JP4323332B2 - Human body detection device in toilet facilities - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a human body detection device for user detection in toilet facilities, and more particularly to a human body detection device using a Doppler sensor as a human body detection sensor.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been widely performed to detect the presence or absence of a user in a toilet facility with a human body detection sensor and to control the operation of various devices by a control unit based on the detection.
For example, when the user is detected, the toilet lid is automatically opened, after the user leaves the detection area after use, the flushing water is automatically flowed, or the toilet seat and the toilet lid are automatically closed. Has been done.

  Conventionally, an infrared sensor is mainly used as a human body detection sensor in such toilet facilities, and the user is detected based on reception of reflected light reflected by the user when the user enters the detection area. It was.

  However, in the case of this infrared sensor, since the presence or absence of the user is detected based on the amount of reflected light, it is only possible to determine whether or not there is a user in the detection area. In some cases, the device cannot be detected, and the device malfunctions based on erroneous detection.

  Further, when using this infrared sensor, it is necessary to provide a translucent window at a predetermined location and embed the infrared sensor so as to face the window. In this case, the aesthetic appearance is impaired by the window. There was a problem that the degree of freedom of toilets and other designs was limited.

  For this reason, in recent years, it has been proposed to use a Doppler sensor for detecting a user in a toilet facility (for example, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, Patent) Reference 6, Patent Document 7).

  If such a Doppler sensor is used as a human body detection sensor, it is possible to detect not only the presence or absence of a human body (user) but also its movement, and it is possible to control the operation of various devices more finely.

  In the case of a Doppler sensor, it is possible to place it in a concealed state inside a resin product or wooden product that transmits radio waves. The problem that the degree of freedom is limited can be solved.

By the way, when the Doppler sensor is disposed, it is conceivable that the Doppler sensor is disposed inside a casing in a toilet lid opening / closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that the toilet lid can be opened and closed.
For example, when a Doppler sensor is placed in the center of the front of a washing tank placed on the rear upper surface of the toilet body, a signal wave (radio wave) from the Doppler sensor is applied to the upper body of the user seated on the toilet seat. ) Hits from a close range, and when the user wears a pacemaker, the pacemaker may be adversely affected by a signal wave from the Doppler sensor.

Alternatively, a part of the signal wave from the Doppler sensor is radiated backward to pick up the movement of water in the cleaning tank, and the possibility of erroneous detection of the movement of the human body may occur.
However, the Doppler sensor is arranged inside the casing of the toilet lid opening / closing support device and is directed forward and obliquely upward, so that the transmission direction is forward and obliquely upward in detail. Thus, such a problem can be avoided.

  On the other hand, when the Doppler sensor is disposed inside the casing in the toilet lid opening / closing support device in this manner with the transmission direction facing forward, the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted to the toilet lid when the toilet lid is in the closed state. A part of the light is reflected on the back surface (lower surface), resulting in a problem that the transmission amount of the transmission wave to the toilet lid is reduced.

  When the Doppler sensor is installed inside the casing of the toilet lid opening / closing support device, since the position of the Doppler sensor is the height around the knee of the toilet user, it is inclined upward to increase the detection sensitivity for the user. However, in this case, the signal wave from the Doppler sensor hits the back surface of the toilet lid in the closed state obliquely upward.

In general, toilet lids in toilet facilities are made of resin and can transmit radio waves, but signal waves (radio waves) from the Doppler sensor are the boundary surfaces between air and resin toilet seats having different dielectric constants. Partial reflection occurs on the back surface of the toilet lid, and the amount of reflection increases as the incident angle of the signal wave with respect to the back surface of the toilet lid decreases, that is, as the angle is closer to the parallel direction to the back surface of the toilet lid. The permeation amount with respect to is reduced. Thus, if the amount of permeation decreases, the detection sensitivity for the user decreases.
If the amount of reflection on the back of the toilet lid increases, the movement of the wash water in the toilet bowl during toilet bowl cleaning will be picked up, which may cause malfunction of the equipment.

  This problem is particularly serious when the Doppler sensor is located below the hinge part of the toilet lid opening / closing device and the entire signal wave from the Doppler sensor hits the back surface of the toilet lid in the closed state. .

JP 2001-305220 A JP 2002-71824 A JP 2002-70119 A JP 2003-21677 A JP 2002-285624 A JP 2001-311773 A JP 2001-231716 A

  In the background of the present invention, the present invention can effectively increase the detection sensitivity of human body detection (user detection) by reducing the reflection amount of the signal wave of the Doppler sensor on the back surface of the toilet lid to increase the transmission amount. The object of the present invention is to provide a human body detection device in toilet facilities.

  Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a Doppler sensor that radiates a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor inside a casing of a toilet lid opening / closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge portion. In addition, the back surface of the portion where the signal wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted under the toilet lid and in the closed state of the toilet lid has an uneven shape having a step surface substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the transmission wave. It is characterized by being formed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the stepped surface has a curved shape that turns around the Doppler sensor around the Doppler sensor.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a Doppler sensor that emits a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor inside a casing of a toilet lid opening and closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that the toilet lid can be opened and closed by a hinge portion. A plurality of recesses having a step surface that is substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the transmission wave on the back surface of the portion through which the signal wave from the Doppler sensor passes under the toilet lid and in the closed state of the toilet lid It is characterized by a dispersed shape.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a Doppler sensor that radiates a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor inside a casing of a toilet lid opening and closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that the toilet lid can be opened and closed by a hinge portion. The relative permittivity of the portion through which the signal wave from the Doppler sensor passes under the toilet lid closed state is changed from a large to small relative dielectric layer from the upper surface of the toilet lid toward the back surface. It is characterized by having a structure in which a plurality of layers are laminated.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a Doppler sensor that radiates a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor inside a casing of a toilet lid opening and closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that the toilet lid can be opened and closed. A waveguide is provided on the toilet lid side to change the direction of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor so that the incident angle to the toilet lid approaches a right angle.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fifth aspect, a casing-side waveguide for guiding a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor to the toilet-side waveguide is provided in the casing.

Effects and effects of the invention

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the back surface of the toilet lid has an irregular shape having a step surface that is substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the transmission wave in the portion where the signal wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted. In this way, the amount of signal waves from the Doppler sensor reflected on the back of the toilet lid can be reduced and the amount of transmission can be increased, and the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be effectively increased.
Here, the transmission direction is a normal direction reaching the antenna surface having the strongest output strength.

The stepped surface can be a curved shape centered on the Doppler sensor in the thickness direction of the toilet lid, and the planar shape is a curved shape that turns around the Doppler sensor as a center. (Claim 2).
Thereby, reflection of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor can be reduced more effectively.
In this case, the curved shape can be an arc shape centered on the Doppler sensor.

Next, the third aspect of the present invention is such that the back surface of the portion of the toilet lid through which the signal wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted has a shape in which a plurality of concave portions are dispersed. Therefore, the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be effectively increased.
In this case, the concave portion can be a dimple-shaped concave portion.

  Next, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the toilet lid has a structure in which a plurality of layers having different relative dielectric constants are laminated from the upper surface of the toilet lid toward the back surface side so that the relative dielectric constant becomes large to small. In addition, the amount of reflection of the signal wave from the Doppler sensor by the toilet lid can be reduced to increase the detection sensitivity of human body detection.

As the characteristics of radio waves, the amount of reflection increases at the boundary surface between two objects having greatly different relative dielectric constants.
Here, in claim 4, the difference in dielectric constant between the back surface of the toilet lid and the air is reduced by gradually changing the relative permittivity of the toilet lid constituent material, so that the radio wave reflection on the back surface of the toilet lid, that is, the signal wave Therefore, the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be increased by increasing the transmission amount of the signal wave to the toilet lid.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a waveguide is provided on the toilet lid side to change the direction of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor so that the incident angle on the toilet lid is close to a right angle. The amount of reflection of the signal wave from the Doppler sensor can be reduced, and the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be increased.

In this case, the casing in the toilet lid opening / closing support device is electrically coupled with the waveguide on the toilet lid side in a radio wave manner, and guides on the casing side for guiding the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor to the waveguide on the toilet lid side. The waveguide can be provided in a form extending from the Doppler sensor.
By doing in this way, the signal wave emitted from the Doppler sensor can be more effectively transmitted to the human body through the toilet lid.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, 10 is a toilet facility in the toilet room 12, 14 is a toilet body having a toilet bowl 16, 18 is a toilet seat having an opening 22, and 20 is a toilet lid that can be opened and closed.

A cleaning tank 24 is placed on the rear upper surface of the toilet body 14 in a mounted state. Similarly, on the upper surface of the rear part of the toilet body 16 and on the front side of the cleaning tank 24, a local cleaning device 28 for cleaning the human body part by shower spraying the local cleaning water from the cleaning nozzle 26, more specifically, the main body part 30 is placed. It is installed at.
The main body 30 has a resin casing 32 in which various functional parts for performing various operations are accommodated.

On the other hand, a remote controller 34 for remotely operating the functional unit in the local cleaning device 28 and the toilet facility 10 is attached to the wall W.
In the present embodiment, the main body 30 of the local cleaning device 28 is integrally configured with a toilet seat and a toilet lid opening / closing support device 42 that support the toilet seat 18 and the toilet lid 20 at their proximal ends so as to be opened and closed.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 36 denotes a resin casing in the opening / closing support device 42, and the hinge shafts 38-1 and 38-2 of the hinge portion 37 protrude from the end face in the horizontal direction in the drawing.

On the other hand, the toilet seat 18 and the toilet lid 20 are provided with arms 40-1 and 40-2 protruding rearward, and the hinge holes 44 provided in the arms 40-1 and 40-2 are integrally rotated with the hinge shafts 38-1 and 38-2. The hinge hole 44 of the arm 40-1 in the toilet seat 18 is fitted into the hinge shaft 38-1, and the hinge hole (not shown) of the arm 40-2 in the toilet lid 20 is hinged to the hinge shaft 38-1. 2 is fitted in an integrally rotated state. Here, the hinge shaft 38-2 can rotate independently of the hinge shaft 38-1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a Doppler sensor 46 is housed in the casing 36 as a human body detection sensor.
Here, the Doppler sensor 46 sends a transmission wave (high-frequency radio wave of about 10 GHz) to the detection target, that is, the user, and the frequency of the reflected wave from the user changes when the user is moving. A moving user is detected based on the so-called Doppler effect.

In this embodiment, the Doppler sensor 46 is installed in a state where the transmission direction is forward and obliquely upward as shown in detail in FIG. 3, more specifically, the transmission direction is forward and obliquely upward by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal direction. Has been.
Here, θ is preferably an angle of, for example, about 5 to 30 degrees so that the human body in front of the toilet can be reliably detected from children to adults.

In the present embodiment, the toilet seat 18 and the toilet lid 20 are made of resin (here, made of ABS resin), and as shown in FIG. 3, the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 is transmitted through the back surface of the toilet lid 20 in detail. On the back surface of the portion to be formed, a stepped uneven portion 52 having a plurality of step surfaces 48 is provided.
Here, the stepped surface 48 is substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the Doppler sensor 46 in the longitudinal section of FIG. A portion between the plurality of step surfaces 48 and 48 is an inclined surface 50.

  In this embodiment, the amount of signal waves from the Doppler sensor 46 reflected on the back surface of the toilet lid 20 can be reduced and the amount of transmission can be increased, effectively increasing the detection sensitivity of human body detection. be able to.

In FIG. 3, the thickness direction of the toilet lid 20 on the step surface 48 shows a linear shape. However, the step surface 48 has an arc shape around the Doppler sensor 46 in the thickness direction of the toilet lid 20. You can also.
In this way, reflection of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 can be further reduced.

  In this case, the back surface of the toilet lid 20 is partially formed as an uneven portion 52 having a stepped surface 48 and an inclined surface 50. However, the entire back surface of the toilet lid 20 can be formed into such an uneven portion 52. .

The step surface 48 may have a planar shape that extends linearly in the left-right direction of the toilet bowl. However, as shown in FIG. It can be a circular arc surface that turns around.
In this way, reflection of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 can be further reduced.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A, a hemispherical (or partial) surface having a surface substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the transmission wave on the back surface of the portion of the toilet lid 20 through which the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 is transmitted. This is an example in which a large number of dimple-like concave portions 53 are formed in a dispersed manner.
On the other hand, the embodiment (B) is an example in which the recessed portions 55 having a triangular cross section are formed in a dispersed manner.
Even in these cases, the reflection of the signal wave from the Doppler sensor 46 on the back surface of the toilet lid 20 can be reduced, and the detection sensitivity of the human body detection can be effectively increased.
In these embodiments as well, the recessed portions 53 and 55 can be formed over the entire back surface of the toilet lid 20.

FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the toilet lid 20 is formed by laminating paint layers 20B and 20C on the back side of the main body 20A made of ABS resin, and the toilet lid 20 is constituted by the whole. ing. Here, the coating layers 20B and 20C have a relative dielectric constant different from that of the main body 20A. For more details, ₁ the dielectric constant of the body 20A epsilon, ₂ the relative permittivity of the coating layer 20B epsilon, when the relative permittivity of the coating layer 20C was _{ε 3, ε 1> ε 2} > ε 3 relationships become as These dielectric constants are defined.

That is, in this embodiment, the coating layers 20B and 20C are laminated on the main body 20A so that the relative dielectric constant decreases stepwise from the upper surface of the toilet lid 20 toward the back surface.
Here, the coating layers 20B and 20C having different relative dielectric constants are laminated on the main body 20A, but layers other than the coating layers are laminated so that the relative dielectric constant is directed from the upper surface of the toilet lid 20 to the back surface side. You may make it small in steps.
Here, as the paint layers 20B and 20C, for example, urethane paint or acrylic paint can be used.

In this embodiment, the toilet lid 20 has a three-layer laminated structure. However, in some cases, the toilet lid 20 may have a two-layer laminated structure, or may have a four-layer or more laminated structure. You may make it comprise this.
Furthermore, the paint layer 20B may be configured by laminating a plurality of layers having the same dielectric constant.

  According to the present embodiment, the reflection of radio waves, that is, the reflection of signal waves can be reduced by gradually changing the relative permittivity, thereby increasing the transmission amount of the signal waves from the Doppler sensor 46 to the toilet lid 20. Thus, the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be increased.

FIG. 7 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, a waveguide 56 having a waveguide 54 that changes the direction of a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 and makes the incident angle to the toilet lid 20 close to a right angle is provided on the toilet lid 20 side. ing. Reference numeral 58 denotes a tube body in the waveguide 56, and a metal plating 60 is applied to the inner surface thereof.
In this embodiment, there is also provided a waveguide 64 having a waveguide 62 that is coupled to the waveguide 54 on the toilet lid 20 side by radio wave and guides a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 to the waveguide 54 on the toilet lid 20 side. It is provided on the casing 36 side and inside thereof.
Here, the waveguide 64 is made of, for example, an aluminum die-cast product.
Also in this embodiment, the reflection amount of the signal wave from the Doppler sensor 46 by the toilet lid 20 can be reduced, and the detection sensitivity of human body detection can be increased.

Next, FIG. 8 shows an example of a mounting structure of the Doppler sensor 46 in the casing 36.
First, FIG. 8A shows an example in which the Doppler sensor 46 is attached by the attachment plate 66.
The mounting plate 66 has a holding portion 68 and a fixing portion 70. The Doppler sensor 46 is attached and held on the front surface of the holding portion 68, and is fixed to the casing 36 at the fixing portion 70.

The mounting plate 66 can be made of a radio wave blocking material that blocks transmission waves (radio waves) from the Doppler sensor 46 from being transmitted rearward, such as a metal plate, a conductive coating plate, or a metal mesh. Here, the radio wave blocking material blocks radio wave transmission by reflecting radio waves or absorbing radio waves.
In this way, a part of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 is radiated backward, so that the movement of water in the rear washing tank 24 is picked up and erroneously detected as the movement of the human body. This can prevent the detection sensitivity to the human body.

On the other hand, FIG. 8B shows an example in which the fixing portion 70 is bent rearward from the holding portion 68 so that the fixing portion 70 is fixed to the base plate 72 at the bottom of the casing 36.
The above is an example in which the mounting plate 66 of the Doppler sensor 46 is also used as a radio wave blocking material. However, the radio wave blocking for preventing a part of the transmission wave from the Doppler sensor 46 from being radiated rearward. It is also possible to arrange the material behind the Doppler sensor 46 independently of the mounting plate 66.

9 and 10 show specific examples.
9A, the radio wave blocking material 74 that blocks transmission of radio waves to the rear is configured in a form having a horizontal portion 76 and a rising portion 78, and the rising portion 78 extends along the inner surface of the casing 36. (B) is an example in which the rising portion 78 is embedded in the resin casing 36, and (C) is an example in which the rising portion 78 is arranged along the outer surface of the casing. Respectively.

  10A shows an example in which the entire radio wave blocking material 74 is arranged outside the casing 36, and FIG. 10B shows an example in which the radio wave blocking material 74 has a curved shape and is arranged behind the Doppler sensor 46 inside the casing 36. ing.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be configured in various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the toilet installation provided with the human body detection apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part exploded view which shows the installation position of the Doppler sensor of FIG. It is a figure of the human body detection apparatus of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the attachment structure of the Doppler sensor of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the attachment structure different from FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the attachment structure different from FIG. 8, FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Toilet equipment 20 Toilet lid 20B, 20C Paint layer 36 Casing 37 Hinge part 42 Opening / closing support device 46 Doppler sensor 48 Step surface 52 Uneven shape part 53, 55 Recessed part 54, 62 Waveguide

Claims (6)

  A Doppler sensor that emits a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor in a casing of a toilet lid opening / closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge portion. A toilet facility characterized in that a back surface of a portion through which a signal wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted in a closed state is formed in an uneven shape having a step surface substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the transmission wave. Human body detection device.   2. The human body detecting device in a toilet facility according to claim 1, wherein the stepped surface has a curved shape that turns around the Doppler sensor around the Doppler sensor.   A Doppler sensor that emits a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor in a casing of a toilet lid opening / closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge portion. The back surface of the portion through which the signal wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted in a closed state has a shape in which a plurality of concave portions having step surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the transmission direction of the transmission wave are dispersed. A human body detection device in a toilet facility.   A Doppler sensor that emits a radio wave forward as a signal wave is disposed as a human body detection sensor in a casing of a toilet lid opening / closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that it can be opened and closed by a hinge portion. A portion where the signal wave from the Doppler sensor is transmitted under a closed state was laminated in a plurality of layers having different relative dielectric constants from the upper surface of the toilet lid toward the back surface so that the relative dielectric constant becomes large to small. A human body detection device in a toilet facility, characterized by having a structure.   A Doppler sensor that radiates forward as a signal wave as a human body detection sensor is disposed inside the casing of the toilet lid opening and closing support device that supports the toilet lid so that the toilet lid can be opened and closed, and a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor. A human body detecting device in a toilet facility, characterized in that a waveguide is provided on the toilet lid side so as to make the incident angle to the toilet lid closer to a right angle by changing the direction of the toilet.   6. The human body detecting device in a toilet facility according to claim 5, wherein a casing-side waveguide for guiding a transmission wave from the Doppler sensor to the toilet-side waveguide is provided inside the casing.

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