water supply solenoid valve 3 is located at the end of the water supply pipe 3s opposite the tank 2. As shown in Figure 2, the water supply solenoid valve 3 is connected to a clean water pipe 5 via a filter-equipped stop valve 3f. Water is pumped from a water source (not shown) to the clean water pipe 5. The water supply solenoid valve 3 takes in clean water via the filter-equipped stop valve 3f, preventing the intrusion of foreign matter. The water supply solenoid valve 3 is always open except when an abnormality occurs in the toilet 6. A ball tap (not shown) is located inside the tank 2. The ball tap is equipped with a float ball (not shown) that displaces up and down depending on the flush water level in the tank 2. When the flush water level in the tank 2 rises to a predetermined level, the float ball rises, closing the ball tap. This stops the supply of clean water into the tank 2. Flush water in the tank 2 is supplied to the toilet bowl 6, and when the water level in the tank 2 drops, the float ball drops and the ball tap opens. As a result, clean water is supplied into the tank 2 from the water supply pipe 3s.

[0014] (Internal structure of toilet device) The internal structure of the toilet bowl 6 will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The toilet seat 6s, toilet lid 6c, and drain pipe 8 are not shown in Figure 3. The toilet body 6m is provided with a rim water passage 20 and a storage space 30. The rim water passage 20 is a space that communicates with the flush pipe 4. Flush water in the tank 2 is supplied to the rim water passage 20 via the flush pipe 4.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 4, the rim water passage 20 includes a rear water passage 21, a left water passage 22, and a right water passage 24. The rear water passage 21 is located at the upper end of the bowl 6b, rear of the bowl 6b. The rim water passage 20 extends forward from the rear water passage 21 and branches into the left water passage 22 and the right water passage 24 along the upper edge of the bowl 6b. Flush water in the tank 2 flows from the flush pipe 4 into the rim water passage 20. In the rim water passage 20, the flush water flows forward from the rear water passage 21, branches into each of the water passages 22, 24, and is sent into the bowl 6b. The flush water flows along the inner surface of the bowl 6b. As a result, the inner surface of the bowl 6b is cleaned.

[0016] The control device 40 is disposed behind the tank 2. The control device 40 controls the toilet apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 40 includes a CPU (abbreviation of Central Processing Unit) 42, a memory 44, and a communication module 48. The memory 44 includes RAM (abbreviation of Random Access Memory) and ROM (abbreviation of Read Only Memory). The memory 44 stores computer programs for the processes executed by the control device 40. The CPU 42 controls each part of the toilet apparatus 100 by executing processes in accordance with the computer programs stored in the memory 44. The control device 40 can execute processes in response to user operations on an operating device 80. The communication module 48 includes an interface for communicatively connecting the control device 40 to other devices. The other devices include the management terminal 60 and the operating device 80. For example, the communication module 48 may include an interface for performing at least one of wired communication and wireless communication according to a known communication standard.

[0017] The operating device 80 is attached to a wall. The operating device 80 is connected to the control device 40 so that it can communicate with the control device 40. The operating device 80 has a plurality of buttons 82 that can be operated by a user. The plurality of buttons 82 include a plurality of flush buttons. The flush button is a button for supplying flush water to the bowl 6b. The plurality of flush buttons include a large flush button and a small flush button. When the operating device 80 receives operation of any of the plurality of flush buttons, it transmits a flush instruction signal to the control device 40 according to the flush instruction signal that corresponds to the operated flush button. The control device 40 supplies flush water to the bowl 6b in accordance with the flush instruction signal received from the operating device 80.

[0018] The operation device 80 further includes an output unit 84. The output unit 84 includes a speaker. The operation device 80 produces audio representing the information received from the control device 40. The output unit 84 may include a display that displays an image representing the information received from the control device 40, and an LED that lights up and / or flashes in response to the information received from the control device 40.

[0019] When one of the multiple flush buttons is operated, the control device 40 causes flush water to be supplied to the bowl 6b via the flush pipe 4. The control device 40 selectively supplies one of two volumes of flush water, V1 or V2, to the bowl 6b. When the control device 40 receives a flush instruction signal corresponding to the large flush button, the control device 40 opens a flapper valve (not shown) located on the bottom of the tank 2 using a motor drive device built into the inside of the tank 2, thereby opening the tank 2. As a result, the flush water in the tank 2 is supplied to the bowl 6b. As the level of flush water stored in the tank 2 drops, the ball tap opens and clean water is supplied into the tank 2. While the flapper valve is open, the clean water supplied to the tank 2 is supplied to the bowl 6b. As the water level in the tank 2 drops, the flapper valve is closed. As a result, a large flush is performed in which flush water of volume V1 is supplied to the bowl 6b.

[0020] When controller 40 receives a flush command signal corresponding to the small-flush button, it opens the flapper valve in tank 2, supplying some of the flush water stored in tank 2 to bowl 6b. This executes a small-flush, in which flush water is supplied to bowl 6b at volume V2, which is less than volume V1. The flapper valve is open for a longer period during a large-flush than during a small-flush.

[0021] (Configuration of water level detection device) The configuration of the water level detection device 10 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 5. As shown in Figure 2, the water level detection device 10 includes a pump 50, an air solenoid valve 52, a pressure sensor 11, a purge pipe 12, a first detection pipe 13, a second detection pipe 14, an air tank 15, a joint 16, and a three-way joint 17. The pump 50, the air solenoid valve 52, and the pressure sensor 11, together with the control device 40, are housed in a box installed on the back of the tank 2. Note that the actual box is covered from the rear with a cover, but the cover is not shown in Figures 2 and 5.

[0022] The first detection pipe 13 and the second detection pipe 14 each have a hollow tubular shape. The first detection pipe 13 and the second detection pipe 14 are made of resin. The tip of the second detection pipe 14 is disposed in the rim water passage 20. The second detection pipe 14 passes through the flush pipe 4 and extends to the rear of the toilet bowl 6. The end of the second detection pipe 14 opposite the rim water passage 20 is connected to the first detection pipe 13 via a three-way joint 17.

[0023] The first detection pipe 13 connects the three-way joint 17 and the pressure sensor 11. An air tank 15 is disposed in the first detection pipe 13 between the pressure sensor 11 and the three-way joint 17. The air tank 15 is filled with compressed air. The three-way joint 17 is connected to a purge pipe 12. The purge pipe 12 is connected to a pump 50 via an air solenoid valve 52.

[0024] The pressure sensor 11 is a sensor that detects the pressure inside the first detection tube 13. The pressure sensor 11 is a so-called strain gauge type pressure sensor. The pressure sensor 11 has a strain gauge resistor (not shown) inside. The displacement of the strain gauge resistor changes depending on the magnitude of the pressure inside the first detection tube 13. As a result, the resistance value of the strain gauge resistor changes. The pressure sensor 11 detects the pressure inside the first detection tube 13 based on the resistance value. Note that the pressure sensor 11 is not limited to the strain gauge type, and in a modified example, it may be a metal gauge type. In a further modified example, the pressure sensor 11 may be a semiconductor gauge type or a semiconductor diaphragm type, or may be at least one of a quartz pressure sensor and a capacitance bridge type sensor.

[0025] First detection pipe 13 is connected to bowl 6b via second detection pipe 14. When the water level in bowl 6b rises, the tip of second detection pipe 14 is blocked, causing the pressure inside second detection pipe 14 to rise. As the pressure inside second detection pipe 14 rises, the pressure inside first detection pipe 13 also rises. For this reason, the detection value of pressure sensor 11 fluctuates according to the water level in bowl 6b.

[0026] As indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 5 , the control device 40 is further communicatively connected to the water supply solenoid valve 3, the pressure sensor 11, the pump 50, and the air solenoid valve 52. The control device 40 controls the water supply solenoid valve 3, the pressure sensor 11, the pump 50, and the air solenoid valve 52. The control device 40 is communicatively connected to a management terminal 60. The management terminal 60 is a terminal operated by the manager of the toilet apparatus 100, and is located, for example, at the management company of the building in which the toilet apparatus 100 is installed. The control device 40 transmits the usage status and drainage status of the toilet apparatus 100 to the management terminal 60. The manager of the toilet apparatus 100 uses the management terminal 60 to remotely operate the toilet apparatus 100. In a modified example, the management terminal 60 may be at least one of a mobile terminal and a PC owned by at least one of the user of the toilet apparatus 100 and the cleaning company.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the second detection pipe 14 penetrates the outer wall of the flush pipe 4 via a joint 16 and extends forward. The second detection pipe 14 has an internal portion 14b that is positioned inside the toilet bowl 6, and an external portion 14a that is positioned outside the toilet bowl 6. The internal portion 14b of the second detection pipe 14 passes inside the flush pipe 4 and is positioned in the rim water passage 20 of the toilet body 6m.

[0028] By passing the second detection pipe 14 through the flush pipe 4 connected to the back of the toilet body 6m, each component of the water level detection device 10, including the external device portion 14a (i.e., the control device 40, pump 50, air solenoid valve 52, pressure sensor 11, purge pipe 12, first detection pipe 13, air tank 15, joint 16, and three-way joint 17), can be positioned away from the user. As a result, each component of the water level detection device 10 can be prevented from coming into contact with the user. In particular, the occurrence of at least one of displacement and damage to the second detection pipe 14 can be suppressed. Each component of the water level detection device 10 can be made less visible to the user. As a result, the design of the toilet device 100 can be improved.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 4, the internal device section 14b bends to the left (i.e., downward in the plane of FIG. 4) at the rear water passage 21 and extends down the left water passage 22. The tip section 14c of the internal device section 14b is located within the left water passage 22. An opening is provided in the end face 18 of the tip section 14c, which connects the internal device section 14b to the left water passage 22. The second detection pipe 14 connects the left water passage 22 to the pressure sensor 11 (see FIG. 1) via the first detection pipe 13. If a drainage abnormality occurs and the flush water level rises to the left water passage 22, the opening in the end face 18 of the second detection pipe 14 is blocked by the flush water. As a result, the pressure in the second detection pipe 14 rises. The pressure in the second detection pipe 14 is detected by the pressure sensor 11 via the first detection pipe 13.

[0030] The higher the flush water level in bowl 6b, the greater the amount of flush water located above end surface 18. The higher the flush water level in bowl 6b, the greater the pressure in second detection pipe 14 and first detection pipe 13. In other words, the flush water level in bowl 6b correlates with the pressure in second detection pipe 14 and first detection pipe 13. For this reason, water level detection device 10 can detect the water level in bowl 6b by detecting the pressure in second detection pipe 14 and first detection pipe 13.

[0031] Because the internal device portion 14b is disposed within the rim water passage 20, it is covered by the outer wall of the toilet body 6m that defines the rim water passage 20. This prevents dirt from adhering to the internal device portion 14b. For example, when cleaning the bowl 6b, it is possible to prevent the tip portion 14c from coming into contact with a cleaning tool, thereby preventing at least one of displacement and damage to the tip portion 14c.

[0032] (Purge process) When flush water is supplied to bowl 6b, the flush water passes through left water passage 22 while mixing with air in the flush water passage. The large pressure changes that occur when flush water is supplied to bowl 6b can cause flush water to enter the inner circumferential surface of tip portion 14c, creating multiple layers of water and air. As a result, flush water that has entered second detection pipe 14 can form a water film 72 that blocks second detection pipe 14. If second detection pipe 14 is blocked by water film 72, pressure may not be transmitted even though the water level in bowl 6b has reached second detection pipe 14. In this case, control device 40 cannot accurately detect the flush water level in bowl 6b using the pressure value detected by pressure sensor 11.

[0033] The second detection pipe 14 is connected to the purge pipe 12 via a three-way joint 17. The purge pipe 12 is connected to the pump 50 via an air solenoid valve 52 and an air pipe 54. The control device 40 operates the pump 50 and simultaneously opens the air solenoid valve 52. This causes air 70 to be pumped into the second detection pipe 14 via the purge pipe 12 and the three-way joint 17. The air 70 pushes a water film 72 and an air layer inside the second detection pipe 14 into the left water passage 22. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the control device 40 simultaneously stops the operation of the pump 50 and closes the air solenoid valve 52. This prevents the formation of the water film 72 inside the second detection pipe 14. As a result, the water film 72 and the air layer inside the second detection pipe 14 are prevented from affecting the detected pressure. The air solenoid valve 52 may be replaced with a check valve.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 6, the management terminal 60 includes a PC. The management terminal 60 includes a control unit 62, an output unit 64, an operation unit 66, and a communication module 68. The operation unit 66 includes a keyboard and a mouse. An administrator can operate the operation unit 66 to cause the management terminal 60 to execute desired processing. The management terminal 60 may be connected to each of the multiple toilet apparatuses 100 via the Internet so as to be able to communicate with them. The management terminal 60 may also be a cloud server.

[0035] The communication module 68 includes an interface for communicatively connecting the management terminal 60 with other devices. The other devices include the control device 40 and the server 90. For example, the communication module 68 may include an interface for performing at least one of wired communication and wireless communication in accordance with a known communication standard.

[0036] The output unit 64 includes a display unit and an audio output unit. The display unit includes a liquid crystal display. The display unit displays various information on the liquid crystal display. The audio output unit includes a speaker. The audio output unit outputs audio represented by audio data. The output unit 64 may include at least one of the display unit and the audio output unit.

[0037] The control unit 62 is connected to the output unit 64, the operation unit 66, and the communication module 68 by wiring not shown. The control unit 62 includes a CPU 66a and a memory 66b. The memory 66b has at least one type of memory, such as a hard disk, a ROM, or a RAM. The memory 66b stores computer programs and data for the control unit to execute processing. The control unit 62 controls the output unit 64, the operation unit 66, and the communication module 68 by the CPU 66a executing processing in accordance with the computer programs stored in the memory.

[0038] The management terminal 60 may be a device other than a PC. The management terminal 60 may be a mobile terminal, a wearable terminal, etc. The management terminal 60 may have configurations corresponding to each of the control unit 62, the output unit 64, the operation unit 66, and the communication module 68.

[0039] The server 90 is installed by at least one of the manufacturer and provider of the toilet apparatus 100. The server 90 provides the management terminal 60 with a computer program for controlling and managing the toilet apparatus 100.

[0040] (Clogging detection process) When multiple toilet apparatuses 100 are installed, the control unit 62 of the management terminal 60 executes a clogging detection process to manage clogging in the bowl 6b of the toilet 6 for each of the multiple toilet apparatuses 100. In the clogging detection process, the control device 40 acquires the pressures (hereinafter referred to as detected pressures) inside the first detection pipe 13 and second detection pipe 14 detected by the pressure sensors 11 of each of the multiple toilets 6. The control unit 62 uses the acquired detected pressures to detect the occurrence of a clogging in the bowl 6b for each of the multiple toilets 6.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 7 , in the clog detection process, in S12, the control unit 62 determines whether it is the period for acquiring the detection result from the water level detection device 10, i.e., the detected pressure, for each of the multiple toilet bowls 6. When the control unit 62 receives a flush command signal, it starts supplying flush water from the tank 2 to the bowl 6b. When flush water begins to be supplied to the bowl 6b, the water level in the bowl 6b becomes unstable. While the water level in the bowl 6b is unstable, the end surface 18 may be blocked by flush water even though the water level in the bowl 6b has not risen due to a clog. In this case, the pressure in the first detection pipe 13 increases even though a clog has not occurred. This may result in a false detection that a clog has occurred. The control unit 62 determines that it is the period for acquiring the detected pressure after the flush period has elapsed, which is the period from when the flush command signal was received until the supply of flush water to the bowl 6b ends and the water level in the bowl 6b stabilizes. The period for acquiring the detected pressure continues for a predetermined detection period after the flush period has elapsed. The control unit 62 may execute the process of S12 multiple times during the detection period.

[0042] If it is time to acquire the detected pressure (YES in S12), in S14 the control unit 62 executes an occurrence identification process using one or more detected pressures acquired from the water level detection device 10. Specifically, the control unit 62 determines whether or not each of the acquired one or more detected pressures falls within an abnormal range. The abnormal range is a pressure range that cannot be detected by the pressure sensor 11 that detects the pressure of the toilet bowl 6. The abnormal range is stored in advance in the memory 62b. The abnormal range is set to identify an abnormality occurring in the water level detection device 10, such as a malfunction of the pressure sensor 11. If the acquired detected pressure falls within the abnormal range, the control unit 62 identifies that the water level detection device 10 is in an abnormal state.

[0043] If the acquired detected pressure is not within the abnormal range, i.e., if water level detection device 10 is operating normally, control unit 62 determines whether the acquired detected pressure exceeds reference pressure Th1. Reference pressure Th1 is set to a value that, by comparing it with the detected pressure, enables detection of a state in which the opening of second detection pipe 14 is blocked by water in bowl 6b. That is, control unit 62 detects that the water level in bowl 6b exceeds the water level corresponding to reference pressure Th1 by detecting that the detected pressure exceeds reference pressure Th1. If there is enough water accumulated in bowl 6b that the opening of second detection pipe 14 is blocked by the water in bowl 6b, there is a high possibility that bowl 6b is clogged.

[0044] If the acquired detected pressure exceeds the reference pressure Th1, the control unit 62 determines that a clog has occurred in the bowl 6b. If the acquired detected pressure does not exceed the reference pressure Th1, the control unit 62 determines that a clog has not occurred in the bowl 6b.

[0045] In S16, the control unit 62 executes a state identification process using the results of the occurrence identification process. Specifically, the control unit 62 classifies the state of clogging of the bowl 6b into multiple types of clogging states, including a minor clogging state, a serious clogging state, a continuous clogging state, and a state where no clogging occurs. The serious clogging state is a state where water accumulated in the bowl 6b is hardly drained. The minor clogging state is a state where a clogging occurs in the bowl 6b but water is drained. The continuous clogging state is a state where minor clogging states occur frequently. The control unit 62 identifies the state of clogging of the bowl 6b and cumulatively stores the results in the memory 62b.

[0046] The control unit 62 determines in the process of S14 whether or not a clog has been determined to have occurred for one or more detection results acquired in S12 during the state identification period. The state identification period is a period during which it can be identified that the water accumulated in the bowl 6b is not being drained. The state identification period may be longer than the detection period. The state identification period may be shorter than the detection period. The state identification period is, for example, 30 seconds. The state identification period is specified in advance by the manufacturer of the toilet system 1 and stored in the control unit 62.

[0047] If it is determined that a clog has occurred in all of the one or more detection results acquired during the state identification period, control unit 62 determines that the clog state of bowl 6b is a serious clog state. If it is determined that no clog has occurred in all of the one or more detection results acquired in S12 during the state identification period, control device 40 (control unit 62) determines that the clog state of bowl 6b is a no-clog state.

[0048] If one or more detection results acquired during the state identification period include both cases in which a clog is determined to have occurred and cases in which a clog is determined not to have occurred, the control unit 62 further identifies either a minor clog state or a continuous clog state through the following process. The control unit 62 identifies the continuous clog state when at least one of the minor clog state and the continuous clog state is determined in at least one of the clog detection processes performed in S16 of the most recent predetermined number of times stored in the memory 62b. The control unit 62 identifies the minor clog state when all of the clog detection states performed in S16 of the most recent predetermined number of times stored in the memory 62b are determined to be a non-clog state. The predetermined number is set in advance by at least one of the manufacturer and provider of the toilet apparatus 100, and may be, for example, two or three times.

[0049] If a clogged state is identified in S16, the control unit 62 determines in S18 whether the clogged state satisfies the forced notification condition. Specifically, if a serious clogged state is identified in S16, the control unit 62 determines that the forced notification condition is met (YES in S18). The control unit 62 also determines that the forced notification condition is met (YES in S18) if the water level detection device 10 is identified in S14 as being in an abnormal state.

[0050] If the answer is YES in S18, then in S20 the control unit 62 executes a notification process. In the notification process, if the control unit 62 determines that a serious clogging state has occurred, the control unit 62 causes the output unit 64 of the management terminal 60 to notify that a clogging has occurred in the bowl 6b. Specifically, the control unit 62 executes at least one of the following outputs: making the audio output unit of the output unit 64 emit a sound indicating that a clogging has occurred in the bowl 6b; making the display unit of the output unit 64 display an image indicating that a clogging has occurred in the bowl 6b; and making the display unit of the output unit 64 emit light in a color corresponding to the occurrence of a clogging in the bowl 6b. In the notification process, if the control unit 62 determines that the water level detection device 10 is in an abnormal state, the control unit 62 causes the output unit 64 of the management terminal 60 to notify that an abnormality has occurred in the water level detection device 10. Specifically, the control unit 62 executes at least one of the following outputs: making the audio output unit of the output unit 64 emit a sound indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the water level detection device 10; making the display unit of the output unit 64 display an image indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the water level detection device 10; and making the display unit of the output unit 64 emit light in a color corresponding to the occurrence of an abnormality in the water level detection device 10.

[0051] When reporting that an abnormality has occurred in the water level detection device 10, the control unit 62 may report what type of abnormality has occurred in the water level detection device 10. For example, if the detected pressure is within the abnormal range, the control unit 62 may report that an abnormality has occurred in the pressure sensor 11. If the detected pressure is not acquired, the control unit 62 may report that there is a disconnection. The administrator can take action quickly in response to the report.

[0052] The administrator can recognize the output from the management terminal 60 without operating the operation unit 66 of the management terminal 60. When a serious jam condition occurs, the administrator can know that a jam has occurred without operating the operation unit 66. The administrator can immediately take measures to deal with the jam.

[0053] In S18, if the clog state is identified in S16 as a clog state other than a serious clog state, i.e., a continuous clog state, a minor clog state, or a state where no clog occurs, the control unit 62 determines that the forced notification condition is not met (NO in S18). If the result in S18 is NO, then in S22, the control unit 62 determines whether the clog state meets the selective notification condition. Specifically, if the clog state is identified in S16 as a continuous clog state, the control unit 62 determines that the selective notification condition is met (YES in S22). If the result in S22 is YES, then in S24, the control unit 62 generates notification data and stores it in the memory 62b. The notification data includes output data indicating that a clog has occurred in the bowl 6b. In a modified example, if the clog state is identified in S16 as at least one of a continuous clog state and a minor clog state, then in S22, the control unit 62 may determine that the selective notification condition is met (YES in S22).

[0054] In S26, the control unit 62 causes the display unit of the output unit 64 to display information indicating that there is an item to be notified, and the process returns to S12. For example, the control unit 62 causes the display unit of the output unit 64 to display the text "There is an item to be notified regarding a clogged toilet." If the clogged state is identified in S16 as either a minor clogged state or a no clog state, the control unit 62 determines that the selected notification condition is not met (NO in S22), and the process returns to S12.

[0055] When a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit 66, the control unit 62 can cause the output unit 64 to output information indicating that a clog has occurred in the bowl 6b, as represented by the notification data stored in S24. This allows the manager to know that a clog has occurred by checking the output unit 64. Unlike a serious clog, when the clog is not of high urgency, information indicating that a clog has occurred in the bowl 6b is output in response to the manager's operation. The different output modes for high-urgency and low-urgency clogs allow the manager to grasp the urgency of the output. In a modified example, the control unit 62 may store information indicating the clog state identified in S16. When a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit 66, the control unit 62 can cause the output unit 64 to output the stored information indicating the clog state. This allows the manager to check the clog state of the bowl 6b.

[0056] (Computer program update processing) The control unit 62 executes a computer program update process to update the computer program for executing the clogging detection process stored in the memory 62b. Specifically, the control unit 62 periodically queries the server 90 to see if an update program for updating the computer program is available. The query includes version information of the computer program stored in the control unit 62.

[0057] When the server 90 receives an inquiry from the control unit 62, it checks whether an update program with a newer version than the version information included in the inquiry exists. If an update program with a newer version exists, the server 90 transmits the update program with the newer version to the management terminal 60 as a response to the inquiry. If an update program with a newer version does not exist, that is, if the computer program stored in the control unit 62 is the latest version, the server 90 transmits a response to the inquiry to the management terminal 60 indicating that an update program with a newer version does not exist.

[0058] If the response received from server 90 indicates an update program of a newer version, control unit 62 updates the computer program in memory 62b to match the update program. If the response received from server 90 indicates that there is no update program of a newer version, control unit 62 ends the process without updating the computer program.

[0059] The control unit 62 can automatically update the computer program for executing the detection process. By having the control unit 62 execute the detection process, it is not necessary to update the computer program for executing the detection process in each of the control devices 40 of the multiple toilet apparatuses 100.

[0060] (Condition setting process) The control unit 62 executes a condition setting process to set a reference pressure Th1, which is a condition for determining whether a clog has occurred. In the condition setting process, the control unit 62 detects pressure multiple times when a detected pressure is to be acquired while the bowl 6b is not clogged. The multiple times is, for example, 10 times. The control unit 62 calculates a standard deviation σ from the multiple pressures detected multiple times. The control unit 62 sets the reference pressure Th1 by adding a value obtained by multiplying the standard deviation σ by a coefficient k to the average value of the multiple pressures.

[0061] (Condition acceptance processing) The administrator can set the coefficient k. By operating the operation unit 66, the administrator can execute a coefficient input operation to input the coefficient k into the management terminal 60. When the administrator executes the coefficient input operation, the control unit 62 stores the input coefficient in the memory 62b. The control unit 62 may specify in advance a range of coefficient k that can be input. The range of coefficient k that can be input is, for example, from 1 to 5. The administrator may select a coefficient k within the range of coefficient k that can be input. The control unit 62 executes the condition setting process using the coefficient k input by the administrator.

[0062] According to the condition setting process, the reference pressure Th1 can be set in accordance with each toilet apparatus 100. By appropriately setting the reference pressure Th1, it is possible to reduce false detections.

[0063] According to the condition reception process, the administrator can set the reference pressure. There is variation in the detected pressure. If the reference pressure Th1 is set low, the sensitivity of detecting a clog increases, but false detection of a clog becomes more likely. If the reference pressure Th1 is set high, false detection of a clog can be suppressed, but the sensitivity of detecting a clog decreases. The administrator can set the reference pressure Th1 by setting the coefficient k in accordance with the management criteria of the toilet device 100.

[0064] In the clog detection process, the control unit 62 executes an occurrence identification process, a state identification process, a process related to clog notification, and a computer program update process for each of the multiple toilet devices 100. The control device 40 of each toilet device 100 only needs to detect the pressure and send it to the control unit 62. This reduces the processing load on the control device 40 of each toilet device 100. There is no need to allocate a high-performance CPU or the like to improve the processing capacity of the control device 40 of each toilet device 100.

[0065] By having the control unit 62 execute the clogging detection process, it is only necessary to update the computer program of the control unit 62. There is no need to store the computer program to be updated in the control device 40 of each toilet apparatus 100.

[0066] (Correspondence) The case where the forced notification condition is satisfied in S18 is an example of "the case where the first condition is satisfied," and the notification process executed when the forced notification condition is satisfied in S18 is an example of "the first type of notification." The case where the selective notification condition is satisfied in S22 is an example of "the case where the second condition is satisfied," and the notification process output by the administrator's operation when the forced notification condition is satisfied in S22 is an example of "the second type of notification." The case where the forced notification condition is not satisfied in S18 and the forced notification condition is not satisfied in S22 is an example of "the case where the third condition is satisfied." The processes of S18 and S22 are an example of "notification determination process." The processes of S20 and S24 and S26 are examples of "notification process."

[0067] Although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. Modifications of the above examples are listed below.

[0068] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the control unit 62 executes the clogging detection process, the computer program update process, the condition setting process, and the condition acceptance process. In a modified example, the control device 40 of each toilet apparatus 100 may execute at least one of the clogging detection process, the computer program update process, the condition setting process, and the condition acceptance process. The control device 40 of each toilet apparatus 100 may execute at least a part of the clogging detection process, i.e., at least one of the occurrence identification process, the state identification process, the notification determination process, and the notification process.

[0069] At least one of the processes of at least a part of the clogging detection process, the computer program update process, the condition setting process, and the condition acceptance process may be executed by a device different from the control unit 62 and the control device 40. The different device may be, for example, the server 90. The server 90 may be equipped with a control unit that executes the process in accordance with a request from the management terminal 60. The control unit may store a computer program for executing the process. The control unit may execute the computer program update process. Each of the control units of the control unit 62, the control device 40, and the server 90 may execute the computer program update process for the computer program stored therein.

[0070] The control unit 62 and the control device 40 may not execute at least one of the state identification process, the notification determination process, the computer program update process, the condition setting process, and the condition acceptance process. For example, if the state identification process is not executed, at least one of the control unit 62 and the control device 40 may execute a notification determination process that determines whether the acquired detected pressure is within the abnormal range, and determines that a notification should be issued if the acquired detected pressure is within the abnormal range, and determines that a notification should not be issued if the acquired detected pressure is not within the abnormal range.

[0071] For example, when the notification determination process is not executed, at least one of the control unit 62 and the control device 40 may execute a notification process to notify of an item identified in at least one of the occurrence identification process and the state identification process.

[0072] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, the control unit 62 determines whether a clog has occurred using the reference pressure Th1 in the clog occurrence identification process of S14. In a modified example, the control unit 62 may determine whether a clog has occurred using one or more reference pressures in addition to the reference pressure Th1. For example, the control unit 62 may determine whether a clog has occurred using the reference pressure Th2. The reference pressure Th2 may be higher than the reference pressure Th1. The reference pressure Th2 may be determined based on the highest pressure during a cleaning period when no clog has occurred. Specifically, the control unit 62 may detect the highest pressure during a cleaning period when cleaning water is supplied multiple times when no clog has occurred. The control unit 62 may calculate a standard deviation from the multiple detected pressures. The control unit 62 may set the reference pressure Th2 by adding a value obtained by multiplying the standard deviation by a coefficient to the average value of the multiple pressures. The control unit 62 may determine whether a clog has occurred during a cleaning period using the reference pressure Th2.

[0073] In S14, if the detected pressure exceeds reference pressure Th2, control unit 62 may determine that a blockage has occurred. In S16, if the detected pressure exceeds reference pressure Th2, control unit 62 may identify a state in which flush water is overflowing from bowl 6b. In S18, it may be determined that a state in which flush water is overflowing from bowl 6b satisfies the forced notification condition (YES in S18). In S20, output unit 64 may be caused to issue a notification indicating that flush water is overflowing from bowl 6b.

[0074] For example, the control unit 62 may use a reference pressure Th3 to determine whether a clog has occurred. The reference pressure Th3 may be higher than the reference pressure Th1. The reference pressure Th3 may be determined based on the pressure in a high-water-level state in which, after a clog has started, a flush is restarted before the flush period ends, i.e., flush water is supplied to the bowl 6b and the water level in the rim water passage 20 is high, in a state in which no clog has occurred. Specifically, the control unit 62 may detect the pressure in a high-water-level state multiple times in a state in which no clog has occurred. The control unit 62 may calculate a standard deviation from multiple detected pressures. The control unit 62 may set the reference pressure Th3 by adding a value obtained by multiplying the standard deviation by a coefficient to the average value of multiple pressures. The control unit 62 may use the reference pressure Th3 to determine whether a clog has occurred during a flush period.

[0075] (Variation 3) The water level detecting device 10 may have a configuration other than a configuration that detects the water level by detecting pressure. For example, the water level detecting device 10 may have at least one detection method selected from the group consisting of an electrode pair type, a float type, a capacitance type, and a distance measuring type. An electrode pair type water level detecting device 10 may conduct electricity between an electrode pair arranged in the bowl 6b when the electrode pair is immersed in the water in the bowl 6b. The water level detecting device 10 may detect the water level by detecting the conduction of electricity between the electrode pair. A float type water level detecting device 10 may, for example, be provided with a float arranged in a space communicating with the bowl 6b and moved up and down according to the water level in the bowl 6b. The water level detecting device 10 may detect the water level by detecting the height of the float. A capacitance type water level detecting device 10 may, for example, be provided with a pair of conductors arranged outside the toilet body 6m, whose capacitance changes according to the water level in the bowl 6b. The water level detecting device 10 may detect the water level by detecting the capacitance of the pair of conductors. The distance measurement type water level detection device 10 may include, for example, an ultrasonic and radio wave type distance measurement sensor that measures the distance to the water surface of the bowl 6b. The water level detection device 10 may detect the water level based on the distance to the water surface detected by the distance measurement sensor.

[0076] (Variation 4) The toilet 6 may be equipped with an output unit such as a speaker. In the notification executed in S20, the control unit 62 may cause the output unit 84 of the operating device 80 and the output unit of the toilet 6 to output information. The control unit 62 may also cause the notification to be sent to a mobile terminal carried by the user of the toilet apparatus 100. In S20, the control unit 62 may notify the user by locking the door of the toilet room in which the toilet apparatus 100 is located. In S20, the control unit 62 may also display that a clog has occurred in the toilet room door. The output units such as the toilet 6 and the output unit 84 may execute the notification in accordance with the control unit 62. The output units such as the toilet 6 and the output unit 84 may execute the notification in accordance with the control units arranged in each device. The control unit that executes the notification process may be determined appropriately based on at least one of the position and configuration of the output unit that executes the notification.

[0077] (Modification 5) At least one of the administrator and the user may be able to set the number of times and timing of notifications in the control unit 62 in advance.

[0078] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings may exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. The technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings may achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives alone is technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 1: Toilet system, 6: Toilet, 6b: Bowl, 10: Water level detection device, 20: Rim water passage, 40: Control device, 60: Management terminal, 90: Server, 100: Toilet device

Claims

1. a plurality of toilet bowl devices; a management terminal communicably connected to each of the plurality of toilet devices, Each of the plurality of toilet devices comprises: Toilet bowl and a detection unit that detects the state of the toilet bowl to identify whether a clog has occurred in the toilet bowl; a toilet-side control unit that acquires the detection result from the detection unit, The management terminal an occurrence identification process that identifies that a clog has occurred in the toilet bowl using the detection result; a state identification process for identifying a state of clogging when it is identified that a clogging has occurred in the toilet; a notification determination process for determining whether or not to notify a user of clogging information related to the occurrence of the clogging when it is determined that the clogging has occurred in the toilet; a notification process for notifying the clogging information when it is determined that the clogging information should be notified; an update process for updating a computer program for at least one of the occurrence identification process, the state identification process, the notification determination process, and the notification process; a management-side control unit that executes at least one of the processes At least one of the toilet-side control unit and the management-side control unit executes the notification determination process, In the notification determination process, determining that a first type of notification should be issued when the identified state of the blockage satisfies a first condition; determining that a second type of notification different from the first type of notification should be issued when the identified state of the blockage satisfies a second condition different from the first condition; the management-side control unit executes the notification process, In the notification process, When it is determined that the first type of notification should be made, the first type of notification is made without the user operating the management terminal; When it is determined that the second type of notification should be made, the second type of notification is executed by the user operating the management terminal.

2. The toilet system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification determination process determines that a notification should not be issued if the identified state of the clog satisfies a third condition different from the first condition.

3. At least one of the toilet-side control unit and the management-side control unit executes the state identification process, A toilet system as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the condition identification process identifies that the detection unit is not operating normally if the occurrence identification process identifies that a clog has occurred in the toilet and the detection result satisfies a predetermined condition.

4. At least one of the control units of the toilet-side control unit and the management-side control unit executes the occurrence identification process to identify that a clog has occurred in the toilet using predetermined determination conditions; The toilet system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the toilet-side control unit and the management-side control unit further executes a condition setting process using the detection results to set the predetermined judgment conditions.

5. At least one of the control units of the toilet-side control unit and the management-side control unit executes the occurrence identification process to identify that a clog has occurred in the toilet using predetermined determination conditions; The toilet system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the toilet-side controller and the management-side controller further executes a condition reception process for receiving a user's setting of the predetermined judgment condition.

6. The toilet system according to claim 1 , wherein the management-side control unit executes the state identification process.

7. The toilet system according to claim 1 , wherein the management-side control unit executes the update process.

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