Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TOILET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND MANAGEMENT DEVICE
[TECHNICAL FIELD]
[0001] The present invention relates to a toilet
management system for managing a use situation of a toilet
bowl device installed in a toilet room, and a management
device usable for the toilet management system.
[BACKGROUND ART]
[0002] A toilet is indispensable facility both in houses
where people live and in facilities that people use. Because
the toilet tends to get dirty or produce an odor, it is
important to keep the toilet clean to make a house or a
facility a comfortable space. In particular, toilets
installed in commercial facilities, entertainment facilities,
complex facilities, passenger station facilities, and the
like which are used by many people need to be properly kept
clean from the viewpoint of public health.
[SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION]
[PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION]
[0003] When abnormality occurs in the toilet, the toilet
may not be used depending on the contents of abnormality, or
sewage or an odor may spread around, which may lead to reduce
the comfort of a space where people live or which people use.
In particular, a toilet installed in a facility which can be
used by unspecified people or many people is more frequently
used and tends to be messed up as compared with a toilet
installed in a house which is used by a few specific people,
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so the toilet is more likely to go through an abnormality.
If an abnormality occurs in the toilet installed in the
facility which is used by many people, the toilet can also be
greatly affected by the abnormality.
[0004] The present invention has been made in view of
such problems, and an object of the present invention is to
provide a technology of appropriately managing a use
situation of a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room.
[MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM]
[0005] In order to solve the above problems, a toilet
management system according to an aspect of the present
invention includes a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet
room, a management device structured to manage a use
situation of the toilet bowl device, and a communication
device structured to transmit use situation information
related to the use situation of the toilet bowl device to the
management device. The management device includes an
acquirer structured to acquire the use situation information
from the communication device, and an abnormality detector
structured to detect an abnormality of the toilet bowl device
or a facility or equipment installed inside or around the
toilet room when the use situation information acquired by
the acquirer matches a predetermined condition.
[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is a
management device. The management device includes an
acquirer structured to acquire use situation information
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related to a use situation of a toilet bowl device installed
in a toilet room, and an abnormality detector structured to
detect an abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility
or equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when
the use situation information acquired by the acquirer
matches a predetermined condition.
[0007] Note that any combination of the above
constituent elements, and expressions of the present
invention that are compatible between a method, a device, a
system, a recording medium, a computer program, and the like
are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.
[ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION]
[0008] According to the present invention, it is
possible to provide a technology of appropriately managing
the use situation of the toilet bowl device installed in the
toilet room.
[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS]
[0009] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration
of a toilet management system according to an embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a
management device according to an embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of
conditions held in an abnormality detection condition holder.
Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of
conditions held in a notification condition holder.
Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a
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toilet bowl device according to an embodiment.
Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of
the toilet bowl device according to the embodiment.
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of
the toilet bowl device according to the embodiment.
[MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION]
[0010] Fig. 1 illustrates a configuration of a toilet
management system according to an embodiment. A toilet
management system 10 includes a toilet bowl device 30 that is
installed in a toilet room 21 of a facility 20, a management
device 50 that manages a use situation of a toilet bowl
device 30, a communication device 22 that transmits use
situation information related to the use situation of the
toilet bowl device 30 to the management device 50, a
management subject terminal 40 of a subject managing the
facility 20 in which the toilet room 21 is installed, a
cleaning subject terminal 42 of a subject in charge of
cleaning the toilet room 21, a manufacturing subject terminal
44 of a subject manufacturing the toilet bowl device 30 or a
facility or equipment installed inside or around the toilet
room 21, a maintenance subject terminal 46 of a subject in
charge of maintenance of the toilet bowl device 30 or the
facility or equipment installed inside or around the toilet
room 21, and the Internet 12 that is an example of a
communication means for performing communication between
these devices.
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[0011] The facility 20 is provided with at least one
toilet room 21. The toilet room 21 includes a door 23 of the
toilet room 21, a washstand 26, one or more private room 24,
a door 25 of each private room 24, toilet bowl device 30 that
5 is installed in each private room 24, a controller 31 for a
user of the toilet bowl device 30 to input an operation
instruction to the toilet bowl device 30, a urinal 32 that is
installed in a toilet room 21 for men, and an abnormality
notification means 27 that notifies an occurrence of an
abnormality inside or around the toilet room 21 when an
abnormality occurs in the toilet room 21. The management
device 50 manages a use situation of one or more toilet bowl
device 30 installed in one or more toilet room 21 of one or
more facility 20. The toilet bowl device 30 may be a
Japanese-style toilet bowl device or a Western-style toilet
bowl device. Hereinafter, the urinal 32 is also referred to
as the "toilet bowl device 30".
[0012] Fig. 2 illustrates a configuration of the
management device 50 according to an embodiment. The
management device 50 includes a communication device 51, a
display device 52, an input device 53, a storage device 70,
and a control device 60. The management device 50 may be a
server device, a device such as a personal computer, or a
mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, a
smartphone, or a tablet terminal.
[0013] The communication device 51 controls
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communication with other devices. The communication device
51 may perform communication by using any wired or wireless
communication method. The communication device 51
communicates with the communication device 22 via the
Internet 12, receives the use situation information of the
toilet bowl device 30, and transmits an instruction to the
toilet bowl device 30. Further, the communication is
performed between the management subject terminal 40, the
cleaning subject terminal 42, the manufacturing subject
terminal 44, and the maintenance subject terminal 46 via the
Internet 12.
[0014] The display device 52 displays a screen generated
by the control device 60. The display device 52 may be a
liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device,
or the like. The input device 53 transmits the instruction
input by the user of the management device 50 to the control
device 60. The input device 53 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a
touch pad, or the like. The display device 52 and the input
device 53 may be mounted as a touch panel.
[0015] The storage device 70 stores programs, data, and
the like which are used by the control device 60. The
storage device 70 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk,
and the like. The storage device 70 stores a toilet
information database 71, a notification destination
information database 72, a use situation information holder
73, a notification history holder 74, an abnormality
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detection condition holder 75, a notification condition
holder 76, a remote control condition holder 77, and a
cleaning execution condition holder 78.
[0016] The toilet information database 71 stores
information of the facility 20, the toilet room 21, and the
toilet bowl device 30, and the like which are managed by the
management device 50. The toilet information database 71
stores information such as the number, positions, and floors
of toilet rooms 21 installed in the facility 20, the number
and positions of private rooms 24 installed in the toilet
room 21, the number, models, manufacturing number, and
manufacturing date of toilet bowl devices 30, a plan view of
the toilet room 21, a connection relationship of water supply
and sewage pipes connected to the toilet bowl device 30, and
types, the number, positions of pieces of equipment or
facilities installed inside or outside the toilet room 21.
[0017] The notification destination information database
72 stores information of a notification destination to be
notified when an abnormality occurs in the toilet bowl device
30 or the like. The notification destination information
database 72 stores information such as IP addresses of the
management subject terminal 40, the cleaning subject terminal
42, the manufacturing subject terminal 44, and the
maintenance subject terminal 46, a mail address of each
person in charge that is a subject thereof, a telephone
number, a fax number, a mobile phone number, priority of the
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notification means, and a time zone that can be notified.
[0018] The use situation information holder 73 stores
the use situation information received from the communication
device 22 provided in the toilet room 21 of the facility 20.
The use situation information holder 73 stores the use
situation information received from each communication device
22 and a reception date and time in association with each
other. The use situation information accumulated in the use
situation information holder 73 is used to detect
abnormalities that occur in the toilet bowl device 30, the
toilet room 21, or the like, determine instructions for the
equipment, facilities, and the like of the toilet bowl device
30 or the toilet room 21, determine cleaning timing or
contents, or the like of the toilet bowl device 30 or the
toilet room 21, present availability or the like of the
toilet room 21 to a user, and investigate maintenance, an
increase/decrease, or the like of the toilet room 21 or the
toilet bowl device 30 from the past use situation.
[0019] The notification history holder 74 holds a
history of information notified from the management device 50
to the management subject terminal 40, the cleaning subject
terminal 42, the manufacturing subject terminal 44, the
maintenance subject terminal 46, the communication device 22,
and the like. The notification history holder 74 stores a
notification date and time, a notification destination,
notification contents, presence or absence of response from
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the notification destination, a response date and time,
response contents, and the like.
[0020] The control device 60 includes a use situation
information acquirer 61, an abnormality detector 62, a
notifier 63, an instruction determiner 64, an instruction
transmitter 65, a responder 66, a cleaning instruction
determiner 67, and a cleaning instruction notifier 68. These
configurations are realized by a CPU, a memory, other LSI,
and the like of an arbitrary computer in terms of hardware,
and may be realized by a program or the like loaded in the
memory in terms of hardware, but functional blocks realized
by a combination thereof are depicted herein. Therefore, it
will be understood by those skilled in the art that these
functional blocks can be realized in various forms such as
hardware alone or a combination of hardware and software.
[0021] The use situation information acquirer 61
acquires the use situation information of the toilet bowl
device 30 installed in the toilet room 21 of the facility 20
from the communication device 22 and stores the acquired use
situation information in the use situation information holder
73. The use situation information acquirer 61 acquires, as
the use situation information of the toilet bowl device 30,
information indicating a use state of the toilet bowl device
30, information indicating an operation condition of the
controller 31, information indicating an opening/closing
state of a door detected by an opening/closing sensor
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installed in a door 23 of the toilet room 21 or a door 25 of
the private room 24, information indicating a water level in
a toilet bowl detected by a water level sensor installed
inside or outside the toilet bowl device 30 or a bowl of a
5 urinal 32, information indicating a water level in a wash
hand bowl detected by a water level sensor installed inside
or outside the wash hand bowl of a washstand 26, information
indicating a water leak state detected by a leak sensor
installed on a floor around the toilet bowl device 30, the
10 urinal 32, or the washstand 26, information indicating a use
situation or condition of a facility or equipment such as a
lighting or a ventilation fan installed inside or outside the
toilet room 21, information detected by sensors such as a
human sensor, a temperature sensor, and an odor sensor
installed inside or outside the toilet room 21, information
detected by sensors such as a seating sensor, a temperature
sensor, and a water level sensor provided in the toilet bowl
device 30, an image captured by an imaging device installed
inside or outside the toilet room 21, a sound acquired by a
microphone installed inside or outside the toilet room 21,
and the like.
Abnormality Detection/Notification of Toilet
[0022] As a feature of the management device 50 of an
embodiment, first, a technology of detecting an abnormality
occurring in the toilet bowl device 30, the toilet room 21,
or the like and notifying information on the detected
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abnormality will be described. The abnormality detector 62
detects an abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30 or a
facility or equipment installed inside or around the toilet
room 21 when the use situation information acquired by the
use situation information acquirer 61 matches predetermined
conditions stored in the abnormality detection condition
holder 75.
[0023] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of
conditions held in an abnormality detection condition holder
75. The abnormality detection condition holder 75 stores the
type and contents of the use situation information indicating
the conditions under which it should be determined that an
abnormality has occurred. The abnormality detector 62 refers
to the use situation information holder 73 and the
abnormality detection condition holder 75 every time the use
situation information is acquired by the use situation
information acquirer 61 or at a predetermined timing, for
example, periodically at a predetermined interval to
determine whether the use situation information matching the
conditions held in the abnormality detection condition holder
75 is acquired, and if it is determined that the use
situation information is acquired, the abnormality detector
62 instructs the notifier 63 to notify a subject of the
occurrence of the abnormality according to the detected
abnormality.
[0024] The notifier 63 determines a notification
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destination according to the contents of the abnormality
detected by the abnormality detector 62 by referring to the
notification condition holder 76, and notifies the determined
notification destination of the information on the detected
abnormality. The notifier 63 notifies the information
necessary for the notification destination to examine
necessary measures, in addition to an error code indicating
the type of occurring abnormalities. For example, the
notifier 63 may notify the information indicating the state
of the toilet bowl device 30 or the toilet room 21, the
captured image of the toilet bowl device 30 or the toilet
room 21, and the like. The notifier 63 may directly notify
the information on the detected abnormality to the terminal
of the subject to be notified, may send the information on
the detected abnormality to a representative telephone or a
direct telephone of a company, an office, or the like, may
transmit an email to a mail address, or may notify the
information on the detected abnormality to a mobile phone or
a mail address of a person in charge. The notifier 63
records information, such as the notification date and time,
the notification destination, and the notification contents,
in the notification history holder 74. When receiving the
response from the notification destination, the notifier 63
displays the received response on the display device 52. The
notifier 63 records the information, such as the
presence/absence of response, the response date and time, and
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the response contents, in the notification history holder 74.
[0025] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of
conditions held in the notification condition holder 76. The
notification condition holder 76 stores the error code
indicating the type of occurring abnormalities, and a subject
that should be notified of the occurrence of the abnormality
and a priority of notification in association with each
other. When the occurrence of the abnormality is detected by
the abnormality detector 62, the notifier 63 refers to the
notification condition holder 76 to obtain the notification
destination to which the occurring abnormality should be
notified, and refers to the toilet information database 71
and the notification destination information database 72 to
acquire the notification destination information. The
notifier 63 may notify a notification destination having a
highest priority of the occurrence of the abnormality
according to a priority of notification, and may notify a
notification destination having a second highest priority of
the occurrence of the abnormality when there is no response
from the notification destination having the highest priority
or when the notification destination does not respond to a
call even when the call is originated, attempt to notify the
notification destination having the highest priority of the
occurrence of the abnormality plural times, or perform both
of the notification to the notification destination having
the second highest priority and the notification to the
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notification destination having the highest priority in
parallel. The notifier 63 may notify a plurality of
notification destinations in parallel at the same time.
[0026] Details of the abnormality to be detected and a
specific example of the notification destination will be
described below.
[0027] The abnormality detector 62 may determine that
the abnormality occurs when the use situation information
indicating the use situation of the toilet bowl device 30
matches the conditions held in the abnormality detection
condition holder 75. For example, the abnormality detector
62 may determine that the abnormality occurs when acquiring
the information indicating that the amount of water inside
the bowl of the toilet bowl device 30 exceeds a predetermined
value. If sewage overflows from the bowl due to clogging of
a drainage pipe, the sewage may have a great influence not
only on the inside of the toilet room 21 but also on the
surroundings thereof, so it is very important to organize a
system that promptly detects the overflow of the sewage and
notifies an appropriate subject that can take necessary
measures for operating facilities and the like.
[0028] The amount of water in the bowl of the toilet
bowl device 30 may be detected by the water level sensor
installed on an inner surface or an outer surface of the bowl
of the toilet bowl device 30. When the water level sensor is
installed on the outer surface of the bowl, a contactless
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water level sensor such as a capacitance type may be
installed. In addition, the contactless water level sensor
such as the capacitance type may be installed on an outer
surface of a trap provided between a drainage port at a lower
5 portion of the bowl and the drainage pipe. After the toilet
bowl device 30 is used and then the bowl is washed with
washing water and the sewage is drained, pooled water remains
in the bowl at a portion below an upper end of the trap, but
even after a predetermined time elapses from drainage, when
10 the water level sensor installed on the outer surface of the
trap detects that water remains at the upper end of the trap,
it is estimated that the sewage in the bowl is not drained
from the drainage pipe due to the clogging of the drainage
pipe, and as a result, it may be determined that an
15 abnormality occurs.
[0029] When
the sewage actually overflows from the bowl,
since it is necessary to clean the toilet room 21 and perform
a measure or the like that temporarily limit an access of a
user to the toilet room 21 and the surroundings thereof, the
notifier 63 notifies a subject in charge of cleaning the
toilet room 21 in which the toilet bowl device 30 in which
the abnormality occurs is installed and a subject managing
the toilet room 21 of the occurrence of the abnormality. In
addition, when it is estimated from other information or the
like that the cause of the occurrence of the abnormality is
due to a malfunction of the equipment such as the toilet bowl
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device 30, a subject that manufactures the toilet bowl device
30 in which the abnormality occurs may also be notified of
the occurrence of the abnormality, may be requested to
provide information on equipment or facilities in which the
malfunction occurs, or may take orders for parts. In
addition, when it is estimated from other information or the
like that the cause of the occurrence of the abnormality is
due to a malfunction of equipment or facilities such as a
drainage pipe or a pump, a subject in charge of maintenance
of equipment or facilities of the drainage pipe or the pump
may also be notified of the occurrence of the abnormality and
may be requested to repair or replace the equipment or
facilities.
[0030] When the abnormality that sewage overflows from
the bowl is detected in the toilet bowl device 30 installed
in the toilet room 21 installed on an upper floor of a
building having a plurality of floors, the notifier 63 may
notify a subject managing floors below a floor on which
toilet room 21 is installed or a subject managing stores
around a floor on which the toilet room 21 is installed of
the information on the abnormality, in addition to a subject
managing the floor on which the toilet room 21 is installed.
When sewage actually overflows, since there is a risk that
the sewage spreads to the floor of the toilet room 21 and is
infiltrated into a ceiling below the floor, or water is
leaked from a ceiling of a downstairs, a subject managing the
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downstairs or the surroundings thereof may be notified of the
abnormality, so it is possible to takes promptly necessary
measures and to suppress the influence to the minimum.
[0031] The notifier 63 may notify the abnormality
notification means 27 installed inside or around the toilet
room 21 of the occurrence of the abnormality. As a result, a
user who is about to enter the toilet room 21 to use the
toilet room 21 or a user of the facility 20 around the toilet
room 21 can be notified that the abnormality has occurred in
the toilet room 21, can be prevented from entering the toilet
room 21, or can be urged to move away from an area around the
toilet room 21. In addition, it is possible to make a person
in charge of stores or the like around the toilet room 21
take appropriate measures such as ventilation and
notification. In addition, it is possible to promptly notify
a person in charge who goes around the toilet room 21 that
the abnormality occurs in the toilet room 21.
[0032] According to such a technology, it is possible to
significantly shorten the time required to take appropriate
measures after the occurrence of the abnormality, so the
influence of the abnormality can be minimized. In addition,
since the toilet room 21 can be appropriately maintained and
managed, the convenience of the user of the facility 20 can
be improved, and the comfort and operation conditions of the
facility 20 can be improved.
[0033] The abnormality detector 62 may determine that
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the abnormality occurs when the use situation information
indicating the operation conditions of the controller 31 for
the user of the toilet bowl device 30 to input the operation
instruction to the toilet bowl device 30 matches the
conditions held in the abnormality detection condition holder
75. For example, the abnormality detector 62 may determine
that the abnormality occurs when acquiring the information
indicating that the same button of the controller 31 is
continuously operated plural times. When a button for
performing a function that is not assumed to be continuously
performed plural times is continuously operated plural times,
since there is a problem in the button or the configuration
for performing the function thereof and it is estimated that
the user's desired function is not performed, it may be
determined that the abnormality occurs in the controller 31
or the toilet bowl device 30 operated by the controller 31.
The abnormality detection condition holder 75 may hold, as
the conditions, a type of operable buttons, the number of
times of operation of the button determined as abnormal, an
operation interval of the button in which it is determined
that the button is continuously operated in association with
each other. In the buttons that are assumed to be
continuously operated plural times such as a button for
changing a volume of a sound masking device for the toilet,
the number of times of operation of the button determined as
abnormal may more increase than that of other buttons.
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[0034] In the state in which the seating sensor of the
toilet bowl device 30 does not detect the seating, when the
information indicating that a button for performing a private
part cleaning function is pressed is acquired, it is
estimated that the seating sensor or the button is broken, so
it may be determined that the abnormality occurs.
[0035] When the information indicating that the button
for stopping the private part cleaning function is not
pressed for a predetermined time after the private part
cleaning function of the toilet bowl device 30 is performed
is acquired, it is estimated that the private part cleaning
function or the button is broken, so it may be determined
that the abnormality occurs.
[0036] When the communication is regularly performed
between the controller 31 and the toilet bowl device 30, if
the information indicating that the controller 31 and the
toilet bowl device 30 cannot communicate for a predetermined
time or longer is acquired, it is estimated that the
communication function of controller 31 or the toilet bowl
device 30 is broken, the controller 31 has fallen or has been
taken out and thus is out of a communicable coverage with the
toilet bowl device 30, or a state of charge of a battery of
the controller 31 is insufficient, so it may be determined
that the abnormality has occurred.
[0037] The notifier 63 notifies the subject managing the
toilet room 21 in which the controller 31 or the toilet bowl
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device 30 in which the abnormality occurs is installed and
the subject in charge of maintenance of the controller 31 or
the toilet bowl device 30 of the occurrence of the
abnormality. In addition, when it is estimated from other
5 information that the controller 31 or the toilet bowl device
in which the abnormality occurs needs to be repaired or
replaced, the subject that manufactures the controller 31 or
the toilet bowl device 30 may also be notified of the
occurrence of the abnormality and take orders for necessary
10 parts.
[0038] In this way, it is possible to promptly detect
and notify the abnormality that is difficult for a person in
charge of management to find even after going around the
toilet room 21 based on the operation conditions of the
15 controller 31 and take necessary measures, so the convenience
of the user of the toilet room 21 can be improved, and the
comfort and the operation conditions of the facility 20 can
be improved.
[0039] When a function to change a temperature of the
20 toilet seat or a temperature of hot water for private part
cleaning stops by an administrator, and when the information
indicating that a button for changing the temperature is
operated a predetermined number of times or more is acquired,
the subject managing the toilet room 21 can be notified that
25 it is estimated that many users desire to change the
temperature.
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[0040] In this way, it is possible to estimate the
request of the user of the toilet bowl device 30 from the
operation conditions of the controller 31 and notify the
management subject of the estimated request, so the
environment of the toilet room 21 can be improved and the
convenience of the user can be improved.
[0041] When the use situation information indicating the
state of facilities or equipment installed inside or around
the toilet room 21 matches the conditions held in the
abnormality detection condition holder 75, the abnormality
detector 62 may determine that the abnormality has occurred.
For example, the abnormality detector 62 may determine that
the abnormality has occurred when acquiring the information
indicating that the time it takes for the door 23 of the
toilet room 21 or the door 25 of the private room 24 to be
closed and then reopened is less than a predetermined value.
The abnormality detector 62 calculates statistical values
such as an average staying time from a staying time history
of the private room 24 or the toilet room 21 for each private
room 24, each toilet room 21, or each facility 20 to
calculate a predetermined value for determining that the
abnormality has occurred.
[0042] When the user stays in the toilet room 21 or the
private room 24 for the predetermined time, since there is a
risk that the user may be in a poor physical condition, the
notifier 63 notifies a subject managing the toilet room 21 in
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which the abnormality has occurred of the occurrence of the
abnormality and notifies the subject to rush to the toilet
room 21. In addition, when it is estimated from another
information or the like that the malfunction of the door 23
or the door 25 or the malfunction of the opening/closing
sensor of the door 23 or the door 25 occurs, the subject in
charge of the maintenance of the toilet room 21 with the
malfunction is notified of the occurrence of the abnormality.
In addition, when it is estimated from other information or
the like that the door 23, the door 25, or the
opening/closing sensor in which the abnormality occurs needs
to be repaired or replaced, the subject that manufactures the
door 23, the door 25, or the opening/closing sensor may also
be notified of the occurrence of the abnormality and takes
orders for necessary parts.
[0043] As a result, since it is possible to promptly
detect the case where the abnormality occurs and take
appropriate measures even when the abnormality occurs in the
user of the toilet room 21, the user can safely use the
toilet room 21 and the facility 20 and the comfort and
operating conditions of the facility 20 can be improved.
Further, the abnormality of the facility or equipment
installed inside or around the toilet room 21 as well as the
toilet bowl device 30 can be detected promptly, so that the
toilet room 21 can be appropriately maintained and managed.
[0044] The abnormality detector 62 may determine that
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the abnormality has occurred in the toilet bowl device 30 or
the facility or equipment installed inside or around the
toilet room 21 when a combination of any two or more of the
pieces of information held in the use situation information
holder 73 matches the predetermined conditions. The notifier
63 notifies the subject in charge of managing the toilet room
21 of the occurrence of the abnormality, and when it is
estimated that the facility or equipment needs to be
repaired, replaced, or the like, the notifier 63 requests the
subject in charge of maintenance of the facility or equipment
to repair or replace the facility or equipment with the
abnormality, and may order the necessary parts to the subject
that manufactures the facility or equipment.
[0045] When the information indicating that the door 23
of the toilet room 21 or the door 25 of the private room 24
is closed for the predetermined time or longer, and the
toilet bowl device 30 installed in the toilet room 21 or the
private room 24 is not used for the predetermined time or
longer is acquired or when the information indicating that
the door 23 of the toilet room 21 or the door 25 of the
private room 24 is not opened even when the toilet bowl
device 30 is used and then the predetermined time or more
elapses is acquired, there is a risk that the abnormality has
occurred in the user, so it may be determined that the
abnormality has occurred.
[0046] When the door 23 of the toilet room 21 or the
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door 25 of the private room 24 is closed and then the toilet
bowl device 30 is not used, and the door 23 or the door 25 is
opened before the predetermined time elapses, it is estimated
that the toilet bowl device 30 malfunctions or the toilet
bowl device 30, the private room 24, or the toilet room 21 is
dirty and the toilet bowl device 30 cannot be used, so it may
be determined that the abnormality has occurred.
[0047] When the door 25 of the private room 24 is open
and the information indicating that the toilet bowl device 30
is used is acquired, it is estimated that the opening/closing
sensor of the door 25 or the toilet bowl device 30
malfunctions, so it may be determined that the abnormality
has occurred.
[0048] When the toilet bowl device 30 is not used for a
predetermined time or longer, it may be determined that the
abnormality has occurred in the toilet bowl device 30 or in
the toilet room 21 in which the toilet bowl device 30 is
installed. The predetermined time may be calculated from the
past usage frequency of the toilet bowl device 30 or the
toilet room 21.
[0049] In the toilet bowl device 30 equipped with a hot
water tank for private part cleaning, if the temperature of
the hot water in the hot water tank does not change more than
the predetermined value even though the private part cleaning
function is executed, it is estimated that a valve for the
hot water tank, a private part cleaning nozzle, or the like
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is broken, so it may be determined that the abnormality has
occurred.
[0050] The abnormality detection conditions as in the
above example may be automatically acquired by machine
5 learning. For example, the contents of the abnormality when
the abnormality actually occurs and the use situation
information at that time are collected from the plurality of
facilities 20, the toilet room 21, and the toilet bowl device
30, and the relationship between the use situation
10 information and the contents of the abnormality may be
learned by performing supervised learning using these actual
data as teacher data. This machine learning may be executed
by a server device or may be executed by a plurality of
computers using a technology such as cloud computing. The
15 learned condition may be delivered to the management device
50 at any time and stored in the abnormality detection
condition holder 75. The management device 50 may include a
learner that executes the machine learning. In this case,
the learner acquires, from the notification destination
20 notifying the abnormality detected by the abnormality
detector 62, information on whether or not the abnormality
actually has occurred or the information such as the contents
of the abnormality, the state of the toilet room 21, the
toilet bowl device 30, or the like, the taken measures, and
25 the results of the measures when the abnormality has
occurred, and may further learn abnormality detection
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conditions by executing the supervised learning using these
pieces of information and the use situation information when
it is determined that the abnormality has occurred as the
teacher data to update the abnormality detection condition
holder 75.
[0051] In this way, according to the technology of the
present embodiment, even if an abnormality occurs in the
toilet room 21 or the toilet bowl device 30, it is possible
to promptly detect the abnormality, notify the appropriate
notification destination of the detected abnormality, and
take necessary measures, so the influence of abnormality can
be suppressed to the minimum. Further, since the occurrence
of the abnormality is detected based on the information that
can be collected from the toilet room 21 or the toilet bowl
device 30, it is possible to suppress the cost of newly
installing a sensor or the like for detecting the
abnormality.
Cooperative Control of Plurality of Toilet Bowl Devices
[0052] Next, as a feature of the management device 50 of
the present embodiment, a technology of comprehensively
managing the plurality of toilet bowl devices 30 installed in
the toilet room 21 and instructing the plurality of toilet
bowl devices 30 to execute a predetermined operation or
function will be described. The instruction determiner 64
determines timing to instruct the toilet bowl device 30 to
execute predetermined operation or function based on the use
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situation information of the plurality of toilet bowl devices
30. The instruction transmitter 65 transmits an instruction
to the toilet bowl device 30 at the timing determined by the
instruction determiner 64 to execute the predetermined
operation or function.
[0053] Fig. 5 illustrates a configuration of the toilet
bowl device according to an embodiment. The toilet bowl
device 30 includes a communication device 33 and a control
device 34. The communication device 33 controls
communication with other devices. The communication device
51 may perform communication by using any wired or wireless
communication method. The communication device 51
communicates with the communication device 22 via the wired
communication, transmits the use situation information of the
toilet bowl device 30 to the management device 50, and
receives an instruction to the toilet bowl device 30 from the
management device 50.
[0054] The control device 34 includes an instruction
receiver 35, a sensor information acquirer 36, and a control
unit 37. These functional blocks can be realized in various
forms such as only hardware or a combination of hardware and
software.
[0055] The instruction receiver 35 receives an
instruction to execute the predetermined operation or
function from the management device 50. The sensor
information acquirer 36 acquires the detected information
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from various sensors such as the seating sensor, the
temperature sensor, and the water level sensor that are
provided in the toilet bowl device 30. The control unit 37
controls functions such as the drainage and private part
cleaning of the toilet bowl device 30 based on the
information detected by various sensors acquired by the
sensor information acquirer 36, and also executes the
predetermined operation or function based on the instruction
received by the instruction receiver 35.
[0056] The instruction determiner 64 of the management
device 50 refers to the past use situation of the toilet bowl
device 30 held in the use situation information holder 73 to
determine timing to instruct the toilet bowl device 30 to
execute the predetermined operation or function. For
example, the toilet bowl device 30 may be instructed to turn
on a heating function of the toilet seat before a
predetermined time when the facility 20 is opened. In
addition, the toilet bowl device 30 may be instructed to turn
off the heating function of the toilet seat before or after a
predetermined time when the facility 20 is closed. The
toilet bowl device 30 may be instructed to change the
temperature of the toilet seat according to a date and time,
a season, weather, outside temperature, room temperature, and
the like.
[0057] When the instruction determiner 64 causes the
plurality of toilet bowl devices 30 to execute a
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predetermined operation or function that consumes power of a
predetermined value or more, the instruction determiner 64
determines timing to instruct the toilet bowl device 30 to
execute the predetermined operation or function so that the
predetermined number or more of the toilet bowl devices 30 do
not execute the operation or function at the same time. For
example, since the function of turning on a heater in the
toilet seat requires relatively large power, the plurality of
toilet bowl devices 30 may be instructed with a time
difference so as not to exceed power supply capacity or
contract amperage of the facility 20.
[0058] When the instruction determiner 64 causes the
plurality of toilet bowl devices to execute a predetermined
operation or function involving water supply or drainage, the
instruction determiner 64 determines timing to instruct the
toilet bowl device 30 to execute the predetermined operation
or function so that the predetermined number or more of the
toilet bowl devices 30 connected to the same water supply
pipe or drainage pipe do not execute the operation or
function at the same time. For example, since the function
of cleaning the toilet bowl involves draining a relatively
large amount of washing water, the plurality of toilet bowl
devices 30 may be instructed with a time difference so as not
to exceed the capacity of the drainage pipes installed in the
toilet room 21 and the facility 20.
[0059] The instruction determiner 64 determines timing
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to instruct the toilet bowl device 30 to execute the
predetermined operation or function involving the drainage so
that among the plurality of toilet bowl devices 30 connected
to the same drainage pipe, the toilet bowl device 30
5 connected to an upstream side of the drainage pipe has a
drainage frequency, a time, or a drainage volume more than
those of the toilet bowl device 30 connected to a downstream
side thereof. In order to prevent a urine stone from
adhering to the toilet bowl device 30 and clogging of the
10 drainage pipe, in the case of regularly performing the
function of cleaning the toilet bowl device 30, since
drainage flows from the toilet bowl device 30 on the upstream
side to the drainage pipe on the downstream side, sufficient
drainage flows to the drainage pipe on the downstream side
15 even if the cleaning frequency of the toilet bowl device 30
on the downstream side is low, but only drainage flows from
the toilet bowl device 30 to the drainage pipe on the
upstream side. Therefore, by increasing the cleaning
frequency, the time, or the drainage volume of the toilet
20 bowl device 30 connected to the drainage pipe on the upstream
side more than those of the toilet bowl device 30 connected
to the drainage pipe on the downstream side, it is possible
to appropriately clean the drainage pipe on the upstream side
and the drainage pipe on the downstream while suppressing
25 washing water from being unnecessarily consumed.
[0060] According to such a technology, when the
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management device 50 collectively controls the plurality of
toilet bowl devices 30 remotely, it is possible to reduce the
malfunctions that can occur when a plurality of toilet bowl
devices 30 perform the same function all at once and smoothly
and appropriately cooperate and remotely control the
plurality of toilet bowl devices 30.
[0061] In executing the predetermined operation or
function, the control unit 37 of the toilet bowl device 30
inquires of the management device 50 whether or not other
toilet bowl devices 30 executing the operation or function
exist around the toilet bowl device 30. The responder 66 of
the management device 50 acquires information on the
executing operation or function from the plurality of toilet
bowl devices 30 and stores the acquired information in the
use situation information holder 73, checks whether other
toilet bowl devices 30 that are executing the predetermined
operation or function exist around the toilet bowl device 30
when the toilet bowl device 30 inquires whether or not other
toilet bowl devices 30 that are executing the predetermined
operation or function exist around the toilet bowl device 30,
and returns a response to the check. The control unit 37 of
the toilet bowl device 30 determines whether or not to
execute the operation or function or timing to execute the
operation or function according to the response from the
management device 50. For example, in executing a
predetermined operation or function involving drainage, the
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control unit 37 inquires of the management device 50 whether
or not other toilet bowl devices 30 that are executing the
operation or function exists around the toilet bowl device
30, and stops or postpones the execution of the operation or
function when there is a response from management device 50
that the other toilet bowl devices 30 exist.
[0062] According to such a technology, even when each
toilet bowl device 30 is operated independently, it is
possible to reduce the malfunctions that may occur due to
interference with the surrounding toilet bowl devices 30 and
operate the toilet bowl devices 30 in appropriate cooperation
with each other.
Control of Each Toilet Bowl Device
[0063] Next, as a feature of the management device 50 of
the present embodiment, a technology of instructing each
toilet bowl device 30 to execute the predetermined operation
or function will be described. The instruction determiner 64
determines the contents and timing of the predetermined
operation or function executed by the toilet bowl device 30
based on the use situation information of the toilet bowl
device 30. The instruction transmitter 65 transmits an
instruction to the toilet bowl device 30 at the timing
determined by the instruction determiner 64 to execute the
operation or function of the determined contents.
[0064] Fig. 6 illustrates a configuration of the toilet
bowl device 30 according to an embodiment. The toilet bowl
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device 30 illustrated in Fig. 6 further includes a display
device 81 and a speaker 82 in addition to the components of
the toilet bowl device 30 illustrated in Fig. 5. In
addition, the control device 34 of the toilet bowl device 30
illustrated in Fig. 6 further includes a presenter 83 in
addition to the components of the control device 34 of the
toilet bowl device 30 illustrated in Fig. 5.
[0065] The display device 81 displays a display screen
generated by the control device 34. The speaker 82 outputs a
sound generated by the control device 34. The display device
81 and the speaker 82 may be provided in a main body of the
toilet bowl device 30, a washing water tank, or the like, may
be provided on an inner wall of the private room 24, and may
be provided on an inner side or an outer side of the door 25.
The presenter 83 presents the information generated by each
component of the control device 34 to a user via the display
device 81 or the speaker 82.
[0066] First, a technology of solving a problem related
to the use of the toilet bowl device 30 from the viewpoint of
the user of the toilet bowl device 30 will be described.
(1) Stop of Cleaning Drainage Function
[0067] The instruction determiner 64 instructs the
toilet bowl device 30 to stop a cleaning drainage function of
the toilet bowl device 30 when the abnormality detector 62
detects the abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30. When
the instruction receiver 35 receives an instruction from the
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management device 50 to stop the cleaning drainage function,
the control unit 37 of the toilet bowl device 30 stops the
cleaning drainage function, and does not drain the washing
water even when a toilet bowl cleaning lever or a toilet bowl
flushing button is operated by a user.
[0068] As described above, the situation where a
management subject, a cleaning subject, and maintenance
subject of the toilet bowl device 30 as well as the user of
the toilet bowl device 30 most want to avoid is the situation
where sewage overflows from the toilet bowl device 30.
According to the toilet management system 10 of the present
embodiment, when any abnormality is detected, particularly
when the water level sensor or the like detects that the
water level in the bowl is a predetermined value or greater,
or when an abnormality that may be a cause of the overflowing
of sewage such as the clogging of the toilet bowl device 30
is detected, the cleaning drainage function of the toilet
bowl device 30 forcibly stops, and as a result, it is
possible to prevent the sewage from overflowing from the
toilet bowl device 30 and suppress the pollution due to the
sewage to the minimum.
[0069] As described above, the abnormality detector 62
may detect an abnormality when the value of the water level
sensor provided in the toilet bowl device 30 exceeds the
predetermined value. In this way, it is possible to prevent
the sewage from overflowing from the bowl by causing the
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toilet bowl device 30 to drain the washing water when the
sewage actually overflows or is about to overflow. Further,
the abnormality detector 62 may detect the abnormality based
on the detection result of the sensor other than the water
5 level sensor, the use situation information of the toilet
bowl device 30, and the like. For example, the sensor that
detects the sound or vibration may be installed near the
drainage pipe, and the abnormality may be detected based on
the detected sound or vibration after the cleaning drainage
10 function is executed by the toilet bowl device 30. In this
case, the abnormality detector 62 may detect the abnormality
when the sound or vibration that should be generated when the
sewage flows through the drainage pipe even if the cleaning
drainage function is executed is not generated, previously
15 hold reference data such as intensity, duration, frequency
and pattern of the sound or vibration that normally occurs
when the sewage flows through the drainage pipe, compare the
sound or vibration actually detected by the sensor with the
reference data, and detect the abnormality when the
20 difference from the reference data exceeds the predetermined
range. As a result, it is possible to accurately detect the
abnormality of the drainage pipe or the like regardless of
whether or not the water level of the toilet bowl device 30
is abnormal, and it is possible to prevent the sewage from
25 overflowing from the bowl by causing the toilet bowl device
30 to drain the washing water.
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[0070] The instruction determiner 64 may calculate the
amount of washing water that can be added to the toilet bowl
based on the value of the water level sensor without the
overflowing of the sewage from the bowl, and limit the amount
of washing water to the calculated amount of washing water to
instruct the toilet bowl device 30 to execute the cleaning
drainage function. As a result, it is possible to attempt to
prevent the clogging of the drainage pipe by additionally
introducing the washing water into the bowl while preventing
the sewage from overflowing.
[0071] When the abnormality of the toilet bowl device
30, the clogging of the drainage pipe, or the like is
detected while the toilet bowl device 30 is executing the
cleaning drainage function, the instruction determiner 64 may
instruct the toilet bowl device 30 to stop the executing
cleaning drainage function. As a result, it is possible to
minimize the overflowing of the sewage even during the
execution of the cleaning drainage function.
[0072] When the abnormality of the clogging of the
drainage pipe or the like is detected, the instruction
determiner 64 may instruct all the toilet bowl devices 30
draining the sewage to the drainage pipe to stop the drainage
function. As a result, even when the toilet bowl device 30
itself has no abnormality, it is possible to prevent the
sewage from overflowing by causing the toilet bowl device 30
to drain the washing water.
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(2) Presentation that Cleaning Drainage Function Has Stopped
[0073] When the instruction determiner 64 instructs the
toilet bowl device 30 to stop the drainage function, the
instruction determiner 64 instructs the toilet bowl device 30
to cause the presenter 83 to present that the cleaning
drainage function stops because the abnormality is detected.
The presenter 83 of the toilet bowl device 30 presents the
user with that the cleaning drainage function stops because
the abnormality is detected via the display device 81 or the
speaker 82. In this way, it is possible to prevent the user
from using the toilet bowl device 30 even if the cleaning
drainage function stops, and prevent the sewage from
overflowing or the dirt from remaining in the bowl. As
described above, the presenter 83 may present that the
cleaning drainage function of the toilet bowl device 30 stops
because the abnormality is detected by the abnormality
notification means 27 installed inside or around the toilet
room 21.
(3) Presentation that Abnormality Detection Has Been Notified
[0074] When the notifier 63 notifies the management
subject terminal 40, the cleaning subject terminal 42, the
manufacturing subject terminal 44, or the maintenance subject
terminal 46 that the abnormality has been detected, the
instruction determiner 64 instructs the toilet bowl device 30
to cause the presenter 83 to present that it has been
notified that the abnormality has been detected. The
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presenter 83 of the toilet bowl device 30 presents to the
user via the display device 81 or the speaker 82 that the
appropriate notification destination has been notified that
the abnormality has been detected. In this way, when the
user notices the abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30, it
is possible to inform the user that there is no need to
contact the management subject or the like, the user can feel
relieved, so it is possible to improve the convenience of the
user and, it is possible to prevent repeated contact with the
management subject or the like.
(4) Automatic lid Closing
[0075] When the abnormality detector 62 detects the
abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30 by the abnormality
detector 62, the instruction determiner 64 instructs the
toilet bowl device 30 to close a lid of the toilet bowl
device 30. The control unit 37 of the toilet bowl device 30
automatically closes the lid of the toilet bowl device 30.
Thereafter, when it is detected that the user manually opens
the lid, the control unit 37 automatically closes the lid
again after a predetermined time elapses from the opening of
the lid. The control unit 37 may be locked so that the lid
is not opened. In this way, when the abnormality occurs in
the toilet bowl device 30 and dirt can remain in the bowl,
the lid is automatically closed to minimize the spread of
odors.
(5) Automatic Locking of Door
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[0076] The instruction determiner 64 instructs a device
for controlling locking/unlocking of a door for an
entrance/exit of the toilet room 21 or the door 25 of the
private room 24 to lock the door or the door 25 when the
abnormality detector 62 detects the abnormality of the toilet
bowl device 30. The device for controlling the
locking/unlocking of the door of the entrance/exit or the
door 25 may be provided in the door or the door 25, may be
provided in the toilet bowl device 30, or may be provided in
the toilet room 21. When instructed to lock the door or the
door 25, the device for controlling the locking or unlocking
of the door or the door 25 automatically locks the door or
the door 25. At this time, in particular, when automatically
locking the door of the entrance/exit of the toilet room 21,
the toilet bowl device 30 or the abnormality notification
means 27 may be instructed to present the information of
another available toilet room 21, private room 24, or toilet
bowl device 30 so as to guide the user. In this way, it is
possible to prevent the user from entering the toilet room 21
or the private room 24 having the toilet bowl device 30 in
which the abnormality is detected and using the toilet bowl
device 30, so it is possible to improve the convenience of
the user and improve the efficiency of the management,
cleaning, and maintenance of the toilet bowl device 30.
(6) Automatic Deodorization
[0077] The instruction determiner 64 instructs the
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toilet bowl device 30 to execute a deodorizing function of
the toilet bowl device 30 when the abnormality detector 62
detects the abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30. The
control unit 37 of the toilet bowl device 30 executes the
5 deodorizing function. The deodorizing function is generally
executed during or after the use of the toilet bowl device
30, and stops after a predetermined time elapses from the
start of execution, but when the deodorizing function is
automatically executed by the instruction from the management
10 device 50, the measures for the abnormality are completed to
make the toilet bowl device 30 return to the normal state,
and the deodorization function continues until an instruction
to stop is received from the management device 50, the
management subject terminal 40, the cleaning subject terminal
15 42, the manufacturing subject terminal 44, or the maintenance
subject terminal 46. As a result, it is possible to minimize
the spread of odors generated by the occurrence of the
abnormality.
(7) Re-cleaning
20 [0078] The instruction determiner 64 instructs the
toilet bowl device 30 to execute the cleaning drainage
function when predetermined conditions are satisfied after
stopping the cleaning drainage function of the toilet bowl
device 30 because of the detection of the abnormality. The
25 predetermined conditions are, for example, that the
predetermined time elapses after the abnormality is detected,
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that the predetermined time elapses after the cleaning
drainage function stops, that it is detected that the
abnormalities such as the clogging of the drainage pipe are
reduced or eliminated based on the use situation information
of various sensors or equipment, and the like. As a result
of the investigation by the applicant, it is known that most
of the causes of the clogging of the drainage pipe in a
toilet of a commercial facility, a public facility, or the
like are due to the pouring of a large amount of toilet paper
into the toilet at a time, but since the toilet paper is
formed to be easily released in water, if the cleaning is
made again after a while, the clogging due to the pouring of
the toilet paper, which is the cause of the clogging of the
drainage pipe may be eliminated. Therefore, the instruction
determiner 64 instructs the toilet bowl device 30 to execute
the cleaning drainage function and tries to clear the
clogging of the drainage pipe when the predetermined time
elapses after the abnormality is detected or after the toilet
bowl device 30 is instructed to stop the cleaning drainage
function. When it is detected that the clogging of the
drainage pipe is eliminated by the re-cleaning, the
instruction determiner 64 instructs the toilet bowl device 30
to withdraw the stop instruction of the cleaning drainage
function and resume the normal operation, and instructs the
toilet bowl device 30 and the abnormality notification means
27 to end the presentation that the abnormality has occurred,
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the cleaning drainage function has stopped, and the
abnormality detection has been notified. When it is detected
that the clogging of the drainage pipe is not eliminated even
by the re-cleaning, the toilet bowl device 30 may be
instructed to execute the cleaning drainage function after a
predetermined time elapses. As a result, it is possible to
eliminate the abnormality by automatically coping with most
of the cases where the drainage pipe is clogged, so it is
possible to significantly reduce the man-hours of the
management subject, the cleaning subject, and the maintenance
subject. Further, the abnormality of the toilet bowl device
30 can be eliminated early and the toilet bowl device 30 can
be used, so it is possible to improve the convenience of the
user.
[0079] The relationship with the problems between the
control technology of the above toilet bowl device 30 and the
use of toilet bowl device 30 from the viewpoint of the user
will be described.
[0080] When the abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30
is found, the user thinks that he/she generates the
abnormality while contacting the management subject or the
like, or the user may hesitate to contact the management
subject because he/she is afraid to lose his/her time due to
reception of a question about the situation of the toilet
bowl device 30 from the management agent. On the other hand,
the user may feel anxious even if he/she leaves without
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contacting the management subject or the like. Such problems
can be solved by the above-described abnormality
detection/notification technology of the toilet, or (3) the
presentation technology that the occurrence of the
abnormality has been notified or the like among the
individual toilet control technologies.
[0081] The user wants to avoid using the toilet bowl
device 30 in which the abnormality has occurred or entering
the toilet room 21 or the private room 24 in which the
abnormality has occurred. Such problems can be solved by the
above-described abnormality detection/notification technology
of the toilet, or (2) the presentation technology that the
cleaning drainage function has stopped or the like among the
individual toilet control technologies.
[0082] The user wants to avoid seeing others dirty or
wants others to avoid seeing his/her own dirty when an
abnormality occurs in the toilet bowl device 30 and dirty
remains in the bowl. Such problems can be solved by the
above-described abnormality detection/notification technology
of the toilet, or (4) the automatic lid closing technology,
(5) the automatic door locking technology, or the like, among
the individual toilet control technologies.
[0083] The user wants to avoid the situation where
sewage overflows by using the toilet bowl device 30 by
himself/herself when the abnormality occurs in the toilet
bowl device 30. Such problems can be solved by the above-
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described abnormality detection/notification technology of
the toilet, or (1) the stop technology of the cleaning
drainage function, or the like among the individual toilet
control technologies.
[0084] The user wants to reduce the odor of the toilet
room 21 and the private room 24 when the abnormality occurs
in the toilet bowl device 30. Such problems can be solved by
the above-described abnormality detection/notification
technology of the toilet, or (6) the automatic odor
technology or the like among the individual toilet control
technologies.
[0085] The user wants to eliminate the abnormality early
and enable the toilet bowl device 30 when the abnormality
such as the clogging of the drainage pipe occurs. Such
problems can be solved by the above-described abnormality
detection/notification technology of the toilet, or (7) the
re-cleaning technology or the like among the individual
toilet control technologies.
[0086] Next, a technology of solving the problems
related to the use of the toilet bowl device 30 from the
viewpoint of the cleaning subject of the toilet bowl device
will be described.
(8) Automatic Cleaning According To Amount of Toilet Paper
Used
25 [0087] As described above, since most of the causes of
the clogging of the drainage pipe are that a large amount of
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toilet paper pours into the toilet at a time, the instruction
determiner 64 instructs the toilet bowl device 30 to execute
the cleaning drainage function when it is detected that a
predetermined amount or more of toilet paper is used in order
5 to reduce the pouring of a large amount of toilet paper into
the toilet at one time. The control unit 37 of the toilet
bowl device 30 executes the cleaning drainage function to
forcedly pour the toilet paper into the drainage pipe. The
use of the predetermined amount or more of toilet paper may
10 be detected by, for example, the sensor installed in the
toilet paper holder, or by a load cell, a passage sensor, a
camera, or the like installed inside or near the bowl. In
the former case, for example, the amount of the toilet paper
used may be detected by detecting a rotation amount of roll-
15 shaped toilet paper. In the latter case, the amount of
toilet paper used is detected based on a weight of the toilet
paper put into the bowl, the amount of toilet paper that
passes through the passage sensor, an image obtained by
capturing of the toilet paper put into the toilet bowl, or
20 the like. When the cleaning drainage function is
automatically executed, the presenter 83 may present to the
user from the display device 81 or the speaker 82 that the
cleaning drainage function is executed once because a large
amount of toilet paper is used. In addition, the presenter
25 83 may alert the user from the display device 81 or the
speaker 82 so that a large amount of toilet paper is not
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poured at a time. As a result, it is possible to reduce the
situation where the drainage pipe is clogged due to the
pouring of a large amount of toilet paper at a time, so it is
possible to significantly suppress the occurrence of the
abnormality in the toilet bowl device 30. Therefore, the
man-hours of the management subject, the cleaning subject,
and the maintenance subject can be significantly reduced, and
the convenience of the user can be improved.
(9) Check If User Is in Toilet in Which Abnormality Has
Occurred
[0088] When the abnormality of the toilet bowl device 30
is detected by the abnormality detector 62, the notifier 63
checks whether the user is in the private room 24 in which
the toilet bowl device 30 is installed based on the
information acquired by the use situation information
acquirer 61, and notifies the cleaning subject terminal 42 of
the checked result. As a result, the cleaning subject can
know whether or not it is possible to enter the private room
24 to clean the toilet bowl device 30 in which the
abnormality occurs, so the cleaning efficiency can be
improved. The instruction determiner 64 may instruct the
toilet bowl device 30 to present the user to leave a room
early because the cleaning subject enters the room for
cleaning.
[0089] The relationship with the problems between the
control technology of the above toilet bowl device 30 and the
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use of toilet bowl device 30 from the viewpoint of the
cleaning subject will be described.
[0090] Even if the abnormality occurs in the toilet bowl
device 30, the cleaning subject wants to suppress the
overflow of sewage to the minimum. Such problems can be
solved by the above-described abnormality
detection/notification technology of the toilet, or (1) the
stop technology of the cleaning drainage function, or the
like among the individual toilet control technologies.
[0091] When the abnormality such as the clogging of the
drainage pipe occurs, the cleaning subject wants to eliminate
the abnormality early. Such problems can be solved by the
above-described abnormality detection/notification technology
of the toilet or (7) the re-cleaning technology, (8) the
automatic cleaning technology according to the amount of
toilet paper used, or the like, among the individual toilet
control technologies.
[0092] Since the cleaning subject also needs to perform
daily cleaning work, the cleaning subject wants to reduce the
time and effort required for additional cleaning accompanied
by the occurrence of the abnormality. In addition, even if
an abnormality occurs, the cleaning subject wants to cope
with the abnormality at a time zone of a fixed routine as
much as possible. Furthermore, the cleaning subject wants to
avoid immediately rushing to the toilet in which the
abnormality has occurred. Such problems can be solved by the
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above-described abnormality detection/notification technology
of the toilet, or (5) the automatic door locking technology,
(7) the re-cleaning technology, or the like among the
individual toilet control technologies.
[0093] Even if the cleaning subject rushes to the
private room 24 to clean the toilet bowl device 30 in which
the abnormality has occurred, the cleaning subject wants to
reduce the situation where the user is in the toilet and thus
the cleaning cannot be performed. Such problems can be
solved by the above-described abnormality
detection/notification technology of the toilet, or (2) the
presentation technology that the cleaning drainage function
has stopped, (3) the presentation technology that the
abnormality detection has been notified, (5) the automatic
door locking technology, (9) the check technology about
whether the user is in the toilet in which the abnormality
has occurred, or the like among the individual toilet control
technologies.
[0094] The cleaning subject does not want to meet the
user who is in the toilet when the cleaning subject rushes to
the private room 24 to clean the toilet bowl device 30 in
which the abnormality has occurred. This is the same for the
user. Such problems can be solved by the above-described
abnormality detection/notification technology of the toilet,
or (9) the check technology about whether the user is in the
toilet in which the abnormality has occurred or the like
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among the individual toilet control technologies.
[0095] The control technology of the individual toilet
bowl devices described above can be executed for each toilet
room 21, or can be executed by the individual toilet bowl
devices 30 themselves. In the former case, the management
device 50 may be provided in the toilet room 21. In the
latter case, the management device 50 may be provided in the
toilet bowl device 30, or the function of the management
device 50 may be provided in the control device 34 of the
toilet bowl device 30.
[0096] Fig. 7 illustrates a configuration of the toilet
bowl device 30 according to an embodiment. The toilet bowl
device 30 illustrated in Fig. 7 further includes a water
level sensor 80 in addition to the components of the toilet
bowl device 30 illustrated in Fig. 6. In addition, the
control device 34 of the toilet bowl device 30 illustrated in
Fig. 7 further includes an abnormality detector 84 and a
notifier 85 in addition to the component of the control
device 34 of the toilet bowl device 30 illustrated in Fig. 6.
[0097] The water level sensor 80 detects the amount of
water inside the bowl of the toilet bowl device 30. As
described above, the water level sensor 80 may be a
contactless water level sensor such as a capacitance type
provided on the outer surface of the bowl or the outer
surface of the trap provided between the drain port and the
drain pipe at the lower portion of the toilet bowl. The
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sensor information acquirer 36 acquires the water level
detected by the water level sensor 80.
[0098] The abnormality detector 84 detects the
abnormality of the water level when the detected water level
5 exceeds a predetermined value. The abnormality detector 84
may detect the water level or other abnormalities based on
the detection information of various sensors acquired by the
sensor information acquirer 36, in addition to the water
level detected by the water level sensor 80 or instead of the
10 water level. For example, as described above, the water
level and other abnormalities may be detected based on the
detection information of the sound sensor or the vibration
sensor installed near the drainage pipe.
[0099] The notifier 85 notifies the management device
15 50, the management subject terminal 40, the cleaning subject
terminal 42, the manufacturing subject terminal 44, or the
maintenance subject terminal 46 of the occurrence of the
abnormality when the abnormality is detected by the
abnormality detector 84.
20 [0100] The abnormality detection/notification described
above can also be realized by the toilet bowl device 30
illustrated in Fig. 7. In this case, the function of the
abnormality detector 62 is executed by the abnormality
detector 84, and the function of the notifier 63 is executed
25 by the notifier 85. Further, the control of each toilet bowl
device described above can also be realized by the toilet
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bowl device 30 illustrated in Fig. 7. In this case, the
function of the instruction determiner 64 is executed by the
control unit 37.
[0101] The toilet bowl device 30 illustrated in Fig. 7
can realize the cooperative control of the plurality of
toilet bowl devices described above by communicating with the
management device 50 or other toilet bowl devices 30. Even
in this case, the function of the instruction determiner 64
is executed by the control unit 37.
Cleaning Management of Toilet
[0102] As a further feature of the management device 50
of the present embodiment, a technology of managing the
timing or contents of the cleaning of the toilet room will be
described. The cleaning instruction determiner 67 determines
the timing or contents of the cleaning of the toilet room 21
based on the use situation information of the toilet bowl
device 30. The cleaning instruction notifier 68 notifies the
subject in charge of cleaning the toilet room 21 of the
timing or contents determined by the cleaning instruction
determiner 67.
[0103] The cleaning instruction determiner 67 refers to
the use situation information holder 73 to determine the
timing to clean the toilet room 21 so that the cleaning
frequency of the toilet room 21 in which the installed toilet
bowl device 30 is used more frequently is higher than that of
the toilet room 21 in which the installed toilet bowl device
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30 is used less frequently. The use frequency of the toilet
bowl device 30 may be calculated from the information
detected by the human sensor stored in the use situation
information holder 73, the opening/closing state of the door
23 of the toilet room 21 and the door 25 of the private room
24, the use situation of the controller 31 or the drain
lever, or the like. When a person in charge of cleaning
cleans the toilet room 21 at the timing instructed by the
management device 50, the cleaning subject terminal 42
transmits information indicating the cleaning state to the
management device 50. The use situation information acquirer
61 stores the information indicating the cleaning state
received from the cleaning subject terminal 42 in the use
situation information holder 73. The cleaning instruction
determiner 67 refers to the use situation information holder
73 to acquire the cleaning frequency of the toilet room 21.
[0104] The cleaning instruction determiner 67 may
determine the contents of the cleaning of the toilet room 21
so that the number of items or a range of the cleaning of the
toilet room 21 in which the installed toilet bowl device 30
is used more frequently is larger than that of the toilet
room 21 in which the installed toilet bowl device 30 is used
less frequently.
[0105] According to such a technology, by fulfilling the
frequency and contents of the cleaning of the more frequently
used toilet room 21, the cleaning frequency of the less
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frequently used toilet room 21 is suppressed while clearly
maintaining the toilet room 21 where dirt is likely to occur,
and as a result, it is possible to reduce the man-hours and
burden on the person in charge of cleaning. In addition,
since the cleaning frequency and contents of the toilet room
21 can be changed automatically and dynamically, the burden
on the subject who manages the toilet room 21 can be reduced.
[0106] The present invention has been described above
based on embodiments, but the embodiments merely show the
principle and application of the present invention. Further,
in an embodiment, many modifications and arrangements can be
changed without departing from the spirit of the present
invention defined in the claim.
[0107] In an embodiment, the example of managing the
toilet bowl device installed in the toilet room of the
facility has been described, but the technology of the
present embodiment can be applied to the case of managing a
toilet of a general house, a public toilet installed in a
park or on a street, or the like.
[0108] By generalizing the invention embodied by the
above-described embodiment and modified examples, the
following technical ideas can be derived.
[0109] A toilet management system according to an aspect
of the present invention includes a toilet bowl device
installed in a toilet room, a management device structured to
manage a use situation of the toilet bowl device, and a
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communication device structured to transmit use situation
information related to the use situation of the toilet bowl
device to the management device. The management device
includes an acquirer structured to acquire the use situation
information from the communication device, and an abnormality
detector structured to detect an abnormality of the toilet
bowl device or a facility or equipment installed inside or
around the toilet room when the use situation information
acquired by the acquirer matches a predetermined condition.
According to this aspect, the abnormality that occurs in the
toilet room can be quickly detected, so the toilet room can
be appropriately maintained and managed.
[0110] The use situation information may be the
information indicating the use state of the toilet bowl
device. The abnormality detector may determine that the
abnormality has occurred when acquiring the information
indicating that the amount of water inside the bowl of the
toilet bowl device exceeds a predetermined value. The toilet
bowl device may include the contactless water level sensor
that is installed on the outer side of the bowl of the toilet
bowl device or the outer side of the trap provided between
the drain port and the drainage pipe at the lower portion of
the bowl of the toilet bowl device and detects the water
level in the bowl of the toilet bowl device. According to
this aspect, it is possible to quickly detect the abnormality
in which sewage overflows, which may affect a great
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influence, and to take appropriate measures, so that the
influence can be suppressed to the minimum.
[0111] The use situation information may be the
information indicating the operation state of the controller
5 for the user of the toilet bowl device to input the operation
instruction to the toilet bowl device. The abnormality
detector may determine that the abnormality has occurred when
acquiring the information indicating that the same button of
the controller is continuously operated plural times.
10 According to this aspect, it is possible to quickly detect
even the abnormality that is difficult to detect by the
patrol of the administrator.
[0112] The use situation information may be the
information indicating the state of the facility or equipment
15 installed inside or around the toilet room. The abnormality
detector may determine that the abnormality has occurred when
acquiring the information indicating that the time it takes
for the door of the toilet room to be closed and then
reopened is less than the predetermined value. According to
20 this aspect, it is possible to appropriately detect the
abnormality while suppressing the cost of the sensor or the
like required for detecting the abnormality.
[0113] The use situation information may include the
information indicating the use state of the toilet bowl
25 device, the information indicating the operation state of the
controller for the user of the toilet bowl device to input
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the operation instruction to the toilet bowl device, and the
information indicating the state of the facility or equipment
installed inside or around the toilet room. The abnormality
detector may detect the abnormality of the toilet bowl device
or the facility or equipment installed inside or around the
toilet room when a combination of any two or more of those
pieces of information matches the predetermined conditions.
The abnormality detector may determine that the abnormality
has occurred when acquiring the information indicating that
the door of the toilet room is closed for a predetermined
time or longer and the toilet bowl device installed in that
toilet room is not used for a predetermined time or longer.
According to this aspect, the abnormality can be detected
more accurately and quickly by referring to the plurality of
information.
[0114] Another aspect of the present invention is a
management device. The management device includes an
acquirer structured to acquire use situation information
related to a use situation of a toilet bowl device installed
in a toilet room, and an abnormality detector structured to
detect an abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility
or equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when
the use situation information acquired by the acquirer
matches a predetermined condition. The abnormality that
occurs in the toilet room can be detected quickly, so the
toilet room can be appropriately maintained and managed.
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[0115] The present invention further includes the
following aspect 1.
Aspect 1-1
A toilet management system, including:
a toilet bowl device; and
a management device structured to manage the toilet
bowl device,
in which the management device includes
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of the toilet bowl
device,
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed around the toilet bowl device when the
use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition, and
an instruction determiner structured to instruct the
toilet bowl device to execute a function to be executed by
the toilet bowl device according to the abnormality detected
by the abnormality detector, and
the toilet bowl device includes
a control unit structured to execute a function
instructed from the management device.
Aspect 1-2
The toilet management system according to aspect 1-1,
in which the instruction determiner instructs the toilet bowl
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device to stop a cleaning drainage function when the
abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector.
Aspect 1-3
The toilet management system according to aspect 1-2,
in which the instruction determiner instructs the toilet bowl
device to present a user that the cleaning drainage function
has stopped.
Aspect 1-4
The toilet management system according to aspect 1-2 or
1-3, in which the instruction determiner instructs the toilet
bowl device to execute the cleaning drainage function when
the predetermined condition is satisfied while the cleaning
drainage function has stopped.
Aspect 1-5
The toilet management system according to aspect 1-4,
in which the predetermined condition includes a lapse of a
predetermined time from the detection of the abnormality by
the abnormality detector, a lapse of a predetermined time
from the stop of the cleaning drainage function, or a
detection of the reduction or elimination of the abnormality
based on the use situation information.
Aspect 1-6
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 1-1 to 1-5, in which the management device further
includes a notifier structured to notify a notification
destination that the abnormality is detected according to the
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detected abnormality when the abnormality is detected by the
abnormality detector, and
the instruction determiner instructs the toilet bowl
device to present the user that the notification destination
has been notified that the abnormality has been detected when
the notifier notifies the notification destination that the
abnormality has been detected.
Aspect 1-7
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 1-1 to 1-6, in which the instruction determiner
instructs the toilet bowl device to automatically close a lid
provided in the toilet bowl device when the abnormality is
detected by the abnormality detector.
Aspect 1-8
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 1-1 to 1-7, in which the instruction determiner
instructs a device for controlling locking of a door for
entering/exiting a private room provided in the toilet bowl
device or toilet rooms provided in a plurality of the toilet
bowl devices to automatically lock the door when the
abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector.
Aspect 1-9
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 1-1 to 1-8, in which the instruction determiner
instructs the toilet bowl device to execute a deodorizing
function provided in the toilet bowl device when the
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abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector.
Aspect 1-10
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 1-1 to 1-9, in which the instruction determiner
5 instructs the toilet bowl device to execute the cleaning
drainage function when it is detected that a predetermined
amount or more of toilet paper is used.
Aspect 1-11
A toilet bowl device, including:
10 a toilet bowl; and
a control device structured to control at least a
function of cleaning the toilet bowl,
in which the control device includes
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
15 information related to a use situation of the toilet bowl
device,
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device when the use situation
information acquired by the acquirer matches a predetermined
20 condition, and
a control unit structured to execute a function to be
executed by the toilet bowl device according to the
abnormality detected by the abnormality detector.
Aspect 1-12
25 A control device, including:
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
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information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device;
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device when the use situation
information acquired by the acquirer matches a predetermined
condition; and
a control unit structured to execute a function to be
executed by the toilet bowl device according to the
abnormality detected by the abnormality detector.
[0116] The present invention further includes the
following aspect 2.
Problem to be Solved by the Invention of Aspect 2
When abnormality occurs in the toilet, the toilet may
not be used depending on the contents of abnormality, or
sewage or an odor may spread around, which may lead to reduce
the comfort of a space where people live or which people use.
In particular, a toilet installed in a facility which can be
used by unspecified people or many people is more frequently
used and tends to be messed up as compared with a toilet
installed in a house which is used by a few specific people,
so the toilet is more likely to go through an abnormality.
If an abnormality occurs in the toilet installed in the
facility which is used by many people, the toilet can also be
greatly affected by the abnormality.
The present invention has been made in view of such
problems, and an object of the present invention is to
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provide a technology of appropriately managing a use
situation of a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room.
Effect of Invention of Aspect 2
According to the present invention, it is possible to
provide a technology of appropriately managing the use
situation of the toilet bowl device installed in the toilet
room.
Aspect 2-1
A toilet management system, including:
a toilet bowl device structured to be provided in a
toilet room;
a management device structured to manage a use
situation of the toilet bowl device; and
a communication device structured to transmit use
situation information related to the use situation of the
toilet bowl device to the management device,
in which the management device includes
an acquirer structured to acquire the use situation
information from the communication device,
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when the
use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition, and
a notifier structured to notify a notification
destination of information on the detected abnormality
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according to contents of the abnormality detected by the
abnormality detector.
Aspect 2-2
The toilet management system according to aspect 2-1,
in which the notifier notifies any of a subject in charge of
managing the facility in which the toilet room is installed,
a subject in charge of cleaning the toilet room, a subject
manufacturing the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room, and a
subject in charge of maintenance of the toilet bowl device or
the facility or equipment installed inside or around the
toilet room of the information on the detected abnormality.
Aspect 2-3
The toilet management system according to 2-1 or 2-2,
further including
an abnormality notification means installed inside or
around the toilet room,
in which the notifier notifies the abnormality
notification means of an occurrence of the abnormality when
the abnormality is detected by the abnormality detector.
Aspect 2-4
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 2-1 to 2-3, in which the notifier notifies a subject
managing a floor below a floor on which the toilet room is
installed of the information on the abnormality in addition
to a subject managing a floor on which the toilet room is
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installed, when an abnormality that sewage overflows from the
toilet bowl device is detected in the toilet bowl device
installed in the toilet room installed on an upper floor of a
building having a plurality of floors.
Aspect 2-5
A management device, including
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device installed in a toilet room;
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when the
use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition; and
a notifier structured to notify a notification
destination of information on the detected abnormality
according to contents of the abnormality detected by the
abnormality detector.
Aspect 2-6
A program allowing a computer to function as
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device installed in a toilet room;
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when the
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use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition; and
a notifier structured to notify a notification
destination of information on the detected abnormality
5 according to contents of the abnormality detected by the
abnormality detector.
[0117] The present invention further includes the
following aspect 3.
Problem to be Solved by the Invention of Aspect 3
10 In recent years, many large-scale commercial facilities
or complex facilities have been opened, but the more the
number of people who use the facilities is increased, the
more the toilets need to be installed. Since a lot of labor
is required to appropriately maintain and manage a large
15 number of toilets installed daily, a technology of
appropriately and efficiently maintaining and managing a
large number of toilets is required.
The present invention has been made in view of such
problems, and an object of the present invention is to
20 provide a technology of appropriately managing a plurality of
toilet bowl devices.
Effect of Invention of Aspect 3
According to the present invention, it is possible to
provide a technology of appropriately managing a plurality of
25 toilet bowl devices.
Aspect 3-1
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A toilet management system, including:
a plurality of toilet bowl devices installed in a
toilet room;
a management device structured to comprehensively
manage the plurality of toilet bowl devices; and
a communication device structured to transmit use
situation information related to the use situation of the
plurality of toilet bowl devices to the management device,
in which the management device includes
an acquirer structured to acquire the use situation
information of the plurality of toilet bowl devices from the
communication device,
a determiner structured to determine timing to instruct
the toilet bowl device to execute a predetermined operation
or function based on the use situation information of the
plurality of toilet bowl devices acquired by the acquirer,
and
an instruction transmitter structured to transmit the
instruction of the execution of the predetermined operation
or function to the toilet bowl device at the timing
determined by the determiner, and
the toilet bowl device includes
an instruction receiver structured to receive the
instruction of the execution of the predetermined operation
or function from the management device, and
a control unit structured to execute the predetermined
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operation or function based on the instruction received by
the instruction receiver.
Aspect 3-2
The toilet management system according to aspect 3-1,
in which the determiner determines the timing to instruct the
toilet bowl device to execute the predetermined operation or
function so that the predetermined number or more of the
toilet bowl devices do not execute the operation or function
at the same time when the determiner causes the plurality of
toilet bowl devices to execute the predetermined operation or
function that consumes power of a predetermined value or
more.
Aspect 3-3
The toilet management system according to aspect 3-1 or
3-2, in which the determiner determines the timing to
instruct the toilet bowl device to execute the predetermined
operation or function so that the predetermined number or
more of the toilet bowl devices connected to the same water
supply pipe or drainage pipe do not execute the operation or
function at the same time when the determiner causes the
plurality of toilet bowl devices to execute a predetermined
operation or function involving water supply or drainage.
Aspect 3-4
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 3-1 to 3-3, in which the determiner determines timing
to instruct the toilet bowl device to execute the
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predetermined operation or function involving the drainage so
that among the plurality of toilet bowl devices connected to
the same drainage pipe, a toilet bowl device connected to an
upstream side of the drainage pipe has a drainage frequency,
a time, or a drainage volume more than those of the toilet
bowl device connected to a downstream side thereof.
Aspect 3-5
The toilet management system according to any one of
aspects 3-1 to 3-4, in which in executing the predetermined
operation or function, the control unit inquires of the
management device whether or not other toilet bowl devices
executing the operation or function exist around the toilet
bowl device,
the management device further includes a responder
structured to acquire information on the executing operation
or function from the plurality of toilet bowl devices, check
whether other toilet bowl devices that are executing the
predetermined operation or function exist around the toilet
bowl device when the toilet bowl device inquires whether or
not other toilet bowl devices that are executing the
predetermined operation or function exist around the toilet
bowl device, and return a response to the check
the control unit determines whether or not to execute
the operation or function or the timing to execute the
operation or function according to the response from the
management device.
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Aspect 3-6
The toilet management system according to aspect 3-5,
in which in executing the predetermined operation or function
involving the drainage, the control unit inquires of the
management device whether or not the other toilet bowl
devices that are executing the operation or function exists
around the toilet bowl device, and stops or postpones the
execution of the operation or function when there is a
response from management device that the other toilet bowl
devices exist.
Aspect 3-7
A management device, including:
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information of a plurality of toilet bowl devices installed
in a toilet room;
a determiner structured to determine timing to instruct
the toilet bowl device to execute a predetermined operation
or function based on the use situation information of the
plurality of toilet bowl devices acquired by the acquirer;
and
an instruction transmitter structured to transmit the
instruction of the execution of the predetermined operation
or function to the toilet bowl device at the timing
determined by the determiner.
Aspect 3-8
A program allowing a computer to execute the following:
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an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information of a plurality of toilet bowl devices installed
in a toilet room;
a determiner structured to determine timing to instruct
5 the toilet bowl device to execute a predetermined operation
or function based on the use situation information of the
plurality of toilet bowl devices acquired by the acquirer;
and
an instruction transmitter structured to transmit the
10 instruction of the execution of the predetermined operation
or function to the toilet bowl device at the timing
determined by the determiner.
Aspect 3-9
A toilet bowl device, including:
15 a communicator structured to communicate with a
management device comprehensively managing a plurality of
toilet bowl devices installed in a toilet room;
a control unit structured to execute an operation or
function executable by the toilet bowl device,
20 in which in executing a predetermined operation or
function involving drainage, the control unit inquires of the
management device whether or not the other toilet bowl
devices that are executing the operation or function exists
around the toilet bowl device, and stops or postpones the
25 execution of the operation or function when there is a
response from management device that the other toilet bowl
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devices exist.
Aspect 3-10
A program allowing a computer to function as
a communicator structured to communicate with a
management device comprehensively managing a plurality of
toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room; and
a control unit structured to execute an operate or
function executable by the toilet bowl device,
in which in executing a predetermined operation or
function involving drainage, the control unit inquires of the
management device whether or not the other toilet bowl
devices that are executing the operation or function exist
around the toilet bowl device, and stops or postpones the
execution of the operation or function when there is a
response from management device that the other toilet bowl
devices exist.
[0118] The present invention further includes the
following aspect 4.
Problem to be Solved by the Invention of Aspect 4
In recent years, many large-scale commercial facilities
or complex facilities have been opened, but the more the
number of people who use the facilities is increased, the
more the toilets need to be installed. Since a lot of labor
is required to appropriately maintain and manage a large
number of toilets installed daily, a technology of
appropriately and efficiently maintaining and managing a
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large number of toilets is required.
The present invention has been made in view of such
problems, and an object of the present invention is to
provide a technology of appropriately managing cleaning of a
plurality of toilet rooms.
Effect of Invention of Aspect 4
According to the present invention, it is possible to
provide a technology of appropriately managing cleaning of a
plurality of toilet rooms.
Aspect 4-1
A toilet management system, including:
a toilet bowl device structured to be provided in a
toilet room;
a management device structured to manage a use
situation of the toilet bowl device; and
a communication device structured to transmit use
situation information related to the use situation of the
toilet bowl device to the management device,
in which the management device includes
an acquirer structured to acquire the use situation
information from the communication device,
a determiner structured to determine timing or contents
of cleaning the toilet room based on the use situation
information acquired by the acquirer, and
a notifier structured to notify a subject in charge of
cleaning the toilet room of the timing or contents determined
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by the determiner.
Aspect 4-2
The toilet management system according to aspect 4-1,
in which the determiner determines the timing to clean the
toilet room so that a cleaning frequency of the toilet room
in which the installed toilet bowl device is used more
frequently is higher than that of the toilet room in which
the installed toilet bowl device is used less frequently.
Aspect 4-3
The toilet management system according to aspect 4-1 or
4-2, in which the determiner determines the contents of the
cleaning of the toilet room so that the number of items or a
range of the cleaning of the toilet room in which the
installed toilet bowl device is used more frequently is
larger than that of the toilet room in which the installed
toilet bowl device is used less frequently.
Aspect 4-4
A management device, including:
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device installed in a toilet room;
a determiner structured to determine timing or contents
of cleaning the toilet room based on the use situation
information acquired by the acquirer, and
a notifier structured to notify a subject in charge of
cleaning the toilet room of the timing or contents determined
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by the determiner.
Aspect 4-5
A program allowing a computer to function as
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device installed in a toilet room;
a determiner structured to determine timing or contents
of cleaning the toilet room based on the use situation
information acquired by the acquirer; and
a notifier structured to notify a subject in charge of
cleaning the toilet room of the timing or contents determined
by the determiner.
[DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS]
[0119] 10 toilet management system, 20 facility, 21
toilet room, 22 communication device, 23 door, 24 private
room, 25 door, 26 washstand, 27 abnormality notification
means, 30 toilet bowl device, 31 controller, 32 urinal, 33
communication device, 34 control device, 35 instruction
receiver, 36 sensor information acquirer, 37 control unit, 40
management subject terminal, 42 cleaning subject terminal, 44
manufacturing subject terminal, 46 maintenance subject
terminal, 50 management device, 51 communication device, 52
display device, 53 input device, 60 control device, 61 use
situation information acquirer, 62 abnormality detector, 63
notifier, 64 instruction determiner, 65 instruction
transmitter, 66 responder, 67 cleaning instruction
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determiner, 68 cleaning instruction notifier, 70 storage
device, 71 toilet information database, 72 notification
destination information database, 73 use situation
information holder, 74 notification history holder, 75
5 abnormality detection condition holder, 76 notification
condition holder, 77 remote control condition holder, 78
cleaning execution condition holder, 80 water level sensor,
81 display device, 82 speaker, 83 presenter, 84 abnormality
detector, 85 notifier
10 [INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY]
[0120] The present invention is applicable to a toilet
management system for managing the use situation of the
toilet bowl device installed in the toilet room.
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[CLAIMS]
1. A toilet management system, comprising:
a toilet bowl device installed in a toilet room;
a management device structured to manage a use
situation of the toilet bowl device; and
a communication device structured to transmit use
situation information related to the use situation of the
toilet bowl device to the management device,
wherein the management device includes:
an acquirer structured to acquire the use situation
information from the communication device, and
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when the
use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition.
2. The toilet management system according to claim 1,
wherein the use situation information is information
indicating the use state of the toilet bowl device.
3. The toilet management system according to claim 2,
wherein the abnormality detector determines that an
abnormality has occurred when acquiring information
indicating that an amount of water in a bowl of the toilet
bowl device exceeds a predetermined value.
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4. The toilet management system according to claim 3,
wherein the toilet bowl device includes a contactless water
level sensor that is installed on an outer side of the bowl
of the toilet bowl device or an outer side of a trap provided
between a drain port and a drainage pipe at a lower portion
of the bowl of the toilet bowl device and detects a water
level in the bowl of the toilet bowl device.
5. The toilet management system according to any one of
claims 1 to 4, wherein the use situation information is
information indicating an operation state of a controller for
a user of the toilet bowl device to input an operation
instruction to the toilet bowl device.
6. The toilet management system according to claim 5,
wherein the abnormality detector determines that the
abnormality occurs when acquiring information indicating that
the same button of the controller is continuously operated
plural times.
7. The toilet management system according to any one of
claims 1 to 6, wherein the use situation information is
information indicating the state of the facility or equipment
inside or around the toilet room.
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8. The toilet management system according to claim 7,
wherein the abnormality detector determines that the
abnormality occurs when acquiring information indicating that
a time it takes for a door of the toilet room to be closed
and then reopened is less than a predetermined value.
9. The toilet management system according to any one of
claims 1 to 8, wherein the use situation information includes
the information indicating the use state of the toilet bowl
device, the information indicating the operation state of the
controller for the user of the toilet bowl device to input
the operation instruction to the toilet bowl device, and the
information indicating the state of the facility or equipment
installed inside or around the toilet room, and
the abnormality detector detects the abnormality of the
toilet bowl device or the facility or equipment installed
inside or around the toilet room when a combination of any
two or more of those pieces of information matches the
predetermined condition.
10. The toilet management system according to claim 9,
wherein the abnormality detector determines that the
abnormality occurs when acquiring information indicating that
the door of the toilet room is closed for a predetermined
time or longer and the toilet bowl device installed in that
toilet room is not used for a predetermined time or longer.
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11. A management device, comprising:
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device installed in a toilet room; and
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when the
use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition.
12. A program allowing a computer to function as
an acquirer structured to acquire use situation
information related to a use situation of a toilet bowl
device installed in a toilet room; and
an abnormality detector structured to detect an
abnormality of the toilet bowl device or a facility or
equipment installed inside or around the toilet room when the
use situation information acquired by the acquirer matches a
predetermined condition.
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FIG. 1
12
________________________________ MANAGEMENT A,50
DEVICE /V
20 MANAGEMENT 40 CLEANING 42
_________ FACILITY iv SUBJECT iv SUBJECT iv
TERMINAL TERMINAL
=
20 MANUFACTURING 44 MAINTENANCE 46
_________ FACILITY SUBJECT Al SUBJECT iv
TERMINAL TERMINAL
21
TOILET 7õ
ROOM
=
21
TOILET A)
ROOM -
21
IC 24 26 11, C217
/V22 31 30 t I 23
_______________________ iv IP COMMUNICATION 25
DEVICE
Ilk III PPF
32 S
____________________________________________________________ Plo
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FIG. 2
50
51 52 53
12-c- _____ COMMUNICATION DISPLAY INPUT
DEVICE DEVICE DEVICE
A _______________________________ A ____
v vA
61 62 63
USE SITUATION ABNORMALITY
INFORMATION DETECTOR NOTIFIER
ACQUIRER
64 65 66
INSTRUCTION INSTRUCTION
RESPONDER
DETERMINER TRANSMITTER
67 68
CLEANING CLEANING
INSTRUCTION INSTRUCTION
DETERMINER NOT IFIER
CONTROL DEVICE
A __________________________________________________________
V
71 72 73 74
TOILET NOTIFICATION USE SITUATION NOTIFICATION
INFORMATION DESTINATION INFORMATION HISTORY
DATABASE I NFORMAT [ON HOLDER HOLDER
DATABASE
75 76 77 78
ABNORMALITY NOTIFICATION REMOTE CONTROL CLEANING
DETECT ION CONDITION CONDITION EXECUTION
CONDITION HOLDER HOLDER CONDITION
HOLDER HOLDER
STORAGE DEVICE
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-19
.
.
rd,
x FIG. 3
0
,.
(7,
8-2)
x
2 0
,
0
a-
C")
2. WATER DOOR OF DOOR OF
WATER FLOOR
VENT I L-
ISIEGAT I -
6 ERRORLEVEL
WATER HUMAN TEMPE ODOR
RATURE
9, CODE LEVEL CONTROLLER TOILET PRIVATE
OF LEAKAGE LIGHTING AT OA SENSOR SENSOR
8 OF BOWL ROOM ROOM WASHSTAND SENSOR
SENSOR SENSOR
_
001 100% _ -
- - - _
002 80% _
- _ _ - - - - - - P
.
CONTINUOUS OPERATION OF
-
003 - FLUSHING BUTTON FOUR - - - -
- - - -
-
TIMES
CO Ni
,
004 - PRIVATE PART - - - -
- - - - OFF r,;
CLEANING ON
''
,
-
.
005 - -
OPEN - - - - - - ON ,
,
= " . . - -
= . .
. = - : -
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FIG. 4
ERROR MANAGEMENT CLEAN I NG MANUFACTURING MA I NTENANCE
CODE SUBJECT SUBJECT SUBJECT SUBJECT
001 1 1 2 2
002 1 - 2 2
003 1 - 1 1
004 1 1 1 1
005 1 2 2
. . . . .
. . = . .
76
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FIG. 5
30
22 33
7v
\N COMMUN I CAT I ON
DEVICE 31
A ________________________
34
N
V
35 36 37
N N N
SENSOR CONTROL
INSTRUCTION INFORMATION UNIT
RECEIVER ACQUIRER
CONTROL DEVICE
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FIG. 6
30
22 33
/v
COMMUNICATION
DEVICE 31
A ________________________
34
V v11
35 36 37
/v
SENSOR CONTROL
INSTRUCTION INFORMATION UNIT
RECEIVER ACQUIRER
83
PRESENTER
CONTROL DEVICE
A ___________________________________ A
V V
DISPLAY SPEAKER
DEVICE
81 82
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717
FIG. 7
30
22 33 80
N /v
\N COMMUNICATION WATER LEVEL
DEVICE SENSOR 31
A __________________________________________
34
V I N
35 36 37
INSTRUCTION SENSOR CONTROL
RECEIVER INFORMATION UNIT
ACQUIRER
83 84 85
PRESENTER ABNORMALITY NOTIFIER
DETECTOR
CONTROL DEVICE
A _______________________________________________________________
V
DISPLAY SPEAKER
DEVICE
V\ V\
81 82
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-08-19
