JPH0349599Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an improvement of a toilet seat occupancy detection device. The toilet seat occupancy detection device is designed to enable the toilet's auxiliary equipment, such as a private part cleaning device and/or a warm air drying device, to operate only when the user is sitting on the toilet seat.

[Prior art] Conventionally, toilet seat seating detection devices have been developed since 1983.
140280, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, left and right bearings 3, 3 that pivotally support pivot shafts 2, 2 provided near the rear end of the toilet seat 1,
It consists of a detection means 5 for detecting the seating gravity acting on either one of the bearings 3. This detection means 5
consists of a compression spring 6 that supports a bearing 3 arranged to be movable up and down, a switch operation piece 7 attached to the bearing 3, and a limit switch 8. ), a limit switch 8 is actuated by a switch operation piece 7 that sinks by a predetermined stroke (for example, 2 cm) together with a bearing 3 against a compression spring 6 to detect seating.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, in the conventional seating detection device, the bearing 3
Since the system detects seating when the seat has descended by a predetermined stroke, it has the following drawbacks.

(a) The toilet seat 1 sinks deeply when sitting, giving the user a sense of anxiety.

(b) Since a large sinking stroke of the bearing 3 is required, the detection means becomes larger.

(c) In order to ensure a large sinking stroke of the bearing 3, as shown in FIG. It is necessary to provide
However, providing this rubber leg sinking gap A results in a loss of stability in appearance.

(d) As shown in Fig. 7, if the top surface 10a of the toilet bowl 10 is raised due to manufacturing errors, etc. as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, the rubber leg subsidence gap A cannot be secured and detection is impossible. Become.

(e) If the toilet seat position is deviated to the front or the sitting posture is bent forward, the load that flips up the pivot 2 is applied to the bearing 3.
When this occurs, seating cannot be detected.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat occupancy detection device that solves all of the above problems.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The gist of the present invention is to provide a toilet seat comprising a bearing for pivotally supporting a pivot provided near the rear end of the toilet seat, and a detection means for detecting a seating load acting on the bearing. In the seating detection device, the bearing includes a fixed housing and a pivot support provided to be able to move vertically slightly with respect to the fixed housing, and the detection means includes a pivot support provided between the pivot support and the fixed housing. It is equipped with a pressure-sensitive sensor for flipping loads that detects a load that flips upward, and a pressure-sensitive sensor for pressing loads that detects a load that presses the shaft portion downward.

[Operation] Since the load acting on the pivot is detected by a pressure-sensitive sensor, the seating load can be detected with an extremely small amount of pivot displacement. In addition, since two pressure-sensitive sensors are provided, one for a flip-up load and one for a press load, it is possible to detect a seated state in which the pivot is flipped up and a seated state in which the pivot is pressed downward.

[Description of Embodiments] Hereinafter, a toilet seat occupancy detection device according to the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

(First Embodiment) As shown in the disassembled state in FIG. 1, the toilet seat 11 is provided with pivots 12, 12 on the left and right sides near the rear end, and the pivots 12, 12 are pivotally supported by bearings 13, 14 so that it can be raised and swung. It is movable. Bearings 13, 14
is arranged on the base 26a of the hinge box 26. On the other hand, as shown in cross section in FIG. 2, the bearing 13 is provided with a fixed housing 25 that is fixed to a base 26a and is divided into upper and lower halves, and can be moved slightly up and down (for example, 1 to 3 mm) relative to the fixed housing 25. It consists of upper and lower halves of the shaft supports 23 and 24. A flip-up load pressure sensor 21 is provided between the upper shaft support 23 and the fixed housing 25 to detect a load that flips up the shaft support 23 upward. A pressing load pressure sensor 22 for detecting a load pressing the shaft support 24 downward is provided between the two pressure sensors 21 and 22.
It consists of Pressure sensitive sensor 2 for flipping loads
1 is a switch element 21a made of pressurized conductive rubber mixed with conductive particles, and whose resistance value changes suddenly from megohm units to ohm units when pressurizing force is applied;
It consists of electrode plates 21b, 21b with lead wires that sandwich the switch element 21a, and a high elastic coating layer 21c that insulates the switch element 21a and the electrode plates 21b, 21b. Note that it is also possible to form the high elasticity coating layer 21c and the shaft support 23 integrally. Pressure-sensitive sensor 2 for pressing load
2 includes a switch element 22a and electrode plates 22b, 22, similar to the above-mentioned flip-up load pressure sensor 21.
b, and a high elasticity coating layer 22c. Note that the detection means 15 is not limited to the pressure-sensitive sensor method using the pressurized conductive rubber, and may include the shaft supports 23 and 24 and the fixed housing 2, although not shown.
A load cell is arranged between the shaft supports 23 and 2.
It is also possible to select an appropriate method, such as detecting the load applied to 4 with a load cell and turning the switching circuit ON/OFF. Further, the pressure sensitive sensor 2
The bearings 1 and 22 are not limited to either the left or right bearing 13 or 14,
Of course, it is also possible to improve seating detection sensitivity by providing both bearings 13 and 14.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram for turning on and off the power of the electric circuit 27 of the private parts cleaning device, etc., which is an accessory equipment of the toilet seat. This circuit includes a step-down transformer 28, the flip-up load pressure sensor 21 and the pressing load pressure-sensitive sensor 22 connected in parallel, and a relay 29 connected in series to the step-down transformer 28 via the pressure sensors 21 and 22. , contacts 29a, 2 of relay 29
It is comprised of an electric circuit 27 with 9b as a power switch.

Next, the operation in the first embodiment will be explained. When a toilet user (not shown) sits on the toilet seat 11 at a predetermined position or a position deeper than the predetermined position, the pivots 12, 12 are pressed, and the pressing load is detected by the pressing load pressure sensor 22, as shown in FIG. The relay 29 shown in is activated to turn on power to the electric circuit 27. Conversely, when a toilet user (not shown) sits on the toilet seat 11 while leaning forward, the pivot 12,
12 is flipped upward, and the flip-up load is detected by the pressure-sensitive sensor 21 for flip-up load, which activates the relay 29 to turn on the power to the electric circuit 27.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment, which differs from the first embodiment in that the pivot support is formed of one pivot support 33. In addition, between the shaft support 33 and the fixed housing 35, the pressure-sensitive sensor 21 for flipping loads and the pressure-sensitive sensor 22 for pressing loads are arranged.

[Effects of the present invention] As detailed above, the toilet seat seating detection device according to the present invention uses a pressure-sensitive sensor to detect the load acting on the pivot, so it can detect the seating load with a very small amount of pivot displacement. In addition, by providing two pressure-sensitive sensors, one for a flip-up load and one for a pressing load, it is possible to detect a seated state in which the pivot is flipped up and a seated state in which the seat pivot is pressed downward. It has practical effects.

Since the amount of sinking of the toilet seat when sitting can be made so small that the user does not feel the sinking, the user does not feel uneasy.

Since there is no need for a large sinking stroke like in the past, the device can be made more compact.

Since it does not require the large sinking stroke of conventional toilets, there is no need to create a large rubber leg sinking gap between the rubber legs installed near the rear end of the toilet seat and the top surface of the toilet, and the toilet seat has a stable appearance. can be provided.

Since there is no need to create a large rubber leg settling gap between the rubber legs installed near the rear end of the toilet seat and the top surface of the toilet bowl, the allowable amount of the protrusion that occurs on the top surface of the toilet bowl due to errors in manufacturing the toilet bowl can be compared with conventional methods. This makes it possible to increase the size of the toilet bowl, thereby improving the yield in manufacturing toilet bowls.

Even when a flip-up load is applied to the pivot shaft due to the seating position being biased toward the front or the sitting posture leaning forward, the seating can be detected, making it possible to accommodate a variety of seating postures. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the toilet seat occupancy detection device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the bearing, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a bearing in a second embodiment of the toilet seat occupancy detection device according to the present invention, and FIGS. 5 to 7 show conventional toilet seat occupancy detection devices. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the exterior.
FIG. 6A is a longitudinal sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the detection section, FIG. 6B is a side view of the detection section, and FIG. 7 is a side view of the toilet seat in a state where it is laid down on the toilet bowl. 11...Toilet seat, 12...Axis, 13,14...
Bearing, 15...Detection means, 21...Pressure sensitive sensor for flipping load, 22...Pressure sensitive sensor for pressing load, 23, 24, 33... Pivotal support, 25, 35
...Fixed housing.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a toilet seat seating detection device comprising a bearing that pivotally supports a pivot provided near the rear end of the toilet seat, and a detection means that detects a seating load acting on the bearing, the bearing includes a fixed housing and a fixed housing. a pivot support provided to be able to move up and down slightly, and the detection means includes a pressure-sensitive sensor for flipping load that detects a load that flips up the pivot support upward, and the detection means is provided between the pivot support and the fixed housing. A toilet seat seating detection device comprising: a pressure-sensitive pressure sensor for detecting a load pressing a shaft portion downward;