JPH0428479Y2 - - 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 present 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 A.
However, providing this rubber leg sinking distance A causes 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 as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, the above-mentioned rubber leg subsidence interval 〓A cannot be ensured and detection is impossible. becomes.

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 a toilet seat occupancy detection device comprising a detection means for detecting a seating load acting on a pivot provided near the rear end of the toilet seat, the detection means comprising: , a strain detection sensor is built into the shaft to detect the shaft strain caused by the seating load.

[Operation] Since the strain detection sensor detects the distortion of the pivot shaft caused by the seating load, the seating load can be detected with a very small amount of pivot distortion.

[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) FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment. Pivot 13 that pivots the toilet seat 11 and toilet lid 12
is attached to the pivot support 15 provided in the hinge box 14 etc.
It is fixed in a cantilevered state that cannot be rotated. axis 1
3 is molded using a highly elastic material such as silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, vinyl chloride, polypropylene, etc., and has a built-in strain detection sensor 17 constituting a detection means at a proper location in the pivot strain region. The strain detection sensor 17 is made of pressurized conductive rubber mixed with conductive particles, and includes a switch element 17a whose resistance value changes suddenly from megohms to ohms when pressure is applied, and a lead wire that holds the switch element 17a. It consists of electrode plates 17b and 17c. Note that the shaft 13 in which the strain detection sensor 17 is built-in is
is not limited to either the left or right axis, and it is of course possible to select both the axis to improve seating detection sensitivity.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram for turning on and off the power of the electric circuit 18 of the private part washing device, etc., which is an accessory equipment of the toilet bowl. This circuit includes a step-down transformer 19, the strain detection sensor 17, a relay 20 connected in series to the secondary side of the step-down transformer 19 via the strain detection sensor 17, and contacts 20a and 20b of the relay 20 as a power switch. It is composed of an electric circuit 18.

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, a pressing load is applied to the pivot shaft 13, causing bending strain and/or shearing strain on the pivot shaft 13. Strain detection sensor 1
7 is a switch base 17a due to distortion of the pivot 13.
Since the electrode plates 17b and 17c are pressurized, the electrical resistance between the electrode plates 17b and 17c becomes small, and the relay 20 shown in FIG. 3 is operated to turn on the electric circuit 18. Conversely, when a toilet user (not shown) sits on the toilet bowl 11 in a state of bending forward, a load is applied that flips the pivot shaft 13 upward, causing bending strain and/or shearing strain on the pivot shaft 13 in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned strain. occurs. In the strain detection sensor 17, the switch base 17a is pressurized as the pivot shaft 13 is strained, so the electrode plate 17b,
The electrical resistance between terminals 17c and 17c becomes small, and relay 20 shown in FIG. 3 is activated to turn on power to electrical circuit 18.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4A shows a second embodiment. The pivot 23 that pivots the toilet seat 11 and the toilet lid 12 is fixed in a non-rotatable cantilevered manner to a pivot support 15 provided on the hinge box 14 or the like, as in the first embodiment. The pivot 23 is molded using a highly elastic material such as silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, vinyl chloride, polypropylene, etc., and a cavity 23a is formed at a suitable location in the pivot strain region, and the cavity 23a constitutes a detection means. A strain detection sensor 27 is built-in. The strain detection sensor 27 consists of a pair of upper and lower cantilever lead contacts 27a and 27b that protrude from the cantilever portion 23b of the pivot shaft 23 into the cavity 23a and are in a normally open state.

Next, the operation in the second 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, a pressing load is applied to the pivot shaft 23, forming a cavity 23a of the pivot shaft 23 as shown in FIG. 4B. This generates bending strain and/or shear strain that causes the upper thick portion 23c to deform downward. In the strain detection sensor 27, the upper cantilever lead contact 27a is pushed down by the deformation of the upper flesh part 23c, and the upper and lower cantilever lead contacts 27a and 27b come into contact and become energized, as in the first embodiment. Relay 20 (see FIG. 3) is activated to turn on power to electrical circuit 18. Conversely, when a toilet user (not shown) sits on the toilet seat 11 in a bent-forward state, a load is applied that flips up the pivot 23, and although not shown, the lower part of the pivot 23 forming the cavity 23a is applied. Thick part 23d
generates bending and/or shearing strain that deforms upward. The strain detection sensor 27 is connected to this lower flesh part 23.
Due to the deformation of d, the lower cantilever lead contact 27b is lifted, and the upper and lower cantilever lead contacts 27a, 2
7b contacts and becomes energized, relay 20 (third
(see figure) to turn on power to the electric circuit 18.

[Effects of the present invention] As detailed above, the toilet seat seating detection device according to the present invention uses a strain detection sensor to detect the distortion of the pivot shaft due to the seating load, so it can detect the seating load with a very small amount of pivot distortion. Therefore, it has the following 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 as in the conventional method, the device can be made compact.

Since it does not require a large sinking stroke like conventional toilets, there is no need to provide a large sinking distance between the rubber legs installed near the rear end of the toilet seat and the top of the toilet bowl, and the toilet seat has a stable appearance. We can provide toilet bowls.

Since there is no need to provide a large rubber leg settling distance 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 due to errors in toilet manufacturing can be reduced compared to conventional methods. It becomes possible to increase the size by comparison, and the yield in manufacturing toilet bowls can be improved.

[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 enlarged cross-sectional view of the pivot portion, and FIG. Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram, Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of the toilet seat occupancy detection device according to the present invention, and Fig. 4A shows an enlarged view of the pivot portion. A sectional view, FIG. 4B is a sectional view showing a detection state, FIGS. 5 to 7 show a conventional toilet seat seating detection device, FIG. 5 is an external perspective view, and FIG. 6A is a sectional view showing a detection state.
6B 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 with the toilet seat laid down on the toilet bowl. 11...Toilet seat, 13,23...Axis, 17,2
7...Distortion detection sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a toilet seat occupancy detection device comprising a detection means for detecting a seating load acting on a pivot provided near the rear end of the toilet seat, the detection means pivots a strain detection sensor that detects a pivot strain generated by the seating load. A toilet seat occupancy detection device characterized by having a built-in device.