User position sensor and user profiles for toilet

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional toilets face challenges in maintaining cleanliness, especially at the hinge location, and in providing an aesthetically pleasing design while also operating efficiently with low electrical power requirements.

Innovation Solution

The toilet features a cover and seat opening mechanism that uses a ball-and-socket hinge, allowing the cover and seat to pivot and swivel between a lowered and stowed position, with independent operation and low power requirements. This mechanism includes a control system that uses sensors to automatically open and close the cover and seat based on user position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the cover and seat are hingably attached to pivot about a horizontal axis, then the cover and seat can be raised from lowered to stowed position, but the cleanliness at the hinge location deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecover and seat movementVSAvoidhinge location cleanliness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the traditional horizontal hinge mechanism entirely and replaces it with a vertical hinge arrangement. This extraction of the problematic horizontal hinge eliminates the cleanliness issue at the hinge location while preserving the cover and seat movement functionality through a different mechanical configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of hinging the cover and seat horizontally as in conventional toilets, the patent inverts the hinge orientation to be vertical. This inversion changes the pivot axis from horizontal to vertical, allowing the cover and seat to swing forward and upward rather than rotating horizontally, thereby solving the cleanliness problem while maintaining operational ease.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If automatic sensor operation is implemented, then user experience is improved, but electrical power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic cover and seat operationVSAvoidelectrical power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs periodic action by using motion-activated sensors that only consume power when detecting user approach or presence. The system operates in idle low-power mode between detections, activating automatic cover and seat operation only during relevant periods when a user is detected, thereby reducing overall electrical power consumption while maintaining improved user experience.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4501192A1User position sensor and user profiles for toilet

Publication Date: 2025.02.05 KOHLER CO(US)

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AI summary

A toilet comprising: a base; a seat rotatably coupled to the base and rotatable about an angled axis that is oriented upward and forward toward a front end of the base; a drive mechanism configured to rotate the seat with respect to the base; and a sensor configured to generate image data for a user within a predetermined distance to the base; and a controller configured to determine an orientation of the user based on the image data and generate a command for the drive mechanism in response to the orientation of the user.